Steve

Return now to the alternate history steampunk wonders of The Clockwork Century! This stand-alone sequel to "Boneshaker" features the obligatory airships joined by racing war locomotives and steam-driven mecha with a cast of Yankees, Rebs, and even a Texas Ranger. Our heroine's cross-country trek is as fast paced and action packed as an old time pulp Western... but with zombies!

If you loved Eragon and are looking for something else draconic to read, look no further! Imagine Master & Commander style naval adventure but with the added bonus of DRAGONS! Both Capt. Laurence and Temeraire the dragon are wonderfully drawn characters living in a world that both C.S. Forester and Jane Austen would easily recognize. Plus, the aerial battles are totally awesome! It's completely YA appropriate and I highly recommend this series to both historical fiction readers and fantasy fans alike. (Be sure to also check out the next two books in the series currently available in our SF section: Throne of Jade and Black Powder War.) --Steve W.

Peer into the darkness of great American horror writing and you will find H. P. Lovecraft lurking between such masters as Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King. Explore his writings of the strange and otherworldly and you will realize his influence on many contemporary writers, from Clive Barker to China Mieville (who has written an excellent introduction to this edition). Although primarily a short story writer, At the Mountains of Madness is one of his few longer works and a fabulous introduction to his weird tales.

As for the story itself, all I will say is imagine a polar expedition going horribly wrong after discovering something completely unexpected and with terrifying implications. It makes Shackleton's Endurance voyage seem like a mundane stroll in the park!
---Steve W.

Olympia artist McClure creates amazing works of art using only a single piece of black paper and an exacto knife. Her designs are both simple and intricate, celebrating the changing seasons, the pride of self-sufficiency, strength of community, and truly embody the DIY spirit. This is a wonderful, beautiful book! --Steve W.

Forgive the pun, but LIGHT is simply brilliant! Harrison's masterfully crafted story of a sentient starship, a virtual reality junkie, and a sociopathic physicist makes this one of the best SF novels I've read in a long time. If you like dark, complex and intelligent space opera (Iain M Banks, Alastair Reynolds, Charles Stross) or skillfully written, literary Science Fiction and Fantasy (John Crowley, China Mieville, Gene Wolfe) M John Harrison just might be your new favorite author!
---Steve W.

Who doesn't love sex and bacon? Obviously Sarah Lewis is seriously passionate about the intertwined desires for delicious food and delightful (ahem) "frolics." Her honest, brash and frequently hilarious observations about these so-called sins of the flesh would make even the most devout virginal vegan want to indulge in an orgy of greasy comfort food and hot dirty sex! --Steve W.

In our stormy winter of 2008, it is only fitting to re-visit the gripping and tragic story of the 1910 Wellington Disaster. Krist has written a well researched history that, like all great non-fiction, is immensely readable and nearly impossible to put down. If you have liked such books as Endurance, Into Thin Air, and Devil in the White City, you will surely enjoy The White Cascade as well! --Steve

INVINCIBLE is not your every day mild-mannered superhero novel. With some subtle nods toward Marvel and DC's mighty four-color comic mythology, Grossman introduces the reader to his own vibrant world of superheroes--and reveals their not-so-super personal lives. However, it is Doctor Impossible, a thoroughly evil yet entirely sympathetic mad scientist and evil genius, who steals the show. Much like the Trix Rabbit and Wile E. Coyote, you cannot help but root for this so-called villain and hope that just this once, he will finally succeed in his dream of taking over the world...
---Steve W.