Articles tagged "sci-fi"
#fridayreads (7/14/17)
Today’s #fridayreads are:
The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection by Gardner Dozois
The multiple Locus Award-winning annual collection of the year’s best science fiction stories.
Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology by Jonathan Maberry, George A. Romero
An original anthology of zombie stories by other respected horror and thriller writers including Mira Grant, Jay Bonansinga, Carrie Ryan, and Chuck Wendig among others.
“The anthology is the perfect homage to the zombie movie that started it all.”–Publishers Weekly
New Sci-Fi/Fantasy!
If your patrons love science fiction & fantasy, hand them these three new books:
DEADMEN WALKING by Sherrilyn Kenyon
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon debuts a sweeping new epic historical fantasy series! “Kenyon’s trilogy launch showcases new and familiar faces from her ‘Dark-Hunters’ universe. A crew of dead spirits get a last chance at redemption, and humanity is none the wiser as good and evil clash. Kenyon fans will enjoy this new foray into historical fantasy.” — Library Journal
THE LAST IOTA by Robert Kroese
When movie mogul Selah Fiore decides she needs to get her hands on a rare coin lost somewhere in the gray zone between L.A. and the Disincorporated Zone, she knows there’s no one better suited for the job than eccentric private investigator Erasmus Keane. “Kroese gifts readers with his gripping second mystery set in 2039 Los Angeles (after 2016’s THE BIG SHEEP), another sophisticated blend of science fiction and crime. The compelling story, memorable leads, and imaginative worldbuilding suggest the series has a long and promising future.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review readmoreremove
Friday Reads: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Our #FridayReads are outta-this-world new sci-fi & fantasy titles, all on library shelves now!
BORNE by Jeff VanderMeer
One of Publishers Weekly‘s Best Books of Summer 2017 and Buzzfeed’s “Incredible New Books You Need To Read This Spring” with THREE starred reviews! “VanderMeer, author of the acclaimed Southern Reach trilogy, has made a career out of eluding genre classifications, and with BORNE he essentially invents a new one. Reading like a dispatch from a world lodged somewhere between science fiction, myth, and a video game, the textures of BORNE shift as freely as those of the titular whatsit.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
WALKAWAY by Cory Doctorow
Two starred reviews! Cory Doctorow’s first adult novel in eight years: a “sweeping epic” (Booklist, starred review) of revolution, love, post-scarcity, and the end of death. “A truly visionary techno-thriller that not only depicts how we might live tomorrow, but asks why we don’t already.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
VOID STAR by Zachary Mason
Two starred reviews! A riveting, beautifully written, fugue-like novel of AIs, memory, violence, and mortality set in a near-future San Francisco. “Mason’s follow-up to THE LOST BOOKS OF THE ODYSSEY is a complex and spellbinding tale of a future where self-preservation, in every sense of the word, is a victory.” — Library Journal, starred review
WINTER TIDE by Ruthanna Emrys
In Emrys’s debut novel, the last daughter of the people of Innsmouth must return to the ruins of her home, gather the scraps of her stolen history, and assemble a new family to face the darkest of human politics and the wildest dangers of an uncaring universe. “Marbled with references to the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, this inventive dark fantasy crossbreeds the cosmic horrors of the Cthulhu mythos with the espionage escapades of a Cold War thriller.” — Publishers Weekly
Share your #FridayReads with us @MacmillanLib. Happy weekend!
Friday Reads All-Stars
Happy Friday, friends! Our #FridayReads have multiple starred reviews:
DOWN AMONG THE STICKS AND BONES by Seanan McGuire — 3 starred reviews!
“Beautifully crafted and smartly written, this fairy-tale novella is everything that speculative fiction readers look for: fantastical worlds, diverse characters, and prose that hits home with its emotional truths.” — Library Journal, starred review
“McGuire’s exquisitely written fairy tale is about the choices that can alter the course of a life forever, lost innocence, and what it is to love and be loved.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Exquisitely crafted, this is the rare companion novel that can stand alone.” — Booklist, starred review
MY LIFE WITH BOB: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul
“Titles about reading and books abound, but this memoir stands in a class by itself. Bibliophiles will treasure, but the addictive storytelling and high-quality writing will vastly increase its audience. Highly recommended.” — Library Journal, starred review
“Readers will be drawn to this witty and authentic tribute to the extraordinary power of books.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review readmoreremove
Fiction All-Stars
We’re seeing lots of stars for these upcoming fiction releases:
THE DARK FLOOD RISES by Margaret Drabble – 3 stars!
“For women of a certain age, it is a pure pleasure to grow older alongside Drabble. For all others, there’s plenty of joy to be had in this thoughtful meditation on aging and mortality.” — Library Journal, starred review
“Searingly sad but often hilarious… Drabble has filled her tale with characters desperately trying to make sense of life and loss, of beauty, talent, missed opportunities, faded passion.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Those who appreciate her able combination of intelligence, wit, and rue will willingly follow Drabble into the sunset.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
CONVICTION by Julia Dahl – 3 stars!
“CONVICTION is a cleverly named compelling chronicle…[about] the very meaning of power and poverty, justice, family, and, best of all, hope. Timely and perfect for twenty- and thirtysomething fans of Megan Abbott and Lisa Lutz.” — Booklist, starred review
“Outstanding… Dahl excels at revealing the inner workings of enigmatic subcultures while maintaining peak suspense. She also provides a terrific ‘whoa, I didn’t see that coming” moment.’” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Newcomers to this award-winning series can jump right in with this installment, and be eager to read about Rebekah’s earlier investigations (INVISIBLE CITY; RUN YOU DOWN). The unsettling coercion of a confession from a teenage suspect could make this a good suggestion for fans of the show Making a Murderer. A surefire winner for any mystery or suspense fan. ” — Library Journal, starred review
WALKAWAY by Cory Doctorow
“Doctorow offers a counterintuitive alternate (possible?) future in this gritty yet hopeful sci-fi epic. A truly visionary techno-thriller that not only depicts how we might live tomorrow, but asks why we don’t already.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“The sweeping epic, which covers decades of Walkaway life—despite some difficult-to-read but entirely believable character trauma—is ultimately suffused with hope.” — Booklist, starred review readmoreremove
Whatcha (e-) Reading?
Here are the most popular e-galleys librarians have recently downloaded from Edelweiss* (maybe we’ll see some of them on a LibraryReads list soon!):
Mystery:
A MOST NOVEL REVENGE by Ashley Weaver
A TERRIBLE BEAUTY by Tasha Alexander
GLOW OF DEATH by Jane K. Cleland
NORMAL by Warren Ellis
SAY NO MORE by Hank Phillippi Ryan
STONE COFFIN by Kjell Eriksson
SWISS VENDETTA by Tracee de Hahn
TEETOTALED by Maia Chance
THE DRY by Jane Harper
THE INHERITANCE by Charles Finch
THE NOWHERE MAN by Gregg Hurwitz
THE OSLO CONSPIRACY by Asle Skredderberget
UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN by Keigo Higashino
Sci Fi / Fantasy:
FALLER by Will McIntosh
INVISIBLE PLANETS by Ken Liu
THE SUPERNATURALS by David L. Golemon
WALKAWAY by Cory Doctorow
Horror:
THE MOTION OF PUPPETS by Keith Donohue
THE GRAVEYARD APARTMENT by Mariko Koike
THE FAMILY PLOT by Cherie Priest
Nonfiction / Biography:
HOMEWARD BOUND: The Life of Paul Simon by Peter Ames Carlin
WALKING TO LISTEN: 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story at a Time by Andrew Forsthoefel
Debuts:
ALL THAT’S LEFT TO TELL by Daniel Lowe
INDELIBLE by Adelia Saunders
LOTUS by Lijia Zhang
MARLENA by Julie Buntin
THE GUINEVERES by Sarah Domet
THE NEXT by Stephanie Gangi
THIS HOUSE IS MINE by Dorte Hansen
Novels:
THE CLAIRVOYANTS by Karen Brown
PULL ME UNDER by Kelly Luce
Romance:
CHRISTMAS IN PARIS by Anita Hughes
Bestselling Authors:
BORN OF LEGEND by Sherrilyn Kenyon
NIGHT WATCH by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen
YA:
CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber
FREEKS by Amanda Hocking
HOW TO KEEP A BOY FROM KISSING YOU by Tara Eglington
MOON CHOSEN by P.C. Cast
WE ARE STILL TORNADOES by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen
WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS by Anna-Marie McLemore
WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones
Don’t see our e-galleys/the big ‘ol green button on Edelweiss? Get whitelisted!
*Most popular as of September 27, 2016.
Genre Stars!
We’re seeing many stars for these great genre reads:
BY GASLIGHT by Steven Price
“With its intricate cat-and-mouse game, array of idiosyncratic characters, and brooding atmosphere, BY GASLIGHT has much to please fans of both classic suspense and Victorian fiction.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The author’s blend of quest, grief, betrayal, and the mysteries of identity will appeal to readers of literary crime fiction.” — Library Journal, starred review
BLACK WATER by Louise Doughty
“Another morally and emotionally fraught thriller from British writer Doughty (APPLE TREE YARD), this one about an operative for an Amsterdam-based black-ops organization grappling with fallout from his personal and professional history in Indonesia. Powerful, probing fiction in the tradition of Graham Greene and John le Carré.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Doughty takes a page from John le Carré, crafting a riveting, psychological, morally ambiguous tale. Harper’s backstory is richly detailed, and his budding relationship with Rita is convincing. Finally, the role of mercenaries in world affairs adds a new perspective to the spy novel genre.” — Library Journal, starred review
DESOLATION FLATS by Andrew Hunt
“Set in 1938, Hunt’s outstanding third mystery featuring Mormon policeman Art Oveson (after A KILLING IN ZION) combines a moving portrayal of a man attempting to deal with his wife’s depression with a clever whodunit story line. The richness of the characters, including secondary ones, and the imaginative plot make this the best yet in the series.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“[A] knockout of a novel… so powerful it can be taken as a stand-alone. The real magic here, though, is the author’s ability to make this ordinary man so fascinating. Credit Hunt’s writing. Like his hero, it’s only plain on the surface.” — Booklist, starred review
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LJ Genre Spotlight: SF/Fantasy
Library Journal‘s genre spotlight on SF/Fantasy has so much Macmillan goodness, it’s out of this world!
A MULTIPLICITY OF CHARACTERS
September marks the publication of James Tiptree Jr. Literary Award–winning short story writer Nisi Shawl’s highly anticipated first novel, EVERFAIR, a steampunk alternate history set in the Belgian Congo. “It’s as diverse in about as many ways as you can count. The author is a queer black woman, and several of [her] characters are queer (and often women and/or nonwhite as well),” explains Tor Books editor Liz Gorinsky. “The [other] characters represent a multiplicity of voices that have been historically silenced—Africans, East Asians, and African Americans—as well as a few Europeans, in complex relationships with one another.”
WORKS IN TRANSLATION
Increasingly, publishers’ fall lists are featuring speculative fiction in translation, and awards committees have taken note. In 2015, Cixin Liu’s THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM became the first translated sf novel to win a Hugo Award and wound up on the reading lists of President Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. Arriving in September from Tor is DEATH’S END, the highly anticipated conclusion to Liu’s “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy.
“I have somehow fallen into the Chinese [sf] publishing business, and I couldn’t be happier,” exclaims Tor’s Gorinsky. “This fall we actually have two books translated by Ken Liu (who’s an amazing author in his own right—the only one to ever win Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards for the same story).” The second title is INVISIBLE PLANETS, an anthology of Chinese short stories; it includes two tales by Cixin Liu and the rest by rising talents, including the Hugo- and Sturgeon Award–nominated “Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang. Coming in October is Mariko Koike’s THE GRAVEYARD APARTMENT; known for her hybrid works that mix detective fiction with horror, the author is one of Japan’s most popular writers. Originally published in 1986, this novel follows a young family as they move into what they believe is the perfect home—despite the cemetery next door.
DRAWN FROM OTHER LANDS
Pseudonymous author Lian Hearn, who has lived in Japan and is a student of the Japanese language, explores that country’s medieval history and mythology in her four-volume “Tale of Shikanoko” series. In the third outing, LORD OF THE DARKWOOD, the warrior Shikanoko must confront the Spider Tribe that he had some part in creating.
Authors are also incorporating some unusual urban settings in the natural world for their epics. Australian Thoraiya Dyer’s series opener, CROSSROADS OF CANOPY, due from Tor in January, introduces a city set in the canopy of a rainforest ruled by gods. Unar, the young servant of the goddess Audblayin, must descend to the deprived realms of Understorey and Floor to seek her destiny. Fran Wilde introduced readers to her towering city of living bone and its flying inhabitants in her award-winning debut UPDRAFT, but more trouble brews for residents in CLOUDBOUND. readmoreremove
Fall 2016 & Winter 2017 Sci-Fi Preview
We loved seeing Booklist‘s Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror picks and are excited for Tor.com’s Fall 2016 season. Here’s even MORE sci-fi and fantasy we’re looking forward to this fall and in Winter 2017, plus a special video for all you lovely librarians from Leanna Renee Hieber, author of ETERNA & OMEGA (available now).
SPELLBREAKER by Blake Charlton – THREE STARS!!!
“The thrilling conclusion to the Spellwright trilogy answers some lingering questions about Leandra’s parents and brings descriptive depth to her character. … It will appeal to readers who enjoy high fantasy, complex worlds, and characters that change and grow throughout the story.” —Booklist, starred review
“There is significant emotional depth to the story, and ponderings on fate, love, and the purpose of human society give the novel some gravitas. Intricate plotting, strong characters, and a wonderfully imagined world make this a winner.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The worldbuilding and the conflict are expertly delineated, but much of the trilogy’s focus is far more intimate: a richly textured portrait of personal growth . . . Vivid, intelligent, and painful in an authentically laudable way.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
EVERFAIR by Nisi Shawl
A Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2016! In this deeply compelling debut novel, Shawl takes readers to an alternate Earth where the inhumane history of the Belgian Congo is brilliantly rewritten when Africa’s indigenous populations learn about steam power. “This highly original story blends steampunk and political intrigue in a compelling new view of a dark piece of human history.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
CLOUDBOUND by Fran Wilde
The sequel to UPDRAFT, which won the 2015 Nebula Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. “What makes this a must-read are the further explorations of Wilde’s City of Towers and the residents who soar the skies between them. Those who have always wondered what was beneath the clouds will finally get their answer.” — Library Journal
GHOST TALKERS by Mary Robinette Kowal
Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is working as a medium for the Spirit Corps when she discovers a traitor. “The well-drawn characters and the story’s gripping action and deep emotion will captivate readers.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
NEVERNIGHT by Jay Kristoff
“Launching the Nevernight fantasy series, Kristoff (the Lotus War trilogy) creates a splendid world of corruption and violence. Absorbing in its complexity and bold in its bloodiness, this beginning promises (and delivers) equal shares of beauty and decay. With a delicate balance of the ancient and the magical, this tense and brutal tale is unflinching, thrilling, and satisfying.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
REPORTS ON THE INTERNET APOCALYPSE by Wayne Gladstone
In the third and final installment of the Internet Apocalypse Trilogy, Gladstone, the would-be Internet Messiah, finds himself in exile from America, falsely accused of terrorism and murder. When the World Wide Web returns in a highly compromised and commercialized state, possibly due to the efforts of a billionaire presidential candidate, Gladstone and his pursuers must collaborate in an attempt to reclaim a free and open Internet.
Winter 2017:
Booklist’s Best SF/Fantasy/Horror of 2016
Booklist recently unveiled their Top 10 SF/Fantasy/Horror reading lists of 2016, including these Macmillan titles:
Top 10 SF/Fantasy: 2016 (full list)
ARABELLA OF MARS by David D. Levine
The alternate-world science is novel, and the plot is thrilling in this Verne-inspired tale, a joyous throwback to sf adventure of old.
Top 10 Horror: 2016 (full list)
PRESSURE by Brian Keane
Carrie free-dives deep underwater to help determine why the ocean floor is collapsing. As if that’s not scary enough, she encounters a creature that destroys everything in its path. A gory, winning horror thriller—a different kind of beach read, you might say.
Top 10 Youth SF/Fantasy/Horror on Audio (full list)
CARRY ON by Rainbow Rowell, read by Euan Morton
Dramatizing a Harry Potter–like world filled with wizards, vampires, ghosts, pixies, and shape-shifting demons coexisting with “Normals,” Morton displays a chimerical skill at voicing characters and captivates with his humor- and horror-steeped performance.
CARRY ON was also mentioned in Michael Cart’s Carte Blanche column on Speculative Fiction and LGBTQ Literature.
Core Collection: Space Operas (full list)
THE DARK BETWEEN THE STARS by Kevin J. Anderson
Anderson (also famous for his many series titles) hits it out of the galaxy again: space opera doesn’t get much more exciting, or much more richly populated with alien races, technologies, and cultures, than it does in this sprawling, engrossing epic. A joint exploratory mission to the edge of the galaxy reveals an alien presence, one so powerful that it could conceivably wipe out all life in the galaxy.
EARTH UNAWARE by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
The beginning of this prequel series to the ever-popular ENDER’S GAME finds young Victor Delgado risking his life to warn earth of the impending invasion.
REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi
Ensign Andrew Dahl, assigned to the spaceship Intrepid, begins to notice that things are a bit weird. His shipmates frequently behave in an unpredictable or unmotivated manner, and problems are often resolved by the use of the Box, a mysterious vessel that, when you input a seemingly unsolvable problem, spits out a resolution after a suitably dramatic pause. As he tries to figure out what the heck is going on around him, Andy discovers a truth so staggering that he has no choice but to believe it. readmoreremove
