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Fantasy and Science Fiction May 2020
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| Shorefall by Robert Jackson BennettWhat it is: the dramatic 2nd book in the Founders series, set three years after the events of Foundryside.
What happens: Sancia Grado and her associates prepare to bring the art of scriving, long reserved for society's elite, to the common people.
For fans of: the inventive magic system of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy; the criminal camaraderie found in Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards novels. |
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Soot
by Dan Vyleta
Story: This is set a decade after the release of Smoke on the world and finds Thomas, Charlie and Livia navigating unanticipated revolutionary consequences and the schemes of Erasmus Renfrew. All the people in this book seek to discover the true nature of Smoke, and thereby control its power. As their destinies entwine, a cataclysmic confrontation looms, and the Smoke will either bind them together or rend the world.
Sequel: to the best-selling Smoke.
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Permafrost
by Alastair Reynolds
2080: at a remote site on the edge of the Arctic Circle, a group of scientists, engineers and physicians gather to gamble humanity's future on one last-ditch experiment. Their goal: to make a tiny alteration to the past, averting a global catastrophe while at the same time leaving recorded history intact.
2028: a young woman goes into surgery for routine brain surgery. In the days following her operation, she begins to hear another voice in her head ... an unwanted presence which seems to have a will, and a purpose, all of its own. Does she resist ... or become a collaborator?"
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| Chosen Ones by Veronica RothWhat it's about: A decade after five Chicago teens defeated the Dark One and saved the world, these former "Chosen Ones" are struggling, individually and collectively, with fame and trauma.
Reviewers say: This latest novel by the author of the Divergent series is a "thoughtful, well-crafted twist on a genre staple" (Publishers Weekly).
Want a taste? "Something bobs to the surface next to me. It looks like a piece of plastic at first, but when I pick it up, it’s soft and slippery. I scream, dropping it when I realize it’s skin." |
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| The Last Emperox by John ScalziWhat it is: the conclusion to the Interdependency trilogy, which began with The Collapsing Empire and The Consuming Fire.
What happens: Emperox Grayland II fends off usurpers while her lover, Lord Marce Claremont, works to prevent the collapse of the Flow, the mode of interstellar travel on which their society depends.
Reviewers say: This fast-moving political space opera is "punchy, plausible, and bittersweet; studded with zingers until the very last line" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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A Broken Queen
by Sarah Kozloff
Time can heal all wounds, but not all wounds are visible.
Recuperating in Wyeland in the aftermath of her injurious Fire Spirit imprisonment in Oromondo, Cerulia grapples with trauma that challenges her views about her destiny and fitness for the throne.
Series: Book 3 in the series with Number 4 not far behind.
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| The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa GrattonWhat it is: an epic fantasy novel inspired by Shakespeare's King Lear, starring three princesses who vie for control of their father's island kingdom as he succumbs to obsession.
Introducing: a trio of complex heroines: bellicose Gaela, sly Regan, and star priestess Elia.
Series alert: Standalone sequel Lady Hotspur, a gender-swapped take on Henry IV, Part 1, is set in the same world, albeit centuries later. |
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| Spinning Silver by Naomi NovikWhat it is: a mash-up of "Rumpelstiltskin" and Russian fairy tales by the author of Uprooted.
Starring: moneylender's daughter Miryam, whose success in turning silver into gold attracts the attention of the icy Staryk, a race of otherworldly creatures.
You might also like: Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy, beginning with The Bear and the Nightingale. |
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Phoenix and ashes
by Mercedes Lackey
Story: Upon the death of her father, Eleanor Robinson falls victim to her stepmother, a cruel Elemental Master of Earth, who makes her a virtual slave, until Reginald Fenyx, who was once a heroic pilot, returns home, and together these two lost souls must find the courage to overcome evil.
Fairy tale retold: A dark and atmospheric retelling of Cinderella, she sets her story in London during the first World War.
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Gods of Jade and Shadow
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
What happens: After 18-year-old Casiopea Tun accidentally reanimates Hun-Kamé, Lord of Shadows, she must accompany the Mayan death god on a quest to regain his stolen body parts and defeat his brother.
Why you might like it: the evocative 1920s Mexico setting; a slow-building romance; and a quest storyline that unfolds like a dark fairy tale.
About the author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of Signal to Noise and Certain Dark Things.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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