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An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors
by Curtis Craddock
In a world of soaring continents and bottomless skies, where a burgeoning new science lifts skyships into the cloud-strewn heights, and ancient blood-borne sorceries cling to a fading glory, Princess Isabelle des Zephyrs is about to be married to a man she has barely heard of, the second son of a dying king in an empire collapsing into civil war. Born without the sorcery that is her birthright but with a perspicacious intellect, Isabelle believes her marriage will stave off disastrous conflict and bring her opportunity and influence. But the last two women betrothed to this prince were murdered, and a sorcerer-assassin is bent on making Isabelle the third. Aided and defended by her loyal musketeer, Jean-Claude, Isabelle plunges into a great maze of prophecy, intrigue, and betrayal, where everyone wears masks of glamour and lies. Step by dangerous step, she unravels the lies of her enemies and discovers a truth more perilous than any deception.
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| The Berlin Project: A Novel by Gregory BenfordWhat if the atomic bomb had been ready in 1944 and deployed against the Germans instead of the Japanese? This well-researched, World War II-themed alternate history explores this intriguing scenario as it focuses on the Manhattan project. Less panoramic in scope than Harry Turtledove's Days of Infamy series, The Berlin Project's blend of human drama, geopolitics, and scientific discovery may appeal to readers who enjoyed Kim Stanley Robinson's The Lucky Strike. |
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Age of Swords
by Michael J. Sullivan
In Age of Myth, fantasy master Michael J. Sullivan launched readers on an epic journey of magic and adventure, heroism and betrayal, love and loss. Now the thrilling saga continues as the human uprising is threatened by powerful enemies from without—and bitter rivalries from within. Raithe, the God Killer, may have started the rebellion by killing a Fhrey, but long-standing enmities dividing the Rhunes make it all but impossible to unite against the common foe. And even if the clans can join forces, how will they defeat an enemy whose magical prowess renders them indistinguishable from gods? The answer lies across the sea in a faraway land populated by a reclusive and dour race who feel nothing but disdain for both Fhrey and mankind. With time running out, Persephone leads the gifted young seer Suri, the Fhrey sorceress Arion, and a small band of misfits in a desperate search for aid—a quest that will take them into the darkest depths of Elan. There, an ancient adversary waits, as fearsome as it is deadly.
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| City of Miracles: A Novel by Robert Jackson BennettThis concluding volume of the Divine Cities trilogy focuses on supporting character Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, who sets out on a quest and discovers a conspiracy. To say more would give away too much, but series fans will enjoy discovering the aging (but still lethal) warrior's hidden depths. To experience the full effect of this series' well-drawn characters, complex plot, and meticulous world-building, start with City of Stairs, followed by City of Blades. |
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Inferno Squad
by Christie Golden
A prequel to the upcoming Battlefront II video game, this novel connects the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to the formation of the game’s elite team: Inferno Squad. By the New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars: Dark Disciple. Video-game tie-in
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| The Guns Above by Robyn BennisHaving distinguished herself in combat, Josette Dupre of Garnia's Royal Aerial Signal Corps takes command of an experimental prototype ship and embarks on a dangerous mission, accompanied by a skeptical crew and an ensign sent to spy on her. Like a Steampunk Honor Harrington, the heroine of this 1st book in the Signal Airship series perseveres and succeeds despite long odds and powerful enemies. This action-packed military fantasy debut may also appeal to fans of Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass or Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. |
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An echo of things to come
by James Islington
In the wake of the devastating attack on Ilin Illan, an amnesty has been declared for all Augurs - finally allowing them to emerge from hiding and openly oppose the dark forces massing against Andarra. However as Davian and his new allies hurry north toward the ever-weakening Boundary, fresh horrors along their path suggest that their reprieve may have come far too late. In the capital, Wirr is forced to contend with assassins and an increasingly hostile Administration as he controversially assumes the mantle of Northwarden, uncovering a mystery that draws into question everything commonly believed about the rebellion his father led twenty years ago. Meanwhile, Asha begins a secret investigation into the disappearance of the Shadows, determined to discover not only where they went but the origin of the Vessels that created them - and, ultimately, a cure. And with time against him as he races to fulfill the treacherous bargain with the Lyth, Caeden continues to wrestle with the impossibly heavy burdens of his past. Yet as more and more of his memories return, he begins to realise that the motivations of the two sides in this ancient war may not be as clear-cut as they first seemed... The Licanius Trilogy: The Shadow of What Was Lost -- An Echo of Things to Come.
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| The Empire's Ghost: A Novel by Isabelle SteigerTo restore the Elesthene Empire to its former glory, Imperator Elgar embarks on an ambitious military campaign to bring all of the continent's independent kingdoms under his rule -- whether they like it or not. (And they really don't.) Fans of Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet or Deborah Wolf's Dragon Legacy books should appreciate this series opener, which features an ensemble cast representative of a broad cross-section of society and whose viewpoints depict the novel's central conflict from a variety of perspectives. |
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| All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells"As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure," confesses the AI narrator of this fast-paced SF adventure. After hacking its own governor module and overriding its programming, security droid "Murderbot" ends up saving lives instead of ending them -- but only because letting all the humans die would interfere with its favorite activity: binge-watching some 35,000 hours' worth of entertainment media. All Systems Red's snarky protagonist and suspenseful, action-packed plot should have readers eagerly anticipating future installments of the Murderbot Diaries. |
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| Starship Troopers by Robert A. HeinleinClassic SF. During a far-future war between humanity and the extraterrestrial Pseudo-Arachnids known as "the Bugs," young Juan "Johnnie" Rico serves in the Mobile Infantry, a unit in which soldiers wear powered full-body armor that not only protects them but gives them super-human strength and speed. While this novel boasts plenty of action, its meditations on war, civic responsibility, and sacrifice have ensured its inclusion on the U.S. Marine Corps' official reading list since its original publication in 1959. (More recent SF additions to this list include Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline). |
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| Perdido Street Station by China MiévilleSteampunk Fantasy. In the sprawling Dickensian city of New Crobuzon, eccentric scientist Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin and his insectoid lover Lin are hard at work trying to restore the flight of Yagharek, a bird-like "garuda" whose wings have been amputated. But a promising scientific breakthrough backfires when Isaac's experiments awake the deadly slake-moth and unleash it upon the unsuspecting city. Blending fantasy, horror, and science fiction, Perdido Street Station will captivate fans of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books and the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. |
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| The Bees: A Novel by Laline PaullDystopian Fiction. The rules are simple: "Accept, Obey, and Serve." But worker bee Flora 717 is destined to put that motto to the test. As she rises through the colony's ranks -- from sanitation worker to nurse, from forager to Queen's handmaid -- Flora observes, questions, and challenges the hive's strict laws, and neither the brainwashing effects of honey nor the all-consuming pheromonal power of Queen's Love can stop her. But honeybee colonies are super-organisms whose survival depends on the suppression of individual desires in service of the common good. Will Flora prove to be the savior of her hive, or the agent of its destruction? |
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| Mort(e): A Novel by Robert RepinoDystopian SF. Transformed by the Change, a pheromone-based biological attack by ant queen Hymenoptera, former house cat Sebastian becomes the bipedal, English-speaking, but still unmistakably feline warrior Mort(e), fighting to exterminate all humans. Between missions, he searches for Sheba, the dog who was his best friend before his metamorphosis. Fans of George Orwell's Animal Farm or Richard Adams' The Plague Dogs should appreciate this allegorical tale of love and war. |
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| Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian TchaikovskyEpic Fantasy. This opening volume of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series depicts a unique world in which humans have developed insect-like powers and organized themselves into tribes, or Kinden, that reflect these abilities. Now one group, the Wasp Empire, threatens to conquer and enslave the others. Only Stenwald Maker, an artisan of the Beetle Kinden, perceives the danger and recruits a band of resistance fighters. Will it be enough? Fans of role-playing games will enjoy the depiction of the various Kinden, while readers who enjoy sprawling fantasy sagas can look forward to the rest of this ten-volume series. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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