The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, (NEWASFF) In a magical world where an imperial officer is found dead by means considered terrifying and impossible, brilliant investigator Ana Dolabra takes the case along with her assistant Dinios Kol who possesses a perfect memory. The two make for a Holmes and Watson style pairing as they begin to unravel the scheme and the mastermind behind it, all while Ana wears a blindfold and refuses to leave her home: Dinios must be her eyes and ears.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner, (NEWASFF) After her parents are killed by the fanatic followers of a fire god, Kissen now makes a living killing gods for the kingdom of Middren: a place where gods are forbidden. Everything changes when Kissen encounters a god that she can’t kill and must team up with a disillusioned knight on a secret quest. The two must travel through a dangerous land pursued by assassins and demon to the ruined city of Blenraden where the last of the wild gods reside, in order to beg for a favor.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Complete Illustrated Poems, by William Shakespeare (NEWANF) The complete collections of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, with beautiful full page and full color illustrations to go alongside them. Each sonnet is a story, a mini-play, an inner monologue, an ode to love, betrayal, wisdom, and more.

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson, (NEWASFF) To stop moving on the planet known as Canticle is to die. The planets habitants must stay ahead of the sunrise or be burned to death by the heat of the close sun. The protagonist ‘Nomad’ finds himself trapped on Canticle, fleeing from the Night Brigade and caught up in a struggle between a tyrant and the local band of rebels fighting against him. ‘The Sunlit Man’ is a fast paced, action packed sci-fi/fantasy/western that never lets up on the momentum.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, (NEWASFF) In a future where humans are utterly dependent on artificial labor and domestic robots, all it takes is one robot getting a particularly violent bit of code downloaded onto its core programming to decide to murder its owner. After fleeing from its household, this robot enters a whole new world where the robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is evolving and finding a new purpose. ‘Service Model’ takes an old sci-fi cliche and revitalizes it into an imaginative, humorous, and thought-provoking adventure.

By Thayer Yates

Reference Department