~Post by Tommy
Welcome to Sci Friday’s new monthly segment: Coming Soon to a Wormhole Near You, which is a look at the new releases headed your way each month. This March we say hello to some old friends, see New York overrun by nasty monsters and zealot monster hunters, and take a walk through an archeological dig on Mars.
Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
The lovely Mercy Thompson returns this March with the seventh book in Patricia Briggs’ series, Frost Burned. Despite being married to an Alpha Werewolf and the chaos of the werewolves seeking acceptance from a human government that still fears them, Mercy Thompson’s life has been fairly quiet recently. Until now. After a simple car accident Mercy calls home only to find she’s unable to reach any of the pack. She quickly deduces that they’ve been abducted and unfortunately fears government interference. Without her usual werewolf backup, Mercy is going to have to turn to anyone willing to help her find her mate and friends, no matter how unlikely the source or how high the price. Frost Burned is on shelves now.
The Last Threshold by R. A. Salvatore
We have followed the life and adventures of the heroic Drizzt Do’Urden for twenty-five years, and for twenty-five years R.A. Salvatore has not disappointed. After loosing the last of his original companions, Drizzt also lost some of his moral connection to the world. Having decided to shed the darkness thrust upon him by his new companions, Drizzt once more turns his steps to Icewind Dale, determined to once again be a hero. Will Artemis and Dahlia follow or will Drizzt’s enemies find him alone and finally make their move to rid The Forgotten Realms of one of its great heroes? Last Threshold is on shelves now.
Midnight Blue Light Special by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire is one of my new favorite authors and I’m very glad she has two series and publishes a new book roughly every six months. In the follow up to Discount Armageddon, McGuire introduced us to Verity Price, who showed us life was hard when you were a cryptozoologist trying to make it as a professional ballroom dancer. With a snake cult defeated and a dragon put back to sleep, Verity is finally ready to get back to dancing until her sort-of boyfriend and member of the Covenant of St. George shows up. Dominic lets slip that the Covenant is coming to town to purge New York of what they consider monsters and who Verity, usually anyway, considers friends. Verity has to try and keep the lid on a dangerous situation and has to do it knowing something, or someone, might betray her at any time. Midnight Blue Light Special is on shelves now.
Shadow of Freedom by David Weber
In twenty years of Honor Harrington, David Weber has continually kept readers on their toes and does so once more in the newest volume, Shadow of Freedom. The galaxy has been flipped on its head. Manticore and the Peeps have military alliance, the Mesan Alignment has launched its bid to control the galaxy, and Admiral Michelle Henke is at the forefront of it all. Having handed the Solarian League a brutal defeat, Admiral Henke now watches as the fringe planets controlled by the thuggish Office of Frontier Security begin to rebel. Can Henke send aid to those rebellions from her limited resources, or will she allow millions to die to save her own nation from a devastating counter assault? An Admiral’s work is never done. Shadow of Freedom is on shelves now.
Bloodfire Quest: The Dark Legacy of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Terry Brooks goes back to the well to draw us into the world of Shannara once more. The Druids have chased the long missing artifacts known as Elfstones to the very depths of Hell itself. Here they must battle vicious monsters, find lost friends, and find the stones quickly enough to escape the Forbidding alive. The whole quest, however, lies on the young druid guarding the gate between the Four Lands and the Forbidding, a gate that is slowly dying. Will the gate be there when the druids seek to return from the hell dimension, or will the druid holding the gate value her life more than her duty? Bloodfire Quest, second in the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy, hits shelves Tuesday March 12th. Pre-order.
Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear
Elizabeth Bear is one of the big names on the rise in science fiction and fantasy literature, and her Eternal Skies trilogy shows us exactly why. In Range of Ghosts she introduced us to a dark, intriguing world full of magic, war, and cruel deception. With the second book in the trilogy, Shattered Pillars, she returns us to the empires of the Celadon Highway and the struggle of Temur to claim his rightful throne. Together with his wizard friend Sarmarkar, Temur must stand against an evil even greater than that of his devious cousin in order to save his empire before he can become its ruler. Shattered Pillars hits shelves Tuesday March 19th. Bonus: Elizabeth Bear will visit us here at Bookpeople to speak about and sign Shattered Pillars on Wednesday March 27th. You can pre-order a signed copy.
Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
Forty years ago a pair of archeologists started what is now known as the Great Martian Fossil Rush. As with the California gold rush of 1849, prospectors came to Mars in droves searching for valuable Martian fossils to sell back on Earth. When crime breaks out in the frontier prospecting town of New Klondike and the corrupt police refuse to do their jobs, people turn to Mars’ only private eye: Alex Lomax. In the course of his investigations, Lomax stumbles on a clue that may solve some decades old murders and a journal that may well lead to the mother loade of Martian fossil collections. Red Planet Blues hits shelves Tuesday, March 26th. Pre-order.
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Sci Friday is a weekly post focusing on all things Sci Fi. Booksellers Tommy and Marie are you intrepid leaders on this journey through awesome new books; the best and worst of what’s come before; Sci Fi film adaptations and more. Check back next Friday for more!
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