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

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This October there are thirty-five new releases in urban fantasy…or whatever you want to call it now. Rural fantasy. Paranormal fantasy. Military fiction with vampires. Cozy mysteries with ghosts. Well, you get the idea. Look for series additions from, among others, Jacqueline Carey (Agent of Hel), Jody Lynn Nye (Robert Asprin’s Dragons Run), Amanda Carlson (Jessica McClain), Darynda Jones (Darklight), Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (House of Night), Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter), Christina Henry (Black Wings), and Nancy Holzner (Deadtown). Oh, and if you ever wondered what happened after the Sookie series ended, it apparently didn’t end, since we now have After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse.

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

Autumn Bones (Agent of Hel #2)Jacqueline Carey (October 1, Roc)

Fathered by an incubus, raised by a mortal mother, and liaison to the Pemkowet Police Department, Daisy Johanssen pulled the community together after a summer tragedy befell the resort town she calls home. Things are back to normal, as normal as it gets for a town famous for its supernatural tourism and presided over by the reclusive Norse goddess Hel. Not only has Daisy now gained respect as Hel’s enforcer, she’s dating Sinclair Palmer, a seemingly normal human guy. Sinclair has a secret. He’s descended from Obeah sorcerers and they want him back. If he doesn’t return to Jamaica they’ll unleash spirit magic that could have dire consequences for the town. It’s Daisy’s job to stop it, and she’s going to need a lot of help.

Cursed (Fallen Siren #1)S.J. Harper (October 1, Roc)

Emma Monroe is a Siren, cursed by the gods and bound to earth to atone for an ancient failure. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now that she works missing persons cases for the FBI, it could be just a rescue away. Special Agent Zack Armstrong just transferred into the San Diego Field Office. He’s a werewolf, doing his best to beat back the demons from his dark and dangerous past. As a former Black Ops sniper, he’s taken enough lives. Emma and Zack’s very first case draws them deep into the realm of the paranormal. That leaves each of them vulnerable. As secrets are revealed and more women go missing, one thing becomes clear: as they race to save the victims, Emma and Zack risk losing themselves.

Eat, Brains, LoveJeff Hart (October 1, HarperTeen)

Young Adult. Jake Stephens was always an average guy. The kind of guy who would never catch the attention of a popular girl like Amanda Blake, or a psychic teenage government agent like Cass. One day during lunch, Jake’s whole life changed. He and Amanda suddenly locked eyes across the cafeteria, and at the exact same instant, they turned into zombies and devoured half their senior class. Jake definitely has Amanda’s attention, as well as Cass’s, since she’s been sent on a top-secret mission to hunt them down.

Ghost Gone Wild (Bailey Ruth Raeborn #4)Carolyn Hart (October 1, Berkley)

Bailey Ruth loves to return to earth as an emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. She’s a bit of a loose cannon as far as ghosts go so she’s far from the top of department head Wiggins’s go-to list for assignments. She’s surprised when the Heaven-sent Rescue Express drops her off at a house on the outskirts of her old hometown, Adelaide, Oklahoma. When a window cracks and a rifle barrel is thrust inside, only Bailey Ruth’s hasty intervention saves Nick Magruder from taking a bullet. Wiggins has no idea where she is, and now she may be trapped in Adelaide forever. Unless she can help Aunt Dee snare the person who wants her nephew dead.

Hereafter (Shadowlands #2)Kate Brian (October 1, Disney-Hyperion)

Young Adult. Rory Miller thought her life was over when a serial killer set his sights on her and forced her into witness protection. A fresh start on Juniper Landing Island was exactly what she and her family needed. For the first time in years she and her sister hang out at the beach, gossip about boys, and party together. She’s also made friends with a local clique, including a magnetic and mysterious boy named Tristan. The truth about the swirling fog that rolls in each morning, the bridge that leads to nowhere, and those beautiful locals who seem to watch Rory’s every move is more terrifying than being hunted by Steven Nell. All Rory ever wanted was the truth. Even if it means learning that she can never go home again.

Prodigal Son (Truth Seers #1)Debra Mullins (October 1, Tor)

Bounty hunter Rafe Montana is a Seer, descended from the fabled Atlanteans. He uses his inherited power to “see” criminals across the globe and track them down. Danny Cangialosi is accused of disappearing with a stolen car, but when Rafe goes looking, he is unable to “see” him. Instead, his search leads him to Danny’s stepsister, Cara McGaffigan. Cara is looking for Danny. If she can just find him before the cops do, she’ll figure out a way to get him out of this. Rafe and Cara know they’re never going to see eye-to-eye when it comes to Danny. What they don’t know is that Danny didn’t just steal a car, he stole a precious stone, a stone right out of the legends of Atlantis. It holds powers they can only dream of, and its owner wants it back.

Robert Asprin’s Dragons Run (Dragons #4)Jody Lynn Nye (October 1, Ace)

Griffen already has his hands full running his gambling operation in New Orleans and dealing with his dragon heritage. Now his pregnant sister, Valerie, is missing, possibly kidnapped, and his uncle, Malcolm McCandles, has flown into town for a mysterious meeting with a powerful man who’s been dead for almost eight decades. And Griffen certainly hasn’t got the time to protect Councilwoman Penny Dunbar, a dragon who’s running for governor of Louisiana, if malign forces don’t take her out first. Griffen learned a long time ago to play the hand fate has dealt him, but with many lives at stake, including Val’s unborn dragon, he’s hoping for an ace in the hole.

The Beautiful and the DamnedJessica Verday (October 1, Simon Pulse)

Young Adult. Cyn and Avian are far from a perfect match. She’s a witch who casts spells on men so she can steal their cars. He spends his time being judge, jury, and executioner to the truly evil in the supernatural realm. When the blackouts Cyn’s been having ever since her time in Sleepy Hollow start escalating, she finds herself unable to remember where she’s been or what she’s been doing. Frightened, she seeks guidance at a local church, and it’s there she meets Avian. The unlikely pair soon discovers that her blackouts are a side effect of what she truly is, an Echo, a conduit for souls of the dead. The only way to prevent Cyn from losing complete control is to return to Sleepy Hollow and vanquish the source of her power, but she may not survive the process.

Unbreakable (Legion #1)Kami Garcia (October 1, Little, Brown)

Young Adult. When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon, a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night. Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive.

Year of the Demon (Fated Blades #2)Steve Bein (October 1, Roc)

Detective Sergeant Mariko Oshiro has been promoted to Japan’s elite Narcotics unit, and with this promotion comes a new partner, a new case, and new danger. The underboss of a powerful yakuza crime syndicate has put a price on her head, and he’ll lift the bounty only if she retrieves an ancient iron demon mask that was stolen from him in a daring raid. Mariko has no idea of the tumultuous past carried within the mask, or of its deadly link with the famed Inazuma blade she wields. Mariko’s fallen sensei knew much of the mask’s hypnotic power and of its mysterious link to a murderous cult. Now Mariko must use his notes to find the mask before the cult can bring Tokyo to its knees, and before the underboss decides her time is up.

Zom-B Baby (Zom-B #5)Darren Shan (October 1, Little, Brown)

Young Adult. The fifth installment in Darren Shan’s ZOM-B series. B has spent the last few months bunking with the Angels, a group of teens dedicated to eradicating the evil dead from the face of the earth, beginning with the undead roaming the abandoned wreckage that was once London. But the Angels’ mission is a bit more complicated than that, and B takes to the streets of a very changed London to decide: is it a mission really to be believed? But instead of answers, B finds a horror beyond imagining. (U.S. Release)

Everything BreaksVicki Grove (October 3, Putnam Juvenile)

Young Adult. Tucker was supposed to be the designated driver. But there was something about the beauty of that last true summer night that made him want to feel out-of-control just once. He drank so much and so quickly that he was instantly sick. That left Trey to drive. It was the last time Tucker would ever see them alive. Tucker’s grief and guilt are just about unbearable and he wonders how he can continue living himself. When he meets the Ferryman who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers that divide the world of the living from the world of the dead, Tucker gets a chance to decide: live or die.

 

WEEK TWO

BackwardsTodd Mitchell (October 8, Candlewick)

Young Adult. At the moment Dan’s life ends, the Rider’s begins. Unwillingly tied to Dan, the Rider finds himself moving backwards in time, each day revealing more of the series of events that led to Dan’s suicide. Beyond the simple pleasures of a hot shower and the sun on his face, the Rider notices the people around Dan: his little sister, always disappointed by her big brother’s rejection, and his overwhelmed mom, who can never rely on Dan for help. The Rider notices Cat with her purple hair, artistic talent, and misfit beauty. Cat becomes the center of the Rider’s world, until the Rider finds out the shocking reason why Cat is so angry with Dan. Can the Rider make things right before it’s too late?

Bang (Visions #2)Lisa McMann (October 8, Simon Pulse)

Young Adult. Jules should be happy. She saved a lot of people’s lives and she’s finally with Sawyer. The nightmare’s not over, because she somehow managed to pass the psycho vision stuff to Sawyer. Excellent. Feeling responsible for what he’s going through and knowing that people’s lives are at stake, Jules is determined to help him figure it all out. Sawyer’s vision is so awful he can barely describe it. All he can tell her is there’s a gun, and eleven ear-splitting shots. Bang.

Cold Blooded (Jessica McClain #3)Amanda Carlson (October 8, Orbit)

Jessica arrives back in town to find her best friend missing and the most powerful witch in the country is blaming her for it. But before they can move to save her, the group is attacked. On the run, Jessica and Rourke head to the mountains. Several surprises await them, but in order to save her father they are forced to leave for New Orleans early. Arriving on the Vampire Queen’s doorstep unexpectedly, and bringing trouble on their heels, the Sects are thrown into an all out war. The vicious skirmish ends up forcing the vamps and Jessica to fight on the same team. The Vamp Queen ends up owing Jessica, but what Jessica doesn’t realize is just how soon she’ll have to cash it in.

Death and the Girl He Loves (Darklight #3)Darynda Jones (October 8, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Young Adult. The fate of the world is not something a girl wants on her shoulders, and that is especially true for Lorelei McAlister. Lorelei has seen firsthand the horrors that lie beneath our everyday world. She agrees to leave the sanctity of her hometown and is sent to a different world entirely. Someone knows what she is. What she carries inside her soul. She’s seeing visions. These visions: death, destruction, and the end of the world. Lorelei must face the fact that there are people who want her dead, and the lives of her friends and family are in mortal peril. Her friends and family include the handsome Angel of Death, a fiercely protective half-angel, and a ragtag group of loyal supporters who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty in the name of fighting pure evil.

Desert Tales (Wicked Lovely) by Melissa Marr (October 8, HarperCollins)

Young Adult. The Mojave Desert was a million miles away from the plots and schemes of the Faerie Courts, and that’s exactly why Rika chose it as her home. The once-mortal faery retreated to the desert’s isolation after decades of carrying winter’s curse inside her body. But her seclusion, and the freedom of the desert fey, is threatened by the Summer King’s newfound strength. And when the manipulations of her trickster friend, Sionnach, thrust Rika into a new romance, she finds new power within herself—and a new desire to help Sionnach protect the desert fey and mortals alike. The time for hiding is over.

Dying Is My BusinessNicholas Kaufmann (October 8, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Given his line of work in the employ of a psychotic Brooklyn crime boss, Trent finds himself on the wrong end of too many bullets. Yet each time he’s killed, he wakes a few minutes later completely healed of his wounds but with no memory of his past identity. Sent to steal an antique box from some squatters in an abandoned warehouse, Trent soon finds himself stumbling into an age-old struggle between the forces of good and evil, revealing a secret world where dangerous magic turns people into inhuman monstrosities, where impossible creatures hide in plain sight, and where the line between the living and the dead is never quite clear. And when the mysterious box is opened, he discovers he has only twenty-four hours to save New York City from certain destruction.

No AngelHelen Keeble (October 8, Harper Teen)

Young Adult. Rafael Angelos just got handed the greatest gift any teenage boy could ever dream of. Upon arriving at his new boarding school for senior year, he discovered that he is the ONLY male student. But what should have been a godsend isn’t exactly heaven on Earth. Raffi’s about to learn that St. Mary’s is actually a hub for demons, and that he was summoned to the school by someone expecting him to save the day. Raffi knows he’s no angel, but it’s pretty hard to deny that there’s some higher plan at work when he wakes up one morning to discover a glowing circle around his head.

Pull Down the Night (The Suburban Strange #2)Nathan Kotecki (October 8, HMH)

Young Adult. This year at Suburban High School is just as troubling as the last. A curly-haired girl ghost is disrupting lives with dreaded “kiss notes,” and students are inexplicably sinking into depression. Bruno, the new kid on the block, finds himself at the center of the mystery when he discovers his natural map-reading abilities are actually supernatural. When the reluctant hero isn’t engaged in cosmic battles against evil, Bruno is swooning over the mesmerizing Celia, and navigating the goth sensibilities and musical obsessions of the Rosary, her über-chic clique.

 

WEEK THREE

Age of Blood (Seal Team 666 #2)Weston Ochse (October 15, Thomas Dunne)

When a Senator’s daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious group with ties to the supernatural, it’s clearly a job for SEAL TEAM 666. As Triple Six gets involved, they discover links to the Zeta Cartel, a newly discovered temple beneath Mexico City, and a group known as Followers of the Flayed One. International politics, cross-border narco-terrorism, and an insidious force operating inside the team soon threaten to derail the mission. Forced to partner with several militant ex-patriots and a former Zeta hitman-turned-skinwalker, Triple Six is the world’s only hope to stop the return of the Age of Blood.

Pushing Luck (Pax Arcana #0.7)Elliott James (October 15, Orbit)

Trying to make money off the grid, John Charming discovers an underground poker tournament where the hors d’oeuvres are made of human flesh and the players are gambling with much more than their money. All bets are off. (Digital)

Revealed (House of Night #11)P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (October 15, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Young Adult. Drastically altered after her fall at the end of Hidden, Neferet is now more dangerous than ever, and her quest for vengeance will wreak havoc on humans, as well as Zoey and her friends. Chaos is loosed in Tulsa and the House of Night is blamed. Can Zoey stop Neferet in time to keep her anger from escalating to full-on war? Or will someone else have to step in to take the fall?

The Wolves of Midwinter (The Wolf Gift Chronicles #2)Anne Rice (October 15, Knopf)

It is the beginning of December. Oak fires are burning in the stately flickering hearths of Nideck Point. It is Yuletide. For Reuben Golding, now infused with the wolf gift and under the loving tutelage of the Morphenkinder, this Christmas promises to be like no other, as he soon becomes aware that the Morphenkinder, steeped in their own rituals, are also celebrating the Midwinter Yuletide festival deep within Nideck forest. From out of the shadows of the exquisite mansion comes a ghost, tormented, imploring, unable to speak yet able to embrace and desire with desperate affection. As Reuben finds himself caught up with the passions and yearnings of this spectral presence and the preparations for the Nideck town Christmas reach a fever pitch, astonishing secrets are revealed.

Equoid: A Laundry novella: A Tor.Com OriginalCharles Stross (October 16, Tor)

The “Laundry” is Britain’s super-secret agency devoted to protecting the realm from the supernatural horrors that menace it. Now Bob Howard, Laundry agent, must travel to the quiet English countryside to deal with an outbreak of one of the worst horrors imaginable. For, as it turns out, unicorns are real. They’re also ravenous killers from beyond spacetime. (Digital)

NightlifeMatthew Quinn Martin (October 21, Pocket Star)

Nightclub bartender and serial heartbreaker Beth Becker might be a cynic. But when her best friend goes missing Halloween night, Beth knows it’s up to her to find out what happened. Her quest will take her on an odyssey through the crumbling city of New Harbor, Connecticut. Along the way she meets a homeless prophet warning of something he calls the “Night Angel”, a bloodthirsty creature that feeds on the forgotten. And she will form an unlikely bond with a hunted stranger who knows all too well what stalks the streets at night. (Digital)

 

WEEK FOUR

IndigoGina Linko (October 22, Random House)

Young Adult. Caught in an unexpected spring squall, Corrine’s first instinct is to protect her little sister Sophie after a nasty fall. But when Corrine reaches out to comfort her sister, the exact opposite occurs. Her touch, charged with an otherworldly force and bursting with blinding indigo color, surges violently from Corrine to her sister. Sophie is dead. Corrine convinces herself that she should simply withdraw from life. When her family moves to New Orleans, Corrine’s withdrawal is made all the easier. She realizes that her power cannot be ignored, especially when Rennick, a talented local artist, suggests another possibility: Corrine might have the touch.

Rusted Veins (Sabina Kane #5.5)Jaye Wells (October 22, Orbit)

No description available. (Digital)

After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse (Sookie Stackhouse #13.5)Charlaine Harris (October 29, Ace)

With characters arranged alphabetically, from the Ancient Pythoness to Bethany Zanelli, this book takes fans into the future of their favorite residents of Bon Temps and environs. You’ll learn how Michele and Jason’s marriage fared, what happened to Sookie’s cousin Hunter, and whether Tara and JB’s twins grew up to be solid citizens. This coda provides the answers to your lingering questions, including details of Sookie’s own happily-ever-after.

Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6)Nalini Singh (October 29, Jove)

Angels are falling from the sky in New York, struck down by a vicious, unknown force. Vampires are dying impossibly of disease. Guild hunter Elena Deveraux and the Archangel Raphael must discover the source of the wave of death before it engulfs their city and their people, leaving New York a ruin and Raphael’s Tower under siege by enemy archangels. Yet even as they fight desperately to save the city, an even darker force is stirring, its chill eyes trained on New York, and on Raphael. Rivers of crimson and nightmares given flesh, the world will never again be the same.

Black Heart (Black Wings #6)Christina Henry (October 29, Ace)

As a former Agent of Death, Madeline Black is no stranger to witnessing violent ends. Being the one to cause them is an entirely different story. Despite her having saved Chicago from a vampire invasion, the Agency wants to get Maddy off their payroll, permanently. With the deadly Retrievers on her trail, she has no choice but to trust Nathaniel to port her to safety. The exotic and dangerous world that she winds up in is not as peaceful as she would have hoped. Caught in a turf war between a group of fae and a disturbingly familiar foe, Maddy discovers that the plots of her grandfather, Lucifer, and his brothers extend even into this realm. To protect her unborn son from her adversaries, she may have to tap into a power she hoped never to access.

Dead Set: A NovelRichard Kadrey (October 29, Harper Voyager)

Young Adult. After her father’s funeral, Zoe and her mother moved to the Big City to start over. The money is tight, and a new school brings trials. She has an escape: her dreams. Zoe’s dreamscape offers another, more precious, gift: It is the only place where she can spend time with her closest companion, her lost brother Valentine. An unfamiliar, and uninvited, presence has entered her private realm to threaten Zoe and Valentine. A chance encounter at a record store where the grooves of the vinyl discs hold not music, but lost souls, has opened up a portal to the world of the restless dead. The shop’s proprietor is offering Zoe the chance to commune with the father whose passing took a piece of her heart. How far into this world will Zoe go to discover what she truly needs?

Descending SonScott Shepherd (October 29, 47North)

If Jess Stark really knew what was on the other side of the coffin lid, he might just decide to remain six feet under. Jess stayed away from Palm Springs for seven years, avoiding his family and the girl who broke his heart. It took a desperate call from his mother to force him home to see his ailing father. As soon as he was back, Jess found himself embroiled in two suspicious deaths, emotional turmoil with his family, and a supernatural secret that involved them all. The best Welcome Home he received? Winding up in an unmarked grave in the middle of the Coachella Desert. Sure, Jess can go home again, but there’s a heavy price to pay.

Hellhound (Deadtown #5)Nancy Holzner (October 29, Ace)

Boston’s zombies have suddenly become inexplicably violent, horror movie-style, resulting in a catastrophic all-out battle against humans. More troubling to Vicky is that she’s had dreams and visions of herself fighting alongside the demons. At least, she hopes they’re just visions, otherwise, that puts her on the front lines of the wrong side of the war. Vicky’s not surprised to discover that Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and loathed adversary, is behind the outbreak of the zombie plague, having formed an unholy pact with the Old Ones. Now, as the violence escalates and alliances shift, Vicky knows she’s the only one who can stop the plague. Unless the pack of hellhounds on her trail finds her first.

Parasite (Parasitology #1)Mira Grant (October 29, Orbit)

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 tapeworm 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.


Author Suzanne Johnson is a book geek with a fondness for a good dystopia. Her Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series continued in August with the release of Elysian Fields. You can find Suzanne on Facebook and on her daily speculative fiction blog, Preternatura.

About the Author

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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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