Guest Post: Top Recommendations for Autumn Fantasy & Science Fiction Releases

Today I have a guest post from the lovely Amanda from Floor to Ceiling Books.  Amanda is a fab blogger who is very passionate about fantasy and science fiction so when she offered to write a guest post for me the first thing that came to mind was books that she is looking forward to reading this autumn.  She really has some fabulous recommendations for us and I have added all of these books to my wish list!

Lets hand you over to Amanda so she can tell you about new books to drool over . . .

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Forthcoming Books to Get Excited About!

2011 has already been an absolutely incredible year for those of us who read fantasy and science fiction – but especially fantasy. Not only did we get the long anticipated sequel to The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, but we also got A Dance With Dragons by George R R Martin! These are two huge books and, while the rest of the year probably won’t live up to that excitement, there are still some rather long-awaited novels being released, such as The Cold Commands by Richard Morgan and The Islanders by Christopher Priest, his first novel since 2002!

Instead of focusing on the well-known big hitters in the rest of 2011, I thought instead I would take the five best publishers of genre fiction in the UK and highlight the novel that I am most excited to read. Hopefully this will showcase some of the mid-list novels that should be piquing your interest.

Gollancz

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

“Rosalinda Fitzroy had been asleep for 62 years when she was woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically-induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose - hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire - is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes - or be left without any future at all.”

This sounds like an absolute beautiful mash-up between dystopian science fiction and glorious fairy tale. I think it is very unusual, and could be one of those cross-overs between YA and adult fiction.

A Long, Long Sleep is due from Gollancz on 18th August 2011.

Orbit

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter

“Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle's body bears the telltale marks of a comarre - a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility and control their hungers. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the darkness of the mortal world ...and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks. Chrysabelle's secrets, though, are about to put her life - and those around her - in even greater jeopardy. She possesses a powerful ring, the key to unlocking an ancient prophecy destined to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. A chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen threatens to reign unless she and Malkolm can stop the noble vampire behind the merciless plot.”

Vampires again? But, somehow, this premise intrigues me – and the cover is truly stunning. Orbit have quietly been publishing some very strong urban fantasy, and this could be one of the successes from their imprint.

Blood Rights is due from Orbit on 1st September 2011.

Tor

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

“Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local folklore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead - keeping annoying things like the future and friends at bay. When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, and kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas' life.”

This just sounds gloriously demented! It could be brilliant – or it could be terrible. I am very much hoping for the former. Ghosts haven’t really been explored massively in recent novels published (unless they were straight-up horror) and this dark fantasy could be the start of something huge.

Anna Dressed in Blood is incoming from Tor on 17th October 2011.

Voyager

The End Specialist by Drew Magary

“John Farrell is about to get “The Cure.” Old age can never kill him now. The only problem is, everything else still can . . .

Imagine a near future where a cure for ageing is discovered and – after much political and moral debate – made available to people worldwide. Immortality, however, comes with its own unique problems – including evil green people, government euthanasia programs, a disturbing new religious cult, and other horrors. Witty, eerie, and full of humanity, The End Specialist is an unforgettable thriller that envisions a pre-apocalyptic world so real that it is completely terrifying.”

Thriller, science fiction, whatever you want to call it, this sounds awesome. Exploring the consequences of *everyone* experiencing immortality is right up my street – and something that isn’t entirely out of the realms of possibility.

The End Specialist is due from Voyager on 29th September 2011.

Angry Robot

Debris by Jo Anderton

“In a far future where technology is all but indistinguishable from magic, Tanyana is one of the elite.

She can control pions, the building blocks of matter, shaping them into new forms using ritual gestures and techniques. The rewards are great, and she is one of most highly regarded people in the city. But that was before the “accident”.

Stripped of her powers, bound inside a bizarre powersuit, she finds herself cast down to the very lowest level of society. Powerless, penniless and scarred, Tanyana must adjust to a new life collecting “debris”, the stuff left behind by pions. But as she tries to find who has done all of this to her, she also starts to realize that debris is more important than anyone could guess.

Debris is a stunning new piece of Science Fantasy, which draws in themes from Japanese manga, and classic Western SF and Fantasy to create this unique, engrossing debut.”

Angry Robot always tend to publish books that have an element of WTF? about them. Some of them I have adored (Zoo City by Lauren Beukes); some of them I have disliked (King Maker by Maurice Broaddus) – but you cannot deny that EVERY release from Angry Robot has something interesting about it. This one is no exception – an odd blend of science and fantasy, technology and magic. I’m hopeful!

Angry Robot are publishing Debris on 27th September.

So there you have it! My five picks for the rest of the year. What are you most looking forward to?

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Thanks so much for a fabulous guest post Amanda!  I actually got a copy of A Long, Long Sleep from Gollancz this week and am very excited about it, the cover is beautiful and I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings!  All of the other books you've mentioned have definitely been added to my wish list though.

What fantasy and science fiction novels are you all most looking forward to reading?