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Fantasy and Science Fiction February 2018
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| Iron Gold: A Red Rising Novel by Pierce BrownStarring: slave-turned-statesman Darrow, a lowly Red whose uprising against Mars' Gold elite led to the establishment of the Solar Republic -- and an endless war.
Series alert: This spinoff of the Red Rising trilogy takes place ten years after the events of Morning Star. However, newcomers should start at the beginning with Red Rising.
Read it for: a dystopian outer space setting, a unique color-coded caste system, and an action-packed plot rife with warfare and political intrigue. |
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| The Night Market by Jonathan MooreWhat it's about: Responding to a late-night call, San Francisco homicide detectives arrive at the scene of a crime to find it crawling with FBI agents in hazmat suits. Then things get really weird.
Is it for you? Equal parts dystopian SF, noir, and conspiracy thriller, this genre-bending novel boasts a menacing atmosphere and a twisty plot. Think Philip K. Dick meets the X Files.
Should you start here? You can! The 3rd installment of a loose trilogy, The Night Market stands on its own. |
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The Gone World by Tom SweterlitschWhat it's about: Inception meets True Detective in this science fiction thriller of spellbinding tension and staggering scope that follows an NCIS agent into to multiple futures to investigate a savage murder with grave implications for the fate of mankind. Why you might like it: It's a mind-blowing fusion of science fiction, thriller, existential horror, and apocalyptic fiction. What's not to love??
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Markswoman by Rati MehrotraIntroducing: An order of magical-knife wielding female assassins bringing both peace and chaos to their post-apocalyptic world in a bewitching blend of science fiction and epic fantasy. Read it for: The well-developed characters, intriguing worldbuilding and fast-paced plot that will keep the reader engrossed in this fantasy debut. For fans of: The Queens of Renthia series by Sarah Beth Durst or the the novels of Marie Lu.
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Gunpowder Moon by David PedreiraWhat it's about: A realistic and chilling vision of life on the Moon, where dust kills as easily as the vacuum of space…but murder is even quicker. A fast-paced, cinematic science fiction thriller, this debut novel combines the inventiveness of The Martian, the intrigue of The Expanse, and the thrills of Red Rising. Read it for: The interesting quirks and divided loyalties fleshed out in this novel in which science fiction and mystery intersect in a well-crafted plot. For readers who enjoyed Andy Weir’s lunar crime caper, Artemis.
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Senlin Ascends by Josiah BancroftWhat it's about: An alternate history fantasy about a mild-mannered school master who gets separated from his wife in The Tower of Babel - one of the greatest marvel in the world. Holding unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake, The Tower of Babel is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of luxury and menace, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. Read it for: The character of Senlin, who is a man worth rooting for, and his strengthening resolve is as marvelous and sprawling as the tower he climbs. Series Alert: The next title in the The Books of Babel series, Arm of the Sphinx, comes out next month!
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| The Sky Is Yours by Chandler Klang SmithIn a world... where dragons soar above the burned-out ruins of Empire Island (think New York in the year 301970), a reality-TV star, a baroness, and a feral girl must survive the mean streets of their own city.
Want a taste? "This is the story of what it is to be young in a very old world."
For fans of: the inventive and freewheeling apocalyptic fiction of Nick Harkaway. |
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It's Complicated (Romantic Relationships)
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| Burn For Me: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona AndrewsWhat it's about: A pyrokinetic "Prime" is on the loose, using powerful magic to incinerate anyone or anything that stands in his way. As private investigator Nevada Baylor tries to stop him, she finds an unlikely ally in Connor "Mad" Rogan, a billionaire with dark powers of his own.
Why you might like it: Straddling the line between urban fantasy and paranormal romantic suspense, this steamy series starter asks: can your enemy's enemy be your friend-with-benefits (and more)?
You might also like: Although they feature a lighter tone and a snarkier heroine, Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson novels also pair a tough private eye and a hot but dangerous alpha male. Series Alert: This first book in a completed trilogy is followed by White Hot and Wildfire. |
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| The Heart Goes Last: A Novel by Margaret AtwoodWhat it's about: In exchange for a secure middle-class existence, downwardly mobile couple Charmaine and Stan become subjects in an unusual social experiment that will put their relationship to the test.
Why you might like it: No one does chilling yet slyly satirical literary dystopia like Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood.
For fans of: sardonic, keenly observed novels of formerly middle-class individuals adjusting to the harsh realities of late capitalism, such Lionel Shriver's The Mandibles. |
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| The Cold Between: A Central Corps Novel by Elizabeth BonesteelIntroducing: Commander Elena Shaw, chief engineer of the Central Corps ship Galileo, and retired starship captain Treiko "Trey" Zajec, whose hookup on the colony planet of Volhynia gets complicated when Trey is accused of murdering one of Elena's crewmates.
Series Alert: This series continues with Remnants of Trust and Breach of Containment. |
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| Captain Vorpatril's Alliance: A Vorkosigan Saga Novel by Lois McMaster BujoldStarring: Captain Ivan Vorpatril, who (unlike his adventurous cousin, Miles Vorkosigan) is content with his quiet, uncomplicated existence... Then he receives orders to protect Tej Arqua, a young woman targeted by a criminal syndicate.
Series alert: Starring a popular supporting character from the long-running Vorkosigan saga, this 18th series entry, which takes place several years before the events of Cryoburn, easily stands on its own. |
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| Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntoshWhat it's about: If you're a beautiful but uninsured young woman who's facing terminal illness, your best bet is to become a "bridesicle." Of course, you'll be cryogenically frozen until a wealthy man opts to pay for your treatment in exchange for becoming his wife.
You might also like: Don DeLillo's Zero K which also explores futuristic technologies that create more problems than they solve when applied to personal relationships. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Carrollton Public Library 1700 Keller Springs Road, Carrollton Texas 75006 4220 North Josey Lane, Carrollton Texas 75010 |
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