In addition to Publishers Weekly praising Kealan Patrick Burke’s new novel, Currency of Souls, as “a gripping horror novel,” The Agony Column has weighed even more heavily on the book’s side: “Burke writes one memorable sentence after another, ratchets the action up at an alarming pace and by the time the going gets weird, you know that Burke is a pro… You get that collection of odd personalities, each with a great backstory. But you get those backstories in the context of a really, really eventful night at the ol’ Tavern. Lives will end, at least for a short while. Undeaths will begin. Murders will committed and if not solved, perhaps they’ll get resolved.”

Currency of Souls will be released in February, limited to 750 signed and numbered copies, at $40.

Charles Stross’ alternate world Cold War novella, Missile Gap, is in stock and shipping — and will be SOLD OUT by the time we finish shipping all retailer and distributor orders. If a copy of the first edition is important to you, please place your order now. We may well do a second printing to fill library and distibutor orders, but haven’t made a final decision yet.

From Booklist:
“With the dazzling success of his last two novels, including the Hugo-nominated Accelerando (2005), Stross is rapidly establishing himself as one of the preeminent masters of hard sf. Here he takes a breather from weightier fare with a bizarre, nevertheless brilliant alternate-history novella featuring a protracted U.S.-Soviet cold war…Once again, Stross sets the bar high for his colleagues, should they be feeling competitive, in this mind-bending, intriguing yarn.”

From Publishers Weekly:
“The result is a blend of 1900s H.G. Wells and 1970s propaganda, updated for the 21st century in the clear, chilly and fashionably cynical style that lets Stross get away with premises that would be absurdly cheesy in anyone else’s hands.”

From Green Man Review:
There are some pretty creepy moments here including one that remminded me of the Cthulhu mythos. Or possibly the Pod People. Really. Truly. And the ending was a proper surprise, as I wasn’t sure how Stross would wrap it up. Indeed that’s the gold standard for good storytelling for me — interesting characters in a plausibe setting (no how farfetched it seems at first glance) with an ending that I wasn’t expecting. Bravo Stross!

Our edition of Charles Stross’s alternate world Cold War novella, Missile Gap, with perfect illustrations by J.K. Potter, is in stock and shipping. Don’t take our word how wonderful it is. Here are a snippets from a few reviews:

From Booklist:
“With the dazzling success of his last two novels, including the Hugo-nominated Accelerando (2005), Stross is rapidly establishing himself as one of the preeminent masters of hard sf. Here he takes a breather from weightier fare with a bizarre, nevertheless brilliant alternate-history novella featuring a protracted U.S.-Soviet cold war…Once again, Stross sets the bar high for his colleagues, should they be feeling competitive, in this mind-bending, intriguing yarn.”

From Publishers Weekly
“The result is a blend of 1900s H.G. Wells and 1970s propaganda, updated for the 21st century in the clear, chilly and fashionably cynical style that lets Stross get away with premises that would be absurdly cheesy in anyone else’s hands.”

Signed Hardcover:

$35

Poppy Z. Brite’s acclaimed new novella, D*U*C*K, is in our offices, being packed, and shipping out as soon as X-mas is past. As Booklist said, “The real core of the book, though, is surprisingly philosophical, as Brite reflects perceptively on how we become who we are. The last few pages invoke a magical harmony between reality, imagination, and humaneness. Hardly a crime novel, but a must for followers of this quirky but fascinating series.”

Signed Hardcover:

$35

John Scalzi turned in his 100 page “Old Man’s War” tale, The Sagan Diary, which has been fully designed and proofed. It features several full page and spot illustrations by Bob Eggleton, and is headed to the printer right after Christmas. Look for the finished book at the end of January, or early Feb.

Important Collector’s Note: Those who order the Limited Edition of The Sagan Diary will have the opportunity to purchase matching numbers of the Limited Editions of Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades as they are published.

Poppy Z. Brite’s brand new 130 page novella, D*U*C*K is being packed up this weekend, and will ship shortly after Christmas.

As Publishers Weeky says, “The ghosts of pre-Katrina New Orleans haunt Brite’s latest culinary caper (after Soul Kitchen) in the form of great meals, good times and the carefree spirit that gave the Big Easy its nickname. The loose plot of this picaresque tale concerns Rickey’s tribulations at crafting an all-wild-duck menu for Ducks Unlimited, a Cajun hunting club. Though Rickey’s self-conscious fretting at all the possible disasters that could happen build an element of playful suspense, there’s never any doubt that this will play out as a happy Cinderella story from soup to nuts. Brite does a fine job of evoking the Crescent City and its soul through delectable descriptions of its unique cuisine and the quirky characters who prepare it. This is fun foodie fiction, and readers will scarf it down as quickly as a plate of blackened crawfish.”

Charles de Lint emailed us last week to say that Jilly: the Early Years had passed the 30,000 word mark, and was looking to come in longer than his initial 40k word estimate, heading from novella territory into the realm of the short novel.

Also last week, Mike Dringenberg emailed us his rough sketches for the cover, which we quickly and enthusiastically approved. Jilly is going to be one gorgeous book.

We’ve just added three brand new books to our schedule.

The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories is a mammoth (600+ pages) collection of the best of Connie Willis’s short stories, with classics like “All My Darling Daughters”, “Fire Watch,” the title story, mixed in with obscurities such as “Cash Crop,” and “The Soul Selects Her Own Society…” And that’s just in the Trade Hardcover Edition ($40). The Limited ($125) and Lettered ($250) Editions each feature an additional section with Connie’s first published screwball comedy (”Capra Corn”), an unsettling tale, “Substitution Trick,” never before collected, and a full bibliography not only of Connie’s short stories and novels, but the legendary “confessions” stories she penned in the 1970s, never fully listed until now.

The second new title is a major new collection of horror, mystery and suspense, The Shadows, Kith and Kin, by SubPress favorite Joe R. Lansdale. The special treat in this collection, in addition to the Mark A. Nelson illustrated version of Joe’s children’s classic gone awry, “Bill, the Little Steam Shovel,” is the reapparance of Reverand Rains, hero of Lansdale’s ultimate cult novel, Dead in the West. Together, these two tales — one of them original to the book — total more than 25,000 words. There’s enough here for Lansdale fanatics and newcomers alike, bargain priced for a signed edition at $35.

Last on the new book list is Brian Lumley’s most sought after title, A Coven of Vampires. We’re planning to reproduce the text inside faithfully, with Bob Eggleton’s worldbeater cover, as well as some brand new spot illustrations, and a chapbook of Lumley rarities. We’ve seen copies of the original edition of Coven go for over $300 on auction sites, so our new signed edition is a steal at only $35.

Publishers Weekly and Booklist have been particularly kind to us of late.

PW on Currency of Souls (Kealan Patrick Burke):
“a gripping horror novel whose motley cast of characters drink the evening away in a seedy bar, Eddie’s Tavern, in a dying town called Milestone. Each is stained by–and may even have caused–an ugly death that still haunts him or her… At the haunting conclusion, escape proves only a brief respite from damnation.”

And a trio of great reviews from Booklist…

…on The Jack Vance Treasury:
“Now in the twilight of a career spanning back to the 1940s, Vance is a legend among his colleagues, many of whom look to the Grandmaster’s works for invaluable tips on literary style and character development. Here, editors Dowling and Strahan offer the commendable results of poring through Vance’s prodigious oeuvre and selecting stories to showcase his best work and feature some of his most cherished recurring protagonists… With an introduction by George Martin and insightful afterwords to each piece by Vance himself, this is a celebration for his fans, an ideal introduction for new readers of his work.”

…on Rite (Tad Williams):
“As he says in the introduction to this collection, most of his short fiction has been written for anthologies. The stories here are therefore rather varied… Williams introduces each piece, which makes these even more of a treat for his fans.”

…and finally, on The Last Unicorn: the Lost Version (Peter S. Beagle):
“Beagle’s modern fantasy classic, The Last Unicorn (1968), didn’t come easily. He stalled on the first draft, returning to the concept only after a cross-country motor-scooter trip and his book about it, I See by My Outfit (1965). While the first draft opens the same as the novel, the principal characters other than the unicorn are different. Thank heavens, though, that he persevered and now publishes this funny, darkly winsome fragment.”

Instead of the contracted for Newford Collection, Charles de Lint is now working on a short novel about fan favorite character, Jilly. Please head over to the book’s page to read an open note Charles wrote to his readers explaining how this all came about, but in the meantime, here’s a short description of Jilly: the Early Years (working title).

***

After Widdershins, I thought I wouldn’t write at length about Jilly again. I’d promised one more short story about her for Bill at Subterranean Press, but that would be it. Having left her in a good place at the end of Widdershins, I didn’t want to complicate her life yet again, so I planned to set the story earlier in her life, during her first year as a student at Butler University.

Except the story grew. I was having too much fun visiting with this younger Jilly, so I asked Bill if I could expand it and swap it for the “best of Newford” collection that he’d contracted with me. He agreed, so now I’m busily working away on this as-yet-untitled novella.

It takes place in 1972 and begins with Jilly getting a surprise visit from an old friend–her only friend–from her runaway days. Interspersed with the main story that leads off from that meeting are flashbacks to pivotal moments in her life: time spent in the Home for Wayward Girls, her life on the street, meeting and working with the Grasso Street Angel, the first time she meets various familiar faces (Geordie, Sophie, etc.), and chronicles how the messed-up street kid she was grew a social conscience, and became the cheerful character we know from later stories.

Although the book does deal with some serious subjects, the tone isn’t all doom and gloom. And while I hope that those of you familiar with these characters will enjoy this visit with their younger selves, I’m also trying to make it a friendly entry into Newford for new readers.