Most anticipated books of 2017

My goodness, how the year is flying past. Almost December. Sheesh. I told my agent I would try to have a final finished draft of No Foreign Sky to her by December. Well, that’s another reason to be thankful for holiday weekends: I got a ton of work done yesterday and though I may not quiiite be ready to send this draft on November 30, I should nearly hit that. I’m done with the hard part and on the final polish of the draft now.

Meanwhile, since we’re so near the end of the year, how about looking forward to 2017? My MOST ANTICIPATED list doesn’t exactly rival my TBR pile in sheer size, but it’s surprisingly lengthy. Let me see, let me see … all right, here we go, working backward through the list from Very to Most Anticipated, looks like a baker’s dozen of titles. Many, as you will see, are new editions to established series. No surprise there. Naturally everyone looks forward to new installments in much-loved series.

All right, then, here we go:

13. The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

I’m putting this on the bottom of my Most Anticipated list because, though I expect to love it, I do have to be in just the right mood AND have time to read an emotionally compelling book before I can tackle one of Wein’s. I am still a book behind with her now, not counting this one. Which is a prequel story about Julie. Knowing where Julie is heading will certainly add a certain depth to this book.

12. Convergence by CJC.

Um, what is this, the 18th Foreigner book? Yes, the 18th. That means it will tie off the current trilogy within the series. I’m sure I will read it soon after it’s released. Probably after re-reading the most recent couple. We’re not at the end: I see that at least one more trilogy is planned. My bet is that will be the last one; it feels to me like we’re moving toward a more definite resolution.

While I look forward to Convergence, I’m accustomed enough to another Foreigner book hitting the shelves every year that I no longer wait with bated breath for The Moment the book is released.

11. Eagle and Empire by Alan Smale

I’m holding off on the second book until this one is released. I do look forward to going on with this series, though, especially since Our Hero was left in a pretty difficult position at the end of the first book.

If you are also waiting for the third book in this or any other series, let me remind you that a delay in purchasing the second book is not read by publishers as a “delay while waiting for the third.” It is read as a failure to purchase the second book. If sales of the second book look bad enough, the publisher may cancel the third book; certainly the author will look like a less promising investment for a subsequent series. So I do suggest that if you definitely plan to buy the second book of a series sometime, do it right away and stick it on a shelf while you wait for the third.

10. A Peace Divided by Tanya Huff

I know there’s going to be a 7th Torin Kerr book in the Valor because Tanya Huff said so at WindyCon. I don’t see much information about it yet, though.

9. Miss Ellicott’s School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood March 21, 2017.

I enjoyed the Jinx series very much and look forward to seeing what Sage Blackwood will write next.

8. Grave by Michelle Sagara

This is the 3rd book of the Queen of the Dead series. I enjoyed the first two books quite a bit, so I’m very much looking forward to this one. Then maybe I’ll finally try out some more books by Michelle Sagara / West!

7. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

Good heavens, 10 books in this series already?

6. The Shadow Cipher, first book in a new series by Laura Ruby

A new book by Laura Ruby! Not only did I really love Bone Gap, it’s turned out to be the kind of book I keep thinking about after finishing it. Let’s see, here’s what Goodreads says about this new book:

It was 1798 when the Morningstarr twins arrived in New York with a vision for a magnificent city: towering skyscrapers, dazzling machines, and winding train lines, all running on technology no one had ever seen before. Fifty-seven years later, the enigmatic architects disappeared, leaving behind for the people of New York the Old York Cipher—a puzzle laid into the shining city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By the present day, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is little more than a tourist attraction.

Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment house—until a real estate developer announces that the city has agreed to sell him the five remaining Morningstarr buildings. Their likely destruction means the end of a dream long-held by the people of New York. And if Tess, Theo and Jaime want to save their home, they have to prove that the Old York Cipher is real. Which means they have to solve it.

Intriguing! Kind of sounds a bit like Winter’s Tale by Helprin, doesn’t it? A magical New York of towering skyscrapers. I look forward to seeing what Ruby does with this.

5. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Speaking of sequels to books I really enjoyed this year.

4. The Cold Eye, by Laura Anne Gilman

I just loved Silver on the Road, so I’m really looking forward to this one. I think this is a duology, so no reason to hesitate about reading this one. The biggest problem will be deciding whether to re-read the first book. I remember it well, but I might enjoy re-reading it before diving into the sequel. Which is actually coming out practically first thing next year: I see the release date is January.

3. Harbors of the Sun by Martha Wells

Oooh, a Raksura book! I think this will be the last. That’ll give Wells a challenge, tying this series off beautifully. I think the Raksura books are contenders for “most re-read” for me. They’ve turned into total comfort reads — and I enjoy the associated shorter works, too.

2. 5th and final Thousand Names book from Django Wexler

No cover image yet, apparently, and it’s darned hard to find the information that there even IS a fifth book. But I asked Wexler via Twitter so I know there definitely is. I’m putting the fifth and final book in this series as Number 2 on my most-anticipated list because I am just DYING to re-read the first book, which strikes me as the kind I will enjoy even more the second time than I did the first. Then I will go on with the rest of the series. In the meantime, if you’ve read all the books to date, no spoilers, please!

and last —

1. Thick as Thieves, from MWT

How about that! Another Queen’s Thief book! Yay! *Jumps up and down, claps hands.* I don’t think this is supposed to finish the series, right? At least one more is expected to eventually appear, I think?

Also, before ending this post, let me just note a couple other 2017 releases I’m looking forward to:

The White Road of the Moon

I’m pleased to say that Kirkus has given this one a starred review, though the review won’t actually be published till December 1. Still, yay!

Also:

The Dark Turn of Winter

Although for this one, I can’t even guarantee this will be the title, much less offer you all a cover image to admire.

Also, hopefully:

Shadow Twin

But, jeez, I have been so busy with revisions of No Foreign Sky that I am officially behind where I wanted to be on Shadow Twin. I should catch up to myself in December. I think.