Aaah, Comic-con – the Con Godzilla, the Jaeger of Cons. And one of my very favorite things about Comic-Con is how all the genre books come out to play – that’s right, those books that all too often are glossed over or ignored at the likes of BEA and ALA, all those sci-fi, fantasy, horror and urban fantasy books that all too often are displaced in favor of “real” books, THIS is where they go. And so, I give you my genre discoveries from this year’s Comic-con:
Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano
Simon & Schuster, October 1, 2013
Eerie similarity to the covers of DeStefano’s previous series aside, this sounds like a deliciously dark and mysterious kind of fantasy. I like…
Book Jacket:
On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan’s older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.
Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.
Control by Lydia Kang
Dial Books for Young Readers, December 26, 2013
It was compared to Scott Westefeld’s Uglies series – ’nuff said.
Book Jacket:
When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn’t even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.
A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Orbit, October 1, 2013
Word at the Orbit booth was, this book is perfect for those who enjoy smart, female-written space operas. I’m in.
Book Jacket:
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.
Breq is both more than she seems and less than she was. Years ago, she was the Justice of Toren–a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of corpse soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.
An act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with only one fragile human body. And only one purpose–to revenge herself on Anaander Mianaai, many-bodied, near-immortal Lord of the Radch.
Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine
NAL, February 4, 2014
Okay, yes, the world does not lack for Romeo & Juliet retellings – but I find myself intrigued by the twist of this take. Very curious to see what Rachel Caine does with this…
Book Jacket:
In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and – if they survive – marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.
Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…
…And will rewrite all their fates, forever.
Cemetery Girl by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden
Inklit, January 7, 2014
A Charlaine Harris graphic novel? Why, hello…
Book Jacket:
Charlaine Harris, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels and the Harper Connelly Mysteries, and New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden present an original graphic novel illustrated by acclaimed comic book artist Don Kramer – first in a brand-new trilogy.
She calls herself Calexa Rose Dunhill – names taken from the grim surroundings where she awoke, bruised and bloody, with no memory of who she is, how she got there, or who left her for dead.
She has made the cemetery her home, living in a crypt and avoiding human contact. But Calexa can’t hide from the dead – and because she can see spirits, they can’t hide from her.
Then one night, Calexa spies a group of teenagers vandalizing a grave—and watches in horror as they commit murder. As the victim’s spirit rises from her body, it flows into Calexa, overwhelming her mind with visions and memories not her own.
Now Calexa must make a decision: continue to hide to protect herself – or come forward to bring justice to the sad spirit who has reached out to her for help…
And there you have it – another year, another Con, another stack for the TBR pile. Aaah, Comic-con…
nice picks! i do love that sdcc has so much genre stuff. that charlaine harris/christopher golden book definitely looks intriguing. and i think i got a copy of control somewhere during the weekend. i also love the cover to perfect ruin. i still have not finished the chemical trilogy. :( thanks for the recs. definitely going to be adding these to the tbr pile.