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Fiction Affliction has gotten a makeover! Check this month’s Fantasy releases post for details.

Today, we’re looking at November releases in urban fantasy, with 25 titles including new books in some of urban fantasy’s longest-running series: Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires, Yasmine Galenorn’s Sisters of the Moon, Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstrom, Eileen Wilks’ World of the Lupi, L.J. Smith’s (et al) Vampire Diaries, based on the TV show—plus a new fey anthology edited by the late Martin H. Greenberg along with Russell Davis.

 

WEEK ONE

Last Breath, by Rachel Caine (Nov. 1, NAL)

With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town—a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville’s latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn’t merely human. But is he a vampire—or something else entirely? Eleventh in the Morganville Vampires series. [Young Adult]

Courting Darkness, by Yasmine Galenorn (Nov. 1, Jove)

Camille D’Artigo is Priestess of the Moon Mother and wife of a dragon. But her dragon father-in-law doesn’t want her in the family. Captured and swept off to the Dragon Reaches, Camille must find a way to escape before her husband’s father breaks her spirit. Tenth in the Sisters of the Moon series.

Courts of the Fey, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis (Nov. 1, DAW)

Fantasy, whether classic or contemporary, has always been based on the conflict between the forces of Light and Darkness. Now some of the genre’s most inventive authors bring readers into the Seelie Court, where all serve the Queen of Air and Light, and the Unseelie Court, where the forces of Darkness hold sway. No table of contents was to be found at press time, but authors include Lilith Saintcrow, Amber Benson, Mary Robinette Kowal, J.A. Pitts and Rob Thurman.

The Wild Ways, by Tanya Huff (Nov. 1, DAW)

Alysha Gale’s cousin Charlotte is a Wild Power who allies herself with a family of Selkies in a fight against offshore oil drilling. The oil company has hired another of the Gale family’s Wild Powers, the fearsome Auntie Catherine, to steal the Selkies’ sealskins. To defeat her, Charlotte will have to learn what born to be Wild really means in the Gale family.

Under Attack, by Hannah Jayne (Nov. 1, Kensington)

Sophie Lawson is a human immune to magic, which comes in handy for helping paranormal beings transition into everyday life. But fallen angel Alex Grace and his search for the Vessel of Souls is one curse she never saw coming. Suddenly an unexplainable string of killings and destruction has even San Francisco’s demons fearing for their immortal lives. And Sophie isn’t about to trust Alex’s all-too-vulnerable charm or his secret agenda. Now their hunt is revealing dangerous secrets about Sophie’s past, and a malevolent power hellishly close to turning one irreverent human into the ultimate supernatural weapon. Second in the Underworld Detection Agency series.

Fire Works in the Hamptons, by Celia Jerome (Nov. 1, DAW)

Graphic novelist Willow Tate has a paranormal talent for “drawing” beings from the realm of Faerie into our world. So why did she foolishly make the hero of her next book a fire wizard? Now she has to contend with a rash of “fire” flies, a gorgeous firefighter, and an arsonist who seems determined to set East Hampton ablaze. Third in the Willow Tate series.

Magic on the Line, by Devon Monk (Nov. 1, Roc)

Allison Beckstrom has willingly paid the price of pain to use magic, and has obeyed the rules of the Authority, the clandestine organization that makes—and enforces—all magic policy. But when the Authority’s new boss, Bartholomew Wray, refuses to believe that the sudden rash of deaths in Portland might be caused by magic, Allie must choose to follow the Authority’s rules, or turn against the very people for whom she’s risked her life. To stop the plague of dark magic spreading through the city, all that she values will be on the line: her magic, her memories, her life. Now, as dead magic users rise to feed upon the innocent and the people closest to her begin to fall, Allie is about to run out of options. Seventh in the Allie Beckstrom series.

Drink Deep, by Chloe Neill (Nov. 1, NAL)

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down. That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black—and things really start getting ugly. Fifth in the Chicagoland Vampires series.

Reckoning, by Lili St. Crow (Nov. 1, Razorbill)

Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She’s battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a full-fledged svetocha—rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires—the worst is yet to come. Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she’s ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice? Fifth and final in the Strange Angels series. [Young Adult]

Death Magic, by Eileen Wilks (Nov. 1, Berkley)

Death Magic opens with Special Agent Lily Yu in Washington, D.C. with her fiancé—lupi prince Rule Turner—to testify before a Senate subcommittee about her role in the magical collapse of a mountain last month. She is not there to tell them about the strange legacy she carries from that event, or about the arcane bond between her and Rule, or what her boss in Unit Twleve of the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division is really up to. She sure won’t tell them that the lupi are at war with an Old One who wants to remake humanity in her own image. Lily is managing the conflict between her duty as an officer of the law and the need for secrecy pretty well—until the rabidly anti-magic senator who chairs that committee is murdered. Eighth in the World of the Lupi series.

 

WEEK TWO

Don’t Expect Magic, by Kathy McCullough (Nov. 8, Delacorte)

Delaney Collins doesn’t believe in fairy tales. And why should she? Her mom is dead, her best friend is across the country, and she’s stuck in California with “Dr. Hank,” her famous life-coach father—a man she barely knows. Happily ever after? Yeah, right. Then Dr. Hank tells her an outrageous secret: he’s a fairy godmother—an f.g.—and he can prove it. And by the way? The f.g. gene is hereditary. [Young Adult]

The Ripper, by L.J. Smith, Kevin Williamson AND Julie Plec (Nov. 8, HarperTeen)

The year is 1888, and the scent of blood lingers heavy in the London air. Stefan Salvatore thought he could escape his violent origins by settling in the peaceful countryside of England, but when a heinous murderer named Jack the Ripper surfaces, Stefan fears darkness will always follow him. Drawn into the investigation, Stefan assumes the worst: This is the work of a vampire. And the more he learns, the more he becomes convinced that the killer is someone close to him—and that he can never outrun his past. Based on the popular CW TV show inspired by the bestselling novels. Fourth in the series Stefan’s Diaries, The Vampire Diaries. [Young Adult]

 

WEEK THREE

Tricks of the Trade, by Laura Anne Gilman (Nov. 15, Luna)

The name’s Torres, Bonnie Torres, and I’m a paranormal scene investigator—rooting out the truth about crimes of magic. It’s dangerous and boring and scary and fascinating. Though not everyone in the Cosa Nostradamus is happy we’re around, which can make things…tricky. Working two cases—looking into a murder for the NYPD, and a rich man’s break-in—should be well within our abilities. But when things start getting weird in the Electric Apple, Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations is stretched to the limits, trying to keep one step ahead and out of trouble. Fortunately, around here, when the going gets weird, the weird hire us. Third in the Paranormal Scientific Investigations series.

Lightbringer, by K.D. McEntire (Nov. 15, Pyr)

Wendy has the ability to see souls that have not moved on—but she does not seek them out. They seek her. They yearn for her, or what she can do for them. Without Wendy’s powers, the Lost, the souls that have died unnaturally young, are doomed to wander in the never forever, and Wendy knows she is the only one who can set them free by sending them into the light. Each soul costs Wendy, delivering too many souls would be deadly, and yet she is driven to patrol—until she meets Piotr.The first Rider and guardian of the Lost, he understands Wendy in ways no one living ever could. [Young Adult]

Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide, by Michelle Rowen and Richelle Mead (Nov. 15, Razorbill)

Fans of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series can discover the history of St. Vladimir’s Academy, explore the dark psychology behind Rose and Lissa’s spirit bond, and find out even more illicit secrets about Moroi society. This ultimate guide will feature everything readers want and need to go even deeper into the world of Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice, [Young Adult]

The Other Side of Dark, by Sarah Smith (Nov. 15, Atheneum)

Since losing both of her parents, fifteen-year-old Katie can see and talk to ghosts, which makes her a loner until fellow student Law sees her drawing of a historic house and together they seek a treasure rumored to be hidden there by illegal slave-traders. Law Walker knew Katie Mullens before she was crazy. Before her mother died. Law knows Katie’s crazy now, but she’s always been talented. And she keeps filling sketch pads even though her drawings have gone a little crazy as well—dark, bloody. What Law doesn’t know is that these drawings are real. Or were real. Katie draws what she sees—and Katie sees dead people. [Young Adult]

Double Dead, by Chuck Wendig (Nov. 15, Abaddon)

Coburn’s been dead now for close to a century, but seeing as how he’s a vampire and all, it doesn’t much bother him. Or at least it didn’t, not until he awoke from a forced five-year slumber to discover that most of human civilization was now dead—but not dead like him, oh no. See, Coburn likes blood. The rest of the walking dead, they like brains. He’s smart. Them, not so much. But they outnumber him by about a million to one. And the clotted blood of the walking dead cannot sustain him. Now he’s starving. And nocturnal. And more pissed-off than a bee-stung rattlesnake. The vampire not only has to find human survivors (with their sweet, sweet blood), but now he has to transition from predator to protector—after all, a man has to look after his food supply.

The Space Between, by Brenna Yovanoff (Nov. 15, Razorbill)

Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this? Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be. [Young Adult]

 

WEEK FOUR

In the Forests of the Night, by Kersten Hamilton (Nov. 22, Clarion)

Teagan, Finn, and Aiden have rescued Tea’s and Aiden’s father and have made it out of Mag Mell alive, bringing a few new friends with them. But The Dark Man’s forces are hot on their heels. Back in Chicago, Teagan soon realizes that she is not the target of the goblins. In fact, the goblins call her princess, and call her to come out and play. Something is happening to her, and she suspects it’s an infection she picked up in Mag Mell. An infected cat-sídhe becomes her test subject, and Teagan is determined to cure it of the sickness that seems to rot its flesh. If she can find a cure for the cat-sídhe, then maybe there is hope for her. Second in the Goblin Wars series. [Young Adult]

Bad Blood, by Kristin Painter (Nov. 22, Orbit)

Samhain approaches, bringing with it the final melding of the mortal and othernatural worlds. No one knows just how much power the night holds. Violent murders occur in Paradise City as counterfeit comarré are systematically hunted. The police and the Kubai Mata have more than enough trouble to keep themselves occupied. As war erupts at home, Malkolm and Chrysabelle head to New Orleans to recover the Ring of Sorrows. Chrysabelle is forced to make a life and death decision and will realize that her relationship to Malkolm may have fatal consequences. The clock is ticking. Third in the House of Comarre series. [Young Adult]

Fate’s Edge, by Ilona Andrews (Nov. 29, Ace)

Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge, and she’s determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But when her brother gets into hot water, the former thief takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades. Kaldar Mar—a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy—expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he’s going to need Audrey’s help. Third in the Edge series.

Virtual Virgin, by Carole Nelson Douglas (Nov. 29, Pocket)

For a red-blooded male, Las Vegas offers a virtual smorgasbord of temptation: sexy showgirls, vampy vampires, zombie starlets, you name it. But paranormal investigator Delilah Street isn’t worried about losing her man to these vixens. Especially when the one woman with a soft spot for the guy also has a hard-shelled exterior. She’s a robot—or a CinSim, to be exact—a near-perfect simulation of the silver-metal robot Maria from the classic science fiction movie Metropolis. Part innocent teenage actress, part depraved sex goddess, the new Maria is hooked on Delilah’s partner, Ric, who raised her from the dead. She also happens to be the perfect secret weapon for a demonic drug lord. Which could be one hell of a problem. Delilah’s not the jealous type, but this tin-can temptress must be stopped, and if robo-girl goes ballistic, every player in Vegas loses.

Killing Rites, by M.L.N. Hanover (Nov. 29, Pocket)

Jayné Heller has discovered the source of her uncanny powers: something else is living inside her body. She’s possessed. Of all her companions, she can only bring herself to confide in Ex, the former priest. They seek help from his old teacher and the circle of friends he left behind, hoping to cleanse Jayné before the parasite in her becomes too powerful. Ex’s history and a new enemy combine to leave Jayné alone and on the run. Her friends, thinking that the rider with her has taken the reins, try to hunt her down, unaware of the danger they’re putting her in. Jayné must defeat the weight of the past and the murderous intent of another rider, and her only allies are a rogue vampire she once helped free and the nameless thing hiding inside her skin. Fourth in the Black Sun’s Daughter series.

Vampires Dead Ahead, by Cheyenne McCray (Nov. 29, St. Martin’s)

With zero tolerance for bloodsuckers, Nyx and the Trackers have made the streets safer for warm-blooded New Yorkers. Unfortunately, they didn’t drive a stake through the problem nationwide. Vampire attacks are on the rise. Proctors are dropping like flies. And Volod—New York’s ousted Master Vampire—is trying to make a comeback. Nyx is worried—about her city, her job, and her neck. But mostly she’s concerned about her former lover, Rodán, a Proctor who’s gone missing. Fifth in the Night Tracker series.

Acquainted with the Night, by Piper Maitland (Nov. 29, Berkley)

Caroline Clifford’s bland life as a London tour guide flips upside down when her beloved uncle is brutally murdered at a Bulgarian archeological site. While traveling to recover his remains, she meets a man who corresponded with her uncle. Jude Barrett is a biochemist on a mission—to eradicate the world of vampires. At first, Caro is dismissive of Jude’s beliefs, but she can’t ignore the signs around her—the human bites on her uncle, the strange men following her, the anguished cries after sundown. Strange anagrams on her uncle’s passport lead her and Jude to a cliff-top monastery in Greece, where a shattering revelation connects a relic Caro inherited from her parents to an age-old text on immortality—and an enigmatic prophecy that pits the forces of darkness and light.


Author Suzanne Johnson is a book geek with a fondness for a good dystopia. Her new urban fantasy series, scheduled to begin with the release of Royal Street in April 2012 by Tor Books, is set in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. Find Suzanne on Twitter.

About the Author

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Suzanne Johnson

Author

Urban fantasy author with a new series, set in immediate post-Katrina New Orleans, starting with ROYAL STREET on April 10, 2012, from Tor Books. Urban fantasy author with a new series, set in immediate post-Katrina New Orleans, starting with ROYAL STREET on April 10, 2012, from Tor Books.
Learn More About Suzanne
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