Fantasy and Science Fiction April 2019 Recent Releases The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders What it's about: The planet January boasts two politically opposed cities capable of sustaining human life -- and disgraced student Sophie is in neither of them, instead exiled in the wilderness among January's original inhabitants. About the author: i09 cofounder Charlie Jane Anders made a splash with her debut, All the Birds in the Sky. For fans of: Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear What it's about: A space salvage crew discovers advanced technology that shouldn't exist -- along with evidence of a crime. On the run from the (corrupt) authorities, they encounter space pirates. Starring: Self-medicating salvage operator Haimey Dz, augmented pilot Connla, and ship's AI Singer. (Also, two cats.) Expanded universe: Ancestral Night is set in the world of the author's Jacob's Ladder trilogy, although it takes place well after the events of that series. The Women's War by Jenna Glass The premise: Thanks to an enchantment, women living in a patriarchal society suddenly gain control over their own fertility, thus igniting a revolution. Is it for you? This debut, which ends on a cliffhanger, contains depictions of sexual violence and suicide. For fans of: the retribution-driven plot of Naomi Alderman's The Power. The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab Book Annotation The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson What it's about: The arrival of the Inquisition in the royal court of Granada sends concubine Fatima and her friend, magically gifted mapmaker Hassan, on a quest to the island of the Bird King.  Why you might like it: Set during the Reconquista, this lush and leisurely paced novel by the author of Alif the Unseen draws on Sufi literature to present a richly detailed recreation of Muslim Spain. You might also like: Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan. Double, Double Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan What it is: a fantasy adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, in which light and dark magic divide a near-future New York City. Introducing: dark side refugee Lucie Manette; her privileged boyfriend Ethan; and Ethan's dark magic-created doppelganger, Carwyn. Want a taste? "Rich people think like that about slumming it, putting on other peoples' lives like a disguise at a party. It is fun only because they can cast off the mask at any time." All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells SF. "As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure," confesses the AI narrator of this fast-paced SF adventure. After hacking its own governor module and overriding its programming, security droid "Murderbot" ends up saving lives instead of ending them -- but only because letting all the humans die would interfere with its favorite activity: binge-watching some 35,000 hours' worth of entertainment media. All Systems Red's snarky protagonist and suspenseful, action-packed plot should have readers eagerly anticipating future installments of the Murderbot Diaries. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty What it is: a locked-room mystery set aboard a generation ship crewed by clones. Reviewers say: a "taut, nerve-tingling, interstellar murder mystery with a deeply human heart" (NPR). For fans of: the psychological suspense of James Smythe's deep space-set Anomaly Quartet; the puzzle-box format of Adam Roberts' Jack Glass. Contact your librarian for more great books! Richmond Public Library 101 East Franklin Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 646-7223 rvalibrary.org/