The Year Ahead

There's plenty to look forward to reading in 2009. Here's what's already on my wants list (warning: pimpage ahead):

First, there's Spirit: The Princess of Bois Dormant by Gwyneth Jones. The Count of Monte Cristo in space... well, sort of. Set in the universe of Jones' Aleutian trilogy (White Queen, North Wind and Phoenix Café), this is 21st Century space opera from one on the UK's best writers of science fiction. Actually published in December, but the copy I've ordered from Amazon has been delayed for some reason. Jones also has a short story collection, Grazing the Long Acre, due out some time in 2009 from PS Publishing.

Speaking of space opera, there's some excellent stuff due out in the coming twelve months... There's The New Space Opera 2 (Eos) from Jonathan Strahan in July. The first one was excellent, so I expect the second will be too. The first of Michael Cobley's Humanity's Fire space opera trilogy, Seeds of Earth (Orbit), hits the shelves in March. And there's the second of Gary Gibson's Dakota Merrick trilogy, Nova War (Tor). But I have to wait until September for that. In April, Apex are publishing Paul Jessup's surreal space opera, Open Your Eyes. Looks very interesting. I've pre-ordered it. Well, they did a deal and it sucked me in.

I'm not sure I'd call Tony Ballantyne's novels "straight science fiction", but then his new book, due in May from Tor, is titled Twisted Metal. Even if it's as twisty-turny as a twisty-turny thing, I'll be getting it. The excellent Keith Brooke has The Accord coming out in March from Solaris. Eric Brown has also been busy - the second book of his Bengal Station trilogy, Xenopath (Bantam), is out in June from Solaris.

I do read some fantasy, just not as much as I read science fiction. Or mainstream, for that matter. I'm looking forward to Mark Charan Newton's debut, Nights of Villjamur, out in June from Tor. I'm also eagerly awaiting the much-delayed final installment in Ricardo Pinto's Stone Dance of the Chameleon trilogy, The Third God. That should be out in March.

I know nothing about John Crowley's Four Freedoms, but since it's by him I'll be buying it anyway. That's out in June from Morrow. Likewise Iain Banks' new novel, provisionally titled Transitions, due in September. Not to mention Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim from Eos in August.

Plus, of course, all the good short fiction that will be appearing in print magazines, online magazines, anthologies and the like.