Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org |
|
Fantasy and Science Fiction June 2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
by Ilona Andrews
When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try ), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love--a motley band that includes a former lady's maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes--and attentions--of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.
|
|
| Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee BakerIn 2026, Lee Turner has just killed his college roommate and he doesn't remember how or why. In 1877, Sen is hiding from imperial soldiers while trying to placate the whims of her traumatized samurai father. Their two tragic stories intertwine through a strange door in the home they share across time, and as Lee and Sen connect, gruesome secrets unfold. Kylie Lee Baker's lyrical and bloody horror fantasy evokes feelings of isolation and grief, and will be a hit with fans of Alma Katsu and Cassandra Khaw. |
|
| Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin FeinsteinIn this story told through epistolary emails, chat messages, and more, a new employee of the "most trusted" AI corporation UniView gets more than he bargained for when impending deadlines around the launch of a new, strangely quick-to-learn advertising bot push safety protocols aside. For fans of: timely and witty satire on our technology-driven future, with a surprising injection of hope, such as Virtuality by Derek D. Cressman and Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky. |
|
|
|
The Lost Book of Lancelot
by John Glynn
Hidden away on the Isle of Women, a nameless orphan grows up among a powerful sisterhood, but always at a distance. He hears whispers of a prophecy that may shed light on his destiny--and his true identity: Lancelot. Determined to master the skills of knighthood, he begins training in tandem with the handsome Galehaut. As the two become inseparable, they guide one another toward their truest selves. But no matter how tightly they cling to one another, each has a role to play in the wizard Merlin's grand prophecies. When Lancelot is forced to follow Merlin to Camelot, he fights to protect his heart while seeking the fabled grail alongside King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. But when Roman legionaries encroach on their kingdom, their quest takes on new urgency, as does Lancelot's explosive secret--the truth of what he left behind on the Isle of Women.
|
|
| Hell's Heart by Alexis HallSet in a future where Earth has been abandoned and humans roam the stars, a nameless author reminisces about her time harvesting energy from large space leviathans on the spacecraft Pequod, including her steamy love affair with Q and her obsession with the Mobius Beast. This queer retelling of Moby Dick is perfect for fans of cinematic and stylistically clever science fiction titles such as Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth. |
|
|
|
Radiant Star
by Ann Leckie
Space opera's sharpest mind returns to the world of the Imperial Radch in this brilliant standalone from award-winning author Ann Leckie. The Temporal Location of the Radiant Star has always been a source of both conflict and hope for the people of Ooioiaa. However, the imperial Radch see it only as an inconvenience, an antiquated religious site soon to be absorbed into their own, superior culture. But local politics is complicated, and the Radch have made a final concession: One last man will be allowed to join the mummified bodies in the temporal location to become a living saint. But this decision will ripple out to affect every part of the city. Amidst a slowly worsening food shortage, riots, and a communication blackout from the rest of the Radch Empire, a religious savant will entertain visions of his own sainthood, a socialite will discover hir comfortable life upended, and a young man sold into servitude will find unlikely escape.
|
|
| Year of the Mer by L.D. LewisThe mermaid Arielle may have gotten her happily ever after, but her granddaughter Yemi inherited the tensions with the Mer kingdom and an internal struggle with being neither human nor Mer. When Yemi turns to Ursla for guidance after a coup, she learns that no one does anything for free. This dark fantasy retelling of The Little Mermaid shows its strength in its world-building, "seamlessly blending magic and mythology with burgeoning technology" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
| We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi PatelBurnt out from depression and the stress of being a reproductive healthcare worker in America, Nisha doesn't need more problems when she suddenly acquires the ability to alter reality from a statue at an Indian art exhibit. But as forces begin to converge on her, Nisha will have to reconnect with her culture and learn from the women before her to regain control of her life. This fantastical story of community, autonomy, and self-discovery will appeal to fans of The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings. |
|
| Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica RothTwo women on opposite sides of a war -- soldier Elegy and general Rava -- are drawn together by a prophecy. The victor of the conflict is not clear, but one thing is: their fates hinge on one man, the son of an exile, who Elegy is destined to fall in love with. Featuring intricate world-building, surprising twists, and a dash of romance with well-developed characters, Veronica Roth's latest will please fans of other popular romantasies such as Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting and Samantha Shannon's The Bone Season. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org |
|
|