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Hotlists 2008
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Seeing Stars
Lists of (mostly) hardcover books which received at least one starred review (indicating a work of unusual merit) from the following review sources: Booklist , Publisher's Weekly (PW), Kirkus and Library Journal (LJ).
The review journal assigns the star.
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Starred Reviews
Speculative Fiction Stars
September 9, 2008
2001: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror Starred Review Titles
Annotations are from Advance, the Ingram Book Magazine unless otherwise noted. Titles are arranged by approximate date of publication, then alphabetically by author.
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
December
- The King's Name
Author: Walton, Jo
Publisher: Tor $ 26.95 ISBN: 0312872291 Date: 2001
PW
In her powerful debut novel, Jo Walton tells the tale of a woman who rises to become the strong right hand to the great King who will unify, however briefly, his people.
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
November
- Bloodtide
Author: Burgess, Melvin
Publisher: Tor $ 24.95 ISBN: 0765300486 Date: 2001PW
From the author of the critically-acclaimed award-winning Smack comes a novel set in the chaos of a ruined London in the not-too-distant future. Twins Siggy and Signy become entangled in family ties and the tragic rivalries that could destroy them both in a city that becomes a battle ground between two warring families of ruthless ganglords.
Suggested Reading: Dystopian Stars | Adult Books for Teens
Updated 5.26.05 - The
Mammoth Book of Vampire Short Stories by Women
Author: Jones, Stephen (ed)
Publisher: Carroll & Graf $ 11.95 (trade paper) ISBN: 0786709189 Date: 2001
PW - Impact Parameter:
And Other Quantum Realities
Author: Landis, Geoffrey A.
Publisher: Golden Gryphon $ 24.95 ISBN: 1930846061 Date: 2001
PW - The Onion Girl
Author: de Lint, Charles
Publisher: Tor $ 27.95 ISBN: 0312873972 Date: 2001
PW
With her tangled hair, her paint-splattered jeans, a smile perpetually on her lips, Jilly Coppercorn has darted in and out of all the Newford tales. Now, at last, de Lint has penned Jilly's own story. Winner of the World Fantasy Award. - Love in Vain
Author: Shiner, Lewis
Publisher: Subterranean $ 40 ISBN: 193108114x Date: 2001
PW - The
Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge
Author: Vinge, Vernor
Publisher: Tor $ 27.95 ISBN: 0312873735 Date: 2001Booklist
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
October
- Coldheart Canyon
Author: Barker, Clive
Publisher: HarperCollins $ 27.95 ISBN: 0060182970 Date: 2001
PW
Clive Barker returns with his most triumphant novel to date. Coldheart Canyon is a savage, poignant ghost story set in the glittering world of Hollywood where nothing is what it seems--even Death.
Suggested Reading: Hollywood Film Stars | Ghosts | Nip Tuck Plastic Surgery Stars - From
the Dust Returned
Author: Bradbury, Ray
Publisher: Morrow $ 23 ISBN: 0380973820 Date: 2001
PW Library Journal
One of the world's great literary icons presents the full-length tale of the Elliotts--a family of outlandish, great-hearted, and loving-spirited Halloween creatures and their "abnormal" adopted son--Timothy--who can see his reflection in the mirror. - Strange Trades
Author: Di Fillippo, Paul
Publisher: Golden Gryphon $ 24.95 ISBN: 1930846053 Date: 2001
PW - Blood and Gold
Author: Rice, Anne
Publisher: Knopf $ 26.95 ISBN: 0679454497 Date: 2001
Kirkus
Out of the pages of the Vampire Chronicles steps the golden-haired Marius, true Child of the Millennia, once mentor to the Vampire Lestat, always and forever the conscientious slayer of the evildoer, and now ready to reveal the secrets of his 2,000-year-long existence in his own intense yet intimate voice. - Maelstrom
Author: Watts, Peter
Publisher: Tor $ 25.95 ISBN: 03128780601 Date: 2001
Booklist
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
September
- Black House
Author: King, Stephen & Peter Straub
Publisher: Random $ 28.95 ISBN: 0375504397 Date: 2001
Kirkus PW
In the long-awaited sequel to The Talisman, retired homicide detective Jack Sawyer is drawn back to a parallel universe called the Territories, where he must find the soul-strength to enter a terrifying house at the end of a deserted track of forest, there to encounter the obscene and ferocious evils sheltered within it. - The Other Wind
Author: Le Guin, Ursula K.
Publisher: Harcourt $ 25 ISBN: 0151006849 Date: 2001
PW
A sorcerer makes a desperate last stand against the land of the dead when he begins having vivid dreams of an imminent invasion. - Eyes of the
Calculor
Author: McMullen, Sean
Publisher: Tor $ 27.95 ISBN: 0312877366 Date: 2001
Booklist
Two thousand years in the future, the Dragon Librarians of Australica have just one means to hold their world together: kidnap every numerate person on their continent and rebuild their out-of-date, human-powered computer--the Calculor.
Suggested Reading: Librarian Stars | Dystopian Stars - Pride of Kings
Author: Tarr, Judith
Publisher: Roc $ 14.95 (trade paper) ISBN: 0451458478 Date: 2001
PW
The bestselling author of Kingdom of the Grail pens an epic of two kings, two realms, and two wars for England to win or lose. One could weaken the mortal empire. The other could destroy the world. - American Empire: Blood and Iron
Author: Turtledove, Harry
Publisher: Del Rey $ 27.95 ISBN: 034540565x Date: 2001
PW
The first novel in the "American Empire" trilogy picks up where the "Great War" trilogy left off and begins a new epic of the United States and the Confederacy by the acclaimed master of alternate history.
Suggested Reading: Alternative History Stars
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
August
- Look to Windward
Author: Banks, Iain
Publisher: Pocket $ 23.95 ISBN: 0743421914 Date: 2001
PW
A classic in science fiction, Banks's novel is about a war so powerful it destroyed two suns and the billions of lives they supported. - The Curse of Chalion
Author: Bujold, Lois McMaster
Publisher: Eos $ 25 ISBN: 0380979012 Date: 2001
Booklist
Cazaril comes face-to-face with old enemies when he is offered the post of secretary to the Royesse Iselle, the beautiful, strong-willed sister to the heir of Chalion's throne. Yet something far more sinister threatens Cazaril: a curse that taints not only the royal family he serves, but also those within its circle. - The
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Author: Datlow, Ellen (ed)
Publisher: St Martins $ 29.95 ISBN: 0312275412 Date: 2001
PW - Zepplins West
Author: Lansdale, Joe R.
Publisher: Subterranean $ 40 ISBN: 193108100x Date: 2001
PW - The
Adventures of the Ingenious Alfanhui
Author: Ferlosio, Rafael S.
Publisher: Goliath $ 13.99 ISBN: 1873982593 Date: 2001
PW - Illumination
Author: McGarry, Terry
Publisher: Tor $ 25.95 ISBN: 0312873891 Date: 2001
LJ
McGarry has crafted a fantasy adventure of the first rank. Liath was proud to have passed her challenge and become a true mage, ready to journey the land and bond with an Illuminator. But that very night, her own precious light fails her. - Nekropolis
Author: McHugh, Maureen F.
Publisher: Eos $ 24 ISBN: 0380974576 Date: 2001
PW
Two misfits defy rigid conventions in a world where life for servants that have been altered by being "jessed" holds no future. - The Rover
Author: Odom, Mel
Publisher: Tor $ 25.95 ISBN: 0312878826 Date: 2001
Booklist
The Rover is the tale of a halfling whose life as a third-level assistant librarian is disrupted when he is shanghaied and sold into slavery in a far off land. From then on it's one adventure after another as he manages to save the day in a magically dangerous world.
Suggested Reading: Librarian Stars | Adult Books for Teens - The Last Vampire
Author: Strieber, Whitley
Publisher: Pocket $ 24.95 ISBN: 0743471208 Date: 2001
Kirkus
Predator is about to become prey and killer to become lover in this long-awaited sequel to Strieber's vampire classic, The Hunger. As good and evil are rendered indistinguishable, the endgame begins. - The Chronoliths
Author: Wilson, Robert Charles
Publisher: Tor $ 23.95 ISBN: 0312873840 Date: 2001
PW
In the early 21st century, an American software developer living in Thailand witnesses an event that changes him forever. As he attempts to get his life back on track, he is caught in a strange loop that keeps drawing him back to do battle with the future.
Suggested Reading: Thai Stars
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
July
- Kushiel's Dart
Author: Carey, Jacqueline
Publisher: Tor $ 25.95 ISBN: 0312872380 Date: 2001
Kirkus PW Booklist
High intrigue and a fantastic heroine make for a tale of pagan splendor in Kushiel's Dart. Phedre is sold into slavery as a child, but she possesses a secret that can topple a kingdom and bring warlords to their knees.
Suggested Reading: All Stars - Years'
Best Science Fiction: Eighteenth Annual Collection
Author: Dozois, Gardner (ed)
Publisher: St Martin's $ 29.95 ISBN: 0312274785 Date: 2001
PW
Widely regarded as the essential book for sci-fi fans, this year's collection contains over two dozen stories. - American Gods
Author: Gaiman, Neil
Publisher: Avon $ 26 ISBN: 0380973650 Date: 2001
Kirkus LJ
A master of inventive fiction pens the story of an ex-con who is offered a job as a bodyguard for Mr. Wednesday, a trickster and a rogue. Shadow soon learns that his role in the man's schemes are far more dangerous and dark than he could have ever imagined.
Suggested Reading: Contemporary Fantasy Stars - Probability Sun
Author: Kress, Nancy
Publisher: Tor $ 24.95 ISBN: 0312874073 Date: 2001
Kirkus
In an intense novel of war and science, Kress returns to the future of Probability Moon in which the human race is losing an interstellar war against the mysterious alien Fallers.
Suggested Reading: Alien Invasions - Terraforming
Earth
Author: Williamson, Jack
Publisher: Tor $ 24.95 ISBN: 0312872003 Date: 2001
PW
In 1942, Jack Williamson coined the term "terraforming" in his novel Seetee Ship, to refer to what people from Earth did to modify an alien world to make it suitable for humans. Serialized in Science Fiction Age and Analog magazines, Terraforming Earth is a story of struggle and adventure in a future whose history stretches back for millennia and whose civilization spans the stars.
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
June
- Merlin
of the Oak Wood
Author: Chamberlin, Ann
Publisher: Tor $ 24.95 ISBN: 0312872844 Date: 2001
Booklist
In the saga begun with The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well, Merlin's ancient prophecy foretells that a Maid will come, La Pucelle, who will unite the kingdom and heal the Land, but how much longer must the wounded country wait?
Suggested Reading: Legendary Characters - Hammerfall
Author: Cherryh, C.J.
Publisher: Avon $ 25 ISBN: 0061052604 Date: 2001
Booklist
Three-time Hugo Award winning author Cherryh launches an exciting Sci-fi series and introduces an all-new universe for the first time in 30 years.
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
May
- Priestess
of Avalon
Author: Bradley, Marion Zimmer & Diana L. Paxson Date: 2001
Publisher: $ ISBN:
Booklist
In this long-awaited new epic of the beloved Avalon series, myth, ancient lore, and the cult of the goddess fuse in a spectacular unfolding of one woman's role in the making of history. Priestess of Avalon tells the story of Helena, a daughter of the Holy Isle who became a Christian saint and the heroine of Welsh legend.
Suggested Reading: Legendary Characters - The Ill-Made Mute
Author: Dart-Thornton, Cecilia
Publisher: Warner $ 24.95 ISBN: 0446528323 Date: 2001
Kirkus
This debut novel begins as the inhabitants of Isse Tower find a mute, starving girl outside their gates. Unable to remember her past, her only hope lies in distant Caermalor, where a wise woman could restore her memories. To get there, she must survive a wilderness of endless danger. - Tales from
Earthsea
Author: LeGuin, Ursula K.
Publisher: Harcourt $ 24 ISBN: 0151005613 Date: 2001
PW
Exploring the legend of Earthsea's history, people, languages, literature, and magic, this collection of four magical stories is now available. - The Song of the
Earth
Author: Nissenson, Hugh
Publisher: Algonquin $ 24.95 ISBN: 1565122984 Date: 2001
Booklist
Before his birth, Johnny Baker's life is in danger. His mother breaks the law when she has her fertilized egg endowed with genes that will give her son the potential to become a visual artist. Born in 2038, John Firth Baker is the first genetically engineered artist. At the age of nineteen, at the threshold of his career, he is murdered. Now, ten years after his death, Baker has become famous. An art curator has organized a show of his work, and his biography-culled from journals, e-mails, and interviews with those who knew him best-is published. THE SONG OF THE EARTH is this "biography." It presents a powerful and haunting portrait of an artist as a young man in the twenty-first century. - Publisher Marketing - March Upcountry
Author: Weber, David & John Ringo
Publisher: Baen $ 24 ISBN: 067139185x Date: 2001
Booklist
Prince Roger MacClintock is heading for a ceremonial appearance when his space ship crashes, stranding him and his guardian Royal Marines on a jungle planet held by enemy forces. To survive, they must trek to the planet's only spaceport, and a spoiled prince must learn to be a man. This is the first volume in a new series by the bestselling author of the Honor Harrington adventures. - Passage
Author: Willis, Connie Date: 2001
Publisher: Bantam $23.95 ISBN: 0553111248
Kirkus LJ
Multi-award-winning author Willis delivers a story that examines one of the toughest issues of all: death. Part medical thriller, part literary exploration, Willis plunges readers into a bizarre and fascinating world.
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
April
- Nebula Award Stories. Vol 2.
Author: Aldiss, Brian & Harry Harrison (ed)
Publisher: Stealth Press $ 29.95 ISBN: 1588810194 Date: 2001
LJ - The Living Blood
Author: Due, Tannarive
Publisher: Pocket $ 24.95 ISBN: 0671040839 Date: 2001
PW
From the bestselling author of My Soul to Keep comes a supernatural thriller in which a mother and her eerily gifted young daughter navigate the secrets of immortality.
Suggested Reading: Scary Stories | African American Stars - Metaplanetary
Author: Daniel, Tony
Publisher: Eos $ 25 ISBN: 006105142X Date: 2001
Kirkus PW - Night
in Lonesome October
Author: Laymon, Richard
Publisher: Cemetary Dance $ 40 ISBN: 1587670062 Date: 2001
PW - The Skies of Pern
Author: McCaffrey, Anne
Publisher: Del Rey $25 ISBN: 0345434684 Date: 2001
PW
Beloved characters--and a brand new threat--prove that dragons will always be needed in the skies of Pern. The first "Dragonriders of Pern" novel in three years features McCaffrey's most popular characters: F'lar and Lessa, from the original trilogy, their son, F'lessan, and, of course, the dragons. - Through
a Shattered Glass
Author: Silva, David B.
Publisher: Gauntlet $40 ISBN: 1887368418 Date: 2001
PW - Otherland: Sea of Silver
Light
Author: Williams, Tad
Publisher: DAW $ 24.95 ISBN: 0886779774 Date: 2001
PW
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
March
- Dreamcatcher
Author: King, Stephen
Publisher: Scribner $ 28 ISBN: 0743211383 Date: 2001
PW Kirkus LJ
America's most thrilling storyteller is at the height of his powers in this page-turning epic of haunted memories, heroism, and stark survival. Once upon a time in the haunted city of Derry (the site of It and Insomnia), four boys stood together and did a brave thing. Twenty-five years later, these men are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world. Their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past--and in the Dreamcatcher.
Suggested Reading: All Stars - Deepsix
Author: McDevitt, Jack
Publisher: EOS $ 25 ISBN: 0061051241 Date: 2001
Kirkus LJ
Ruins have been spotted on Deepsix, a planet just two weeks away from being destroyed by a collision with a rogue moon. Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins is called to the rescue, but a monster earthquake wipes out her spacelanders and her only chance for survival is to trek across the continent to the heart of a mysterious alien technology. - Aftershocks
Author: Turtledove, Harry
Publisher: Del Rey $ 26 ISBN: 0345430212 Date: 2001
PW
Set in the same universe as the Worldwar series, this installment brings us to Earth in the 1960s, where four superpowers rule: the United States, Russia, Nazi Germany, and the aliens of the Race.
Suggested Reading: Alternative History Stars
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
February
- Dreaming Down
Under
Author: Dann, Jack (ed)
Publisher: Orb $ 27.95 ISBN: Date: 2001
PW - St. Patrick's
Gargoyle
Author: Kurtz, Katherine
Publisher: Ace $ 21.95 ISBN: 0441007252 Date: 2001
Booklist
As the millennium draws to a close, the gargoyles who guard the ancient buildings of Dublin come together to face an evil that threatens all they hold dear. This story of an eternal enemy is by the bestselling author of the "Deryni" series. - Perdido
Street Station
Author: Mieville, China
Publisher: Del Rey $ 18 ISBN: 0345443020 Date: 2001
KirkusLJ
In the sprawling gothic city of New Crobuzon, a stranger has come to request the services of Isaac, an overweight and slightly eccentric scientist. But it is an impossible request--that of flight--and in the end Isaac's attempts will only succeed in unleashing a dark force upon the city.
Suggested Reading: Dystopian Stars - The One Kingdom: Book One
of the Swan's War
Author: Russell, Sean
Publisher: Eos $ 25 ISBN: 0380974894 Date: 2001
PW
The King of Ayr has died before naming an heir, leaving behind the Renne and Wills families as possible successors. Yet these families are not the only competitors for the throne; there are others, noble and sorcerer alike, who prefer the realm divided, using the years of strife to mask their own growing greed for power. But when the turmoil wakes the dark river spirits, all must somehow band together before there is nothing left of their kingdom. - Immodest
Proposals: Complete Science Fiction of William Tenn
Author: Tenn, William
Publisher: Nesfa $ 29 ISBN: 1886778191 Date: 2001
Kirkus
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
January
- The Graveyard Game
Author: Baker, Kage
Publisher: Harcourt $ 25 ISBN: 0151004498 Date: 2001
Kirkus
Dedicated to saving the future by preserving the past, the cyborgs of the Company now wonder if they must save themselves. In this fourth book in the Company series, Baker once again takes readers on a wry, intelligent, and absorbing journey into the future and the past.
Suggested Reading: Immortals - Shadow
of the Hegemon
Author: Card, Orson Scott
Publisher: Tor $ 25.95 ISBN: 0312876513 Date: 2001
PW
Card's prize-winning Ender's Game is one of the most popular science fiction novels ever written. Now Card returns with the sequel to Ender's Shadow in a tale long-awaited by his millions of fans. At last readers learn what happened on Earth after humanity no longer had a single enemy to unify the warring nations. This is the parallel yarn of Ender's friend, Bean, who became the tactical genius who won Earth for Ender's brother, Peter. - The Wooden Sea
Author: Carroll, Jonathan
Publisher: Tor $ 23.95 ISBN: 0312878230 Date: 2001
Booklist
From the moment a three-legged dog limps into the comfortable life of Crane's View Police Chief Frannie McCabe and drops dead at her feet, McCabe's life is forever altered. The decisions McCabe makes over the next week will have enormous impact on his life, and on the fate of the world as well. - The Collected
Stories of Arthur C. Clarke
Author: Clarke, Arthur C.
Publisher: Tor $ 29.95 ISBN: 0312878241 Date: 2001
Booklist LJ
At the dawn of the year 2001, Clarke has cooperated in the massive, definitive edition of his collected shorter works. Includes "Rescue Party", "Earthlight", "The Sentinel" (origin of the later novel and film "2001: A Space Odyssey"), and more. - The Sacred Pool
Author: Douglas, Warren L.
Publisher: Baen $ 24 ISBN: 0671319566 Date: 2001
PW Kirkus
Hotlists
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