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Fantasy and Science Fiction April 2024
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SFF Book Club
Monday, May 20, 7:00pm
Reading Room
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong (SciFi/Fantasy) "Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches. Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him. Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning. Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom." Copies of the regular print edition will be available at the library's Circulation Desk one month ahead of the meeting. All readers are always welcome! Questions or having trouble borrowing a copy of the book? Email Christina!
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| The Weavers of Alamaxa by Hadeer ElsbaiIn this sequel to The Daughters of Izdihar, a group of activists continues to fight for women's rights in a patriarchal society that would deny them full personhood. Inspired by Egyptian history, this conclusion to the Alamaxa duology boasts a "fully formed grounded setting, exhilarating magic, and all-too-real political machinations" (Kirkus Reviews). Read-alikes: Ausma Zehanat Khan's Khorasan Archives series; Saara El-Arifi's Final Strife trilogy. |
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The Familiar
by Leigh Bardugo
During the Spanish Golden Age, Luzia Cotado, gifted with magic, garners the attention of the disgraced secretary to Spain's king, plunging her into a world where the lines between magic, science and fraud blur—and where she must enlist the help of an embittered immortal familiar whose deadly secrets could destroy them both.
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Dragonfruit
by Makiia Lucier
"From acclaimed author Makiia Lucier, a dazzling, romantic fantasy inspired by Pacific Island mythology.
In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person’s greatest sorrow. An unwanted marriage, a painful illness, and unpaid debt ... gone. But as with all things that promise the moon and the stars and offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning.
Every wish demands a price."
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| A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. JensenMarked by the gods, Freya accepts her destiny as a shield maiden after she's sold to Jarl Snorri, who plans to use her power to increase his own and appoints his brooding son Bjorn to be her bodyguard. Inspired by Norse mythology, this steamy series opener boasts action-packed battles and angsty forbidden love. You might also like: Lilith Saintcrow's Black Land's Bane series; Aurora Ascher's Sanctuary of the Shadow; Elizabeth Bear's Edda of Burdens trilogy. |
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| The Mars House by Natasha PulleySet in the far-future Martian colony of Tharsis, this "exquisitely layered and entertaining" (Publishers Weekly) novel by Natasha Pulley (The Half Life of Valery K) explores the often fraught marriage of convenience between anti-immigrant politician Aubrey Gale and dancer January Stirling, a refugee from Earth. Read-alikes: R.W.W. Greene's The Light Years; Derek Kunsken's Venus Ascendant series. |
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Ghost station
by S. A. Barnes
While part of a small space exploration crew on an abandoned planet, a psychologist confronts a gruesome murder and twisted secrets as she races to prevent history from repeating itself in the form of space-borne madness.
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| The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose UtomiWhen Aleke and the Cult of Tutu attack The City of Truth, 17-year-old Junior Peacekeeper Osi uses a sacred artifact known as the God's Eyes to fight back. The Truth of the Aleke is the 2nd book in the Forever Desert series, which takes place 500 years after the events of The Lies of the Ajungo. |
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The Husbands
by Holly Gramazio
When she discovers the attic in her London flat is creating an infinite supply of husbands, waking up to a slightly altered life each day, Lauren confronts the question: if swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you've taken the right path?
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| Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu BabalolaThis short story collection by British Nigerian writer Bolu Babalola (Honey and Spice) offers retellings of myths and folktales from various cultural traditions. You might also like: Aoko Matsuda's Where the Wild Ladies Are; Hanan al-Shaykh's One Thousand and One Nights; or Gemmarose Nethercott's Fifty Beasts to Break your Heart. |
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| The Kingdom of Sweets: A Novel of The Nutcracker by Erika JohansenOn the eve of their 17th birthday, twins Clara and Natasha receive gifts from their godfather that open a portal into the mysterious Kingdom of Sweets in this "beautifully twisted" (Library Journal) retelling of the Nutcracker by the author of the Queen of the Tearling series. Read-alikes: Gregory Maguire's Hiddensee; Kell Woods' After the Forest; Ava Reid's Juniper and Thorn. |
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| The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra KhawTwo refugees, a mermaid and a plague doctor, seek safety in the forest but instead encounter greater danger in this dark and often disturbing homage to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." This volume includes the related short story, "And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice." You might also like: Aimee Ogden's Sun-Daughters, Sea Daughters; T. Kingfisher's Sworn Soldiers series; Jade Song's Chlorine. |
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| The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-GarciaAn unexpected visitor upends the sheltered life of Carlota Moreau, whose father, mad scientist Doctor Moreau, keeps her isolated on their estate in 1870s Yucatán, Mexico, along with the human-animal hybrid creatures he has created. Try this next: Daryl Gregory's The Album of Dr. Moreau. |
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| Arch-Conspirator by Veronica RothIn the post-apocalyptic settlement of Thebes, the human race survives by extracting ichor, or genetic material, from the dead and storing it in the Archive for future use. When Thebes' authoritarian ruler Kreon bans Antigone's deceased brothers' ichor from the Archive, the young woman rebels. Unfolding from multiple viewpoints, this SF retelling of Sophocles' Antigone offers "a heroine to root for, a despot to revile, and a thought-provoking ending" (Library Journal). |
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Contact Christina for more great sff recs! |
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