Review_FICTION
50 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ OCTOBER 14, 2019
Review_FICTION
series (following Wild Hunger). When
shifter Connor Keene, prince of the North
American Central Pack, hears there are
problems in one of the pack’s clans in
Minnesota, he invites his friend Elisa
Sullivan, a bitingly snarky vampire, to go
with him to intervene. He wants her
opinion as an outsider, but also as someone
he can see a potential future with. If he
can get the archaic, patriarchal elders of
the Minnesota clan to accept a vampire,
maybe the rest of the pack will, too. When
unknown creatures launch an attack on
the clan and nearby townspeople, Elisa
saves a life by turning someone into a
vampire without first getting consent
from either the victim or the clan elders,
putting the alliance between shifters and
vampires at risk. Connor and Elisa must
find the attackers if they hope to save the
clan, the alliance, and themselves. Elisa is
a fierce and endearing heroine readers will
root for. This urban fantasy is a treat. Agent:
Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency (Dec.)Walk the Wild with Me
Rachel Atwood. DAW, $16 trade paper (320p)
ISBN 978-0-75641484-9
Characters from Robin Hood and
English folklore gambol through
Atwood’s vibrant historical fantasy debut.
Twelve-year-old orphan Nick Withybeck
is raised by monks in Locksley Abbey.
When the Celtic goddess Elena chooses
Nick as her vessel in the mortal world, she
reveals his true heritage to him; Nick has
wild blood and is a child of the forest.
Nick’s new-
found magic,
combined with
the goddess who
whispers in his
mind, enable
him to recog-
nize Little John,
of Robin
Loxley’s merry
band, as “the
Green Man,” a
mythical creature of the wood. When
Queen Mab of the Faeries kidnaps Little
John’s lover, Little John enlists Nick to
use his special connection with Elena to
help get her back. Infusing the story of the
Sherwood outlaws with magic is a well-
established trope, but shifting the focus
from Robin to Little John is a welcomesurvivors are three San Francisco acquain-
tances: Rob Donelly, a single parent whose
daughter may be taken from him by the
Family Stability Board; Moira Gorman, a
pop star who was famous before the out-
break but now attempts to live under the
radar; and Krista Deal, a consultant helping
people to move on from the tragedy.
Thrown together by circumstance, the
three grow closer as they navigate the
imposing new government in a grim,
fragile future. As the government warns
of another pandemic and panic spreads,
Rob’s daughter runs away from home and
the three friends set out to track her down.
By foregrounding family, Chen manages
to imbue his apocalypse with heart, hope,
and humanity. Sci-fi fans will delight in
this lovingly rendered tale. Agent: Eric
Smith, PS Literary. (Jan.)A Queen in Hiding
Sarah Kozloff. Tor, $12.99 trade paperback
(496p) ISBN 978-1-250-16854-2
Spanning the course of 12 years, Kozloff’s
sweeping debut fantasy, the first in the
Nine Realms series, introduces a vast cast
and an intricate universe. After a political
betrayal, Queen Cressa of Weirandale is
exiled. She joins her husband on the high
seas, working to wipe out the threat of
piracy as part of her long-term plan to
retake the throne, and sends her eight-
year-old daughter, Cerulia, into hiding
with a common family who know the child
as Wren. As the years pass, Wren develops
the ability to communicate with animals
and Cressa’s quest takes a tragic turn.
Meanwhile, Weirandale’s regent, Matwyck,
searches for the missing princess, seeing
her as a threat. Elsewhere, a group of zealots
from the kingdom of Oromondo invade
their neighboring countries, leading to a
guerilla war. This series opener is literary,
ambitious, and epic in scope, but it is
unclear how the disparate plot threads will
connect, and the novel ends just as the
story picks up. Readers will be left hooked
but unsatisfied. Agent: Nell Pierce, Sterling
Lord Literistic. (Jan.)Wicked Hour
Chloe Neill. Berkley, $16 trade paper (368p)
ISBN 978-0-399-58711-5
Generational clashes within a clan of
shape-shifters dominate the spirited second
installment of the Heirs of ChicagolandMother Mairahsol, newly appointed Abbess
of Khalpar, whose ascent is tethered to her
promise that she will reverse the “Curse”
and restore men to power. Glass’s universe
is impeccably detailed, but the focus on
trade, politics, and marriage may dull
the interest of readers hungry for action.
This feels more like a stepping stone to
the final book than a satisfying story in its
own right. Agent: Miriam Kriss, Irene
Goodman Literary. (Mar.)King of the Dogs, Queen of the Cats
James Patrick Kelly. Subterranean, $40
(128p) ISBN 978-1-59606-934-3
Genetically modified cats and dogs
stage an uprising in this disappointing
novella from Kelly (The Promise of Space).
The isolationist colony on the far-flung
planet of Boon is in turmoil. The human
ruling class squabbles among themselves
to cling to
scraps of faded
glory, while
intelligent,
“uplifted” cat
and dog citizens
chafe in servi-
tude. When a
circus composed
entirely of cats
and dogs from
another planet
visits this political tinderbox, it brings
entertainment in the ring while plotting
revolution behind the curtain. Gio
Barbaro, a human junior senator with
sympathy for the animal population, must
decide whether to betray his noble family
and join the revolt or protect the status
quo. Kelly’s sparse, utilitarian prose evokes
classic science-fiction, but the characters
have no room to breathe in the condensed
narrative and become bland and forget-
table. An abrupt ending gives the story an
unfinished feel. Readers will wish for more
depth from this political allegory. (Feb.)★ A Beginning at the End
Mike Chen. Mira, $26.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-
7783-0934-5
This postapocalyptic slice-of-life novel
from Chen (Here and Now and Then) delivers
big emotions by keeping the focus small.
Six years after a disease known as MGS
killed 70% of the world’s population,
humankind begins rebuilding. Among the