December Publications

Terry Goodkind (Faith of the Fallen) presents Debt of Bones, a prequel to his Sword of Truth series that involves series character First Wizard Zedd in the time before the Boundaries were drawn. Abby, a poor peasant who has an ancient claim on Zedd, asks the impossible of him—to save her community, including her husband, child and father—at the possible price of countless other lives. Illus. (Gollancz [Sterling dist.], $17.95 128p ISBN 0-575-07256-3)

Guggenheim recipient Craig Nova (Universal Donor) presents Wetware, a novel set in a darkly atmospheric, not-too-distant future, when assembly-line human beings have found a big market. An unremarkable Wetware engineer named Briggs does something a little more remarkable, and his experiment with Wetware technology yields unexpected and potentially catastrophic results. (Crown/Shaye Areheart, $22 288p ISBN 0-609-60595-X)

Hugo-winner Gardner Dozois offers a sizable anthology of classic tales of man's efforts to remake other worlds in Earth's image: Worldmakers: SF Adventures in Terraforming. Contributors of these vivid visions of space colonies include Arthur C. Clarke, Pamela Sargent, Poul Anderson and Kim Stanley Robinson. (St. Martin's Griffin, $17.95 paper 464p ISBN 0-312-27570-6)

John Helfers and Denise Little present The Valdemar Companion, an anthology of essays, interviews, maps, a concordance and one new novella focused on Mercedes Lackey's (Take a Thief) extensive Valdemar series. Michael Longcor discusses the "Balladeers, Buskers, and Bards" of Valdemar, and Kerrie Hughes offers a traveler's guide to Lackey's rich imaginary universe. (DAW, $24.95 520p ISBN 0-7564-0037-6)

In Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards: Exploring the Wonders and Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings, Michael N. Stanton, who teaches English literature at the University of Vermont, offers biographical and literary insights about Tolkien and his beloved trilogy. Young Tolkien first worked on the story cycle while on sick leave from military duty in WWI; Middle-earth's weather, seasons and flora recall Earth's Northern Hemisphere, says Stanton, thereby reassuring "readers that fundamentally they are on home territory" amidst "large doses of the marvelous." (St. Martin's/Palgrave, $19.95 208p ISBN 0-312-23826-6)

Two beautiful young girls, Opal Courtright and Sapphire Deland, grow up on Earth and Zamora, respectively, unaware of each other's existence or of their cosmic link, in Lily G. Stephen's The Tenth Muse, first in the Third Verse Trilogy. From Lamartine, a planet in a higher dimension, a kindly, beneficent stranger named Branicor has high hopes for the shared fate of the two girls. (Blooming Rose [P.O. Box 1211, Mount Shasta, Calif. 96067-1211], $14.95 paper 288p ISBN 0-9712659-0-9)

When some powerful books fall into the hands of Varden, the high lord's counsel, villagers begin dying and disappearing, and strange and beautiful objects begin appearing in Kevin Howe's Bone Walk: The Journey of Thomas Shepard, set in medieval times. Varden commissions Thomas to explore the dangerous Western Woods, where he comes face to face with the hellish Bone Eaters and enigmatic Tree Walkers. (Firelight [226 Division St., SW, Sublimity, Ore. 97385-9637], $14.95 paper 320p ISBN 0-9707206-2-9)

In Awash in the Blood, John Wooley (Dark Within) offers a religious horror story starring televangelist Mo Johnston, who goes on vacation in Eastern Europe only to be attacked by some indescribable creature whom the authorities believe to be a vampire and Mo calls Satan. When he returns home, Mo's career soars as he's pulled toward the darker sides of life, dragging his congregation with him. (HAWK, $23.95 246p ISBN 1-930709-35-8)

Fantasy maven Randy Broecker takes readers on a stroll down memory lane in Fantasy of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History, featuring heavyweight fantasy writers and artists. From The Arabian Nights, Lord Dunsany's Time and the Gods and Henry Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines to the talented Hildebrandt brothers' depictions of Middle-earth, 1950s comic book versions of Conan the Conqueror and the glut of D&D culture in the 1970s, this beautiful book pays apt tribute to fantasy's leading lights. 450 full color images. (Collectors, $60 256p ISBN 1-888054-52-2)

In The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide, Terry Whitlatch and Bob Carrau offer a faux naturalist's sketchbook of the fauna born of George Lucas and co.'s considerable imagination: the spot-light sloths of the Dagobah Rain Forest, the Peko Pekos of planet Naboo's Gungan Swamp, the gas-filled Beldons of Bespin, which can achieve a girth of 10 kilometers, and a host of other fantastical creations populate this delightful large-format book. Drawings on every page are substantiated by salient pieces of information about habitat, habits and danger-factor. (Chronicle, $40 176p ISBN 0-8118-2869-7)