The Enchantment Emporium, Tanya Huff (DAW)

In this urban fantasy, Allie Gale's grandma disappears, leaving behind a strange shop that sells magical supplies to the local witch population. When Allie takes it over, she's suddenly involved in a mysterious struggle within the Canadian magic community. If you ever wanted to speculate about the witch population of modern Toronto, this is your book.

Naamah's Kiss, Jacqueline Carey (Grand Central Publishing)

From the io9 review:

This is a novel of pure adventure, with a kick ass heroine who gets to fight, do magic, and get laid just like the swashbuckling heroes of old. It's a perfect beach read. And the best part is the Jacqueline Carey is extremely clever – don't let her fool you with all that romantic frippery. She manages to slip a lot of interesting, subversive messages into this swords-and-sorcery tale.

The Women of Nell Gwynne's, Kage Baker (Subterranean)

The women of a Victorian brothel are hired to cater to the needs of a party of businessmen holding an auction for a mysterious piece. They find themselves quickly involved in intrigue and espionage, in a story with flecks of steampunk and classic mystery. We reviewed it (along with a couple of other Baker books) here.

Wild Thyme, Green Magic, Jack Vance (Subterranean)

This career-spanning collection of stories from Jack Vance includes a wide variety of genres, including a few science fiction stories about other worlds. Vance's ability to build worlds has been praised by Frank Herbert, Poul Anderson and Robert Silverberg.

Fragment, Warren Fahy (Delacorte)

A reality show crew on a ship stumble on an island ecosystem inhabited by parallel-evolved monsters. From the io9 review:

If you like monsters and mad science - and who doesn't? - this is the perfect book to take on your vacation or on that long plane ride to a remote island. However, if you're looking for characters who move outside of two dimensions, you might want to give this one a pass.

The Year's Best Science Fiction 26, edited by Gardner Dozois (Griffin)

I'm a sucker for well-complied science fiction anthologies, and this one appears to be no exception. Including 30 stories from masters and new writers alike, this collection also has an extended list of honorable mentions. It looks like a pretty hefty resource for the short story geek.

Green, Jay Lake (Tor)

A fantasy / steampunky tale of international espionage and mythology. From the io9 review:

At times unsettling but always compelling, Green abounds with intrigue and adventure. A feminist fable lovingly written with a father's hope and concern for his daughter's future, Green is the story of a strong-willed young woman trying to find her place in a world that would rather ignore her. Green will not be ignored.

A Monster's Notes, Laurie Sheck (Knopf)

This novel turns inside out one of the oldest science fiction stories. The story imagines Frankenstein's monster not as Mary Shelley's creation, but as her companion, consoling her in a time of sorrow. He discusses with her all of the facets of humanity, trying to understand human connection in a world where he doesn't belong. It's a tale of speculative alternate history, couched in a story of compassion and companionship.

Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America, Robert Charles WIlson (Tor)

A speculative future of post-oil America. From the io9 review:

Peak oil has left the world a churchy, early-industrial shambles in Robert Charles Wilson's new novel Julian Comstock. An engaging cross between post-apocalyptic series Jericho and Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, it may be the best science fiction novel of the year so far.

Haze, L.E. Modesitt Jr. (Tor)

An agent of the now-Chinese-run Earth investigates a planet surrounded by a haze of nano-satellites. He finds an eerily familiar world of superior technology.

House of Suns, Alastair Reynolds (Ace)

This book came out a little while back in the rest of the world, but this month marks its publication in the United States. It's a space opera of post-humanity and colonization, with the added twist of relativistic travel. As a result, this novel chronicles a mystery distorted by time. It's certainly nice to see a space epic that explores some of the complexity of actual interstellar travel. We reviewed it here.

The Strain, Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (William Morrow)

Master of Horror Guillermo del Toro brings vampires back from their whiney post-Buffy image. From the io9 review:

The Strain is a breakneck thrill ride chronicling only the first four days of the vampire plague that may destroy civilization. The cinematic quality really comes though, making the book feel more like a action blockbuster than a thought-provoking horror novel.

For those unfamiliar with Carey's two previous trilogies, collectively referred to as Kushiel's Legacy, they're set in an alternate middle ages spiced with magic. In previous novels, magic was never really the point. There were a few moments with otherworldly powers, but by and large they were the tales of political machinations across Europe and the Middle East in a world without Christianity. In Carey's universe, the world is mostly pagan. Instead of Christianity, a country resembling France has adopted the religion of Elua, the child of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Those who follow Elua believe in his one tenet, "love as thou wilt." They live in a society were prostitutes are like royalty, everybody is bisexual, and having multiple love affairs is considered an ordinary part of everyday life. But that's just the backdrop: the first trilogy was about a prostitute spy named Phedre, who repeatedly prevented war; the second trilogy was about her adopted son Imriel and his star-crossed love affair with the princess. Yes, there are a lot of princesses in these books.

And Naamah's Kiss doesn't disappoint in this department: there are at least two princesses, both of whom have pretty awesome sex with our new heroine Moirin. Like Phedre, Moirin comes from humble beginnings to become a friend of royalty and a savior of two nations. And she also has quite a bit of magic. She comes from an alternate version of England, one of the last members of a Druid tribe who worship a great bear. At least, her mother is a druid. Her father comes from Terre d'Ange – the alternate version of France – and he fathered her during an orgiastic celebration. So Moirin has the best of both worlds. She can do all kinds of druid magic, like disappearing when she wants to and talking to spirits, but she can also have completely awesome sex like Phedre could.

At this point, you're either saying to yourself that this is the most awesome heroine ever, or you shouldn't read the book. I fall into the former category, and was completely enthralled by the novel.

When Moirin comes of age, she goes on a spirit quest to meet the great bear goddess of her tribe. What she discovers is that the goddess has a plan for her that involves sailing over many oceans – including the strait between Alba (England) and Terre d'Ange to meet her long-lost father. After she crosses the ocean but before she can meet papa, she accidentally gets run over in the street by a man who turns out to be the tempestuous lover of the princess. And by the way, the princess is also the most beautiful prostitute in the land. Did I mention that I love this novel?

The princess's lover draws Moirin into a dark plot involving magic and power, which escalates into a love affair, and finally propels Moirin into the arms of the princess. She also meets her father, who turns out to be a priest in the temple of star-crossed lovers. So he completely understands what she's going through.

Quickly she plunges into court intrigue, and is elevated to the status of companion to the princess (which means everything you think it means). But at the same time she meets a mysterious holy man from China who teaches her how to use her druid powers. And eventually he takes her with him to visit the land of his origin, accompanied by his ultra-hot student/ninja Bao. The second half of the novel takes place in China, where Moirin has to help a princess who is possessed by a dragon – and, of course, she helps save the nation too.

And let's not forget what she discovers with Bao. Which is that stick fighters are super hot, and super romantic.

This is a novel of pure adventure, with a kick ass heroine who gets to fight, do magic, and get laid just like the swashbuckling heroes of old. It's a perfect beach read. And the best part is the Jacqueline Carey is extremely clever – don't let her fool you with all that romantic frippery. She manages to slip a lot of interesting, subversive messages into this swords-and-sorcery tale. I'll leave it to you to find them. Or to ignore them, and just have a hell of a lot of fun.

Naamah's Kiss via Amazon