Fantasy June 2009 "Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet." ~ Vietnamese proverb New and Recently Released! We Never Talk about My Brother - by Peter S. Beagle Publisher: Independent Publishing Group Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/15/2009 ISBN-13: 9781892391834 ISBN-10: 189239183X Short Stories. Magic abounds in this collection of nine new and previously published short stories (and one set of poems) by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning fantasy author Peter S. Beagle, best known for his 1968 novel The Last Unicorn. The title story involves two brothers whose intense sibling rivalry revolves around their shared ability to change the world--for good or ill, but always permanently. Other tales are inspired by Japanese mythology, European fairy tales, medieval tapestries, and Beagle's own childhood. Publishers Weekly calls this book "addictive." If you want another fix, try one of Beagle's other short story collections, such as Giant Bones or The Line Between. Table of Contents The Dark Volume - by Gordon Dahlquist Publisher: Bantam Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/24/2009 ISBN-13: 9780385340366 ISBN-10: 0385340362 Steampunk Fantasy. In this sprawling, phantasmagoric sequel to The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, the paths of protagonists Miss Celestial Temple, Cardinal Chang, and Dr. Abelard Svenson intersect once more as they encounter enemies old and new and uncover shadowy conspiracies involving the "psychotropic" blue glass books capable of recording human memory--and revealing human desires. If you enjoy the atmospheric works of Jonathan Barnes or Steven Millhauser, you'll want to read The Dark Volume--but you'll want to make sure you've finished its predecessor first. First Chapter Keeper of Light and Dust - by Natasha Mostert Publisher: Dutton Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/02/2009 ISBN-13: 9780525951001 ISBN-10: 0525951008 Urban Fantasy. South London-based tattoo artist Mia Lockheart is a "Keeper," a role that requires her to use her supernatural powers to protect other people from harm. High on her priority list is her boyfriend, Nick Duffy, a kickboxer who's busy preparing for a big match. Gifted with the ability to leave her body at will, Mia has an out-of-body experience in which she encounters scientific genius and expert martial artist Adrian "Ash" Ashton, a vampire who drains chi, or life energy, from his victims. Now, Mia must battle both Ash (who's chosen Nick to be his next victim) and her powerful attraction to him. The Revolution Business: Book Five of the Merchant Princes - by Charles Stross Publisher: Tor Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/14/2009 ISBN-13: 9780765316721 ISBN-10: 0765316722 Science Fantasy. This 5th installment in Charles Stross' Merchant Princes series finds world-walking reporter-turned-countess Miriam Beckstein in the middle of a high-stakes power struggle as the feuding members of her Clan seek control of their homeland. Unfortunately, Miriam isn't the only one able to travel between dimensions: someone has stolen nuclear weapons from a U.S. military installation and is prepared to use them to achieve absolute power. With its inter-dimensional traveling and alternate versions of history, this series, which begins with The Family Trade, often veers into science fiction territory and is perfect for fans of cross-genre novels. Focus on: Brothers and Sisters Anansi Boys - by Neil Gaiman Publisher: William Morrow Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/2005 ISBN-13: 9780060515188 ISBN-10: 006051518X Fantasy. Londoner Charles Nancy, known to all as "Fat Charlie" (despite having only been overweight during his teens), has been estranged from his feckless, reckless father for years, so when the old man suddenly dies, Charlie is more annoyed than bereaved. But at the funeral he learns that his dad is the incarnation of the trickster god Anansi and that he, Charlie, has a brother named Spider. When Spider shows up in London, he manages to get Charlie fired and steal his fiancée before involving him in a murder investigation. Charlie's attempts to use magic to banish his brother are disastrous and complete this "romantic screwball comedy seasoned with murder, magic, and ghosts" (Booklist). First Chapter The Myth Hunters - by Christopher Golden Publisher: Bantam Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/31/2006 ISBN-13: 9780553383263 ISBN-10: 0553383264 Dark Mythic Fantasy. On the eve of his wedding, attorney Oliver Bascombe is having second thoughts. So when Jack Frost shows up during a blizzard asking for Oliver's help, the would-be bridegroom accompanies the winter spirit beyond the Veil and into a world where the characters of myth and legend live. Oliver's sister Collette goes in search of him, enlisting the aid of Detective Ted Halliwell. But when she's kidnapped by the sinister Sandman, Oliver's desperate escape from the life he left behind becomes a heroic mission to rescue her and the world concealed by the Veil. The Myth Hunters is the 1st volume in Christopher Golden's Veil trilogy; it's followed by The Borderkind and The Lost Ones. First Chapter Heir to Sevenwaters - by Juliet Marillier Publisher: ROC Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/04/2008 ISBN-13: 9780451462336 ISBN-10: 0451462335 Celtic Fantasy. As the sensible third daughter of the Lord of Sevenwaters, Clodagh is used to doing whatever needs to be done, whether it's helping out with her twin sister's wedding or looking after her newborn brother. Which means she has no time for the rude and haughty (yet attractive) Cathal, her cousin's bodyguard. But when baby Finbar is stolen and replaced with a changeling, Clodagh and Cathal must travel to the Otherworld to reclaim him. Heir to Sevenwaters is a stand-alone entry in New Zealand-born fantasy writer Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters series. If you'd like to read more of those books, which focus on other members of Clodagh's family, start with Daughter of the Forest. The Dragon's Son - by Margaret Weis Publisher: Tor Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/01/2004 ISBN-13: 9780765304698 ISBN-10: 0765304694 Fantasy. Separated at birth and raised by different guardians, twin brothers Marcus and Ven have no knowledge of their past--or each other's existence. The sons of dragon priestess Melisande, Marcus and Ven have different fathers and different destinies: Marcus, the illegitimate son of King Edward of Idlyswylde, practices magic and lives at court, while half-dragon Ven (short for "vengeance") must avenge his dead mother. But soon that will change, for according to dragon-in-disguise Draconas, the boys are the kingdom's best hope for restoring order to the land--if they can survive. If you enjoy The Dragon's Son and want to know more about Marcus and Ven's mother Melisande, be sure to read Mistress of Dragons. The Crooked Letter - by Sean Williams Publisher: Pyr Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/04/2006 ISBN-13: 9781591024385 ISBN-10: 1591024382 Fantasy. "Mirror twins" Seth and Hadrian share a psychic bond that connects them even after death. When Seth is murdered, his spirit travels to the Second Realm, a mysterious and spooky world ruled by magic. Hadrian remains in the First Realm--that is, the world of the living--but as their bond draws the Realms closer together, both find themselves in grave danger from malevolent beings. The Crooked Letter is the 1st volume in Australian fantasy author Sean Williams' Books of the Cataclysm series, so if you enjoy this book, you'll want to read its sequel, Blood Debt. First Chapter Shadowmarch - by Tad Williams Publisher: DAW Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/01/2004 ISBN-13: 9780756402198 ISBN-10: 0756402190 High Fantasy. In the kingdom of Shadowmarch, war is imminent. The Shadowline, the traditional boundary between the realm of the humans and the fairy-ruled Twilight Lands, has begun to blur and the Qar, who were long ago forced to live beyond the Shadowline, have begun to retake the Marchlands. Now, it's up to royal twins Barrick and Briony to save Southmarch Castle from the Qar--but they're surrounded on all sides by enemies, from noblemen who plot to overthrow them to a stepmother who wants her own child on the throne. Meanwhile, the southern Xis empire is steadily expanding its borders... Shadowmarch is the 1st volume of a thrilling fantasy epic and is followed by Shadowplay. Table of Contents