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| Summerlong by Peter S. BeagleAs an impossibly beautiful spring leads into a perfect summer, Lioness is drawn to a complicated family. She is taken in by two disenchanted lovers visited by Joanna's previously unlucky-in-love daughter, Lily. With Lioness in their lives, they are suddenly compelled to explore their deepest dreams and desires.
Leisurely paced and bittersweet, Summerlong may appeal to fans of Patricia McKillip's Kingfisher, which similarly infuses myth into modern life. |
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| Breath of Earth: A Novel by Beth CatoIn an alternate 1906, the United States and Japan have forged a powerful confederation in an attempt to dominate the world. Their first target is a vulnerable China. In San Francisco, headstrong secretary Ingrid Carmichael is assisting a group of powerful geomancer wardens who have no idea of the depth of her own talent--or that she is the only woman to possess such skills..
For another story about a magically gifted young woman saving a vividly depicted early 20th-century San Francisco, check out M.H. Boroson's The Girl with Ghost Eyes. |
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| Four Roads Cross by Max GladstoneThe moon goddess Seril, long thought dead, is back--and the people of Alt Coulumb aren't happy. Protests rock the city, and Kos Everburning's creditors attempt a hostile takeover of the fire god's church. Tara Abernathy, the god's in-house Craftswoman, must defend the church against the world's fiercest necromantic firm--and against her old classmate, a rising star in the Craftwork world.
Fans of Three Parts Dead (the first published entry in the series) will be pleased to see Tara again. However, readers who prefer following the series' internal chronology should start with Last First Snow. |
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| An Accident of Stars: Book 1 of The Manifold Worlds by Foz MeadowsTrapped in a magical realm on the brink of civil war, Saffron Coulter finds her fate intertwined with that of three different women--all rebels--and is bound to them with ties of blood and magic as they all join forces to stop Leoden from ascending the throne.
For more excellent fantasy world building, try Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond E. Feist. |
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| The Dinosaur Knights by Victor MilánKaryl Bogomirsky and Rob Korrigan are on trial for their role in defending the pacifists of Paradise against the Empire of Nuevaropa's crusader armies. Even more dangerous than the Empire's tank-like war triceratops units, however, are the dreaded Grey Angels, emissaries of the Creator, whose mission is to cleanse the world of sin and ensure that all people adhere to the imperial faith.
A large cast of characters and extensive world-building provide ample scope for a dramatic saga of war, politics, and religion that should please fans of George R.R. Martin fans currently awaiting the next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire. |
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| The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim ButcherCaptain Francis Grimm defends Spire Albion from attacks by rival Spire Aurora. Tapped for a top-secret military mission, Grimm teams up with members of the Spirearch's Guard, including rebellious noblewoman Gwendolyn Lancaster; her dashing cousin Benedict; etherealist Master Ferus and his apprentice Folly; and orphan Bridget Tagwynn and her feline guardian, Rowl.
With its thrilling blend of espionage and high-altitude battles, this fast-paced, action-packed opening volume of the Cinder Spires series should entertain fans of Naomi Novik's Temeraire books. |
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| Magebane by Lee Arthur ChaneWhen Lord Falk, the most powerful of the MageLords, sets in motion a plan to tear down the Barrier and conquer the lands beyond, his dastardly scheme is threatened by the unexpected arrival of a young man whose airship suddenly comes sailing over the top of the Great Barrier.
Epic fantasy tropes (reluctant heroes, lost heirs, and forbidden magic) exist alongside dirigibles and other Steampunk-inspired technologies in this sweeping saga, similar to the Clockwork Century novels by Cherie Priest. |
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| The Cloud Roads by Martha WellsMoon has spent his life hiding what he is. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.
Intrigued by this unusual world? Check out The Siren Depths and The Serpent Sea next. |
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| Updraft by Fran WildeWhen Kirit inadvertently breaks Tower Law, the city's secretive governing body, the Singers, demand that she become one of them. In an attempt to save her family from greater censure, Kirit must give up her dreams to throw herself into the dangerous training at the Spire, the tallest, most forbidding tower, deep at the heart of the City.
Extensive world-building, layers of political intrigue, and a poignant coming-of-age story make this book perfect for fans of Shadowbridge by Gregory Frost. |
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