SO MANY good things are coming out in March, or have appeared in the last couple of weeks. Here are a few of the things I’ve been looking forward to for ages. That’s what they mean by March Madness, right?
Books, lots of books. First a couple that came out in February:
Throne of the Crescent Moon, by Saladin Ahmed. I heard Saladin read from this at World Fantasy in Columbus, and have been waiting impatiently ever since. Fantasy set in somewhere other than northern Europe, with a protagonist who isn’t young and sexy? So refreshing.
Then there’s Arctic Rising by Tobias Buckell. Toby and I have had various friendly online arguments about all sorts of things, and I’ve promised him a review of the science in his new novel. There should be more books with global warming in them. I also roped Toby into inaugurating the Science in My Fiction guest post irregular series.
Two books I’m interested in come out today, so you should buy them right now and make the authors happy and successful.
I’ve heard amazing things about The Drowning Girl, by Caitlin Kiernan. Kiernan writes dense, dark, complicated stories with unreliable narrators. Not easy reads in a number of ways, but worth the effort. The author and some talented artists put together a lovely, haunting trailer for the novel.
Seanan McGuire’s new book Discount Armageddon comes out today, starting a new series for her. Biology and magic: sounds like my kind of thing. I like her zombie novels (written as Mira Grant) better than her urban fantasy; I’m hoping this new series melds the things I like best about both.
Later this month Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear arrives. This is another fantasy novel with an unconventional setting. I had the opportunity to read an ARC, and I highly recommend this one. I’m a serious fan of Bear’s prose (top-notch sentences) and themes–the Promethean Age books are some of my favorite fantasy novels ever–and I enjoyed this tremendously.
And then there’s music. Whisperado’s website is badly in need of an update, since it doesn’t even mention their new album I’m Not the Road. Since you’ve probably never heard of the band, here’s a taste.
Long-time favorite of mine, The Magnetic Fields, have a new album out today, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, their first in several years. I’m enthralled by this video from it (though it’s not entirely work-safe).
What is it about March 6? Today has been a fabulous if somewhat expensive day. And I don’t have time to read any of them! I’m utterly swamped at work, so I hope these suggestions will keep you busy until mid-April or so when I expect to re-emerge. Of course, then I’ll have to spend some time buried under a pile of novels.
