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Fantasy and Science Fiction March 2020
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| What it is: a pulp SF Western set in alternate-timeline dystopian American Southwest and featuring an LGBTQIA cast.
What happens: After her best friend (and secret lover) Beatriz is executed for possession of Unapproved Materials, Esther Augustus seeks to hide in plain sight by joining the Librarians, who pose as "Morally Upright Women" while distributing seditious literature.
Reviewers say: "a feat of writerly sorcery that packs a sweeping political epic into fewer than 200 pages" (Booklist).
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| What it's about: Csorwe, the sacrificial Chosen Bride of chthonic deity The Unspoken One, becomes the apprentice of her just-in-time rescuer, wizard Belthandros Sethennai, and accompanies him on a quest for an ancient relic.
Why you might like it: This debut crafts a compelling coming-of-age story while paying homage to Ursula K. Le Guin's The Tombs of Atuan.
Want a taste? "In the deep wilds of the north, there is a Shrine cut into a mountainside. The forest covers these hills like a shroud. This is a quiet country, but the Shrine of the Unspoken One is quieter still." |
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| Starring: clairvoyant watchmaker Keito Mori, and his lover, Thaniel Steepleton, whose work with the Foreign Office takes the couple (and their adopted daughter) to Mori's native Tokyo, where Thaniel investigates supernatural activity and makes some surprising discoveries about his partner.
Why you might like it: This sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street offers well-drawn characters, a Steampunk-infused Victorian setting, and an intricate plot whose seemingly unrelated parts fit together like clockwork. |
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Series alert: This is the final volume in a trilogy, following Heartstone (available in Overdrive and hoopla) and Dragonshadow (also available in Overdrive and hoopla). Read it for: Dragons! And "White’s signature balance of courtly manners and epic magical fights" (Publishers Weekly)
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| Introducing: Queen Talyien of Jin-Sayeng, who survives an assassination attempt en route to a meeting with her estranged husband, who abandoned her the night before her coronation. (And that's just the beginning of her adventures.)
Read it for: a tough-as-nails heroine, immersive world-building, knotty political intrigue, and a shocking ending.
Series alert: Originally self-published, this debut by Filipina author K.S. Villoso kicks off the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series.
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What it's about: When his spaceship crashes en route to a ceremonial appearance on another boring planet, Roger MacClintock, a spoiled young prince, and his guardian Royal Marines must make a perilous trek across a planet whose jungles are filled with carnivorous plants, deadly predators, and enemy barbarians to seek safety. Reviewers say: "The pace never gets too slow, despite generous world-building and extended action scenes." (Publishers Weekly) "This is as good as military sf gets" (Booklist)
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| The mission: Disgraced Captain Kel Cheris must reclaim the Fortress of Scattered Needles in the name of the Hexarchate.
The weapon: a risky procedure that will graft Kel's conciousness to that of long-dead General Shuos Jedao, a brilliant but erratic military tactician best remembered for slaughtering his own troops.
Why you might like it: Set in a vast interstellar empire based on higher mathematics and featuring an intriguing post-human cast, this 1st book in the Machineries of Empire series unfolds in dense, allusive prose. |
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| Starring: sentient warship Trouble Dog, who seeks to atone for her role in a genocide by joining rescue organization the House of Reclamation.
What happens: This intricately plotted series opener follows Trouble Dog and crew as they undertake what they believe to be a simple search-and-rescue operation and find themselves embroiled in galactic politics.
For fans of: Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. |
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| What it is: an anthology of 24 classic and contemporary short stories and novellas by an all-star roster of science fiction authors, most set in the worlds of their best-known series.
Includes: stories by Catherine Asaro, Lois McMaster Bujold, William C. Dietz, David Drake, Linda Nagata, Elizabeth Moon, Nnedi Okorafor, Alastair Reynolds, and David Weber, among others.
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For personalized reading recommendations from Durham County librarians, try My Next 5! Simply complete an online form to tell us a little about what genres, books, and authors you like (or dislike). A DCL librarian will review your submission and reply with a list of the next five books you should read -- all ages of readers welcome!
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Want to keep up-to-date on new books at the library? on everything from Horror to Home & Garden!
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