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Fantasy and Science Fiction November 2019
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| Ninth House by Leigh BardugoThe offer: a full scholarship to Yale for Galaxy "Alex" Stern, a high school dropout with the rare ability to see ghosts.
The catch: Tasked with monitoring the university's secret societies, Alex soon discovers that the elite institution is often willing to turn a blind eye to their occult transgressions.
Is it for you? This adult fantasy novel by Grisha trilogy author Leigh Bardugo is grittier than her YA books and includes scenes of murder, child abuse, sexual assault, and self-harm. |
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| Gamechanger by L.X. BeckettIn the year 2101: Earth is finally in Bounceback mode, thanks to humanity's collective efforts to reverse the effects of climate change.
Starring: Pro gamer and public defender Cherub "Rubi" Whiting, who must defend her client, accused cyber-terrorist Luciano Pox against an impressive list of charges.
Why you might like it: This "cerebral fusion of science fiction, mystery, and apocalyptic thriller" (Kirkus Reviews) boasts impressively detailed world-buildng. |
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| The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee NewitzWhat it's about: The Daughters of Harriet, a coalition of feminist activists, and the Comstockers, a men's rights group, travel through time, editing history like a Wikipedia page.
Reviewers say: "a matryoshka doll meditation on the pointlessness and necessity of violence...bathed in pop culture references (real and imagined)" (NPR).
For fans of: the LGBTQIA-friendly change wars of Amal El-Mohtar's and Max Gladstone's This is How You Lose the Time War; |
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| A Song for a New Day by Sarah PinskerBefore: Musician Luce Cannon is a star on the rise -- until a disease outbreak and a wave of terrorist attacks prompt the government to ban public gatherings.
After: Rosemary Laws becomes a talent scout for a VR event company, which leads her to Luce, who now organizes underground concerts.
About the author: Nebula-award winning author and indie musician Sarah Pinsker is a member of the band Stalking Horses. |
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How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse
by K. Eason
Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium. Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world. When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne.
Why you might like it: a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.
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The Andromeda Evolution
by Daniel H. Wilson
A 50th-anniversary sequel to The Andromeda Strain finds a Brazilian drone detecting a bizarre anomaly in the middle of the jungle with the same chemical signature of the microparticle that nearly ended all life on Earth. By the author of Robopocalypse, which is in development as a feature film.
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Focus on: Alternative Histories
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| That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. JohnstonThe sun never sets... on the British Empire, which has continued into the present day with a few crucial differences.
Such as? Computers match genetically compatible individuals, which is why Crown Princess Victoria-Margaret heads to Toronto for a summer of incognito freedom before she's assigned a consort. And then she falls for Helena, who's also expected to marry someone else.
Why you might like it: This thought-provoking YA alternate history novel offers an appealing blend of romance and speculative fiction. |
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| The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette KowalThe United States, 1952: After a meteorite strike imperils life on Earth, it should be all hands on deck. But as mathematician Elma York soon discovers, planning humanity's future in space is a privilege largely reserved for white men. Can she help change the culture?
Book buzz: Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards, The Calculating Stars kicks off the Lady Astronaut series, which continues with The Fated Sky.
For fans of: Martha Ackmann's The Mercury 13, Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures, and other nonfiction books about the unsung heroines of the space race. |
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Machines Like Me
by Ian McEwan
What happens: Two lovers in an alternative 1980s London construct a perfect synthetic human before finding themselves in a morally complex love triangle.
Read it for: The film noir feel and elegant storytelling.
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| Bombs Away: The Hot War by Harry TurtledoveWhat if... the Korean War turned into World War III?
What happens: China's 1950 invasion of the Korean Peninsula leads to the United States dropping atomic bombs on Manchuria, which in turn prompts the USSR, which backs China, to strike U.S. allies.
Why you might like it: alternate history maestro Harry Turtledove explores the road almost taken in this well-researched 1st installment of the Hot War series, which continues with Fallout and Armistice. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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