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See Upcoming Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Releases
See Upcoming Mystery Releases
Previous Staff Picks
Staff Picks for May/June 2007
Sam's Staff Picks
A Spell For Chameleon by Piers Anthony
"Xanth was the enchanted land where magic ruled where every citizen had a special spell only he could cast. It was a land of centaurs and dragons and basilisks. For Bink of North Village, however, Xanth was no fairy tale. He alone had no magic. And unless he got some and fast! he would be exiled. But the Good Magician Humfrey was convinced that Bink did indeed have magic. In fact, both Beauregard the genie and the magic wall chart insisted that Bink had Magic. Magic as powerful as any possessed by the King or by Good Magician Humfrey or even by the Evil Magician Trent. Be that as it may, no one could fathom the nature of Bink's very special magic. Bink was in despair. This was even worse than having no magic at all... and he would still be exiled!"
$7.50
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
"In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: the Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.
Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening…again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery…and the truth."
$7.99
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick
"By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacrae: horses, birds, cats, sheep. . .
They even built humans.
Emigrees to Mars received androids so sophisticated it was impossible to tell them from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans could wreak, the government banned them from Earth. But when androids didn't want to be identified, they just blended in.
Rick Deckard was an officially sanctioned bounty hunter whose job was to find rogue androids, and to retire them. But cornered, androids tended to fight back, with deadly results."
$13.95
Dune by Frank Herbert
"Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, DUNE is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family-and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, DUNE formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction."
$7.99
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
"Jitterbug Perfume" is an epic. Which is to say, it begins in the forests of ancient Bohemia and doesn't conclude until nine o'clock tonight [Paris time]. It is a saga, as well. A saga must have a hero, and the hero of this one is a janitor with a missing bottle. The bottle is blue, very, very old, and embossed with the image of a goat-horned god. If the liquid in the bottle actually is the secret essence of the universe, as some folks seem to think, it had better be discovered soon becaused it is leaking and there is only a drop of two left."
$13.95
Lelia's Staff Picks
Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters
"Convinced that the tomb of the little-known king Tutankhamon lies somewhere in the Valley of the Kings, eminent Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and his intrepid wife, Amelia Peabody, seem to have hit a wall. Having been banned forever from the East Valley, Emerson, against Amelia's advice, has tried desperately to persuade Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter to relinquish their digging rights. But Emerson's trickery has backfired, and his insistent interest in the site has made his rivals all the more determined to keep the Emerson clan away.
Powerless to intervene but determined to stay close to the unattainable tomb, the family returns to Luxor and prepares to continue their dig in the less promising West Valley -- and to watch from the sidelines as Carter and Carnarvon 'discover' the greatest Egyptian treasure of all time: King Tut's tomb. But before their own excavation can get underway, Emerson and his son, Ramses, find themselves lured into a trap by a strange group of villains ominously demanding 'Where is he?' Driven by distress -- and, of course, Amelia's insatiable curiosity -- the Emersons embark on a quest to uncover who 'he' is and why 'he' must be found, only to discover that the answer is uncomfortably close to home. Now Amelia must find a way to protect her family - and perhaps even her would-be nemesis -- from the sinister forces that will stop at nothing to succeed in the nefarious plot that threatens the peace of the entire region."
$9.99
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
"Widely regarded as the first English novel, Daniel Defoe' s "Robinson Crusoe" is one of the most popular and influential adventure stories of all time. This classic tale of shipwreck and survival on an uninhabited island was an instant success when first published in 1719 and has inspired countless imitations.
In his own words, Robinson Crusoe tells of the terrible storm that drowned all his shipmates and left him marooned on a deserted island. Forced to overcome despair, doubt, and self-pity, he struggles to create a life for himself in the wilderness. From practically nothing, Crusoe painstakingly learns how to make pottery, grow crops, domesticate livestock, and build a house. His many adventures are recounted in vivid detail, including a fierce battle with cannibals and his rescue of Friday, the man who becomes his trusted companion.
Full of enchanting detail and daring heroics, "Robinson Crusoe" is a celebration of courage, patience, ingenuity, and hard work."
$5.99
The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have by Dennis Diclaudio
"The good news: you won' t stop laughing. The bad news: Every word is true.
Profiling fifty of the most disgusting, painful, life-threatening and otherwise icky diseases, this remarkable book is the perfect treat for the closet temperature-taker, speed-dialing doctor stalker, or tissue-wielding virus-phobe in all of us. Each disease is fully documented, including a checklist of symptoms, an overview, treatment, prognosis, and- for the rare cases in which the reader is not yet infected- notes on prevention. With fascinating, sickeningly accurate text written by a member of the editorial staff in the Infectious Disease Department of Elsevier, "The Hypochondriac' s Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have "is capable of startling even the most health-confident into fanatical hand washing."
$14.95
Tight as a Tick by Toni L. P. Kelner
"Laura Fleming and her husband Richard are back in Byerly, North Carolina and Laura thinks it's going to be a relaxed trip. But before they're even unpacked, Aunt Maggie is telling them about last week-end's murder of Carney Alexander, a dealer at Byerly's popular Tight as a Tick flea market.
Among his fellow dealers, Carney had a well-earned reputation as a blackmailing, two-timing, double-dealing extortionist. Yet which one of them could be driven so hopping mad as to carve him up with one of his own collectible knives? While clues accumulate like treasures in the attic, and Aunt Maggie runs for cover, Laura finds herself in possession of evidence that will expose a killer who is ready to strike again."
$5.99
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
"Monumental devastation will sweep across the globe if the newly-discovered Hamner-Brown comet collides with the one major obstacle in its path: Earth.
For millionaire Tim Hamner, the comet is a ticket to immortality. For filmmaker Harvey Randall, it's a shot to redeem a flagging career. And for astronauts John Baker and Rick Delanty, it's a second chance for glory in outer space.
But for a world gripped by comet fever, fascination quickly turns to fear. And only those who survive the impact will know the even greater terror, when rich and poor, politicians and killers, turn to each other or against each other--and the remnants of humanity grow savage to battle for what little remains . . ."
$6.99
Andrew's Staff Picks
Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
"Edgy, suspenseful, and darkly comic, here is the first novel in a riveting new mystery series starring two cranky but brilliant old detectives whose lifelong friendship was forged solving crimes for the London Police Department's Peculiar Crimes Unit. In Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler tells the story of both their first and last case--and how along the way the unlikely pair of crime fighters changed the face of detection.
A present-day bombing rips through London and claims the life of eighty-year-old detective Arthur Bryant. For his partner John May, it means the end of a partnership that lasted over half-a-century and an eerie echo back to the Blitz of World War II when they first met. Desperately searching for clues to the killer's identity, May finds his old friend's notes of their very first case and becomes convinced that the past has returned...with a killing vengeance.
It begins when a dancer in a risque new production of Orpheus in Hell is found without her feet. Suddenly, the young detectives are plunged in a bizarre gothic mystery that will push them to their limits--and beyond. For in a city shaken by war, a faceless killer is stalking London's theaters, creating his own kind of sinister drama. And it will take Arthur Bryant's unorthodox techniques and John May's dogged police work to catch a criminal whose ability to escape detection seems almost supernatural--a murderer who even decades later seems to have claimed the life of one of them...and is ready to claim the other.
Filled with startling twists, unforgettable characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing, Full Dark House is a witty, heartbreaking, and all-too-human thriller about the hunt foran inhuman killer."
$6.99
Two For The Money by Max Allan Collins
"They don't come any tougher than Nolan-but even a hardened professional thief can't fight off the whole Chicago mafia. So after 16 years on the run, Nolan's ready to let an old friend broker a truce. The terms: pull off one last heist and hand over the proceeds. But when things go wrong, Nolan finds himself facing the deadliest double cross of his career. Fortunately, Nolan has a knack for survival-and an unmatched hunger for revenge…"
$6.99
Ghoul by Brian Keene
"June 1984. Timmy Graco is looking forward to summer vacation, taking it easy and hanging out with his buddies. Instead his summer will be filled with terror and a life-and-death battle against a nightmarish creature that few will believe even exists. Timmy has learned that the person who's been unearthing fresh graves in the cemetery isn't a person at all. It's a thing. And it's after Timmy and his friends. If Timmy hopes to live to see September, he'll have to escape the Ghoul."
$7.99
Breakfast With The Ones You Love by Eliot Fintushel
"Meet Lea Tillim, aka Cadaver Dimples, Star of Morgues and Emergency Rooms. Scarecrow thin, with a sharp crew cut and a dead face, Lea's a girl with a talent. She can think you into a heart attack if you cross her- or, if she' s feeling kind, just a bad case of indigestion. She has only one friend in the world, her cat, Tule. You see, a girl like Lea can' t be too careful whom she shows her talent to. In her experience it only leads to troubles and tragedies.
Now it' s led her to Jack Konar, who' s secretly building something strange and wonderful in an abandoned section of the local Sears and Roebuck. According to Jack, it's all part of a master plan to rescue the Chosen from this godforsaken planet. But the agents of the Evil Ones- cleverly disguised as ordinary people and sometimes even cats- are trying to stop him. Jack needs a girl with Lea' s special talents. It would all sound just too crazy for words if the most dangerous and unexpected thing of all hadn' t happened. After years of the best poker face grief could buy, Lea finds herself slowly coming back to life . . . and falling in love with the savior of the world."
$12.00
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
"Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.
"I will "sell" my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder. . . ."
For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts- of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?
But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.
And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting- with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . ."
$24.95
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