Fantasy & Science Fiction Book Club
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Fantasy & Science Fiction Discussion Group
Final Thursday Every Month Via Google Meet 6:30pm |
So, what's the book about?
Lauren Olamina's love is divided among her young daughter, her community, and the revelation that led Lauren to found a new faith that teaches "God Is Change". But in the wake of environmental and economic chaos, the U.S. government turns a blind eye to violent bigots who consider the mere existence of a black female leader a threat. And soon Lauren must either sacrifice her child and her followers -- or forsake the religion that can transform 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: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public again (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) 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+ and free 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! You can also add it to your personal calendar--check out the event page to see our Google event calendar where you can RSVP! Reviews & Interviews
Parable of the Talents -- Publisher's Weekly
Why So Many Readers Are Turning to Octavia Butler’s Apocalypse Fiction Right Now --Slate.com VISIONS: IDENTITY; 'We Tend to Do the Right Thing When We Get Scared' -- nytimes.com Review: Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler -- Utopia State of Mind
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This month's book club pick is All Systems Red by Martha Wells. We will be meeting on Thursday, December 30th at 6:30 in an online video chat. You can RSVP to the event & get the chat link here. Martha Wells has written many fantasy novels, including The Wizard Hunters, Wheel of the Infinite, the Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads and ending with The Harbors of the Sun), and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer, as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, and non-fiction. So, what's the book about?
A murderous android discovers itself in "All Systems Red," a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial intelligence.
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid -- a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
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: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public again (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) 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+ and free 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! You can also add it to your personal calendar--check out the event page to see our Google event calendar where you can RSVP! Reviews & Interviews
Sulky, Cynical 'Murderbot' Is One Of Sci-Fi's Most Human Characters -- NPR.org
Spending Time With a Murderbot: All Systems Red by Martha Wells -- tor.com Exclusive Interview: “All Systems Red” Author Martha Wells -- paulsemel.com Interview with Martha Wells -- Off the Shelf
So, what's the book about?
In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut. In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.
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-7pm) 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
THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY| Kirkus Reviews-- Kirkus
Gary K. Wolfe Reviews The Ten Thousand Doors of January-- LocusMag INTERVIEW WITH ALIX E. HARROW-- The Fantasy Hive Interview With an Author: Alix E. Harrow-- LA Public Library
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
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 By Katharine Brown  Naomi Alderman was no stranger to awards before The Power won the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, the 2017 NY Times 10 Best Books, and was named one of President Obama's favorite reads of the year. In 2006 she won the Orange Award for New Writers for her novel Disobedience. In 2007, Disobedience won another accolade, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award, and in 2013 Naomi Alderman was named one of the best Young British Novelists by Granta's once-a-decade list. In The Power, the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets. From award-winning author Naomi Alderman, The Power is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality, and exposing our own world in bold and surprising ways.  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 April. This electrifying story is also available through our partner, Libro.fm and is narrated by the author herself! Reviews & Interviews"'The Power' by Naomi Alderman" -- The NY Times Book Review "What if Women had 'The Power?'" -- The Atlantic "What If Women Were in Charge?" -- Vogue Book Review "Interview with Naomi Alderman" -- The Guardian "Naomi Alderman on the World That Yielded 'The Power'" -- The NY Times "'The Power' Author Naomi Alderman Answers Your Questions" -- PBS We'll meet online via Zoom on April 30th @ 6:30 pm. You can follow this link to the meeting or find the meeting link and more information on our Facebook page. We want to know what you thought about the book, even if you didn't finish it! Be sure to RSVP and we will "see" you there. Read on!
For the month of August, the Hatchet Coffee book club choice is A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab, the second book in the Shades of Magic series. We read the first book together this year and wanted to complete the series. Feel free to join in the conversation, even if you weren't a part of the book club during the reading of the first book. Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the #1 NYT, USA, and indie bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, This Savage Song, and the City of Ghosts series. Her work has received critical acclaim, been featured by EW and The New York Times, been translated into more than a dozen languages, and been optioned for TV and film. The Independent calls her the “natural successor to Diana Wynne Jones” and touts her “enviable, almost Gaimanesque ability to switch between styles, genres, and tones.” So what's this book about?
It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift--back into Black London. Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games--an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries--a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port. And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.
If this sounds like something you'd enjoy reading, we really hope that you'll come grab a copy from the bookstore or from one of the local libraries, then join us at the book club meeting.
If you decide to get your copy from Foggy Pine Books, the paperback copies are on sale for 15% off until the end of the month. You can also buy the audiobook online from our partner, Libro.fm. Click here to get yours! Relevant Reviews & Interviews
"Plenty of Shadows Loom in 'Gathering'" -- NPR
"In Search of Doors" -- Tor.com "Subverting Fantasy Tropes: An Interview with VE Schwab" -- Geekritique "A Q&A with Author VE Schwab: On Creativity & Transparency" -- BookRiot
We'll meet at Foggy Pine Books on August 29th at 7:30pm. Bring a friend and come discuss the book with us, even if you weren't able to completely finish it or if you didn't like it. You can see the Facebook event & RSVP here .
 Click Cover to Buy Online May's choice this year is The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden. This month, we decided to go a diverse route and give our members a refreshing twist to the kinds of fiction that they might be used to. Nicky Drayden is a Systems Analyst who dabbles in prose when she’s not buried in code. She resides in Austin, Texas where being weird is highly encouraged, if not required. This is her debut novel. We expect a very engaging meeting at the end of the month! But what is this book even about? In South Africa, the future looks promising. Personal robots are making life easier for the working class. The government is harnessing renewable energy to provide infrastructure for the poor. And in the bustling coastal town of Port Elizabeth, the economy is booming thanks to the genetic engineering industry which has found a welcome home there. Yes—the days to come are looking very good for South Africans. That is, if they can survive the present challenges: A new hallucinogenic drug sweeping the country . . . An emerging AI uprising . . . And an ancient demigoddess hellbent on regaining her former status by preying on the blood and sweat (but mostly blood) of every human she encounters. It’s up to a young Zulu girl powerful enough to destroy her entire township, a queer teen plagued with the ability to control minds, a pop diva with serious daddy issues, and a politician with even more serious mommy issues to band together to ensure there’s a future left to worry about.  We love a good diva taking charge. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy reading, we really hope that you'll come grab a copy from the bookstore or from one of the local libraries, then join us at the book club meeting. You can buy your copy from Foggy Pine Books and get 15% off until the end of the month. The book club display is on the same shelf as the bestsellers! You can also buy it from us online, if you prefer to read a digital copy or listen to the audiobook: We'll meet at Hatchet Coffee on May 30th at 7:30pm. Hatchet Coffee has drinks & snacks available for purchase but we typically also have snacks to share with one another. Bring a friend and come discuss the book with us, even if you weren't able to completely finish it or if you didn't like it. You can see the Facebook event & RSVP here . Relevant Reviews & InterviewsA Madcap Debut: The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden - Tor.com
Q & A: Nicky Drayden Talks ‘The Prey of Gods’ - Fantasy Review Barn 
Click Cover to Buy Online
Back in January, when our book club was trying to decide what books to read next, we made a decision to change the type of book that we focus on reading. Since this book club started, we have read eclectically and widely across genres. We've explored everything from literary fiction to mystery to horror to classics. However, we were always drawn back to reading fantasy and science fiction. So, we decided to stop lying to ourselves and to spend our reading time focused on books that we really wanted to read. To that end, we have decided to make the Hatchet Coffee Book Club a science fiction & fantasy focused club. So, if you had been coming to this club and enjoyed the eclectic nature of our readings together, I suggest that you check out the Foggy Pine Book Club which is our general interest book club. Let's move on to this month's Hatchet Coffee book choice though.
This month we're reading The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. This is the first book in the Winternight trilogy. The second book is The Girl in the Tower and the third book, just released in February, is The Winter of the Witch. This book is Katherine Arden's debut novel but she's also written a children's chapter book, Small Spaces. So what is our book club book about? The publisher summary says: Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse's fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil. Then Vasya's widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya's stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village. But Vasya's stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village's defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed--to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse's most frightening tales.
This book is one of the owner's, Mary, favorite books. She recommends it to her customers when they're looking for something magical but not silly, dark but ultimately hopeful, and well-written. Arden is an incredible writer who has the ability to weave sentences around her readers into a warm cozy blanket to snuggle up into. Her descriptions are quite evocative and bring the locale to mind in an intense and vivid manner. Her characters are thoughtfully rendered and they come to life on the page, only to jump out and go running amok in your mind. Truly, Arden is a fantastic writer.
If this sounds like something you'd enjoy reading, we really hope that you'll come grab a copy from the bookstore or from one of the local libraries, then join us at the book club meeting. If you decide to get your copy from Foggy Pine Books, the paperback copies are on sale for 15% off until the end of the month. You can also buy it from us online, if you prefer to read a digital copy or listen to the audiobook.
We'll meet at Hatchet Coffee on March 28th at 7:30pm. Hatchet Coffee has drinks & snacks available for purchase but we typically also have snacks to share with one another. Bring a friend and come discuss the book with us, even if you weren't able to completely finish it or if you didn't like it. You can see the Facebook event & RSVP here .
Relevant Reviews & Interviews
'The Bear and the Nightingale' is a Rich Winter Tale -- NPR Book Review
The Bear and the Nightingale -- Kirkus Book Review The Bear and the Nightingale -- Publisher's Weekly Book Review Interview with Katherine Arden -- BookPage Interview Katherine Arden: It's a great time for female fantasy writers --CNET Interview |
AuthorsMax Ruthless (they/them) Event LinkJoin us on Google Meet to chat each month:
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