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Fantasy and Science Fiction May 2023 |
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| The Scourge Between Stars by Ness BrownIntroducing: Jaclyn Albright, acting captain of the starship Calypso, which carries the last remaining humans from their failed space colony to a long-abandoned Earth.
What happens: Jaclyn must deal with both the Calypso's mutinous crew and an extraterrestrial intruder stalking the ship's passengers.
For fans of: S.A. Barnes' Dead Silence or the 1979 space horror classic Alien. Available on Hoopla and cloudLibrary |
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| Wings Once Cursed & Bound by Piper J. DrakeStarring: Thai American dancer Peeraphan "Punch" Rahttana, who conceals her kinnaree heritage from the humans around her; and vampire Bennett Andrews, a member of a supernatural secret society that tracks down magical artifacts, such as the cursed red shoes that Punch is currently wearing.
Why you might like it: Set in Seattle, this 1st book in the Mythwoven series blends urban fantasy and romance in ways that may appeal to fans of Sarah J. Maas' Crescent City novels. Available on Hoopla |
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| Red Team Blues by Cory DoctorowOne last job: On the eve of his retirement, 67-year-old forensic accountant Martin Hench reluctantly agrees to recover stolen cryptocurrency keys at the request of his oldest friend, an eccentric technologist turned blockchain true believer.
Reviewers say: This noir-tinged cyberpunk caper, the 1st in a planned series about Martin's Silicon Valley exploits, is "jam-packed with cutting-edge ideas" (Booklist). |
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| The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester FoxYorkshire, England, 1925: Ivy Radcliffe inherits Blackwood Abbey and its mysterious library, which may be responsible for the untimely deaths of the estate's previous residents.
Reviewers say: This "atmospheric historical fantasy" (Publishers Weekly) full of ghostly visitors, strange happenings, and sinister locals harboring secrets makes "a fine addition to the gothic genre" (Booklist).
You might also like: Simone St. James' Silence for the Dead or Katie Lumsden's The Secrets of Hartwood Hall. Available on Libby and cloudLibrary |
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| In the Lives of Puppets by TJ KluneWhat it is: a "gripping and heartfelt queer dystopian" (Publishers Weekly) retelling of Pinocchio by the author of The House in The Cerulean Sea.
Starring: forest-dwelling android inventor Giovanni "Gio" Lawson and his human son, Victor, whose efforts to repair lost android HAP expose their unconventional robot family to danger.
For fans of: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. Also available on Libby |
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| Camp Zero by Michelle Min SterlingIn a world... where climate change has rendered much of the Earth uninhabitable, the northern settlement of Camp Zero welcomes two new arrivals -- sex worker and spy "Rose" and privileged professor Grant -- whose paths will intersect in surprising ways.
Who it's for: Unfolding from multiple perspectives and jumping between past and present-day timelines, this stylistically complex dystopian novel may interest fans of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Catherine Hernandez's Crosshairs.
Media buzz: Camp Zero is a selection of The Today Show's Read With Jenna book club. Also available on Libby |
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Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa1920s Kansas City: Luna Rose Alvarado Lane, a white-passing Mexican American witch who runs a speakeasy with her half-brother Javier, must deal with the mafia, the Ku Klux Klan, and others who do not wish to see her succeed in a white man's world.
For fans of: atmospheric historical fantasies about magic-wielding women of color who must navigate hostile environments, such as Leslye Penelope's The Monsters We Defy, Nicole Glover's Murder and Magic series, or Justina Ireland's Rust in the Root. Available on Hoopla |
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One Dark Window by Rachel GilligWelcome to: Blunder, a mist-shrouded realm where magic is treated like an incurable disease -- meaning that those infected must be killed.
Where you'll meet: Elspeth Spindle, who joins highwayman Rayvn on a quest to gather fabled Providence Cards, which have the power to lift the mist that's slowly killing Blunder's inhabitants as well as banish the Nightmare, a monster trapped in Elspeth's mind.
For fans of: the possessed heroine of Margaret Rogerson's young adult novel Vespertine or the dark fairy tale atmosophere of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf. Available on Libby |
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The Crane Husband by Kelly BarnhillWhat it is: a "dark and engrossing" (Publishers Weekly) retelling of the Japanese folktale "The Crane Wife," set in a Midwestern farming town.
Why you might like it: Tension builds as the unnamed 15-year-old narrator recounts how her artist mother's lover, an enormous crane, moved in and began to terrorize the family.
For fans of: Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories or Carmen Maria Machado's Her Body and Other Parties. Also available on Libby |
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Wild Massive by Scotto MooreWelcome to... The Building, an infinite high rise whose elevator-accessible floors contain alternate realities, most controlled by the nefarious Association.
Where you'll meet: human elevator-dweller Carissa, whose solitary existence is upended by the arrival of Rindasy, a shapeshifting Shai-Manak sorcerer.
Why you might like it: This fast-paced, offbeat novel by the author of Battle of the Linguist Mages should please Doctor Who fans. Available on cloudLibrary |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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