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Fantasy and Science Fiction May 2021
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Engines of oblivion
by Karen Osborne
"Natalie Chan gained her corporate citizenship, but barely survived the battle for Tribulation. Now corporate has big plans for Natalie. Horrible plans. Locked away in Natalie's missing memory is salvation for the last of an alien civilization and the humans they tried to exterminate. The corporation wants to control both-completely"
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The ruthless lady's guide to wizardry
by C. M. Waggoner
"A charming historical fantasy with a tender love story at its core, from the author of Unnatural Magic. Hard-drinking petty thief Dellaria Wells is down on her luck in the city of Leiscourt--again. Then she sees a want ad for a female bodyguard, and shefast-talks her way into the high-paying job. Along with a team of other women, she's meant to protect a rich young lady from mysterious assassins. At first Delly thinks the danger is exaggerated, but a series of attacks shows there's much to fear. Then she begins to fall for Winn, one of the other bodyguards, and the women team up against a mysterious, magical foe who seems to have allies everywhere"
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| The Unbroken by C.L. ClarkWhat happens: Lieutenant Touraine of the Balladairan Colonial Brigade returns to the city of El-Wast, her birthplace, where Princess Luca of Ancier tasks her with spying on the Qazāli, her people.
Why you might like it: This opening installment of the Magic of the Lost series tests Touraine's conflicted loyalties by pitting duty against desire.
For fans of: Seth Dickinson's Masquerade series. |
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Beneath the keep : a novel of the Tearling
by Erika Johansen
A prequel to the best-selling Queen of the Tearling trilogy finds an underworld assassin, a farm girl-turned-rebel and a manipulated crown princess struggling to save their feudal Tearling world, while local rumors prophesize the rise of a great queen. Maps.
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The councillor
by E. J. Beaton
"When the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen's closest friend, is appointed Councillor. Publically, Lysande must choose the next monarch from amongst the city-rulers vying for the throne. Privately, she seeks to discover which ruler murdered the queen, suspecting the use of magic. Further from home, an old enemy is stirring: the magic-wielding White Queen is on the move again, and her alliance with a traitor among the royal milieu poses a danger not just to the peace of the realm, but to the survival of everything that Lysande cares about"
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| Master of Poisons by Andrea HairstonStarring: Djola, Master of Poisons, tasked with saving the Arkhysian Empire from the ecological disaster threatening to destroy it; and Awa, a griot-in-training whose ability to navigate the spirit realm of Smokeland puts her in danger from those who would exploit her talent.
Read it for: lush and lyrical prose, detailed world-building inspired by a variety of African cultures
Want a taste? "Too often, the heroes or gods we bow down to become the monsters that stomp our bones and drink our blood." |
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| The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley RobinsonWhat it is: political climate fiction in the vein of the author's Science in the Capitol trilogy (beginning with Forty Signs of Rain).
What sets it apart: Informed by copious research, this plausible future history is told through a wide range of eyewitness accounts, whether human, animal, or elementary particle.
Reviewers say: Kim Stanley Robinson "transforms the existential crisis we face into a modern fairy tale of resilience and redemption" (Rolling Stone). |
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| The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha ShannonWhat it is: a lush epic fantasy saga by the author of The Bone Season.
Why you might like it: In addition to detailed world-building and an intricate plot, this stand-alone saga boasts a predominantly female cast of queens, mages, alchemists, warriors, assassins, and dragon riders.
You might also like: Sofia Samatar's The Winged Histories, another woman-centered fantasy novel told from the perspectives of LGBTQIA characters. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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