REISSUES

There’s little doubt about the paperback that’ll be selling like hot cakes this month. Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles saga continues with PRINCE LESTAT AND THE REALMS OF ATLANTIS ( , 13 July, Arrow). This latest entry links vampire mythology to tales of Atlantis, and introduces a new threat to Rice’s bloodsuckers: immortal beings called Replimoids. We said: “For all it contains some bravura passages, this isn’t one of Rice’s best novels. It’s full of talky-talky vampires musing on metaphysics and aesthetics… and the Atlantis passages recall Erich von Däniken’s cheesy Chariots Of The Gods?” Nudging 800 pages in length, hefty best-of collection BEYOND THE AQUILA RIFT ( , out now, Gollancz) brings together 20 short stories and novellas by Alastair Reynolds, seven of them previously uncollected. We said: “Finding space for stories from throughout Reynolds’s career, it’s proof that he is as good a contemporary SF novelist as we have.” Finally, Robert Dickinson combines time travel tourism with the conspiracy thriller in THE TOURIST ( , out now, Orbit); centred on a tour rep, it sees him becoming an unwilling investigator after one of his clients goes missing in the 21st century. We said: “Packed with dry humour, satirical swipes at the 21st century and vivid characters, the book has lots of fun exploring how a culture where time travel is everyday might actually work… An immensely enjoyable read.”