February 2017 list by Holly Whistler
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| The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine ArdenFairy Tale Fantasy. Raised on a steady diet of stories, "wild maiden" Vasilisa Petrovna, affectionately known as Vasya, has grown up wandering the grounds of her father's rural estate, befriending the spirits of the natural world. But when Vasya's pious stepmother joins forces with an ambitious young priest to force the villagers to forsake the old ways (and the old gods), they set in motion a tragedy that only Vasya can avert. With its allusions to classic tales such as "Morozko" and "Vasilisa the Beautiful," The Bear and the Nightingale is an "earthy, beautifully written love letter to Russian folklore" . |
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| The Cold Eye by Laura Anne GilmanWeird Western. The Territory west of the Mississippi river belongs to the Devil; as the Devil's Left Hand, 16-year-old circuit rider Isobel serves as his eyes and ears -- and, occasionally, as judge, jury, and executioner. But a series of strange events on the Territory's western boundary soon causes Isobel to wonder if she's up to the job. Set in a supernatural version of the 19th-century American frontier, this sequel to Silver on the Road is the 2nd book in the Devil's West series. |
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| Recluce Tales: Stories from the World of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.Short Stories. Set in the world of author L.E. Modesitt's popular Recluce series, this short story collection features 17 new tales, four reprints, and an essay that fill in the gaps among previous installments. Arranged in internal chronological order, this collection is best suited to existing fans of Recluce's rich history, detailed world-building and rigorous system of magic. However, it may also serve as a useful introduction to readers deciding whether or not to take the plunge into the 18-volume (and counting) series. |
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| The Heart of What Was Lost: A Novel of Osten Ard by Tad WilliamsIn this sequel to the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, the Storm King has been defeated, and his followers, the Norns, have retreated to their stronghold of Nakkiga pursued by Rimmersman Duke Isgrimnur and his mortal army. Unfolding from the perspectives of individuals on both sides of the conflict, this book offers new insight into a familiar fantasy world. Fans of the original series should appreciate a closer look at the culture of the Norns, while those unfamiliar with the story may want to go back to the very beginning and read The Dragonbone Chair. |
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The Black Wolves of Boston
by Wen Spencer
A vampire, a ward of the Wolf King, a Virtue who is sworn to hunting evil, and a seemingly normal college-bound senior must join forces to stop a plot by the Wickers, a group of witches who gain power from human sacrifices.
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The Dark Lord
by Jack Heckel
In this hilarious parody of epic fantasy, a young man travels into a dark and magical world, where dwarves, elves, and sorcerers dwell, to restore the balance between good and evil. After spending years as an undercover, evil wizard in the enchanted world of Trelari, Avery hangs up the cloak he wore as the Dark Lord and returns to his studies at Mysterium University. On the day of his homecoming, Avery drunkenly confides in a beautiful stranger. When Avery awakens, hungover and confused, he discovers that his worst nightmare has come true: the mysterious girl has gone to Trelari to rule as a Dark Queen.
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Firebrand
by Kristen Britain
As Green Rider Karigan G’ladheon's journey northward becomes ever more perilous, she also most contend with the kidnapping of King Zachary of Sacoridia.
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The Great Wall: The Official Movie Novelization
by Mark Morris
Imprisoned within in The Great Wall, a mercenary warrior discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of our world, prompting him to join a huge army of elite warriors to stop the marauding beasts that, wave after wave, besiege the massive structure. Movie tie-in.
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The Hanging Tree
by Ben Aaronovitch
When blood and ghosts return to the Mayfair mansions of the super-rich, which have a haunted history as the last trip of the condemned, England's last wizard and the Metropolitan Police's reluctant investigator of all things supernatural is called in to get to the bottom of the sinister doings. By the author of The Sunday Times best-selling Peter Grant series.
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In Calabria
by Peter S. Beagle
An artistic loner living on a farm in scenic Calabria, Italy, comes to the aid of a seemingly impossible visitor who throws his entire life into chaos. By the acclaimed author of The Last Unicorn.
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Penric and the Shaman
by Lois McMaster Bujold
Young Lord Penric now wears the white robes of the Bastard's Order. His demon of disorder, Desdemona, is present, so when a Locator of the Father's Order shows up on the Archdivine's threshold in need of a sorcerer for a journey and she volunteers Penric, at least Des is thrilled with the prospect of an adventure. As they travel into the mountains to locate Inglis, a shaman accused of murdering his best friend, the situation grows into a test for all of Penric's developing talents.
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Portal of a Thousand Worlds
by Dave Duncan
Author of the Seventh Sword series Dave Duncan transports us to Imperial China in an alternate nineteenth century—an Asian epoch not unlike the Boxer Rebellion era—with a spellbinding tale of rebellion, political intrigue, larceny, seduction, shape-shifting, dark magic, and murder. These are troubled years in the Good Land.
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The Vine That Ate the South
by J. D. Wilkes
In a forgotten corner of western Kentucky lies a haunted forest referred to locally as "The Deadening," where vampire cults roam wild and time is immaterial. Our protagonist and his accomplice—the one and only, Carver Canute—set out down the Old Spur Line in search of the legendary Kudzu House, where an old couple is purported to have been swallowed whole by a hungry vine. Their quest leads them face to face with albino panthers, Great Dane-riding girls, protective property owners, and just about every American folk-demon ever, while forcing the protagonist to finally take stock of his relationship with his father and the man's mysterious disappearance.
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The Erstwhile
by B. Catling
In London and Germany, strange beings are reanimating themselves. They are the Erstwhile, the angels that failed to protect the Tree of Knowledge, and their reawakening will have major consequences. In Africa, the colonial town of Essenwald has fallen into disarray because the timber workforce has disappeared into the Vorrh. Now a team of specialists are dispatched to find them. Led by Ishmael, the former cyclops, they enter the forest, but the Vorrh will not give them back so easily.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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