It’s April, so let’s see what’s new this month in the Forgotten Realms, in the Galaxy far, far away, and from Angry Robot Books.

From Angry Robot we have Blackbirds, by Chuck Wendig (proprietor of Terribleminds).  The novel has been getting great reviews and has an intriguing premise.  From the back matter:

Miriam Black knows when you will die.

Still in her early twenties, she’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name.

Miriam has given up trying to save people; that only makes their deaths happen. But Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.

And in the Forgotten Realms, we have the first half of R.A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen Omnibus, the 10 year anniversary edition, which collects Dissolution (by Richard Lee Byers), Insurrection (by Thomas Reid), and Condemnation (by Richard Baker). The second part of the Omnibus, which includes the final three books of the series, will be released next month. From the back matter:

The War of the Spider Queen–the epic, six-book series from the fertile imaginations of R.A. Salvatore and a select group of the Forgotten Realms best-selling authors–begins here. Ten years after its initial publication, we are packaging this ground-breaking series in two attractive collector’s editions.

Dissolution: While their whole world is changing around them, four dark elves struggle against different enemies. Yet their paths will lead them all to the most terrifying discovery in the long history of the drow and set them on a quest to save not only Menzoberranzan but the entire dark elf race from dissolution.

Insurrection: A hand-picked team of the most capable drow adventurers begin a perilous journey through the treacherous Underdark, all the while surrounded by the chaos of war. Their path will take them through the very heart of darkness, and the Underdark will be shaken to its core. If the powerful dark elves falter, the world below is open for insurrection.

Condemnation: From the burning sand of Anauroch to the labyrinthine Underdark, an epic quest for the very essence of the Spider Queen takes one startling turn after another. Powerful forces are at work to discover where Lolth has gone. She may return as something greater than she was, or she may have gone from her drow children forever, leaving them to their own devices in a chilling condemnation.

And in the galaxy far, far away we have Scourge, by the most excellent Jeff Grubb. Jeff can tell a great yarn, so this should be fun. From the back matter:

In the heart of crime-ridden Hutt Space, a Jedi Scholar searches for justice.  While trying to obtain the coordinates of a secret, peril-packed, but potentially beneficial trade route, a novice Jedi is killed—and the motive for his murder remains shrouded in mystery. Now his former Master, Jedi archivist Mander Zuma, wants answers, even as he fights to erase doubts about his own abilities as a Jedi. What Mander gets is immersion into the perilous underworld of the Hutts as he struggles to stay one step ahead in a game of smugglers, killers, and crime lords bent on total control.

So there it is!  Happy reading.