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Fantasy and Science Fiction March 2019
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| The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max BrodskyStarring: Omat, a young angakkuq (shaman) of the Inuit who embarks on a journey to save the tribe from starvation -- and finds an unexpected ally in Norseman Brandr.
Why you might like it: With a nod to the Vinland sagas, this novel vividly depicts a world inspired by Inuit and Norse legend as it presents the compelling coming-of-age story of its gender nonbinary protagonist.
You might also like: Kim Stanley Robinson's Shaman or Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead. |
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| The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. ChakrabortyWhat it is: The much-anticipated 2nd book in the Daevabad trilogy, set five years after the events of The City of Brass.
(Re)introducing: healer (and unwilling bride) Nahri, the now-exiled Prince Ali, and daeva warrior Dara.
Why you might like it: Drawing on Middle Eastern history and folklore, this novel plunges readers into a vividly drawn world of dangerous magic, conflicted family loyalties, and political intrigue. |
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| Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon JamesWhat it is: a lush and, at times, surreal Afrofantasy novel by the author of A Brief History of Seven Killings.
Reviewers say: The New York Times' Michiko Kakutani describes the novel's African-inspired setting as "a place mapped by Gabriel García Márquez and Hieronymus Bosch with an assist from Salvador Dalí."
You might also like: Charles Saunders' Imaro, Kai Ashante Wilson's The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps. |
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| The Raven Tower by Ann LeckieWhat it's about: Protecting the kingdom of Iraden is a god known as the Raven, whose chosen incarnation, or "Lease", gains great power in exchange for ritualistic self-sacrifice.
Why you might like it: compelling narration from unusual perspectives and a layered, leisurely paced approach to world-building add up to a thought-provoking and stylistically complex novel.
Author alert: Having won a slew of awards for her Imperial Radch space opera trilogy, author Ann Leckie now tackles epic fantasy. |
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| The Ruin of Kings by Jenn LyonsFeaturing: Kihrin, the street thief who, in discovering his true heritage, also stumbles upon what may be his destiny; Talon, the shape-shifting demon that "helps" Kihrin tell his story; and Thurvishar D’Lorus, the chronicler who supplies additional context through (snarky) footnotes.
Series alert: This debut kicks off the Chorus of Dragons series, a sprawling epic fantasy saga that Kirkus Reviews calls a "virtually un-put-down-able read."
For fans of: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. |
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| Kindred by Octavia E. ButlerWhat it's about: Transported back in time to a Maryland plantation, Dana, a black woman living in 20th-century Los Angeles, discovers that two of the people she meets in the past -- planter's son Rufus and enslaved Alice -- are her ancestors.
Want a taste? "I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm. And I lost about a year of my life and much of the comfort and security I had not valued until it was gone." |
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Paradox Bound
by Peter Clines
What it's about: Eli Teague keeps running into Harriet "Harry" Pritchard, who dresses in 18th-century clothing and drives a Ford Model A. Harry, as it turns out, is a member of a secret society known as The Chain, which searches throughout history for a mysterious artifact known as the American Dream. With nothing better to do in the present day, Eli comes along for the ride.
Who is it for: Readers seeking a lighthearted time travel adventure story should pick up this fast-paced novel by the author of the Ex-Heroes series.
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| The Tourist by Robert DickinsonThe Backstory: By the 24th century, recreational time travel is a growth industry. Popular destinations include time periods prior to the Near Extinction Event (NEE) that changed the course of human history.
What happens: Multiple narratives converge (and, at times, contradict one other) as a tour guide pursues a missing vacationer through the 21st century and a 25th-century prisoner carries out a covert mission that could alter several timelines.
For fans of: twisty time-travel thrillers such as Ellen Larson's In Retrospect or Sean Ferrell's Man in the Empty Suit. |
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Immortal Muse
by Stephen Leigh
What it's about: An immortal Muse visits the greatest artists of all time, from the 14th century Parisian alchemists, to Vivaldi in Venice in 1737, William Blake in 1814 and to modern times, in these stories from the author of Assassins' Dawn.
Book buzz: "Leigh seamlessly inserts his two immortals into history, playing with actual people and events to deliver beautifully-rendered glimpses of different eras. Leigh strikes the perfect balance between past and present, real and imagined." —Publisher's Weekly (starred)
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The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
by Claire North
What it's about: Forced to relive his life over and over again, Harry August receives a message on his eleventh death bed, from a little girl who tells him that the world is about to end, and it is up to him to stop it.
For fans of: China Mieville, Christopher Priest, and Adam Roberts
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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