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Fantasy and Science Fiction February 2021 Explore other worlds and realities with our Fantasy and Science Fiction newsletter! These mind-expanding stories present endless opportunities for escape, fun, and new ideas. Try one today!
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The Burning God
by R.F. Kuang
What it is: the highly anticipated conclusion to the Poppy War trilogy, which finds warrior Rin facing off against colonizers, corrupt rulers, and the gods themselves.
Is it for you? This ultra-violent military fantasy, set in a world reminiscent of 19th-century China and starring an opium-addicted heroine struggling with PTSD, does not pull any punches.
Should you start here? Due to the complexity of the plot and world-building, newcomers should start with The Poppy War, followed by The Dragon Republic.
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The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula BrackstonThis third installment in the Found Things series finds Xanthe taking responsibility for inadvertently transporting the dangerous Benedict Fairfax to her own time, while learning to use her skills as a spinner to keep her and Flora safe.
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| The Frozen Crown by Greta KellyWhat it's about: Princess Askia Poritskaya e-Nimri, heir to the Frozen Crown of Seravesh, seeks an alliance with Emperor Amaan of Vishir against their common enemy, the Roven Empire.
Why you might like it: This opening volume of the Warrior Witch duology features a strong female lead with a dangerous secret, plentiful palace intrigue, an inventive magic system, and forbidden love.
For fans of: Erika Johansen's Queen of the Tearling novels, Jennifer Estep's Crown of Shards series, or Callie Bates' Waking Land trilogy. |
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Dead Astronauts
by Jeff Vandermeer
A messianic blue fox who slips through warrens of time and space on a mysterious mission. A homeless woman, haunted by a demon, who finds the key to all things in a strange journal. Three ragtag rebels waging an endless war against a ruthless corporation. A raving madman who wanders the desert lost in the past, besieged by his own creation: an invisible monster whose purpose remains hidden. Jeff Vandermeer's Dead Astronauts presents a nameless City where, in the shadow of the all-powerful Company, lives human and otherwise converge in terrifying and miraculous ways. At stake: the fate of the future, the fate of Earth--and all the Earths.
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Spotlight on Black Authors |
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| Remote Control by Nnedi OkoraforMeet: fourteen-year-old "Sankofa," also known as the "Adopted Daughter of Death," who has been traveling on foot across near-future Ghana ever since she acquired lethal powers from a strange artifact.
Why you might like it: Told mostly in flashbacks, this character-driven novella slowly reveals its central mystery in folkloric style.
Want a taste? "I am Sankofa, I belong wherever I want to belong, she thought to herself, walking with her chin up and back straight." |
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The Intuitionist
by Colson Whitehead
As two factions at the Department of Elevator Inspectors--the Empiricists and the Intuitionists--wage war on each other, Intuitionist Lila Mae, the first black elevator inspector, faces bedlam when an elevator freefalls on her watch and the mysterious notebooks from the founder of Intuitionism suddenly appear.
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The City We Became
by N.K. Jemisin
Starring: New York City, its five human avatars, and the Lovecraftian evil that threatens them all.
Author alert: After winning multiple awards for her Broken Earth trilogy, N.K. Jemisin launches a new series that expands on her novella, The City Born Great (found in How Long 'Til Black Future Month).
For fans of: Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Daniel Jose Older's Bone Street Rumba series, or Bryan Campbell's Crescent City novels.
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Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi AdeyemiComing of age in a land where her magi mother was killed by the zealous king's guards along with other former wielders of magic, ZĂ©lie embarks on a journey alongside her brother and a fugitive princess to restore her people's magical abilities.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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