|
Fantasy and Science Fiction April 2021
|
|
|
|
| Machinehood by S.B. DivyaEarth, 2095: Humans rely on pills and body modifications to compete with weak artificial intelligence (WAI) in a cutthroat gig economy.
Starring: Welga Ramirez, a Shield for a private security firm who's determined to track down the terrorist group that killed her client; and Welga's sister-in-law, researcher Nithya, who aids Welga's investigation.
About the author: S.B. Divya is the author of Runtime as well as co-editor of the Escape Pod podcast magazine. |
|
| Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis by Nicky DraydenIn a world... where humans colonize the body cavities of massive interstellar creatures known as Zenzee, acting Matris (leader) Doka Kaleigh pushes for a less exploitative way of life -- one that will require sacrifices that many people do not wish to make.
Why you might like it: This sequel to Escaping Exodus focuses on the relationships among members of a nine-person marriage while exploring the politics and social issues of their matriarchal society.
For fans of: the woman-centric society of Kameron Hurley's The Stars Are Legion, the Afrofuturist take on generation ships in Rivers Solomon's An Unkindness of Ghosts. |
|
| The Conductors by Nicole GloverIntroducing: Henrietta "Hetty" Rhodes and her husband, Benjy, who use magic to investigate crimes against Black people in 1870s Philadelphia.
Read it for: well-drawn protagonists, their lovingly depicted Seventh Ward community, and a magic system based on the constellations.
For fans of: the alternate history of P. Djèli Clark's The Black God's Drums; the unique magic of Alaya Dawn Johnson's Trouble the Saints. |
|
| A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady MartineWhat it is: the sequel to the Hugo Award-winning novel A Memory Called Empire.
What happens: Shortly after returning to Lsel Station, ambassador Mahit Dzmare reunites with asekreta Three Seagrass when both are dispatched by yaotlek Nine Hibiscus to negotiate with a hostile alien armada at the edges of Teixcalaanli space.
Read it for: extensive and detailed world-building, and an intricately layered plot rife with political intrigue. |
|
| Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee OgdenThe premise: Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," but make it space opera.
Starring: Atuale, the Greatclan Lord's daughter who left her undersea realm to wed Saareval of the land-dwelling Vo; and her former lover, the World-Witch Yanja, whose gene-editing expertise made Atuale's transformation possible.
Why you might like it: Atuale and Yanja's bond is deep, complex, and moving, while their interplanetary quest to stop a plague is rendered in lush and poetic style. |
|
| Out Past the Stars by K.B. WagersStarring: Hailimi "Hail" Bristol, the former gunrunner and current Empress of Indrana who's trying to keep warring civilizations from tearing the galaxy apart.
Why you might like it: Reminiscent of C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner books, this spinoff series of the author's Indranan War trilogy offers a compelling blend of action and interstellar intrigue.
Series alert: Out Past the Stars marks the conclusion of the Farian War series, which begins with There Before the Chaos, followed by Down Among the Dead. |
|
Focus on: Late Capitalism
|
|
| FKA USA by Reed KingWhat it's about: Sixteen-year-old factory worker Truckee Wallace is on a top-secret mission to transport a talking goat named Barnaby across what's left of the United States.
Is it for you? Presented as Truckee's memoir, this satirical apocalyptic road novel contains abundant footnotes from a book called The Grifter's Guide To The Territories FKA USA.
Reviewers say: "a weird, loud, violent, funny, profane journey across the blasted ruin of our future" (NPR). |
|
| QualityLand by Marc-Uwe Kling; translated by Jamie Lee SearleWelcome to... QualityLand, the greatest country in the world, where proprietary algorithms dictate every single aspect of human life.
Where you'll meet: Peter Jobless, dumped by his girlfriend, unfriended by everyone else, and determined to return (against seemingly insurmountable odds) an item that he didn't order to the all-seeing e-commerce behemoth that delivered it to him.
For fans of: the darkly humorous explorations of surveillance capitalism found in Rob Hart's The Warehouse, Joanna Kavenna's Zed, or Nick Harkaway's Gnomon. |
|
| Severance by Ling MaWhat it is: a mixture of apocalyptic world-building (a plague has ravaged New York and the rest of the world), anti-capitalist satire, and...the coming-of-age of a millennial blogger?
What happens: When a strange virus turns people into routine-driven automatons, professionally unfulfilled Candace initially doesn't notice. However, once she's one of a handful of survivors, she joins an odd little band headed west.
Read if for: an engaging and entertaining story that illuminates the hypocrisy and flaws of capitalism. |
|
|
84K by Claire NorthIn the criminal justice system... cash fines have replaced prison sentences as offenders pay a literal debt to society. Assigning monetary value to these crimes falls to the members of the Criminal Audit Office.
These are their stories: Accountant Theo Miller is responsible for assessing penalties, but the murder of a woman from his past compels him to take a personal interest in the crime.
About the author: Claire North is the author of the brain-bending speculative novels The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Touch.
|
|
|
|
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!
|
|
Want to keep up-to-date on new books at the library? on everything from Horror to Home & Garden!
|
|
NoveList Plus is a comprehensive database of fiction and nonfiction titles for all ages, including recommendations, articles, and lists for your fiction and nonfiction needs. DCL cardholders can access NoveList Plus from any computer.
|
|
Check out the library's top ten checkouts! Lists include top tens for adult fiction and nonfiction, movies, young adults fiction, picture books and kids' fiction.
|
|
If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact the Durham County Library at
919-560-0100, 300 N. Roxboro St., Durham, NC 27701
librarywebmaster@durhamcountync.gov
|
|
|