Release Week: The Violent Century, The Necromancer's House, Parasite, Dead Set, Zendegi, Two Serpents Rise, The Prince of Lies, and Shadow's Lure
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Release Week: The Violent Century, The Necromancer's House, Parasite, Dead Set, Zendegi, Two Serpents Rise, The Prince of Lies, and Shadow's Lure
Posted on 2013-11-04 at 00:59 by Sam
OCTOBER 23-29, 2013: An absolutely packed release week so I’ll spare some of the usual dithering up here to make room. Briefly: new novels from Lavie Tidhar and Christopher Buehlman would be quite a week alone, but add a new novel from Mira Grant and bring Greg Egan’s Zendegi to audio — for starters — and there’s something for everyone this week. In the “also out this week” listings: Katabasis, continuing the Mongoliad saga (sans Neal Stephenson); Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens narrates Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (though nothing can top Simon Vance’s performance, this one’s darn good); an audiobook for The Poison Oracle to go along with the new reprint from Small Beer Press; Katherine Kellgren (Star Trek: Voyager’s Captain Janeway) narrates the first installment of a new romance fantasy from Nora Roberts; and Kass Morgan’s YA debut The 100, which forms the basis of a forthcoming television series, makes its slightly delayed appearance in audio. And! New in this week’s roundup is a newly-announced 2014 title, John Scalzi’s Lock In. Enjoy!
PICKS OF THE WEEK:
The Violent Century by Lavie Tidhar, Narrated By Jonathan Keeble (Hodder and Stoughton, October 24, 2013) — “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy meets Watchmen in Tidhar’s The Violent Century, the thoughtful and intensely atmospheric novel about the mystery, and the love story, that determined the course of history itself. The Violent Century is the sweeping drama of a time we know too well; a century of fear and war and hatred and death. In a world where everyday heroes may become übermenschen, men and women with extraordinary powers, what does it mean to be a hero? To be a human? Would the last hundred years have been that much better if Superman were real? Would they even have been all that different?” Reviewed positively in The Guardian, Metro, and Tor.com among other places, and I’m very happy indeed that this is not a UK-only release. H&S has worldwide English rights for Tidhar’s next book as well, so hopefully that follows suit as well, too.
The Necromancer’s House by Christopher Buehlman, read by Todd Haberkorn for Tantor Audio, just inside a month after the Ace-published print/ebook from Oct 1, which until this week I only knew as a “Fantasy novel about a Russian man who practices withcraft confronted by Baba Yaga.” (via Locus Online). Buehlman is the author of Those Across the River and Between Two Fires — the latter of which was an eye-openingly good fantasy novel of the middle ages. Here: “Andrew Ranulf Blankenship is a handsome, stylish nonconformist with wry wit, a classic Mustang, and a massive library. He is also a recovering alcoholic and a practicing warlock, able to speak with the dead through film. His house is a maze of sorcerous booby traps and escape tunnels, as yours might be if you were sitting on a treasury of Russian magic stolen from the Soviet Union thirty years ago. Andrew has long known that magic was a brutal game requiring blood sacrifice and a willingness to confront death, but his many years of peace and comfort have left him soft, more concerned with maintaining false youth than with seeing to his own defense. Now a monster straight from the pages of Russian folklore is coming for him, and frost and death are coming with her.”
Parasite by Mira Grant, narrated by Christine Lakin for Hachette Audio concurrent with the Orbit print/ebook release is a new novel from the pseudonymous (otherwise known as Seanan McGuire) author of the Newsflesh trilogy. Here: “A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease. We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the Intestinal Bodyguard worm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It’s been successful beyond the scientists’ wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them. But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives … and will do anything to get them.”
Speaking of standalone new works, Dead Set: A Novel By Richard Kadrey, Narrated By Kate Rudd, a standalone dark fantasy from the author of the Sandman Slim series: “After her father’s funeral, Zoe moved to the big city with her mother to start over. But change always brings trials, and life in the city is not so easy. Money is tight, and Zoe’s only escape, as has always been the case, is in her dreams - a world apart from her troubled real life where she can spend time with her closest companion: her lost brother, Valentine. But something or someone has entered their dreamworld uninvited. And a chance encounter at a used record store, where the vinyl holds not music but lost souls, has opened up a portal to the world of the restless dead. It’s here that the shop’s strange proprietor offers Zoe the chance to commune with her dead father. The price? A lock of hair. Then a tooth. Then…”
Zendegi By Greg Egan, Narrated By Parisa Johnston for Audible Inc. — published originally in 2010 by Night Shade Books (US) and Gollancz (UK) — “Set in a near future Iran (where the theocracy has been overthrown, but where Muslim religion still dominates the culture), an Arab/Muslim focused MMORG gaming companies cutting edge AI software might hold the key achieving “uploaded consciousness.” Martin is an Australian journalist who covered uprising and overthrow of the Iranian theocracy, and has since “gone native” with a Iranian wife and child.”
Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone (Tor Books and Blackstone Audio, October 29) — book one is in audio from Blackstone as well — here book two is narrated by Chris Andrew Ciulla: “A novel set in the addictive and compelling fantasy world of Three Parts Dead. Shadow demons plague the city reservoir, and Red King Consolidated has sent in Caleb Altemoc - casual gambler and professional risk manager - to cleanse the water for the sixteen million people of Dresediel Lex. At the scene of the crime, Caleb finds an alluring and clever cliff runner, crazy Mal, who easily outpaces him. But Caleb has more to worry about than the demonvinfestation, Mal, or job security when he discovers that his father - the last priest of the old gods and leader of the True Quechal terrorists - has broken into his home and is wanted in connection with the attacks on the water supply.”
Penultimately, The Prince of Lies: Night’s Masque Series, Book 3 By Anne Lyle, Narrated By James Langton for Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio. I’ve enjoyed Langton on Lyle’s fellow Angry Robot author David Tallerman’s fantasy series (Giant Thief) and he’s as spry as ever on Lyle’s more serious and sweeping take on Elizabethan fantasy: “Elizabethan spy Mal Catlyn has everything he ever wanted - his twin brother Sandy restored to health, his family estate reclaimed and a son to inherit it - and while his work is far from over, Mal still has a slim chance of eliminating his enemies whilst they are at their weakest. With Sandy’s help, Mal learns to harness his own magic in the fight against the guisers, but it may be too late to save England. Schemes set in motion decades ago are at last coming to fruition, and the barrier between the dreamlands and the waking world is wearing thin…”
Lastly this week, Shadow’s Lure: Shadow’s Saga, Book 2 by Jon Sprunk is out from GraphicAudio. Sprunk’s fantasy trilogy was published by Pyr in 2010-2012, and the first GraphicAudio production (Shadow’s Son) was terrifically well done, adapted (gently — slight things like the drops of “he said” and “she said” are unnecessary in their format) to a talented full cast presentation with immersive sound. Here: “In Othir, he was at the top of the food chain—an assassin beyond compare, a dark shadow in the night. But Caim left that life behind when he helped an empress claim her throne. And now his past has come calling again. Searching for the truth behind the murder and disappearance of his parents, Caim discovers a land in thrall to the Shadow. Haunted by temptations from the Other Side, he becomes mired in a war he does not want to fight.”
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK:
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The Books of Blood: Volume 3 By Clive Barker, Narrated By Scott Brick, Xe Sands, Jeffrey Kafer, Peter Bishop, Chris Patton for Crossroad Press (Oct 23)
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The Dagger and the Cross: A Novel of Crusades By Judith Tarr, Narrated By James Patrick Cronin (Oct 23)
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The Trials of Obed Marsh By Matthew Davenport, Narrated By Steven Gordon (Oct 23)
- Teen: Tunnels of Blood: The Saga of Cirque du Freak, Book 3 By Darren Shan, Narrated By Ralph Lister for Blackstone Audio
- Teen: The Enchanter Heir By Cinda Williams Chima, Narrated By Robert Ramirez for Recorded Books -- "At seventeen, Jonah has become the deadliest assassin in Nightshade, a network that hunts the undead. Emma Claire Greenwood grew up worlds away, raised by a grandfather who taught her music rather than magic."
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Running with the Demon: Word and the Void, Book 1 By Terry Brooks, Narrated By George Wilson for Recorded Books (Oct 24)
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The Gathering: The Chronicles of Lumineia, Book 2 By Ben Hale, Narrated By Derek Perkins for Podium Publishing (October 25, 2013)
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The Rats: The Rats Series, Book 1 By James Herbert, Narrated By David Rintoul for Audible Ltd — Scheduled Release Date: 10-25-13
- Undead Chaos By Joshua Roots, Narrated By William Dufris for Carina Press — Scheduled Release Date: 10-28-13
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Betrayal of Thieves: Legends of Dimmingwood, Volume 2 By C. Greenwood, Narrated By Ashley Arnold (Oct 28)
- Short: The Priests of Psi By Frank Herbert, Narrated By Joe Peck (Oct 28)
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The Influence By Bentley Little, Narrated By Joe Barrett for AudioGO — Scheduled Release Date: 10-29-13
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Defender: Kris Longknife, Book 11 By Mike Shepherd, Narrated By Dina Pearlman for Audible Frontiers (Oct 29)
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Katabasis: The Foreworld Saga, Book 4 By Joseph Brassey, Cooper Moo, Mark Teppo, Angus Trim, Narrated By Luke Daniels for Brilliance Audio (Oct 29)
- Teen: Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta By Shannon Duffy, Narrated By Maxwell Glick— Scheduled Release Date: 10-29-13
- Teen: Fractured: Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 2 By Sarah Fine, Narrated By Amy McFadden for Brilliance Audio
- Teen: The City of Death By Sarwat Chadda, Narrated By Bruce Mann for Listening Library
- Teen: Waterfell: The Aquarathi By Amalie Howard, Narrated By Kate Metroka for Harlequin
- Teen: A Shimmer of Angels: The Angel Sight Series By Lisa M. Basso, Narrated By Katherine Skinner for Audible Inc.
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Abyss Deep: Star Corpsman, Book 2 By Ian Douglas, Narrated By David Drummond— Scheduled Release Date: 10-29-13
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Planetary Assault By B.V. Larson, Vaughn Heppner, David Van Dyke, Narrated By Mark Boyett for Audible Frontiers
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Dark Witch: The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, Book 1 by Nora Roberts, Narrated By Katherine Kellgren for Brilliance Audio -- begins a new trilogy from bestselling author Roberts, read by Star Trek: Voyager's Captain Janeway
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The Darkening Dream By Andy Gavin, Narrated By Eric Pollard, Marti Dumas -- fantasy novel from the creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter
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The Poison Oracle By Peter Dickinson, Narrated By Eric Yves Garcia for Audible Inc -- Dickinson's 1974 novel is the second novel of his to be recently reprinted by Small Beer Press
- The Demon in the Teahouse, In Darkness, Death, A Samurai Never Fears Death, Seven Paths to Death, and The Sword that Cut the Burning Grass: Samurai Detective Series, Book #4 by Dorothy Hoobler and Tom Hoobler, Narrated By Hayden Lee for Audible Inc.
- Fiction: Rustication: A Novel by Palliser, Charles (Oct 29, 2013) — “A vertiginous gothic masterpiece from the best-selling author of The Quincunx.”
- Teen: The 100: The 100 Series, Book 1 By Kass Morgan, Narrated By Justin Torres and Phoebe Strole for Hachette Audio -- the basis of an upcoming television series
- Teen: Horde (Enclave) by Ann Aguirre, read by Emily Bauer for Macmillan Young Listeners (Oct 29, 2013) — “The epic conclusion to the USA Today bestselling trilogy.”
- Teen: Some Quiet Place By Kelsey Sutton, Narrated By Jorjeana Marie for Audible Inc,.
- Teen: Relic: The Books of Eva, Book 1 By Heather Terrell, Narrated By Angela Brazil for Blackstone Audio
- Kids: Lost in Babylon: Seven Wonders, Book 2 By Peter Lerangis, Narrated By Johnathan McClain — Scheduled Release Date: 10-29-13
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Frankenstein By Mary Shelley, Narrated By Dan Stevens for Audible -- a new production of Shelley's classic, performed by the Downton Abbey actor
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Descendant By Graham Masterton, Narrated By Garrick Hagon for Audible Ltd (Oct 29)
- Short: The World Is Round By Gertrude Stein, Clement Hurd, Thacher Hurd, Narrated By Kate Mulgrew for Harper Audio
- Short: A Magic Broken By Vox Day, Narrated By Nick Afka Thomas (Oct 29)
- Scarlet Tides (The Moontide Quartet) by David Hair (Quercus UK, 24 Oct 2013)
- The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring (Quercus UK, 24 Oct 2013)
- Anthology: Fearie Tales: Stories of the Grimm and Gruesome by Stephen Jones and Alan Lee (Quercus UK, 24 Oct 2013) -- "Anthology of 15 original stories, subtitled “Stories of the Grimm and Gruesome”, based on tales by the Brothers Grimm. Authors include Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Michael Marshall Smith, Peter Crowther, and Ramsey Campbell." (via Locus Online)
- The Natural Dissolution of Fleeting-Improvised-Men The Last Letter of H.P. Lovecraft by Gabriel Blackwell (Civil Coping Mechanisms, Oct 28, 2013) — “Though H. P. Lovecraft is famed mostly for the influential body of short fiction he left behind, he was also one of the most prolific correspondents of his time, the author of more than 100,000 letters. Undiscovered and unpublished until now, The Natural Dissolution of Fleeting-Improvised-Men is the last letter that Lovecraft wrote, finishing it just days before his death on March 15, 1937. This edition features extensive notes from the editor, Gabriel Blackwell.”
- The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh (Hydra, Oct 28, 2013)
- The Dead: v. 1 by David Gatward (Oct 29, 2013) -- new (and currently free) ebook re-release of a YA horror novel originally published in 2010 by Hodder Children's: "Lazarus Stone is about to turn sixteen when, one night, his normal life is ripped to shreds by a skinless figure drenched in blood. He has a message: The Dead are coming. Now Lazarus is all that stands in their way. To fulfil his destiny, he must confront not only the dark past of his family, but horrors more gruesome than even Hell could invent. And it all begins with the reek of rotting flesh ..."
- The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu (Angry Robot, Oct 29, 2013) — sequel to The Lives of Tao
- Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened… by Allie Brosh (Touchstone, Oct 29, 2013) — I’m not entirely sure that an audio edition for this 4-color illustrated book makes sense, but as the audiobook is coming (albeit delayed) read by the author for Simon & Schuster Audio, I’m definitely going to take a listen
- The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister by Martin, George R.R. (Oct 29, 2013)
- A Study in Darkness: Book Two in The Baskerville Affair by Holloway, Emma Jane (Oct 29, 2013)
- The Eidolon by Libby McGugan (Solaris, Oct 29, 2013) -- "SF thriller, the author’s first novel and first of a trilogy, about a physicist hired to sabotage the CERN Large Hadron Collider because its discoveries could bring about disaster." (via Locus Online)
- Allegiance (River of Souls) by Beth Bernobich (Tor Books, Oct 29, 2013)
- The Shadowhunter's Codex (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare, Joshua Lewis and Various (Oct 29, 2013) -- illustrated guide
- After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris and Lisa Desimini (Oct 29, 2013) -- guidebook to Harris' best-selling Sookie Stackhouse series
- Black Heart (A Black Wings Novel) by Christina Henry (Ace, Oct 29, 2013)
- Gamification/C-Monkeys by Keith Hollihan (ChiZine, Oct 22, 2013) -- dual-novella "flip book"
- Hellhound (A Deadtown Novel) by Nancy Holzner (Ace, Oct 29, 2013)
- The Clone Assassin by Steven L. Kent (Ace, Oct 29, 2013)
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A Hundred Words for Hate: A Remy Chandler Novel, Book 4 By Thomas E. Sniegoski, Narrated By Luke Daniels for Tantor Audio (Oct 30)
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The Katar Legacy By Tobin Loshento, Narrated By Matt Armstrong, Lisa Larsen, and Corey Snow for Open Book Audio (Oct 30)
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Lair: The Rats Series, Book 2 By James Herbert, Narrated By David Rintoul for Audible Ltd — Scheduled Release Date: 10-31-13
- Collection: If Angels Fight: Stories by Richard Bowes (Fairwood Press/Patrick Swensen, October 2013) — collection of 14 stories – 3 new – all newly collected
- Sea Hearts By Margo Lanagan, Narrated By Eloise Oxer, Paul English for Bolinda Publishing — Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins — Scheduled Release Date: 11-01-13
- Never Knew Another: Dogsland, Book 1 and When We Were Executioners: Dogsland, Book 2 By J. M. McDermott, Narrated By Eileen Stevens for Audible Frontiers — Scheduled Release Date: 11-05-13
- Burning Paradise by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor, November 5, 2013) — coming concurrently to Macmillan Audio, read by Scott Brick
- The Golden City by Cheney, J. Kathleen (Roc, Nov 5, 2013)
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Trade Secret: Liaden Universe Books of Before, Book 4 By Sharon Lee, Steve Miller, Narrated By Kevin T. Collins for Audible Frontiers (Nov 5)
- Starhawk (A Priscilla Hutchins Novel) by Jack McDevitt (Ace Hardcover, November 5, 2013)
- Contagion (Toxic City) by Tim Lebbon (Pyr, Nov 5, 2013) — book #3 in the Toxic City series
- Fortune’s Pawn (Paradox Series) by Rachel Bach (Orbit, Nov 5, 2013)
- Twenty-First Century Science Fiction by David G. Hartwell and Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor, Nov 5, 2013)
- A Dance of Blades (Shadowdance) by David Dalglish (Nov 5, 2013)
- Hell Bent: A Broken Magic Novel by Devon Monk (Roc, Nov 5, 2013)
- Kids: The Royal Ranger: Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 12 By John Flanagan, Narrated By John Keating — Scheduled Release Date: 11-05-13
- Kids: The Carpet People By Terry Pratchett, Narrated By Stephen Briggs — Scheduled Release Date: 11-05-13
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Domain: The Rats Series, Book 3 By James Herbert, Narrated By David Rintoul for Audible Ltd — Scheduled Release Date: 11-05-13
- Anthology: A Cosmic Christmas 2 You edited by Hank Davis (Baen, Nov 5, 2013) — “Twelve new stories of Christmas in very unusual circumstances, ranging from vampires to robots, from the hills of Appalachia to a high orbit space station, all celebrating the holiday in their own, off-beat ways.” Includes stories by (among others) Joe Haldeman, Connie Willis, and Tony Daniel
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Of Limited Loyalty: The Second Book of the Crown Colonies By Michael A. Stackpole, Narrated By Peter Batchelor for Audible Frontiers (Nov 5)
- Non-Fiction: This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage By Ann Patchett, Narrated By Patchett for Harper Audio (Nov 5) — an essay collection including the title story, which was released as a standalone speech in 2011
- Short: Dragon Virus By Laura Anne Gilman, Narrated By Thomas Stephen, Jr. for Audible Inc. — Length: 2 hrs and 17 mins — Scheduled Release Date: 11-05-13
- Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee (Henry Holt and Co, Nov 5) — excerpt up at Tor.com
- Non-Fiction: Dot Complicated: Untangling Our Wired Lives By Randi Zuckerberg, Narrated By Randi Zuckerberg for Harper Audio -- the book was reviewed positively by Natania Barron for GeekMom
- Anthology: Space Opera edited by Rich Horton, Kage Baker, Elizabeth Bear and Jay Lake (Nov 6, 2013)
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Seven Days: The Chronicles of Lumineia, Book 3 by Ben Hale, Narrated By Derek Perkins for Podium Publishing — Scheduled Release Date: 11-08-13
- Fiddlehead by Cherie Priest (Tor, Nov 12, 2013) — latest novel in Priest’s Boneshaker series The Clockwork Century
- Hild: A Novel by Nicola Griffith (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Nov 12, 2013) — “Since Griffith has won the Tiptree, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards, the Premio Italia, and the Lambda Literary Award six times, you’re well advised to grab this fictionalized portrait of a girl name Hild who grew up in seventh-century Britain and became St. Hilda’s of Whitby. Griffith gives us a determined and uncannily perceptive Hild who seems capable of predicting the future (or at least of human behavior), a trait that puts her in the life-and-death position of being made the king’s seer. The writing itself is uncannily perceptive, with none of the flowery excess of some historical fiction writing, though the detailed narrative runs close to 600 pages. I thought of Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall even before I noted the comparison in the promotion.” — LibraryJournal
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Apparition by Trish J. MacGregor (Tor, Nov 12)
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Dragon’s Child: The King Arthur Trilogy, Book 1 By M. K. Hume, Narrated By Steven Crossley for Recorded Books — Scheduled Release Date: 11-12-13
- LONG LIVE THE QUEEN by Kate Locke, read by TBD for Blackstone Audio (Nov 12)
- Fiction: Slam by Lewis Shiner, read by Stefan Rudnicki (Blackstone Audio, November 15, 2013) — Shiner’s 1990 novel of a paroled tax evader, anarchist skateboarders, and, well, 23 cats.
- CARLUCCI’S EDGE by Richard Paul Russo, read by Kristoffer Tabori for Blackstone Audio (Nov 15)
- THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert A. Heinlein, read by Tom Weiner for Blackstone Audio (Nov 15)
- Collection: Beyond the Rift by Peter Watts (Tachyon, Nov 18, 2013)
- The Orphans’ Promise (Secret of Ji, Book Two) by Pierre Grimbert, translated by Matt Ross and Eric Lamb (Nov 19, 2013)
- HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES by Tim Powers, read by Fiona Hardingham for Blackstone Audio (Nov 19) — published last year, a stand-alone follow-up to the fantastic The Stress of Her Regard
- Watcher of the Dark by Joseph Nassise (Tor, November 19) — read by Anthony Bowden for Audible Frontiers
- Bloodstone by Gillian Philip (Tor, Nov 19)
- Arcanum by Simon Morden (Orbit, Nov 19) — “A historical fantasy novel of medieval Europe in which the magic that has run the world for centuries is disappearing– and now the gifts of the gods must be replaced with the ingenuity of humanity.”
- Wild Fell by Michael Rowe (ChiZine, Nov 19, 2013)
- Apparitions: Ghosts of Old Edo by Miyuki Miyabe and translated from Japanese by Daniel Huddleston (Haikasoru, Nov 19, 2013)
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The Phoenix in Flight: Exordium, Book 1 By Sherwood Smith, Dave Trowbridge, Narrated By James Patrick for Audible Inc. — Scheduled Release Date: 11-19-13
- The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen and translated from the Finnish by Lola Rogers (Pushkin Press, Nov 21, 2013) — “A highly contagious book virus, a literary society, and a Snow Queen-like disappearing author.”
- The Arrows of Time (Orthogonal) by Greg Egan (Gollancz UK, November 21, 2013) — book 3 after The Clockwork Rocket and The Eternal Flame — the Night Shade Books US release has moved to 2014
- The Land Across by Gene Wolfe (Tor, Nov 26) — audiobook coming January 4, 2014 from Brilliance Audio
- Last to Rise by Francis Knight (Orbit, Nov 26) — concluding volume in a new trilogy which started with Knight’s debut Fade to Black in early 2013
- The Irreal Reader: Fiction & Essays from The Cafe Irreal edited by G.S. Evans and Alice Whittenburg (Guide Dog, November 2013)
- Collection: Bleeding Shadows by Joe R. Lansdale (Subterranean, November 2013)
- THE HEAVEN MAKERS by Frank Herbert, read by To Be Announced for Blackstone Audio (Dec 1)
- THE SMOKE RING by Larry Niven, read by Tom Weiner for Blackstone Audio (Dec 1)
- DOCTOR GEEK’S LABORATORY, SEASON 1 by Scott C. Viguié, read by To Be Announced for Blackstone Audio (Dec 1)
- Anthology: Dangerous Women edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois (Tor, Dec 3) — table of contents includes Joe Abercrombie, Lev Grossman, and Pat Cadigan, among others
- Darkwalker: A Nicolas Lenoir Novel by E.L. Tettensor (Roc, Dec 3, 2013)
- Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen) by John Gwynne (Orbit, Dec 3, 2013) — out late last year in the UK (Tor UK) now a US release from Orbit; winner of the 2013 David Gemmell Legend Awards Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer
- A Dance of Mirrors (Shadowdance) by David Dalglish (Orbit, Dec 3, 2013)
- Cloak and Spider: A Shadowdance Novella by David Dalglish (Orbit, Dec 3, 2013)
- Andromeda’s Choice (Legion of the Damned) by William C. Dietz (December 3, 2013)
- Collection: Her Husband’s Hands and Other Stories by Adam-Troy Castro (Prime Books, December 4)
- Fiction: THE COLLECTOR OF LOST THINGS by Jeremy Page, read by Michael Healy for Blackstone Audio (Dec 7)
- Kids: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and HOW TO BE A PIRATE by Cressida Cowell, read by To Be Announced for Blackstone Audio (Dec 10)
- Year’s Best SF 18 edited by David G. Hartwell (December 10, 2013)
- A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock, read by Susan Duerden (Brilliance Audio, Dec 10, 2013) — from the September 24 print/ebook release by 47North
- Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama (Brilliance Audio read by Nick Podehl, Dec 10, 2013) — “Michael should be overjoyed by the birth of his son, but his wife, Sarah won’t let him touch the baby or allow anyone to visit. Greta, an intrusive, sinister doula has wormed her way into their lives, driving a wedge between Michael and his family. Every time he leaves the Harrowgate, he returns to find his beloved wife and baby altered. He feels his family slipping away and, as a malevolent force begins to creep in, Michael does what any new father would do–he fights to keep his family together.” –from the September 24 print/ebook release by 47North
- Collected Stories by Lewis Shiner, read by Stefan Rudnicki, John Rubinstein, Janis Ian, Scott Brick, Kimberly Farr, Arthur Morey, Roxanne Hernandez Coyne, Kristoffer Tabori, Gabrielle de Cuir, and Karen Joy Fowler (Blackstone Audio, December 15, 2013) — the “definitive collection” of Shiner’s short fiction in the form of 41 stories
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One Hundred Years of Solitude By Gabriel García Márquez, Narrated By Jimmy Smits for Blackstone Audio — Scheduled Release Date: 12-15-13
- PROTECTOR by Larry Niven, read by Tom Weiner for Blackstone Audio (Dec 15)
- CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY by Robert A. Heinlein, read by Grover Gardner for Blackstone Audio (Dec 15)
- THE GODMAKERS by Frank Herbert, read by To Be Announced for Blackstone Audio (Dec 15)
- Suspense: THE GHOST WRITER by John Harwood, read by Simon Vance for Blackstone Audio (Dec 15)
- The Cormorant by Chuck Wendig (Angry Robot, Dec 31, 2013)
- The Grendel Affair: A SPI Files Novel by Lisa Shearin (Dec 31, 2013)
- The Iron Wolves by Andy Remic (Angry Robot and Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio, Dec 31, 2013)
- THE VASTALIMI GAMBIT by Steve Perry, read by To Be Announced for Blackstone Audio (Dec 31)
- A Study in Ashes: Book Three in The Baskerville Affair by Holloway, Emma Jane (Dec 31, 2013)
- SOUL CATCHER by Frank Herbert, read by To Be Announced for Blackstone Audio (Jan 1, 2014)
- The Queen of Dreams by Peter Hamilton (Doubleday UK, 2 Jan 2014) — first children’s book by the epic sf author Peter F. Hamilton: “Taggie and Jemima are summer holidaying on their dad’s farm. They know just what to expect – a tumbledown cottage, sunshine and strawberry-picking. But then Jemima sees a white squirrel wearing glasses . . . And things become even more extraordinary when their dad is captured and whisked away to a faerie world. Magical adventures await, as the two sisters discover powers they never knew they had and a series of worlds to explore. But can Taggie and Jemima rescue their dad and defeat the evil King of Night?”
- The Land Across by Gene Wolfe (Tor, Nov 26) — audiobook coming January 4, 2014 from Brilliance Audio
- The Swords of Good Men by Snorri Kristjansson (Jo Fletcher Books, January 7, 2014) — a “Viking fantasy novel” by a new Icelandic author
- The Girl with All the Gifts by M.J. Carey (Orbit, Jan 7, 2014) — “Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her ‘our little genius’. Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.” — link to cover
- Rex Regis by L. E. Modesitt (Tor, Jan 7, 2014)
- Fury of the Demon by Diana Rowland (Jan 7, 2014)
- Dreams of the Golden Age by Vaughn, Carrie (Jan 7, 2014) — sequel to After the Golden Age
- Work Done for Hire by Joe Haldeman (Ace Hardcover, January 7, 2014) — novel about an ex-sniper turned sf screenwriter turned reluctant hitman; I’ve hear Haldeman read from this novel in draft and am very much looking forward to its release
- Love in the Time of Metal and Flesh by Jay Lake (Prime Books, January 7, 2014) — “Markus Selvage has been bent by life, ground up and spit out again. In San Francisco’s darkest sexual underground, he is a perpetual innocent, looking within bodies – his own and others’ – for the lost secrets of satisfaction. But extreme body modification is only the beginning of where he will go before he’s finished…”
- Rex Regis (Imager Portfolio) by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. (Jan 7, 2014)
- 1636: Seas of Fortune by Iver Cooper (January 7, 2014)
- Black Arts: A Jane Yellowrock Novel by Faith Hunter (Jan 7, 2014)
- Darkest Fear (Birthright) by Cate Tiernan (Jan 7, 2014)
- Once In a Blue Moon by Green, Simon R. (Jan 7, 2014)
- Graphic novel: Cemetery Girl, Book One: The Pretenders (The Cemetery Girl Trilogy) by Harris, Charlaine and Golden, Christopher (Jan 7, 2014)
- Anthology: Dark Duets by Golden, Christopher (Jan 7, 2014)
- The Emperor’s Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne) by Brian Staveley (Jan 14, 2014)
- Watchers in the Night (Guardians of the Night) by Jenna Black (Jan 14, 2014)
- The Man Who Made Models: The Collected Short Fiction by R.A. Lafferty (Centipede Press, January 14, 2014)
- Dawn of Swords (The Breaking World) by David Dalglish (Jan 14, 2014)
- Dirty Magic (Prospero’s War) by Jaye Wells (Jan 21, 2014)
- Pandemic by Scott Sigler (Crown, Jan 21, 2014)
- Non-Fiction: What Makes This Book So Great by Walton, Jo (Jan 21, 2014)
- Red Rising by Brown, Pierce (Jan 28, 2014) — “Brown’s debut novel . . . is reminiscent of both Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games and William Goldman’s The Lord of the Flies but has a dark and twisted power of its own that will captivate readers and leave them wanting more.”— Library Journal
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STARS: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian By Janis Ian (editor), Mike Resnick, Tad Williams, Joe Haldeman, and more, narrated by Gabrielle De Cuir, Emily Rankin, Stefan Rudnicki, John Rubinstein, Susan Hanfield, Kathe Mazur, Sile Bermingham, Paul Boehmer, Janis Ian, Kristoffer Tabori for Audible Inc. — Scheduled Release Date: 01-28-14
- The Book of the Crowman by Joseph D’ Lacey (Jan 28, 2014)
- A Darkling Sea by James Cambias (Tor, Jan 28, 2014)
- The Echo by James Smythe (Jan 28, 2014) — sequel to The Explorer
- Maze by J.M. McDermott (Apex, January 2014)
- Leaving the Sea: Stories by Ben Marcus (Knopf, January 2014)
- The Emperor’s Blades (The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1) by Brian Stavely (Tor, January 2014) — “follows siblings Valyn, Kaden, and Adare, who are in different parts of the world when they learn about the assassination of their father, the Emperor. All of them are in danger of being the next targets, and all of them are caught in the maelstrom of conspiracy, intrigue, treachery, and magic that sweeps through Staveley’s auspicious debut novel.”
- Annihilation (Southern Reach, Volume 1) by Jeff VanderMeer (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, Feb 4, 2014) — the first of a trilogy of “Southern Reach” novels being published in 2014 — “For thirty years, Area X has remained mysterious, remote, and concealed by the government as an environmental disaster zone even though it is to all appearances pristine wilderness. For thirty years, too, the secret agency known as the Southern Reach has monitored Area X and sent in expeditions to try to discover the truth. Some expeditions have suffered terrible consequences. Others have reported nothing out of the ordinary. Now, as Area X seems to be changing and perhaps expanding, the next expedition will attempt to succeed where all others have failed. What is happening in Area X? What is the true nature of the invisible border that surrounds it?” Of the book, Kim Stanley Robinson says: “This swift surreal suspense novel reads as if Verne or Wellsian adventurers exploring a mysterious island had warped through into a Kafkaesque nightmare world. The reader will want to stay trapped with the biologist to find the answers to Area X’s mysteries.”
- Like a Mighty Army (Safehold) by David Weber (Feb 4, 2014)
- The Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage Trilogy, Book 2) by Brian McClellan (Orbit, February 2014)
- Like a Mighty Army (Safehold) by David Weber (Feb 4, 2014)
- V-S Day: A Novel of Alternate History by Allen Steele (Feb 4, 2014) — narrated by Ray Chase
- Empire of Men by David Weber and John Ringo (Feb 4, 2014)
- The Waking Engine by David Edison (Feb 11, 2014)
- The Martian: A Novel by Weir, Andy (Random House, Feb 11, 2014) — picked up by Random House after self-publishing success; 2013 audiobook by Podium Publishing
- The Judge of Ages (Count to a Trillion) by John C. Wright (Feb 25, 2014)
- The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison (Feb 25, 2014)
- Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman (February 2014)
- Night Broken (A Mercy Thompson Novel) by Patricia Briggs (Mar 4, 2014)
- Ghost Train to New Orleans (The Shambling Guides) by Mur Lafferty (Orbit, Mar 4, 2014) — sequel to The Shambling Guide to New York City
- The Tropic of Serpents: A Memoir by Lady Trent (A Natural History of Dragons) by Marie Brennan (Mar 4, 2014)
- Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (Tor, March 4, 2014) — book 2 in The Stormlight Archive after The Way of Kings
- Hope Rearmed by S.M. Stirling and David Drake (March 4, 2014)
- Half-Off Ragnarok: An Incryptid Novel by Seanan McGuire (Mar 4, 2014)
- Murder of Crows: A Novel of the Others by Bishop, Anne (Mar 4, 2014)
- Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth) by Jon Sprunk (Pyr, March 11, 2014)
- Resistance by Jenna Black (Mar 11, 2014)
- Working God’s Mischief (Instrumentalities of the Night) by Glen Cook (Mar 11, 2014)
- The High Druid’s Blade: The Defenders of Shannara by Brooks, Terry (Mar 11, 2014)
- Mentats of Dune by Brian Herbert (March 11, 2014)
- Anthology: The Time Traveler’s Almanac by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer (Tor, Mar 18, 2014)
- Lockstep by Karl Schroeder (Mar 25, 2014)
- The Burning Dark by Adam Christopher (Mar 25, 2014)
- Written in My Own Heart’s Blood: A Novel (Outlander) by Gabaldon, Diana (Mar 25, 2014)
- Anthology: KAIJU RISING (Kickstarter, March 2014)
- City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (Crown/Broadway and Recorded Books, April 1, 2014) — “a second-world story of spies, subterfuge, and statesmanship set in a nation of dead gods.”
- Reign of Ash (Book Two in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga) by Gail Z. Martin (Orbit, April 1, 2014) — follow-on to Ice Forged
- The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (April 1, 2014)
- Cauldron of Ghosts (Crown of Slaves) by David Weber (April 1, 2014)
- Baltic Gambit: A Novel of the Vampire Earth by E.E. Knight (April 1, 2014)
- Covenant: The Books of Raziel by Benulis, Sabrina (Apr 1, 2014)
- Shipstar by Larry Niven and Gregory Benford (Tor, April 8, 2014)
- Transhuman by Ben Bova (April 15, 2014)
- The Serpent of Venice: A Novel by Moore, Christopher (Apr 22, 2014)
- The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes (Gollanz UK, 17 Apr 2014) — from the author of Tome of the Undergates
- Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor (Hodder & Stoughton, April 2014) — “The Nigerian megacity of Lagos is invaded by aliens, and it nearly consumes itself because of it.”
- The Moon King by Neil Williamson (Newcon, April 2014) — Debut novel: “The story of The Moon King grew out of its setting, the sea-locked city of Glassholm, which is a thinly veneered version of Glasgow, Scotland where I live. Glasgow is a city of mood swings, brilliant with sun and warm sandstone one minute and dour with overcast and rain soaked tarmac the next. Summer days are long and filled with light. The winter months pass mostly in darkness. Living here, your spirit is tied to the city’s mood. As soon as I hooked that almost bipolar sense to the idea of natural cycles, the story blossomed. In Glassholm, the moon never sets and everything, from entropy to the moods of the populace, is affected by its phasing from Full to Dark and back to Full again. I wanted to know what would life be like there, what quirks nature might throw into the mix. And what would happen if it was discovered that the cyclic euphorias and depressions were not natural after all.”
- Immolation (Children, #1) by Ben Peek (Tor UK, Spring 2014) is “set fifteen thousand years after the War of the Gods. The bodies of the gods now lie across the world, slowly dying as men and women awake with strange powers that are derived from their bodies. Ayae, a young cartographer’s apprentice, is attacked and discovers she cannot be harmed by fire. Her new power makes her a target for an army that is marching on her home. With the help of the immortal Zaifyr, she is taught the awful history of ‘cursed’ men and women, coming to grips with her new powers and the enemies they make. The saboteur Bueralan infiltrates the army that is approaching her home to learn its terrible secret. Split between the three points of view, Immolation‘s narrative reaches its conclusion during an epic siege, where Ayae, Zaifyr and Bueralan are forced not just into conflict with those invading, but with those inside the city who wish to do them harm.”
- Unwrapped Sky by Rjurik Davidson (Tor, April 15, 2014) — “Caeli-Amur: a city torn by contradiction. A city of languorous philosopher-assassins and magnificent creatures from ancient myth: minotaurs and sirens. Three Houses rule over an oppressed citizenry stirring into revolt. The ruins of Caeli-Amur’s sister city lie submerged beneath the sea nearby, while the remains of strange advanced technology lie hidden in the tunnels beneath the city itself.”
- The Furies: A Thriller by Mark Alpert (April 22, 2014)
- Authority: A Novel (The Southern Reach Trilogy) by Jeff VanderMeer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, May 6, 2014) — “The bone-chilling, hair-raising second installment of the Southern Reach Trilogy. For thirty years, a secret agency called the Southern Reach has monitored expeditions into Area X—a remote and lush terrain mysteriously sequestered from civilization. After the twelfth expedition, the Southern Reach is in disarray, and John Rodriguez (aka “Control”) is the team’s newly appointed head. From a series of interrogations, a cache of hidden notes, and more than two hundred hours of profoundly troubling video footage, the secrets of Area X begin to reveal themselves—and what they expose pushes Control to confront disturbing truths about both himself and the agency he’s promised to serve.”
- The Sea Without a Shore by David Drake (May 6, 2014) — Lt. Leary series
- Graphic novel: All You Need Is Kill: The Graphic Novel by Nick Mamatas, Lee Ferguson, Fajar Buana, and Zack Turner, based on the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka (VIZ Media/Haikasoru, May 6, 2014)
- Queen of the Dark Things: A Novel by Cargill, C. Robert (Harper Voyager, May 13, 2014) — follow-on to Dreams and Shadows
- A Dance of Shadows (Shadowdance) by David Dalglish (May 20, 2014)
- The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne (Random House/Crown, May 2014) — “traces the harrowing twin journeys of two women forced to flee their homes in different times in the near future. The first, Meena, is a Brahmin-caste student whose odyssey takes her from the coastal city of Mumbai toward Djibouti across a futuristic but treacherous bridge that spans the Arabian Sea. The second, Mariama, escapes from slavery as a small child in Mauritania, joining a caravan heading across Saharan Africa toward Ethiopia.” A big-name blurb is in from none less than Kim Stanley Robinson: “The Girl in the Road is a brilliant novel–vivid, intense, and fearless with a kind of savage joy. These journeys–Meena’s across the Arabian Sea and Mariama’s across Africa–are utterly unforgettable.”
- My Real Children by Jo Walton (Tor, May 2014) — “story about one woman and the two lives that she might lead”
- Veil of the Deserters (Bloodsounder’s Arc #2) by Jeff Salyards (Night Shade Books, June 3, 2014)
- The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula Jones (Greenwillow, Summer 2014) — “Fans of the late writer Diana Wynne Jones – who died in March 2011 – are in for an unexpected treat. In the summer of 2014, Greenwillow will publish a new title from the acclaimed science fiction and fantasy author. Titled The Islands of Chaldea, the book is a standalone novel unconnected to any of the author’s earlier works. It is also the result of an unusual, asynchronous collaboration between the writer and her younger sister, Ursula Jones.”
- The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman (Viking, August 2014) — book three after The Magicians and The Magician King
- The Chaplain’s War by Brad Torgerson (Baen, 2014)
- Colossus by Stephen Messer (Random House Children’s Books, 2014)
- The Broken Eye (Lightbringer #3) by Brent Weeks (Orbit, 2014)
- The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu (Tor Books, 2014) — the first of an announced trilogy of translated editions of this 400,000-copy-selling Chinese sf series
- Lock In by John Scalzi (Tor, Aug 26, 2014)
- Frostborn (Thrones & Bones #1) by Lou Anders (Random House Children’s Books, August 2014) — longtime Pyr editor Anders’ debut novel, a young reader book which “introduces Karn, who would rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones, and Thianna, half-frost giant, half-human, who team up when they are chased by wyverns, a dead Viking sea captain, and a 1200-year-old dragon.”
- Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale (Del Rey, 2014) — “His novella of a Roman invasion of ancient America, “A Clash of Eagles” in the Panverse Two anthology (edited by Dario Ciriello), won the 2010 Sidewise Award for Alternate History, and he has recently sold a trilogy of novels set in the same universe. The first book, CLASH OF EAGLES, will appear from Del Rey in 2014.”
- Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z. Martin (Solaris, Summer 2014) — “It’s official! I’ll be writing a new urban fantasy novel for Solaris Books called “Deadly Curiosities” (from my short story universe of the same name) that will come out in summer, 2014!”
- The Scorched Earth by Drew Karpyshyn (Summer 2014) — sequel to 2013 novel Children of Fire
- Echopraxia by Peter Watts (2014) — “We are going to the Sun, rs and Ks. Whereas the last time out we froze in the infinite Lovecraftian darkness of the Oort, now we are diving into the very heart of the solar system— and man, there’s gonna be a hot time in the ol’ town tonight.”
- The Thousand and One: Book II of The Crescent Moon Kingdoms by Saladin Ahmed (2014)
- The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi (Knopf, 2015) — “Knopf has acquired a new novel by Paolo Bacigalupi, the science fiction writer whose 2009 book “The Windup Girl” sold 200,000 copies and was considered one of the top novels of the year. The new book, “The Water Knife,” is set in a lawless, water-starved American Southwest in the not-too-distant future.”
- Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas (Bloomsbury USA, 2015) — first novel from 2010 Clarion Workshop graduate
- When Women Were Warriors by Catherine M. Wilson, read by Janis Ian for Dog Ear Audio
- Non-Fiction: Reports from Nuremburg by Harold Burson, an original production by Skyboat Media, performed by by Stefan Rudnicki, Scott Brick, John Rubinstein, Robert Forster, Richard McGonagle, Jim Meskimen, Kristoffer Tabori, Arthur Morey, and Christian Rummel — due out in November from Audible
- Ancillary Justice by Ann Lecki, read by Celeste Ciulla for Recorded Books -- due out in early December
- A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar, coming from Audible
- Fair Coin and Quantum Coin by E.C. Myers, coming from Audible
- All the Worlds Against Us (Jon and Lobo) by Mark L. Van Name (Baen) — Audible Frontiers has produced the previous books in the series, under fantastic narrations by Tom Stechschulte