Staff Recommendations
Daryl M.
Pages
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These vicious masks
by Shanker, Tarun.
April 1, 2016
Call Number: YA
According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the term “superhero” dates back to at least 1917, and there are many characters from folklore, like Robin Hood, The Scarlet Pimpernel or Dr. Syn, The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh that predate the term. Like Batman, these heroes have no extraordinary powers. Instead, they rely upon their skill, cunning, training, the wearing of distinctive clothing, generally a costume that includes a mask and a cape, and, of course, having a secret identity to protect themselves and their loved ones. The idea of a super-powered superhero came to the fore in the... Read Full Review
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Illuminae
by Kaufman, Amie.
February 22, 2016
Call Number: YA
When Kady Grant got up in the morning, she thought breaking up with her soon to be ex-boyfriend, Ezra Mason, would be the most eventful thing to happen. Living on Kerenza IV, an illegal mining colony on the edge of the universe and farthest from anything exciting means routine is the norm. And then the ships came thundering out of the sky, bombing the mine and destroying anything else they could target. As upset with Ezra as she is, Kady can’t leave him to die at their school. The two of them take her truck to get away. She wants to go to the hospital where her mom is a Doctor. Ezra wants to... Read Full Review
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A Gathering of Shadows
by Schwab, Victoria.
February 1, 2016
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In A darker shade of magic Victoria Schwab presented Kell and Lila set within their worlds of four different Londons. The magic and adventure continue in this sequel.It has been four months since the Black Night, when the rulers of White London attempted to take over Red London, leaving chaos and casualties in the wake of the attack. While Kell saved the kingdom from this threat, he is also blamed for what happened. Once a trusted member of the royal family, he is now viewed with suspicion, doubt, fear... Read Full Review
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Winter.
by Meyer, Marissa.
December 29, 2015
Call Number: YA
In Cinder, Marissa Meyer took readers to an Earth set several hundred years in the future to tell a version of Cinderella, with overtones of Anastasia, where the titular character is not only a cyborg, but may also be a long dead princess. Skillfully blending fairy tales with science fiction Meyer retold the classic story with flair and contemporary sensibilities. In the subsequent books in The Lunar Chronicles series, Meyer added other fairy tale characters: Red Riding Hood and her... Read Full Review
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The girl at midnight
by Grey, Melissa.
December 7, 2015
Call Number: YA
Deep beneath New York City's Grand Central Station, there is a whole other world unknown to humans. It is the world of the Avicen, a magical race of humanoids with feathers instead of hair and decidedly avian instincts and culture. The Avicen have been at war with the Drakharin, another magical race of humanoids with the instincts and attributes of dragons, for longer than either race can remember. The last major engagement between the two races took place over a hundred years ago, with regular skirmishes occurring in order to increase the number of casualties, and to decrease any sense of... Read Full Review
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Made to kill
by Christopher, Adam, 1978-
November 30, 2015
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Raymond Chandler HATED science fiction and he made no bones about it. In a letter to his editor written in 1953, while working on what would ultimately be his last novel, Chandler wrote this:"Did you ever read what they call Science Fiction? It's a scream. It is written like this: 'I checked out with K19 on Aldabaran III, and stepped out through the crummalite hatch on my 22 Model Sirus Hardtop. I cocked the timejector in secondary and waded through the bright blue manda grass. My breath froze into pink pretzels. I flicked on the heat bars and the Brylls ran swiftly on five legs using... Read Full Review
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Sorcerer to the crown
by Cho, Zen,
November 16, 2015
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It is a difficult time for The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers. While they are one of the most respected organizations in pursuit of the study and practice of magic in the world, certainly the foremost in all of England, recent events have thrown the society into chaos. While there are many Unnatural Philosophers, or Thaumaturges, in England only a magic-user with a familiar (a native of Fairyland who has chosen to exile itself and bond with a human) may call himself a Sorcerer. And the number of Sorcerers within England has been declining at an alarming rate for years. Some blame the... Read Full Review
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The Goblin emperor
by Addison, Katherine.
October 19, 2015
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The concept of nice guys finishing last is seen as weakness, perhaps indicating that someone does not have the drive to succeed, and only the ruthless and conniving can win. In novels, it is rare to find a character with noble intentions, and not have them overcome gallant feats, because there is no entertainment value in simply watching someone live their daily life and do what is right. In real life there are small challenges, with accordingly small victories or setbacks. Most entertainment, whether in film, television or books, emphasizes that this is not exciting. Sarah Monette’s... Read Full Review
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The end of all things
by Scalzi, John, 1969-
October 5, 2015
Call Number: SF
At the end of The Last Colony and Zoe’s Tale, the third and fourth books respectively, of John Scalzi’s “Old Man’s War” series, the Colonial Union (CU), the human political/military force that had been farming the Earth for more... Read Full Review
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Six of Crows
by Bardugo, Leigh
August 31, 2015
Call Number: YA
The heist--an attempt to acquire something incredibly important or valuable from somewhere equally, incredibly impenetrable. The catch is to survive the heist and reap the benefits of the nefarious and illegal act. This type of action requires a team of people with specific skills and knowledge to provide a way to penetrate a strong defense system. And each of these people has their own motivations for taking on the challenge. Heist stories can be compelling and fascinating as the reader learns what the plan is and how each character will contribute to its undertaking. These stories can be... Read Full Review
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The fold
by Clines, Peter, 1969-
August 17, 2015
Call Number: SF
Teleportation is a staple of speculative fiction whether in short stories, novels, films or television. It also crosses the boundaries between fantasy and science fiction. In fantasy, it is generally accomplished by magic (which, as any good reader of speculative fiction knows from Arthur C. Clarke’s three laws of prediction, is indistinguishable from any sufficiently advanced technology) although, there may be some limitations. In the Harry Potter series, teleportation is referred to as apparation or disapparation, and you have to secure a license before you can perform the spell to ensure... Read Full Review
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Go set a watchman : a novel
by Lee, Harper,
July 27, 2015
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Go Set A Watchman, the second, and only other novel published by Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize winning author of To Kill A Mockingbird, and the new novel is already shrouded in controversy: Did Lee REALLY want the book published? Was she competent to make the decision? WHY was the book being published now? Was this a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird? A prequel? Or was it something entirely different? The literary furor increased just prior to the publication date as reviewers began to make claims about the book's worthiness, and that well known, established... Read Full Review