Squad by Mariah MacCarthy

Mar 122019
 

*A Barnes & Noble Teen Blog’s Most Anticipated LGBTQAP YA Book of 2019*

Jenna Watson is a cheerleader. And she wants you to know it’s not some Hollywood crap: they are not every guy’s fantasy. They are not the “mean girls” of Marsen High School. They’re literally just human females trying to live their lives and do a perfect toe touch. And their team is at the top of their game. They’re a family.

But all that changes when Jenna’s best friend stops talking to her. Suddenly, she’s not getting invited out with the rest of the quad. She’s always a step behind. And she has no idea why.

While grappling with post-cheer life, Jenna explores things she never allowed herself to like, including LARPing (live action role playing) and a relationship with a trans guy that feels a lot like love.

When Jenna loses the sport and the friends she’s always loved, she has to ask herself: What else is left?

Wild Country by Anne Bishop

Mar 052019
 

In this powerful and exciting fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, humans and the shape-shifting Others will see whether they can live side by side…without destroying one another.

There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others.

One of those places is Bennett, a town at the northern end of the Elder Hills—a town surrounded by the wild country. Now efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children—one of whom is a blood prophet—hope to find acceptance.

But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. And the arrival of the outlaw Blackstone Clan will either unite Others and humans…or bury them all.

Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear

Mar 052019
 

Halmey Dz and her partner Connla Kurucz are salvage operators, living just on the inside of the law…usually. Theirs is the perilous and marginal existence—with barely enough chance of striking it fantastically big—just once—to keep them coming back for more. They pilot their tiny ship into the scars left by unsuccessful White Transitions, searching for the relics of lost human and alien vessels. But when they make a shocking discovery about an alien species that has been long thought dead, it may be the thing that could tip the perilous peace mankind has found into full-out war.

Energetic and electrifying, Ancestral Night is a dazzling new space opera, sure to delight fans of Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, and Peter F. Hamilton.

The Amish Bachelor’s Baby by Jo Ann Brown

Feb 192019
 

Working in Caleb Hartz’s shop fits perfectly with Annie Wagler’s plan to match him with her twin sister—until Annie is drawn to him herself. But with his business, his farm and now his teenage runaway cousin and her baby, Caleb has no time for romance. Can they work together to care for mother and child—without losing their hearts?

Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett

Jan 292019
 

Robert Jackson Bennett’s Vigilance is a dark science fiction action parable from an America that has permanently surrendered to gun violence.

The United States. 2030. John McDean executive produces “Vigilance,” a reality game show designed to make sure American citizens stay alert to foreign and domestic threats. Shooters are introduced into a “game environment,” and the survivors get a cash prize.

The TV audience is not the only one that’s watching though, and McDean soon finds out what it’s like to be on the other side of the camera.

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Jan 152019
 

Cover of Dragon Pear by Yoon Ha Lee.Rick Riordan Presents Yoon Ha Lee’s space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you’d never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.

Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.

When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.

Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.

This sci-fi adventure with the underpinnings of Korean mythology will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination.

Crimes Against Humanity by Susan R. Matthews

Jan 012019
 

THE BEST-SELLING UNDER JURISDICTION SERIES FROM CAMPBELL AWARD-NOMINATED AUTHOR SUSAN R. MATTHEWS CONTINUES. A new installment in the Phillip K. Dick-nominated series that Janis Ian called “a very scary series.” Fleet Inquisitor Andrej Koscuisko finds himself out of the frying pan and into the fire: to fight back against a devious crime syndicate that is trying to murder him and bring slavery and darkness to Gonebeyond Space.

GONEBEYOND JUSTICE

Gonebeyond space: get there and you may find freedom from torture and genocide under Jurisdiction. Yet go there at your own risk. The Rule of Law has only a tenuous hold on Gonebeyond, and undefended settlements can be exploited with impunity.

Until now. The Langsariks’ Hilton Shires has forged a coalition to bring the worst of the Gonebeyond criminals—slavers—to justice. The criminal cartels that have profited from the freedom of Gonebeyond for so long aren’t having any of it, and they know the key to taking down Shires is to get rid of ally, renegade Fleet Inquisitor Andrej Koscuisko. But where can they find an assassin with the moxey to “disappear” Andrej Koscuisko? Many have tried. None have succeeded.

Enter his Excellency Danyo Pefisct. Years ago he honed his torturer’s craft against the Emandisan bond-involuntary Security slave Joslire Curran, once a servant to Andrej. Now Pefisct has come to Gonebeyond to enslave Andrej Koscuisko himself—all for the personal pleasure of the head of one of Jurisdiction’s most powerful crime syndicates.

But the torturer from the Jurisdiction hasn’t reckoned on one thing: Andrej Koscuisko is as relentless and effective as he ever was. The difference? Now Andrej serves the cause of Gonebeyond justice!

The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Oct 302018
 

Cover of The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.A breathtaking geopolitical epic fantasy, The Monster Baru Cormorant is the sequel to Seth Dickinson’s “fascinating tale” (The Washington Post), The Traitor Baru Cormorant.

Her world was shattered by the Empire of Masks.
For the power to shatter the Masquerade,
She betrayed everyone she loved.

The traitor Baru Cormorant is now the cryptarch Agonist—a secret lord of the empire she’s vowed to destroy.

Hunted by a mutinous admiral, haunted by the wound which has split her mind in two, Baru leads her dearest foes on an expedition for the secret of immortality. It’s her chance to trigger a war that will consume the Masquerade.

But Baru’s heart is broken, and she fears she can no longer tell justice from revenge…or her own desires from the will of the man who remade her.

Putting the Science in Fiction By Dan Koboldt

Oct 162018
 

Cover of Putting the Science in Fiction: Expert Advice for Writing with Authenticity in Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Other Genres, Edited by Dan Koboldt.Science and technology have starring roles in a wide range of genres–science fiction, fantasy, thriller, mystery, and more. Unfortunately, many depictions of technical subjects in literature, film, and television are pure fiction. A basic understanding of biology, physics, engineering, and medicine will help you create more realistic stories that satisfy discerning readers.

This book brings together scientists, physicians, engineers, and other experts to help you:
 

  • Understand the basic principles of science, technology, and medicine that are frequently featured in fiction.
  • Avoid common pitfalls and misconceptions to ensure technical accuracy.
  • Write realistic and compelling scientific elements that will captivate readers.
  • Brainstorm and develop new science- and technology-based story ideas.

Whether writing about mutant monsters, rogue viruses, giant spaceships, or even murders and espionage, Putting the Science in Fiction will have something to help every writer craft better fiction.

Putting the Science in Fiction collects articles from “Science in Sci-fi, Fact in Fantasy,” Dan Koboldt’s popular blog series for authors and fans of speculative fiction (dankoboldt.com/science-in-scifi). Each article discusses an element of sci-fi or fantasy with an expert in that field. Scientists, engineers, medical professionals, and others share their insights in order to debunk the myths, correct the misconceptions, and offer advice on getting the details right.

The Murderbot Diaries: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Oct 022018
 

Cover of Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.Martha Wells’s Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The Murderbot Diaries, comes to a thrilling conclusion in Exit Strategy.

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?

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