fantasy

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Gods of Jade and Shadow

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Nebula Award Finalist & Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, Tor, the NY Public Library, & Book Riot

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty, small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it–and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan God of Death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City–and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

“A spellbinding fairy tale rooted in Mexican mythology . . . Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical fairy tale about identity, freedom, and love, and it's like nothing you've read before.” —Bustle

(A special thank you to book club member, Carol Weldon for the suggestion.)

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Grave Goods

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Renowned writer, philologist, and critic Miguel Garcia Posada says of this book: “It’s not a stretch to consider it one of the most notable revelations of recent Latin American literature.”

This is not a book of gore. Rather, the majority of these stories are creepy with touches of humor and twists at the end that will make you gasp or laugh in surprise and shock. It takes true talent to convey a solid micro-story and these are incredibly rich and well written for all their brevity. The author leaves much to the imagination which somehow adds more to the story and ups the creep factor.

A slim book, Grave Goods contains 98 pieces of flash fiction from one of Peru's best contemporary writers. While Fernando Iwasaki's stories—like all good horror stories—are intended to disconcert his readers, they are also often humorous in nature. Some re-create or re-envision urban legends, some come from dreams, and some are pure inventions of Iwasaki's remarkable mind.

(Group read suggestion from Beth McCrea, book club co-founder.)

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Funventions

Included with Kindle Unlimited

Written by one of the most important voices of modern Ecuadorian literature. “If you like Borges, Casares, and Cortasar, buy it with your eyes closed!” —Xenia Germeni

While every year there appear scientific and technological advances to puzzle and dazzle us, people keep on loving one another, feeling fear, thinking, searching, working, walking the paths of life. The more things change, the more they stay the same: it's this paradox that Ubidia evokes so well in these stories. He fuses exotic themes, such as edible books, miniature humans proliferating in laboratories, and a crystal city with the quotidian reality of contemporary Latin America. Mixing the actual and the imaginary, he takes us beyond the limits of science and technology and into the labyrinths of the human soul.

Entertaining and profound. In each of these beautiful stories, Ubidia insists that despite its flights of fancy—including art and science—the human mind cannot go far beyond its own fears, desires, and uncertainties.

“Each story, a world. My favorite storyteller of all time.” —Stef León

“Beautifully written. The author has the gift of building exquisite phrases for the delight of the reader…Abdon uses fantasy as an excuse to explore human nature. This is the type of fantasy that succeeds in delivering not only stories to entertain, but also reflections for the reader on key matters about our humanity.” —Isidro

“Abdon Ubidia is regarded in Latin America and elsewhere as one of the most representative and relevant voices of modern Ecuadorian literature.” —Ecuador Fiction

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The Other Son of God

The Other Son of God is the English version of Al norte de Dios, the tenth novel by the renowned Ecuadorian writer, Nelson Estupinan Bass. The author situates the work within the realm of the fantastic, a move that enables him to give free rein to his imagination. The protagonist, Satan, is the son that God, in his youth, fathered with an African woman. While serving as God’s aide-de-camp, Satan rebels and is banished to hell. The cause of the rebellion is Satan’s belief that God has been giving preferential treatment to Satan’s brother.

The action begins when God, disappointed with Jesus’ failure to reform man during his stay on earth, sentences Jesus to one year in a prison in hell, summons his black son to heaven, and reassigns the task of man’s rehabilitation to him. Satan accepts the challenge and returns to hell, accompanied by Sister Etelvina, a former nun, who has become bored with life in heaven, and Jesus. The former nun quickly becomes a trusted aide to Satan and is the narrator who describes the physical features of hell as well as the work activities and punishments of the condemned.

On earth, Satan, with the help of seven disciples, works to reform man. He then spends some time in hell before returning to heaven accompanied by Jesus and his family (Jesus gets married while in hell and fathers a child there.) In God’s meeting with Satan and Jesus, the focus of the conversation is on Satan’s activities on earth and God’s ideas for the future of heaven, hell, and earth.

It is worth noting that the author takes pains to examine common social, political and ethical issues encountered in all three settings—heaven, hell and earth—in which the action of the novel unfolds.

(Group read suggestion from Sue Attalla, book club moderator.)

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Black Water Sister

One of BookPage's Best Books of 2021
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2021 Best Audiobook
One of Book Riot's Best SFF Standalones of 2021
One of Tor Reviewers' Choice Best Books of 2021

A twisty, feminist, and enthralling page-turner steeped in Malaysian mythology. (BuzzFeed)

When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, she chalks it up to stress. Closeted, broke and jobless, she’s moving back to Malaysia with her parents—a country she last saw when she was a toddler.

She soon learns the new voice isn’t even hers, it’s the ghost of her estranged grandmother. Drawn into a world of Malaysian myth and real-world consequences filled with gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business, but dealing with her grandmother is just as complicated.

“[Focusing on] Malaysia’s Chinese diaspora culture. . . an immersive tale of family secrets, deities, spirits, and religious belief. Cho offers a complex emotional roller-coaster of a read.”—Library Journal

“Ghosts. Gods. Gangsters. Wildly entertaining…Black Water Sister has it all!”—Vulture

“Cho’s multifaceted characters, like her masterful plot, are never quite what they first appear. Unpredictable twists keep the pages turning while the comic but endearing relationship between Jess and her sassy grandmother provides the story’s heart. This is a must-read.”—Publishers Weekly

Note: Outstanding on audio!

(Group read suggestion from Beth McCrea, book club co-founder. +A staff recommendation of hers.)

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Spirits Abroad

Ray Bradbury Prize finalist, Hugo Award.”

A new expanded edition of Zen Cho’s award-winning debut collection.

Nineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho’s Crawford Award winning debut collection with twelve added stories including Hugo Award winner “If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again.” A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people. An earth spirit gets entangled in protracted negotiations with an annoying landlord, and Chang E spins off into outer space, the ultimate metaphor for the Chinese diaspora.

“A must-read!” —Bustle

“These short stories infused with Malaysian folklore are absolutely gorgeous. Just as with her novels, Cho merges humor and relatable characters with delightful prose and engaging storylines.” —Buzzfeed

“A collection of speculative stories that play on Malaysian folklore with humor and compassion. . . . the collection’s most moving stories harness seamless worldbuilding, intriguing character development, and thematic complexity. A swath of delightful and intricate stories from a wildly inventive storyteller.” —Kirkus Reviews

Note: There are 2 editions of this book. Make sure to pick up the 2021 edition as it includes more stories along with the delightful “If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again,” which won a Hugo Award.

(A special thank you to book club member, Megan Stroup Tristao for the suggestion.)

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David Mogo Godhunter

Winner of the 2020 Nommo Ilube Award (an all Africa-based award) for Best Novel

A celebration of Nigerian mythology turning multiple genres on their head to create a completely new mash-up of Nigerian God-punk, David Mogo Godhunter is like nothing you've ever read…

Lagos will not be destroyed

The gods have fallen to earth in their thousands, and chaos reigns. Though broken and leaderless, the city endures.

David Mogo, demigod and godhunter, has one task: capture two of the most powerful gods in the city and deliver them to the wizard gangster Lukmon Ajala.

No problem, right?

“This story is captivating!” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“It's a fun, fresh ride brimming full of adventure. Wholeheartedly recommend if you love Zen Cho, Tade Thompson, or Nnedi Okorafor.” —Jager

“Vivid, visceral and with a strength of the voice that just pulls you right in. The god-littered world of David Mogo's Lagos just won't let go.” —Ng

“Assured, arch, and thoroughly enjoyable—an auspicious debut from one of the most promising new voices in the growing coterie of African writers.” —Wired Magazine

“A Nigerian Harry Dresden. Okungbowa's voice is great, and makes Lagos feel familiar.” —Jacey Bedford, author of Winterwood

(Group read suggestion from Beth McCrea, book club co-founder.)

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Blood Hunter

An urban fantasy heavily influenced by real world history set in an alternative South African world steeped in South African myth.

I was on the verge of becoming a man…

But now I must be so much more.

Vampires took everything from me. My family, my village, and my path to adulthood. They have drained my land dry of blood and freedom. And now I want revenge.

I may not be a man in the eyes of my ancestors, but I follow a new path now.

To avenge my people, I will need to become so much more. I must forsake all that makes me weak. All that stands in the way of my purpose. Even if it means embracing a half-life.

I am Umzingeli wegazi. An outcast. A rogue. A killer. A Blood Hunter.

Note: Blood Hunter is an action-packed and thrilling urban fantasy novel set in the fantastical world of the Kat Drummond series (view on Amazon). Blood Hunter can be read as a standalone, before or after the Kat Drummond series though it’s better to read this before Kat’s book 10.

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Six Heirs

“The Known World is a sprawling region ruled by mortals, protected by gods, and plied by magicians and warriors, merchants and beggars, royals and scoundrels. Here, those with the gift of the Erjak share a psychic bond with animals; a far-reaching fraternity unites criminals of every persuasion in a vast army of villainy; and upon the mighty river Alt, the dead will one day sail seeking vengeance on the enemies of their descendants.

But for all the Known World’s wonders, splendors, and terrors, what has endured most powerfully is the strange legacy of Ji. Emissaries from every nation—the grand Goranese Empire; desolate, frozen Arkary; cosmopolitan Lorelia; and beyond—followed an enigmatic summons into the unknown.

Some never returned; others were never the same. Each successive generation has guarded the profound truth and held sacred the legendary event. But now, the very last of them—and the wisdom they possess—are threatened. The time has come to fight for ultimate enlightenment…or fall to infinite darkness.”

“Volume 1 of 4 in the internationally bestselling Secret of Ji series. Winner of the Prix Ozone and Prix Julia Verlanger.”

“In a fantasy world containing magicans, gods, and mortals, telepathic communication with animals doesn’t seem to far-fetched. In this new spin on epic fantasy, Pierre Grimbert tackles a world beset with shadowy thieves and mystical empires…Grimbert looks to be one big new name to watch in the ever-expanding genre of high fantasy.” —Tor.com

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The Circle

Minoo wakes up outside her house, still in her pajamas, and is drawn by an invisible force to an abandoned theme park on the outskirts of town. Soon five of her classmates—Vanessa, Linnéa, Anna-Karin, Rebecka, and Ida—arrive, compelled by the same force. A mystical being takes over Ida’s body and tells them they are fated to fight an ancient evil that is hunting them. As the weeks pass, each girl discovers she has a unique magical ability. They begin exploring their powers. The six are wildly different and definitely not friends . . . but they are the Chosen Ones.

In this gripping first installment of The Engelsfors Trilogy, a parallel world emerges in which teenage dreams, insanely annoying parents, bullying, revenge, and love collide with dangerous forces and ancient magic.

An international sensation across 26 countries, The Circle is razor-sharp and remarkable from start to finish.

“What a stunning novel. Raw, real, smart, very thrilling and very, very wicked. The Circle is Twilight by way of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” —Lev Grossman, bestselling author of The Magicians

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Before the Coffee Gets Cold

A quirky, sigh-inducingly satisfying read that is now an international bestseller

If you could go back, who would you want to meet?

In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.

Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most important, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold.

Heartwarming, wistful, mysterious and delightfully quirky, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s internationally bestselling novel explores the age-old question: What would you change if you could travel back in time?

“An affecting, deeply immersive journey into the desire to hold onto the past. This wondrous tale will move readers.” —Publishers Weekly

“Perfect for anyone who wants to feel connected right now.” —Book Reporter

Note: We’ve also found the book to be great on audio.

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City of Strife

130 years have passed since Arathiel last set foot in his home city. Isandor hasn’t changed—bickering merchant families still vie for power through eccentric shows of wealth—but he has. His family is long dead, a magical trap has dulled his senses, and he returns seeking a sense of belonging now long lost.

Arathiel hides in the Lower City, piecing together a new life among in a shelter dedicated to the homeless and the poor, befriending an uncommon trio: the Shelter’s rageful owner, Larryn, his dark elven friend Hasryan, and Cal the cheese-loving halfling. When Hasryan is accused of Isandor's most infamous assassination of the last decade, what little peace Arathiel has managed to find for himself is shattered. Hasryan is innocent… he thinks. In order to save him, Arathiel may have to shatter the shreds of home he’d managed to build for himself.

Arathiel could appeal to the Dathirii—a noble elven family who knew him before he disappeared—but he would have to stop hiding, and they have battles of their own to fight. The idealistic Lord Dathirii is waging a battle of honour and justice against the cruel Myrian Empire, objecting to their slavery, their magics, and inhumane treatment of their apprentices. One he could win, if only he could convince Isandor’s rulers to stop courting Myrian’s favours for profit.

In the ripples that follow Diel’s opposition, friendships shatter and alliances crumble. Arathiel, the Dathirii, and everyone in Isandor fights to preserve their homes, even if the struggle changes them irrevocably.

City of Strife is the first installment of the City of Spires trilogy, a multi-layered political fantasy led by an all LGBTQIAP+ cast. Fans of complex storylines criss-crossing one another, elves and magic, and strong friendships and found families will find everything they need within these pages.

Note: Arseneault is an asexual & aromantic-spectrum writer who writes sci fi & fantasy led by aromantic & asexual heroes. She also maintains a database of aro & ace characters & books from a large variety of writers. City of Strife includes an asexual aromantic character & a graysexual character. If these terms are new to you: An asexual (aka “ace”) is someone who does not experience sexual attraction. An aromantic (aka “aro”) is a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others. A graysexual is someone who experiences limited sexual attraction (i.e., they experience sexual attraction very rarely or with very low intensity).

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Last Fight of the Old Hound

A different kind of fantasy series…

Roy van Waldenberger is two people.

To those who know him, he's just Roy—a middle-aged man, tired of the limelight, and looking forward to retirement.

To everyone else, he's The Wolf of the North, celebrity wrestler and werewolf. One of the most fearsome fighters in the history of blood sports.
It's a mask he wears, and he hates it.

But this story is about Roy—not The Wolf.

It's about how he prepares for the last fight of his career. How he must stand against the only opponent he can't beat: his own inner beast. But it's also about how he must let go of a past that binds him, and of a love that was never meant to be. If he can't, it'll be the end of not just him, but of everyone he still cares about.

A deeply character-driven story in a modern-day fantasy world.

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The Dwarves

The bestselling series from Europe

For countless millennia, the dwarves of the Fifthling Kingdom have defended the stone gateway into Girdlegard. Many and varied foes have hurled themselves against the portal and died attempting to breach it. No man or beast has ever succeeded. Until now. . .

Abandoned as a child, Tungdil the blacksmith labors contentedly in the land of Ionandar, the only dwarf in a kingdom of men. Although he does not want for friends, Tungdil is very much aware that he is alone—indeed, he has not so much as set eyes on another dwarf. But all that is about to change.

Sent out into the world to deliver a message and reacquaint himself with his people, the young foundling finds himself thrust into a battle for which he has not been trained. Not only his own safety, but the life of every man, woman and child in Girdlegard depends upon his ability to embrace his heritage. Although he has many unanswered questions, Tungdil is certain of one thing—no matter where he was raised, he is a true dwarf.

And no one has ever questioned the courage of the dwarves.

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Zoo City

Multi-award winner including the Arthur C. Clarke Award & Publisher's Weekly Best of the Year Sci Fi & Fantasy among others

A unique cyberpunk/urban fantasy mash-up set in an alt Johannesburg where murderers and other criminals have magical animals mystically bonded to them for their crimes.

Zinzi has a Sloth on her back, a dirty 419 scam habit, and a talent for finding lost things. When a little old lady turns up dead and the cops confiscate her last paycheck, Zinzi’s forced to take on her least favorite kind of job—missing persons.

Being hired by reclusive music producer Odi Huron to find a teenybop pop star should be her ticket out of Zoo City, the festering slum where the criminal underclass and their animal companions live in the shadow of hell’s undertow. Instead, it catapults Zinzi deeper into the maw of a city twisted by crime and magic, where she’ll be forced to confront the dark secrets of former lives including her own.

“This book is a must read for lovers of South African fiction and urban fantasy alike. It is edgy and pacey. Like a rollercoaster ride, it sweeps you up, spins you around, turns you upside down and dumps you out on the other end, heady and breathless and yearning for more.” —Exclus1ves

"At times, the witty and lyrical prose is sheer magic, the story captivating and the characters exotic, cruel and beautiful while the backdrop of Johannesburg seethes with hidden, lurking dangers around every corner, Zoo City is quite simply captivating.” —SciFi & Fantasy Books

"Beukes’s future city is as spiky, distinctive and material a place as any cyberpunkopolis, and quit a bit fresher. The narrative is brisk and well turned, but the great achievement here is tonal: atmospheric, smart and memorable work.” —Locus

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Charm

A unique South African urban fantasy focused on a gritty, magical Johannesburg filled with interesting, yet flawed characters…

Irene Kerry has grown up with the memory of her mother's suicide, and has been in love with her gay best friend Rain for as long as she can remember.

She thinks she's dealing with both just fine until the day her best friend falls in love with a much older man. A man who knew her mother, and believes Irene is a magician like her.

In order to protect her friend and family, Irene gets dragged into a hunt for an ancient magician who steals and eats magic, and discovers that the things she thought she knew about her mother's death were all lies.

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Dragonfriend

Gold Award winner - 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards

Stabbed. Burned by a dragon. Abandoned for the windrocs to pick over. The traitor Ra’aba tried to silence Hualiama forever. But he reckoned without the strength of a dragonet’s paw, and the courage of a girl who refused to die.

Only an extraordinary friendship will save Hualiama’s beloved kingdom of Fra’anior and restore the King to the Onyx Throne.

Flicker, the valiant dragonet. Hualiama, a foundling, adopted into the royal family. The power of a friendship which paid the ultimate price.

This is the tale of Hualiama Dragonfriend, and a love which became legend.

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Morgue Drawer Four

Shortlisted for Germany's Friedrich Glauser Prize for best crime novel.

Coroner is the perfect job for Dr. Martin Gänsewein, who spends his days in peace and quiet autopsying dead bodies for the city of Cologne. Shy, but scrupulous, Martin appreciates his taciturn clients—until the day one of them starts talking to him. It seems the ghost of a recently deceased (and surprisingly chatty) small-time car thief named Pascha is lingering near his lifeless body in drawer number four of Martin's morgue. He remains for one reason: his “accidental” death was, in fact, murder.

Pascha is furious his case will go unsolved—to say nothing of his body's dissection upon Martin's autopsy table. But since Martin is the only person Pascha can communicate with, the ghost settles in with the good pathologist, determined to bring the truth of his death to light. Now Martin's staid life is rudely upended as he finds himself navigating Cologne's red-light district and the dark world of German car smuggling. Unless Pascha can come up with a plan—and fast—Martin will soon be joining him in the spirit world. Witty and unexpected, Morgue Drawer Four introduces a memorable (and reluctant) detective unlike any other in fiction today.

Note: Also, a great audiobook as well.

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Ortog

“These two classic French fantasy novels, written in 1960 and 1969, star Knight-Navigator Dal Ortog of Galankar who lives on a 50th century Earth where space travel cohexists with a medieval society.

First, Ortog is sent by Sopharch Karella to the far reaches of space to find a cure for the slow death that is killing humanity after a devastating interplanetary war. Ortog returns with a cure, but too late to save his love, Karella's daughter, Kalla.

In the sequel, Ortog and his friend, Zoltan Charles Henderson de Nancy, embark on a quest through the dimensions of Death to find Kalla's soul and bring her back to Earth.

’Kurt Steiner’ is the pseudonym of André Ruellan, one of France's best-known science fiction and horror writers, as well as one of its most distinguished film writers. Brian M. Stableford has been a professional writer since 1965. He has published more than 60 science fiction and fantasy novels, as well as several authoritative non-fiction books.”

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Night Watch

“Night Watch is an epic of extraordinary power.” —Quentin Tarantino

“Brace yourself for [an adult version of] Harry Potter in Gorky Park. . . . The novel contains some captivating scenes and all kinds of marvelous, inventive detail.” —The Washington Post Book World

“An international bestseller [as] potent as a shot of vodka. . . . [A] compelling urban fantasy.” —Publishers Weekly

They are the ‘Others,’ an ancient race of supernatural beings—magicians, shape-shifters, vampires, and healers—who live among us. Human born, they must choose a side to swear allegiance to—the Dark or the Light—when they come of age.

For a millennium, these opponents have coexisted in an uneasy peace, enforced by defenders like the Night Watch, forces of the Light who guard against the Dark. But prophecy decrees that one supreme ‘Other’ will arise to spark a cataclysmic war.

Anton Gorodetsky, an untested mid-level Light magician with the Night Watch, discovers a cursed young woman—an Other of tremendous potential unallied with either side—who can shift the balance of power. With the battle lines between Light and Dark drawn, the magician must move carefully, for one wrong step could mean the beginning of annihilation.

(Group read suggestion from Beth McCrea, book club co-founder.)

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