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Fantasy and Science Fiction May 2019
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A Darker Shade of Magic
by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy. 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.) Traveling between these very different dimensions is Kell, ambassador for Red London's royal family. However, unbeknownst to his employers, he's also a smuggler, transporting forbidden artifacts from one world to the next. What happens when his illicit activities land him in serious trouble? This trilogy opener continues with A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light.
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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.
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Ambiguity Machines: And Other Stories
by Vandana Singh
What it is: This collection marks the North American debut of science fiction writer and physicist Vandana Singh, known for her lyrical prose and moving, yet thought-provoking, stories.
Reviewers say: Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, praises the "delicate touch and passionately humanist sensibilities" of these wide-ranging speculative tales.
Don't miss: "With Fate Conspire," a story about a refugee whose unique ability to peer through time allows her to influence history.
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Altered Carbon
by Richard K. Morgan
In a world... where a person's "cortical stack" (digitized consciousness) can be "re-sleeved" (downloaded) into a new body after death, recently revived cyber-soldier Takeshi Kovacs is hired by centuries-old Laurens Bancroft to investigate Bancroft's murder.
For fans of: the gritty future dystopias of William Gibson's Neuromancer or Norman Spinrad's Deus X, or fast-paced and intricately plotted tales of technologically assisted immortality, such as Iain Banks' Surface Detail.
Media buzz: Altered Carbon is now a Netflix series.
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An absolutely remarkable thing : a novel
by Hank Green
The first to document the appearance of the Carls, giant robot-like statues popping up around the world, April May finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight that puts her relationships, identity and safety at risk.
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City of Broken Magic
by Mirah Bolender
Introducing: the Sweepers, the (downsized) emergency response unit that protects the city of Amicae from magical "infestations."
What happens: Apprentice Sweeper Laura struggles to learn the ropes of a difficult and dangerous job while dealing with a demanding boss.
For fans of: the industrialized fantasy setting of Max Gladstone's Craft novels, the inventive amulet-centered magical system of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.
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| Brief Cases: More Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim ButcherStarring: Chicago wizard-for-hire Harry Dresden and his associates.
Includes: the Lovecraftian "Cold Case," baseball-themed "Curses" (featuring the Chicago Cubs), and "Zoo Day," a novella from the POV of minor characters Maggie and Mouse.
Should you start here? This collection is best for Dresden Files fans who are all caught up on the main series, which begins with Storm Front. |
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| The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss; illustrated by Nate TaylorWhat it is: a companion novella to the Kingkiller Chronicle that focuses on supporting character Auri, who dwells in the labyrinth-like Underthing.
Should you start here? Although Auri's adventures underground don't intersect with series protagonist Kvothe's storyline, newcomers will want to start with The Name of the Wind.
Reviewers say: The Slow Regard of Silent Things is "a charming, lyrical meditation on the meaning of home" (NPR). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Richmond Public Library 101 East Franklin Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 646-7223rvalibrary.org/ |
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