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Fantasy and Science Fiction February 2021
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| Remote Control by Nnedi OkoraforMeet: fourteen-year-old "Sankofa," also known as the "Adopted Daughter of Death," who has been traveling on foot across near-future Ghana ever since she acquired lethal powers from a strange artifact.
Why you might like it: Told mostly in flashbacks, this character-driven novella slowly reveals its central mystery in folkloric style.
Want a taste? "I am Sankofa, I belong wherever I want to belong, she thought to herself, walking with her chin up and back straight." |
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Into the Light
by David Weber
In a follow-up to Out of the Dark, the survivors of a conquered Earth rapidly rebuild using left-behind technology, including a powerful spaceship that vengeful blood drinkers commandeer with intent to destroy the Shongairi homeworld.
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| When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi VoWhat it's about: Trapped in a barn by a trio of tigers, cleric Chih and their traveling companions, Si-yu and Piluk, buy themselves time by telling their captors the tale of Ho Thi Tao, the tiger who loved a human.
Everyone's a critic: The tigers, who prefer their version of the folktale, don't hesitate to set the record straight in this witty meditation on the power of storytelling.
Can you start here? This 2nd book in the Singing Hills series, after The Empress of Salt and Fortune, stands on its own. |
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| Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha LeeWhat happens: After the Empire of Razan annexes Hwaguk, nonbinary artist Gyen Jebi agrees to work under the supervision of prime duelist Dzuge Vei to restore mechanical dragon Arazi, a powerful weapon that doesn't want to be one.
Read it for: well-developed characters, light romance, an exciting story of resistance against imperialism, and a Steampunk-tinged setting inspired by Japanese-occupied Korea. |
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| Rosewater by Tade ThompsonWelcome to: Rosewater, a doughnut-shaped Nigerian city that rings the mysterious alien biodome that has become an object of veneration since it first appeared back in 2055.
Meet: government agent Kaaro, who owes his psychic abilities to the biodome. When his fellow "sensitives" start dying, Kaaro investigates and makes some unsettling discoveries about his past -- and his future.
Book buzz: Rosewater, the 1st installment of the Wormwood trilogy, made the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist. |
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| The Rage of Dragons by Evan WinterStarring: Tau Tafari, a reluctant warrior-in-training who fights his way to the top of a socially stratified society to exact revenge on his enemies.
Why you might like it: This series opener (followed by The Fires of Vengeance) boasts a sympathetic protagonist and a vividly depicted, African-inspired setting.
For fans of: the inventive system of magic in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn novels, the gritty battles of Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy, and the world-building of Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy. |
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The Year of the Witching
by Alexis Henderson
Observing a life of strict submission to minimize discrimination for her mixed heritage, Immanuelle discovers dark truths about her community’s church and her late mother’s secret relationship with the spirits of four witches.
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The Eye of the World
by Robert Jordan
In this 30th anniversary edition of book one in the internationally bestselling fantasy series, five villagers, after The Two Rivers is attacked by a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts, flee into a world they barely imagined.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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