Right now I'm looking at a copy of Cherie Priest's upcoming novella from Subterranean Press, Those Who Went Remain There Still. It's killing me not to start reading it right away but I need to finish up my summer columns before I start on something that I won't be reviewing until October (its due out in December). Still, how do I resist this:

Heaster Wharton is dead, and his passing might mean an end to hostilities between the Manders and the Coys. If the the elderly patriarch showed the kindness and foresight to split his land cleanly between his feuding descendants, then a truce could be arranged.

With their guns and their savage instincts, Heaster's grandchildren will not make for easy pickings.

I'm sure it makes perfect sense why I'm desperate to read this book.

Cherie also has a novel coming out from Tor in December, Fathom. Here's some of the catalog copy:

Fathom is an unapologetic mix of horror and urban fantasy that will appeal to fans of both genres. The book is a sexy biblical monster story that will enthrall readers who appreciate a good fairy tale with an unusual point of view.

It's set in coastal Florida which makes me very happy. As Cherie is more familiar with the west coast of the state I'll assume it's set there, but that's okay - any kind of Florida setting for a "biblical monster story" is good as far as I'm concerned.

Tor has the final novel in Jo Walton's alt history trilogy out in October with Half a Crown. I loved the first two books - Farthing and Ha' Penny - and believe them to be some of the smartest political novels and most poignantly written history I've read ever. I mean that people - EVER. These books are amazing and to say I'm excited about Half a Crown would be a major understatement. Here's a bit:

In 1941 the European war ended in the Farthing Peace, a rapprochement between Britain and Nazi Germany. The balls and banquets of Britain's upper class never faltered, while British ships ferried "undesirables" across the Channel to board the cattle cars headed east.

Peter Carmichael is commander of the Watch, Britain's distinctly British secret police. It's his job to war the Prime Minister of treason, to arrest plotters, to discover Jews. The midnight knock of a Watchman is the most dreadful sound in the realm.

Hitler is now back on British soil, along with the exiled Duke of Windsor and there is a possible coup plot. As this is the final novel, I'm eager to see just what happens to Peter and if Walton will leave us with a world of terrifying bleakness that is all too believable in the 21st century. (Here's my Bookslut review of Ha' Penny.)

And Jane Lindskold has Thirteen Orphans out in November which Tor compares to Charles de Lint's Newford books. From the catalog:

A father-daughter weekend turns into a nightmare when Brenda's father is magically attacked before her eyes. Brenda soon learns that her ancestors once lived in a world of smoke and shadows, of magic and secrets.

Don't you just hate it when you find out your parents are from another realm? This one has a twist as the "thirteen orphans" have hidden their magic system in mah-jong. "Each Orphan represents an animal from the Chinese Zodiac" and our girl Brenda has to take her dad's place. This one has definite possibilities for YA readers and I'm quite the fan of Lindskold's so it's on my list.

Ellen Klages has a sequel in October to The Green Glass Sea, her wonderful MG title set in the atomic testing grounds. White Sands, Red Menace follows the adventures of Dewey and her best friend Suze Gordon who are now living near the White Sands Missile Range as "Phil. Gordon is now working on rockets that will someday go the moon; Terry Gordon is working on stopping the Bomb". Nice to see the moon bit in there as we hardly ever see bits about the early space program in general children's literature.

Klages did a superb job of mixing science and family drama in the first book and has to be the only author to ever tackle the atomic age and MG literature in such a direct manner. She's a wonderful author (her short story in Coyote Road which plays off of board games is a lot of fun) who is crafting very fresh stories for kids; this one should be great.

Kelly Link has a short story collection for YAs with Pretty Monsters ("decorations" by Shaun Tan!). The catalog copy does not provide a list of stories other than "The Faery Handbag" which was published in The Faery Reel and "The Surfer" which is in Starry Rift. I'm thinking this is a collection of all previously published material that teens might have missed, or would want in one package - I haven't found out yet if there is anything original to this book.

UPDATED: Yep, the title story is brand new and unique to this book.

And to top off my fall, Sharyn November has Firebirds Soaring, the latest anthology in her spec fiction series with stories from Klages, Margo Lanagan, Jane Yolen, Charles de Lint, etc. etc. etc. The perfect holiday gift I'm thinking!