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When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

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Sixteen new releases will be propelled into readerspace this month, including new series additions from Gini Koch (Katherine “Kitty” Kat), Eric Flint/Ryk E. Spoor (Boundary), Jack Campbell (Beyond the Frontier), Neal Asher (Owner Trilogy), and Chris Moriarty (Spin Trilogy). Also, look for a new Honorverse companion book from David Weber and the release of the full The Human Division novel from John Scalzi, originally released as a thirteen-part serial.

Fiction Affliction details releases in science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and “genre-benders.” Keep track of them all here.

Note: All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher.

 

WEEK ONE

Alien in the House (Katherine “Kitty” Kat #7), by Gini Koch, (May 7, DAW)

Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini have learned the ins and outs of Washington politics, not to mention how to prevail in intergalactic war and foil dangerous plots. But, in the aftermath of Operation Destruction, the Gower girls’ powers are burned out, the entire A-C population has been “outed” as the aliens living on Earth that they are, and, worst of all, ACE is nowhere to be found. Murder and mayhem are served up at an important dinner party at the American Centaurion Embassy. Vance Beaumont comes to Kitty with a theory that someone is systematically killing off the House of Representatives. It’s up to Kitty to find out what’s going on and why. Will the replacement Representative for New Mexico’s 2nd District, who happens to be Jeff Martini, be the next to die?

House of Steel: The Honorverse Companion, by David Weber, (May 7, Baen)

A trove of tech, specs, and insights on David Weber’s mega best-selling Honor Harrington series. Orbital characteristics of key planets, regimental order of the Royal Navy, backstory on the history and drama of the Star Kingdom’s birth and early days, you’ll find it all here, arranged by the Bureau 9 Weber research group, and overseen by Weber himself.

Portal (Boundary #3), by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor, (May 7, Baen)

Madeline Fathom had miraculously landed the crippled Nebula Storm on Europa. She joined on that frozen moon of Jupiter the stranded crewmembers of the ill-fated EU vessel Odin. The Nebula Storm’s reactor was ruined in the landing, the Odin’s shuttle can’t make the trip back home. The only vessel that could have make the journey to save them has just been destroyed. Madeline, Helen Sutter, A.J. Baker and the team have one card left to play. All they have to do, is survive lethal radiation, vacuum, and ice as hard as steel while they figure out how to make Nebula Storm fly again. As they prepare to make the journey home, Europa has one more discovery waiting for them, a discovery that might be the deadliest trap in the Solar System.

Red Moon: A Novel, by Benjamin Percy, (May 7, Grand Central)

They live among us. They are our neighbors, our mothers, our lovers. They change. When government agents kick down Claire Forrester’s front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is. Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive, a hero. Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but he is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy. So far, the threat has been controlled by laws and violence and drugs. But the night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge, and the battle for humanity will begin.

Tales of Majipoor, by Robert Silverberg, (May 7, Roc Trade)

Majipoor is a planet with countless untold stories. Now, science fiction author Robert Silverberg presents seven tales that chronicle thousands of years of Majipoor’s history, from the arrival of the settlers of Old Earth, to the expansion of vast cities, to the extraordinary life of Lord Valentine. Within these stories lie the secrets of Majipoor. (U.S. Release)

The Fictional Man, by Al Ewing, (May 7, Solaris)

Hollywood: Divorced, alcoholic and hanging on by a thread, Niles Golan is writing a remake of a camp-classic spy movie. The studio has plans for a franchise, so rather than hiring an actor, the protagonist will be “translated” into a cloned human body. It’s common practice; Niles’ therapist is a Fictional. So is his best friend. So, maybe, is the woman in the bar he can’t stop staring at. Fictionals are a part of daily life now, especially in LA. It’s getting hard to tell who’s a Fictional and who’s not. If he does this right, the studio might bring one of Niles’ own characters to life. Somewhere beneath the movie, beneath the TV show it was inspired by, the children’s book behind that and the story behind that, is the kernel of something important. If he can just hold it together long enough.

Guardian: The Lost Fleet (Beyond the Frontier #3), by Jack Campbell, (May 7, Ace)

Admiral Geary’s First Fleet of the Alliance has survived the journey deep into unexplored interstellar space, a voyage that led to the discovery of new alien species. Geary’s mission is to ensure the safety of the Midway Star System, which has revolted against the Syndicate Worlds empire. Geary needs to return safely to Alliance space not only with representatives of the Dancers, an alien species, but also with Invincible, a captured warship. The Syndicate Worlds regime threatens to make the fleet’s journey back grueling and perilous. Even if Geary escorts Invincible and the Dancers’ representatives safely unharmed, the Syndics’ attempts to spread dissent and political unrest may have already sown the seeds of the Alliance’s destruction.

The Originals, by Cat Patrick, (May 7, Little, Brown Books)

Young Adult. Seventeen-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets, until they discovered a shocking family secret. They’re actually closer than sisters, they’re clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life. Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. Lizzie realizes that she’s not a carbon copy of her sisters; she’s an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.

Zero Point (Owner Trilogy #2), by Neal Asher, (May 7, Night Shade)

Earth’s Zero Asset citizens no longer face extermination from orbit. Thanks to Alan Saul, the Committee’s network of control is a smoking ruin. Scrambling from the wreckage, comes the ruthless Serene Galahad. She must act while the last vestiges of Committee infrastructure remain intact. On Mars, Var Delex fights for the survival of Antares Base, while the Argus Space Station hurls towards the red planet. Var must save the base, while also dealing with the first signs of rebellion. Aboard Argus Station, Alan Saul’s mind has expanded into the computer network. He uncovers the experiments of the Humanoid Unit Development, the possibility of eternal life, and a madman who may hold the keys to interstellar flight. Earth’s agents are closer than Saul thinks.The killing will soon begin. (U.S. release)

 

WEEK TWO

Nebula Awards Showcase 2013, edited by Catherine Asaro, (May 14, Pyr)

The Nebula Awards Showcase volumes have been published annually since 1966, reprinting the winning and nominated stories in the Nebula Awards, voted on by the members of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. The editor selected by SFWA’s anthology committee (chaired by Mike Resnick) is two-time Nebula winner, Catherine Asaro. This year’s volume includes stories and excerpts by Connie Willis, Jo Walton, Kij Johnson, Geoff Ryman, John Clute, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Ferrett Steinmetz, Ken Liu, Nancy Fulda, Delia Sherman, Amal El-Mohtar, C. S. E. Cooney, David Goldman, Katherine Sparrow, E. Lily Yu, and Brad R. Torgersen.

The Human Division by John Scalzi, (May 14, Tor)

The people of Earth now know that the human Colonial Union has kept them ignorant of the dangerous universe around them. The CU has defended humanity against hostile aliens, deliberately keeping Earth an ignorant backwater and a source of military recruits. Now the CU’s secrets are known to all. Other alien races have come on the scene and formed a new alliance. They’ve invited the people of Earth to join them. Against such possibilities, managing the survival of the Colonial Union won’t be easy. It will take diplomatic finesse, political cunning, and a “B Team,” centered on Lieutenant Harry Wilson, that can be deployed to deal with the unpredictable and unexpected things the universe throws at you when you’re struggling to preserve the unity of the human race. Initially released online as a serial novel in thirteen episodes, this listing reflects the release of the entire novel set in the Old Man’s War universe, plus the first tale of Lt. Harry Wilson and a coda that wasn’t part of the serial.

 

WEEK THREE

The Planet Thieves, by Dan Krokos, (May 21, Starscape)

Young Adult. Two weeks ago, thirteen-year-old Mason Stark and seventeen of his fellow cadets from the Academy for Earth Space Command boarded the SS Egypt. The trip was supposed to be a routine voyage to log their required spacetime for summer quarter. Routine goes out the airlock when they’re attacked by the Tremist, an alien race who have been at war with humanity for the last sixty years. With the captain and crew dead, injured, or taken prisoner, Mason and the cadets are all that’s left to warn the ESC. They find out exactly why the Tremist chose this ship to attack: the Egypt is carrying a weapon that could change the war forever. Mason will have to lead the cadets in an assault to take back the ship, rescue the survivors, and recover the weapon. Before there isn’t a war left to fight.

 

WEEK FOUR

After Earth, by Peter David, (May 28, Del Rey)

General Cypher Raige is only the latest in a long line of heroes. For a thousand years the Raiges have been instrumental in humanity’s survival. They led the way as the survivors abandoned Earth, settled an uninhabitable planet called Nova Prime, withstood an onslaught from a mysterious alien force. For his son, Kitai, tagging along with his famous father is the adventure of a lifetime. When an asteroid collides with their craft, they make a crash landing that leaves Cypher seriously, perhaps fatally, wounded. Kitai Raige has always wanted to prove that he has what it takes to live up to his illustrious name. With his father’s life on the line, Kitai must venture out into the strange, hostile terrain of a new world that seems eerily familiar: Earth.

Damocles, by S.G. Redling, (May 28, 47North)

When Earth is rocked by evidence that extraterrestrials may have seeded human DNA throughout the universe, a one-way expedition into deep space is mounted to uncover the truth. What linguist Meg Dupris and her crewmates aboard the Earth ship Damocles discover on Didet is a humanoid race with a different language, a different look, and a surprisingly similar society. It’s up to Meg, a woman haunted by tragedy and obsessed with the power of communication, to find the key to establishing trust between the natives and the newcomers. In Loul Pell, a young Dideto male thrust into the forefront of the historic event, Meg finds an unexpected kindred spirit, and undertakes an extraordinary journey of discovery, friendship, and life-altering knowledge.

Ghost Spin (Spin Trilogy #3), by Chris Moriarty, (May 28, Spectra)

The Age of Man is ending. The UN’s sprawling interstellar empire is failing as its quantum teleportation network collapses. Humanity’s only hope of survival is the Drift: a mysterious region of space where faster-than-light travel seems possible. As mercenaries and pirates flock to the Drift, the cold war between the human-led UN and the clone-dominated Syndicates heats up. When the AI called Cohen ventures into the Drift, he dies and his consciousness is scattered across the cosmos. Some of his ghosts are still self-aware. One of them hides a secret worth killing for. Enter Major Catherine Li who embarks on a search to solve the mystery of Cohen’s death. Lurking is a pitiless enemy who will stop at nothing to make sure the dead don’t walk again.

I Travel By Night, by Robert R. McCammon, (May 28, Subterranean)

For Lawson, the horrors that stalked the Civil War battlefield at Shiloh were more than just those of war. After being forcibly given the gift of undeath by the mysterious vampire queen LaRouge, Lawson chose to cling to what remained of his humanity and fought his way free of the Dark Societys clutches. He has roamed late nineteenth-century America, doing what good he can as he travels by night, combating evils mundane and supernatural, and always seeking the key to regaining a mortal life. That key lies with his maker. Lawson hopes to find LaRouge at the heart of a Louisiana swamp with the aid of a haunted priest and an unexpected ally. In the tornado-wracked ghost town of Nocturne, Lawson must face down monstrous enemies, the rising sun, and his own nature.


Author Suzanne Johnson is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans series from Tor Books. She can be found on Facebook and her daily book blog, Preternatura.

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Suzanne Johnson

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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.
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