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"The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things...Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit; unicorns may go unrescued for a very long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story." ~ from Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn
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New and Recently Released!
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| Half a King by Joe AbercrombieEpic Fantasy. Born with a deformed hand, Prince Yarvi, second son of the King of Gettland, becomes heir to the Black Chair after his father and elder brother are murdered. Unfortunately, Yarvi's conniving uncle has designs on the throne and stages a coup that sends Yarvi into exile and subsequent enslavement. Yarvi vows to avenge his family members' deaths, dethrone his uncle, and reclaim his rightful inheritance -- and that's just the opening installment of author Joe Abercrombie's Half a King trilogy. For other dramatic, intricately plotted tales of unlikely heirs to hotly contested thrones, check out Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor or N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. |
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Thief's magic
by Trudi Canavan
In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen's world faces. Elsewhere, in a land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer's daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it, should she dare to risk the Angels' wrath. But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands. Not even the people they trust.
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| Alias Hook by Lisa JensenFantasy. After running afoul of a Voodoo priestess, Restoration-era privateer Captain James Benjamin Hookbridge is exiled to Neverland, where as "Captain Hook" he's doomed to spend eternity battling Peter Pan and his bloodthirsty Lost Boys. Immortal, invincible, yet trapped in an endless cycle of pointless violence, Hook despairs of ever escaping his fantastical prison -- until an unexpected arrival to Neverland gives him new hope. For another re-envisioning of James Barrie's Peter Pan, try Jessica Stilling's Betwixt and Between. Meanwhile, fans of classic children's tales retold for a sophisticated adult audience may enjoy Carolyn Turgeon's similarly bittersweet and reflective Godmother. |
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| The Queen of the Tearling by Erika JohansenEpic Fantasy. On her 19th birthday, Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, the rightful Queen of the Tearling, returns from exile to claim her throne. Bright and resourceful, but unpracticed in diplomacy, she quickly makes powerful enemies -- foremost of which is the Red Queen, an immortal sorceress who rules the neighboring realm of Mortmesne. Can Kelsea become the monarch that the Tearling requires? Set in a far-future society that has reverted to medieval-style feudalism in the wake of a cataclysm known as The Crossing, The Queen of the Tearling offers plenty of drama, political intrigue, and world-building. |
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| The Secret History of Fantasy by Peter S. Beagle (editor)Short Stories. Edited by Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author Peter S. Beagle, this anthology of 17 short stories includes contributions from an all-star roster of writers including Neil Gaiman, Susanna Clarke, Stephen King, Francesca Lia Block, Robert Holdstock, Patricia A. McKillip, and the late Octavia Butler (to name just a few). And, for additional insight into the fantasy genre -- past, present, and future -- be sure to check out this book's appendix, which features two essays, writer Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Critics, The Monsters, and the Fantasists," and scholar David Hartwell's "The Making of the American Fantasy Genre." |
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| Queen Victoria's Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (editors)Short Stories. Excerpts from the adolescent Queen Victoria's secret diary is just one of the delights of this enchanting anthology, which includes short stories by notable fantasy writers such as Delia Sherman, Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer, Elizabeth Bear, Gregory Maguire, Genevieve Valentine, Catherynne M. Valente, and Jane Yolen. Each tale, set in a magical, often steam-powered version of Victorian England, examines 19th-century society from a different perspective, whether it's that of the magic-wielding ruling classes, the entreprenurial inventors who devise new technologies, or the servants that keep this brave new-old world running. |
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| At the Mouth of the River of the Bees: Stories by Kij JohnsonShort Stories. The 18 stories comprising At the Mouth of the River of Bees showcase the impressive variety of author Kij Johnson's work, which covers "strange, beautiful, and occasionally disturbing territory" (Publishers Weekly) ranging from classic folktale retellings to modern-day magical realism. Settings include ancient Japan, contemporary Seattle, and wholly invented, timeless worlds. Don't miss this diverse collection by the Nebula, Sturgeon, World Fantasy, and Hugo Award-winning author of The Fox Woman. |
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| Wonders of the Invisible World by Patricia A. McKillipShort Stories. Wonders of the Invisible World presents 16 enchanting tales by acclaimed author Patricia A. McKillip. From her macabre twist on the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" to her poignant exploration of Celtic legends in "The Kelpie," McKillip demonstrates her mastery of folklore traditions, while simultaneously surprising readers with inventive scenarios, such as that of the title story, which involves angels, time travel, and Cotton Mather. Fantasy readers won't want to miss this collection by a modern master of the genre, whom fellow author Charles de Lint once praised as "one of the few writers I've read who hasn't written a bad book." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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