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Science Fiction April 2017
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| Three Years With the Rat by Jay HoskingScience Fiction. Grace is gone. The brilliant and obsessive graduate student has been missing for eight months, along with her boyfriend, John, who also studies psychophysics (the study of temporal subjectivity). When Grace's younger brother goes to the couple's apartment, he discovers a strange contraption and embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of his sister's disappearance. Thought-provoking and stylistically complex, this debut by Canadian author and neuroscientist Jay Hosking slowly reveals its secrets through a nonlinear story divided into three interlinked sections. For similarly mind-bending books about the nature of time, try Dexter Palmer's Version Control or Robert Dickinson's The Tourist. |
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The Song Rising
by Samantha Shannon
A latest installment in the best-selling series that began with The Bone Season finds a clairvoyant underworld queen forging a tentative alliance with the Ranthem only to have her rule threatened by catastrophically powerful technology.
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The Boy on the Bridge
by M. R. Carey
From the author of USA Today bestseller The Girl With All the Gifts, a terrifying new novel set in the same post-apocalyptic world.
Once upon a time, in a land blighted by terror, there was a very clever boy.
The people thought the boy could save them, so they opened their gates and sent him out into the world.
To where the monsters lived.
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Cold welcome
by Elizabeth Moon
"After nearly a decade away, Nebula Award-winning author Elizabeth Moon makes a triumphant return to science fiction with a thrilling new series featuring the daring hero of her acclaimed Vatta's War sequence. Summoned to the home planet of her family's business empire, space-fleet commander Kylara Vatta is told to expect a hero's welcome. But instead, she is thrown into danger unlike any other she has faced and finds herself isolated, unable to communicate with the outside world, commanding a motley group of unfamiliar troops, and struggling day by day to survive in a deadly environment with sabotaged gear. Only her undeniable talent for command can give her ragtag band a fighting chance. Yet even as Ky leads her team from one crisis to another, her family and friends refuse to give up hope, endeavoring to mount a rescue from halfway around the planet--a task that is complicated as Ky and her supporters find secrets others will kill to protect: a conspiracy infecting both government and military that threatens not only her own group's survival but her entire home planet. Praise for Elizabeth Moon Trading in Danger "A mix of space opera, military science fiction and human drama, this is an exciting and often touching novel."--RT Book Reviews Marque and Reprisal "Excellent plotting and characters support the utterly realistic action sequences: swift, jolting, confusing, and merciless. It's a corker!"--Kirkus Reviews Engaging the Enemy "Moon has created a richly imagined universe of different cultures,replete with intriguing characters and the sense of unlimited possibility that characterizes the most appealing science fiction."--School Library Journal Command Decision "One of scifi's best military space series. confirms Moon's place with Lois McMaster Bujold and David Weber in the top tier of turn-of-the-millennium military SF writers."--Syfy Victory Conditions "Rip-roaring action and intriguing science and tactics distinguish Nebula-winner Moon's fifth and final Vatta's War installment. A fine and fitting conclusion to Moon's grand space opera tour de force."--Publishers Weekly"
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The Collapsing Empire
by John Scalzi
When humanity discovers the existence of an extra-dimensional field capable of transporting travelers to different worlds instantly, a significantly depopulated Earth is threatened by a subsequent finding that the field is unstable and may be cutting travelers off on the wrong side of Earth-friendly worlds.
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Change agent : a novel
by Daniel Suarez
Drugged and abducted while standing on a crowded train platform, Kenneth Durand, an Interpol agent working against black-market labs that perform illegal embryo augmentation, awakens to discover he has been genetically transformed into his most wanted suspect. By the best-selling author of Daemon
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New York 2140
by Kim Stanley Robinson
When a New York City of the near future is submerged by rising waters, the residents rapidly adapt the thriving metropolis until it becomes a vibrant, though permanently changed, canal region of island skyscrapers and remarkable inhabitants. 100,000 first printing.
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| Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav KalfarScience Fiction. Chosen for his country's first space mission, Czech astrophysicist Jakub Procházka views the opportunity as a chance to redeem his family's reputation (his father tortured dissidents as part of the previous Communist regime). Jakub boards the JanHus1 and, en route to his destination (a cosmic dust cloud known as Chopra), begins to question his life choices. At once erudite and emotionally intense, this introspective novel may appeal to fans of other character-driven stories about astronauts, such as Meg Howrey's The Wanderers. |
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| Six Wakes by Mur LaffertySF Mystery. The crew of the spaceship Dormire wakes up in cloning vats, covered in blood and surrounded by the corpses of their previous bodies. In this world, the "mindmaps" of the deceased can be downloaded into new clone bodies. But that doesn't mean homicide isn't a serious crime. Now the six must catch a killer (who could be any of them!) as they contend with a malfunctioning ship, an offline AI navigational system, and their own missing memories. Readers who enjoy suspenseful locked room mysteries set in outer space may also like James Smythe's The Explorer or Adam Roberts' Jack Glass. |
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| Seven Surrenders by Ada PalmerFar-future SF. In this sequel to Too Like the Lightning, set in a 25th-century utopian society founded upon the ideals of the European Enlightenment, convict Mycroft Canner continues to carry out his sentence: wandering the world and serving others. Meanwhile, the philosophical Hives that have replaced the world's political states are in flux, thanks in part to Bridger, a young boy whose unusual abilities could tip the balance towards chaos. If you enjoy the blend of Western philosophy and science fiction found in this 2nd installment of the Terra Ignota series, check out Jo Walton's Just City novels, which imagine a world based on the principles of Plato's Republic. |
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The art of Mass Effect Andromeda ; foreword by Mac Walters and Joel MacMillan ; captions by Joseph Botardo, Scotty Brown, Christopher Cao, Kenneth Fairclough, Chris King, Ben Lo, Herbert Lowis, Noel Lukasewich, Brian Sum, Ramil Sunga, and [1 more] ; editor, Ian Tucker
by Bioware
This companion book to the role-playing, third-person shooter video game that features an open world environment features images of the game’s characters, arsenal, locations and vehicles as well as concept art from the game’s development.
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| Revenger by Alastair ReynoldsSpace Opera. In a departure from his usual brand of hard SF, author Alastair Reynolds presents an action-packed adventure featuring space pirates, high-tech heists, and bloody revenge. To save their family from bankruptcy, siblings Adrana and Fura Ness join the crew of the notorious Captain Rackamore, who searches the galaxy for "baubles," hidden worlds shielded by force fields and containing treasure in the form of alien artifacts. Although it can be a lucrative gig, it's also dangerous -- as Fura finds out when her sister is captured in a raid. For more stories about space-faring treasure-hunters, try Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Diving Universe series, which begins with Diving into the Wreck. |
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The wanderers
by Meg Howrey
Auditioning for the first-ever mission to Mars, three astronauts share experiences that push the boundary between the real and surreal while irrevocably changing their relationships and familial bonds.
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Infinity engine
by Neal L. Asher
When the Brockle, a psychopathic forensics AI and criminal escapes Polity’s confinements, rogue AI Penny Royal is thrust into the middle of a war for control between a group of humans, alien prador and AI war drones—an epic showdown that could destroy the entire Polity. By the author of Dark Intelligence. 25,000 first printing.
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Waking gods
by Sylvain Neuvel
A sequel to Sleeping Giants finds an elite physicist investigating the nature of what appears to be a giant metal hand found decades earlier deep underground, a mystery that leads to the greatest discovery of the millennium and the appearance of a world-changing technology
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Thrawn
by Timothy Zahn
A stand-alone novel in the Star Wars Legends series traces the origin story of fan-favorite character Grand Admiral Thrawn and the events that established him as one of the franchise's most iconic villains. By the best-selling author of Heir to the Empire. Illustrations
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Nemesis
by Brendan Reichs
Murdered every two years by the same mysterious person before waking up unhurt with all evidence erased, Min resolves to end the violent cycle before uncovering a conspiracy involving her classmates, a boy who suffers from destructive nightmares and a giant asteroid on a collision course with the Earth. By the co-author of the Virals series. Simultaneous eBook.
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Payback
by Gordon Korman
Fighting for survival after being separated into pairs in the aftermath of a betrayal, the Project Osiris clones search for notorious mob boss Gus Alabaster while tracking down Eli's elusive DNA donor alongside a surprising new ally. Simultaneous eBook. 100,000 first printing.
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Shadow run
by Michael Miller
"The captain of a starship and a prince are forced to revise their ideas of family and loyalty, with the fate of their worlds hanging in the balance"
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Horizon
by Scott Westerfeld
When a plane crash-lands in the arctic, eight young survivors emerge from the wreckage expecting to see ice and snow but instead find themselves lost in a strange jungle with limited supplies and fierce predators, in a debut entry of a series that includes links to a free multiplatform game. By the best-selling author of Uglies. Simultaneous eBook.
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Perfect
by Cecelia Ahern
Since Celestine, eighteen, was declared a public menace, she has been on the run with Carrick, the one person she can trust, but she has a secret that may save all of those branded Flawed
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One trick pony : a graphic novel
by Nathan Hale
In a future where alien beings consume technology as a few humans try to preserve it, Strata, her brother, and a friend are separated from their caravan and, with a wonderful robotic horse, must fight their way back
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| Eifelheim by Michael FlynnAlternate History SF. Eifelheim should have been resettled. Although plague decimated the tiny German town in 1349, modern-day historian Tom, who uses mathematical models to predict settlement patterns, can find no reason why Eifelheim, ideally situated in all respects, shouldn't have bounced back after the Black Death. As Tom and his partner, Sharon, a theoretical physicist, puzzle over this anomaly, readers learn how 14th-century village priest Father Deitrich welcomed extraterrestrials to Eifelheim, setting the stage for a confrontation between the otherworldly visitors and the Church. Readers who enjoy intricately plotted speculative fiction that delves deeply into history, science, and religion may also enjoy Wolfgang Jeschke's The Cusanus Game. |
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| The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley RobinsonAlternate History SF. What if the Black Death had killed 99 percent of Europe's population? In this sweeping novel, author Kim Stanley Robinson explores a radically different world in which the Chinese colonize North America, the Industrial Revolution begins in India, and Christianity proves to be more of a historical curiosity than a global religion like Buddhism or Islam. The book is divided into ten novella-length sections that span about 700 years. Uniting these otherwise distinct stories are a small cast of characters who are repeatedly reincarnated in different time periods and places. With its well-drawn ensemble cast and detailed world-building, The Years of Rice and Salt offers a thought-provoking glimpse of what easily could have been. |
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| Radiance by Catherynne M. ValenteAlternate History SF. The daughter of one of Earth's most acclaimed movie directors, Severin Unck blazes her own artistic trail by making documentaries about obscure and overlooked cultures within the solar system. However, her latest project, a film about a lost colony on Venus, becomes her controversial final work when she disappears during the shoot. In a "found footage" narrative style that compiles transcripts, news items, eyewitness accounts, and more, Radiance -- described by its author as a "decopunk alt-history Hollywood space opera mystery thriller with space whales" -- is a must-read for SF fans seeking a lush, lyrical outer space adventure. |
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| Burning Paradise by Robert Charles WilsonAlternate History SF. In 2014, 19-year-old Cassie Klyne's world has been at peace since the Armistice of...1914? (That's right: in this timeline, World War I ended almost as soon as it began, while the Great Depression and the Second World War never happened.) Of course, this peaceful and prosperous society has some steep hidden costs: it's controlled by extraterrestrials, who strategically intervene to create their desired outcomes. They also deploy lethal "sims" to dispatch anyone who tries to reveal the truth. Cassie's parents died as a result of their attempts to expose their alien overlords; now Cassie's about to meet the same fate, unless she can escape and locate her deceased parents' former allies. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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White Oak Library District Proudly serving the communities ofCrest Hill, Lockport, & Romeovillewww.whiteoaklibrary.org |
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