MALEDICTE
Lane Robins
Del Rey Books

From a dazzling new voice in fantasy comes a mesmerizing tale of treachery, passion, intrigue, betrayal, and an act of pure vengeance that threatens to bring down a kingdom.

Seething with decadent appetites unchecked by law or gods, the court of Antyre is ruled by the last of a dissolute aristocracy. But now to the kingdom comes a handsome, enigmatic nobleman, Maledicte, whose perfect manners, enchanting charisma, and brilliant swordplay entice the most jaded tastes . . . and conceal a hunger beyond reckoning.

For Maledicte is actually a woman named Miranda - a beautiful thief raised in the city's vicious slums. And she will do anything - even promise her soul to Black-Winged Ani, the most merciless of Antyre's exiled gods - to reclaim Janus, the lover whose passion still haunts her dreams. As her machinations strike at the heart of Antyre's powerful noble houses, Miranda must battle not only her own growing bloodlust, but also her lover's newly kindled and ruthless ambitions. As Ani's force grows insatiable and out of control, Miranda has no choice but to wield a weapon that may set her free . . . or forever doom her and everything she holds dear.

BITTERWOOD
James Maxey
Solaris Books

Bitterwood has spent the past twenty years hunting down dragons, one at a time. But he is getting old and the hate that he has carried in his heart since a group of dragon-soldiers killed his family is beginning to fade. When he kills the royal prince dragon, the king decides the only retribution is genocide of the human race. Bitterwood is forced to enter the Free City, the grand trap designed to eradicate mankind, with thousands of others. Can he lead from within, or can a select few dragons unite to stop the king's madness from becoming reality? Full of rich characters and drama, this is an amazingly astute vision of our own culture by way of a feudal kingdom where dragons rule, and humans are used as workers or pets.

IN THE FOREST OF FORGETTING
Theodora Goss
Prime Books

Goss's collection of 16 gothic stories possesses a spare, surprising beauty, though her modern-day characters, like those in fairy tales, are constrained by the hard lessons she sets out to teach. The three linked stories, "Miss Emily Gray," "Conrad" and "Lessons with Miss Gray," turn on the character of the title, a dark Mary Poppins-like woman who exists to grant children their hearts' desires-often at a high price. Goss layers the Victorian tone and everyday magic of these tales with commentary on familial negotiations and the grave consequences for heedless behavior. Other stories consider family cohesion and snobbery, as in "Sleeping with Bears," about a Southern belle who exhibits "no originality" until she marries a bear named Trout Catcher. Her sister quickly comes to understand the attraction. In "Lily, with Clouds," a bohemian woman dying of cancer returns to her blue-blooded family in Virginia, where her conventional sister can't help judging her unusual life. Though Goss (The Rose in Twelve Petals and Other Stories) crafts these delicate stories with tight control and wit, in toto they become something of a moral sledgehammer.

--From Publishers Weekly, Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

BLOODSTONE
Barbara Campbell
DAW Books

After fifteen years of peace, Darak and Griane, now the Memory-Keeper and Healer of their tribe, face a new crisis: their firstborn son's forbidden power to ride the spirits of other creatures. Convinced that his parents view him as an abomination, Keirith flees, only to be captured by slavers. While Darak sets off in pursuit, Griane enters into a reluctant bargain with the Trickster-God to ensure their safe return. In the holy city of the slavers, father and son become enmeshed in a world of shifting alliances, political ambition, and secret desires, where one false move could lead them to the sacrificial altar. Only byconfronting their darkest fears--about the past, about each other, and about themselves--can they hope to survive.

New York Times Bestseller!
KITTY AND THE SILVER BULLET
Carrie Vaughn
Grand Central Publishing

Kitty's radio show is as popular as ever and she has a boyfriend who actually seems to understand her. Can she finally settle down to a normal life? Not if this is just the calm before the storm. When her mother falls ill, Kitty rushes back to Denver--and right back to the abusive pack of werewolves she escaped a year ago. To make matters worse, a war is brewing between the city's two oldest vampires, threatening the whole supernatural community. Though she wants to stay neutral, Kitty is again drawn into a world of politics and violence. To protect her family, her lover, and herself, she'll have to choose sides. And maybe become what she hates--a killer.

SHADOW HUNT
L. M. Prieto & Jayson Taylor
Loose Id Books

Bastard son of the king and member of the magic-wielders Council, Peregrine the witch has a lot of power. He also has powerful rivals. When one summons a demon to kill him and destroy his line, he must find a way to stop him and gain the throne.

Bound to serve a powerful witch, the demon Winter wants to complete his mission, kill the one who bound him, and return home. The longer he hunts Peregrine, though, the more he comes to appreciate him.

Now Winter doesn't want to kill Peregrine, and Peregrine finds himself drawn to the dangerous, seductive demon. With a mortal's compassion, and a demon's cunning, Peregrine entraps Winter more securely than his rival ever could.

THE EUNUCH'S HEIR
Elaine Isaak
Eos Books

The courage of Kattanan duRhys saved a kingdom and created a legend perhaps impossible to equal. Now his son, Wolfram duRhys, wild prince of the realm, spends his days wenching, carousing, and shunning the legacy of his revered father. But Wolfram's revelries end when his carefree existence is shattered by an assassination attemptÑand he discovers the lie he's been living . . . and the dark destiny that awaits.

Now the wayward son must flee to a distant land of magic and mysteryÑto enflame the love of a cloistered virgin, and the ire of a priestess who plans a bloody revenge. And suddenly the fate of an imperiled land rests with a reluctant prince who once lived for pleasure alone . . . and whose actions will either save his world or leave it smoldering in ruins.

THE MIRROR
Natalia Lincoln
Space & Time Books

A vampire glimpses his reflection in a mirror for the first time in eight hundred years... his victim, a young woman lost in the modern city, finds herself pulled into an ancient quest. Natalia Lincoln's epic tale of obsession, bloodlines, and an undying curse richly evokes medieval Eastern Europe and present-day New York. "A true storyteller, Natalia Lincoln expertly weaves a mysterious tale of a powerful vampire disarmed by the dreams and memories of his intended victim. Her poetic, musical style and beautifully drawn characters hold the reader spellbound... You will not be able to put this book down." --Linda Addison, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Grey Ashes