We’ve secured a number of copies of the limited edition of Charles Stross’s collection Toast, to be published in just a few short weeks by Wyrm Publishing. For our money, the story “Antibodies” is worth the price of admission alone.

Wyrm puts out a top notch product, as those who’ve recently acquired their Jeff VanderMeer novel, Shriek: an Afterword, know. Have a look at Toast and consider picking up a copy.

We’ve just received the Advance Reading Copies of Joe Abercrombie’s epic fantasy, The Blade Itself. On Friday, we’ll hold a drawing and give away five copies of the ARC to customers who have preordered the book from us. The ARCs contain the full-color illustrations by Alexander Preuss, including a pull-out gatefold of the endsheets, the first time we can recall having included them in an ARC in this fashion.

I should mention that Blade is selling so well that there’s a good chance we won’t have any copies available for our wholesale or large online retail accounts.

After getting five lettered editions out last week, our satellite shippers (who work out of the office, rather than the warehouse) are focusing on another three titles this week. They are:

– The Martian Chronicles: The Complete Edition (Ray Bradbury);
– The Onion Girl (Charles de Lint);
– Mister Slaughter (Robert McCammon);

We’ll keep you abreast on the next batch after these hit the mails.

Earlier this year we published The Great Bazaar and Other Stories, a short collection by Peter V. Brett, highlighted by the title novelette. The collection sold out immediately, and now brings over $100 on the collector’s market for the trade hardcover, when you can find one. A copy of the limited edition will set you back more than twice that.

Peter has just released his mammoth new novel, The Desert Spear, and seen his popularity and readership climb a few notches. We have a brand new novella by him, Brayan’s Gold, set in the world of his novels. It will feature a full-color cover (with a different design for the signed limited edition) as well as nine black and white interior illustrations by Lauren K. Cannon.

Here’s the full description:

Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons—bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.

Arlen Bales is seventeen, an apprentice Messenger in brand new armor, about to go out for the first time alongside a trained Messenger on a simple overnight trip. Instead Arlen finds himself alone on a frozen mountainside, carrying a dangerous cargo to Count Brayan’s gold mine, one of the furthest points in the duchy. And One Arm, the giant rock demon, hunts him still.

But Brayan’s Gold may offer a way for Arlen to be free of One Arm forever, if he is willing to wager his life on the chance.

We’re in the homestretch for The Best of Larry Niven, the latest in our popular doorstop-sized volumes that show off the finest short stories in a writer’s career to this point.

As you can see, we have the designed cover in hand, with a fine space scene by Edward Miller. The signature pages are en route to Mr. Niven, and then it’s a wrap for this one. We’ll send it to the printer at the appointed time, and four weeks later have over 200,000 words of Larry Niven’s best short stories for everyone to enjoy.

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve just reached agreement to publish an exclusive Hard Case Crime volume, which will also be the first in the series to debut in hardcover. Volume #69 will resurrect a pair of early Lawrence Block novels: 69 Barrow Street and Strange Embrace, bound back to back in the classic “doubles” format, featuring brand new art by Robert McGinnis. You can look for more details, including ordering info, later this year, with a projected publication date in the first half of 2011.

We’d like to thank Larry Block, Charles Ardai, and Danny Baror for thinking of us with this one. We couldn’t be happier than to publish an original in this acclaimed line.

Repeat after me, Patrick Rothfuss’s new book, The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle, delightful though it may be, is definitely not-a-children’s book. It’s also headed for a second printing, so please place your order soon if you’d like a first.

First Trade:

$25

Second Trade (signed):

$25

Clementine is Cherie Priest’s latest foray into the Clockwork Century, home to her breakout novel, Boneshaker, as well as the forthcoming Dreadnought. Clementine is a swift, 200 page novel of, according to Publishers Weekly laudatory review, “Explosive battle scenes, riveting action, and a sharp-eyed examination of the mistrust between Croggon’s all-black crew and very white, very Southern Maria play out in a desperate race against the clock.”

Limited HC:

Sold Out

Trade HC:

$25

Terry Dowling’s latest collection, Amberjack: Tales of Fear & Wonder is very nearly sold out on publication, in no small part because it garnered a very strong review from Booklist, and a starred one from Publishers Weekly: “Dowling’s newest collection…highlights his rich and complex sideways storytelling with 12 stories that run the speculative fiction gamut… Dowling’s terse and enigmatic style is subtle and brain stretching, enticing readers with fully realized worlds that clearly extend far beyond each story’s boundaries. Insightful afterwords complete the sensation of being transported someplace truly alien by Dowling’s intelligent and thoughtful work.”

Limited HC:

$40

Caitlin R. Kiernan’s newest collection, The Ammonite Violin & Others, gathers twenty stories originally published in her subscription-only Sirenia Digest. As Booklist noted of the collection: “Brilliantly crafted, tightly woven, and memorable, the worlds of Kiernan’s imagination are odd places, quite fascinating to poke around in.”

Limited HC:

Sold Out

Trade HC:

$25