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Fantasy October 2010
"You are now one of the old and honourable guild of soldiers of fortune."
~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), Scottish writer, Micah Clarke
New and Recently Released!
Total Eclipse - by Rachel Caine
Publisher: Roc
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/03/2010
ISBN-13: 9780451463456
ISBN-10: 0451463455
Urban Fantasy. Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin and her Djinn companion David face their greatest challenge yet as the earth's weather rages out of control. Unfortunately, this time they can't rely on their respective magical gifts to save the day. This is the 9th (and possibly final) book in Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series; if you haven't read the other books, you should start with Ill Wind. This long-running series, with its capable heroine, fully developed world, and romance between a human with unusual powers and a supernatural being, may appeal to fans of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books.
Will Power - by A. J. Hartley
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/14/2010
ISBN-13: 9780765321251
ISBN-10: 0765321254
Historical Fantasy. Picking up where Act of Will left off, this sequel finds likable rogue (and former actor) Will Hawthorne and his band of adventurous, larcenous friends on the run from...well, everyone they've swindled, but especially the Empire's soldiers. Thanks to a last-minute stroke of luck, Will ends up in what might be another world, where he agrees to assist the Fair Folk in their ongoing war against the goblins. Unfortunately for his new allies, Will has a gift for making a bad situation even worse. Set in a world reminiscent of Elizabethan England, Will Power will win you over with its humorous tone, faced-paced plot, and riveting battle scenes.
Troubled waters - Sharon Shinn
Publisher: Ace Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/05/2010
ISBN-13: 9780441019236
ISBN-10: 0441019234
Zoe Ardelay receives astonishing and unwelcome news: she has been chosen to become the king's fifth wife. Forced to go to the royal city, she manages to slip away and hide on the shores of the mighty river.

It's there that Zoe realizes she is a coru prime ruled by the elemental sign of water. She must return to the palace, not as an unwilling bride for the king, but a woman with power in her own right. But as Zoe unlocks more of the mysteries of her blood-and the secrets of the royal family-she must decide how to use her great power to rise above the deceptions and intrigue of the royal court.
Prospero in Hell - by L. Jagi Lamplighter
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/17/2010
ISBN-13: 9780765319302
ISBN-10: 0765319306
Fantasy. In this sequel to Prospero Lost, Miranda, CEO of Prospero, Inc., continues to search for her missing father, the immortal magician from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Believing him to be imprisoned in Hell, Miranda and her siblings journey into this dark and dangerous realm in order to get him back. But the price they'll have to pay is steep and comes at the expense of the rest of the world, which (unbeknownst to most mortals) depends on Miranda's family for its protection. This book's "ingenious plot and dynamic cast of characters" (Library Journal) will especially please fantasy fans who appreciate the works of Shakespeare and Dante.
Dragongirl - by Todd McCaffrey
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/27/2010
ISBN-13: 9780345491169
ISBN-10: 0345491165
High Fantasy. After a three-year sabbatical at the Weyr Ingen, a place "Ten Turns" in the past where sick or injured dragons and their riders go to heal, Fiona and the gold queen dragon Talenth return to the present to find that only a few days have elapsed. Now, as a 17-year-old with a 14-year-old's birth date, Fiona struggles to prove her maturity to those around her--and gets her chance when Pern faces annihilation from the deadly Thread. Todd McCaffrey's second solo book in the Pern series (McCaffrey is the son of series creator Anne) is a follow-up to Dragonheart, in which Fiona's story begins.
Wolf's Cross - by S. Andrew Swann
Publisher: Spectra/Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/27/2010
ISBN-13: 9780553807394
ISBN-10: 0553807390
Romantic Fantasy. Set in the 14th century, this sequel to Wolfbreed centers on Maria, a 16-year-old servant whose life changes forever when she is ordered to tend to Brother Josef, a badly injured warrior-monk. Maria soon finds herself caught between Josef, who has vowed to exterminate all wolfbreeds, and Darien, a wolfbreed who reveals surprising information about Maria's family. For more werewolf-themed fantasy with a historical setting, you might like Alice Borchardt's Wolf series, which is set in Europe during the Dark Ages and begins with The Silver Wolf.
Focus on: Mercenaries
Blood Cross: A Jane Yellowrock Novel - by Faith Hunter
Publisher: Roc
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/05/2010
ISBN-13: 9780451463074
ISBN-10: 0451463072
Urban Fantasy. Hired by the Vampire Council of New Orleans, Jane Yellowrock--a shapeshifter of Cherokee descent--must hunt down a rogue bloodsucker who's terrorizing the Big Easy by mobilizing young vampires to attack humans. But what makes her job especially challenging is that vampire society, with its messy politics and longstanding disputes, divides itself into factions--and it's never clear where anyone's loyalties lie. Blood Cross, following Skinwalker, is the 2nd novel to feature Jane Yellowrock, although the character made her debut in the anthology Strange Brew, edited by P.N. Elrod.
A Song for Arbonne - by Guy Gavriel Kay
Publisher: Roc
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780451458971
ISBN-10: 0451458974
Historical Fantasy. In this "complex and compelling" (Kirkus Reviews) fantasy, which draws its inspiration from medieval Provence, there are two warring kingdoms, Arbonne and Gorhaut. The former is a land in which courtly love is the highest virtue, while the latter is a troubled, violent realm ruled by a despot. When Blaise, the younger son of a nobleman, leaves his native Gorhaut and meets troubadour Bertran, the two become mercenaries and get involved in an epic clash of civilizations. Canadian fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay has written other novels set in fantasy versions of medieval Europe, including Tigana (set in Italy) and The Lions of Al-Rassan (Spain).
The Sleeping God: A Novel of Dhulyn and Parno - by Violette Malan
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/05/2008
ISBN-13: 9780756404840
ISBN-10: 0756404843
Sword and Sorcery. As partners in the Mercenary Brotherhood, warriors Dhulyn Wolfshead and Parno Lionsmane are bound to each other until death. Dhulyn, a former slave woman with psychic powers, and Parno, a nobleman-in-exile, are an unlikely pair who become involved in an unlikely cause: defending the Marked, people whose magical talents result in persecution by the fanatical New Believers. Dhulyn's gift of "Sight," while useful, puts her in danger--which means that Parno's life is also at stake. Want to read more about this daring duo? The series continues with The Soldier King.
The mage's daughter - Lynn Kurland
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/02/2008
ISBN-13: 9780425219164
ISBN-10: 042521916X
The poisonous magic that began its insidious attack on the kingdom of Neroche in Star of the Morning , the first book in Kurland's "Nine Kingdoms" trilogy, is growing stronger. Shieldmaiden Morgan of Melksham struggles to recover from a near miss with death and come to terms with her unexpected—and unwanted—magical heritage, and Archmage Miach of Neroche is hard-pressed to keep the evil at bay long enough to find its source and the means to destroy it. Powerful magic, ancient spells, old enmities, and dangerous secrets underpin the intricate plot of this engrossing, lyrically descriptive tale that contrasts hideous evil with tender, heart-wrenching love, tempers it with gentle humor, and serves it up with an adventurous flair. Although Miach and Morgan make progress in their quest to dispel the evil, it is the depth of their love—the romantic scenes are magical—that is the highlight of this exceptionally well-done novel.
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