Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/16/2010
ISBN-13: 9780765318916
ISBN-10: 0765318911

Steampunk. This latest, stand-alone volume of the late Kage Baker's The Company series is a science-fiction/fantasy hybrid set in an alternate Victorian England that begins with the birth of Edward Bell-Fairfax (who previously appeared in Mendoza in Hollywood). As an infant, Bell-Fairfax is taken from his unmarried, aristocratic mother and mentored by the mysterious, slightly sinister Dr. Nennys--under whose tutelage he becomes a talented spy and assassin with the Gentlemen's Speculative Society (GSS). He's told he's working for the good guys, but do the ends justify the means? If you're new to The Company, try the 1st book, In the Garden of Iden--although it's more science fiction than Not Less Than Gods.

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Publisher: Pyr
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/27/2010
ISBN-13: 9781616141943
ISBN-10: 1616141948

A gangster known as the Roman is terrorizing Manhattan, and the vigilante hero known as the Ghost aims to stop him. The Roman is responsible for a series of gruesome murders, in which ancient but unbelievably fresh and unmarred Roman coins are left with the victims. The police are understandably stymied. The Roman is more than he seems at first glance. He has moss golems working in his gang, and he's unusually interested in some pieces of ancient art in the Metropolitan Museum. There are far more sinister things afoot than a mere gangster. Fortunately, the Ghost is up for the challenge, with some well-timed assistance: detective Donovan, allied by chance with the Ghost, provides precisely the right foil for the vigilante. Mann handles the tropes of various genres quite well, allowing the reader to sit back and be thrilled by the clever twists and turns of a spectacularly imagined world and its inhabitants. Turns out that a Jazz-Age-superhero-steampunk-occult thriller is a perfect concoction.

-- Booklist Reviews.

The following books depict fully realized imaginary worlds featuring everything you'd expect from a fantasy novel (such as magic, legendary creatures, and heroic quests)--as well as humor and a tendency to gently poke fun at some of the more common tropes of the genre. If you've read any or all of these series in the past, they're well worth another look. If you're a newcomer--lucky you! Fantastic new worlds await your discovery!

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780441009312
ISBN-10: 044100931X

Humorous Fantasy. It all begins in the world of Klah, when Skeeve's master, Garkin, is assassinated, and the inept apprentice magician teams up with the scaly green dimension-hopping "demon," Aahz. From there, things escalate as they encounter con artists and assassins, would-be conquerors and their invading armies, demon hunters, gargoyles, war unicorns, a green-haired Trollop, and a dragon named Gleep. Inspired by the Bing Crosby-Bob Hope "Road" movies, Another Fine Myth and Myth Conceptions are the first two volumes of Robert Asprin's rollicking, pun-filled MythAdventures series.

Publisher: Ballantine
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/18/2009
ISBN-13: 9780345513526
ISBN-10: 0345513525

High Fantasy. One day, widowed trial lawyer Ben Holiday impulsively purchases a magic kingdom from an upscale Christmas catalog for the staggering sum of one million dollars. Ben, still mourning the loss of his wife Annie, wants a fresh start and thinks that becoming king of Landover might be just what he needs. But it turns out that Landover, suffering from 20 years of neglect, needs Ben just as much as Ben needs Landover. The Magic Kingdom of Landover contains the first three books of Terry Brooks' popular series, Magic Kingdom for Sale--SOLD!, The Black Unicorn, and Wizard at Large, and introduces memorable characters such as court wizard Questor Thews, scribe Abernathy, sylph Willow, and the Kobolds.   You can also check out the books in the series separately.

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Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/01/2005
ISBN-13: 9780060855925
ISBN-10: 0060855924

Humorous Fantasy. When naive-but-enthusiastic tourist Twoflower turns up in Ankh-Morpork, it falls to bumbling wizard Rincewind to serve as guide to the city--until the place is engulfed in flames and the pair must flee for their lives. Rincewind and Twoflower then set off across the Disc, visiting places such as upside-down, dragon-inhabited Wyrmberg and Krull, perched on the very edge of the world. While most of the Discworld books can be read in any order, readers unfamiliar with the series may want to continue with The Light Fantastic, whose story picks up exactly where The Color of Magic leaves off.

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Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780380817702
ISBN-10: 0380817705

Short Stories. While the short stories in this anthology are based on Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, familiarity with the graphic novels is not necessary: these are original, standalone tales, not adaptations. Book of Dreams' basic premise--that Morpheus, aka Dream, along with his six allegorical siblings (including Death, Despair, and Delirium) influence the lives of mortals--provides a jumping-off point for writers such as Tad Williams, Susannah Clarke, Lisa Goldstein, Clive Barker, Steven Brust, and Gene Wolfe. Kirkus Reviews calls this diverse collection "top-flight fantasy."

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/1997
ISBN-13: 9780345379627
ISBN-10: 0345379624

Nest Freemark, a 14-year-old in an Illinois factory town, possesses magic powers whose precise nature is a mystery, as is the reason for her mother's suicide. Nest's grandmother, a dreary alcoholic since her daughter's death, guides Nest in using the magic but keeps many secrets, including the origin of the strange spirit-beast "Wraith," who spirits who live on fear and hatred. Nest has a charmingly grouchy elfin partner, "Pick," with whom she tends the spiritual balance of the land. In the midst of Nest's adolescent awakening, a demon comes to town. He is an insidious presence who incites deadly violence and unleashes terrible malevolences from the land itself. John Ross, a "Knight of the Word," arrives to stop him, to protect Nest and to prevent the grim future he sees in his dreams. Dramatically, Ross's character is a confusion: his much-touted presence ends up making no difference at all Nest herself turns the last trick. Still, Brooks's pacing is fabulous, and he manages to surprise and yet to maintain a feeling of inevitability. The last third of the book is a breathtaking run of near-catastrophes and revelations. As his first novel to be set in the modern world, this volume represents a significant development for Brooks; but his fans should embrace it as eagerly as they have The Sword of Shannara and his many other bestsellers.    
-- Publishers Weekly

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Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/27/2005
ISBN-13: 9780345460790
ISBN-10: 0345460790

Contemporary Fantasy. In this opening volume of the Sangreal series, 11-year-old Nathan Ward discovers that he's not your average kid. While exploring the woods near his home in rural England, he discovers some ancient ruins and is afterwards haunted by vivid dreams of a dying world called Eos and a grail-like cup filled with blood. With the help of his best friend Hazel, his single mother Annie, and his "uncle," immortal magician Bartlemy, Nathan discovers that he can do more than just envision Eos--he can save it by finding the Greenstone Grail. For a unique twist on Arthurian legend, try The Greenstone Grail and its sequels, The Sword of Straw (in the UK, The Traitor's Sword) and The Poisoned Crown.

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