A few important notes about the deluxe leatherbound edition of Crimson Shadows by Robert E. Howard. First, we inadvertantly shipped the red, leatherbound edition with a dust jacket. So please go ahead and remove them. Second, there was a bonus item intended to be included with the deluxe edition — a chapbook of rough sketches by artists Jim and Ruth Keegan. We forgot to include these with the books, so they’re shipping separately this week. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion.

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we don’t expect to have copies of Alastair Reynolds’ Thousandth Night and Minla’s Flowers much past the publication date, if at all. As things stand, we have orders for 1900 of the 2000 copy print run, with more individual, wholesale, and retail orders arriving all the time. If you want to be guaranteed a copy of the book, your best bet is to order one direct. If we receive more orders in the next week, once we begin shipping, we’ll have to allocate copies to our larger accounts.

Last week alone, we received orders for another thousand copies of Charles de Lint’s Eyes Like Leaves, which is headed to the printer this week. We’re not planning a print run as large as some other de Lint titles (such as Promises to Keep or Medicine Road) so this epic high fantasy novel isn’t likely to be in print long past its publication date.

The limited edition of the third installment of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War universe, The Last Colony, is in stock and selling very well. As with previous volumes, Colony is once again illustrated inside and out by Vincent Chong. Here’s your chance to view Scalzi’s signature universe in a unique, splendid way. We think the story isn’t half bad, either!

Limited HC:

$60

Lettered HC:

$250

Our latest Robert E. Howard limited edition, Crimson Shadows, is in stock and shipping. Printed on premium paper, with full-color endsheets, crisp reproduction of the black-and-white interior illustrations, plus a number of exclusive color plates, this is the version to place on your permanent shelf.

Limited HC:

$150

Deluxe HC:

$400

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Peter S. Beagle’s mammoth (over 200,000 words) Best of volume, Mirror Kingdoms, is easily on pace for its February release. We’ve just received the signature page art from Michael Wm Kaluta — one of the best such images we’ve ever seen — and will have the pages printed and off to Peter to sign in the next two weeks. Michael is also completing the cover for Mirror Kingdoms soon. Given how well Peter’s The Last Unicorn: the Lost Version sold, we expect demand for this landmark collection to be very strong. You might want to order early to make certain you’re in line for a copy.

Here’s just one of the cover options for Charles de Lint’s epic high fantasy, Eyes Like Leaves. We’ve sent several design choices to Charles, and as soon as he lets us know which one he prefers — a decision we expect in the next couple of days — Eyes will be uploaded to our printer, on schedule for a late year release.

If you’re still on the fence about Eyes, here’s a brief reminder of what various reviews have said.

From Publishers Weekly:
“World Fantasy Award–winner de Lint dusts off an enchanting epic fantasy written in 1980 but never published. The result is a delightful old-fashioned group quest, and though it occasionally lacks the older de Lint’s graceful skill with language, even his nascent poetic style evokes beautiful imagery.”

From Library Journal:
“This traditional fantasy…bears de Lint’s characteristically lyrical prose and hypnotic storytelling. Filled with Celtic lore and wonderfully drawn characters, this standalone epic should please the author’s many fans and lovers of medieval fantasy.”

From Booklist:
“This is classic high fantasy, written and revised by a master, unpublished when first completed some 30 years ago because de Lint decided to focus on contemporary fantasy stories and let it languish. It is a must for de Lint completists and, actually, for all high-fantasy and folkloristic fiction fans.”

and a new review, from Fantasy Literature:
“Eyes Like Leaves is well-paced, and the action scenes flash with energy. Charles de Lint shows signs of the bardic gift in his ability to make scenes come alive…”

John Scalzi’s much praised dark fantasy novella, The God Engines, has just been sent to the printer. As a reminder, it comes in two versions — a signed leatherbound edition limited to 400 copies, with a different dust jacket than the unsigned, cloth bound trade hardcover. You can’t go wrong with either.

The novella is also keeping up its string of positive reviews. This, from Fantasy Literature: “[The novella] leaves an indelible impression on the reader. It is a hauntingly powerful and provocative tale that will have John Scalzi fans, fantasy lovers, and newcomers alike talking about The God Engines.”

Over at Subterranean Online, we’re pleased to debut “Troublesolving” by Tim Pratt, which we think is one of the best stories we’ve published to date. Tim’s novelette is a twisty, turny, time travel tale, and an utter delight.

While you’re checking out the issue, also have a look at the new reviews by Bill Sheehan (of Graham Joyce’s How to Make Friends with Demons) and Gwenda Bond (of SubPress favorite Cherie Priest’s amazing new novel Boneshaker).

We’re heading into a very busy part of our schedule, from now until the end of the year. Our shippers have just finished sending out all individual, retail, and wholesale orders for R. A. MacAvoy’s welcome return to publishing with the novella, In Between.

Now, they’ve turned their attentions to Crimson Shadows, our huge (over 500 pages) gathering of some of Robert E. Howard’s best tales, which features full color art available nowhere else, and an illustrated slipcase. It will likely take until late in the week to get copies of the regular limited edition and deluxe leatherbound edition out to customers. We’ll post updated shipping news as soon as we have it.

We’re nearly ready to send Peter V. Brett’s The Great Bazaar and Other Stories to the printer, which means reviews are now starting to trickle in. According to Publishers Weekly, the title story in this gathering of “DVD extras” to his novel, The Painted Man, is “a fully realized tale that challenges belief when the main character takes a foolish for no obvious reasons,” while “‘Arlen’, a scene deleted from the novel…offers a charming snippet of childhood foreshadowing…”