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Fantasy and Science Fiction July 2020
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The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison Starring: consulting detective Crow, an angel, and his (sort-of) human assistant Dr. J.H. Doyle, who solve mysteries together in an alternate Victorian London inhabited by supernatural beings.
For fans of: wingfic, Sherlockiana, and Ripperology.
About the author: Katherine Addison (the pen name of writer Sarah Monette) is the author of The Goblin Emperor. | | Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution by P.W. Singer and August Cole What it's about: Tasked with field-training her new AI partner, Tactical Autonomous Mobility System (TAMS), FBI special agent and counter-terrorism expert Lara Keegan uncovers a global conspiracy.
Why you might like it: This SF thriller offers a plausible vision of how automation may transform societies, plus plenty of well-researched technical detail.
Think: Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel by way of Tom Clancy. | |
The Vanished Birds
by
Simon Jimenez
What it's about: Captain Nia Imani guards a child who crash-lands on the colony world of Umbai-V, a mission that links her to aerospace engineer Fumiko Nakajima, creator of the space stations that have allowed humanity to spread across the galaxy.
Why you might like it: Spanning a thousand years and multiple shifts in perspective, this haunting debut employs space opera tropes to explore the complexity of human relationships.
For fans of: Ursula K. Le Guin's "A Fisherman of the Inland Sea."
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A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab A tale of four cities: Red London is rife with magic. Grey London has none at all. White London may soon destroy itself in its attempts to steal the powers of its rivals. And Black London? Well, that city no longer exists except as a cautionary tale to magic abusers.
Starring: Kell, an inter-dimensional royal ambassador with a sideline in smuggling; and Delilah, a cutpurse with piratical ambitions.
Series alert: This trilogy opener continues with A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light. | | Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire Welcome to: Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, an unorthodox boarding school for young people who’ve returned, often unwillingly, from journeys to fantasy realms.
What happens: New student Nancy longs to return to the Underworld, but when a killer starts stalking the school, she has to put aside her dreams of death to keep her friends alive.
What sets it apart: Asexual Nancy is just one of several LGBTQIA characters in this intriguing dark fantasy, the 1st in a series. | | The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith The library is open...and Claire, Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing, the place in Hell where all the unfinished stories reside, must track down an escaped Hero in search of its author.
Don't miss: former muse Brevity and demon Leto, who assist Claire in her quest as the group races to prevent a war between angels and demons.
For fans of: the adventure plot and world-building of Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series; the cosmology of Good Omens. | | The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern What happens: A mysterious book leads graduate student Zachary Ezra Rawlins on a magical quest to another world, hidden in plain sight.
Why you might like it: A puzzle box narrative and dreamlike prose distinguish this atmospheric novel by the author of The Night Circus.
Want a taste? "Zachary Ezra Rawlins stares at the miniature versions of the same symbols he once contemplated in an alleyway behind his mother's store and wonders how, exactly, he is supposed to continue a story he didn't know he was in." | | The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Introducing: January Scaller, who rebels against her wealthy and eccentric guardian by secretly exploring doorways to other realms with her companion Bad, a very good dog.
Want a taste? "There's only one way to run away from your own story, and that's to sneak into someone else's."
Does the dog die? No! It's all good! | |
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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