Welcome to January! A new year is usually highlighted by changes, and this column is no different. Starting this month, Kristi Chadwick will be replacing the wonderful Jessica Moyer as co-columnist. ­Chadwick has been reviewing for LJ since 2009, covering all kinds of genre fiction as well as all the bee and chicken books she could ever dream of getting her hands on (truly). She has written the annual Mystery Genre Spotlight feature since 2010 and was named a 2013 Reviewer of the Year and a 2014 Mover and Shaker. When Chadwick isn’t reading, she’s an adviser for the Massachusetts Library System.

Looking to 2016, which is gearing up to be a terrific year for sf and fantasy, with several publishers starting or expanding their imprints and title lines, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a company more known for children’s books and nonfiction, is launching a new sf/fantasy imprint led by John Joseph Adams. Adams is publisher and editor of Lightspeed magazine and a respected anthologist acclaimed for such collections as Wastelands, The Living Dead, and The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 (with Joe Hill). He will be editor-at-large at the new imprint John Joseph Adams Books. The first three titles will be simultaneous hardcover and paperback releases of Hugh Howey’s Shift, Dust, and Beacon 23, all to be released in February.

Another encouraging development for speculative fiction enthusiasts comes from ­Hachette, which plans to expand its Orbit line by 50 percent, issuing 90 titles in 2016. Orbit has long been one of the most exciting outlets for sf and fantasy, publishing authors such as Ann Leckie, James S.A. Corey, Gail Carriger, Brian McClellan, N.K. Jemisin, M.R. Carey, and the late Iain M. Banks. Both of these announcements are a great indication that sf, fantasy, and horror are going to have a spectacular year, and we look forward to bringing you reviews of the best new books in these genres.—MM

Check These Out

Arthur, Keri. City of Light. Signet: NAL. (Outcast, Bk. 1). Jan. 2016. 368p. ISBN 9780451473509. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9780698185371. FANTASY

Hundreds of years ago, a war between humans and shifters almost destroyed the world, ripping holes in reality from which monstrous things came to pass. The humans’ weapon of last resort was the déchet, or engineered soldiers. The victorious shifters believe they destroyed all the déchet, but Tiger has been hiding for a long time. Now, something is stealing children, and Tiger agrees to work with a group of shifters to retrieve them. This series opener from Arthur (Full Moon Rising; Darkness Unbound) introduces an intriguing world and a marvelous heroine who speaks to ghosts and agrees to work with the shifters who hate her kind to protect the vulnerable. VERDICT Fans of Nalini Singh’s “Psy-Changeling” series will enjoy the similar mix of sf and fantasy, although the romance elements here are not as central to the plot.—MM

Bedford, Jacey. Winterwood. DAW. Feb. 2016. 432p. ISBN 9780756410155. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9780698173224. FANTASY

Life as a privateer going after Napoleon’s ships agrees with Rossalinde Tremayne. Taking charge of the Heart of Oak after her husband’s death, she uses her wild magic to control the weather and capture her prizes. But when her dying mother summons Ross home and gives her a winterwood box, she learns that she has a half-brother named ­David. He is half-rowankind, kin of the fae who work as servants in human households. David and Ross seem to be destined to open the box together, and if they do, it could change the shape of English society forever. After meeting a mysterious shapeshifter who both attracts and annoys her, Ross realizes that she and David need allies if they are going to accomplish their task despite obstacles posed by government agents, other pirates, and the fae. Pirate queen Ross is a lovely combination of confidence and vulnerability. She fights as well as anyone on her crew but mourns her beloved so deeply that she keeps his ghost near her. VERDICT Well paced and full of riveting action, this series opener by the author of Crossways and Empire Dust is a great pick for fans of D.B. Jackson’s “Thieftaker” series.—MM

Brussolo, Serge. The Deep Sea Diver’s Syndrome. Melville House. Jan. 2016. 208p. tr. from French by Edward Gauvin. ISBN 9781612194684. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9781612194691. SF

David Sarella is a medium: a lucid dreamer who brings from the depths of his visions a unique ectoplasm, one that is the only art left in his world. David dreams himself a professional thief, breaking into jewelry stores and stealing diamonds, which in turn become ectoplasm when he awakes. Each dive takes its toll, and as David gets older, he struggles to stay in control, both in the imagined realm and the real world. The rituals of diving are becoming less effective, and his dream accomplice Nadia stays behind each time he comes to. David decides to perform one last big heist, going deeper than he has ever gone into his dreams. But he soon discovers that he has a tenuous grip on either universe, and his plan becomes a battle when the painting he is attempting to steal fights back. VERDICT This first English translation of best-selling, award-winning French author Brussolo’s work submerges readers into the world of the subconscious. Vivid imagery, intriguing characters, and the blurred boundaries of David’s worlds will hold their attention. A captivating read that will immerse the senses.—KC

Cheney, J. Kathleen. Dreaming Death. Roc: NAL. (Palace of Dreams, Bk. 1). Feb. 2016. 432p. ISBN 9780451472939. pap. $16; ebk. ISBN 9780698183100. FANTASY

When Mikael Lee dreams of death, he is a menace to those around him. In the fortress where he lives, sensitives pick up the images and emotions he broadcasts, and Mikael has taken to fleeing his home when he feels a death vision approaching. Shironne Anjir, a young blind woman, is linked to Mikael when he dreams. She is a rare touch-sensitive able to pick up psychic impressions off anything she encounters, and while she has helped with army investigations before, her connections to Mikael suddenly become very important when a vicious killer is on the loose. VERDICT In this series launch, Cheney (The Golden City) has built a complicated tiered society, and the relationships among ruling Anvarrids, the Six Families, and Larossans could have been a little clearer, as the action immediately plunges the reader deep into the author’s world. Fully drawn characters, especially Shironne and Mikael, make this a realm that deserves another visit, especially with a romance just set to brewing.—MM

Estep, Jennifer. Bitter Bite. Pocket. (Elemental Assassins, Bk. 14). Feb. 2016. 400p. ISBN 9781501111273. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9781501111280. FANTASY

In her 14th adventure (after Spider’s Trap), Gin Blanco is still adjusting to her new status as queen of the underworld. With mobsters and supernatural dealers attempting to put her in the ground, Gin has always relied on her chosen family—related and not—to get her through the hardest times. Her foster brother, Finnegan Lane, has had her back until his mother, long presumed dead, arrives in town to reestablish ties. Gin’s intuition tells her that Finn’s new family is up to no good. Finn will not hear any of it, and between robberies, death threats, and secrets from the (literal) grave, Gin will fight for her life and her family relationships once again. With her assassin’s instincts and a few good friends, Gin is determined to discover the truth about Finn’s mother, which will lead to some revelations about her own. VERDICT Estep’s street-smart characters, lively narrative, and ever-evolving stories keep this series alive and kicking. If readers are still coming off a Netflix Jessica Jones high, Gin Blanco will make a good follow-up.—KC

Foster, Emily. The Drowning Eyes. Tor.com. Jan. 2016. 144p. ISBN 9780765387684. pap. $12.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466891937. FANTASY

Tazir, captain of the Giggling Goat, needs a paying passenger if she and her crew are going to be able to afford to lay in supplies. While potential travelers who turn up in shady dockside bars usually have secrets, Tazir can tell Shina has more than most. Still, money is money. It is only when ­Shina’s nightmares kick in and she shows signs of being able to control the weather that Tazir and the crew realize this girl is more trouble than they expected. A Windspeaker running loose outside of a temple is a danger to everyone around her, but if Shina can save their ship from the raiding Dragon Ships, it will be worth keeping her aboard. VERDICT This slim novella by the coauthor of the “Servants of Fate” series packs a lot of story in its pages. Tazir joins the swelling ranks of piratical seagoing women in recent fantasy (see Lila from V.E. Schwab’s A Gathering of Shadows and Ross from Jacey Bedford’s Winterwood, both reviewed in this column). Tor.com adds yet another appealing novella to its lineup, which continues to show the great potential for shorter works of sf/fantasy.—MM

Hearne, Kevin. Staked. Del Rey: Ballantine. (Iron Druid Chronicles, Bk. 8). Jan. 2016. 336p. ISBN 9780345548511. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780345548528. FANTASY

In the follow-up to Shattered, Druid Atticus O’Sullivan is set to fight the ancient vampire Theophilus, while his apprentice Granuaile recovers from her binding with Loki. Archdruid Owen Kennedy also faces internal strife as he prepares to take on some of the youngsters from the Tempe werewolf pack as Druid apprentices and adapts to the modern world after being frozen in time for 2,000 years. As their individual quests lead them to a final standoff in Rome, Atticus finds that defeat comes in many forms and death is kind to no one. VERDICT As Hearne unpacks his characters’ lives, he delivers an action-packed story filled with multiple pantheons and modern earth issues. Alternating chapters told by Atticus, Granuaile, and Owen keep the plot moving.—KC

Henderson, Randy. Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free. Tor. Feb. 2016. 432p. ISBN 9780765378101. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466859142. FANTASY

After 25 years, Finn Gramaraye is free of the fey otherworld and back home, helping his family run a mortuary for the Arcane. Reunited with his girlfriend Dawn and cleared of accused crimes, Finn’s life seems on track. However, he thinks he can do more, and with a device created by his father, he opens an Arcane Dating Service. His first client seems a stretch—a sasquatch named Sal—but Finn is determined to assist. His work pulls him right into a rebellion that threatens the Arcane Ruling Council—an uprising that may have ties to Finn’s own grandfather. Can Finn help his Bigfoot friend find love before war takes them all away? VERDICT Henderson’s sequel to Finn Fancy Necromancy reunites fae and otherworldly creatures with humans under one sky. An amusing tale that twists trouble, action, and a fast pace into a fun, sometimes frantic, contemporary fantasy.—KC

Hirshberg, Glen. Good Girls. Tor. Feb. 2016. 384p. ISBN 9780765337467. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466834422. Horror

Leaving the South for a dilapidated house in rural Vermont, Jess brings her injured partner, her infant grandson, and Sophie, a creature who was once her daughter’s best friend. This was before the vampire known as the Whistler turned Sophie and Natalie, Jess’s daughter. Before Jess had to kill Natalie. Before Sophie’s own baby was murdered by vampires. College student Rebecca is drawn to the strange family, sensing a stronger connection to the clan than the one she had in her own foster family. But the Whistler is on Jess’s trail, coming to destroy her for taking what he wanted and with plans to abduct Rebecca in the process. Plotting her own bloody trail of destruction is the creature in the attic. Verdict The sequel to three-time International Horror Guild Award winner Hirshberg’s Motherless Child packs as hard a punch as its predecessor, although it easily stands on its own. Not your average story of vampires, this tale of family, love, and near redemption will please genre and literary enthusiasts alike.—KC

Schwab, V. E. A Gathering of Shadows. Tor. Feb. 2016. 512p. ISBN 9780765376473. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9780765376497. FANTASY

Former smuggler, dimension traveler, and adopted prince of Red London, Kell struggles with his guilt over the events that resulted in his foster brother’s wounds, the Grey London thief Delilah Bard’s disappearance, the death of White London traveler ­Holland, and the dark magic stone found and lost back to its original dimension—Black London. Yet as Red London prepares for its international magic competition, the lost London is emerging from the shadows that consumed it. To keep magic in balance, the return of Black London means that another must fall. Verdict Schwab’s picturesque and fascinating follow-up to A Darker Shade of Magic takes readers back to the worlds of alternate Londons, magic alive, dead, and resurrected, and characters who shine through all of their shadows. Fans of the first book won’t be able to put this one down.—KC

Tompkins, Mark. The Last Days of Magic. Viking. Mar. 2016. 400p. ISBN 9780525429531. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780698405714. FANTASY

Ireland in the 14th century is the last bastion of real magic, with the Celts and the magical Sidhe jointly ruled under the three-part goddess known as the Morrígna. One of the goddess aspects, Anya, is killed by a power-hungry sect of the Sidhe known as Skeaghshee, leaving only ­Aisling in ­Ireland and her sister in the underworld. The question is whether they will be enough to protect Ireland from not only the Skeaghshee, but an invasion from England and the representatives sent by the Catholic Church. VERDICT For this debut novel, Tompkins has done extensive research on the history of the period and the myths of faerie but leaves too much of it on the page, slowing the action. His invented mythology attempting to combine Irish tales of the faerie folk with biblical tales of the descendants of angels makes for a messy kitchen-sink worldbuilding. The framing story of a young woman scholar discovering undamaged versions of the Dead Sea Scrolls adds nothing to the story yet will perhaps make more sense in the inevitable sequel. [See Prepub Alert, 9/28/15.]—MM

Additional SF/Fantasy

Palmer, Dexter. Version Control. Pantheon. Feb. 2016. 512p. ISBN 9780307907592. $27.95; ebk. ISBN 9780307907608. SF

Do not call it a time machine! It is a causality violation device, or CVD. In Palmer’s (The Dream of Perpetual Motion) second novel set 15 years in the future, Philip Steiner is a brilliant physicist working on disrupting the space-time continuum with a CVD. His wife, Rebecca, the main protagonist, has to deal with an absent husband—his project still a failure after ten years—and overcoming a terrible personal loss. Rebecca finds solace in her old friend Kate and at her job with an online dating service; however, she notices that certain things don’t appear correct but can’t quite place her finger on what is off. VERDICT Palmer presents a fresh twist on the time-travel trope; his story line requires a close reading to enjoy the subtle foreshadowing and themes as the protagonists discover that it’s possible the CVD is not as useless as once thought. The characters are complex and flawed but thoroughly worthy of attention. Fans of Palmer’s previous book, time travel, near-future technologies, and sf will find great enjoyment here. [See Prepub Alert, 8/24/15.]—Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

Street, Emily June. The Velocipede Races. Microcosm. Apr. 2016. 256p. ISBN 9781621060581. pap. $9.95. FANTASY

Street (Secret Room; The Painted Dog and Other Stories) sets her delightful steampunk fantasy (first self-published in 2014) in an imaginary city with social mores and a class system akin to that in Victorian England. ­Emmeline Escot, born to a noble but impoverished family, trains in secret with her twin brother Gabriel, who competes in the city races to secure the family’s finances. Women are prohibited from racing velocipedes and women of rank aren’t even allowed to watch the sport, but Emmeline knows she was born to race and vows to find a way. A corset accident leads to her marriage to a wealthy velocipede manufacturer, but she won’t trust her new husband with her secret life. When Gabriel is injured in a race, Emmeline takes his place on the track, too excited to care about the consequences. VERDICT The action builds slowly as the reader is acquainted with the details of Street’s carefully created society and the mechanics of cycling. Then the story bursts into a final lap with dramatic suspense. You don’t have to be a fan of fantasy or sf to enjoy these exuberant characters and their intriguing times.—Catherine Lantz, Univ. of ­Illinois at Chicago Lib.

Wilson, JJ Amaworo. Damnificados. PM Pr. Jan. 2016. 288p. ISBN 9781629631172. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9781629631752. SF

Crippled Nacho Morales leads a group of misfits and outcasts in taking over an abandoned skyscraper in an unnamed Latin American city. Assisted by lifelong friend the Chinaman, who is as big and strong as he is small and puny, Nacho defends their hold on the building against a variety of gangs, military forces, and corrupt politicians. Throughout their struggles, the people begin to forge a life out of a land best known for the bloody Trash Wars that took place years before. Soon the occupants have established a successful bakery, beauty salon, schools, and other businesses within the building. VERDICT Inspired by the 2007 occupation of a skyscraper in Caracas, Venezuela, Wilson’s debut novel of magic realism is a modern retelling of the classic hero’s journey, complete with a two-headed beast, a flood of biblical proportion, miraculous healing, and deus ex machina. The author’s elegant language makes even the darkest of situations beautiful. Sure to attract readers who enjoy a touch of magic mixed in with their tales of social justice.—Portia Kapraun, Monticello-Union Twp. P.L., IN

QUOTABLE “She turned to go, but Kell sat forward. ‘Do you hate me, my queen?’ ‘Kell,’ she said softly, ‘how could I?’ Something in him softened. Her dark eyes finally found his. And then she said, ‘You gave me back my son.’ The words cut. There had been a time when she insisted that she had two sons, not one. If he had not lost all her love, he had lost that.”—V.E. Schwab, A Gathering of Shadows

Megan M. McArdle is a Collection Specialist at the Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Kristi Chadwick is Advisor for the Massachusetts Library System. In addition to being a 2013 LJ Reviewer of the Year and 2014 Mover & Shaker, she was also a finalist judge for the 2015 LJ SELF-e Award in Fantasy