Forthcoming 2010: Q3

This is a couple of months late, but, welcome to the latest installment of "Stuff I'm Looking Forward To This Year". As always, I take my information from the Locus Forthcoming list, plus a little bit of extra research when I'm aware of things that should be on the Locus list and are not.

July
Kraken, by China Mieville: I have been slack in my Mieville reading, but a new Mieville novel is always a notable book.

Swords and Dark Magic, by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders (editors): A swords and sorcery anthology from two master anthologists and filled (presumably) with absolute goodness. This can't miss. It can't.

The Fuller Memorandum, by Charles Stross: This is the third "Laundry" novel, following The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue. I very much enjoy following the adventures of Bob Howard and am curious which writer of espionage novels Stross will pastiche this time (after Len Deighton and Ian Fleming). I have a review copy.


August
Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins: Both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were excellent and I can't wait to see how Collins closes out the trilogy.

Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal: An absolutely delightful book from a wonderful author. See my review.

The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson: I'm reading this right now. 200 pages in and it is big and sprawling and fixing to be Sanderson's opus. It's good stuff and very big, broad fantasy.


September
The Living Dead 2, by John Joseph Adams (editor): Who doesn't want more zombies? JJA puts out excellent anthologies and I expect more of the same from this one. The first Living Dead was a reprint anthology, but this time around he blends reprints with original fiction from the likes of Cherie Priest, Robert Kirkman, and Max Brooks.

Bearers of the Black Staff, by Terry Brooks: While Terry Brooks hasn't written a truly "good" Shanarra novel in years, almost decades (Armageddon's Children is really a Word / Void novel), I still read them to see how Brooks pieces things together and in the hopes that he still has one more really good one left in him. The author who wrote Elfstones is still in there, I know he is.

Servant of the Underworld, by Aliette de Bodard: I think this is still making to the US in September. It's de Bodard's debut novel, a historical mystery set in Aztec times. It's a good chance to see what de Bodard is all about and what she can do at novel-length.

Antiphon, by Ken Scholes: Am about to start reading this third novel in the Psalms of Isaak. Scholes is a writer with a load of potential and is one of the hot new voices in secondary world fantasy. While I'm not a fan of the change in cover art (why, Tor, why?), Antiphon is a much anticipated novel. See my reviews of Lamentation and Canticle.