Science Fiction & Fantasy

May 2008

The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Queen of dragons by Shana Abe. (2008)
"The drákon are creatures who appear to be extraordinarily beautiful humans but can turn into smoke or dragons at will. The English drákon, who believe they are the last of their kind, are delighted to learn of another drákon tribe in the Carpathian Mountains, ruled by alpha princess Maricara of the Zaharen through her nonalpha brother. The English drákon, led by their alpha lord, Kimber Langford, earl of Chasen, send emissaries from their stronghold of Darkfrith in York to Transylvania, but the emissaries are murdered en route by a secret organization dedicated to the annihilation of the drákon. Maricara journeys alone to England to warn the English drákon of the danger." (Amazon)

The golden rose by Kathleen Bryan. (2008)
"Averil, duchess of Quitaine keeps her promise to visit her uncle, the evil King Clodovec of Lys, and lets him marry her to a noble so she can provide the kingdom's heir. Far from her home and her commoner lover, Gereint, Averil soon discovers hidden allies and a faction that opposes the king but supports the Serpent he serves. They tempt Averil with talk of chaotic magic and anarchy, suggesting she could escape the laws governing noble marriages and wed Gereint at last. As plots and counterplots thicken, Averil finds herself besieged in a foreign land, guarding a powerful relic and torn between love and duty." (Amazon)

Small favor : a novel of the Dresden files by Jim Butcher. (c2008)
"No one's tried to kill Harry Dresden for almost an entire year, and his life finally seems to be calming down. For once, the future looks fairly bright. But the past casts one very of a long shadow. An old bargain has placed Harry in debt to Mab, monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe, the Queen of Air and Darkness and she's calling in her marker. It's a small favour he can't refuse, one that will trap Harry Dresden between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, and one that will strain his skills and loyalties to their very limits." (Amazon)

Wrath of a mad god by Raymond E. Feist. (2008)
"The Darkwar has fallen upon the worlds of Kelewan and Midkemia; a time of heroes, trials and destruction. Following their dangerous mission to the realm of the alien Dasati, Magnus and the other members of the Conclave must now find a way to use what they discovered to help save their own people from the wrath of a mad god." (Amazon)

Madhouse by Rob Thurman. (2008)
"Half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko, are not exactly prospering in their preternatural detective agency. Who would have guessed that business would dry up in New York City, where vampires, trolls, and other creepy crawlies can be found everywhere. But a new arrival in the Big Apple, a malevolent evil with ancient powers is determined to make history with an orgy pf blood and murder. For Cal and Niko this is one pay check they will have to earn, if they live long enough to collect it." (Amazon)

The ruby dice, Catherine Asaro. (2008)
"This is the story of two men and two empires. Jaibriol ruled the Eubian Concord: over two trillion people across more than a thousand worlds and habitats. Kelric ruled the Skolian Imperialate. War had come before, ten years ago, Jaibriol had lost his parents in the final battle of the Radiance War between the Concord and the Imperialate - and it might come again, devastating vast swathes of the galaxy. Neither Jaibriol nor Kelric wanted war, but neither was complete master of his realm. Each hid a secret that, if revealed, might be his downfall. Neither man knew how much longer he could keep his secret or how much longer they could hold back the threat of a war that could incinerate hundreds of inhabited worlds." (Amazon)

A magic of twilight : a novel in The Nessantico cycle, by S.L. Farrell. (2008)
"In the lush and dangerous land of Nessantico, aging ruler Marguerite ca'Ludovici prepares to celebrate her Jubilee. Marguerite's son, Justi, schemes to take her place, while Jan ca'Vorl, a powerful noble at the edge of the empire, plots armed rebellion. Archigos Dhosti ca'Millac, leader of the Concónzia Faith and Marguerite's staunch ally, struggles to control fundamentalists like Orlandi ca'Cellibrecca as they clamour for action against the Numetodo heretics, who claim the magic talent called Cenzi's Gift has nothing to do with religious faith. Trapped in the middle of all this is young priestess Ana cu'Seranta, whose impressive magical ability has made her a pawn in the multilayered power struggle." (Amazon)

Shadowbridge, Gregory Frost. (2008)
"Sprung from a timeless dream, Shadowbridge is a world of linked spans arching high above glittering seas. It is a world of parading ghosts, inscrutable gods, and dangerous magic. Most of all, it is a world of stories. No one knows those stories better than Leodora, a young shadow-puppeteer who travels Shadowbridge collecting the intertwining tales and myths of each place she passes through, then retells them in performances whose genius has begun to attract fame and less welcome attention." (Book cover)

The phoenix unchained, Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. (2007)
"The city of Armethalieh is no longer ruled by mages, and High Magick itself is forgotten. Elves and dragons are known to exist, but live in distant lands and are never seen. Wielders of Wild Magic are extremely rare. Then Tiercel Rolfort, the scholarly son of lower nobility, rediscovers High Magick. Beset with visions and physically weakening, Tiercel decides his best hope is to take a journey to find a Wild Mage." (Amazon)

Moonshine, Rob Thurman. (c2007)
"In their latest case, Cal and Niko Leandros go undercover for the Kin, the werewolf mafia. A low-level Kin boss thinks a rival is setting him up for a fall, and wants proof. The place to start is the back room of Moonshine, a gambling club for nonhumans. Cal thinks it is a simple in and out job. But Cal is very wrong." (Book cover)

Rolling thunder, John Varley. (2008)
"Lieutenant Patricia Kelly Elizabeth Strickland, otherwise known as Podkayne, is a third-generation Martian. Her grandfather, Manny, was one of the first men to set foot on Mars. So Poddy has some planet-sized shoes to fill. That's why she's joined the Music, Arts, and Drama Division of the Martian Navy. Though some may say her voice is a weapon in itself, Poddy passed the audition and now she's going to Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons, to be an entertainer. She is about to learn that there's plenty of danger to go around in the Martian Navy, even if you've just signed on to sing." (Amazon)

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