Dive into an epic summer with these titles from Saga Press.THE KINGDOM OF LIARS blends the taut crime drama of The Wire with the epic worldbuilding of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time in what Brandon Sanderson calls “an excellent fantasy debut.”
Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ll keep this brief so I can stuff even more new releases into this newsletter. July is off to a good start. Hope you stayed safe over the weekend–and that you’re hungry to read.
Thing I’m laughing about: I cannot believe this hilarious fake trailer was made 8 years ago and not this year.
Looking for non-book things you can do to help in the quest for justice? blacklivesmatter.card.co and The Okra Project.
New Releases
Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott – Princess Sun has come of age in a time when conniving ambassadors and scheming noble houses have set their sights on removing her as heir to the Chaonia republic, or better yet, just killing her outright. Sun isn’t going down without a fight; in her coming battle for survival, she will rely on her wits, her secret lover, her biggest rival, and a prisoner of war.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust – Soraya is a princess who poisons all who touch her. She’s been hidden away by her family, but when her brother gets married, she has the chance to step out of the shadows–if she chooses. Caught between a demon who promises her knowledge and a young man who sees through her coating of poison, she must figure out if she is a human or a demon herself.
Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim – Maia has succeeded in making beautiful dresses from the sun, moon, and stars, but she returns to a kingdom at the brink of war. The boy she loves is gone forever, and she has no choice but to take her place as the Emperor’s bride-to-be. The political machinations going on around her are nothing compared to the changes within, however. As the corrupting touch of the demon spreads through her, Maia has only a short time before she loses even herself.
Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders by Aliette de Bodard – When a dragon prince brings home is brooding husband home for Lunar New Year, they find not their weight in candied fruit, but a corpse laying outside their quarters. Neither are thrilled by being embroiled in either a murder investigation or the inevitable politics that follow. It will take all of their diplomacy–and skill with knives–to get through this mess.
Haunted Heroine by Sara Kuhn – Evie is a woman who has it all: she’s a badass superheroine, she’s got good relationships with her superhero partner, and a hot half-demon husband. Then she finds out she’s pregnant–and she’s not sure if she’s cut out for motherhood. When she gets called in to investigate a series of “hauntings” at the local women’s college, she finds herself reliving her grad school days–and wondering how things might have gone differently…
A Peculiar Peril by Jeff Vandermeer – Jonathan will inherit his grandfather’s house, which is more like a museum of curiosities, if he can just catalog its contents with the help of a few of his friends. But the house is linked to an alternate Earth called Aurora, and Jonathan has a destiny to fulfill in a secret society whose entire purpose is to keep Aurora from encroaching.
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron – 200 years after the death of Cinderella, teenaged girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball so men can select them as brides based on their finery–and those not chosen disappear. Sophia, not wanting this kind of marriage, runs away and meets Cinderella’s last known descendent. Together, they vow to take down the king who thinks this all is a great idea.
Or What You Will by Jo Walton – “He” is the spark of an idea in 73-year-old award-winning novelist Sylvia’s mind, and he has been many things throughout her books. But he is also very aware that Sylvia is getting old, and when she dies, so does he. But he has an idea how they could gain immortality, together, if she’ll just listen…
Every Sky a Grave by Jay Posey – Humanity decoded the Deep Language of the universe 8,000 years ago and has used that knowledge to spread to the limits of the galaxy. The First House is in charge of “correcting” humanity using language so strong that words can destroy worlds. A mendicant named Elyth is sent to a backwater world to stamp out a forbidden strain of Deep Language, but what she finds there challenges her understanding of everything.
News and Views
After a long hiatus, Fantasy Magazine will be relaunching in November!
Andy Serkis will be recording a new audio edition of The Hobbit.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia has some great news about her out-of-print books!
Godzilla officially says Happy Pride. My heart is so full of rainbows.
Awesome time lapse video of the Sun taken from observations of the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory.
On Book Riot
Pride is a rebellion, and rebellions are built on hope
5 science fiction books full of humor
Enter before the end of the month and you could win The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, a year of free books, or a $250 Barnes and Noble gift card.
See you, space pirates. You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.