YetiStomper Picks: Books for September

The Quiet War - Paul McAuley

A long anticipated book in the YetiStomper camp, Pyr finally releases a US edition of Paul McAuley's The Quiet War. Set in a 24th century Solar System on the brink of civil war, this appears to be a Space Opera worth reading. Look for a review sooner rather than later.

The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi

Paolo Bacigalupi's debut novel, The Windup Girl, expands on the world of his fantastic stories "The Calorie Man" and "Yellow Card Man." While not a full dystopia, Paolo's vision of the future depicts a world where resources are scarce and calories are cash. Genetic manipulation, bio-terrorism, and megacorporations with a monopoly on food. I read Paolo's collection Pump Six and Other Stories earlier this year and I've anticipated this book since I finished that collection. Another highly recommended book thats getting a free pass to the front of the reading list.

The Golden City: A Novel - John Twelve Hawks

The third and final book in John Twelve Hawks' Fourth Realm Trilogy. Doubleday put all of there marketing muscle behind the first book in the series, The Traveler, but I'm guessing sales didn't live up to expectations as the 2nd and now 3rd books have arrived with little press whatsoever. It might have something to do with the fact that John Twelve Hawks is publishing these stories anonymously and doesn't give interviews or maintain an internet presence so there is nothing to sustain a publicity campaign, especially for additional books.

Child of Fire: A Twenty Palaces Novel - Harry Connolly

Urban Fantasy debut of the month. Seems to be in the line of Harry Dresden or John Taylor where a wizard gets in a little over his head. There are a million Urban Fantasy series out there but this one had enough buzz to get my attention. If you are looking for more Urban Fantasy, check this out.

The Other Lands (Acacia, Book 2) - David Anthony Durham

The 2nd Book in the Acacia series. David Anthony Durham also just won the Campbell Award for Best New Writer. They don't usually give those away lightly. I have yet to read Acacia due to my distaste for reading partially finished series but I've heard very good things.

Darker Angels (The Black Sun's Daughter, Book 2) - M.L.N. Hanover

Follow up to the strong Unclean Spirits (review here). This series has a lot more to offer than the cover art indicates and Daniel Abraham is quickly climbing the ranks of my favorite authors. I highly recommend Unclean Spirits and I'm guessing Darker Angels will be more of the same. Another book likely to jump to the top of the reading mound.

The Apex Book of World SF - Lavie Tidhar

A SF anthology of translated works from countries not typically represented in English SF circles including Thailand, the Philippines, China, Israel, Pakistan, Serbia, Croatia, and Malaysia among others. If you are looking for some authors you haven't read before, or are interested in checking out some alternative points of view, this is an anthology you should check out.

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) - Suzanne Collins

YA Adult Sequel to The Hunger Games which was extremely well recieved by fans and critics alike. This is one of those series that is technically YA but works across all age groups.

The Year of the Flood: A Novel - Margaret Atwood

It takes a lot for authors who are writing genre material to be considered "literary" or "mainstream" but Atwood is one of those lucky few. I've seen reviews saying "The Year of the Flood is a dystopic masterpiece and a testament to her [Atwood's] visionary power." and "By turns dark, tender, violent, thoughtful, and uneasily hilarious, The Year of the Flood is Atwood at her most brilliant and inventive."

The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

The third Robert Langdon novel isn't genre persay but I still enjoy a good adventure novel as much as the next reader. I expect a fast, fun read but not much else. It's going to be interesting to see if Dan Brown can deliver on the unavoidable hype after the runaway success of The Da Vinci Code.

Bauchelain and Korbal Broach: Three Short Novels of the Malazan Empire, Volume One - Steven Erikson

More Malazan. So far I haven't ventured into the world of the Malazan Empire (again with unfinished series) but I've also heard nothing but good things here.

DMZ Vol. 7: War Powers - Joe Kubert

Volume 7 of the Vertigo comic detailing the experience of a war journalist caught up in a American Civil War being fought in the streets of New York City. Like most things here, I'd recommend checking out the entire series but if you've been keeping up with DMZ, this is a reminder that Vol 7 comes out this month.

Where August was light September seems to have kicked it up a notch.As always, if you are interested in more details regarding any of the above books, just click on through the Amazon links.I'm more interested in telling you why I recommended them rather than simply what's out there. Anything that might have escaped my genre nets? Which one of these covers is your favorite?

You can view previous installments of YetiStomper Picks here