Today, we are happy to feature a conversation with Ernest Cline, author of Armada and Ready Player One!   Q) Let’s get right to the elephant in the room. The news is now out that your debut novel, Ready Player One, will be made into a film by Warner Brothers and legendary director Steven Spielberg (set to debut in theaters March of 2018)! What did you do when you got the news? A) I pinched myself a few hundred times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming—then I re-watched all of his movies—including the Indiana Jones films, which helped inspire certain elements of RPO’s story, along with T. and Close Encounters, two Spielberg films that played a large role in inspiring Armada. His work has influenced me throughout my life and writing career, so it’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to collaborate with him on the film adaptation of a story that his work helped inspire.   Q) What do you think of the casting announcements that have been made already? A) I think they’re fantastic! I’ve been a fan of Ben Mendelsohn’s acting since the ’80s, and his portrayal of John Daggett in The Dark Knight Rises…

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR     FANTASY                 URBAN FANTASY     SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR         FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR     The Alchemy of Chaos Marshall Ryan Maresca 2/2/2016 DAW Burning Midnight Will McIntosh 2/2/2016 Delacorte Revenge and the Wild Michelle Modesto 2/2/2016 Balzer + Bray Dreaming Death J. Kathleen Cheny 2/2/2016 Roc Winterwood Jacey Bedford 2/2/2016 DAW Poseidon’s Wake Reynolds, Alastair 2/2/2016 Ace Kingfisher McKillip, Patricia A. 2/2/2016 Ace Kings Rising Pacat, C. S. 2/2/2016 Berkley Revisionary Hines, Jim C. 2/2/2016 DAW Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot: To Preserve Reichert, Mickey Zucker 2/2/2016 Roc Blood In Her…

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY             URBAN FANTASY       SCIENCE FICTION     FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION   All the Birds in the Sky Charlie Jane Anders Tor 1/26/2016 Bands of Mourning Brandon Sanderson Tor 1/26/2016 The Brimstone Deception Lisa Shearin Ace 1/26/2016 Roadside Magic Lillith Saintcrow Orbit 1/26/2016 Staked Kevin Hearne Del Rey 1/26/2016 Graveyard William C. Dietz Ace 1/26/2016 City of Blades Robert Jackson Bennett Broadway 1/26/2016 Night Study Maria V. Snyder Harlequin 1/26/2016 Lustlocked Matt Wallace Tor.com 1/26/2016

As much as I came to see City of Stairs, the first book of The Divine Cities, as a remarkable multi-genre crossover success, it took me a while to warm up to it. In fact, at one point I put the book down with no intention of finishing it. What a mistake that would have been. I’m glad I decided to give it one more chance, because something just ‘clicked’ for me, bringing the whole jumbled mythological tapestry together. In the end, it turned out to be one of my favorite books of the year. Fortunately, there was no such hesitation or doubt involved with City of Blades. This is a book that hooked me from the first chapter and kept me reading at a frantic pace. I devoured the first 180 pages on a Friday night, and then binged my way through the rest over the weekend. While I’m sure familiarity with the world and the mythology helped (there was a steep learning curve with the first book), it was the shift in point-of-view that really made this second book so immediately accessible. Shara Thivani is kept largely off the page here, appearing only in a few scattered scenes, leaving General Turyin Mulaghesh to carry the tale. Mulaghesh…