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Fantasy July 2012
"She had read much and had so admirable a memory that she never forgot any thing she had read."
~ from One Thousand and One Nights
New and Recently Released!
The King's Blood - by Daniel Abraham
Publisher: Orbit
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/22/2012
Share The King ISBN-13: 9780316080774
ISBN-10: 0316080772
Epic Fantasy. Familiar characters return in this sequel to The Dragon's Path, although their circumstances have changed. Rising star Geder Pallianko has been appointed regent to the new child emperor of Antea, although his past may come back to haunt him. Half-Cinnae financier Cithrin bel Sarcour, the voice of the Medean Bank in Port Olive, discovers that the institution she founded on stolen money and forged papers is as much a prison as it is a source of power. Meanwhile, Baron Dawson, Clara Kalliam, and mercenary Marcus Wester are drawn into the tangled politics of the realm. If you like reading about complex characters ensnared in political intrigue within a richly detailed world reminiscent of medieval Europe, don't miss this 2nd book in the Dagger and the Coin series.
The Taken - by Vicki Pettersson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/12/2012
Share The Taken ISBN-13: 9780062064646
ISBN-10: 0062064649
Mystery Fantasy. In the late 1950s, after he met an untimely death, Las Vegas private eye Griffin "Grif" Shaw became an angel tasked with collecting the souls of the dead and delivering them to the afterlife. But when he bends the rules to save the life of modern-day reporter Katherine "Kit" Craig, who's attempting to solve the murder of her best friend and colleague, Grif loses his wings. Now back in the flesh, Grif teams up with Kit in order to investigate a child prostitution ring -- and, in the process, solve his own decades-old murder. If you enjoy the noir tone of Chris Holm's Collector novels (beginning with Dead Harvest), check out this opening installment of the Celestial Blues series.
Dark Magic - by James Swain
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/22/2012
Share Dark Magic ISBN-13: 9780765329943
ISBN-10: 0765329948
Urban Fantasy. Dazzled by his sleight of hand, Peter Warlock's audiences have no idea that the renowned stage magician has other tricks up his sleeve: among other supernatural skills, Warlock can see the future, a talent that has gained him membership in a secret society of psychics who predict -- and prevent -- crimes. Fans of Benedict Jacka's Fated, which features a clairvoyant mage masquerading as a magic-shop proprietor, should enjoy the similarly suspenseful, occult-themed Dark Magic.
The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories - edited by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/08/2012
Share The Weird%3a A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories ISBN-13: 9780765333605
ISBN-10: 0765333600
Short Stories. The title says it all, doesn't it? Comprised of 110 short stories by some of the most renowned speculative writers of the century, this comprehensive anthology (compiled by the editors of the two-volume Steampunk and Steampunk: Reloaded collections) blurs the boundaries between fantasy, horror, and science fiction to present some of the strangest, most surreal, and unforgettable tales ever penned. Arranged in chronological order and spanning over a century, the tales include biographical introductions of their authors as well as commentary on each piece's significance.
Focus on: The Middle East
The Desert Spear - by Peter V. Brett
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2011
Share The Desert Spear ISBN-13: 9780345524140
ISBN-10: 0345524144
Epic Fantasy. This follow-up to The Warded Man begins not with that book's hero, Arlen, but rather with desert-dwelling warlord Ahmann Jardir -- Arlen's friend-turned-rival. Jardir, who dubs himself Shar'Dama Ka, or "the Deliverer," has united the tribes of Krasia to fight against the demons that come out each night to slaughter any humans unlucky enough to be caught outside their magically reinforced shelters. But when a new kind of demon arises, smarter and deadlier than its predecessors, Jardir and Arlen -- known as "the Warded Man" on account of his magical tattoos -- must combine forces if humanity is to survive.
The Desert of Souls - by Howard A. Jones
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/15/2011
Share The Desert of Souls ISBN-13: 9780312646745
ISBN-10: 0312646747
Historical Fantasy. When vizier Jaffar obtains a mysterious jeweled tablet bearing a strange inscription, he summons scholar Dabir to translate the message and instructs swordsman Asim, captain of the royal guard, to accompany Dabir into the desert to locate the lost city of Ubar, where they'll use the tablet to open a magical door. Unfortunately, even if the pair avoid the murderous sorcerers hot on their trail, failure to find the city buried beneath the sands will certainly result in their deaths. Set in a richly textured 8th-century Baghdad, The Desert of Souls kicks off the Dabir and Asim series. To read about the fantastical exploits of another daring duo, check out Saladin Ahmed's The Throne of the Crescent Moon.
Sailing to Sarantium - by Guy Gavriel Kay
Publisher: Roc
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/07/2010
Share Sailing to Sarantium ISBN-13: 9780451463517
ISBN-10: 045146351X
Historical Fantasy. Summoned to the fabled city of Sarantium to work on Emperor Valerius II's newly commissioned Great Temple, a renowned elder mosaicist sends his gifted young partner Crispin of Varena in his stead. Reluctant to go but with nothing to keep him at home, Crispin (who recently lost his entire family to plague) embarks on a perilous voyage to the heart of the empire -- bearing a secret message intended for the emperor's ears alone. Set in the same world as The Lions of Al-Rassan, this 1st book in Guy Gavriel Kay's Sarantine Mosaic duology, inspired by the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Justinian, takes place several centuries prior to that novel. Sailing to Sarantium's sequel, Lord of Emperors, continues Crispin's journey.
The Phoenix Endangered - by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/04/2009
Share The Phoenix Endangered ISBN-13: 9780765355072
ISBN-10: 0765355078
High Fantasy. Now dragon-bonded to Ancaladar, High Mage Tiercel and his companions Knight-Mage Harrier and unicorn Kareta search for the Lake of Fire, rumored to lie somewhere in the Madiran desert. Meanwhile, in that very same desert, Wild Mage Bisochim leads his armies across the shifting sands in a genocidal war of conquest, slaughtering any and all who stand in his way -- including the nomadic clan of young tribal leader Shaiara. This fast-paced, atmospheric sequel to The Phoenix Unchained is the 2nd book in the Enduring Flame series, which concludes with The Phoenix Transformed.
In The Cities of Coin and Spice - by Catherynne M. Valente
Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/30/2007
Share In The Cities of Coin and Spice ISBN-13: 9780553384048
ISBN-10: 055338404X
Fantasy. Like its predecessor, In the Night Garden, this 2nd installment of the Orphan's Tales is structured as a series of nested stories told by a mysterious girl with tattooed eyelids, who shares fantastical fairy tales with a young prince in the palace garden on the eve of his sister's marriage. But as the wedding celebrations draw nearer, harsh reality threatens to shatter the storyteller's spell. Fans of the classic One Thousand and One Nights will appreciate this "thought-provoking storytelling tour de force" (Publishers Weekly) and its Scheherazade-esque narrator.
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