New Book Roundup: Anatomy of a Sea Monster, a Fairytale Wickedly Retold, and Demons Hunting in the Night

The Skull Throne, by Peter V. Brett
With the first three novels in the Demon Cycle, about a world where unspeakable creatures hunt in the night and only powerful shamans covered in magical tattoos dare to venture out after dark, Peter V. Brett built a reputation as one of the most exciting new voices in epic fantasy. The long-awaited fourth volume raises the stakes in every way. Events of the previous books have left the Skull Throne of Krasia empty, and its widowed queen, Inevera, must keep the peace between he sons (and potentials heirs), lest their squabbling erupt into an all-out civil war. To the north, two heroes attempt to unite disparate cities against Krasia before it can gather its strength. And all the while, the night-stalking corelings are growing ever more numerous, and ever more powerful. Filled with visceral action and characters who exist in shades of grey, this is mature, modern epic fantasy.

Voyage of the Basilisk: A Memoir by Lady Trent, by Marie Brennan
If you have yet to pick up Marie Brennan’s delightful Lady Trent series, now is an excellent time. Presented as the found journals of one Lady Trent, they present the personal account a highborn Victorian-era adventurer who has made it her life’s mission to bring the rigors of science to the study of that most fantastical beast: the dragon. In this third installment, following A Natural History of Dragons and Tropic of Serpents, Lady Trent sets out in search of one of the most deadly dragons of all, hoping to spot the massive sea-dwelling creature from the deck of the HMS Basilisk. With charming prose, memorable characters, and beautifully rendered natural landscapes, these books will have you wishing dragons really were out there, waiting to be studied. (As if you weren’t already…)

The Diamond Conspiracy, by Pip Ballentine and Tee Morris
The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences serves at the pleasure of Her Majesty the Queen, tasked with solving those peculiar otherworldly crimes that leave run-of-the-mill police scratching their heads. In this fun, fast-moving fourth installment, agents Books and Braun have just dusted themselves off after a charged tussle with Thomas Edison when they get word that their network of street urchin informants, the Ministry Seven, is in danger. Things quickly go from bad to worse as they discover the organization has been disavowed by the Crown and ordered dealt with by the Department of Imperial Inconveniences, which is a very British way of saying “marked for death.” An old enemy and a mind-controlling elixir seem the likely culprits, but that might be difficult to prove with the whole of the government at their backs…

Poison, by Sarah Pinborough
This first entry in Sarah Pinborough’s trilogy of fairytale retellings was released in the U.K. in 2013 and is finally available in the U.S. If the title didn’t give it away, the legend being twisted here is Snow White, she of the tiny, polyamorous boyfriends and poor judgement when it comes to trusting strange old women. The story is given a modern update, in language, gender roles, frankness of sexuality, and character motivation, if not in setting (we’re still in the land of queens, castles, and magic), and the result is decidedly different from the story you think you know. If this sounds like your particular poison apple, the other two volumes of the series hit in quick succession: Charm (Cinderella) on April 28, and Beauty (Sleeping Beauty) on May 26.

Hot Head, by Simon Ings
Simon Ings has been a decorated, celebrated author of speculative fiction in the U.K. since the release of this, his debut novel, allll the way back in 1992. It’s taken nearly a quarter-century, but his work is finally readily available in the U.S. via these lovely new editions from U.K publisher Gollancz. Hot Head is a post-cyberpunk blend of hard science and fortune-telling, and features a memorably hardbitten female protagonist named Malise, back on Earth after years of space combat, the worse for wear. Her muscles have atrophied, her memory is confused, she’s addicted to the military tech implanted in her brain that’s illegal to use planetside, and, oh, there’s a malevolent A.I. drone laser-focused on ending her life. Ings jagged prose and penchant from twisting genre tropes has earned him comparisons to Walter Jon Williams. If you like this one, a more recent work, the gothic SF horror story City of the Iron Fish, also releases today.
What new books are you reading this week?