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Fantasy and Science Fiction June 2023 |
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| Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahThe contestants: Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, incarcerated fighters in the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment (CAPE) program's Chain-Gang All-Stars, who compete in televised death matches against other inmates.
The prize: Freedom, of which there are two types: High (a pardon) and Low (death).
Book buzz: This thought-provoking debut novel is a Today Show #ReadWithJenna book club selection. |
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| To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill BlackgooseStarring: Fifteen-year-old Indigenous girl Anequs of the island of Masquapaug, who bonds with dragon hatchling Kasaqua and becomes known as a Nampeshiweisit (dragon companion) among her people.
What happens: Upon learning of the pair's existence, the Anglish colonizers of her homeland force Anequs to attend their school on the mainland -- threatening to kill Kasaqua if she refuses.
Series alert: This debut, which Booklist calls" classic fantasy at its finest," is the 1st book in the Nampeshiweisit series. |
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| Dual Memory by Sue BurkeWelcome to... Thule, a desolate Arctic island that's both the base of operations for the Sovereign Practitioners Association of medical professionals and a frequent target of the Leviathan League's raiders.
Where you'll meet: refugee Antonio Moro, an undercover operative for the Bronzewing mercenary unit tasked with ferreting out infiltrators; and his companion, illegal machine intelligence Par Augustus.
Why you might like it: Set in a near-future world reshaped by the climate crisis, this fast-paced thriller by the author of the Semiosis duology offers complex characters and intriguing speculations on the future of AI. |
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| Dragonfall by L.R. LamWhat it's about: Centuries after humans banished dragons across the Veil to another world, thief Arcady Dalca steals an artifact that summons dragon Everen Emberclaw, magically binding the pair together.
Read it for: intriguing worldbuilding, morally grey characters, and a slow-burning enemies-to-lovers storyline.
Series alert: This "sumptuous epic fantasy" (Publishers Weekly) marks the 1st in the Dragon Scales trilogy. |
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| A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire LegrandStarring: Lady Imogen "Gemma" Ashbourne, the only member of her god-anointed family without magic; and the dashing Talan d'Astier, sole survivor of his fallen house, who agrees to help Gemma battle the rival Basks if she'll help him navigate the hazards of high society.
Series alert: This romantic fantasy, the 1st in the Middlemist series, marks the adult fiction debut of Claire Legrand, author of the YA Empirium trilogy. |
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| The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'KeefeBest laid plans: Her mind "printed" into a body not her own, spy and would-be assassin Naira Sharp finds herself stranded on a dying planet with her target, geologist Tarquin Mercator, scion of a powerful family.
Of spies and men: Posing as Tarquin's bodyguard, Naira must keep them both alive long enough to get off the planet without revealing her true identity. Then she can kill him.
Series alert: The Blighted Stars kicks off the Devoured Worlds series. |
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| Fractal Noise by Christopher PaoliniNow approaching... Talos VII, an exoplanet containing an enormous, perfectly circular hole that emits signals indicative of intelligent life.
On the ground: grieving, guilt-ridden xenobiologist Alex Crichton, a member of the expedition crew sent to investigate the anomaly.
Is it for you? Although Fractal Noise is set in the same world as To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, its tone is much bleaker than its predecessor's. |
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| The Thick and the Lean by Chana PorterWelcome to: Seagate, a religious community of "flesh martyrs" where abstaining from food is next to godliness.
Where you'll meet: Beatrice Bolano, who dreams of becoming a chef while indulging her forbidden cravings with home-cooked meals; and Reiko Rimando, an aspiring artist connected to Beatrice through a banned book of recipes.
Is it for you? "Simultaneously a dark capitalist dystopia and a sexy allegory of queerness" (Booklist), this novel by the Lambda Award-nominated author of The Seep includes depictions of disordered eating and body-shaming. |
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| Atalanta by Jennifer SaintStarring: huntress Atalanta, abandoned as an infant, raised by a bear, and sent by the goddess Artemis to join Jason and his Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece.
Reviewers say: This novel by the author of Ariadne and Elektra "gives the heroine’s journey its due" (Kirkus Reviews).
For fans of: women-focused retellings of Greek mythology such as Madeline Miller's Circe, Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships, or Kerry Greenwood's Medea. |
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| Fourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosFrom bad... Violet Sorrengail's dreams of becoming a scribe are dashed by her military general mother's insistence that she enter Basgiath War College as a dragon rider cadet -- despite joint hypermobility that makes her especially vulnerable to injury.
...to worse: Violet's assignment to the Fourth Wing, led by fellow cadet Xaden Riorson, who wants Violet dead, is perhaps the least of her problems as she attempts to survive her education.
Reviewers say: this 1st book in the Empyrean series is "suspenseful, sexy, and with incredibly entertaining storytelling" (Booklist) and may appeal to fans of Naomi Novik's Scholomance series. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Atlantic County Library System | 40 Farragut Avenue, Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Phone: (609) 625-2776 | www.atlanticlibrary.org
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|  | Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson
Atlantic County Board of Commissioners, Maureen Kern, Chairwoman |
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