|
Fantasy and Science Fiction July 2020
|
|
|
|
The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison Starring: consulting detective Crow, an angel, and his (sort-of) human assistant Dr. J.H. Doyle, who solve mysteries together in an alternate Victorian London inhabited by supernatural beings.
For fans of: wingfic, Sherlockiana, and Ripperology.
About the author: Katherine Addison (the pen name of writer Sarah Monette) is the author of The Goblin Emperor. | |
The Companions by Katie M. Flynn What it is: Station Eleven meets Never Let Me Go in this debut novel set in an unsettling near future where the dead can be uploaded to machines and kept in service by the living. What happens: A deceased teenage girl realizes that she’s able to defy her owners and sets out to find the woman who killed her. Lilac's act of rebellion sets off a chain of events that sweeps from San Francisco to Siberia to the very tip of South America. Reviewers say: "Flynn's vibrant characters movingly answer the oft-asked question, 'What does it mean to be human?' This will satisfy fans of literary and science fiction alike." --Publishers Weekly
|
|
The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey What it is: the unforgettable story of a young boy struggling to find his place in a world where nature itself has turned against humanity. What it's about: Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable landscape. A place where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don't get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will. Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He believes the first rule of survival is that you don't venture too far beyond the walls. He's wrong. Reviewers say: "An exciting post-apocalyptic coming-of-age trilogy ... Readers will finish The Book of Koli eager to read the next installment."-- Shelf Awareness
|
|
The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell What happens: Michael Kingman, the son of a traitor, seeks the truth behind his father's disgrace...and ends up following in his footsteps.
For fans of: the vengeance-obsessed protagonist of Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire series, the magic system of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn novels, or the narrative structure of Jenn Lyons' The Ruin of Kings.
Series alert: The Kingdom of Liars kicks off the Legend of the Mercenary Kings series. | |
The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet What it's about: The Unwilling is the story of Judah, a foundling born with a special gift and raised inside Highfall castle along with Gavin, the son and heir to Lord Elban's vast empire. Judah and Gavin share an unnatural bond that is both the key to her survival...and possibly her undoing. What happens: Outside the walls, in the starving, desperate city, a magus, a healer with his own secret power unlike anything Highfall has seen in years, is newly arrived from the provinces. He, too, has plans for the empire, and at the heart of those plans lies Judah... The girl who started life with no name and no history will soon uncover more to her story than she ever imagined.
|
|
Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution by P.W. Singer and August Cole What it's about: Tasked with field-training her new AI partner, Tactical Autonomous Mobility System (TAMS), FBI special agent and counter-terrorism expert Lara Keegan uncovers a global conspiracy.
Why you might like it: This SF thriller offers a plausible vision of how automation may transform societies, plus plenty of well-researched technical detail.
Think: Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel by way of Tom Clancy. | | The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith The library is open...and Claire, Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing, the place in Hell where all the unfinished stories reside, must track down an escaped Hero in search of its author.
Don't miss: former muse Brevity and demon Leto, who assist Claire in her quest as the group races to prevent a war between angels and demons.
For fans of: the adventure plot and world-building of Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series; the cosmology of Good Omens. | | The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Introducing: January Scaller, who rebels against her wealthy and eccentric guardian by secretly exploring doorways to other realms with her companion Bad, a very good dog.
Want a taste? "There's only one way to run away from your own story, and that's to sneak into someone else's."
Does the dog die? No! It's all good! | | Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire Welcome to: Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, an unorthodox boarding school for young people who’ve returned, often unwillingly, from journeys to fantasy realms.
What happens: New student Nancy longs to return to the Underworld, but when a killer starts stalking the school, she has to put aside her dreams of death to keep her friends alive.
What sets it apart: Asexual Nancy is just one of several LGBTQIA characters in this intriguing dark fantasy, the 1st in a series. | | The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern What happens: A mysterious book leads graduate student Zachary Ezra Rawlins on a magical quest to another world, hidden in plain sight.
Why you might like it: A puzzle box narrative and dreamlike prose distinguish this atmospheric novel by the author of The Night Circus.
Want a taste? "Zachary Ezra Rawlins stares at the miniature versions of the same symbols he once contemplated in an alleyway behind his mother's store and wonders how, exactly, he is supposed to continue a story he didn't know he was in." | | A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab A tale of four cities: Red London is rife with magic. Grey London has none at all. White London may soon destroy itself in its attempts to steal the powers of its rivals. And Black London? Well, that city no longer exists except as a cautionary tale to magic abusers.
Starring: Kell, an inter-dimensional royal ambassador with a sideline in smuggling; and Delilah, a cutpurse with piratical ambitions.
Series alert: This trilogy opener continues with A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light. | |
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|