[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Fantasy May 2010
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 05:49:14 -0700
New and Recently Released!
Not Less Than Gods - by Kage Baker
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 03/16/2010
ISBN-13: 9780765318916
ISBN-10: 0765318911
Steampunk. This latest, stand-alone volume of the late Kage Baker's The Company
series is a science-fiction/fantasy hybrid set in an alternate Victorian
England that begins with the birth of Edward Bell-Fairfax (who previously
appeared in Mendoza in Hollywood). As an infant, Bell-Fairfax is taken from his
unmarried, aristocratic mother and mentored by the mysterious, slightly
sinister Dr. Nennys--under whose tutelage he becomes a talented spy and assassin
with the Gentlemen's Speculative Society (GSS). He's told he's working for the
good guys, but do the ends justify the means? If you're new to The Company,
try the 1st book, In the Garden of Iden--although it's more science fiction
than Not Less Than Gods.
First Chapter
The Desert Spear - by Peter V. Brett
Publisher: Del Rey
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/13/2010
ISBN-13: 9780345503817
ISBN-10: 0345503813
Epic Fantasy. This follow-up to The Warded Man begins not with that book's
hero, Arlen, but rather with desert-dwelling warlord Ahmann Jardir--Arlen's
friend-turned-rival.
Jardir, who dubs himself Shar'Dama Ka, or "the Deliverer," has united the
tribes of Krasia to fight against the demons that come out each night to
slaughter
any humans unlucky enough to be caught outside their magically reinforced
shelters. But when a new kind of demon arises, smarter and deadlier than its
predecessors, Jardir and Arlen--known as "the Warded Man" on account of his
magical tattoos--must combine forces if humanity is to survive.
The River Kings' Road: A Novel of Ithelas - by Liane Merciel
Publisher: Gallery Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 03/09/2010
ISBN-13: 9781439159118
ISBN-10: 1439159114
Sword and Sorcery. In a small village on the border between two warring
kingdoms, a bloodmist massacre claims the lives of all but Wistan, the sickly
infant
son of noble ambassador Sir Galefrid, and the late lord's sword-for-hire Brys
Tarnell. Brys recruits young, unmarried mother Odosse to serve as nursemaid
for the baby, and together they seek out Kelland, a Knight of the Sun. For with
the help of Kelland and his skilled archer companion, Brys and Odosse might
have a chance at saving the child from both his murderous uncle and a witch
whose deadly bloodmagic puts them all in peril. Liane Merciel's debut features
well-developed characters and a detailed, Medieval-inspired fantasy realm.
Empire in Black and Gold - by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publisher: Pyr
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 03/23/2010
ISBN-13: 9781616141929
ISBN-10: 1616141921
Fantasy. Tired of wizards, elves, and dwarves? If so, pick up this 1st volume
of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series, which depicts a unique
world in which humans have developed insect-like powers and organized
themselves into tribes, or Kinden, that reflect these abilities. But one group,
the
mighty Wasp Empire, threatens to conquer and enslave the others. Only Stenwald
Maker, an artisan of the Beetle Kinden, perceives the danger and recruits
a band of resistance fighters...but will it be enough to defeat the Wasps? Fans
of role-playing games will enjoy the depiction of the various Kinden, while
readers who enjoy a fast-paced, action-packed story can look forward to more of
the same in the sequel, Dragonfly Falling.
First Chapter
Worlds to Revisit
The following books depict fully realized imaginary worlds featuring everything
you'd expect from a fantasy novel (such as magic, legendary creatures, and
heroic quests)--as well as humor and a tendency to gently poke fun at some of
the more common tropes of the genre. If you've read any or all of these series
in the past, they're well worth another look. If you're a newcomer--lucky you!
Fantastic new worlds await your discovery!
A Spell for Chameleon - by Piers Anthony
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 02/01/1987
ISBN-13: 9780345347534
ISBN-10: 0345347536
Humorous Fantasy. Exiled from Xanth for being the only inhabitant who possesses
no magic, Bink sets out to find the Good Magician Humfrey, whom he hopes
can help him discover some latent talent. On the way, he encounters three
different women--Fanchon (who's ugly but brainy), Dee (who's just average in
looks and intelligence), and Wynne (who's as beautiful as she is stupid)--who
are actually different aspects of one woman, Chameleon, who's on a quest
of her own. A Spell for Chameleon kicks off Piers Anthony's popular and
long-running Xanth series, which continues with The Source of Magic.
Another Fine Myth/Myth Conceptions - by Robert Asprin
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780441009312
ISBN-10: 044100931X
Humorous Fantasy. It all begins in the world of Klah, when Skeeve's master,
Garkin, is assassinated, and the inept apprentice magician teams up with the
scaly green dimension-hopping "demon," Aahz. From there, things escalate as
they encounter con artists and assassins, would-be conquerors and their invading
armies, demon hunters, gargoyles, war unicorns, a green-haired Trollop, and a
dragon named Gleep. Inspired by the Bing Crosby-Bob Hope "Road" movies, Another
Fine Myth and Myth Conceptions are the first two volumes of Robert Asprin's
rollicking, pun-filled MythAdventures series.
The Magic Kingdom of Landover - by Terry Brooks
Publisher: Ballantine
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 08/18/2009
ISBN-13: 9780345513526
ISBN-10: 0345513525
High Fantasy. One day, widowed trial lawyer Ben Holiday impulsively purchases a
magic kingdom from an upscale Christmas catalog for the staggering sum of
one million dollars. Ben, still mourning the loss of his wife Annie, wants a
fresh start and thinks that becoming king of Landover might be just what he
needs. But it turns out that Landover, suffering from 20 years of neglect,
needs Ben just as much as Ben needs Landover. The Magic Kingdom of Landover
contains the first three books of Terry Brooks' popular series, Magic Kingdom
for Sale--SOLD!, The Black Unicorn, and Wizard at Large, and introduces
memorable
characters such as court wizard Questor Thews, scribe Abernathy, sylph Willow,
and the Kobolds.
First Chapter
The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel - by Terry Pratchett
Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/01/2005
ISBN-13: 9780060855925
ISBN-10: 0060855924
Humorous Fantasy. When naive-but-enthusiastic tourist Twoflower turns up in
Ankh-Morpork, it falls to bumbling wizard Rincewind to serve as guide to the
city--until the place is engulfed in flames and the pair must flee for their
lives. Rincewind and Twoflower then set off across the Disc, visiting places
such as upside-down, dragon-inhabited Wyrmberg and Krull, perched on the very
edge of the world. While most of the Discworld books can be read in any order,
readers unfamiliar with the series may want to continue with The Light
Fantastic, whose story picks up exactly where The Color of Magic leaves off.
First Chapter
While You Were Sleeping
Bones of the Moon - by Jonathan Carroll
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780312873127
ISBN-10: 0312873123
Dark Fantasy. Cullen James is living a double life--of sorts. By day, she lives
in Manhattan, is happily married to Danny, and is the mother of baby Mae.
(Sure, her upstairs neighbor is Axe Boy, who recently murdered his mother and
sister, but no apartment is perfect.) At night, however, she dreams of Rondua,
a strange land where she, a bowler-hatted dog named Mr. Tracy, and a young boy
called Pepsi search for the Bones of the Moon. But Cullen's dreams aren't
content to confine themselves to the nighttime and start to make (waking) life
unpleasant for her. Bones of the Moon's dream quests and its hazy boundaries
between sleep and wakefulness may appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman's Sandman
series, particularly A Game of You.
First Chapter
The Stranger - by Max Frei
Publisher: Overlook Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/02/2009
ISBN-13: 9781590200650
ISBN-10: 1590200659
Fantasy. Max Frei, the protagonist of this book (as opposed to "Max Frei," the
pseudononymous author of this book) is a "loser" who sleeps all day and stays
awake all night. This habit serves him well when he arrives in the dream city
of Echo. There, he is Sir Max, a magical secret agent who assists Sir Juffin
Hully, the Sherlock-Holmesian Most Venerable Head of the Minor Secret
Investigative Force, as they solve bizarre crimes (involving deadly mirrors,
possessed
dolls, and more) in a surreal world populated by eccentric supporting
characters. This novel, the 1st in the Labyrinths of Echo series, was originally
published in Russia in 1996 and is finally available in English.
Table of Contents
The Sandman: Book of Dreams - edited by Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer
Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780380817702
ISBN-10: 0380817705
Short Stories. While the short stories in this anthology are based on Neil
Gaiman's Sandman series, familiarity with the graphic novels is not necessary:
these are original, standalone tales, not adaptations. Book of Dreams' basic
premise--that Morpheus, aka Dream, along with his six allegorical siblings
(including Death, Despair, and Delirium) influence the lives of
mortals--provides a jumping-off point for writers such as Tad Williams,
Susannah Clarke,
Lisa Goldstein, Clive Barker, Steven Brust, and Gene Wolfe. Kirkus Reviews
calls this diverse collection "top-flight fantasy."
The Greenstone Grail - by Amanda Hemingway
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/27/2005
ISBN-13: 9780345460790
ISBN-10: 0345460790
Contemporary Fantasy. In this opening volume of the Sangreal series,
11-year-old Nathan Ward discovers that he's not your average kid. While
exploring the
woods near his home in rural England, he discovers some ancient ruins and is
afterwards haunted by vivid dreams of a dying world called Eos and a grail-like
cup filled with blood. With the help of his best friend Hazel, his single
mother Annie, and his "uncle," immortal magician Bartlemy, Nathan discovers that
he can do more than just envision Eos--he can save it by finding the Greenstone
Grail. For a unique twist on Arthurian legend, try The Greenstone Grail
and its sequels, The Sword of Straw (in the UK, The Traitor's Sword) and The
Poisoned Crown.
First Chapter
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