|
|
Fantasy and Science Fiction November 2025
|
|
|
|
| Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane AndersJamie is a young witch worried about her mother Serena: after the passing of her wife, Serena has holed herself up in a one-room schoolhouse. Jamie decides to teach her mother magic as a way to help move past her grief, but the unexpected results of Serena's magic will force them both to confront uncomfortable truths. For fans of: queer witchy fantasy with thoughtful and character-driven stories such as The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields. |
|
| The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth BrownWithin the hidden corners of London lies a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects. When the first new object in decades emerges in Hong Kong, the newest member, Magda Sparks, must not only go and recover it, but investigate the possibility that a member has leaked the society's existence to an outsider. Gareth Brown's latest standalone contemporary fantasy will delight fans of fast-paced action, rich atmospheric detail, and plucky heroines. |
|
|
|
Legalist
by L. E. Modesitt
L. E. Modesitt, Jr., bestselling author of Saga of Recluce and the Imager Portfolio, continues the Grand Illusion, a gaslamp political fantasy series (Isolate, Councilor, Contrarian) with a prequel, Legalist. Fifty years after the establishment of the Imperium, and 450 years before the events of Isolate, Dominic Mikail Ysella--ancestor of Avraal Ysella--is the grandson of the last king of Aloor. Stripped of most of their land, Dominic, as the third son, must support himself. Dominic becomes a legalist and is elected to the Imperial Council quietly working as an isolate, someone unreadable by government telepaths. Amid a time of a crumbling imperial line, Dominic must build a coalition within the Council and quietly draft a new constitution to save the Imperium from itself. Uncovering rampant corruption, graft, and potential to be arrested for treason, Ysella discovers any number of ways that simple legal specialist in water rights could get himself killed.
|
|
| What We Can Know by Ian McEwanIn 2119, the world is in ruins from nuclear war and climate change. Scholar Thomas Metcalfe searches for a lost love poem from 2014, written for the poet's beloved wife. The search sends Thomas on a journey of love and artistic legacy. Ian McEwan's latest after Lessons "offers up a heady, intellectual tale that takes a searing look at how history is created -- and distorted" (Booklist). |
|
|
|
The Ragpicker King
by Cassandra Clare
In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as everything I look for in fantasy, Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies. ONE OF PASTE'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace--and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane's underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold--a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores. Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she's ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying--but strangely magnetic--leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her. Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor. As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death--or worse.
|
|
| Beasts of Carnaval by Rosália RodrigoIn this Puerto Rican and Taíno inspired fantasy debut, formerly enslaved Sofia searches for her missing twin brother at the mysterious Carnaval of Beasts. As she tries to resist the thrall of the Carnaval and gradually loses her memory, Sofia will come to realize why no one ever leaves. Rich with mythology and lush magical atmosphere, this debut title will enrapture fans of the works of Amal El-Mohtar and Silvia Moreno-Garcia. |
|
| Wild Reverence by Rebecca RossMatilda, born as a herald to the gods, is tested by abuse and betrayal as she grows and hones her powers. She has an inexplicable connection to Vincent, a noble human who she sees in her dreams. When the two finally collide in reality, their union challenges the balance between the divine and the mortal forever. For fans of: emotionally intense and romantic fantasy tales such as Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting and Margaret Rogerson's An Enchantment of Ravens. |
|
|
|
Lover Forbidden
by J. R. Ward
When Lyric goes out for the night, she's not ready for a brush with death--and she's really not ready for the male who comes out of nowhere and saves her. Her family, especially her father, Qhuinn, are so relieved she's okay, but all she can think about is her mysterious savior. Without telling anybody, she seeks out Devlin, and they are immediately drawn to one another. Her near-death experience has given her a fresh appreciation for life and the desire to live it to its fullest, but she has no idea that he's hiding a secret--or that he could be the key to ending the war between the Black Dagger Brotherhood and the lessers forever.
|
|
| The Shattering Peace by John ScalziJohn Scalzi returns to the Old Man's War series with this latest installation. After a decade of peace reigning throughout space, a new force of intelligent creatures enters the fray, threatening civil war. Now, mid-level diplomat Gretchen Trujillo is caught in the middle during a secret summit representing every known faction. Fans will devour this "[c]lassic Scalzi space opera at its wisecracking, politically pointed, and, somehow, fiercely optimistic finest" (Kirkus). |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
NORTH KANSAS CITY LIBRARY 2251 Howell St North Kansas City, Missouri 64116 816-221-3360www.nkcpl.org/ |
|
|
|