Fantasy & Science Fiction Book Club
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Fantasy & Science Fiction Discussion Group
Final Thursday Every Month Via Google Meet 6:30pm 
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This month's pick for book club is Witchmark by C.L. Polk. We will be meeting on Thursday, June 24th in an online video chat. You can RSVP to the event & get the chat link here.
C.L. Polk is an award-winning Canadian author. Their pronouns are they/them. After leaving high school early, they have worked as a film extra, sold vegetables on the street, and identified exotic insect species for a vast collection of lepidoptera before settling down to write fantasy novels. Mx. Polk lives in Calgary, Alberta in a tiny apartment with too many books & a yarn stash that could last a decade. They drink good coffee because life is too short. You can find them on Twitter or Patreon. You can also subscribe to their free newsletter here.
So, what's the book about?
Witchmark is the first novel in the Kingston Cycle & the winner of the World Fantasy Award. It was nominated for the Lambda, Locus, Nebula & Aurora Prizes, as well. It's been described as a stunning, addictive fantasy that combines intrigue, magic, betrayal, and romance. Here's the publisher summary: Miles Singer trades luxury, comfort, and his real name in exchange for surgical training and seven year’s service in Aeland’s Royal Army. Now home after a haunting, terrible war, Miles takes a job as a physician in Kingston’s cash-strapped veteran’s hospital, hiding the magical gift of healing that would land him in a witchcraft asylum, or worse–returned to the bosom of his power-hungry family. His quiet life is shattered when an emergency lands a poisoned witch in his caseload, brought into his hospital by the most handsome man he’s ever seen–a man who, after uncovering Miles’ powers, proposes that they investigate the murder of Miles’ patient…together. As they follow the trail of the witch’s poisoner, the sister Miles fled returns to convince him to take his place among the noble families who control the fate of Aeland–as a magical battery and a second-class citizen. As Miles resists his sister’s demands and his detective partner’s charm, Miles stumbles on the national secret that cost his patient his life...
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. If you're looking for an audiobook, our partners at Libro.fm have it available for easy access on our affiliate website. You can get it here. You can also get it in e-book format, as well! We have a new e-book partner called My Must Reads & you can buy the e-book here.
We are open to the public again (Mon-Sat from 11am-5pm) so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! Reviews & Interviews
A Different Shade of Magic: Witchmark by C.L. Polk -- Tor.com
Witchmark by C.L. Polk -- BookPage Author Interview: C.L. Polk on Witchmark -- The Illustrated Page Sleeps with Monsters: C.L. Polk Answers Seven Questions -- Tor.com
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This month's pick for book club is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. We will be meeting on Thursday, May 27th at 6:30pm in an online video chat. You can RSVP to the event here.
Pierce Brown graduated from college in 2010, fancying the idea of continuing his studies at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a magical bone in his body. So while trying to make it as a writer, he worked as a manager of social media at a startup tech company, toiled as a peon on the Disney lot at ABC Studios, did his time as an NBC page, and gave sleep deprivation a new meaning during his stint as an aide on a U.S. Senate campaign. Now he lives Los Angeles, where he scribbles tales of spaceships, wizards, ghouls, and most things old or bizarre. What's the book about? Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow and Reds like him are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so. If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. If you're looking for an audiobook, our partners at Libro.fm have it available for easy access on our affiliate website. You can get it here. You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! Reviews & Interviews
Interview with Pierce Brown, author of Red Rising - January 27, 2014 -- The Qwillery
RED RISING | Kirkus Reviews -- Kirkus Review: Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy 1) -- Geeks Under Grace Interview with Pierce Brown, author of RED RISING trilogy -- Hodder & Stoughton
Suzanne Walker is a Chicago-based writer and editor. Her academic work has been published in Classical World and Barriers and Belonging. She has spoken widely on topics ranging from disability representation in sci-fi/fantasy to applying the themes of science fiction to everyday political activism. You can follow her on twitter: @suzusaur.
What's the book about? It's a story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any townhome. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email.
You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! Reviews & Interviews
Review: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu -- The Nerd Daily
Graphic Novel Review: Mooncakes, by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu -- The Queerblr Interview: Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker reflect on transforming MOONCAKES into a graphic novel -- Comicsbeat.com
Keep reading to find the summary, reviews of the book, interviews with the author, and info about how to buy your book from us in various formats.
The Summary
When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. This title is also available from our audiobook partner, Libro.fm, as a DRM-free audiobook--buy it here.
You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! Reviews & Interviews
Octavia Butler’s Prescient Vision of a Zealot Elected to “Make America Great Again”
-- The New Yorker Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (Book Review) -- Black & Bookish Parable of the Sower -- Publisher's Weekly An Interview with Octavia Butler, 2004 -- by Joshunda Sanders for Africana.com & In Motion Magazine Octavia Butler: Writing Herself Into The Story -- for Code Switch by NPR
The Summary
A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.
Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved--its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected. But some can never stop searching for answers. Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand's code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What's clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history's most perplexing discovery--and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. This title is also available from our audiobook partner, Libro.fm, as a DRM-free audiobook--buy it here.
You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here!
Keep reading to find the summary, reviews of the book, interviews with the author, and info about how to buy your book from us in various formats.
The Summary
When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.
Instead, she got Em. Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . . As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head. But how come she can’t shake the feeling she’s being followed?
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. This title is also available from our audiobook partner, Libro.fm, as a DRM-free audiobook--buy it here.
You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! Reviews & Interviews
Monsters Imaginary & Real Haunt the Caves of The Luminous Dead -- NPR Books
Rich & Complicated Survival Horror: The Luminous Dead by Starling -- tor.com The Luminous Dead--Spooky Reads! -- Horror Bound Blog Podcast Episode #6: Interview with Caitlin Starling -- Sublime Horror Podcast Q&A with Caitlin Starling, author of 'The Luminous Dead' -- Fictionist Magazine
Keep reading to find the summary, reviews of the book, interviews with the author, and info about how to buy your book from us in various formats. The Summary
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense. Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die. Of course, some things are better left dead.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. This title is also available from our audiobook partner, Libro.fm, as a DRM-free audiobook--buy it here.
You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Reviews & Interviews
"Smart, Snarky 'Gideon The Ninth' Swears Her Way Through The Stars" -- NPR Books
"Gideon the Ninth is about lesbian necromancers in space. Obviously, it's perfect." -- Vox "Wet Hot Necrogoth Summer: A Non-Spoiler Review of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir" -- Tor.com "Interview with Tamsyn Muir: The gay goth space opera of our dreams" -- BookPage "The Horror of it All! A Conversation with Tamsyn Muir" -- Clarkesworld
The summary: As darkness sweeps the Maresh Empire, the once precarious balance of power among the four Londons has reached its breaking point. In the wake of tragedy, Kell―once assumed to be the last surviving Antari―begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. Lila Bard, once a commonplace―but never common―thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. An ancient enemy returns to claim a city while a fallen hero tries to save a kingdom in decay. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.  If this sounds like something you'd like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store by ordering online with a 15% discount through the end of August. This title is also available from our partner, Libro.fm, as a DRM-free audiobook. You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within our delivery area). Reviews & Interviews "A Conjuring of Light" -- KIRKUS Review "In Search of Doors" -- Pembroke Tolkein Lecture 2018 "An Interview with VE Schwab" -- Forbidden Planet "A Conjuring of Light" -- Publishers Weekly "On Creativity and Transparency" -- Bookriot "A Conjuring of Light" -- Fantasy Book Review "Enough of the Classic Female Roles in Fantasy" -- Washington Post We'll meet online via Google Meetings on Thursday, August 27th at 6:30pm. We want to know what you thought, even if you didn't finish it or if you didn't like it. If you've read the whole series, but not with us, we still encourage you to come chat with us about the book. You can see the Facebook event & RSVP here. Read on!  Charlie Jane Anders, the nationally bestselling author of All the Birds in the Sky deliveers a brillant new novel set in a hauntingly strange future. January is a dying planet—divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside. Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal. But fate has other plans—and Sophie's ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world. Anders's Choir Boy was a finalist for the 2006 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and won the Lambda Literary Award. In 2011, Six Months, Three Days won the Hugo Award and in 2017 Anders won a Nebula Award for All the Birds in the Sky. This year Anders has won the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel for The City in the Middle of the Night and the Locus Award for Best Short Story for The Bookstore at the End of America.  If this sounds like something you'd like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store or online with a 15% discount through the end of July. Remember, you can have it shipped directly to you or come pick it up curbside! Buy Here: |
Where?Foggy Pine Books Archives
May 2021
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