Fantasy and Science Fiction
March 2022
Recent Releases
Light Years from Home
by Mike Chen

Each unhappy family... When their missing brother, Jakob, returns after a 15-year absence, claiming to have fought in an intergalactic war, estranged sisters Evie and Kass Shao must put aside their differences to help him evade the feds, who believe he's involved in terrorist activities.

Why you might like it: As with his previous novels, Here and Now and Then and A Beginning at the End, author Mike Chen takes a science fiction premise and uses it to explore complex interpersonal dynamics.
 
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Moon Witch, Spider King
by Marlon James

What it is: A companion novel to Black Leopard, Red Wolf and the 2nd book in The Dark Star trilogy.

What it does: Revisits, Rashomon-style, events of the first book from the perspective of Sogolon, the 177-year-old Moon Witch, while also delving into her rich and turbulent backstory.

Is it for you? Although this novel boasts the complex characterization, vivid world-building, and brutal violence of its predecessor, its tone, structure, and pacing differ significantly.
 
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Goliath
by Tochi Onyebuchi

White flight...to space: In the generations since the planet's most privileged abandoned a devastated Earth for the Space Colonies, those left behind have been salvaging the wreckage in order to eke out a precarious existence.

They're back! Now the descendants of the original Space Colonists are returning to gentrify New England, displacing residents and dismantling communities.

Why you might like it: This layered mosaic novel by the author of Riot Baby unfolds at a leisurely pace, lingering on evocative details, as it follows its diverse ensemble cast through a vividly depicted future America.
A River Enchanted
by Rebecca Ross

What it's about: After years spent living on the mainland, bard Jack Tamerlaine returns to the Isle of Cadence, where he encounters his childhood nemesis, Adaira, who enlists him to help her investigate the disappearances of local girls.

Read it for: A magical island setting inspired by Scotland, an inventive twist on Celtic folklore, and not one but two love stories.

You might also like: Freda Warrington's Aetherial Tales series, Charles de Lint's Jack of Kinrowan novels.
Quests
The Tiger Flu
by Larissa Lai

Welcome to: Saltwater City (formerly Vancouver, B.C.), a high-tech metropolis surrounded by slum-like quarantine rings established during the first wave of the "tiger flu" pandemic of 2145.

Where you'll meet: Kirilow Groudsel of the Grist Sisters, a community-in-exile of women who can reproduce asexually, and young Kora Ko, who may hold the key to their survival.

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After the Flood
by Kassandra Montag

North America, 2031: Climate change-induced sea-level rise, known as the Hundred Year Flood, has forced people to live on boats, or in high-elevation colonies.

What happens: Myra, accompanied by her seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, searches for her older daughter, Row, who's been kidnapped by Myra's husband.

Also available in eBook & eAudiobook on Libby
Also available in eBook & eAudiobook on Hoopla
Son of the Storm
by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Welcome to: The city of Bassa, the heart of an ancient and powerful empire built upon a rigid caste system in which skin color and ethnicity determine one's role in society.

Where you'll meet: "Shashi" (mixed-heritage) novitiate Danso, whose quest for forbidden knowledge takes him beyond the city; Esheme, Danso's unapologetically ambitious betrothed; and Lilong, a magic-wielding warrior from the Nameless Islands (which don't officially exist).

Series alert: Inspired by pre-colonial West Africa and featuring an all-Black cast, this "polyphonic" (Publishers Weekly) novel by the author of David Mogo, Godhunter is the 1st book in a planned trilogy.
Black Sun
by Rebecca Roanhorse

The setting: The continent of Meridian, and the Holy City of Tova, the site of a religious observance called the Convergence -- which, this year, coincides with an eclipse.

The characters: Xiala, the Teek ship's captain tasked with escorting a "harmless" passenger to Tova; Serapio, a blind Obregi man destined to become a god; idealistic Sun Priest Naranpa; and Okoa, who has a crucial role to play in the events that unfold.

Also available in eBook on Libby
Contact your librarian for more books!