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Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

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New and Notable Fiction for October

Cover art for 1Q84
FICTION
Released: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Star 1Q84
by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin, Philip Gabriel
"Orwellian dystopia, sci-fi, the modern world (terrorism, drugs, apathy, pop novels)--all blend in this dreamlike, strange and wholly unforgettable epic."
"Things are not what they seem." If Murakami's (After Dark, 2008, etc.) ambitious, sprawling and thoroughly stunning new novel had a tagline, that would be it. Read full book review >
Cover art for ED KING
FICTION
Released: Oct. 18, 2011
ED KING
by David Guterson
"More comedy than tragedy: It's hard to garner much sympathy for characters whose lives are determined by their own selfish choices as much as by fate, but Guterson maintains an enjoyably sharp edge to his humor that will keep readers hooked."
From Guterson (The Other, 2008, etc.), a retelling of Oedipus Rex for the information age. Read full book review >
Cover art for ZONE ONE
FICTION
Released: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Star ZONE ONE
by Colson Whitehead
"The latest from a generation of literary novelists who are erasing the distinction between art and pulp."
The zombie genre provides unlikely inspiration for the author's creative renewal. Read full book review >
Cover art for SNUFF
FICTION
Released: Oct. 11, 2011
SNUFF
by Terry Pratchett
"A treat no fan of Discworld--and there are boatloads of them--will want to miss."
Pratchett's new Discworld (Unseen Academicals, 2009, etc.) novel--the umpteenth, but who's counting?--features the Duke of Ankh, otherwise known as Commander Sir Samuel Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, whose estimable wife, Lady Sybil, decrees that they shall take a vacation at her ancestral estate in the country. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE MARRIAGE PLOT
FICTION
Released: Oct. 11, 2011
Kirkus Star THE MARRIAGE PLOT
by Jeffrey Eugenides
"Dazzling work—Eugenides continues to show that he is one of the finest of contemporary novelists."
A stunning novel—erudite, compassionate and penetrating in its analysis of love relationships. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE LADY OF THE RIVERS
FICTION
Released: Oct. 11, 2011
THE LADY OF THE RIVERS
by Philippa Gregory
"Although the complexity of the historical and political events threatens to overwhelm Jacquetta's story, the suspenseful pace never flags."
A duchess endowed with second sight is caught up in the War of the Roses, in another installment of Gregory's Cousins' War series (The Red Queen, 2010). Read full book review >