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Fantasy and Science Fiction October 2018
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| Relic by Alan Dean FosterStarring: Ruslan, the last surviving human after a bioweapon wipes out his entire civilization.
The situation: The alien Myssari want to clone Ruslan and revive the human species. In exchange for his cooperation, they promise to help him locate his ancestral planet: Earth.
About the author: Alan Dean Foster is best known for his long-running series set in the Humanx Commonwealth, which begins with Midworld. |
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| Temper by Nicky DraydenIn a world... where everybody has a twin, and virtues and vices are split unevenly between pairs, siblings Auben and Kasim Mtuze's symbiotic bond is strained to the breaking point by Kasim's higher social status and Auben's sudden possession by demons.
Read it for: detailed world-building that encompasses a South African setting in which European colonization never occurred, and a society underpinned by a non-binary conception of gender.
You might also like: Laura Lam's False Hearts, another genre-blending speculative tale about twins with a complex and unusual bond. |
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Embers of war
by Gareth Powell
The sentient warship Trouble Dog was built for violence, yet following a brutal war, she is disgusted by her role in a genocide. She joins the House of Reclamation, an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress.
A straightforward rescue turns into something far more dangerous, as Trouble Dog, Konstanz and Childe find themselves at the center of a conflict that could engulf the entire galaxy. If she is to save her crew, Trouble Dog is going to have to remember how to fight...
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Legion : the many lives of Stephen Leeds
by Brandon Sanderson
Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It's his hallucinations who are mad.
A savant with a genius compartmentalized brain is hired to recover a stolen camera capable of photographing the past and discovers information with the potential to upend the world's three major religions.
By a #1 New York Times best-selling author
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| The Power by Naomi AldermanWhat if... women were in charge? Would they create a more just society...or would they electrocute men with their bare hands and establish a matriarchy?
What it is: Framed as historical fiction penned millennia after the balance of power shifts, this thought-provoking novel follows a diverse cast whose abilities transform them from victims to oppressors.
Book buzz: The Power won the 2017 Women's Prize for Fiction. |
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| The Waking Land by Callie BatesWhat it's about: Lady Elanna Valtai grew up as a hostage in the court of a king who took her to ensure her rebellious father's compliance. Now the prime suspect in the king's murder, Elanna has nowhere to go to but the homeland she's spent her life trying to forget and no one to turn to except the family she's been raised to hate.
Why you might like it: Elanna's transformation from sheltered girl to courageous leader may appeal to fans of Erika Johansen's The Queen of the Tearling. The story continues in Memory of Fire. |
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Vox
by Christina Dalcher
The harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.
What it's about: Marginalized in a near-future America where the government limits women to no more than 100 spoken words daily before outlawing women's education and employment altogether, a former doctor resolves to be heard for the sake of her daughter.
This is just the beginning...not the end.
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| Uprooted by Naomi NovikBackstory: Once every ten years, a powerful wizard known as the Dragon chooses one young woman from Agnieszka's valley and spirits her away to his enchanted tower. Why? Nobody knows.
What happens: Unexpectedly chosen over more likely candidates, Agnieszka discovers untapped talents, challenges the Dragon's rules (and patience), and battles the malevolent influence of the nearby enchanted Wood in order to save her village.
Why you might like it: Based on Polish folklore, this stand-alone novel by Temeraire series author Naomi Novik is a fantastical coming-of-age tale combining magic, warfare, politics, and romance. |
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| Binti by Nnedi OkoraforIntroducing: Binti of the Himba people, who rarely travel beyond their ancestral lands.
What happens: Admitted to the prestigious Oomza University, Binti must leave her family and traditional way of life behind. But her struggle to adjust to her new situation is nothing compared to the trouble caused by the alien Meduse.
Series alert: The Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Binti kicks off a trilogy that continues with Binti: Home and Binti: The Night Masquerade. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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