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Cold Iron
by Miles Cameron
Aranthur is a student. He showed a little magical talent, is studying at the local academy, and is nothing particularly special. Others are smarter. Others are more talented. Others are quicker to pick up techniques. But none of them are with him when he breaks his journey home for the holidays in an inn.
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Early Riser
by Jasper Fforde
Every Winter, the human population hibernates. During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness and devoid of human activity. Well, not quite. Your name is Charlie Worthing, and it's your first season with the Winter Consuls, the committed but mildly unhinged group of misfits who are responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses.
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| Kill the Queen: A Crown of Shards Novel by Jennifer EstepIntroducing: Everleigh "Evie" Blair, who's 17th in line for the throne of Bellona.
What happens: After one of her cousins massacres the rest of the royal family, Evie takes refuge at a gladiatorial school...where she'll begin her quest for revenge.
Author alert: Best known for her Elemental Assassin novels, urban fantasy writer Jennifer Estep ventures into epic fantasy in this 1st book in the Crown of Shards series. |
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| Salvation by Peter F. HamiltonIntroducing: the Assessment Team, dispatched to investigate an alien shipwreck (and its highly sensitive cargo) on a distant planet.
What sets it apart: Best known for his sprawling Commonwealth Universe, author Peter F. Hamilton builds a space-faring civilization from scratch in this opening installment of the Salvation Sequence.
For fans of: the Decameron-inspired structure of Dan Simmons' Hyperion, the child soldiers of Ender's Game, and the adventure novels of Clive Cussler. |
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| Time's Convert by Deborah HarknessThen: Eighteenth-century surgeon Marcus MacNeil joined the Continental Army, met vampire Matthew de Clermont, and took the plunge into immortality.
Now: Marcus is engaged to mortal Phoebe Taylor, who has agreed to undergo the dangerous transition to vampire prior to their marriage.
Spinoff alert: Fans of Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy (beginning with A Discovery of Witches) will enjoy catching up with Matthew, Diana, and their precocious twins. |
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The calculating stars
by Mary Robinette Kowal
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.
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| The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew WilliamsWhat happens: An agent of the Justified sect recruits gifted teens from worlds destroyed by the Pulse, attempting to stay ahead of rival sect Pax.
Read it for: a sarcastic lead, an action-packed plot, and detailed world-building.
Reviewers say: This 1st book in the Universe After series combines the "strong characterizations of Firefly, the space battles of The Expanse, and a tip of the motion scanner to Aliens" (Booklist). |
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| Time Salvager by Wesley ChuOne last job: On the eve of his planned retirement, James Griffin-Mars, a "chronman" who salvages materials from history for use in the resource-poor 26th century, breaks a Time Law by rescuing 21st century scientist Elise Kim from certain death. Now they're both on the run.
About the author: Prior to launching his literary career with The Lives of Tao, the Taiwanese-born writer pursued acting (and had a small role in the film Fred Claus).
Series alert: This opening installment of the Time Salvager series continues with Time Siege. |
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A plague of giants
by Kevin Hearne
Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons, all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men. Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light. Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all, if it doesn’t destroy him first. Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend..
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| At the Table of Wolves by Kay KenyonWhat it's about: At the end of the Great War came the "bloom" and, with it, paranormal abilities in the form of "Talents." Now it's 1936 and England is on the verge of war with Germany. Kim Tavistock's Talent, the "spill," causes others to confide their secrets to her, making her an ideal spy.
Try this next: For another WWII-era historical fantasy featuring espionage and super-powered individuals, try Ian Tregillis' Milkweed Triptych, which begins with Bitter Seeds. |
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Angels of music
by Kim Newman
Deep in the shadows under the Paris Opera House resides Erik the Phantom, mysteriously enduring through the decades as the mastermind behind a strange and secret agency. A revolving door of female agents are charged by wealthy Parisians and the French Government to investigate crimes and misdemeanours they would prefer to keep out of the public eye. The toxic underbelly of Paris is exposed by Erik's tenacious women operatives as they confront horror and corruption throughout the city. But it is one dreadful murder during the 1910 Great Flood of Paris that brings Irene Adler, Kate Reed and others together for a final, deadly confrontation
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Empire games
by Charles Stross
A tale set in an alternate world of the immediate future follows the efforts of the head of a paratime espionage agency to prepare for an upcoming drone war at the same time her estranged spy daughter attempts to protect national security during an ominous succession crisis. "Dark State" is the second title in this series.
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Summerland
by Hannu Rajaniemi
In a world where death is exploited, the British Empire extends its reach into Summerland, a metropolis for the recently deceased, where an SIS agent will have to go rogue to stop the Soviets from building their own god.
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