Fantasy and Science Fiction
February 2021
Recent Releases
The Frozen Crown
by Greta Kelly

What it's about: Princess Askia Poritskaya e-Nimri, heir to the Frozen Crown of Seravesh, seeks an alliance with Emperor Amaan of Vishir against their common enemy, the Roven Empire.

Why you might like it: This opening volume of the Warrior Witch duology features a strong female lead with a dangerous secret, plentiful palace intrigue, an inventive magic system, and forbidden love.

For fans of: Erika Johansen's Queen of the Tearling novels, Jennifer Estep's Crown of Shards series, or Callie Bates' Waking Land trilogy.  
Remote Control
by Nnedi Okorafor

Meet: 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."
Spellbreaker
by Charlie N. Holmberg

Born with illegal spell-breaking powers in a world where corrupt wizards advance the causes of the wealthy, Elise supports underground resistance efforts before striking an unlikely bargain with a elite magical student. Original.
Dead man in a ditch
by Luke Arnold

"A former soldier turned PI solves crime in a world that's lost its magic"
XX
by Rian Hughes

An artificial intelligence expert and his associates at a tech startup work to interpret and trace an extraterrestrial signal, while the outside world erupts into existential mayhem over what the discovery implies. A first novel. Illustrations.
Series Starters
A Queen in Hiding
by Sarah Kozloff

Introducing: Queen Cressa of Weirandale, and her daughter, Princess Cérulia, who are forced into exile following a coup.

Why you might like it: Parallel narratives follow Cressa, who entrusts her daughter to a peasant family before fleeing abroad to gather allies, and Cérulia, who comes of age believing she is a girl named Wren.

Series alert: A Queen in Hiding kicks off the Nine Realms quartet, which continues with The Queen of Raiders, A Broken Queen, and The Cerulean Queen.
Phoenix Extravagant
by Yoon Ha Lee

What 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.
The Rage of Dragons
by Evan Winter

Starring: 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.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Dwight Foster Public Library
209 Merchants Avenue
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538
920-563-7790

https://www.fortlibrary.org/