Here's a book guaranteed to offend a bunch of people, not only because of its profuse profanity and graphic violence, but because it's the epitome of iconoclasm. Like a brutal accident, you can't watch but you can't turn away. The story follows an ex-preacher man, Jesse, who has become disgusted with God's abandoning of His responsibilities. So Jesse starts off into the wilds of Texas with his hitman girlfriend and new best friend (a vampire) to find God so that he can give Him a piece of his mind. Despite its superficial perversity, this book contains what may be the most moral character in mainstream comics. A cult hit in the making. Fans of Quentin Tarantino take note.

To date, the life of down on his-luck S.A.S. Corporal Kev Hawkins has been an interesting mix of surprises and disappointments—but nothing could have prepared him for his repeated run-ins with the super-hero team knows as "The Authority"! After committing a debacle in his early career with the S.A.S, Kev was reassigned to a shadowy British intelligence agency as their "cleaner," taking care of the worst problems imaginable. No wonder he spends every night at the pub with his mates! His latest assignment: He must kill the most powerful super-human group on the planet — armed only with a gun!

Finally, here is a book that covers all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. And, at 725 pages, this "companion" covers them in considerable depth. Terry J Erdmann had access to the set throughout the seven seasons, resulting in a volume filled with interviews and anecdotes. A brief introduction to each season is followed by an episode-by-episode guide, consisting of writing, directing and acting credits, stardate where known, a detailed plot summary and then a lengthy analysis including interviews with the actors and production staff. These provide a wealth of detail that gives the reader a real feeling for all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing the finished shows. At more than twice the length of the previous Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, the coverage feels very thorough, although more biographical information on the actors would have been welcome. Dotted through the book are longer interviews, and at the end there is a piece about the very last day of filming. An appendix provides an alphabetical listing of episodes for easy reference. Thebook is liberally illustrated with photographs and drawings but, sadly, these are all black and white. But, that aside, this is an essential addition to the bookshelves of long-time fans, as well as providing an accessible introduction for those less familiar with the show. —Elizabeth Sourbut

With a field as crowded as heroic fantasy, a reader is entitled to know what makes the latest blockbuster worth his or her attention: but Bantam books are throwing considerable marketing weight behind Steven Erikson, because they clearly believe he is the Next Big Thing. They may be right—he has the breadth and detail of imaginative vision, he is able to create a world that is both absorbing on a human level and full of magical sublimity, and, above all, he can write.

Gardens of the Moon concerns the military campaign by the Malazan Empire to capture the last remaining Free City on the Gernsbackian continent. War is waged with conventional soldiers as well as powerful magicians, and gods mix with mortals in a complex, but rewarding, series of narrative threads that come chiefly out of the school of Feist's Magician, although there is also something of the flavour of Gavriel Kay's celebrated Fionavar books. The moon of the title is a wonderfully grand conception, a sort of floating mountain that moves through the skies of the war-striken continent, and is the home of the 'Son of Darkness'. The various magical battles are splendidly written, and the characters are well realised. Rewardingly mellow and fiendishly readable. —Adam Roberts