11 new science fiction and fantasy books to discover early June

Since a few weeks, I read a book that is on my list to read for some time now: Ancestral night by Elizabeth Bear. He came out in March, and I blame myself a little for not going there sooner. It's a huge space opera that follows the adventures of two rescue workers and their AI as they discover a fantastic alien ship.

The engineer Halmey Dz is infected with something aboard the alien ship, which is a target on the back for governments and space pirates. It's a book that reminds me a little L & # 39; extended and from other recent space operas like R.E. Stearns' Barbary Station, Mike Brooks" Keiko trilogy, and Becky Chambers' travelers series.

Although I enjoy the adventures of the crew and their spaceship, I really like Bear's approach to the world and the bond his characters share. Halmey, his pilot Connla and their AI Singer (and their two cats) make up a really intriguing group: friends who care deeply and keep each other running. I can not wait to see what the next book will bring.

Here are 11 novels of science fiction and fantasy to appear in the first half of June to discover. Check back later this month for the following list.

June 4th

Spine of the dragon by Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson is probably best known for his dune and Star wars novels but with Spine of the dragon, he launches a new series of epic fantasy. A long time ago, humanity was created to serve the Wreths, an inhuman race that later fought against an ancient dragon and disappeared, leaving the Earth to their creations. Centuries later, farmers are waking up with plans to redesign the world in the midst of a bloody war between two human civilizations, which must put aside their differences to face this new threat. Kirkus Reviews Anderson says that "Anderson is gaining momentum with a measured but relentless pace, introducing different characters and viewpoints into different places and ever-increasing complications with glimpses of plots in plots, motives behind motivations and motivations. secrets in secrets.

Read an excerpt.

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Magic for the liars by Sarah Gailey

Ivy Gamble is an experienced private investigator working in the Bay Area where she usually deals with cases of infidelity or fraud. But when Marion Torres, director of a school called the Academy of Young Mages Osthorne, arrives in a case quite unexpected: a teacher of the school was brutally murdered. She is not a fan of magicians (her twin sister is working at school), but she has to pay the bills one way or another. As she begins to investigate, she immerses herself in her sister's world and, in search of the murderer, explores her past and the decisions that separated her from her sister. Kirkus Reviews says it is a "poignant, bitter-sweet family tragedy disguised as a mystery but with a magic of its own".

Read an excerpt.

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unravel by Karen Lord

Just after Dr. Miranda Ecouvo, a forensic therapist, helped stop a serial killer, she had a near-death experience. He sends her to a timeless place where she meets two brothers named Chance and The Trickster, both interested in her case. It turns out that the murders of the murderess have more to do than she thought, and that some shadow is still trying to achieve immortality. Publishers Weekly says that "readers who are attracted to Miranda and her story will find that the effort needed to solve Lord's puzzle is well rewarded".

Read an excerpt.

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Aerial Logic by Laurie J. Marks

Laurie J. Marks was acclaimed for her Basic logic series – Logic of fire, logic of the Earth, and Logic of water – that have been published between 2002 and 2007. This series is unfinished for years, but with Aerial Logicshe returns to bring the series to a conclusion. The series takes place in the world of Shaftal, invaded and occupied by an army dedicated to the eradication of magic. This last book follows Karis, who became a leader of her world, picking up coins after a devastating war. She must now face a traitor who threatens to cancel everything for which she worked. Kirkus Reviews says it's a reading that sticks to the landing for a series, "a last book that stays true to the spirit at all, sending Shaftal readers back on a positive note".

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The ragged blade by Christopher Ruz

In the aftermath of a magical war, Richard is a soldier who realizes he is fighting for the wrong camp and that the magician he serves has done terrible things. He escaped to the desert with his daughter Ana to ensure his safety, accompanied by a precious magic talisman that, he hopes, will buy him away from his former master. What he does not realize is that the magician has plans for Ana – and that he pursues them both.

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Fall; or, dodge in hell by Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson returns with a new novel starring Richard "Dodge" Forthrast, founder of gaming company Corporation 9592 and protagonist of his previous novel Reamde. During a routine operation, everything goes wrong and a comatose Dodge is declared brain dead. His will states that his body must be handed over to a cryogenic treatment company and his brain scanned. So, when the technology improves, his brain will be reactivated in a new virtual society, but his digital afterlife will not be quite the utopia he thought. Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred critique, claiming it was a "daring epic with more heart than necessary to fill its many pages".

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The mechanism of fire opal by Fran Wilde

The latest book by Fran Wilde is an independent sequel to his novel 2016, The jewel and its lapidary, on a kingdom protected by jewels and lapidaries, people linked to powerful and magical precious stones. An invasion forces Jewel Lin and his Lapidary Sima to do their best to protect the valley. Mechanism of fire opal resumes eternities later, after jewels and lapidaries have pbaded to myth. Two unlikely individuals – the thief Jorit and librarian Ania – are trying to protect the kingdom from marauding "journalists" who seek to steal the world's knowledge. When they encounter a mysterious clock with a jewel, they may have found a way to save their world.

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June 11

recursion by Blake Crouch

In Blake Crouch's latest thriller, he mixes two stories. Helena Smith, a neuroscientist, is trying to find a way to preserve the memory of patients with dementia in 2007, and a mysterious benefactor provides her with a research team, unlimited funding, and an isolated facility in the Pacific Ocean to lead to complete his works. magnitude. In 2018, Barry Sutton, an NYPD policeman, faces a mysterious illness that sweeps the world: the Faux Souvenir Syndrome, where victims suddenly recover the memory of a life they never had. Publishers Weekly gave the book a starry critique, claiming that "Crouch effortlessly integrates sophisticated philosophical concepts – such as the relationship of human perceptions of what is real to real reality – into a complex and captivating plot.

We could see an adaptation of the book at one point: Netflix, with Shonda Rhimes and Matt Reeves, develops the book as a feature film. and like a television series.

Read an excerpt.

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Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed

The next big thing Star wars novel is a bit like some of the best Expanded Universe novels in the franchise. Alphabet Squadron begins a trilogy and follows a squadron of rebellious rebel pilots after the events of Return of the Jedi. The team is charged with an important mission: to attack the mysterious imperial squadron called Shadow Wing, which has caused problems in the New Republic. This book is part of a new initiative launched by the various branches of the Disney edition; it is linked to a series of comics launched in April, which is called TIE Fighter and follow the adventures of Shadow Wing.

Read an excerpt.

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L & # 39; outside by Ada Hoffmann

An autistic scientist, Yasira Shien, has come up with a new type of chain drive, but when she tests it for the first time, she accidentally destroys her station and her crew. The accident draws the attention of a cabal of AI gods who rule over the advanced technologies of the galaxy and the horde. They capture her and, instead of killing her, entrust her with a task: to find her mentor, Dr. Evianna Talirr, who could have participated in the failure of her experience. Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred critique, stating that "Hoffmann confidently combines the morality and rights of people with disabilities in an adventure told by a breeze full of pure fun."

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Velocity weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe

The military pilot Sandra Greeve wakes up and discovers that she is in animation suspended for 230 years aboard an empty spaceship, with only an artificial intelligence to keep him company. Megan E. O'Keefe badociates Sandra's recovery with her brother Biran's backtracking, as well as her efforts to save a rebel soldier, Thomas. Kirkus Reviews says that the book is a "meticulously planned opera, with a soul, around your seat; a very promising science fiction debut. "