The New Books Roundup, October 18: A Game of Thrones and Outlander

This week, the new books roundup includes an anniversary edition of A Game of Thrones, new collections from a classic fantasy author, and Outlander.

Welcome back to the new books roundup, which may or may not get lost in the shuffle if yet another political bombshell drops today. (After all, the final debate takes place tomorrow.) This week, we have a pair of big releases for two big fandoms. However, we’ve also added in a new YA novel from a famous author and two new collections from a fantasy legend.

As per usual, title links take you to Amazon, where you can scope out prices. Goodreads links, meanwhile, go straight to Goodreads, where you can check out additional reviews.

A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition

As part of the ongoing events commemorating the 20th anniversary of this franchise, George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones now has an illustrated edition. Each chapter contains black-and-white illustrations of this first novel in the series. However, the book also has some full-page illustrations. Though old hands in the series may appreciate this more than book newbies, the book appears to be a visual delight all around. Goodreads has no official reviews as of this writing, but plenty of 4 and 5 star ratings. Naturally, the electronic edition has a huge filesize. Bantam; hardcover, 896 pages; list price: $50.00.

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The Found and the Lost: The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin

Perhaps her name isn’t as en vogue as George R.R. Martin’s is right now, but Ursula K. Le Guin has been writing fantasy and speculative fiction since the 1960’s and has a pretty big following of her own. Here, for the first time, all of her novellas have been collected into one volume, along with introductions from the author herself. Goodreads has put it on a “books of the month” list. There’s also a companion release called The Unreal and the Real, consisting of Le Guin’s handpicked short stories. The Found and the Lost has an excerpt published on its Amazon page. Saga Press; hardcover, 816 pages; list price: $29.99.

The Making of Outlander: The Official Guide to Seasons One & Two

Claire and Jamie finally made it to the small screen after years of romance on the page in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Now, after two seasons, a companion specifically made for the TV series has been released, with Tara Bennett taking the lead in writing. Each episode is covered in detail, with special insights provided by writers and directors. Both Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, better known to us as Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, also gave interviews for the book. But if you don’t want to read, you can simply look: the book is full of photographs giving fans an amazing behind-the-scenes look at the show. It also includes an introduction from Gabaldon herself. Early Goodreads reviews call it fabulous for fans. Delacorte Press; hardcover, 240 pages; list price: $50.00.

Next: 13 Female Horror Writers to Read

Other new books out today include What Light, a new title from Thirteen Reasons Why author Jay Asher; a revised edition of the Star Trek Encyclopedia, for the 50th anniversary of the franchise; and His Bloody Project, another Man Booker Prize shortlist.