Fantasy rec: Fevre Dream
The book I'm reccing today is Fevre Dream by George RR Martin - I have to confess, I hadn't heard of the guy before I stumbled over the first of his lengthy Song of Ice and Fire series (and am now desperately hoping he doesn't emulate Robert Jordan and die before he finishes it...) so I was a little surprised to see he'd also managed to get a book in the Fantasy Masterworks series.
The story of Fevre Dream is quite a simple one, involving Abner Marsh, a man who runs a steamboat company on the Mississippi - he is approached by someone else who wants to go into partnership, on condition that Abner lets him be captain and never questions any decision he might make. Soon Abner is to discover that the man he's gone into partnership with has some strange habits, like eating at midnight and keeping odd company, and the direction of his life will change forever.
It's an excellent book, for anyone who likes their plots well supported by factual information (in this case the running of steamboats and the historical context of the story) and both lead characters are very well drawn. If I wasn't already a fan of Martin's writing, Fevre Dream would have made me one.