'Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We're going to kill them first.'. Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object) .. Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.
Jo Fletcher Books
|
9781529422771
|
Hardcover
The God Is Not Willing
By Erikson, Steven
Many years have passed since three warriors brought carnage and chaos to Silver Lake.Now the tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. The town has recovered and yet the legacy remains. Responding to reports of a growing unease among the tribes beyond the border, the Malazan army marches on the new god's people. They aren't quite sure what they're going to be facing.And in those high mountains, a new warleader has risen amongst the Teblor. Scarred by the deeds of Karsa Orlong, he intends to confront his god even if he has to cut a bloody swathe through the Malazan Empire to do so.Further north, a new threat has emerged and now it seems it is the Teblor who are running out of time. Another long-feared migration is about to begin and this time it won't just be three warriors.
Tor Books
|
9780765323590
|
Hardcover
Valiant Dust
By Baker, Richard
In a stylish, smart, new military science fiction series, Richard Baker begins the adventures of Sikander North in an era of great interstellar colonial powers. Valiant Dust combines the intrigues of interstellar colonial diplomacy with explosive military action."New and extraordinary . . . Go read this!" -- David WeberSikander Singh North has always had it easy -- until he joined the crew of the Aquilan Commonwealth starship CSS Hector. As the ship's new gunnery officer and only Kashmiri, he must constantly prove himself better than his Aquilan crewmates, even if he has to use his fists. When the Hector is called to help with a planetary uprising, he'll have to earn his unit's respect, find who's arming the rebels, and deal with the headstrong daughter of the colonial ruler -- all while dodging bullets.Sikander's military career is off to an explosive start -- but only if he and CSS Hector can survive his first mission.
Tor Books
|
9780765390721
|
Hardcover
Chasing Shadows
By Jones, Zachariah
In 1924, Sarah O'Connell, a socialite and spiritualist, is brutally murdered. The local authorities do not have a single suspect. After receiving an anonymous letter, Jarek Videni, a young intuitive from New York City, travels to the American Midwest to help solve the case. However, Jarek learns quickly that there is no single suspect in the case because everyone in the house is a suspect ... even the spirits.This unsolved case is surrounded with mystery, horror, and a dark presence that fills the family's home and calls out to Jarek. This presence is watching ... waiting ... and listening. Jarek must use his gifts to read the cards, reach beyond the veil, uncover the many secrets that haunt the O'Connell mansion, and find the killer before they strike again.
Water Sign Books
|
9798986344010
|
Paperback
Zodiac Academy 4
By Peckham, Caroline
The shadows are in my blood.I can feel them crawling through me, slithering under my skin and taking me hostage.But the darkness within me, isn't nearly as bad as the darkness that lives around me.The four heirs will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of me and my sister. But they haven't figured out yet, we're the strongest creatures they've ever known...
nielsen
|
9781914425066
|
Paperback
Dear Cyborgs
By Lim, Eugene
A fractal fable about the possibility and power of protest as told by three superheroes on their lunch breakIn a small Midwestern town, two Asian American boys bond over their outcast status and a mutual love of comic books. Meanwhile, in an alternative or perhaps future universe, a team of superheroes ponders modern society during their time off. Between black-ops missions and rescuing hostages, they swap stories of artistic malaise and muse on the seemingly inescapable grip of market economics. Gleefully toying with the conventions of the novel, Dear Cyborgs weaves together the story of a friendship's dissolution with a provocative and lively meditation on protest. Through a series of linked monologues, a surprising cast of characters explores narratives of resistance -- protest art, eco-terrorists, Occupy squatters, pyromaniacal militants -- and the extent to which any of these can truly withstand the pragmatic demands of contemporary capitalism. All the while, a mysterious cybernetic book of clairvoyance beckons, and trusted allies start to disappear.Playfully blending comic-book villains with cultural critiques, Eugene Lim's Dear Cyborgs is a fleet-footed literary exploration of power, friendship, and creativity that recalls authors like Tom McCarthy and Valeria Luiselli. Ambitious and knowing, it braids together hard-boiled detective pulps, subversive philosophy, and Hollywood chase scenes, unfolding like the composites and revelations of a dream.
FSG Originals
|
9780374537111
|
Paperback
The Guns Above
By Bennis, Robyn
Robyn Bennis's THE GUNS ABOVE is an adventurous military fantasy debut about a nation's first female airship captain.They say it's not the fall that kills you. For Josette Dupre, the Corps' first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in the back. On top of patrolling the front lines, she must also contend with a crew who doubts her expertise, a new airship that is an untested deathtrap, and the foppish aristocrat Lord Bernat, a gambler and shameless flirt with the military know-how of a thimble. Bernat's own secret assignment is to catalog her every moment of weakness and indecision. So when the enemy makes an unprecedented move that could turn the tide of the war, can Josette deal with Bernat, rally her crew, and survive long enough to prove herself?"Full of sass and terrific characters. Great storytelling. Loved it." -- Patricia Briggs
Tor Books
|
9780765388766
|
Hardcover
The Time Roads
By Bernobich, Beth
From BethBernobich, the critically acclaimed author of the River of Souls trilogy, comes The Time Roads,afantastical 19th century alternate historical steampunk romp. ire is one of the most powerful empires in the world. The Anglian Dependencies are a dusty backwater filled with resentful colonial subjects, Europe is a disjointed mess, and many look to ire for stability and peace. In a series of braided stories, Beth Bernobich has created a tale about the brilliant ireann scientists who have already bent the laws of nature for Mans benefit. And who now are striving to conquer the nature of time.,
Tor Books
|
9780765331250
|
Book
Vita Nostra
By Dyachenko, Sergey
The definitive English-language translation of the internationally best-selling Russian novel - a brilliant dark fantasy with "the potential to be a modern classic" (Lev Grossman) , combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way.
Our life is brief....
While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin.
As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels its the only place she should be. Against her mothers wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education.
As she quickly discovers, the institutes "special technologies" are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences that are nothing she has ever dreamed of...and suddenly all she could ever want.
A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction - brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey - is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossmans The Magicians, Max Barrys Lexicon, and Katherine Ardens The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.
Read more AMAZON.COM REVIEW
An Amazon Best Book of November 2018: If Hogwarts was in Russia instead of Great Britain, if failing your O.W.L. exam meant death to family members, and if learning how to bend reality might deform your brain and physical body ... well, Harry Potter wouldnt make it past year one. Vita Nostra, a Russian urban fantasy novel, audaciously expands the concept of magic and philosophy well past their current comfortable doctrines. The strenuous, stressful lessons that Sasha Samokhina assimilates at the Institute of Special Technologies forces Sasha and her classmates to rethink their assumptions and break past mental barriers - even when the barrier is simply identifying as human. Reading Vita Nostra exposes just how complacent novels about magic have become as they evoke the tried-and-true magical systems based on inherited abilities, willpower, or enchanted items. As Sasha expands her vision of the world, so, too, the readers vision of fantasy literature expands. Vita Nostras ending doesnt have the tidy satisfaction I expect ... but perhaps that reveals how pigeonholed some of my own reading expectations continue to be. - Adrian Liang, Amazon Book Review FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Originally published in Russian, this modern fantasy follows Sasha Samokhina as she is unwillingly recruited and forced to attend the mysterious Institute of Special Technologies. The teachings seem nonsensical, and failure comes at a high cost, sometimes resulting in the untimely death of a close relative. Through fear and coercion, the students learn at an accelerated speed, unlocking secrets to higher human potential and beyond. The lyrical writing will appeal to those who favor magical realism, and the college atmosphere grounds the novel in the real world. Readers will look forward to the next installment of this fascinating, strange tale. Recommended to fans of Lev Grossmans The Magicians and Katherine Ardens The Bear and the Nightingale. VERDICT A must-purchase for libraries serving fantasy-loving mature teens.-Melanie Leivers, Palm Beach Country Library System, FLα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. REVIEW
The Dyachenkos deftly create a supernatural environment without using magic, spells, or potions. Recommended for readers who appreciate the intensity of student bonding in extreme situations. --Library Journal
A book that has the potential to become a modern classic of its genre. -- Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author"
While a magical school is a familiar trope, Harry Potter this is not. Dark and foreboding, this fantasy, translated from Russian, is more of philosophical treatise on growing up and the nature of reality than an adventure tale. Readers willing to challenge themselves and slowly digest this deep book will enjoy it immensely. --BOOKLIST
An unnerving, deeply philosophical coming-of-age tale...Herseys translation is plain and straightforward, a wise choice that enhances the deep strangeness of this trippy, vivid novel. --Publishers Weekly
This dark, ambitious, and intellectually strenuous novel will feel like a fresh revelation to fantasy readers glutted with Western wish-fulfillment narratives. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) FROM THE BACK COVER
The definitive English-language translation of the internationally bestselling Russian novel - a brilliant dark fantasy combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way
Our life is brief . . .
While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerles
Harper Voyager
|
9780062694591
|
Audiobook
Blood Lust
By Ivy, Alexandra
Blessed and cursed by their hidden abilities, the Sentinels have no choice but to live, and love, on the edge of humanity ... The Sentinel assassin, Bas, is facing the greatest challenge of his outcast existence. His young daughter, Molly, has been kidnapped. But her disappearance has brought the return of her mother, Myst, whom Bas has never forgotten--or forgiven. Haunted by a vision that she's destined to create a weapon that will destroy thousands, Myst was never impulsive--until she met the irresistibly handsome Bas. But with the Brotherhood, the enemy of the high-bloods hunting for her, Myst had to stay on the run, to keep her child, and the world, safe. Now, with the most important thing in both their lives at stake, she and Bas must embark on a treacherous journey to save Molly, to confront the truth of Myst's fate--and to face their fierce desire for one another.
The Malevolent Seven
By Castell, Sebastien De
'Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We're going to kill them first.'. Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object) .. Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.
The God Is Not Willing
By Erikson, Steven
Many years have passed since three warriors brought carnage and chaos to Silver Lake.Now the tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. The town has recovered and yet the legacy remains. Responding to reports of a growing unease among the tribes beyond the border, the Malazan army marches on the new god's people. They aren't quite sure what they're going to be facing.And in those high mountains, a new warleader has risen amongst the Teblor. Scarred by the deeds of Karsa Orlong, he intends to confront his god even if he has to cut a bloody swathe through the Malazan Empire to do so.Further north, a new threat has emerged and now it seems it is the Teblor who are running out of time. Another long-feared migration is about to begin and this time it won't just be three warriors.
Valiant Dust
By Baker, Richard
In a stylish, smart, new military science fiction series, Richard Baker begins the adventures of Sikander North in an era of great interstellar colonial powers. Valiant Dust combines the intrigues of interstellar colonial diplomacy with explosive military action."New and extraordinary . . . Go read this!" -- David WeberSikander Singh North has always had it easy -- until he joined the crew of the Aquilan Commonwealth starship CSS Hector. As the ship's new gunnery officer and only Kashmiri, he must constantly prove himself better than his Aquilan crewmates, even if he has to use his fists. When the Hector is called to help with a planetary uprising, he'll have to earn his unit's respect, find who's arming the rebels, and deal with the headstrong daughter of the colonial ruler -- all while dodging bullets.Sikander's military career is off to an explosive start -- but only if he and CSS Hector can survive his first mission.
Chasing Shadows
By Jones, Zachariah
In 1924, Sarah O'Connell, a socialite and spiritualist, is brutally murdered. The local authorities do not have a single suspect. After receiving an anonymous letter, Jarek Videni, a young intuitive from New York City, travels to the American Midwest to help solve the case. However, Jarek learns quickly that there is no single suspect in the case because everyone in the house is a suspect ... even the spirits.This unsolved case is surrounded with mystery, horror, and a dark presence that fills the family's home and calls out to Jarek. This presence is watching ... waiting ... and listening. Jarek must use his gifts to read the cards, reach beyond the veil, uncover the many secrets that haunt the O'Connell mansion, and find the killer before they strike again.
Zodiac Academy 4
By Peckham, Caroline
The shadows are in my blood.I can feel them crawling through me, slithering under my skin and taking me hostage.But the darkness within me, isn't nearly as bad as the darkness that lives around me.The four heirs will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of me and my sister. But they haven't figured out yet, we're the strongest creatures they've ever known...
Dear Cyborgs
By Lim, Eugene
A fractal fable about the possibility and power of protest as told by three superheroes on their lunch breakIn a small Midwestern town, two Asian American boys bond over their outcast status and a mutual love of comic books. Meanwhile, in an alternative or perhaps future universe, a team of superheroes ponders modern society during their time off. Between black-ops missions and rescuing hostages, they swap stories of artistic malaise and muse on the seemingly inescapable grip of market economics. Gleefully toying with the conventions of the novel, Dear Cyborgs weaves together the story of a friendship's dissolution with a provocative and lively meditation on protest. Through a series of linked monologues, a surprising cast of characters explores narratives of resistance -- protest art, eco-terrorists, Occupy squatters, pyromaniacal militants -- and the extent to which any of these can truly withstand the pragmatic demands of contemporary capitalism. All the while, a mysterious cybernetic book of clairvoyance beckons, and trusted allies start to disappear.Playfully blending comic-book villains with cultural critiques, Eugene Lim's Dear Cyborgs is a fleet-footed literary exploration of power, friendship, and creativity that recalls authors like Tom McCarthy and Valeria Luiselli. Ambitious and knowing, it braids together hard-boiled detective pulps, subversive philosophy, and Hollywood chase scenes, unfolding like the composites and revelations of a dream.
The Guns Above
By Bennis, Robyn
Robyn Bennis's THE GUNS ABOVE is an adventurous military fantasy debut about a nation's first female airship captain.They say it's not the fall that kills you. For Josette Dupre, the Corps' first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in the back. On top of patrolling the front lines, she must also contend with a crew who doubts her expertise, a new airship that is an untested deathtrap, and the foppish aristocrat Lord Bernat, a gambler and shameless flirt with the military know-how of a thimble. Bernat's own secret assignment is to catalog her every moment of weakness and indecision. So when the enemy makes an unprecedented move that could turn the tide of the war, can Josette deal with Bernat, rally her crew, and survive long enough to prove herself?"Full of sass and terrific characters. Great storytelling. Loved it." -- Patricia Briggs
The Time Roads
By Bernobich, Beth
From BethBernobich, the critically acclaimed author of the River of Souls trilogy, comes The Time Roads,afantastical 19th century alternate historical steampunk romp. ire is one of the most powerful empires in the world. The Anglian Dependencies are a dusty backwater filled with resentful colonial subjects, Europe is a disjointed mess, and many look to ire for stability and peace. In a series of braided stories, Beth Bernobich has created a tale about the brilliant ireann scientists who have already bent the laws of nature for Mans benefit. And who now are striving to conquer the nature of time.,
Vita Nostra
By Dyachenko, Sergey
The definitive English-language translation of the internationally best-selling Russian novel - a brilliant dark fantasy with "the potential to be a modern classic" (Lev Grossman) , combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way. Our life is brief.... While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin. As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels its the only place she should be. Against her mothers wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education. As she quickly discovers, the institutes "special technologies" are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences that are nothing she has ever dreamed of...and suddenly all she could ever want. A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction - brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey - is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossmans The Magicians, Max Barrys Lexicon, and Katherine Ardens The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds. Read more AMAZON.COM REVIEW An Amazon Best Book of November 2018: If Hogwarts was in Russia instead of Great Britain, if failing your O.W.L. exam meant death to family members, and if learning how to bend reality might deform your brain and physical body ... well, Harry Potter wouldnt make it past year one. Vita Nostra, a Russian urban fantasy novel, audaciously expands the concept of magic and philosophy well past their current comfortable doctrines. The strenuous, stressful lessons that Sasha Samokhina assimilates at the Institute of Special Technologies forces Sasha and her classmates to rethink their assumptions and break past mental barriers - even when the barrier is simply identifying as human. Reading Vita Nostra exposes just how complacent novels about magic have become as they evoke the tried-and-true magical systems based on inherited abilities, willpower, or enchanted items. As Sasha expands her vision of the world, so, too, the readers vision of fantasy literature expands. Vita Nostras ending doesnt have the tidy satisfaction I expect ... but perhaps that reveals how pigeonholed some of my own reading expectations continue to be. - Adrian Liang, Amazon Book Review FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Originally published in Russian, this modern fantasy follows Sasha Samokhina as she is unwillingly recruited and forced to attend the mysterious Institute of Special Technologies. The teachings seem nonsensical, and failure comes at a high cost, sometimes resulting in the untimely death of a close relative. Through fear and coercion, the students learn at an accelerated speed, unlocking secrets to higher human potential and beyond. The lyrical writing will appeal to those who favor magical realism, and the college atmosphere grounds the novel in the real world. Readers will look forward to the next installment of this fascinating, strange tale. Recommended to fans of Lev Grossmans The Magicians and Katherine Ardens The Bear and the Nightingale. VERDICT A must-purchase for libraries serving fantasy-loving mature teens.-Melanie Leivers, Palm Beach Country Library System, FLα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. REVIEW The Dyachenkos deftly create a supernatural environment without using magic, spells, or potions. Recommended for readers who appreciate the intensity of student bonding in extreme situations. --Library Journal A book that has the potential to become a modern classic of its genre. -- Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author" While a magical school is a familiar trope, Harry Potter this is not. Dark and foreboding, this fantasy, translated from Russian, is more of philosophical treatise on growing up and the nature of reality than an adventure tale. Readers willing to challenge themselves and slowly digest this deep book will enjoy it immensely. --BOOKLIST An unnerving, deeply philosophical coming-of-age tale...Herseys translation is plain and straightforward, a wise choice that enhances the deep strangeness of this trippy, vivid novel. --Publishers Weekly This dark, ambitious, and intellectually strenuous novel will feel like a fresh revelation to fantasy readers glutted with Western wish-fulfillment narratives. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) FROM THE BACK COVER The definitive English-language translation of the internationally bestselling Russian novel - a brilliant dark fantasy combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way Our life is brief . . . While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerles
Blood Lust
By Ivy, Alexandra
Blessed and cursed by their hidden abilities, the Sentinels have no choice but to live, and love, on the edge of humanity ... The Sentinel assassin, Bas, is facing the greatest challenge of his outcast existence. His young daughter, Molly, has been kidnapped. But her disappearance has brought the return of her mother, Myst, whom Bas has never forgotten--or forgiven. Haunted by a vision that she's destined to create a weapon that will destroy thousands, Myst was never impulsive--until she met the irresistibly handsome Bas. But with the Brotherhood, the enemy of the high-bloods hunting for her, Myst had to stay on the run, to keep her child, and the world, safe. Now, with the most important thing in both their lives at stake, she and Bas must embark on a treacherous journey to save Molly, to confront the truth of Myst's fate--and to face their fierce desire for one another.