Short Stories. Like a little mystery with your fantasy? (Or vice versa?) In this follow-up to the popular paranormal mystery anthology Powers of Detection, a dozen of the genre's top practitioners, including Charlaine Harris, Carole Nelson Douglas, Laurie R. King, Sharon Shinn, and Simon R. Green, present stories guaranteed to keep you turning the pages. Variety is the name of the game in this diverse collection, which features a cast of eclectic characters ranging from Sam Spade to Santa Claus to Sookie Stackhouse and tackles subject matter such as ghostly roommates, elf homicide, and the legal rights of video game characters. It would be a crime not to read this book.

Graphic Novel, Horror. Black Jack is a mysterious and charismatic young genius surgeon who travels the world performing amazing and impossible medical feats. Though a trained physician, he refuses to accept a medical license due to his hatred and mistrust of the medical community's hypocrisy and corruption. This leads Black Jack to occasional run-ins with the authorities, as well as from gangsters and criminals who approach him for illegal operations.

Black Jack charges exorbitant fees for his services, the proceeds from which he uses to fund environmental projects and to aid victims of crime and corrupt capitalists. But because Black Jack keeps his true motives secret, his ethics are perceived as questionable and he is considered a selfish, uncaring devil.

Epic Fantasy. An ancient weapon has completely destroyed the city of Windwir. From many miles away, Rudolfo, Lord of the Nine Forest Houses, sees the horrifying column of smoke rising. He knows that war is coming to the Named Lands.

Nearer to the Devastation, a young apprentice is the only survivor of the city - he sat waiting for his father outside the walls, and was transformed as he watched everyone he knew die in an instant.

Soon all the Kingdoms of the Named Lands will be at each others' throats, as alliances are challenged and hidden plots are uncovered.

This remarkable first novel from an award-winning short fiction writer will take readers away to a new world - an Earth so far in the distant future that our time is not even a memory; a world where magick is commonplace and great areas of the planet are impassable wastes. But human nature hasn't changed through the ages: War and faith and love still move princes and nations.

Fantasy, Horror. Some wounds take time to heal . . . and some scars never fade.

Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won't rest until his death is solved . . . and avenged. Whatever the cost.

Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderlander food chain, Rachel's past comes back to haunt her.

Literally.

Historical Fantasy. Serving as a handmaiden to Queen Cleopatra, Charmain, the queen's half-sister and a daughter to one of the pharaoh's slave women, taps into ancient memories using oracle powers that also provide her with clues on how to save Alexandria from a devastating war.

Fantasy. Hampered by arthritis, Nostradamus is in no mood for granting favors or running about looking for trouble. But when his apprentice Alfeoas mistress asks him to investigate the murder of her beloved courtesan mentor, and promises a fortune in payment, he comes around.
It appears that someone is murdering the courtesans of Venice. All were well-known, admired for their skills, and somehow connected by a sinister event involving one of the great families of the city.
While Nostradamus attempts to use the dark arts to solve riddles which confound explanation, Alfeo finds himself led by a possibly demonic force through a maze of deceit and death. And when the master and apprentice come to the end of their intertwined paths, there may be hell to pay.

Graphic Novel, Horror. Every city has secrets. But none as terrible as this. His name is Deucalion, a tattooed man of mysterious origin, a sleight-of-reality artist who's traveled the centuries with a secret worse than death. He arrives as a serial killer stalks the streets, a killer who carefully selects his victims for the humanity that is missing in himself. Detective Carson O'Connor is cool, cynical, and every bit as tough as she looks. Her partner Michael Maddison would back her up all the way to Hell itself-and that just may be where this case ends up. For the no-nonsense O'Connor is suddenly talking about an ages-old conspiracy, a near immortal race of beings, and killers that are more-and less-than human. Soon it will be clear that as crazy as she sounds, the truth is even more ominous. For their quarry isn't merely a homicidal maniac-but his deranged maker.

Graphic Novel, Fantasy. House of Mystery features five characters trapped in a supernatural bar. Each has a terrible past they'd like to forget, and with no newspapers or TV allowed in the House, they face an eternity of boredom. But stories become the new currency, and the fouse attracts only the finest storytellers.

Graphic Novel, Fantasy. Get ready for Jack's adventures out West, as Smiling Jack Candle crosses paths with a grim sheriff from back East who carries no gun.

Fantasy. Although Rhennthyl is the son of a leading wool merchant in L'Excelsis, the capital of Solidar, the most powerful nation on Terahnar, he has spent years becoming a journeyman artist and is skilled and diligent enough to be considered for the status of master artisan--in another two years. Then, in a single moment, his entire life is transformed when his master patron is killed in a flash fire, and Rhenn discovers he is an imager--one of the few in the entire world of Terahnar who can visualize things and make them real.

He must leave his family and join the Collegium of Imagisle. Imagers live separately from the rest of society because of their abilities (they can do accidental magic even while asleep), and because they are both feared and vulnerable. In this new life, Rhenn discovers that all too many of the "truths" he knew were nothing of the sort. Every day brings a new threat to his life. He makes a powerful enemy while righting a wrong, and begins to learn to do magic in secret.

Contemporary Fantasy. On the Day of the Dead, the Solona Music Hall is jumping. That's where Altagracia Quintero meets John Burns, just two weeks too late.

Altagracia - her friends call her Grace - has a tattoo of Nuestra Senora de Altagracia on her shoulder, she's got a Ford Motor Company tattoo running down her leg, and she has grease worked so deep into her hands that it'll never wash out. Grace works at Sanchez Motorworks, customizing hot rods. Finding the line in a classic car is her calling.

Now Grace has to find the line in her own life. A few blocks around the Alverson Arms is all her world -- from the little grocery store where she buys beans, tamales, and cigarettes ("cigarettes can kill you," they tell her, but she smokes them anyway) to the record shop, to the library where Henry, a black man confined to a wheelchair, researches the mystery of life in death - but she's got unfinished business keeping her close to home.

Grace loves John, and John loves her, and that would be wonderful, except that John, like Grace, has unfinished business - he's haunted by the childhood death of his younger brother. He's never stopped feeling responsible. Like Grace in her way, John is an artist, and before their relationship can find its resolution, the two of them will have to teach each other about life and love, about hot rods and Elvis Presley, and about why it's necessary to let some things go.

Short Stories. If the nearly 800 pages of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell left you wanting more, then you'll want to read Susannah Clarke's anthology of stories set in the same world: an alternate version of 19th-century England in which magic abounds. Featuring some of the same characters (such as Jonathan Strange, the Duke of Wellington, and the legendary Raven King) as well as new ones, the stories range in tone from lighthearted to mysterious and are perfectly complemented by Charles Vess' illustrations. Kirkus Reviews calls Ladies of Grace Adieu "irresistible storytelling, from a splendidly gifted enchantress."

Short Stories. In this collection of 31 stories, Neil Gaiman serves up a mix of fantasy, horror, science fiction, poetry, and fairy taleS. H.P. Lovecraft meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the fantasy-tinged Sherlock Holmes adventure "A Study in Emerald," while fans of Gaiman's own American Gods will enjoy the return of reincarnated Norse god Shadow in "Monarch of the Glen." There are also shorter pieces both whimsical and chilling, including a "Vampire Tarot" and a "Harlequin Valentine." No matter what you're looking for, you're sure to find it in this imaginative book. Kirkus Reviews says "Expect the unexpected. Then savor the luscious chills."

Short Stories. Kelly Link, author of Stranger Things Happen and Pretty Monsters, presents a collection of short stories in which the everyday and the fantastic seamlessly intermingle. "The Faery Handbag" is the story of a large purse that contains an entire Eastern European village (and the woman who's misplaced it), while "The Hortlak" is set in a 24-hour convenience store patronized by zombies. In "Stone Animals," a family moves to a house in the country guarded (or haunted?) by rabbits. Booklist calls Link "the purest, most distinctive surrealist in America."

Short Stories. Best known for his fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice, acclaimed author George R.R. Martin has had a long and prolific career in print. The first volume of this collection of original and previously published shorter works includes stories, novellas, fanzine pieces, and even television scripts. But that's not all. The book also includes illustrations as well as detailed commentary by Martin himself, explaining the origins of the stories and recounting episodes from his life and career as a fantasy writer. Publishers Weekly calls Dreamsongs a "shelf-bending retrospective as impressive as it is intriguing."

Historical Fantasy. Set in 5th-century Britain, Alice Borchardt's take on Arthurian legend shows a different side of Guinevere. The daughter of a pagan queen, she was raised by wolves and is now protected by a druid, a "Gray Watcher," and a shapeshifter. She's also skilled in the use of magic and can talk to animals--including dragons. She falls in love with Arthur but faces opposition from the corrupt archdruid Merlin, who seeks to control the young king in order to pursue his own political agenda. To save Arthur and her country from Merlin's designs, Guinevere will have to use all of her powers in this exciting novel, which is the first book of a trilogy.

Historical Fantasy. Emma Bull reimagines the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral as a magical battle between sorcerers (who include real-life historical figures Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday). It's 1881 and the city of Tombstone, Arizona is a hotbed of magic--which is being harnessed by a power-hungry sorcerer to manipulate others. Journalist and recent widow Mildred Benjamin realizes what's going on but is powerless to stop it, so she enlists Jesse Fox, a college student-turned-horse-trainer with a strong talent for magic. Accompanied by Chinese physician Chow Lung, they attempt to resolve the situation before it turns deadly. Territory is the first book in a planned duology, so keep an eye out for the upcoming sequel.

Historical Fantasy. In an alternate Renaissance Venice where magic runs rampant and demons are an everyday affair, swordsman Alfeo Zeno is both bodyguard and apprentice to famous astrologer and clairvoyant Nostradamus. When his master is wrongfully accused of fatally poisoning a nobleman in order to ensure the accuracy of one of his prophecies, Alfeo goes in search of the real killer. Assisting him in his investigation are clever courtesan Violetta and Maestro Nostradamus himself, but even with their aid, Alfeo soon realizes that he's in over his head. This historical fantasy whodunit should "appeal to fantasy, adventure, and mystery fans alike" (Booklist).

Historical Fantasy. An alternate 9th-century Britain is the setting of this sweeping historical fantasy by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, in which a clash of civilizations drives the multi-layered narrative. Conflicts between the Viking-esque Erlings of Vinmark, the Saxon-like Anglcyn, and the Celtic-inspired Cyngael escalate through a series of seemingly unconnected events--such as the theft of a horse and a moonlight meeting with an Elf Queen--that eventually converge to devastating effect. Set in the same world as (but in different time period than) Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Sarantine Mosaic, The Last Light of the Sun is the product of meticulous research and imagination.