| Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin HearneWhat it is: a quirky comedic fantasy adventure that riffs on classic genre tropes. Featuring: a farm boy (briefly), a talking goat, a seven-foot-tall warrior in a chainmail bikini, an enchanted rabbit bard, an alektorophobic assassin, a sand witch, and a dark lord. For fans of: William Goldman's The Princess Bride, Diana Wynne Jones' Dark Lord of Derkholm, or Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. |
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| Suicide Club: A Novel About Living by Rachel HengIn a world... where DNA is destiny, the human population is divided into "lifers" and "sublifers," categorized on the basis of a genetic test administered at birth. Starring: Lea Kirino, whose genetic profile gives her an expected lifespan of 300 years. Lea doesn't question her privilege until a chance encounter with her estranged father leads her to an underground organization known as Suicide Club. Read it for: a chillingly plausible near-future dystopian society. |
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Mem by Bethany C. MorrowSet in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete. The Mems exist as mirror-images of their source -- zombie-like creatures destined to experience that singular memory over and over, until they expire in the cavernous Vault where they are kept. And then there is Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories. An ageless beauty shrouded in mystery, she is allowed to live on her own, and create her own existence, until one day she is summoned back to the Vault.
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| The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington by Charles RosenbergWhat it is: an alternate history novel that asks: what if George Washington had been captured by the British and charged with treason? Don't miss: an appearance by Benedict Arnold, star witness for the prosecution. Is it for you? Author and attorney Charles Rosenberg focuses more on courtroom drama than battlefield heroics as Washington stands trial. |
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Star Destroyers Edited by Christopher RuocchioBoomers. Ships of the Line. Star Destroyers. The bigger the ship, the better the bang. From the dawn of history onward, commanding the most powerful ship around has been a dream of admirals, sultans, emperors, kings, generalissimos, and sea captains everywhere. For what the intimidation factor alone doesn't achieve, a massive barrage from super-weapons probably will. Thus it was, and ever shall be, even into the distant future. From the oceans of Earth, to beneath the ice of Europa, to the distant reaches of galactic empires, it is the great warships and their crews that sometimes keep civilization safe for the rest of us--but sometimes become an extinction-level event in and of themselves.
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Focus on: Speculative Thrillers
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| Magicians Impossible by Brad AbrahamStarring: Jason Bishop, who's just learned that he comes from a long line of magical spies. What happens: Jason gets caught in the crossfire between rival magical factions the Invisible Hand and the Golden Dawn, each of which wants to claim Jason as one of its own. You might also like: Max Gladstone's Bookburners, another fast-paced, action-packed fantasy adventure in which a magical secret society takes on a dangerous mission. |
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| Dark Matter: A Novel by Blake CrouchWhat it's about: An expert in quantum superposition who (reluctantly) traded research for teaching, physicist Jason Dessen sometimes wonders about the road not taken. Then he wakes up in a life that's not the one he remembers... You might also like: Peter Clines' The Fold or David Walton's Superposition, both of which feature ordinary men forced to contend with alternate realities. |
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| Zero World by Jason M. HoughWhat it's about: Thanks to his brain implant, cyborg spy Peter Caswell conducts clandestine missions -- and immediately forgets what he's done. (Which could be a problem.) Reviewers say: This novel "smashes The Bourne Identity together with The End of Eternity to create a thrilling action rampage" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). About the author: Jason M. Hough made his debut with the acclaimed Dire Earth Cycle, which begins with The Darwin Elevator. |
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| Touch by Claire NorthWhat it is: a mind-bending revenge thriller narrated by the enigmatic Kepler, who can inhabit other people's bodies and kill with a touch. Reviewers say: "The high stakes and breakneck pace of the plot will draw readers in" (Kirkus Reviews). About the author: In addition to The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and The End of the Day, pseudonymous author Claire North (Catherine Webb) has also written books under the name Kate Griffin. |
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| Change Agent by Daniel SuarezIntroducing: Interpol agent Kenneth Durand, from the Genetic Crime Division, who's been injected with a DNA-altering "change agent" that transforms him into his nemesis: crime lord Marcus Wyckes. What happens: On the run from his own men, Kenneth is willing to brave a risky back-alley reverse gene edit to get his life back. Why you might like it: Entertaining and high-tech, this futuristic thriller should please fans of the late Michael Crichton. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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