New Releases Oct. 8-14 and Reader's Choice Contest

Are you still reeling from the fifty new releases last week? Me too! My wish list is now officially ridiculous. We have a much calmer week this week, so it’ll be easier to make a choice. Some good ones, though, especially in fantasy and YA. Which of these books coming out this week do you most want to read? Enter to win your choice. As always, Reader’s Choice is an international giveaway.

Phobos, by Steve Alten (Oct. 11, Tor)

For two thousand years, the Mayan Calendar has prophesied the end of mankind on a date equating to Dec. 21, 2012. Steve Alten’s third book in the Mayan Prophecy series, is a doomsday rollercoaster ride that follows Immanuel Gabriel to the end of the world and back again for one last shot at salvation. During Immanuel’s journey with his deceased grandfather, archaeologist Julius Gabriel, Julius reveals everything the Mayans knew and feared—from the secrets of creation that predate the Big Bang to the existence of extraterrestrials that have come to Earth to save our species. The universe is not what it seems, nor is human existence. The ticking clock of physicality that begins at conception and terminates with our final breath is neither the end nor the beginning, but an elaborate ruse constructed as a test—and we are failing miserably. SF

Well-Tempered Clavicle, by Piers Anthony (Oct. 11, Tor)

Picka Bones and his sister Joy’nt are off in search of adventure with three creatures newly arrived from Mundania—and not the sort of creatures you might expect. They take off on a madcap quest in this 35th tale of the land of Xanth. F

The Goblin War, by Hilari Bell (Oct. 11, HarperTeen)

Tobin has finally crossed back from the Otherworld, where he was trapped in mortal peril for months—only to be captured by the dreaded, bloodthirsty barbarians the moment he enters his own Realm. Meanwhile, the pretty hedgewitch Makenna and her legion of goblins are still trying to find a way out of the Otherworld before it fatally drains their magic and life force. To escape, they will need help from the spirits that live there—but that aid will not come freely. Now the barbarians are out to take over the Realm, and only Makenna, Tobin, and his younger brother, Jeriah, know what is needed to stop them. Third in the Goblin Wood series. YA

The Death Cure, by James Dashner (Oct. 11, Delacorte)

Thomas knows that Wicked can’t be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they’ve collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It’s up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test. What Wicked doesn’t know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can’t believe a word of what Wicked says. Third in the Maze Runner series. YA

Frost, by Wendy Delsol (Oct. 11, Candlewick)

After the drama of finding out that she’s a Stork, a member of an ancient and mystical order of women, and that her boyfriend, Jack, is a descendent of the Winter People able to control the weather, Katla Leblanc is delighted when all signs point to a busy and peaceful Christmas. That is, until the snowstorm Jack summons as a gift to Katla turns into the storm of the century, attracting Brigid, a gorgeous scientist who, in turn, attracts Jack. Second in the Stork series. YA

Awake at Dawn, by C.C. Hunter (Oct. 11, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities. But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold. To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away. When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Second in the Shadow Falls series. YA

Harbor, by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Oct. 11, Thomas Dunne)

One ordinary winter afternoon on a snowy island, Anders and Cecilia take their six-year-old daughter Maja across the ice to visit the lighthouse in the middle of the frozen channel. While the couple explore the lighthouse, Maja disappears—either into thin air or under thin ice—leaving not even a footprint in the snow. Two years later, alone and more or less permanently drunk, Anders returns to the island to regroup. He slowly realizes that people are not telling him all they know; even his own mother, it seems, is keeping secrets. What is happening in Domaro, and what power does the sea have over the town’s inhabitants? H

Steampunk! edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant (Oct. 11, Candlewick)

Fourteen authors of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, embrace the genre’s established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings as diverse as Appalachia, ancient Rome, future Australia, and alternate California. Authors include Garth Nix, Christopher Rowe, Kthleen Jennings, Dylan Horrocks, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Cory Doctorow, Shawn Cheng, Ysabeau S. Wilce, Delia Sherman, and Elizabeth Knox. YA

Unforsaken, by Sophie Littlefield (Oct. 11, Delacorte)

Hailey Tarbell is no typical girl. As one of the Banished who arrived from Ireland generations ago, Hailey has the power to heal—and, as she recently learned, to create zombies if she heals someone too late. But now, Hailey is getting a chance at a normal life, settling with her aunt, Prairie, and her little brother, Chub, in Milwaukee. But her safe world is blown apart when she tries to contact her secret boyfriend, Kaz—and alerts the man who’s looking for her true whereabouts. Second in the Banished series. YA

The Cold Commands, by Richard K. Morgan (Oct. 11, Del Rey)

Richard K. Morgan continues the saga of Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a peerless warrior whose love for other men has made him an outcast and pariah. Only a select few have earned the right to call Gil friend. One is Egar, the Dragonbane. Another is Archeth, the last remaining daughter of an otherworldly race called the Kiriath, who once used their advanced technology to save the world from the dark magic of the Aldrain. Yet even Egar and Archeth have learned to fear the doom that clings to their friend like a grim shadow—or the curse of a bitter god. Now one of the Kiriath’s uncanny machine intelligences has fallen from orbit—with a message that humanity faces a grave new danger: a creature called the Illwrack Changeling, a boy raised to manhood in the ghostly between-world realm of the Grey Places. An expedition is outfitted for the journey to find the lost island of the Illwrack Changeling. Aboard are Gil, Egar, and Archeth: each fleeing from ghosts of the past, each seeking redemption in whatever lies ahead. But redemption doesn’t come cheap these days. Nor, for that matter, does survival. Second in the Land Fit for Heroes series. F

Eyes to See, by Joseph Nassise (Oct. 11, Tor)

Jeremiah Hunt has been broken by a malevolent force that has taken his young daughter and everything else of value in his life: his marriage, his career, his reputation. Desperate to reclaim what he has lost, Hunt finally turns to the supernatural for justice. Sacrificing his normal sight so that he can see the souls of the dead and the powers that stalk his worst nightmares, Hunt embarks upon a strange new career—a pariah among the living; a scourge among the dead; doomed to walk between the light of day and the deepest darkness beyond night. His love for his departed daughter sustains him when all is most hopeless, but Hunt is cursed by something more evil than he can possibly imagine. UF

Snuff, by Terry Pratchett (Oct. 11, Harper)

According to the writer of the best-selling crime novel ever published in the city of Ankh-Morpork, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday will scarcely open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. And Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies and an ancient crime more terrible than murder. He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, and occasionally snookered and out of his mind, but never out of guile. Book 39 in the Discworld series. F

Enter, Night, by Michael Rowe (Oct. 11, ChiZine)

Welcome to Parr’s Landing, Population 1,528—and shrinking. The year is 1972. Widowed Christina Parr, her daughter Morgan, and her brother-in-law Jeremy have returned to the remote northern Ontario mining town, the place from which Christina fled before Morgan was born, seeking refuge. Dr. Billy Lightning has also returned in search of answers to the mystery of his father’s brutal murder. All will find some version of what they seek—and more. Built on the site of a decimated 17th-century Jesuit mission to the Ojibwa, Parr’s Landing is a town with secrets of its own buried in the caves around Bradley Lake. H

The Children of the Sky, by Vernor Vinge (Oct. 11, Tor)

After nearly twenty years, Vernor Vinge has produced a sequel to his memorable bestselling novel A Fire Upon the Deep. Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them. While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them—and among the humans—who seek power, no matter the cost. SF

The Dark at the End, by F. Paul Wilson (Oct. 11, Tor)

Bound by his promise to Glaeken, Jack has refrained from making any direct moves against Rasalom. But things have changed so there's nothing holding Jack in check any longer. Other changes are occurring as well. Jack is healing at an accelerated rate—much like Glaeken did when he was immortal. This can only mean that Glaeken’s time is almost up and when he dies, Jack takes his place. Rasalom continues to plot against the Lady. Twice she has died and returned; a third time and she will be gone, leaving a clear path for the Otherness to infiltrate this reality. But Ernst Drexler forms an uneasy alliance with Jack, while Dawn Pickering is searching for her supposedly dead baby. Now the stage is set for Jack's massive assault on Rasalom. The final Repairman Jack novel. H

Fox & Phoenix, by Beth Bernobich (Oct. 13, Viking Children’s)

The king of Long City is dying. For Kai Zu, the news means more than it does for most former street rats in the small mountain stronghold, because he and the king’s daughter are close friends. Then the majestic ruler of the ghost dragons orders Kai to travel across the country to the Phoenix Empire, where the princess is learning statecraft. In a court filled with intrigue, Kai and his best (female) friend Yan must work together to help the princess escape and return to Long City. YA

See anything you want? I so want to read Eyes to See. So…International Reader’s Choice―you tell me. Just a note: if you like a title but it isn’t the first in a series, you can always request the first in that series instead. As always, four entries possible and please include your e-mail: +1 for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest. Now….go!