New Releases Sept. 1-7 and Reader's Choice C*ntest

First, a note. If you’re an avid reader and would like to write reviews of your own, Annie over at Booked and Loaded is in search of associate reviewers. It’s a great up-and-coming site, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Annie first at a Royal Street book signing in Dallas last spring and again at Authors After Dark. If you’re interested, click HERE and find out the details.

Now..don’t forget: the first and last weeks of each month are HEAVY release days, and the first week of September is no exception. Thought last week gave you some hard choices? Get ready!

Which book would you most like to read? As always, leave a comment telling me the book you’d most like to win (or the first in its series), and maybe random.org will make your wishes come true. International? Of course! As long as Book Depository delivers to your country, please enter.

Here we go….

A Lady and Her Magic, byTammy Falkner (September 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Rules Are Made to be Disobeyed. Sophia Thorne is new to the Regency’s glittering high society, which resembles her magical homeland only insofar as both places are filled with ridiculous rules. Which means no matter where she goes, she’s bound for trouble. And Scandals Are Meant to be Shocking. The Duke of Robinsworth has flaunted and shocked society for years. In a moment of fateful mischief, Robinsworth encounters the enchanting and distinctly scandalous Sophia. Between her streak of magical mischief and his penchant for scandal, they’re about to take rule breaking to a whole new level.

Charming Blue (Fates #8), by Kristine Grayson (September 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Once upon a time he was the most handsome of princes. But now he’s a lonely legend, hobbled by dark history. With too many dead in his wake, Bluebeard escapes through the evil spell of alcohol. But it’s a far different kind of spell that’s been ruining his life for centuries. Jodi Walters is a fixer, someone who can put magic back in order. But Blue has a problem she’s never encountered. And worse, she finds herself perilously attracted to him.

Where There’s a Will, by Karen Kelley (September 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

When good girl Haley Tillman is stood up (again), she prays for a dating miracle, and then slams the front door in its face when it appears. Ryder is half angel, half mortal, with powers to do whatever the hell he wants. When he hears Haley’s prayers, he is bound and determined to answer every single one of them.

A Tale of Two Vampires (Dark Ones #10), by Katie MacAlister(September 4, Signet)

Iolanthe Tennyson has had a very bad year, due in part to the very bad men in her life. So, she’s accepted her cousin’s invitation to spend the summer in Austria indulging in her photography hobby. There, rumors of a haunted forest draw Iolanthe into the dark woods, and into the eighteenth century. Nikola Czerny is a cursed man, forced by his half-brothers to live forever as a Dark One. But his miserable existence takes an intriguing turn when a strange, babbling woman is thrown in his path. Iolanthe claims to know Nikola’s daughter, three hundred years in the future. She also knows what fate, in the form of his murderous half-brothers, has in store for him. If only she knew the consequences of changing the past to save one good, impossibly sexy vampire.

Accidental Magic, by P.C. Cast (September 4, Berkley)

P.C. Cast, presents two sexy, magical novellas set in Mysteria, Colorado, a supernatural town filled with vampires, witches, werewolves, and enough passion to awaken any creature of the night. In Candy Cox and the Big Bad (Were)wolf, five-time divorcée Candice Cox is burned out and lacking in love. But when a friend’s spell presents Candice with the young werewolf lover of her dreams, she starts to rethink her commitment to swearing off men. In It’s in His Kiss, strict vegetarian Summer Smith has always had a hard time giving up control, especially since her magic is unpredictable at best. But when she meets a dark, gorgeous vampire named Colin, Summer suddenly finds herself wanting to let loose and experience the new appetites awaked by Colin’s kiss.

Archangel’s Storm (Guild Hunter #5), by Nalini Singh (September 4, Berkley)

With wings of midnight and an affinity for shadows, Jason courts darkness. But now, with the Archangel Neha’s consort lying murdered in the jewel-studded palace that was his prison and her rage threatening cataclysmic devastation, Jason steps into the light, knowing he must unearth the murderer before it is too late. Earning Neha’s trust comes at a price, Jason must tie himself to her bloodline through the Princess Mahiya, a woman with secrets so dangerous, she trusts no one. Least of all an enemy spymaster. With only their relentless hunt for a violent, intelligent killer to unite them, Jason and Mahiya embark on a quest that leads to a centuries old nightmare, and to the dark storm of an unexpected passion that threatens to drench them both in blood.

Blood Forever (Blood Coven #8), by Mari Mancusi (September 4, Berkley)

After making a deal with the devil, Rayne and Sunny have been given the chance to go back in time, preventing that fateful night when Sunny was bitten by Magnus from ever happening. But Sunny finds she doesn’t want to live without Magnus by her side and Rayne secretly wishes that vampire Jareth was back in her arms. To reclaim their lives, Sunny and Rayne team up to figure out a way to change history for the better. But if the twins can’t get the boys on their side, history may spiral out of control, destroying not only the Blood Coven, but quite possibly the entire human race. 

Dragon’s Moon (Children of the Moon #4), by Lucy Monroe(September 4, Berkley)

He’s a dragon intent on saving his people from destruction. She is a wolf who blames him for the deaths of her brother and mother. They’re true mates, but will that be enough to overcome ancient prophecies, debilitating visions and a dragon’s fire?  When Erik, the only living dragon shifter, and prince of the Ean, killed her brother, Ciara was left alone to face her prophetic dreams. Now, in order to find the wolves’ sacred stone and save all the Chrechte from destruction, she needs her enemy’s help. Controlling his dragon’s fire is the most difficult thing he’s ever done, until he and Ciara are forced to face not only their shared tumultuous past, but a hallowed bond stronger than they realize. Their quest ushers them into a world of great danger, and a passion hotter than the dragon’s fire. 

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (The Dragon Kin #6), by G.A. Aiken (September 4, Kensington)

Some things never go away, like vile enemies, bad ale, and annoying kin. Honestly, though, I thought I was finished with the one dragon I’d have done anything for: Éibhear the Blue, a big, gorgeous, blue-haired beast who thinks the world belongs to him. The world and, apparently, me. If Éibhear wants to play the caring hero and travel into the most forsaken of Gods forsaken lands to protect the one woman who doesn’t need it, namely me, I’ll let him. Because while I’m trying to fulfill a ridiculous quest for a pushy god, I’m going to draw this overconfident warlord much too close, rekindle his fires, and enjoy every minute of his delicious defeat. 

Primal Possession (Moon Shifter #2), by Katie Reus (September 4, Signet)

As his pack’s second-in-command, lupine shifter Liam Armstrong gives orders and takes what he wants, until he meets red-headed, blue-eyed December McIntyre. Liam knows the human beauty is his intended mate the moment he sees her, but December is far too strong-willed to accept his protection. December, whose brother is the town sheriff, has every reason to mistrust shifters after one killed her youngest sibling. But the forceful and handsome Liam has gotten under her skin in a way she hadn’t thought possible. When a radical hate group targets all humans known to sympathize with paranormal beings, December is attacked in her bookstore. She turns to the only one who can help her: Liam. And he is going to take her to places within herself she never knew existed. 

An Apple for the Creature, by Charlaine Harris (editor), Toni L.P. Kelner (editor), Ilona Andrews, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Mike Carey,Jonathan Maberry, Nancy Holder (September 4, Ace)

Your worst school nightmares pale in comparison to these thirteen stories that take academic anxiety to whole new realms. In “Playing Possum,” Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew’s entire kindergarten class but finds she’s one short when a deranged gunman shows up. For those who like fangs with their forensics, “VSI,” in which an FBI agent is tested as never before in a school for Vampire Scene Investigation. And in “The Bad Hour,” Remy Chandler and his dog Marlowe find evil unleashed in an obedience school. You’ll need more than an apple to stave off the creatures in these and ten other stories. Remember your first lesson: resistance is fruitless! 

Ashes of Honor (October Daye #6), by Seanan McGuire (September 4, DAW)

October “Toby” Daye averted a war, gave up a county, and suffered personal losses that have left her wishing for a good day’s sleep. She’s tried to focus on her responsibilities, training Quentin, upholding her position as Sylvester’s knight, and paying the bills, but her increasingly reckless behavior is beginning to worry even her staunchest supporters. Toby’s just been asked to find another missing child,Chelsea, the changeling daughter of her fellow knight, Etienne, who didn’t even know he was a father until the girl went missing. Now Toby must find Chelsea before time runs out, racing against an unknown deadline and through unknown worlds. But danger is also stirring in the Court of Cats, and Tybalt may need Toby’s help with the biggest challenge he’s ever faced. 

Carnival of Souls, by Melissa Marr (September 4, HarperCollins)

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. Once in a generation in The City, the Carnival of Souls hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures. All Mallory knows of The City is that her father, and every other witch there, fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides, and trains to be lethal. She knows it’s only a matter of time until a daimon finds them. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory. Soon she will be drawn into the decadence and danger of the Carnival of Souls. Young Adult.  

Clean:  A Mindspace Investigations Novel, by Alex Hughes(September 4, Roc Books)

I used to work for the Telepath’s Guild before they kicked me out for a drug habit that wasn’t entirely my fault. Now I work for the cops, helping Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino put killers behind bars. My ability to get inside the twisted minds of suspects makes me the best interrogator in the department. But the normals keep me on a short leash. When the Tech Wars ripped the world apart, the Guild stepped up to save it. But they had to get scary to do it, real scary. Now the cops don’t trust the telepaths, the Guild doesn’t trust me, a serial killer is stalking the city, and I’m aching for a fix. But I need to solve this case. Fast. I’ve just had a vision of the future: I’m the next to die. 

Dead is a Killer Tune (Dead Is #7), by Marlene Perez (September 4, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

A diabolical pied piper comes to town in the seventh installment of this hot paranormal mystery series. High school freshman Jessica Walsh is a virago, a woman warrior who must protect her hometown from danger. And in the unusual little town of Nightshade, California, trouble is always lurking. At Nightshade’s Battle of the Bands, Jess’s boyfriend Dominic and his band Side Effects May Vary are up against Hamlin, a band so popular that their fans follow them everywhere. Soon, Nightshade’s musicians are doing risky, illegal and even fatal things, and claiming that strange music they heard right before falling asleep told them to do it. Could a diabolical pied piper be sabotaging the Battle of the Bands? It’s up to Jessica and her friends track down the tuneful tyrant. 

Dead Mann Running (Hessius Mann #2), by Stefan Petrucha(September 4, Roc)

Just because a bullet has your name on it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t duck. Either I’m stubborn or it’s rigor mortis, but being dead didn’t stop me from being a detective. But it’s tough out there for a zombie. These days the life-challenged have to register and take monthly tests to prove our emotional stability. See, if we get too low, we go feral. And I’ve been feeling down lately myself. So when a severed arm, yeah, just the arm, leaves a mysterious briefcase in my office, my assistant Misty thinks figuring out where it came from will keep me on track. But this job goes deeper and darker than I imagined. Turns out the people after the briefcase know more about my past life than I can remember, and even more about what I’ve become. 

Envy (The Fury Trilogy #2), by Elizabeth Miles (September 4, Simon Pulse)

Emily Winters knows the Furies have roots in Ascension, Maine, but she’s about to discover that they’re deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to dig them out. But it’s hard to focus when she’s desperate to make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her. Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she’s thrilled when popular Gabby takes her under her wing, and the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all. It’s tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day. Young Adult. 

Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3), by Jackson Pearce(September 4, Little, Brown Books)

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. The past seems so insignificant, until Celia meets Lo. Lo doesn’t know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea, a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid, terms too pretty for the soulless monster she’s becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self even as she’s tempted to embrace her dark immortality. When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him. The two form a friendship, but find themselves competing for Jude’s affection. There’s only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her, and steal his soul. Young Adult.  

Have Stakes Will Travel: Stories From the World of Jane Yellowrock, by Faith Hunter (September 4, Roc, e-book only)

Four stories from the world of Jane Yellowrock. In “WeSa,” the Beast who lives inside Jane watches as her hunting grounds become prey. In “Haints,” Jane and her friend Molly Trueblood investigate mysterious paranormal phenomena—and the evil they find brings a new meaning to the words “haunted house.” “Signatures of the Dead” tells the story of the vampire massacre that made Jane a household name. And in “Cajuns with Fangs,” Jane makes a new friend who turns out to have old enemies. 

Immortal Lycanthropes, by Hal Johnson (September 4, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

“A shameful fact about humanity is that some people can be so ugly that no one will be friends with them. It is shameful that humans can be so cruel, and it is shameful that humans can be so ugly.” So begins the story of Myron Horowitz, a disfigured thirteen-year-old just trying to fit in at his Pennsylvania school. When a fight with a bully leaves him unconscious and naked in the wreckage of the cafeteria, Myron discovers that he is an immortal lycanthrope, a were-mammal who can transform from human to animal. He also discovers that there are others like him, and many of them want Myron dead. “People will turn into animals,” says the razor-witted narrator of this tour-de-force, “and here come ancient secrets and rivers of blood.” Young Adult.  

In a Fix (In a Fix #1), by Linda Grimes (September 4, Tor)

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. She’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with. This assignment is enjoyable until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years, both skilled adaptors, step in to help. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended. Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems. 

Outpost (Razorland #2), by Ann Aguirre (September 4, Feiwel and Friends)

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight. To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around . Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out. Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols, those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide. Young Adult.  

Pet Shop Boys: A Short Story, by Kim Harrison (September 4, HarperCollins, e-book only)

From bestselling author Kim Harrison comes this original short story (to be featured in her anthology Into the Woods, October 2012) where things are most definitely not as they seem. A pet shop employee’s innocent date with a customer quickly turns disturbing rather than delightful. She and her family hold a centuries-old secret, and they want him to stay with them forever. 

The Asylum Interviews: Trixie (The Asylum Tales #0.5), byJocelynn Drake (September 4, Harper Voyager, e-book only)

The second of two prequel stories to Jocelynn Drake’s Angel’s Ink. Gage’s ex-girlfriend is back in town and needs help escaping a master vampire. While not the easiest of tasks, he certainly didn’t count of getting help from a mysterious woman with a few secrets of her own. 

The Dirty Streets of Heaven (Bobby Dollar #1), by Tad Williams(September 4, DAW)

Bobby Dollar is an angel, a real one. Bobby’s wrestling with a few deadly sins of his own, pride, anger, even lust. Bobby can’t entirely trust his heavenly superiors, and he’s not too sure about any of his fellow earthbound angels either, especially the new trainee angel that Heaven has dropped into their midst. And he sure as hell doesn’t trust the Countess of Cold Hands, a mysterious she-demon who seems to be the only one willing to tell him the truth. When the souls of the recently departed start disappearing things get bad very quickly for Bobby D. Caught between the angry forces of Hell, the dangerous strategies of his own side, and a monstrous undead avenger that wants to rip his head off and suck out his soul, Bobby’s going to need all the friends he can get. 

The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire #3), by Clay Griffith,  Susan Griffith (September 4, Pyr)

Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs. To even the odds, Adele unleashes the power of her geomancy, a fearsome weapon capable of slaughtering vampires in vast numbers. The power she expends threatens her own life even as she questions the morality of such a weapon. Adele is threatened by betrayal and Gareth faces a terrible choice. Their only hope is a desperate strike against the lord of the vampire clans, Gareth’s brother, Cesare. It is a gamble that could win the war or signal the final days of the Greyfriar. 

The Lost Night (Harmony #9), by Jayne Castle (September 4, Jove)

With the ability to detect the auras of dangerous psychic criminals, Rachel Bonner has found peace and quiet on Rainshadow Island with her dust bunny companion. Then Harry Sebastian, the descendant of a notorious pirate, arrives to investigate strange developments in the privately owned woods known as the Preserve. Rachel can sense the heart of darkness within him, and the stirrings of desire within her own soul.  

This Case Is Gonna Kill Me, by Phillipa Bornikova (September 4, Tor)

Linnet Ellery is the offspring of an affluent Connecticut family. Fresh out of law school, she’s beginning her career in a powerful New York “white fang” law firm. She has high hopes of eventually making partner. In a workplace where some humans will eventually achieve immense power and centuries of extra lifespan, office politics can be vicious beyond belief. After some initial missteps, she finds herself sidelined and assigned to unpromising cases. Then, for no reason she can see, she becomes the target of repeated, apparently random violent attacks, escaping injury each time through increasingly improbable circumstances. There’s apparently more to Linnet Ellery than a little old-money human privilege. She’s going to shake up the system like you wouldn’t believe.  

Ghosts:  Recent Hauntings, by Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Hand,Caitlin R. Kiernan, Joe R. Lansdale, Maureen McHugh, Tim Powers, John Shirley, Peter Straub (September 5, Prime Books)

The spirits of the dead have walked among our legends, myths, and stories since before recorded history. Ghostly visitations, hauntings, unquiet souls seeking the living, vengeful wraiths, the possibility of life beyond the grave that can somehow reach out and touch us are some of literature’s most enduring icons. Now, in the twenty-first century, we are no less fascinated with phantoms than our cave dwelling ancestors or our Victorian-age forebears. Thirty modern masters of fright and fantasy fill this anthology with shivers, chills, and spooky explorations of both sides of the veil. Be prepared to keep a light on all night.  

Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk #1), by Bec McMaster(September 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Honoria Todd has no choice. Only in the dreaded Whitechapel district can she escape the long reach of the Duke of Vickers. But seeking refuge there will put her straight into the hands of Blade, legendary master of the rookeries. No one would dare cross him, but what price would he demand to keep her safe? Ever since Vickers infected him with the craving, Blade has been quicker, stronger, almost immortal, and terrified of losing control of the monster within. Honoria could be his perfect revenge against the duke…or the salvation he never dared to dream of. 

Zoo, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (September 3, Little, Brown and Company)

All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear. With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it’s too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide. 

Breed: A Novel, by Chase Novak and Scott Spencer (September 4, Little, Brown and Company)

Alex and Leslie Twisden lead charmed lives. What they don’t have is a child, and as they try one infertility treatment after the next, yearning turns into obsession. Alex and Leslie travel deep into Slovenia, where they submit to a painful and terrifying procedure that gives them what they desire, but with awful consequences. Ten years later, the twins Adam and Alice find themselves locked into their rooms every night, with sounds coming from their parents’ bedroom getting progressively louder, more violent, and more disturbing. Adam and Alice set out to learn the true nature of the man and woman who raised them. Their discovery will upend everything they thought they knew about their parents and will reveal a threat so horrible that it must be escaped, at any cost.   

Monster Hunter Legion (Monster Hunter International #4), byLarry Correia (September 4, Baen)

Monster Hunter International might be the premier monster eradication company in the business, but they’ve got competition. When hunters from around the world gather in Las Vegas for a conference, a creature left over from a World War Two weapons experiment wakes up and goes on a rampage across the desert. A not-so-friendly wager between the rival companies turns into a race to see who can bag the mysterious creature first. Only there is far more to this particular case than meets the eye, and as Hunters fall prey to their worst nightmares, Owen Zastava Pitt and the staff of Monster Hunter International have to stop an ancient god from turning Sin City into a literal hell on earth. 

Rage Within (Dark Inside #2), by Jeyn Roberts (September 4, Simon & Schuster)

Aries, Clementine, Michael, and Mason have survived the first wave of the apocalypse that wiped out most of the world’s population and turned many of the rest into murderous Baggers. Aries is trying to lead, but it’s hard to be a leader when there are no easy answers and every move feels wrong. Clementine is desperate to find her brother Heath, but it’s impossible to know where he’d be, assuming he’s alive. Michael is haunted by the memories of his actions during his harrowing struggle to survive. And Mason is struggling with something far worse, the fear that he may be a danger to his friends. As the Baggers begin to create a new world order, these four teens will have to trust and rely on each other in order to survive. 

Riveted (Iron Seas #3), by Meljean Brook (September 4, Berkley)

A century after a devastating volcanic eruption forced Iceland’s inhabitants to abandon its shores, the island has become enshrouded in legend. But the truth behind the legends is mechanical and the mystery of the island a matter of life and death for a community of women who once spilled noble blood to secure their freedom. Five years ago, Annika unwittingly endangered that secret, but her sister Källa took the blame and was exiled. Now Annika serves on an airship, searching for her sister and longing to return home. But that home is threatened when scientific expedition leader David Kentewess comes aboard, looking to expose Annika’s secrets. Then disaster strikes, leaving David and Annika stranded on a glacier and pursued by a madman.  

The Clockwork Sky, Volume One, by Madeleine Rosca (September 4, Tor)

Erasmus Croach’s miraculous factory, Ember, has flooded London with steampowered automatons. The already suffering working class take to the streets to protest the jobs lost to these machines. Captain Thorn of Scotland Yard calls in Ember’s latest creation, the automatic police boy, Sky. Meanwhile, Sally Peppers, Croach’s niece, dreams of a life beyond manners and marriageability. When she escapes her overbearing governess and joins a no-rules road rally through the slums, Croach sends Sky to bring her back. Sally and Sky crash headlong into a mystery involving rogue automatons prowling the sewers, children disappearing without a trace, and a dark secret so big it could overturn all of London. But the biggest mystery of all is why Sky is the first robot who can dream. 

The Map of the Sky (Trilogia Victoriana #2), by Felix J. Palma(September 4, Atria)

A love story serves as backdropwhen New York socialite Emma Harlow agrees to marry millionaire Montgomery Gilmore, but only if he accepts her audacious challenge: to reproduce the extraterrestrial invasion featured in Wells’s War of the Worlds. What follows are three brilliantly interconnected plots to create a breathtaking tale of time travel and mystery, replete with cameos by a young Edgar Allan Poe, and Captain Shackleton and Charles Winslow from The Map of Time.  

At the Edge of Waking, by Holly Phillips (September 5, Prime Books)

A collection of short stories portraying human reaction to dire change or extreme circumstance, combining the real, intruded upon by the fantastic or the fantastic grounded in reality, describing the world as it is, as it may be, as something impossible yet entirely acceptable. 

Circus: Fantasy Under the Big Top, edited by Ekaterina Sedia and featuring stories by Peter Straub, Jessica Reisman, Genevieve Valentine, Ken Scholes, Barry B. Longyear, Kij Johnson,Amanda C. Davis, Eric Witchey, Felicity Dowker, Christopher Barzak, Neal Barrett Jr., Holly Black, Cate Gardner, Howard Waldrop, Amanda Downum, Andrew J. McKiernan, Deborah Walker, E. Catherine Tobler, Jeff VanderMeer, Douglas Smith(September 5, Prime)

Introducing stories of circuses traditional and bizarre, futuristic and steeped in tradition, joyful and heartbreaking. And among the actors you will find old friends, be they sad clowns or free-spirited gymnasts, as well as new ones—mammoths, mechanical piano men, and things best not described at all. Come in, come all, and enjoy the literary show unfolding. 

Be My Enemy (Everness #2), by Ian McDonald (September 4, Pyr)

Everett Singh has escaped with the Infundibulum from the clutches of Charlotte Villiers and the Order, but at a terrible price. His father is missing, banished to one of the billions of parallel universes of the Panoply of All Worlds, and Everett and the crew of the airship Everness have taken a wild Heisenberg jump to a random parallel plane. Everett is smart and resourceful, and from the refuge of a desolate frozen Earth far beyond the Plenitude, where he and his friends have gone into hiding, he makes plans to rescue his family. But the villainous Charlotte Villiers is one step ahead of him. The action traverses three different parallel Earths: one is a frozen wasteland; one is just like ours, except that the alien Thryn Sentiency has occupied the Moon since 1964, sharing its technology with humankind; and one is the embargoed home of dead London, where the remnants of humanity battle a terrifying nanotechnology run wild. Young Adult.  

Dragon Ship (Liaden Universe #15), by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (September 4, Baen)

First Class courier pilot Theo Waitley was already known as a nexus of violence, and then she inherited the precarious captaincy of a mysterious self-aware ship designed to serve a long dead trader. Now she has a trade route to run for Clan Korval while she convinces the near mythic ghost shipBechimo, and herself, that she wants to commit herself as the human side to their immensely powerful symbiosis. While her former lover battles a nano virus that’s eating him alive, she’s challenged to rescue hundreds of stranded pilots and crewmen from an explosive situation in near orbit around a suddenly hostile planet. Lovers, enemies, an ex roomie, and a jealous spaceship are all in peril as Theo wields power that no one in the universe is sure of, especially her. 

Slow Apocalypse, by John Varley (September 4, Ace)

Despite wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as 9/11, the United States’ dependence on foreign oil has kept the nation tied to the Middle East. A scientist has developed a cure for America’s addiction—a slow-acting virus that feeds on petroleum, turning it solid. But he didn’t consider that his contagion of an Iraqi oil field could spread to infect the fuel supply of the entire world…In Los Angeles, screenwriter Dave Marshall heard this scenario from a retired US marine and government insider who acted as a consultant on Dave’s last film. It sounded as implausible as many of his scripts, but the reality is much more frightening than anything he could have envisioned. An ordinary guy armed with extraordinary information, Dave hopes his survivor’s instinct will kick in so he can protect his wife and daughter from the coming apocalypse that will alter the future of Earth—and humanity…  

The Eternal Flame (Orthogonal #2), by Greg Egan (September 4, Night Shade Books)

The generation ship Peerless is in search of advanced technology capable of sparing their home planet from imminent destruction. A critical fuel shortage threatens to cut their voyage short. When the astronomer Tamara discovers the Object, a meteor whose trajectory will bring it within range of the Peerless, she sees a risky solution to the fuel crisis. Meanwhile, the biologist Carlo searches for a better way to control fertility. As the scientists clash with the ship’s leaders, they find themselves caught up in two equally dangerous revolutions: one in the sexual roles of their species, the other in their very understanding of the nature of matter and energy.  

The Rapture of the Nerds, by Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross(September 4, Tor)

At the dusk of the twenty-first century, earth has a population of roughly a billion hominids. They are happy with their lot, living in a preserve at the bottom of a gravity well. Those who are unhappy have emigrated, joining one or another of the swarming densethinker clades. The splintery metaconsciousness of the solar-system has largely sworn off its pre-post-human cousins dirtside, but sometimes it spams Earth’s networks with plans for cataclysmically disruptive technologies. Until the overminds bore of stirring Earth’s anthill, there’s Tech Jury Service: random humans, charged with assessing dozens of new inventions and ruling on whether to let them loose. Young Huw has been selected for the latest jury, a task he does his best to perform. 

Lord of the Mountains: A Novel of the Change (Emberverse #9), by S.M. Stirling (September 4, Roc)

Rudi Mackenize, now Artos the First, High King of Montival, and his allies have won several key battles against the Church Universal and Triumphant. But still the war rages on, taking countless lives, ravaging the land once known as the United States of America. Artos and his Queen, Mathilda, must unite the realms into a single kingdom to ensure a lasting peace. If the leaders of the Changed world are to accept Artos as their ruler, he will need to undertake a quest to the Lake at the Heart of the Mountains, and take part in a crowning ceremony, a ceremony binding him to his people, his ancestors, and his land. Then, once he has secured his place and allegiances, Artos can go forward, and lead his forces to the heart of the enemy’s territory…. 

Majipoor Chronicles:  Book Two of the Majipoor Cycle(Majipoor: Lord Valentine #2), by Robert Silverberg (September 4, Roc)

When Hissune, Lord Valentine’s successor-designate and a clerk in the House of Records, is assigned to organizing the archives of the tax-collectors, he is disheartened to say the least. No one will ever have need of his findings, his useless busywork. But close to the House of Records lies a far more interesting place: the Register of Souls. Home to millions of telepathically recorded stories, the Register contains Majipoor’s infinitely complex histories, tales of love and loss, triumph and heartbreak. And as the young prince-to-be immerses himself in the lives of those who have come before, he creates an enthralling chronicle of his own. 
  

The Book of the Night (Libyrinth, #3), by Pearl North (September 4, Tor)

The world of the Libyrinth has experienced a series of wrenching changes. After the Libyrarians and their longtime foes the Singers discovered their common heritage, a young healer named Po found the Lion’s Bloom, an ancient and enormously powerful artifact capable of rewriting reality. Behind the mysteries of their shrouded past has always been the legendary Book of the Night. Sought for generations, both feared and revered, it is the key to this world of wonders. When vain, grasping Queen Thela steals the Lion’s Bloom and imperils the very reality of the world, only the Book can heal what she has rent asunder. An epic journey through strange lands, a perilous encounter in a clockwork city, and the revelation of the truth beyond reality will lead those who find the Book to a moment when their world will either be saved...or cease to exist. Young Adult.  

The Skybound Sea (Aeon’s Gate #3), by Sam Sykes (September 4, Prometheus)

The skies bleed. The Earth groans. The sea howls. The world is rent asunder as the Kraken Queen claws her way from hell. And the only ones standing in her way are a young man with a piece of steel and a voice in his head his many companions, and their many problems. As Lenk journeys to the Island of Jaga, the tomb of Ulbecetonth, he is hunted. By enemies, by the woman he loves, by the demon he has to kill, by an army of any number of bloodthirsty purple berserkers, savage lizardmen, vicious monsters, and colossal demons. In the lands where sky and sea have forgotten they were ever separate, Lenk and his companions’ destinies await at the tip of a sword and the mouth of hell. 

The Spirit Well (Bright Empires #3), by Stephen R. Lawhead(September 4, Thomas Nelson)

Kit Livingstone is on a quest for the ultimate treasure, a tattooed map to an alternate universe. When he witnesses Arthur Flinders-Petrie carry his dead wife into a pool of light, and emerge with her alive, Kit wonders if The Spirit Well is the secret of the map. And if it is, can Arthur’s ruthless great-grandson be far behind? 

Blood Spirits (Dobrenica #2), by Sherwood Smith (September 6, DAW)

With the man she loves set to marry a look-alike princess, Kim Murray returns to California from the magical country of Dobrenica to heal her broken heart. But family politics soon have her leaving for London, where she is forced into a duel with a Dobrenican nobleman. He reveals that her great sacrifice, leaving Alec, was a disaster. To fix her mistake, Kim returns to Dobrenica, but what she finds there is far more shocking and dangerous than she ever imagined. Not just politics and personalities but ghosts and magic, murder and mystery, await her as she struggles to understand the many faces of love. Once again Kim has to take sword in hand as she tries to make peace and learn the truth. Only, whose truth?

Now…what do you want to read? Leave a comment and tell me, and I’ll draw one name to win his or her choice. International, as always. And if the book is in a series you haven’t started, you can always pick the first one in the series instead. If there’s a new release in another genre this week you’d like to read, leave that in your comment. If I’ve missed a speculative fiction release, leave it in the comments and I’ll add it in—it’s eligible for giveaway.

As always, four entries possible: +1 for comment to tell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest. This contest is international to any place Book Depository ships. Contests end at midnight CDT U.S. on Saturday, and winners are announced on Sunday’s blog. It’s the responsibility of the winner to contact me with their mailing info. Books unclaimed after a month will go into a general giveaway pile.

Now….go!