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Fantasy and Science Fiction March 2023 |
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| The Crane Husband by Kelly BarnhillWhat it is: a "dark and engrossing" (Publishers Weekly) retelling of the Japanese folktale "The Crane Wife," set in a Midwestern farming town.
Why you might like it: Tension builds as the unnamed 15-year-old narrator recounts how her artist mother's lover, an enormous crane, moved in and began to terrorize the family.
For fans of: Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories or Carmen Maria Machado's Her Body and Other Parties. |
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| Maroons by adrienne maree brownStarring: Dune, a survivor of the Syndrome H-8 pandemic that decimated Detroit's population, navigates a changed world as she attempts to rebuild her life.
Why you might like it: This reflective post-apocalyptic novella, the 2nd book in the Grievers series, offers a thought-provoking look at the work of community-building in the aftermath of tragedy.
You might also like: Premee Mohamed's The Annual Migration of Clouds or Lucinda Roy's Dreambird Chronicles series. |
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| The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani ChokshiWhat it is: a "dizzying, dazzling, and foreboding" (Publishers Weekly) retelling of "Bluebeard," redolent with Gothic atmosphere.
What happens: The unnamed narrator weds mysterious heiress Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada and accompanies his new bride to her family's estate, the House of Dreams, where he ignores her instructions not to delve into her past.
For fans of: Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, Isabel Cañas' The Hacienda, or Caitlin Starling's The Death of Jane Lawrence. |
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| VenCo by Cherie DimalineIntroducing: Lucky St. James, a young Métis woman who lives with her grandmother, Stella, in Toronto's East End, and has no idea she's a witch.
Until... Lucky's chance discovery of a silver spoon in a secret passageway leads her to VenCo, a corporate entity that serves as a front for a coven.
For fans of: N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became or Bianca Marais' The Witches of Moonshyne Manor. |
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| Meru by S.B. DivyaIn a (far-future) world... where humanity remains confined to Earth while posthuman "alloys" explore the galaxy, 22-year-old human Jayanthi and alloy pilot Vaha must explore the newly discovered planet Meru.
Series alert: Meru marks the opening installment of the Alloy Era series, which is set to continue with the forthcoming Loka.
About the author: Engineer-turned-novelist S.B. Divya is the author of Runtime and Machinehood. |
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| Wild Massive by Scotto MooreWelcome to... The Building, an infinite high rise whose elevator-accessible floors contain alternate realities, most controlled by the nefarious Association.
Where you'll meet: human elevator-dweller Carissa, whose solitary existence is upended by the arrival of Rindasy, a shapeshifting Shai-Manak sorcerer.
Why you might like it: This fast-paced, offbeat novel by the author of Battle of the Linguist Mages should please Doctor Who fans. |
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| Arch-Conspirator by Veronica RothWelcome to: Thebes, a post-apocalyptic human settlement where the human race survives by extracting inhabitants' genetic material after death and storing it in the Archive for future use.
Where you'll meet: Antigone and her siblings, who have been virtual prisoners of their uncle Kreon ever since he murdered their parents and took control of Thebes.
Why you might like it: Unfolding from multiple viewpoints, this science fiction retelling of Sophocles' Antigone offers "a heroine to root for, a despot to revile, and a thought-provoking ending" (Library Journal). |
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| A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha ShannonWhat it is: a stand-alone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, set 500 years before the events of that novel, in the period known as the Great Sorrow.
Featuring: Tunuva Melim, who has dedicated her life to serving the Priory; Glorian Berethnet, the teenage heir to the Queendom of Inys; and godsinger Dumai of Ipyeda, who seeks to wake sleeping dragons.
You might also like: Sofia Samatar's The Winged Histories. |
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| Nocturne by Alyssa WeesChicago, 1938: Grace Dragotta, the Near North Ballet Company's newest prima ballerina, acquires a mysterious patron, Master La Rosa, whose financial support comes at a steep price.
Read it for: an atmospheric setting, lyrical prose, and nods to both The Phantom of the Opera and the Persephone and Hades myth.
Want a taste? "The Master came into my life like the dusk. Slowly, until all the city was covered in night. And I, a star waiting to burn." |
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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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