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Fantasy and Science Fiction November 2018
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| Kill the Queen: A Crown of Shards Novel by Jennifer EstepIntroducing: Everleigh "Evie" Blair, who's 17th in line for the throne of Bellona.
What happens: After one of her cousins massacres the rest of the royal family, Evie takes refuge at a gladiatorial school...where she'll begin her quest for revenge.
Author alert: Best known for her Elemental Assassin novels, urban fantasy writer Jennifer Estep ventures into epic fantasy in this 1st book in the Crown of Shards series. |
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| Salvation by Peter F. HamiltonIntroducing: the Assessment Team, dispatched to investigate an alien shipwreck (and its highly sensitive cargo) on a distant planet.
What sets it apart: Best known for his sprawling Commonwealth Universe, author Peter F. Hamilton builds a space-faring civilization from scratch in this opening installment of the Salvation Sequence.
For fans of: the Decameron-inspired structure of Dan Simmons' Hyperion, the child soldiers of Ender's Game, and the adventure novels of Clive Cussler. |
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| Time's Convert by Deborah HarknessThen: Eighteenth-century surgeon Marcus MacNeil joined the Continental Army, met vampire Matthew de Clermont, and took the plunge into immortality.
Now: Marcus is engaged to mortal Phoebe Taylor, who has agreed to undergo the dangerous transition to vampire prior to their marriage.
Spinoff alert: Fans of Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy (beginning with A Discovery of Witches) will enjoy catching up with Matthew, Diana, and their precocious twins. |
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| Waypoint Kangaroo by Curtis C. ChenThe premise: More Maxwell Smart than James Bond, spy Kangaroo -- named for his extra-dimensional pouch that allows him to retrieve objects from other universes -- has bungled yet another mission, prompting his superiors to send him on a mandatory "vacation" to Mars aboard a luxury cruise ship.
What to expect: Spy-versus-spy action, a shipboard murder mystery, and a vast interplanetary conspiracy.
You might also like: With its snarky protagonist and futuristic tradecraft, this debut novel (and its sequel, Kangaroo Too) may appeal to fans of Charles Stross' Laundry Files. |
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| Time Salvager by Wesley ChuOne last job: On the eve of his planned retirement, James Griffin-Mars, a "chronman" who salvages materials from history for use in the resource-poor 26th century, breaks a Time Law by rescuing 21st century scientist Elise Kim from certain death. Now they're both on the run.
About the author: Prior to launching his literary career with The Lives of Tao, the Taiwanese-born writer pursued acting (and had a small role in the film Fred Claus).
Series alert: This opening installment of the Time Salvager series continues with Time Siege. |
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