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Fantasy and Science Fiction July 2019
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| Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell by Neal StephensonWhat it is: the sprawling not-quite-a-sequel to Reamde, containing links and callbacks to several of author Neal Stephenson's other books.
In Meatspace: Following tech billionaire Richard "Dodge" Fortrast's death, his heirs digitally preserve his brain and upload it to a virtual world.
In Bitworld: Now effectively immortal, Dodge (now "Egdod") becomes the god of a digital afterlife, which he shapes according to his whims. |
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| Lent by Jo WaltonStarring: Dominican friar Girolamo Savanarola, whose ability to see and cast out demons raises him to a position of power and influence in 15th-century Florence. Again and again and again.
Is it for you? Think Wolf Hall meets Russian Doll meets The Good Place, set in Renaissance Italy.
Want a taste? "And so often, Girolamo wants lines as straight and clean as a birch sapling, where human motives turn out to be as tangled as a bramble thicket." |
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The Iron Dragon's Mother
by Michael Swanwick
After returning from her first soul-stealing raid, Caitlin of House Sans Merci, a half-human pilot of a sentient mechanical dragon is framed for her brother's murder and must search Industrialized Faerie for the one person who can clear her name.
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Kingdom of Exiles
by Maxym M. Martineau
Forced to sell her beloved magical beasts on the black market—an offense punishable by death, exiled beast charmer Leena Edenfrell, with a price on her head, makes a devil’s bargain with the realm’s most talented assassin in exchange for her life. Original.
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Empress of forever
by Max Gladstone
"A wildly successful innovator to rival Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, Vivian Liao is prone to radical thinking, quick decision-making, and reckless action. On the eve of her greatest achievement, she tries to outrun people who are trying to steal her success. In the chilly darkness of a Boston server farm, Viv sets her ultimate plan into motion. A terrifying instant later, Vivian Liao is catapulted through space and time to a far future where she confronts a destiny stranger and more deadly than she could ever imagine. The end of time is ruled by an ancient, powerful Empress who blesses or blasts entire planets with a single thought. Rebellion is literally impossible to consider--until Vivian Liao arrives. Trapped between the Pride--a ravening horde of sentient machines--and a fanatical sect of warrior monks who call themselves the Mirrorfaith, Viv must rally a strange group of allies to confront the Empress and find a way back to the world and life she left behind."
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Her silhouette, drawn in water
by Vylar Kaftan
Trapped on a prison planet with no memory of the crime she has committed, Bee discovers she and her fellow inmate, Chela, are telepaths, and may have committed mass murder
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Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation
by Ken Liu
What it is: an anthology of Chinese science fiction edited and translated by Ken Liu, who provides brief introductions to each featured author.
Contains: 16 stories by 14 authors, including by Cixin Liu, Chen Qiufan, and others whose work has been translated into English for the first time.
For fans of: Invisible Planets, Liu's previous anthology of Chinese SF.
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The Sol Majestic
by Ferrett Steinmetz
"Kenna, an aspirational teen guru, wanders destitute across the stars as he tries to achieve his parents' ambition to advise the celestial elite. Everything changes when Kenna wins a free dinner at The Sol Majestic, the galaxy's most renowned restaurant, giving him access to the cosmos's one-percent. His dream is jeopardized, however, when he learns his highly-publicized "free meal" risks putting The Sol Majestic into financial ruin. Kenna and a motley gang of newfound friends--including a teleporting celebrity chef, a trust-fund adrenaline junkie, an inept apprentice, and a brilliant mistress of disguise--must concoct an extravagant scheme to save everything they cherish. In doing so, Kenna may sacrifice his ideals--or learn even greater lessons about wisdom, friendship, and love."
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Focus on: Indigenous Apocalyptic Fiction
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| Killer of Enemies by Joseph BruchacStarring: Chiricahua Apache warrior Lozen, whose skills are put to the test by the genetically engineered monsters that now roam the former American Southwest.
What happens: When the tyrannical rulers of Haven take her family members hostage, Lozen must defend the compound or forfeit their lives.
Series alert: This action-packed young adult novel is the 1st in a trilogy, followed by Trail of the Dead and Arrow of Lightning. |
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| The Marrow Thieves by Cherie DimalineIn a world...ravaged by climate change, Métis teen Frenchie and his fellow survivors flee the Recruiters, who harvest the bone marrow of Indigenous people and sell it to white people to restore their ability to dream.
Read it for: sympathetic characters, vivid world-building, and a moving story about the resilience of a community in the face of oppression.
Award buzz: The Marrow Thieves has won several awards, including the 2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award. |
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| Future Home of the Living God by Louise ErdrichWhat it's about: When Cedar Hawk Songmaker discovers she's pregnant, she seeks out her Ojibwe birth mother to learn more about her (and her unborn child's) family history.
But wait, there's more: Evolution is reversing itself, prompting the U.S. government to incarcerate pregnant women until they give birth.
For fans of: the reproductive dystopias of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Meg Elison's Road to Nowhere series. |
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| Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig RiceWinter is coming: and for an Anishinaabe community in northern Ontario, survival means relearning traditional ways of life.
Challenges include: no power, dwindling supplies, loss of contact with the outside world (which may no longer exist), and the sudden arrival of white people seeking shelter.
You might also like: David Williams' When the English Fall, another atmospheric apocalyptic novel about a close-knit yet isolated group of people (Amish farmers) surviving societal collapse. |
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| Trail of Lightning by Rebecca RoanhorseIntroducing: Maggie "the Monster Hunter" Hoskie, a Diné (Navajo) woman trained to kill the supernatural creatures unleashed by the catastrophic "Big Water" that drowned most of Earth.
Book buzz: This opening installment of the Sixth World series (which continues with Storm of Locusts) was nominated for both Hugo and Nebula Awards.
Want a taste? "But I'm no hero. I'm more of a last resort, a scorched-earth policy. I'm the person you hire when the heroes have already come home in body bags." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Patchogue-Medford Library 54-60 East Main Street Patchogue, New York 11772 (631) 654-4700www.pmlib.org/ |
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