Ed Perkins takes a look at this-week's new releases...

* Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, Gollancz £6.99pb

Highly rated debut novel. Something wiped out Resurgam's birdmen aeons ago. Now Doctor Dan dares to try to find out what happened and is captured. But wait! A ship of cyborgs crossing light years needs him to help save their captain. Golly. (Suspect all sci-fi fans come from the Planet Glob.)

n A Mother's Gift by Britney and Lynne Spears, Boxtree £9.99

American teenage warbler and her mum's novel about a young girl singer who becomes so successful she leaves her mom behind. How do they think up the plots, eh?

n Mountain Men by Mick Conefrey and Tim Jordan, Boxtree £15.99

A look at the madmen, rogues and pioneering brave British heroes who first conquered peaks such as the Matterhorn and Mount McKinley. Ties in with a BBC 2 series. ( I expect they'll cover my almost getting up Constitution Hill on a bike in the next series.)

n Sharpe's Prey by Bernard Cornwell, Harper Collins £16.99

Who says sequels don't succeed? This is Bernie's masterly-plotted 18th Hornblower-esque tale about the eponymous hero who is engaged in an act of skulduggery in 1807. Good luck, Mr Bean.

n Rosie and Tortoise by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks, Puffin £4.99pb

Rosie the hare's baby brother is weedy so she shuns him until told a story about a tortoise. Who said hares were mad?

n The New Dream Interpreter by Mehr-Ali Kalmami. Quantum £7.99

A-Z of unlocking dreams, according to writings of an Iranian. If you dream of oars, good advice will come your way; dreaming of accountants symbolises justice. If you dream of rowing financial advisers you need serious help, I say.

ED PERKINS

ed.perkins@bournemouthecho.co.uk