Recreation

New Titles Fiction January 2015 (arrived in December 2014)

Adventure

Code of combat, Michael Asher.
1943 SAS Captain Tom Caine is being held captive by Nazi forces. While imprisoned he befriends another member of the SAS one who has heard a rumour. The operative knows the location of an ancient codex.
Tom Clancy's Full force and effect, Mark Greaney.
The newest Jack Ryan thriller from Tom Clancy, following on from Command Authority, sees the return of the best loved series character from the world's favourite international thriller writer.
Rain on the dead, Jack Higgins.
On a dark summer night, two Chechen mercenaries emerge from the waters off Nantucket to kill a high-value target, the former president of the United States, Jake Cazalet. Unfortunately for them, Cazalet has guests with him, including black ops specialist Sean Dillon and his colleague, Afghan war hero Captain Sara Gideon.
The cruiser, David Poyer.
Latest in the Dan Lenson series has him newly promoted to Captain.
The last days, Joel C. Rosenberg.
White House advisor Jon Bennett, his CIA partner Erin McCoy, and the Secretary of State head for the Middle East to negotiate a historic Arab-Israeli peace plan, but terrorists will do anything to stop peace.
The convert's song, Sebastian Rotella.
A global manhunt sweeps up a former federal agent when his childhood friend becomes the chief suspect in a terrorist rampage.
The Titanic secret, Jack Steel.
April 1912: Shortly after midnight on Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin, mere yards from the British Embassy, an English spy is shot after a clandestine meeting with a German government official. He utters three cryptic words to a sentry, then dies.
Thief : a Robin Monarch novel, Mark Sullivan.
Featuring Robin Monarch, former CIA agent, soldier, freelance operative but, above all, master thief.
The suicide club, Andrew Williams.
World War I thriller set in Occupied Belgium 1917 where a soldier spy is given a secret mission to spy on Field Marshall Haig's intelligence chiefs.

American Fiction

Work ; Eight cousins ; Rose in bloom : stories & other writings, Louisa May Alcott
After the success of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott brought her genius for characterisation and eye for detail to a series of revolutionary novels and stories remarkable for their forthright assertion of women's rights.
The chrysanthemum and the rose, Marsha Altman.
Another in the many attempts to carry on Jane Austen's novels, this time from an American author who has also specialised in Rabbinic literature.
An untamed state, Roxane Gay.
The daughter of a Haiti millionaire is kidnapped and held to ransom but her father refuses to pay. A strong and moving tale of privilege and corruption.
The best of everything, Rona Jaffe.
When it first published in 1958, Rona Jaffe's debut novel electrified readers who saw themselves reflected in its story of five young employees of a New York publishing company. Made into a movie and considered racy, it's a fascinating picture of a time and place.
Rush Home Road, Lori Lansens.
Sharla Cody is only five but has already had a troubled life. Then she finds herself dumped with an elderly neighbour when her mother takes off for the summer. Although Sharla is not the angelic child Addy Shadd had pictured when she agreed to look after her, the two soon forge a deep bond.
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel.
An imaginative dystopian novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse, telling the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be saviour, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
Angel Lane, Sheila Roberts.
Jamie Moore has escaped from an abusive marriage and rebuilt her life by opening a chocolate shop in a quaint lakeside community. But the town of Heart Lake is growing quickly and Jamie and the other shop owners come up with a plan to "keep the heart in Heart Lake".

Australian fiction

Amnesia, Peter Carey.
When Gaby Bailleux released the Angel Worm virus into Australia's prison system, allowing hundreds of asylum seekers to walk free, she also let the cat out of the bag. The Americans ran the prisons, like so many parts of her country, and so the doors of some 5000 American places of incarceration also opened.
Volcano Street, David Rain.
"What would Germaine do?' This is the mantra that Skip and Marlo Wells turn to as they navigate their way through the twists and turns that life puts before them.

British Fiction

The things I'd miss, Andrew Clover.
A heart-rending novel about Lucy, a young mother who leaves her children alone for a few minutes as she pops out to run an errand. As she speeds off down the country lane, she collides with an oncoming van and loses control. The car flips over. Everything disappears. As she opens her eyes, she sees herself back at university, lying beside the man she's always loved the one she never kissed.
A Christmas feast : and other stories, Katie Fforde.
Short stories from the author of A French Affair and The Perfect Match.
Clara, Janice Galloway.
Based on the life of Clara Schumann, this novel considers the place of love in a life of increasing isolation and alienation.
The heart of winter, Emma Hannigan.
Holly Craig's family have lived happily in Huntersbrook for generations but when times grow hard, even she must admit defeat and sell off their once-successful stables. The three Craig children, Lainey, Joey and Pippa find themselves locked in a fight to keep their beloved Huntersbrook.
A proper family Christmas, Chrissie Manby.
Take one Queen Bee: Annabel Buchanan, with a perfect house in the country, a rich husband and a beautiful daughter, Izzy and one large, loud family: the Bensons. What happens when their worlds collide?
Waiting for Doggo, Mark B. Mills.
One man and one dog and what happens when he's single. If you liked books like "Marley and me," give this a go.
365 : stories, James Robertson.
365 is James Robertson's innovative collection of 365 stories, each 365 words long. In 2013, James Robertson wrote a story every day. Each was exactly 365 words long.
Jawbone Lake, Ray Robinson.
A Land Rover crashes into a frozen lake and the lives of two people are changed forever in this tale of family, generations and the dangers of living a double life.
The oyster catcher, Jo Thomas.
A likeable feel good Irish tale of a facing the past and falling in love in County Galway.
The American lover : and other stories, Rose Tremain.
A diverse collection of stories - of a Parisian love affair, a Russian writer's last breath, a Polish housekeeper and a strange visitor, and more.

Fantasy

Dark serpent, Kylie Chan.
Kylie Chan burst into prominence with White tiger in 2006 and quickly established a huge fanbase. Her series combines martial arts and magic as the story follows the lives of the mysterious John Chen and his partner, Emma Donahue.
Silverblind, Tina Connolly.
Dorie Rochart has been hiding her fey side for a long time. Now, finished with University, she plans to study magical creatures and plants in the wild, bringing long-forgotten cures to those in need.
Jason, Laurell K. Hamilton.
Jason Schuyler is one of Anita Blake's best friends and favourite werewolves, with benefits.
Endsinger, Jay Kristoff.
Third in "The lotus war" series, a big fantasy adventure series.
The dark defiles, Richard Morgan.
Third in the fantasy series, "A land fit for heroes."
The slow regard of silent things, Patrick Rothfuss
Third in the Kingkiller Chronicle series.
Mitosis : a Reckoners story, Brandon Sanderson.
Story set in the world of The Reckoners series in which pics still plague Newcago, but David and the Reckoners have vowed to fight back.
North Star guide me home, Jo Spurrier.
Third in the "Children of the black sun" series.

Fiction from the rest of the World

A brief history of seven killings, Marlon James.
On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert, gunmen stormed his house, machine guns blazing. The attack nearly killed the Reggae superstar, his wife, and his manager, and injured several others.
The Margaret Thatcher school of beauty, Marsha Mehran.
Iranian born novelist, author of "Pomegranate soup", who died in Ireland, Her novel is set in Buenbos Aires during the Falklands War with a group of people meeting weekly to recite poetry and tell stories of their lives.
Something I've been meaning to tell you, Alice Munro.
A remarkable early collection of stories by Alice Munro, generally regarded as Canada's best current writer.
The strange library, Haruki Murakami
On his way home from school, the young narrator of The Strange Library finds himself wondering how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire. He pops into the local library to see if it has a book on the subject. This is his first mistake.
The fires of Autumn, Irene Nemirovsky
A prequel to "Suite francaise' - the movie version of which is on the way soon - set in France in the years between the wars.
Harraga, Boualem Sansal
Story of two women in male dominated Algiers and what happens when reclusive Lamia answers the door to a 17 year old, pregnant by Lamia's brother who's left for Europe.

Graphic Novel

Afterlife with Archie. Book one, Escape from Riverdale, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
All hell breaks loose when a fateful accident sets in motion a series of terrifying events that will threaten the town of Riverdale like never before! When the dead begin to rise, craving human flesh, it's up to Archie, Betty & Veronica, and the Gang to fight for their lives against the zombie hordes led by their former pal, Jughead.
Fairest. [4], Of men and mice, Marc Andreyko.
Cinderella returns in an all-new epic! After an assassination attempt on Snow White, Cind is called back into service to unravel an age-old conspiracy that dates back to that fateful midnight ball! Can Cind uncover the plot and prevent a massacre in Fabletown?
Fatale. Book five, Curse the demon, Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips.
Fatale. Book four, Pray for rain, Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips.
Sugar skull, Charles Burns.
The long strange trip of Doug reaches its mind-bending, heartbreaking end, but not before he is forced to deal with the lie he's been telling himself since the beginning. The fragments of the past collide with the reality of the present, nightmarish dreams evolve into an even more dreadful reality.
All star western. Volume 5, Man out of time : featuring Jonah Hex, Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti,
Sankarea. 10, Mitsuru Hattori
Real. 13, Takehiko Inoue
Attack on Titan. 14, Hajime Isayama
John Constantine, Hellblazer. [9], Critical mass, Paul Jenkins
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Mind MGMT. Volume four, The magician, Matt Kindt
The walking dead. Volume 22, A new beginning, Robert Kirkman
Animal Man. Volume 5, Evolve or die!, Jeff Lemire
Finder. Third world, Carla Speed McNeil
Ronin : the deluxe edition, Frank Miller
Knights of Sidonia. 12, Tsutomu Nihei
The Goon. [13], For want of whiskey and blood, Eric Powell
The dharma punks, Ant Sang.
Doctors, [Dash Shaw].
Monster. Volume 2, Naoki Urasawa
Saga. [4], Brian Vaughan

Historical

Glittering promises, Lisa T. Bergren.
For Cora Kensington, the Grand Tour was to be the trip of a lifetime. She discovered the family she never knew she had and may have even found the love she longs for in Will. As she glimpses the end of the tour, Cora knows it's time to decide who and what defines her.
Grave consequences, Lisa T. Bergren.
As Cora's European tour with her newfound family takes her through Austria, France, and Italy, an unseen enemy trails close behind, but the most danger Cora faces may be a forbidden love.
The long sword, Christian Cameron.
Pisa, 1364, where Sir William Gold becomes sword for hire in the warring within Italy's city states ant then becomes a crusader.
The Boston girl, Anita Diamant.
From the author of the bestseller "The red tent" comes a tale of a family ties and values, friendship and feminism, seen through the eyes of a young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early 20th century.
Sanctuary, Robert Edric.
Haworth, Yorkshire, 1848: Bramwell Bronte lives in a dangerous world of secrets, betrayals, conspiracies, drugs and alcohol.
The high divide, Lin Enger.
In 1886, Gretta Pope wakes one morning to discover that her husband is gone. Ulysses Pope has left his family behind on the far edge of Minnesota's western prairie with only the briefest of notes and no explanation for why he left or where he's headed. It doesn't take long for Gretta's young sons, Eli and Danny, to set off after him.
The royal lacemaker, Linda Finlay.
At only seventeen years old, Lily Rose scratches out a meagre living as a lace maker in Devon, responsible for her siblings following the death of their parents. But opportunity beckons. Hundreds of miles away, in London, Queen Victoria is preparing for her wedding.
The Italian wife, Kate Furnivall.
Italy, 1932. Mussolini's Italy is growing from strength to strength, but at what cost? One bright autumn morning, architect Isabella Berotti sits at a cafe in the vibrant centre of Bellina, when a woman she's never met asks her to watch her ten-year-old daughter, just for a moment. Reluctantly, Isabella agrees and then watches in horror as the woman climbs to the top of the town's clock tower and steps over the edge.
The edge of dark, Pamela Hartshorne.
A woman tries on an Elizabethan necklace and is disturbed by memories of a past that is not her own. If you like Barbara Erskine, you might well like this one.
The secret of Pembrooke Park, Julie Klassen.
In Regency-era England, secrets come to light at the abandoned manor house Pembrooke Park. Will Abigail find the hidden treasure and love she seeks or very real danger?
South of darkness, John Marsden.
The first venture into adult fiction from Australia's top YA author.
The Visitors, Rebecca Mascull.
Adeliza Golding is a deaf-blind girl, born in late Victorian England on her father's hop farm. Unable to interact with her loving family, she exists in a world of darkness and confusion; her only communication is with the ghosts she speaks to in her head, who she has christened the Visitors. One day she runs out into the fields and a young hop-picker, Lottie, grabs her hand and starts drawing shapes in it. Finally Liza can communicate.
Ruth's journey, Donald McCaig.
Set against a vivid background of the American South from the 1820s to the dawn of the Civil War, an epic yarn that deals with the family of Scarlett O'Hara, the irrepressible Southern belle from Gone with the Wind.
Half of one thing, Zirk van den Berg.
Gideon Lancaster, a New Zealand soldier fighting for the British, infiltrates a Boer commando. He soon finds himself entangled in a confusion of loyalties as he becomes better acquainted with the men and, worse, falls in love with Esther Calitz, a Boer woman of considerable mettle who demands his loyalty over every other allegiance.
Honeyville, Daisy Waugh.
Two women - a prostitute and a mistress - living in the only town in America where prostitution was legal at the end of the last century.
The night falling, Katherine Webb.
Italy, 1920s, and a vivid tale of secrets and feuds that divide a family and a society.

Horror

Brood, Chase Novak.
Second in a clever and gripping horror series by major American author Scott Spencer under a pseudonym.
Pandemic, Scott Sigler.
The alien intelligence that unleashed two horrific assaults on humanity has been destroyed. But before it was brought down in flames, it launched one last payload a tiny soda-can-sized canister filled with germs engineered to wreak new forms of havoc on the human race.

Mystery

A scream in Soho, John G. Brandon with an introduction by Martin Edwards.
Detective Inspector MacCarthy is soon on the case, plunged into the seedy Soho underworld seeking the connection between the mysterious Madame Rohmer and the theft of crucial anti-aircraft defence plans. Vintage mystery, one of the British Library finds.
The Cornish coast murder, John Bude
Reverend Dodd vicar of the quiet Cornish village of Boscawen and a reader of detective novels becomes involved in solving a crime in this droll mystery. A vintage mystery originally published in 1935.
Black cherry blues, James Lee Burke.
Dave Robicheaux is still recovering from his wife's death when an old friend pulls him back into a world of professional killers.
Enter pale death, Barbara Cleverly.
One morning before dawn at her regal country estate, Lady Lavinia Truelove is crushed to death by a horse. Classified as "death by misadventure," this appears a gruesome accident, but Scotland Yard Detective Joe Sandilands suspects foul play.
The job, Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg.
Third in the Fox and O'Hare series.
Winter siege, Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman.
Standalone novel by Diana Norman under a pseudonym. It was unfinished at the time of her death and completed by her daughter. Set in 1141 with the country caught up in civil war.
The big finish, James W. Hall.
Teaming up with the FBI to catch his son's killer by setting himself up as bait, Thorn travels to a small North Carolina town to infiltrate a gang only to discover that nothing he has been told is true.
Crimson angel, Barbara Hambly.
When Jefferson Vitrack the white half-brother of Benjamin January's wife turns up on January's doorstep in the summer of 1838 claiming he has discovered a clue to the whereabouts of the family's lost treasure, January has no hesitation about refusing to help look for it.
The Lord Bishop's clerk, Sarah Hawkswood.
First in a new series of 12th century mysteries set in Worcestershire and featuring a wily sergeant and his superior Acting Under Sheriff Hugh Bradecote.Sheriff Hugh Bradecote.
The gentle assassin, Ryan David Jahn.
In 1963 a couple are brutally killed in their own home. The only survivor is the baby taken that night. Twenty-six years later, in Louiseville, Kentucky, Andrew Combs confronts the man who cold-bloodedly murdered his mother. Consumed by his need for revenge, Andrew sets in motion a violent chain of events that can only end in someone's death.
At death's window, Jim Kelly.
A Shaw & Valentine mystery When a body is discovered beneath the waves off Scolt Head Island, the contents of the dead man's pockets lead Detective Inspector Peter Shaw to suspect an outbreak of 'samphire wars': a turf battle for control of the prized sea asparagus which sells for a small fortune along the affluent North Norfolk coast.
Woman with a gun, Phillip Margolin.
Aspiring writer fascinated by the photograph of the title sets out to uncover the murder behind it.
Death in Bordeaux, Allan Massie.
In the spring of 1940, the mutilated body of a homosexual is discovered in a street near the Bordeaux railway station. It looks like a straight-forward sex crime, but when Superintendent Lannes is warned off the investigation, his suspicion that there is a political motive for the murder seems justified.
The prophecy of bees, R.S. Pateman.
Psychological suspense novel in which mother and daughter are looking at a new life in the country but find the house and the locals quite strange and unnerving.
Soul of the fire, Eliot Pattison.
8th in the series featuring Chinese detective Shan Tao Yun.
The Angel Court affair, Anne Perry.
When Commander Thomas Pitt is ordered to protect a young woman visiting London from Spain, he cannot see why this is a job for Special Branch. When she disappears in the dead of night from Angel Court, however, he is faced with a dangerous mystery.
A string of beads, Thomas Perry.
After two decades spent protecting innocent victims on the run, and a year after getting shot on a job that took a dangerous turn for the worse, Jane McKinnon, nee Whitefield, has settled into the quiet life of a suburban housewife in Amherst, New York or so she thinks.
Suspicion at seven, Ann Purser.
Lois Meade has done enough buffing and polishing over the years with her cleaning business, New Brooms, to know that all that glitters is not gold. So when a bag of costume jewellery is the main clue in a murder, she has a strong suspicion that appearances may be deceiving.
The iris fan, Laura Joh Rowland.
Latest in series set in the shogun era of Japan and featuring Sano Ichiro as sleuth.
Betrayed : a Rosato & Associates novel, Lisa Scottoline.
Judy has always championed the underdog, so when Iris, the housekeeper and best friend of Judy's beloved Aunt Barb, is found dead of an apparent heart attack, Judy begins to suspect foul play.
The Flemish house, Georges Simenon
Maigret is asked to the windswept, rainy border town of Givet by a young woman desperate to clear her family of murder. But their well-kept shop, the sleepy community and its raging river all hide their own mysteries.
The girl on the pier, Paul Tomkins.
Gripping psychological thriller about a girl who disappears on Brighton's derelict West Pier.
Spark, John Twelve Hawks.
Jacob Underwood is not like other people. He has Cotard's Syndrome. He believes he is dead. Which makes his job as a hired assassin neutralising 'problems' for DBG, a massive multinational corporation, very simple. He carries out the task and feels nothing.
Aunty Lee's deadly specials, Ovidia Yu.
Rosie "Aunty" Lee, the feisty widow, amateur sleuth, and proprietor of Singapore's best-loved home cooking restaurant, is back in another delectable, witty mystery involving scandal and murder among the city's elite.

New Zealand Fiction

Where the day begins : 61 shortcuts from my travels in New Zealand, Martin Bettinger
Martin Bettinger is a German novelist and short story writer. He spent several years living in New Zealand, principally in Golden Bay, and this collection of 61 'shortcuts' as he calls these short prose pieces, is a collection of writing that came out of this experience.
Public sex in Paekakariki, Sandi Hall.
Paekakariki villager nurse Margaret Spindle finds a destitute, mute pregnant woman in St. Peter's and feels obliged to give her shelter. On the same day, Freddie Tasco, a designer-chic Aucklander, arrives in the village to look over the house his aunt has left him to decide if it will be suitable to open a branch of his business.
Heavenly Hirani's school of laughing yoga, Sarah-Kate Lynch.
A woman overcomes her reluctance to travel to India and meets there Heavenly Hirani and his extraordinary beachside school.
An itchy hand, Jean McDavitt.
Collection of short stories by Wanganui author and artist Jean McDavitt offers a wide variety of true New Zealand characters from the long suffering mother to the interfering family and the perils of dating advertisements to the results of losing a snake!
Destinies divided : a World War 1 romance of the Chinese diaspora, Mee-mee Phipps.
The three children of Zhou Yu and the former Maori slave, Horowhai, struggle with the problems engendered by their mixed race. Standing on a cultural divide they are not accepted by either and each struggles to forge his destiny in the turbulent times.

Romance

The Russian's acquisition, Dani Collins.
Enemies with benefits, Louisa George.
A very special holiday gift, Barbara Hannay.
A New Year marriage proposal, Kate Hardy.
The million-dollar question, Kimberly Lang.
The trouble with virtue, Stephanie Laurens and Alison DeLaine.
One night with Morelli, Kim Lawrence.
Ain't myth-behaving, Katie MacAlister.
Playing the playboy's sweetheart, Carol Marinelli.
Protecting the desert princess, Carol Marinelli.
Unwrapping her Italian doc, Carol Marinelli.
Fired by her fling, Christy McKellen.
The twelve dates of Christmas, Susan Meier.
The Valquez seduction, Melanie Milburne.
A virgin for his prize, Lucy Monroe.
The true king of Dahaar, Tara Pammi.
Man vs. socialite, Charlotte Phillips.
A little Christmas magic, Alison Roberts.
Right as rain, Tricia Stringer.
Rebel's bargain, Annie West.
Christmas with the maverick millionaire, Scarlet Wilson.
At the chateau for Christmas, Rebecca Winters.
To defy a sheikh, Maisey Yates.

Saga

The silent sister, Diane Chamberlain.
Woman who has believed all her life that her older sister committed suicide finds she is actually alive under another identity.
A place called home, Dilly Court.
Born out of wedlock when her mother was only fourteen, Lucy Pocket has spent all her life in the care of her disreputable but charming grandmother, Eva. They dodge from one poor lodging house to another, always in debt and resorting to theft in order to exist.
The mill girl, Rosie Goodwin.
Life is tough on the cobbled backstreet courtyards of Abbey Street, Warwickshire, in the 1840s: boys are destined for the pit and girls for the mill. Despite this, clever, feisty Maryann is happy there until her mother dies. Her family collapses, leaving Maryann coping with everything, exhausted and lonely.
A time for hope, Anna Jacobs.
When Gabrielle Newman throws her cheating husband out, Stu cares more about the money than the break-up, getting more than his fair share from their house sale. An unexpected bequest offers Gabrielle a new start and she tries to leave the past behind.
A wartime family, Lizzie Lane.
A scandalous woman? Having left her abusive husband for very good reasons, Mary Anne Randall finds herself judged harshly by her neighbours, especially after she has the courage to risk a second chance at happiness.
Maia's story, Lucinda Riley.
Maia D'Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, "Atlantis" a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died.
And fire falls, Peter Watt.
Latest in the Duffy and Macintosh saga set in Sydney and the Pacific War in 1942.
Every mother's son, Val Wood.
Harriet and Fletcher Tuke have worked hard to raise their children well. Daniel, the eldest son, has always accepted that his birth father died soon after he was born, and Fletcher has raised Daniel as his own. But as Daniel comes of age and begins to fall in love with childhood friend Beatrice Hart, he can't help but wonder about his heritage.

Science Fiction

Ultima, Stephen Baxter.
Follows on from "Proxima" where ancient alien artefacts are found on Per Adua planet.
Michael G. Coney SF gateway omnibus., Michael G. Coney
Michael Greatrex Coney was a British-born author who spent the last three decades of his life in Canada including 16 years in the British Colombia Forest Service. Another in the excellent series Gollancz are publishing of significant SF writers.
Symbiont, Mira Grant.
The SymboGen designed tapeworms were created to relieve humanity of disease and sickness. But the implants in the majority of the world's population began attacking their hosts turning them into a ravenous horde. Now those who do not appear to be afflicted are being gathered for quarantine as panic spreads.
The collected stories of Frank Herbert., Frank Herbert
The writer known mostly for his "Dune" series also wrote a lot of short stories. His stories were published individually in numerous pulps and anthologies spanning decades, but never collected, until now.
Hot head, Simon Ings.
Ambitious SF novel that is at once post-cyberpunk and post-modern. Complex, multi-layered, it combines hard science, tarot and images of late 20th-century Europe to make something utterly original. And introduces a memorable new heroine to the genre.
Star Wars. Tarkin, James Luceno.
He's the scion of an honourable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.
The fortress in Orion, Mike Resnick.
The Democracy is at war with the alien Traanskei Coalition. War hero Colonel Nathan Pretorius has a record of success on dangerous behind-enemy-lines missions, missions that usually leave him in the hospital. Now he's recruited for a near-impossible assignment that may well leave him dead.
Extraction, Gavin Deas.
Collaboration between two Gollancz authors tells of the invasion of Earth by two different alien races at the same time. The "author" is Stephen Deas and Gavin G. Smith combining into one SF entity to confuse us.
The golden princess : a novel of the Change, S. M. Stirling.
Princess Orlaith, heir to Rudi Mackenzie, Artos the First, High King of Montival, now wields the Sword of the Lady and faces a new enemy. Fortunately, she also has a new ally in Reiko, Empress of Japan, who has been pursued to America by a conquering army from Asia.