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Fantasy and Science Fiction June 2019
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| Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan; translated by Ken LiuWelcome to: "Silicon Isle," the e-waste recycling capital of southern China, which serves as the setting of this class-conscious, cyberpunk-inflected debut.
Featuring: "waste girl" Mimi, who sorts trash; Luo Jincheng, Mimi's boss and the scion of the family that controls the industry; American businessman Scott Brandle; and his translator, Chen Kaizong.
Try this next: Director Jiulang Wang's 2016 documentary Plastic China, which takes viewers behind the scenes of China's recycling industry and looks at the lives of the low-wage workers who make it possible. |
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| Exhalation: Stories by Ted ChiangWhat it is: the long-awaited 2nd short story collection by the author of Stories of Your Life and Others.
Don't miss: "The Life Cycle of Software Objects," in which humans and machines form parent-child bonds; "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a time travel tale in the style of One Thousand and One Nights.
Reviewers say: "likely to linger in the memory the way riddles may linger -- teasing, tormenting, illuminating, thrilling" (The New Yorker). |
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| A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel KayWhat happens: Elderly courtier Guidanio Cerra recounts how his life changed forever after a fateful encounter with assassin Adria Ripoli. His story, and hers, intertwine with other people's perspectives on the event.
Read it for: an evocative setting inspired by Renaissance Italy, and a richly detailed tapestry of a narrative that explores the ripple effects of individual actions and choices.
Want a taste? "It was interesting, I suppose it still is, how vicious men can take power and be accepted, supported by those they govern, if they bring with them a measure of peace." |
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| Middlegame by Seanan McGuireWhat it's about: Created by alchemists, twins Roger (linguistically talented) and Dodger (mathematically gifted) can communicate via quantum entanglement yet can't escape their fate.
Is it for you? This dark and stylistically complex novel by the author of the Wayward Children series opens with the line, "There is so much blood," giving readers some idea of how much violence to expect.
For fans of: the complex characters and exploration of moral gray areas in V.E. Schwab's Villains series. |
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| The Gordian Protocol by David Weber and Jacob HoloIntroducing: 21st-century history professor Benjamin Schröder, who has two sets of conflicting memories, and 30th-century time traveler Raibert Kaminski, who has an explanation for Schröder's plight that involves multiverse theory and temporal knots.
About the authors: David Weber is best known for his Honor Harrington series; Jacob Holo wrote the military SF novel The Dragons of Jupiter.
Reviewers say: "time travel enthusiasts will enjoy the moral dilemmas, nonstop action, and crisp writing" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Midnight Riot
by Ben Aaronovitch
What it's about: Rookie constable Peter Grant's ability to communicate with the dead attracts the notice of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who recruits him for a special branch of London's Metropolitan Police dedicated to investigating the paranormal.
Read it for: a snarky protagonist, a diverse cast of characters, and an atmospheric London setting.
You might also like: This fast-paced 1st entry in the Rivers of London series may appeal to fans of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series.
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| A Study in Honor by Claire O'DellStarring: Dr. Janet Watson, a disabled veteran of America's second Civil War, and her new roommate, the enigmatic Sara Holmes.
Why you might like it: Full of literary references (Watson is very well-read!), this near-future gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes adaptation introduces a pair of LGBTQIA women of color who solve mysteries.
You might also like: Alexis Hall's The Affair of the Mysterious Letter. |
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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.
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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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Artemis
by Andy Weir
SF. Burdened by debt and hampered by poor job prospects, courier Jazz Bashara can't earn enough to get ahead in the (expensive) lunar city of Artemis -- even with a lucrative sideline in smuggling. So when a wealthy businessman makes her an offer she can't refuse, she doesn't. Hired to carry out an act of industrial sabotage, Jazz soon finds herself in over her head. Don't miss this fast-paced SF caper novel by the author of The Martian.
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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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