Publisher: Mulholland Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/04/2013
ISBN-13: 9780316216852
ISBN-10: 0316216852

Time Travel SF. In 1931, Harper Curtis discovers a time travel portal located in an otherwise undistinguished Chicago bungalow. Written on the walls of the house are the names of "shining girls" whose bright young lives he must extinguish. Thus does Curtis become a time-traveling serial killer, singling out his victims by giving them small gifts and then returning, years later, to eviscerate them. However, not everything goes as planned during his multi-decade murder spree. One victim, Kirby Mazrachi, survives his attack and, with the help of a journalist, begins to investigate her mysterious assailant.

Publisher: Orbit
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/04/2013
ISBN-13: 9780316129077
ISBN-10: 0316129070

Space Opera. Shortly after the events of Caliban's War, alien artifacts in deep space attract the attention of Earthlings, Martians, and members of the Outer Planets Alliance. As these governing bodies hurry to investigate, Captain Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante find themselves unwillingly caught up in events beyond their understanding or control. Fans of fast-paced, action-packed space opera full of futuristic technology, cinematic storytelling, and sympathetic characters won't want to miss this 3rd volume of the Expanse series, which begins with Leviathan Wakes.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/02/2013
ISBN-13: 9781476727912
ISBN-10: 1476727910

Humorous SF. If you want to live, DON'T prove the Riemann hypothesis. No sooner does Cambridge mathematician Andrew Martin make his miraculous breakthrough than he's kidnapped by Vonnadorians, an alien species that wishes to prevent humans -- violent, illogical humans -- from gaining knowledge that would hasten their technological advancement (and the universe's destruction). An assassin is quickly dispatched to assume the identity of Professor Martin, destroy all proof of the discovery, and kill anyone who might know anything about Martin's work. However, the "new" Martin soon develops a soft spot for humans -- and proves to be a better man than the one he's replaced.

Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/14/2013
ISBN-13: 9780765333513
ISBN-10: 0765333511

Space Opera. This novel, comprised of 13 interconnected stories, introduces the Human Colonial Union's "B-Team," a back-up crew assigned to complete the diplomatic mission that was derailed when the alien Conclave destroyed the Union starship Polk. In dire need of good PR (even among Earthlings), humanity may nor may not benefit from the efforts of rebellious technician Lieutenant Harry Wilson, mild-mannered diplomat Hard Schmidt, and ambassador Abumwe. Originally published in digital serial form, this 5th book set in the Old Man's Universe is a "Heinlein-like adventure for a serious sci-fi fan" (Kirkus Reviews).

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Publisher: ACE
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/02/2013
ISBN-13: 9780425256770
ISBN-10: 0425256774

Far-future SF. Set in the same universe as Saturn's Children, albeit several thousand years after the events of that book, Neptune's Brood stars Krina-Alizond-114, a "metahuman" whose robot ancestors replaced human beings millennia ago. Krina is headed for the aquatic planet of Shin-Tethys, where she hopes to find her missing sister. Her journey will involve dodging assassination attempts, seeking sanctuary from an interplanetary church, forming an alliance with a space pirate, and protecting an ancient artifact that could upset the entire interstellar banking system. If you enjoy intricate plotting and extensive world-building, don't miss this dramatic, thought provoking novel.

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/11/2013
ISBN-13: 9780857687623
ISBN-10: 085768762X

Cyberpunk. Meet Ecko, a genetically modified, mechanically enhanced superhuman sociopath with a taste for rebellion. A resident of a dystopian future London, Ecko has loosely allied himself with an organization dedicated to destroying Pilgrim, Inc., the pharmaceutical corporation whose drugs have rendered the city's population into docile drones. During a mission, Ecko falls from a building and lands in a medieval fantasy realm that's full of magic and monsters but devoid of modern conveniences. Is he dreaming? Is he trapped in a virtual world? More importantly, can he find a way to return to reality? This debut, the 1st novel in a planned trilogy, may appeal to fans of Rod Rees' The Demi-Monde or Tad Williams' Otherland series.

Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/04/2007
ISBN-13: 9780756404581
ISBN-10: 0756404584

Space Opera. Stripped of her memories and stranded on the planet Auord, Sira has no choice but to rely on the protection of enigmatic space trader Captain Jason Morgan of the Silver Fox if she wants to escape. It soon becomes apparent that Morgan knows more about Sira than he lets on -- and more than Sira knows about herself. What does he want with her, and is it better or worse than what her pursuers intend? A Thousand Words for Stranger is the 1st novel in Canadian science fiction author Julie E. Czerneda's Trade Pact Universe series, which continues with Ties of Power and To Trade the Stars.

Publisher: Del Rey
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/31/2005
ISBN-13: 9780345461278
ISBN-10: 0345461274

Alien SF. During a camping trip, Chicago commodities trader Marcus Walker is abducted by the Vilenjji, an alien species resembling seven-foot-tall purple insects. From his fellow Earthborn captive, a talking dog named George, Marcus learns that the Vilenji dominate the interstellar exotic pet trade and that he and the other prisoners (including some extraterrestrials) will be sold to wealthy collectors. There's no choice, Marcus concludes, but to plan an escape. But how will they break free from the well-guarded slave ship -- and where in the worlds will they go if they succeed? Lost and Found is the 1st book in Alan Dean Foster's humorous, offbeat Taken Trilogy.

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Publisher: Ace Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/28/2009
ISBN-13: 9780441017393
ISBN-10: 0441017398

SF. Likable teen Carmen Dula departs with her family on an ultimate near-future vacation -- to be short-term colonists of Mars. But long-distance travel in cramped discomfort with the fam doesn't sweeten any teen's disposition: Carmen's got attitude to spare upon arrival; taking it out on colonial authorities quickly lands her a deadly solo walk in the Martian wastes. What she discovers there will change everything -- if she lives to tell the tale. In addition to author Joe Haldeman's signature hard-SF details, this story also offers a gutsy young protagonist who may appeal to readers who enjoyed M.J. Locke's Up In the Air or Robert Heinlein's classic Red Planet.

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9780345462190
ISBN-10: 034546219X

Social SF. Too old to work or bear children, 70-year-old widow Ofelia Falfurria is a non-entity as far as the sponsors of the Sim Bancorp Colony are concerned. When all colonists are ordered to evacuate the planet via cryoship, Ofelia, tired of being treated as a second-class citizen and unwilling to pack up and leave her home, decides to stay put. Once she's alone, Ofelia makes the most of her newfound freedom, enjoying her solitude and independence. But encounters with "The People," the aliens who inhabited the planet before human settlers displaced them, followed by the arrival of a new group of human colonists, prompt Ofelia to realize that she's in a unique position to ensure everyone's survival.

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