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Fantasy and Science Fiction January 2019
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| City of Broken Magic by Mirah BolenderIntroducing: the Sweepers, the (downsized) emergency response unit that protects the city of Amicae from magical "infestations."
What happens: Apprentice Sweeper Laura struggles to learn the ropes of a difficult and dangerous job while dealing with a demanding boss.
For fans of: the industrialized fantasy setting of Max Gladstone's Craft novels, and the inventive amulet-centered magical system of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive. |
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| The Mortal Word: An Invisible Library Novel by Genevieve CogmanWhat it is: the 5th installment of the Invisible Library series.
Starring: dimension-hopping librarian-spy Irene Winters, tapped to investigate the assassination of a diplomat; Irene's former apprentice, dragon prince Kai; and their friend, Great Detective Peregrine Vale.
For fans of: Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. |
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| The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth DickinsonWhat happens: Baru Cormorant continues her quest to bring down the Masquerade (i.e. the Imperial Republic of Falcrest) in this sequel to The Traitor Baru Cormorant.
Contains: High-stakes politics and a complex protagonist who will sacrifice everything and everyone to achieve her goals.
For fans of: Brian Staveley' Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne saga, another intricately plotted epic fantasy series whose marginalized characters must navigate a treacherous world of courtly intrigue. |
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| The Razor by J. Barton MitchellIntroducing: incarcerated engineer Marcus Flynn and disgraced former soldier James Maddox, both sent to a penal colony on the planet 11-H37.
What happens: When the already unstable planet becomes uninhabitable, the prisoners are left behind to die or escape.
You might also like: Steve Alten's The Omega Project, where tech genius Robert Eisenbraun is put into hibernation against his will and awakens on a hostile earth where he must defeat a technological adversary of his own making. |
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Semiosis
by Sue Burke
What it is: a multigenerational saga about a group of colonists who settle on the planet Pax, which hosts a variety of sentient native flora.
Want a taste? "The war had begun long before we arrived because war was their way of life."
For fans of: episodic character-driven SF such as Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles or Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy.
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Medusa Uploaded
by Emily Devenport
Starring: Oichi Angelist, a genetically engineered “worm” who is "partially deaf, dumb, and blind" and toiling in domestic servitude for the Executives on the generation starship Olympia -- until she joins with a sentient AI Medusa unit and sets out to change the world.
Reviewers say: “Richly detailed and gorgeously imagined…a gripping and unusual read” (Kirkus Reviews).
Series alert: This fast-paced science fiction thriller is the 1st in a planned trilogy.
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| What Should Be Wild by Julia FineMeet: Maisie Cothay, whose touch can kill the living and resurrect the dead. Raised by her anthropologist father, Maisie grows up in almost total isolation as well as total ignorance of her unusual family history.
Is it for you? Although the premise is reminiscent of TV's Pushing Daisies, the tone of this Gothic-tinged modern fairy tale is decidedly darker.
Want a taste? "Still, I killed my father three times before the age of eight, and caused the demise of over a dozen small animals." |
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The Poppy War
by R.F. Kuang
What it’s about: In this historical military fantasy, dark-skinned war orphan Rin surprises everyone when she aces the entrance exam for Sinegard, the most revered military academy in all of Nikan. Will her discovery that she has shamanic powers help her prove to herself and her classmates that she’s worthy of her place?
Why you might like it: Punctuated with mysticism, treachery, and martial arts, this debut novel (the 1st in a planned trilogy) is inspired by real events in 20th-century China.
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Witchmark
by C.L. Polk
Starring: Dr. Miles Singer, who has just returned from the war in an alternate world reminiscent of Edwardian England. Now working in a hospital, Miles is not only concealing his magical healing powers, but he is also hiding from his powerful family.
Who it's for: This debut historical fantasy is for fans of Philip Pullman, and Victoria Schwab.
Reviewers say: “The final revelations are impossible to see coming and prove that Polk is a writer to watch” (Publishers Weekly).
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| Wonderblood by Julia WhickerIn a (post-apocalyptic) world where Disease has decimated the human population, the doctrine of Wonderblood has produced a nomadic "carnival" culture that revolves around ritual beheadings.
What happens: Taken captive by sadistic self-styled "True King" Mr. Capulatio, adolescent Aurora is forced to accompany him to the "holy city" of Cape Canaveral as his chosen Queen.
Want a taste? "When they rode, they took severed heads with them, in canvas sacks, in saddlebags, and set them out wherever they stopped..." |
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Upcoming Book Club Selections
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Station Eleven : A Novel
by Emily St. John Mandel
What it's about: The sudden death of a Hollywood actor during a production of "King Lear" marks the beginning of the world's dissolution in a story told at various past and future times from the perspectives of the actor and four of his associates.
Book Chat Monday, April 8 at 10:30 a.m. Sharon Forks Library
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library 585 Dahlonega Street Cumming, Georgia 30040 770-781-9840www.forsythpl.org/ |
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