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"The comet's tail spread across the dawn, a red slash that bled above the crags of Dragonstone like a wound in the pink and purple sky." ~ from George R.R. Martin's A Clash of Kings
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New and Recently Released!
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| The Enchanted by Rene DenfeldFantasy. The nameless narrator of this haunting, lyrical novel, an inmate on death row, describes prison as an "enchanted place" where the hoof beats of galloping golden horses mark time and where miniature hammer-wielding men live inside dungeon walls that "sigh with sadness." Into this world comes the Lady, an investigator tasked with finding evidence that might exonerate a condemned man named York -- who has already resigned himself to his fate. As the Lady and her companion, a fallen priest, embark on their quest to save York, the narrator gradually reveals his own dark past. This debut, written by a journalist and advocate for the incarcerated, employs mystery and magical realism to explore prison culture and humanize those behind bars. |
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| The Waking Engine by David EdisonContemporary Fantasy. In a multi-verse comprised of nameless, innumerable worlds, inhabitants are born only once but die countless deaths to be reincarnated in other bodies, other universes (albeit with memories of past lives intact). The exception is Cooper, who awakens in the City Unspoken, where the gateway to True Death is located. Cooper has never died before, nor does he remember his previous life -- or any other lives, for that matter. So how did he get there? For other offbeat glimpses of the afterlife, check out Jonathan Carroll's The Ghost in Love or Kevin Brockmeier's The Brief History of the Dead. |
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| Dreamwalker by C.S FriedmanContemporary Fantasy. When a DNA test reveals that Jessica "Jesse" Drake isn't related to either of her parents, she decides to get some answers. What Jesse discovers about her origins is stranger than anything she's seen on TV: she's a not-quite-human "changeling" whose fellow "DNA orphans" are mysteriously dying. When her brother gets kidnapped, Jesse and her new friends must travel to a parallel world to rescue him -- and save themselves. This fast-paced, dimension-hopping adventure kicks off the Dreamwalker trilogy. |
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| Up From the Grave: A Night Huntress Novel by Jeaniene FrostUrban Fantasy. As special operatives for a secret government organization dedicated to hunting supernatural bad guys, Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband, Bones, have faced their fair share of danger. Lately, though, it's been quiet...a little too quiet. That changes when several of their friends disappear and they discover that a rogue CIA agent -- their former ally -- has betrayed them. Up From the Grave is the 7th (and final) book in the Night Huntress series, but due to the evolving complexity of the story and characters, newcomers should start at the beginning, with Halfway to the Grave. |
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| Moth and Spark: A Novel by Anne LeonardHigh Fantasy. As the heir to the throne of Caithen, Prince Corin must defend his small country against both the Mycenean Empire and the invading Sarians, while simultaneously fulfilling his obligation to free the realm's dragons from human bondage. Corin finds an unlikely ally -- and love interest -- in Tam Warin, a Seer whose visions may provide the answer Corin seeks. However, even if they succeed in liberating the dragons, the fact that he's a royal and she's a commoner spells doom for their budding relationship. Combining epic adventure, magic, and romance, Moth and Spark should please fans of Juliet Marillier's books. |
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| A Shadow in Summer: Book One of the Long Price Quartet by Daniel AbrahamEpic Fantasy. In the city-state of Saraykeht, sorcerers called "poets" conjure and bind beings called "andat" in order to harness their powers. As the sixth son of the Khai Machi, Otah is more of a spare than an heir -- which is why he's been sent to Dai-kvo school to be trained as a poet, and why he'll most likely be killed by his older brothers if he ever leaves. Unless, that is, he can become someone else first. This opening installment of the Long Price Quartet, which continues with A Betrayal in Winter, will appeal to readers who enjoy reading about the tangled politics of warring nations in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga or the relentless military action in Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. |
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| A Dance of Cloaks by David DalglishEpic Fantasy. In Veldaren, the ruling Trifect seeks to destroy the city's guilds by encouraging their internal power struggle. Only master thief Thren Felhorn has ever succeeded in uniting the guild leaders against the Trifect, though it's his son Aaron who's destined to achieve Thren's ambitions. As heir to the thieves' guild, Aaron -- who made his first kill at the age of eight and his second (his own brother) moments later -- must carry on the fight. Although Aaron is the protagonist of this 1st installment in the Shadowdance series, the story encompasses the viewpoints of a large cast of characters from all walks of life. Set in a detailed quasi-medieval world of thieves and assassins, this action-packed series continues with A Dance of Blades, A Dance of Mirrors, and the forthcoming A Dance of Shadows. |
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| Blood of Ambrose by James EngeArthurian Fantasy. Twelve-year-old Lathvar is heir to the throne of Ontil -- thanks to the efforts of his uncle, Lord Urdhven, who has murdered the boy's parents and declared himself Protector of the realm. Now it's up to renegade enchanter Morlock Ambrosius to ensure that Lathvar survives long enough to reign in his own name. Rife with violence and intrigue, this 1st book in the Morlock Ambrosius novels is narrated by an ensemble cast and continues with This Crooked Way and The Wolf Age. |
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| A Clash of Kings by George R.R. MartinEpic Fantasy. In this sequel to A Game of Thrones, rival factions fight for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros -- and boy, do they fight dirty! Betrayal is the coin of the realm and the nobility turns out to be anything but as royal houses pursue their goals through warfare, assassinations, magic, shifting alliances, and political intrigue. A large and diverse cast populates the pages of this sprawling, intricately plotted saga -- but don't get too attached to anyone. This ongoing epic series continues with A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. |
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| Winterbirth by Brian RuckleyEpic Fantasy. A world abandoned by its own gods may not be worth fighting over, but that doesn't stop two feuding clans, or Bloods -- the Haigs and the Black Roads -- from waging war. As the Bloods clash, everyone else -- the forest-dwelling Kyrinin, the Huanin (humans), and the magically gifted Kyrinin-Huanin hybrids, the Na'Kyrim -- gets caught up in a conflict that could lead to complete annihilation. Fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice saga, with its mix of warfare and politics in a world rapidly succumbing to environmental catastrophe, may enjoy Winterbirth, which is the 1st book in the Godless World trilogy. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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512-218-5400, 221 E. Main Street Round Rock, Texas 78664
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