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Fantasy and Science Fiction August 2025
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Level: unknown / : Unknown
by David Dalglish
"When an ancient alien artifact chooses research cadet Nick to explore the world stored within it-a place full of forgotten empires, heroes with strange powers, and monstrous creatures that he is automatically transported to when he sleeps-he finds he has no choice but to grow stronger within the realm of Yensere to uncover its mysteries. But Yensere isn't all fun exploration. In this land guided by statistics and levels, Nick is seen as a demonic threat by its diseased inhabitants and always killed on-sight. When he dies in Yensere, he awakens in his bed upon the research station, his body in a state of panic; when he sleeps again, Yensere drags him back for another life...and another death. Nick can only keep this up for so long before he dies for real. But there's a good chance Yensere holds the key to saving humanity from a terrible fate, and so he ventures on, getting stronger and stronger with each new enemy defeated. And there are a LOT of enemies to defeat..."
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Flight of the Sparrow
by Fallon Demornay
Nimah may have been born a RIM-rat, a hardscrabble kid from the far reaches of the galaxy, but now that she's a well-respected cadet at the prestigious STARS military academy, she's put her past behind her. Or so she thinks, until her future is obliterated by the return of her infamous space pirate grandmother, who abandoned her at a barren outpost fifteen years ago and is accused of setting off a bomb at the millennial summit for United Planetary Nation leaders. When her connection to Capt. Indira "La Voz" Roscoe is exposed by an anonymous source, Nimah is expelled from STARS. Devastated by the loss of all that she's worked for, she still doesn't quite believe that the woman who has always been the voice of refugees across the galaxy, bestowing the fruits of her heists upon the poor, is actually a killer. But when a member of her grandmother's old crew tracks Nimah down and delivers the news that Ro was set up, Nimah must make a choice.
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City of all seasons
by Oliver K. Langmead
"Welcome to Jamie Pike's Fairharbour--a city stuck in perpetual winter, its windows and doorways bricked shut to keep out the freezing cold, its residents striving to survive in the arctic conditions. Welcome to Esther Pike's Fairharbour--a city stuck inconstant summer, its walls crumbling in the heat, its oppressive sunlight a relentless presence. Winter and Summer alike, have both fallen under the yoke of oppressive powers, that have taken control after the cataclysm. But both Fairharbours were once asingle, united city. And in certain places, at certain times, one side can catch a glimpse of the other. As Jamie and Esther find a way to communicate across the divide, they set out to solve the mystery of what split their city in two, and what, if anything, might repair their fractured worlds"
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The final stand : a Colonial Fleet novel
by Rick Campbell
"The human colonies throughout the galaxy have been decimated by the relentless assault of the Korilian Empire, leaving Earth as the final refuge. Humankind's last hope rests on the tactical prowess of Admiral Jon McCarthy and the foresight of the Nexus House, an ancient conclave of clairvoyants who have long guided humanity's path. With the destruction of Earth nearing, the discovery of Lara Anderson, a woman with the rare and forbidden ability to read minds, offers a glimmer of hope. Against all protocols, Rhea Sidener, the visionary leader of the Nexus House, chooses to harness Lara's abilities, believing her to be the key to altering the course of the war. As the Korilian armada prepares for its final assault, the fate of humankind hangs in the balance, dependent on the execution of a daring plan that defies the odds and tests the limits of human courage and resolve"
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A Dagger of Lightning
by Meredith R. Lyons
Let's get one thing straight: I am not your chosen one. Forty-five-year-old Imogen has always struggled to fit in, never finding her passion in life. And while that may include having cold feet in her impending nuptials, that doesn't mean she's ready to ditch planet Earth--and her entire life--completely. When Imogen is kidnapped by an alien prince in disguise, there's nothing she can do to stop him. He's sidhe--a being with powerful abilities--and he's grown up used to getting what he wants. The prince is convinced Imogen will fall in love with him, and that her new powers, once she's turned sidhe, will help his country win a centuries-old feud.
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The ephemera collector : a novel
by Stacy Nathaniel Jackson
In near-future Los Angeles, archivist Xandria Brown, battling long COVID but aided by adaptive AI, must navigate a sudden lockdown and protect the Diwata Collection, a vital archive of African-American history and culture, from a violent plot. Illustrations.
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| The Incandescent by Emily TeshDoctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School, and one of the most powerful magicians in all of England. Demonic forces converge on the school, and Doctor Walden must balance her considerable power, uphold her responsibility to keep the students safe, and even confront a potential evil from within. Fans of sapphic fantasy and dark academia "won’t want to miss this thoughtful exploration of privilege, power, and private school education" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Esperance
by Adam Oyebanji
"A whip-smart thriller in the vein of Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, and Neal Stephenson, Esperance plumbs the depths of a seemingly impossible crime rooted in racism, intergenerational trauma, and an inhuman concept of justice"
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The raven scholar
by Antonia Hodgson
"Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, the reign of Bersun the Brusque has come to an end. In the dizzying heat of midsummer, seven exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists compete to replace him. When one ofthem is murdered, it falls to Neema Kraa, the emperor's brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, to find the killer and fight for the throne. Neema believes she is alone. But we are here to help; all she has to do is let us in. If she succeeds, we will win an empire. If she fails, death awaits her. But we won't let that happen. We are the Raven, and we are magnificent"
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Death on the caldera
by Emily Paxman
"The Linde siblings--Kellen, Davina, and Morel--are anxious to return to the kingdom of Halgyr before their father dies, leaving Kellen to assume the throne as king...but disaster strikes when the train engine explodes, stranding the siblings atop a caldera bubbling with volcanic magic. The crash triggers Davina's latent witch powers...While a witch would be the prime suspect for the catastrophe, the only ones who knew Davina might become one are her brothers--who never warned her...While the remaining passengers try to determine who sabotaged the engine and catch the killer, the fractured siblings attempt to stay one step ahead, concealing not only Davina's powers but their own secrets"
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Magelight
by Kacey Ezell
"All her life, Aelys of Brionne had been weak. As the noble daughter of one of the empire's most powerful magic-wielding families, it should have been easy for her to live her dream of bonding with a warrior protector and joining the Imperial Battlemage Corps. But when her weakness robs her of her dreams, her best friend, and the man she loves, Aelys makes the only choice she can see: she takes her fate into her own hands and she runs, leaving her safe, protected world behind. Now she must find a way to work with three dangerous strangers-a warrior, a forester, and a thief-to escape the bandits stalking her, fight through the dangers of the untamed forest, and make her way back home, where her family and her destiny await. Only . . . her violent protectors might be the key to the power and freedom she's always craved. Can Aelys find the strength to choose her own destiny and become the sorceress she was born to be? Or lose herself on the path to power?"
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Forged for destiny
by Andrew Knighton
"The signs are all there-his birthmark, in the shape of Balbainus' halfmoon and dagger sigil, the gemstone-hilted sword he found in his parents' inn, and the sudden influx of illegal books featuring the late king's lineage. Never mind that his ma is a hidden scribe writing a play about Balbainus' return, or that his da, a hardened warrior, has been training him to fight since he could stand. Or the fact that his sword doesn't seem very old at all, he feels much more comfortable reading than fighting, andhis birthmark is looking more and more like a burn scar... As Raul leaves his simple village life to start a rebellion against the tyrannical Dunholmi government, he begins to wonder if his destiny is more someone else's plan for a future he doesn't wantto be a part of. He'll go along with things, for now, if only to prove that change can come from kindness instead of outright destruction. After all, destiny is what you make of it"
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Rochester Hills Public Library 500 Olde Towne Rd Rochester, Michigan 48307 248-656-2900www.rhpl.org/ |
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