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"It began as a piece of homework. The English teacher gave me twenty marks out of twenty for it, and put it in the school magazine. The kids liked it. I was a writer." ~ from Terry Pratchett's A Blink of the Screen
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New and Recently Released!
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The Big Fix
by Linda Grimes
Linda Grimes's sexy and hilarious urban fantasy series that began with "In a Fix" and Quick Fix continues in The Big Fix.
Aura adaptor extraordinaire Ciel Halligan, who uses her chameleon-like abilities to fix her clients' problems--as them--is filling in on set for action superstar Jackson Gunn, whose snake phobia is standing in the way of his completing his latest mega-millions Hollywood blockbuster. There's only one thing Jack fears more than snakes, and that's the possibility of his fans finding out he screams at the sight of one. Going from hero to laughing stock isn't part of his career plan.
Seems like a simple enough job to Ciel, who doesn't particularly like snakes, but figures she can tolerate an afternoon with them, for the right price--which Jack is offering, and then some. What she doesn't count on is finding out that while she was busy wrangling snakes for him, his wife was busy getting killed. When Ciel goes to break the sad news to the star, she finds out Jack was AWOL from her client hideaway at the time of the murder.
Ciel begins to suspect Jack's phobia was phony, and that he only hired her to provide him with an alibi--but if she goes to the police, she'll have to explain how she knows he wasn't really on set. Up against a wall, Ciel calls on her best-friend-turned-love-interest Billy, and her not-so-ex-crush Mark, to help her set up the sting of a lifetime.
Ciel Halligan #3
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The Book of Phoenix
by Nnedi Okorafor
"A fiery spirit dances from the pages of the Great Book. She brings the aroma of scorched sand and ozone. She has a story to tell.... " "The Book of Phoenix" is a unique work of magical futurism. A prequel to the highly acclaimed, World Fantasy Award-winning novel, " Who Fears Death," it features the rise of another of Nnedi Okorafor's powerful, memorable, superhuman women.
Phoenix was grown and raised among other genetic experiments in New York's Tower 7. She is an "accelerated woman"--only two years old but with the body and mind of an adult, Phoenix's abilities far exceed those of a normal human. Still innocent and inexperienced in the ways of the world, she is content living in her room speed reading e-books, running on her treadmill, and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human of Tower 7.
Then one evening, Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated by his death and Tower 7's refusal to answer her questions, Phoenix finally begins to realize that her home is really her prison, and she becomes desperate to escape.
But Phoenix's escape, and her destruction of Tower 7, is just the beginning of her story. Before her story ends, Phoenix will travel from the United States to Africa and back, changing the entire course of humanity's future.
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Uprooted
by Naomi Novik
“Our Dragon doesn't eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that's not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he's still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we're grateful, but not that grateful."
Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows--"everyone" knows--that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.
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The silver witch
by Paula Brackston
A year after her husband's sudden death, ceramic artist Tilda Fordwells finally moves into the secluded Welsh cottage that was to be their new home. She hopes that the tranquil surroundings will help ease her grief, and lessen her disturbing visions of Mat's death. Instead, the lake in the valley below her cottage seems to spark something dormant in her - a sensitivity, and a power of some sort. Animals are drawn to her, electricity shorts out when she's near, and strangest of all, she sees a new vision; a boatful of ancient people approaching her across the water.
On this same lake in Celtic times lived Seren, a witch and shaman. She was respected but feared, kept separate from the community for her strange looks. When a vision came to her of the Prince amid a nest of vipers she warned of betrayal from one of his own. Prince Brynach both loved and revered her, but could not believe someone close to him wished him harm, even as the danger grew.
In her own time, Tilda's grief begins to fade beside her newfound powers and a fresh love. When she explores the lake's ancient magic and her own she discovers Seren, the woman in her vision of the boat. Their two lives strangely mirror each other's, suggesting a strong connection between the women. As Tilda comes under threat from a dark power, one reminiscent of Seren's prophecy, she must rely on Seren and ancient magic if death and disaster are not to shatter her life once more.
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Day shift
by Charlaine Harris
There is no such thing as bad publicity, except in Midnight, Texas, where the residents like to keep to themselves. Even in a town full of secretive people, Olivia Charity is an enigma. She lives with the vampire Lemuel, but no one knows what she does; they only know that she's beautiful and dangerous.
Psychic Manfred Bernardo finds out just how dangerous when he goes on a working weekend to Dallas and sees Olivia there with a couple who are both found dead the next day. To make matters worse, one of Manfred's regular--and very wealthy--clients dies during a reading.
Manfred returns from Dallas embroiled in scandal and hounded by the press. He turns to Olivia for help; somehow he knows that the mysterious Olivia can get things back to normal. As normal as things get in Midnight...
Novel of Midnight, Texas #2
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Sword of the north : The Grim Company
by Luke Scull
As Davarus Cole and his former companions were quick to discover, the White Lady's victorious liberation of Dorminia has not resulted in the freedom they once imagined. Anyone perceived as a threat has been seized and imprisoned--or exiled to darker regions--leaving the White Lady's rule unchallenged and absolute. But the White Lady would be wiser not to spurn her former supporters: Eremul the Halfmage has learned of a race of immortals known as the Fade, and if he cannot convince the White Lady of their existence, all of humanity will be in danger.
Far to the north, Brodar Kayne and Jerek the Wolf continue their odyssey to the High Fangs only to find themselves caught in a war between a demon horde and their enemy of old, the Shaman. And in the wondrous city of Thelassa, Sasha must overcome demons of her own.
Because the Fade are coming...
Grim Company #2
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Defiant
by Karina Sumner-smith
Once, Xhea's wants were simple: enough to eat, safety in the underground, and the hit of bright payment to transform her gray-cast world into color. But in the aftermath of her rescue of the Radiant ghost Shai, she realizes the life she had known is gone forever.
In the two months since her fall from the City, Xhea has hidden in skyscraper Edren, sheltered and attempting to heal. But soon even she must face the troubling truth that she might never walk again. Shai, ever faithful, has stayed by her side--but the ghost's very presence has sent untold fortunes into Edren's coffers and dangerously unbalanced the Lower City's political balance.
War is brewing. Beyond Edren's walls, the other skyscrapers have heard tell of the Radiant ghost and the power she holds; rumors, too, speak of the girl who sees ghosts who might be the key to controlling that power. Soon, assassins stalk the skyscrapers' darkened corridors while armies gather in the streets. But Shai's magic is not the only prize--nor the only power that could change everything. At last, Xhea begins to learn of her strange dark magic, and why even whispers of its presence are enough to make the Lower City elite tremble in fear.
Together, Xhea and Shai may have the power to stop a war--or become a weapon great enough to bring the City to its knees. That is, if the magic doesn't destroy them first.
Towers Trilogy #2
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Focus on: Alternate History Fantasy
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| Ink and Steel: A Novel of the Promethean Age by Elizabeth BearAlternate History Fantasy. In this prequel to Campbell-award winning author Elizabeth Bear's Promethean Age series, Elizabeth I occupies the English throne, while Queen Mab reigns in the parallel world of Fae. Helping to maintain the balance between these realms is a magical secret society called the Prometheus Club. Spy Kit Marley -- better known as the poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe -- is one of their members, but when he is murdered in the line of duty, young Will Shakespeare must take his place. There's only one problem: Will has no magical abilities. Therefore, it's up to Kit, miraculously restored by Faerie magic, to assist Will -- while searching for the traitor who took his life. |
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| Mage's Blood by David HairAlternate History Fantasy. Every 12 years, the tides ebb to reveal the Leviathan Bridge, a 300-mile-span that connects the otherwise isolated continents of Yuros and Antiopia. Originally created to facilitate trade between the two regions, it is more often used by the powerful Magi of the West to wage crusades against their "infidel" neighbors to the East. But the Antiopians are not about to bow down to the invaders. With its epic scope, extensive world-building, and sprawling cast of morally ambiguous characters, this 1st book in the Moontide Quartet may appeal to fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. |
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| Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn Alternate History Fantasy. In a society modeled on feudal Japan, where warring clans compete for power, young warrior Takeo has two destinies. As an official member of the Otori clan, he must avenge his adoptive father's murder. However, Takeo's birth family belonged to The Tribe, a rival group of five clans with extraordinary powers. Can he use his talents to fulfill his mission, or will his dual identity tear him apart? If you enjoy Across the Nightingale Floor, you'll want to read its sequel Grass for His Pillow, and the two books that follow. And if you're interested in more mythology-based fantasy set in East Asia, you might want to check out Barry Hughart's novels featuring Master Li and Number Ten Ox, a mystery-fantasy hybrid that unfolds in 7th-century China. |
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| River of Stars: A Novel by Guy Gavriel KayAlternate History Fantasy. Four hundred years after the events of Under Heaven, Kitai once again teeters on the brink of war. Destined to play an important role in the conflict are Lin Shan, a young woman whose mastery of the arts of calligraphy and poetry is matched by her political savoir-faire, and Ren Daiyuang, a former outlaw who has risen through the ranks of the Imperial Army and must now defend Kitai from invasion by nomadic raiders. Inspired by the history and culture of Song Dynasty China, River of Stars is a lyrical, sweeping saga that may appeal to fans of Elizabeth Bear's Eternal Sky series, which presents a fantasy version of 12th-century Eurasia from the perspective of the Mongol Empire's rulers. |
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| Arcanum by Simon MordenAlternate History Fantasy. One thousand years after the fall of Rome, Europe exists as a collection of independent kingdoms whose access to (or lack of) magic determines their fate. One such realm, the German-speaking Palatinate of Carinthia, depends on its Order of Hexmasters for everything from commerce to technology to basic infrastructure to defense. But what happens when the magic runs out? Find out in this engaging, intricately plotted fantasy novel, an alternate history saga distinguished by strong characterization and extensive world-building. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 6532 Adelphi Rd. Hyattsville, Maryland 20782 301-699-3500http://www.pgcmls.info/ |
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