Try something new: science fiction and fantasy
Science fiction and fantasy can seem pretty daunting. It can conjure up images of huge multi-volume epics that you need a fork lift to read. Chapter long descriptions of spaceships. Casts of characters that you need a spreadsheet to remember. Lots of this happens in science fiction and fantasy. But there’s also magic and adventure, and strange new world to escape to, and to make you look at your own a bit different.
The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The Long Way is a novel set in space. There are aliens. There’s a spaceship. People travel through wormholes. But these people aren’t big guys with big guns – they’re a crew making a very long journey on a tiny spaceship, trying to make a living and get along. It’s a wonderful, personal drama set against a very large backdrop.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Uprooted recalls all those wonderful fairytales you heard as a kid. There’s an imperilled girl. There’s a dragon. There’s a terrifying forest. But Uprooted also takes those fairytales and plays with them. The dragon? He’s actually an uptight wizard. The girl? She’s not so imperilled and she’s about to teach the wizard a few things. The forest? Still terrifying. But they’re going to do something about that.
The Copper Cat Trilogy by Jen Williams
Jen is fast becoming a favourite in the Sci-fi and Fantasy circuit but this trilogy is deserving of much wider acclaim. They books are set in Crosshaven, a world of magic, mages, gods and pirates, in which the Black Feather Three have made a name for themselves as victors against darker forces in the caverns and depths of Crosshaven. And while Wydrin, Lord Aaron Frith and Sir Sebastian are in great demand for their services, their addiction to adventure and the riches that come with success, often back them into dark and dangerous corners…
Marked by Sue Tingey
Set in real-life Britain the book follows cool and mysterious Lucky de Salle – a psychic who can see ghosts and demons, and may end up trapped between the charms of guardian angel Jamie and the charismatic demon of death Jinx … Tantalising, sexy, witty, fun and fresh Marked is the perfect read for any romance fans looking to dip their toe into the worlds of science fiction and fantasy!
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogu by Laini Taylor
In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she’s a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. But those two lives are about to become unravelled…
Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
A handsome young man arrives at the house of Marya Morevna. He is Koschei, the Tsar of Life. Koschei leads Marya to his kingdom, where she becomes a warrior in his tireless battle against his own brother, the Tsar of Death. Set in a mysterious version of St. Petersburg, Deathless is a weird and wonderful retelling of the Russian folktale Marya Morevna and Koschei the Deathless
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