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Fantasy and Science Fiction February 2019
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| The Winter of the Witch by Katherine ArdenStarring: witch and warrior maiden Vasilisa "Vasya" Petrovna, who -- aided by frost demon Morozko -- must save Russia from foes both mortal and immortal.
Series alert: The Winter of the Witch concludes the Winternight trilogy, which began with The Bear and the Nightingale.
Try this next: Leigh Bardugo's YA Grisha trilogy is a similarly lush and descriptive fantasy series inspired by Russian folklore. |
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| King of the Road by R.S. BelcherWhat it is: the eerie sequel to urban fantasy adventure The Brotherhood of the Wheel.
Featuring: the Brethren, the secret society descended from the Knights Templar that protects travelers on U.S. highways from shadow people, alchemist-led cults, killer clowns, and other paranormal menaces.
You might also like: Seanan McGuire's Ghost Stories series, which combines Americana and supernatural intrigue. |
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| Abandoned by W. Michael GearWhat it's about: Despite the best efforts of a mining company and the military, the planet Donovan (so named for its first fatality) refuses to be colonized.
Why you might like it: This sequel to Outpost offers nuanced depictions of cultural conflict and a richly detailed setting.
About the author: With his wife Kathleen O'Neal Gear, author W. Michael Gear also writes well-researched historical fiction about North America's native peoples. |
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Featuring: Dr. Martin Brenner ("Poppa"), Terry Ives (Eleven's biological mother), and a mysteriously powerful subject called only 008. You might also like: We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory, in which ordinary people whose lives have been forever altered by strange encounters meet with a psychiatrist who's Fox Mulder meets H.P. Lovecraft.
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| The Guns Above by Robyn BennisWhat it's about: Josette Dupre of Garnia's Royal Aerial Signal Corps takes command of an experimental prototype ship and embarks on a dangerous mission, accompanied by a skeptical crew and an ensign sent to spy on her.
Why you might like it: Like a Steampunk Honor Harrington, the heroine of this 1st Signal Airship novel perseveres in the face of long odds and powerful enemies.
For fans of: action-packed military fantasies such as Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass or Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. |
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| Dark Run by Mike BrooksIntroducing: Captain Ichabod Drift and the crew of the Keiko, a rogues' gallery of smugglers, swindlers, and soldiers of fortune.
The situation: Blackmailed into accepting a dangerous (but potentially lucrative) commission, Ichabod and his crew find themselves in over their heads when the job (predictably) goes south.
For fans of: science fiction caper novels such as Andy Weir's Artemis or Kieran Shea's Off Rock. |
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| The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky ChambersWhat it's about: Fleeing trouble at home, Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, an aging ship with an eccentric and friendly crew.
Why you might like it: This upbeat novel features a diverse cast of likable misfits who form a family of sorts during a deep space mission.
Series alert: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the 1st novel in the Wayfarer series, although each installment can be read on its own. |
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| Deadmen Walking: A Deadman's Cross Novel by Sherrilyn KenyonWhat it is: the opening installment of a historical fantasy trilogy loosely linked to author Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series.
Starring: Devyl Bane, an ancient warlord reincarnated as an 18th-century pirate captain, and his crew of the damned, whose redemption depends on defeating powerful evil forces.
Contains: "swashbuckling, death, glory, and just the tiniest hint of romance" (Booklist). |
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Hyperion
by Dan Simmons
What it's about: A ship full of pilgrims, à la The Canterbury Tales, travels to a planet where the mysterious and powerful Time Tombs are guarded by a deadly entity called the Shrike.
Why you might like it: This is a big-ideas magnum opus from Simmons, with one of the most terrifying villains in sci-fi and a twisty Messiah subplot.
Series alert: This is book one in the Hyperion Cantos, continuing with The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and The Rise of Endymion.
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Redshirts by John ScalziIntroducing: Ensign Andrew Dahl, new recruit aboard the the UU Capital Ship Intrepid. He joins Captain Lucius Abernathy, the alien science officer Q'eeng, and the incredibly unlucky but fast-healing Lieutenant Kerensky. Why you might like it: This is metafiction at its finest, in addition to being a loving and hilarious homage to one of the greatest science fiction series of all time, Star Trek. If you liked: Scalzi's lighter sci-fi fare, such as Fuzzy Nation, The Android's Dream, or Agent to the Stars. Or if you just like a good laugh.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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New Hanover County Library
201 Chestnut Street Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 910-798-6301 www.nhclibrary.org |
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