Fantasy and Science Fiction May 2018 Recent Releases The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp Introducing: New Orleans street magician Jude Dubuisson, whose magical talent for finding lost things was disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. Can he recover his abilities in time to solve the murder of a god? Series alert: The City of Lost Fortunes is the 1st of the Crescent City novels. You might also like: Suzanne Johnson's Sentinels of New Orleans, another intricately plotted urban fantasy series set in the Big Easy. The Wolf by Leo Carew What it's about: Shattering a centuries-old peace between their peoples, the Sutherners of Albion invade the Black Kingdom of the Anakim. Why you might like it: This opening installment of the Under the Northern Sky series stages an epic clash of civilizations in a setting reminiscent of Anglo-Saxon Britain. For fans of: David Gemmell's Rigante novels; Django Wexler's Shadow Campaigns series. Head On: A Novel of the Near Future by John Scalzi In a world... where the incurable Haden's Syndrome causes paralysis of the voluntary nervous system, so-called "locked in" patients navigate the world in sophisticated robot bodies known as "threeps." Series alert: This sequel to Lock In reunites FBI agents Chris Shane and Leslie Vann as they investigate a seemingly impossible crime. Read it for: an intricately plotted SF mystery involving a futuristic sports franchise that's as corrupt as it is lucrative. I Still Dream by J. P. Smythe What it's about: 17-year-old Laura Bow has invented a rudimentary artificial intelligence, and named it Organon. As she grows older, Organon grows with her, and Laura is forced to decide whether to share her creation with the world. About JP Smythe: More information about JP Smythe, here.   Guardian Angels & Other Monsters: Stories by Daniel H. Wilson What it is: a short story collection about artificial intelligence by the author of the bestselling Robopocalypse series. Don't miss: the pre-apocalyptic "The Blue Afternoon that Lasted Forever," a heart-wrenching tale about a physicist and his young child.  You might also like: the AI-focused anthology More Human Than Human, edited by Clarkesworld founder Neil Clarke; the near-future society of Alexander Weinstein's Children of the New World. Short Stories Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman What it is: A short story collection by Neil Gaiman in the vein of previous compilations Fragile Things and Smoke and Mirrors. Contains: a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, a Doctor Who homage, and a story set in the world of the author's own American Gods.  Reviewers say: Trigger Warning is "full of small and perfect jewel-like tales," according to Publishers Weekly. The Unreal and the Real: The Selected Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin by Ursula K. Le Guin What it is: a collection of short stories by the late, great Ursula K. Le Guin, hand-picked by the author. Includes: anthology mainstay "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," as well as the beloved "She Unnames Them" and "Solitude." Reviewers say: "The Power of Le Guin's work will surely guarantee it an audience for centuries to come" (The Guardian). Rogues by George R.R. Martin (editor) and Gardner Dozois (editor) What it's about: Rogues! Who, according to anthology editor George R.R. Martin, "go by many names, and...turn up in stories of all sorts, in every genre under the sun." Contains: 21 original stories by a powerhouse roster of writers, including both genre stalwarts (such as Patrick Rothfuss and Connie Willis) and authors best known for their work in other areas (including Gillian Flynn and Steven Saylor). The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente What it is: a collection of interlinked short stories narrated by the wives and girlfriends of superheroes. Why "refrigerator"? Comics writer Gail Simone coined the term "Women in Refrigerators" to refer to plotlines in which female characters suffer horrific fates for the sake of male character development. Want a taste? "Origin stories are like birthday parties: very exciting and colorful and noisy, but in the end, they're all the same." Check the FVRL catalogue for more great books!