Maj je pred nama, a u maja preko 40 naslova urbane fantastike i paranormalne romantike. Evo kratkih opisa:
URBAN FANTASY
Hard Magic, by Larry Correia (May 3, Baen)
Jake Sullivan is a war hero, a private eye—and an ex-con. He’s free because he has a magical talent, being able to alter the force of gravity in himself and objects in his vicinity, and the Bureau of Investigation calls on him when they need his help in apprehending criminals with their own magical talents. But the last operation he was sent along to help with went completely wrong, and Delilah Jones, the woman the G-men were after, who just happened to be an old friend of Jake’s in happier times, had a lot of magical muscle with her, too much muscle for the cops to handle, even with Jake’s help. And then things get really bad. First in the Grimnoir Chronicles series.
Always the Vampire, by Nancy Haddock (May 3, Berkley Trade)
Cesca Marinelli has been slacking on her duties as a vampire princess, but she will be the best maid of honor ever for Maggie’s Victorian wedding. However, when her mostly-human honey, Saber, falls ill due to a magical construct called the Void, she knows she’ll have to go beyond the call of bridesmaid duty. The Void is affecting every supernatural being in Cesca’s afterlife, including her shapeshifter ex, Triton. To counter the Void’s reign of terror, Cesca must fully summon her vampire powers, which may lead to her own doom. Third in the Oldest City Vampire series.
Dead Reckoning, by Charlaine Harris (May 3, Ace)
With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can’t “read” vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his “child” Pam well, and she realizes they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot, which is much more complicated than she knows—because there is a new Queen on board. Eleventh in the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampires series.
Hounded, by Kevin Hearne (May 3, Del Rey)
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shapeshifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about 21 years old—make that 21 centuries. Not to mention he draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil. First in the Iron Druid Chronicles.
Night Mares in the Hamptons, by Celia Jerome (May 3, Daw)
Graphic novelist Willow Tate is a Visualizer, able to draw images of beings from the realm of Faerie, bringing them from their world to ours in the process. Three magical mares are searching her Long Island village for a missing colt, and their distress is causing sleeping nights, bad tempers and dangerous brawls among the gifted but peculiar residents. Though the Department of Unexplained Events sends Willow a world-famous horse whisperer, Texan Ty Farraday seems more interested in whispering in her ear than in rescuing the kidnapped colt. Second in the Willow Tate series.
One Magic Moment, by Lynn Kurland (May 3, Penguin)
Medieval studies scholar Tess Alexander is thrilled for the chance to live in a medieval castle. But then a trip to the village brings her face-to-face with the owner of the local garage, who looks a great deal like the man who married her sister—800 years ago. She’s determined to remain objective about magic and destiny, but she can’t help wondering about that mysterious, sword-wielding mechanic.
Hard Bitten, by Chloe Neill (May 3, NAL Trade)
Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals—and they’re camping outside Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else. Fourth in the Chicagoland Vampires series.
The Council of Shadows, by S.M. Stirling (May 3, Roc)
Adrian Brézé defied his own dark heritage as a near-purebred Shadowspawn for years, until his power-hungry sister Adrienne kidnapped his human lover Ellen. Now, Adrienne is dead, and the Council of Shadows is gathering its strength. To stop the Council from launching an apocalypse, Adrian and Ellen must ally with the Brotherhood, a resistance group dedicated to breaking the Council’s hold on humankind by any means necessary. In the coming confrontation, Adrian must fight not only the members of the Council but also his own nature—and, as he will come to suspect, traitors within the Brotherhood itself. Second in the Shadowspawn series.
Central Park Knight, by C.J. Henderson (May 10, Tor)
Professor Piers Knight is the Brooklyn Museum’s very own Indiana Jones. His specialties include lost civilizations, arcane cultures, and more than a little bit of the history of magic and mysticism. What his contemporaries don’t know is that in addition to being a scholar of all these topics, he is also proficient in the uses of magical artifacts. Knight receives a chilling message from Tian Lu, a former lover and an agent for the Chinese government. Years ago, they made a frightening discovery at an archeological dig when out of the depths rose… a living, fire-breathing dragon. Now, the dragons are waking from their slumber before their scheduled time. And one particularly diabolical dragon is set on eliminating the others and taking over the world.
Graveminder, by Melissa Marr (May 17, HarperCollins)
The New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series delivers her first novel for adults, a story about the living, the dead, and a curse that binds them. Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville. There wasn’t a funeral that Maylene didn’t attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words “Sleep well, and stay where I put you.” Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place—and the man—she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected.
Mind Games, by Taylor Keating (May 24, Tor)
River Weston thinks her problems are over. She managed to escape the virtual world of her video game—and the clutches of the Dark Lord who attempted to enslave her—with body and mind intact. But her return to the real world is anything but easy. Framed for monstrous crimes she didn’t commit and hunted by members of a dark government agency, it is all she can do to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. Guardian Chase Hawkins gained his freedom from the Dark Lord’s prison, but it came with a heavy price. Trapped in another man’s body, his soul slowly deteriorating, Hawk knows he must return to his world—and his body—before the damage is irreparable. Racing against time, River and Hawk know that in order to have a future together, they must work to reveal the secrets hidden in River’s past. Second in the Guardian series.
Welcome to Bordertown (anthology), edited by Ellen Kushner and Holly Black (May 24, Random House)
Bordertown: a city on the border between our human world and the elfin realm. Runaway teens come from both sides of the border to find adventure. Elves play in rock bands and race down the street on spell-powered motorbikes. Human kids recreate themselves in the squats and clubs and artists’ studios of Soho. Terri Windling’s original Bordertown series was the forerunner of today’s urban fantasy, introducing authors that included Charles de Lint, Will Shetterly, Emma Bull, and Ellen Kushner. In this volume of all-new work (including a 15-page graphic story), the original writers are now joined by the generation that grew up dreaming of Bordertown, including Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Catherynne M. Valente, and many more.
Zombies Sold Separately, by Cheyenne McCray (May 24, St. Martin’s Press)
Nyx hates zombies. Seriously. Ever since she was a youngling, she’s been haunted by them. And even though she’s a big girl now—a half-human, half-Drow private eye—Nyx bristles at the mere thought of the walking dead. Meanwhile, the corpses of humans and paranorms alike are turning up all over New York City. Now it’s up to Nyx to find out who—or what—is behind this series of horrific attacks. But it’s only a matter of time before Nyx is drawn deeper into her darkest fears—and her worst nightmare about meeting a real, flesh-and-blood-hungry, body-snatching Zombie comes to life. Or death. Fourth in the Night Tracker series.
Chasing the Moon, by A. Lee Martinez (May 25, Orbit)
Diana’s life was in a rut. She hated her job, she was perpetually single, and she needed a place to live. But then the perfect apartment came along. It seemed too good to be true—because it was. As it turns out, the apartment was already inhabited—by monsters. Vom the Hungering was the first to greet Diana and to warn her that his sole purpose in life was to eat everything in his path. This poses a problem for Diana since she’s in his path, and is forbidden from ever leaving the apartment. But there are older monstrous entities afoot, ones who want to devour the moon and destroy the world. Can Diana, Vom and the other horrors stop this from happening? Maybe. If they can get Vom to stop eating everyone.
Magic Slays, by Ilona Andrews (May 31, Ace)
Kate Daniels has quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but starting her own business isn’t easy when the Order starts disparaging her good name. And being the mate of the Beast Lord doesn’t bring in the customers, either. So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead asks for help with a vampire, Kate jumps at the chance. Unfortunately, this is one case where Kate should have looked before she leapt. Fifth in the Kate Daniels series.
Infernal Affairs, by Jes Battis (May 31, Ace)
A dead body on the beach turns out to be a live demon on the run from some of the nastiest bounty hunters in this dimension, or the next. Protecting one demon from another, Tess gets wrapped up in a case that’s as dangerous as it is mind-boggling, especially when it begins to involve her own past. Fourth in the OSI series.
The Exorsistah: X Restored, by Claudia Mair Burney (May 31, Pocket)
After three years and more creepy demons than she’d care to recall, Emme Vaughn has finally found her mama. Only the reunion doesn’t go as X expected. It’s not easy adapting to a new life in New Orleans, with a mother who was possessed by the devil until recently and a stepfather she didn’t know existed. Especially when a mysterious stranger, her stepfather’s charming and handsome protégé Jean-Paul, drives a wedge between Emme and Francis. Is the enigmatic outsider trying to replace her man? Or does he have a more sinister plan— one she couldn’t have imagined?
Damned Busters, by Matthew Hughes (May 31, Angry Robot)
Chesney Arnstruther: by day, mild mannered insurance man. By night, fearless superhero crime fighter. By his side, his wisecracking demonic sidekick, in a somewhat ill-fitting costume. Watch out all you freaks, weirdos, werewolves and assorted furry monsters, the Damned Busters are on your trail! First in the Hell to Pay series. U.S. Release.
Dead on the Delta, by Stacey Jay (May 31, Pocket)
Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dreams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement—and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town. First in a new series.
Desdaemona, by Ben Macallan (May 31, Solaris)
Jordan helps kids on the run find their way back home. He’s good at that. He should be—he’s a runaway himself. Sometimes he helps the kids in other, stranger ways. He looks like a regular teenager, but he’s not. He acts like he’s not exactly human, but he is. He treads the line between mundane reality and the world of the supernatural, including the awesome Powers That Be. Desdaemona also knows the non-human world too well. She tracks Jordan down and enlists his aid in searching for her lost sister Fay, who did a Very Bad Thing involving an immortal. This may be a mistake—for both of them.
The Neon Graveyard, by Vicki Pettersson (May 31, Eos)
Once she was a soldier for the Light, the prophesied savior who would decide the outcome of the eternal conflict raging unseen in the dark corners of her glittering hometown. Now Joanna Archer is just another mortal and carrying the unborn child of a lover held captive by a depraved demon goddess. Joining forces with a band of rogue Shadow agents, Joanna’s ready to storm the stronghold of her demonic foe, risking everything to enter this ghastly, godforsaken realm where the price of admission is her eternal soul. Because in a world that has stripped her of her power, identity, and fortune, Joanna has nothing left to lose—except her baby, her future, and the epic war poised to consume the city. Sixth in the Signs of the Zodiac series.
