LibraryAware October 2025

Recent Releases

You weren't meant to be human
by Andrew Joseph White

In a decaying Appalachian landscape where hives of parasites offer shelter in exchange for corpses, trans man Crane embraces the safety they offer—until an unexpected pregnancy with his volatile partner Levi sparks a horrifying descent that threatens to unravel his fragile existence in this brutal world.

Trials of the Jedi
by Charles Soule

In a galaxy divided by conflict, nine Jedi led by Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann journey to the Nameless home world to unravel the mystery of Force-consuming creatures and counter Marchion Ro's ruthless ambitions, with the future of life hanging in precarious balance.

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World
by J. R. Dawson

At the edge of Chicago sits a mysterious lighthouse, a waystation for the souls of the dead to reconcile with their lives before moving on. Nera, usually standing by watching her father ferry these souls, is drawn into a night of chaos when a living woman named Charlie has boarded the ferry, searching for someone she lost. Fans of the musical Hadestown will enjoy this "grim, authentic exploration of death for those who appreciate mythology-infused fantasy" (Library Journal).

The End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand
by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, eds.

Set during and after the events of Stephen King's highly acclaimed 1978 novel The Stand, this anthology collects new stories of human resilience after the apocalypse from authors like Poppy Z. Brite, Tananarive Due, Josh Malerman, and many more. Both a tribute to and an expansion of the original novel, fans of King's work will be delighted by the dedication on display from the contributors.

Unworld : a novel
by Jayson Greene

In a near-future where digital and human consciousness blur, a grieving mother, a traumatized witness, an AI professor, and a rogue digital entity confront the mystery of a young man's death, unraveling questions of memory, identity, and what it means to be alive.

Cold Eternity
by S. A. Barnes

Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth's most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago...The cryo program, created by trillionaire tech genius Zale Winfeld, is long defunct, and the AI hologram "hosts," ghoulishly created in the likeness of Winfeld's three adult children, are glitchy. The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see figures crawling in the hallways, and there's a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents. It's not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from.

Infinite Archive
by Mur Lafferty

In this 3rd entry in the Midsolar Murders series, Mallory Viridian's relative peace (and boredom) is disrupted when she boards a data ship from Earth carrying a boatload of mystery convention-goers -- as well as the entire Internet. With all of these converging chaotic elements, Mallory must solve the murder of her agent before time runs out. For fans of: fast-paced and snappy science fiction crime novels such as Malka Older's Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti series or Constance Fay's Uncharted Hearts series.

Anji Kills a King
by Evan Leikam

Castle servant Anji is on the run after murdering the king, with a mysterious band of mercenaries known as the Menagerie hot on her heels. One of the Menagerie, a surly swordswoman named Hawk, has cause to keep Anji alive and the two form an uneasy alliance to evade death. Fast-paced and rich with character and world details, this debut series opener is a must for fans of Christopher Buehlman's The Blacktongue Thief and Sarah Rees Brennan's Long Live Evil.

Until the world falls down : a novel
by Jordan Lynde

When a brutal betrayal leaves Nell heartbroken and alone, she makes a desperate wish for love, recklessly offering anything in exchange. Her plea is heard by Enver, an immortal as wicked as he is beautiful. He sweeps Nell away to his castle that seems to exist out of time and presents her with a bargain: escape his labyrinth within forty-eight hours or surrender to eternity as his lover. Nell vows to conquer the labyrinth, despite the dangerous attraction she feels for its monstrous ruler. But every stolen moment with him leaves her craving more. And every step deeper into the castle reveals hidden truths about herself... and the curse that holds Enver captive. Torn between her desire for love and the dark being incapable of loving her, Nell faces an impossible choice. And her time is running out.

The sea witch
by Eva Leigh

Condemned as witches in Puritan New England, a defiant band of women flee by sea to become pirate outlaws, capturing a British naval navigator and forging a fiery alliance as they battle dark magic, imperial power, and forbidden desire in an alternate Caribbean world. Original.

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