Interesting Books
Annihilation
by Jeff VanderMeer, review at My Bookish Ways
Area X has been cut
off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last
vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a
pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed
suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned
on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of
their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of
aggressive cancer.
This is the twelfth
expedition.
Their group is made
up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto
leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and
collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise,
of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being
contaminated by Area X itself.
They
arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—they discover a massive
topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding—but it’s the
surprises that came across the border with them, and the secrets the expedition
members are keeping from one another, that change everything.
Black
Moon by Kenneth Calhoun, review at My Bookish Ways
Insomnia has claimed
everyone Biggs knows. Even his beloved wife, Carolyn, has succumbed to
the telltale red-rimmed eyes, slurred speech and cloudy mind before
disappearing into the quickly collapsing world. Yet Biggs can still
sleep, and dream, so he sets out to find her.
He
ventures out into a world ransacked by mass confusion and desperation, where he
meets others struggling against the tide of sleeplessness. Chase and his
buddy Jordan are devising a scheme to live off their drug-store lootings; Lila
is a high school student wandering the streets in an owl mask, no longer safe
with her insomniac parents; Felicia abandons the sanctuary of a sleep research
center to try to protect her family and perhaps reunite with Chase, an
ex-boyfriend. All around, sleep has become an infinitely precious
commodity. Money can’t buy it, no drug can touch it, and there are those who
would kill to have it. However, Biggs persists in his quest for Carolyn,
finding a resolve and inner strength that he never knew he had.
The
Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris,
review at Rinn Reads
Loki, the
Light-Bringer, the misunderstood, the elusive, the handsome and modest hero of
this particular tissue of lies. Take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s at least
as true as the official version, and, dare I say it, more entertaining.
So far, history, such
as it is, has cast me in a rather unflattering role.
Now it’s
my turn to take the stage.
Night
of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor,
review at Fantasy Literature
In Night of Cake & Puppets, Taylor brings to life a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy—the magical first date of fan-favorites Zuzana and Mik. Told in alternating perspectives, it’s the perfect love story for fans of the series and new readers alike. Petite though she may be, Zuzana is not known for timidity. Her best friend, Karou, calls her “rabid fairy,” her “voodoo eyes” are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to Mik, or “Violin Boy,” her courage deserts her. Now, enough is enough. Zuzana is determined to meet him, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It’s a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter’s night before finally leading him to the treasure: herself! Violin Boy’s not going to know what hit him.
I have
listed these titles in earlier SSS posts: check out my SSS Books Page for links to more reviews:
Cress
by Marissa Meyer, review at Cuddlebuggery
The
Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, reviews at A Fantastical Librarian, Annette’s Book Spot, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
A
Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, review at Far Beyond Reality
The
Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, review at Staffer’s Book Review
Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer, review at Rabid Reads
Articles
Cost and
Consequence in the Creation of a Magic System by Karina Sumner-Smith at Fantasy Book Critic
Rachel
Neumeier on Under the Radar Books at Janicu’s Book Blog
Giveaways
This Week at Veni, Vidi, Legi
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