Fantasy and Science Fiction
January 2024
Recent Releases
The darkness before them
by Mat Ward

"These are dark times for the Kingdom of Khalad. As the magical mists of the Veil devour the land, the populace struggles beneath the rule of ruthless noble houses and their uncaring immortal king. Kat doesn't care about any of that. A talented thief, she's pursuing one big score that will settle the debt that destroyed her family. No easy feat in a realm where indentured spirits hold vigil over every vault and treasure room. However, Kat has a unique gift: she can speak to those spirits, and even command them. She'll need every advantage she can get. Kat's not a hero. She just wants to be free. To have her old life back. But as rebellion rekindles and the war for Khalad's future begins, everyone - Kat included - will have to pick a side"
The lost cause
by Cory Doctorow

Thirty years from now, young Americans help mitigate climate change to heal our planet, but some elderly Americans, who cling to their grievances and anger, rely on“alternative” news sources that validate their resentment and their belief that“climate change” is just a giant scam.
Jewel box : stories
by E. Lily Yu

The strange, the sublime and the monstrous confront one another with astonishing consequences in this collection of 22 stories from an award-winning writer.
Calamity
by Constance Fay

Temperance Reed tries to keep her crew together on her beloved, but obsolete ship while facing off with Arcadio Escajeda on a scouting mission to the backwater desert planet Herschel 2. Original. 100,000 first printing.
The Kingdom of Sweets : a novel of The Nutcracker
by Erika Johansen

Cursed to live in her sister Clara's shadow, Natasha gets her chance at revenge when an enchanted Nutcracker offers entry into a deceptively beautiful world where she uncovers her dark destiny and, reckoning with forces both earthly and magical, must decide to which world she truly belongs.
Like Thunder
by Nnedi Okorafor

In 2074 Niger, rainmaker Dikéogu Obidimkpa records what's left of his memories as he tries to find his friend, shadowspeaker Ejii Ugabe. Darker in tone than its predecessor, The Shadow Speaker, this conclusion to Nnedi Okorafor's Desert Magician duology adds depth and detail to the story's compelling characters and intriguing post-apocalyptic world.
The future : a novel
by Naomi Alderman

While a few billionaires lead the world to certain doom, Martha Einkorn, working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything, and Lai Zhen, an internet-famous survivalist, when their paths unexpectedly cross, work together to prevent the cataclysmic end of civilization.
Tonight, I burn
by Katharine J. Adams

"Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett. Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thornwitch--and only one--must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all. But one morning, Penny's favorite sister Ella doesn't return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn't as it seems in Life or Death. Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet;and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny's world splits, she'll face a devastating choice. Because it's not just her sister's life that hangs in the balance. It's the fate of all magic"
Soul Jar : Thirty-One Fantastical Tales by Disabled Authors
by Annie Carl

Too often, science fiction and fantasy stories erase--or cure--characters with disabilities. Soul Jar, edited by author and bookstore owner Annie Carl, features thirty-one stories by disabled authors, imagining such wonders as a shapeshifter on a first date, skin that sprouts orchid buds, and a cereal-box demon. An insulin pump diverts an undead mob. An autistic teen sets out to discover the local cranberry bog's sinister secret. A pizza delivery on Mars goes wrong. This thrillingly peculiar collection sparkles with humor, heart, and insight, all within the context of disability representation.
Secondhand Daylight
by Eugen Bacon

Something is happening to Green. He is an ordinary guy, time-jumping forward at a startling, uncontainable rate. He is grappling to understand his present; his relationship is wholly tattered; his ultimate destination is a colossal question mark. Zada is a scientist in the future. She is mindful of Green's conundrum and seeks to unravel it by going backwards in time. Can she stop him from jumping to infinity?
Series Starters
The Atlas Six
by Olivie Blake

Six magically gifted young people compete for five spots within the secretive Alexandrian Society, which guards the world's knowledge.
This dramatic and atmospheric novel kicks off the Atlas trilogy, which continues with The Atlas Paradox and concludes with The Atlas Complex. For fans of: Naomi Novik's Scholomance series; Leigh Bardugo's Alex Stern novels; Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy.
Infinity Gate
by M.R. Carey

Welcome to the Pandominion, an interdimensional alliance encompassing a million versions of Earth -- every one of which is now threatened by the AI-led Ansurrection. This action-packed opening volume of the Pandominion series offers "an epic multiverse tale that moves like a thriller" (Kirkus Reviews). For fans of: Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's The Long Earth series; Robert Charles Wilson's Spin novels.
The Mask of Mirrors
by M.A. Carrick

In the city of Nadežra, con artist Ren poses as noblewoman "Renata Viraudax" in order to infiltrate once-powerful House Traementis and soon discovers that nobody in her new social circle is what they appear to be in this series opener by M.A. Carrick, the pseudonym for writing duo Marie Brennan (Driftwood) and Alyc Helms (The Dragons of Heaven). Read-alikes: Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett's Astreiant novels; Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards series.
The Last Watch
by J.S. Dewes

At the edge of the universe is The Divide, where Adequin Rake, commander of the Argus, and her misfit crew of Sentinels, including exiled royal Cavalon Mercer, defend against threats from beyond. The Last Watch kicks off the Divide series, which continues with The Exiled Fleet. For fans of: John Scalzi's Interdependency novels; Cat Rambo's Disco Space Opera series.
Beneath the Rising
by Premee Mohamed

The lifelong friendship between Nick Prasad and Joanna "Johnny" Chambers will be tested when tech genius Johnny invents a clean energy reactor that unleashes eldritch horrors upon an unsuspecting world. A Locus Award finalist, Beneath the Rising is the 1st book of a trilogy that continues with A Broken Darkness and concludes with The Void Ascendant.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Rochester Hills Public Library
500 Olde Towne Rd
Rochester, Michigan 48307
248-656-2900
www.rhpl.org/