Anticipating new fantasy novels is one of my favorite activities, right behind reading them. This debut set against the backdrop of an altered contemporary world follows Wren, . Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland (April 3) The two fall in love against a backdrop of impending war and the struggle to stay.
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- Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein
- The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures
Chris Tayler Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop. Campbell has long been one of the masters of psychological horror, proving again and again that what's in our heads is far scarier than any monster lurking in the shadows. In this novel, the domineering old spinster Queenie dies - a relief to those around her. Her niece Alison inherits the house, but soon starts to suspect that the old woman is taking over her eight-year-old daughter Rowan. A paranoid, disturbing masterpiece. The intellectuals' favourite children's story began as an improvised tale told by an Oxford mathematics don to a colleague's daughters; later readers have found absurdism, political satire and linguistic philosophy in a work that, years on, remains fertile and fresh, crisp yet mysterious, and endlessly open to intepretation.
Alice, while reading in a meadow, sees a white rabbit rush by, feverishly consulting a watch. She follows him down a hole Freudian analysis, as elsewhere in the story, is all too easy , where she grows and shrinks in size and encounters creatures mythological, extinct and invented. Morbid jokes and gleeful subversion abound. The trippier sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and, like its predecessor, illustrated by John Tenniel. More donnish in tone, this fantasy follows Alice into a mirror world in which everything is reversed.
Her journey is based on chess moves, during the course of which she meets such figures as Humpty Dumpty and the riddling twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee. More challenging intellectually than the first instalment, it explores loneliness, language and the logic of dreams. The year is - and other times. Fevvers, aerialiste, circus performer and a virgin, claims she was not born, but hatched out of an egg. She has two large and wonderful wings. In fact, she is large and wonderful in every way, from her false eyelashes to her ebullient and astonishing adventures.
The journalist Jack Walser comes to interview her and stays to love and wonder, as will every reader of this entirely original extravaganza, which deftly and wittily questions every assumption we make about the lives of men and women on this planet. Carmen Callil Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop. The golden age of the American comic book coincided with the outbreak of the second world war and was spearheaded by first- and second-generation Jewish immigrants who installed square-jawed supermen as bulwarks against the forces of evil.
Chabon's Pulitzer prize-winning picaresque charts the rise of two young cartoonists, Klayman and Kavalier. It celebrates the transformative power of pop culture, and reveals the harsh truths behind the hyperreal fantasies. XB Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop. Clarke's third novel fuses science and mysticism in an optimistic treatise describing the transcendence of humankind from petty, warring beings to the guardians of utopia, and beyond.
One of the first major works to present alien arrival as beneficent, it describes the slow process of social transformation when the Overlords come to Earth and guide us to the light. Humanity ultimately transcends the physical and joins a cosmic overmind, so ushering in the childhood's end of the title EB Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop. Chesterton's "nightmare", as he subtitled it, combines Edwardian delicacy with wonderfully melodramatic tub-thumping - beautiful sunsets and Armageddon - to create an Earth as strange as any far-distant planet.
Secret policemen infiltrate an anarchist cabal bent on destruction, whose members are known only by the days of the week; but behind each one's disguise, they discover only another policeman.
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At the centre of all is the terrifying Sunday, a superhuman force of mischief and pandemonium. Chesterton's distorting mirror combines spinetingling terror with round farce to give a fascinating perspective on Edwardian fears of and flirtations with anarchism, nihilism and a world without god. Clarke's first novel is a vast, hugely satisfying alternative history, a decade in the writing, about the revival of magic - which had fallen into dusty, theoretical scholarship - in the early 19th century.
Two rival magicians flex their new powers, pursuing military glory and power at court, striking a dangerous alliance with the Faerie King, and falling into passionate enmity over the use and meaning of the supernatural.
The book is studded with footnotes both scholarly and comical, layered with literary pastiche, and invents a whole new strain of folklore: This classic by an unjustly neglected writer tells the story of Drove and Pallahaxi-Browneyes on a far-flung alien world which undergoes long periods of summer and gruelling winters lasting some 40 years. It's both a love story and a war story, and a deeply felt essay, ahead of its time, about how all living things are mutually dependant.
This is just the kind of jargon-free, humane, character-driven novel to convert sceptical readers to science fiction. Coupland began Girlfriend in a Coma in "probably the darkest period of my life", and it shows. Listening to the Smiths - whose single gave the book its title - can't have helped. This is a story about the end of the world, and the general falling-off that precedes it, as year-old Karen loses first her virginity, then consciousness.
When she reawakens more than a decade later, the young people she knew and loved have died, become junkies or or simply lost that new-teenager smell. Wondering what the future holds? It's wrinkles, disillusionment and the big sleep. It's not often you get to read a book vertically as well as horizontally, but there is much that is uncommon about House of Leaves.
It's ostensibly a horror story, but the multiple narrations and typographical tricks - including one chapter that cuts down through the middle of the book - make it as much a comment on metatextuality as a novel. That said, the creepiness stays with you, especially the house that keeps stealthily remodelling itself: Carrie O'Grady Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop.
- Brian W Aldiss: Non-Stop (1958);
- Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge.
- Best Middle Grade Fantasy Books of the Last 10 Years?
It wasn't a problem at first: But the changes don't stop there: A curly tail, trotters and a snout are not far off. Darrieussecq's modern philosophical tale is witty, telling and hearteningly feminist. Joanna Biggs Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop. The setting is a post-apocalyptic future, long past the age of humans.
Aliens have taken on the forms of human archetypes, in an attempt to come to some understanding of human civilisation and play out the myths of the planet's far past. The novel follows Lobey, who as Orpheus embarks on a quest to bring his lover back from the dead. With lush, poetic imagery and the innovative use of mythic archetypes, Delaney brilliantly delineates the human condition.
Dick's novel became the basis for the film Blade Runner, which prompted a resurgence of interest in the man and his works, but similarities film and novel are slight.
Here California is under-populated and most animals are extinct; citizens keep electric pets instead. In order to afford a real sheep and so affirm his empathy as a human being, Deckard hunts rogue androids, who lack empathy. As ever with Dick, pathos abounds and with it the inquiry into what is human and what is fake. Much imitated "alternative universe" novel by the wayward genius of the genre. The Axis has won the second world war. Imperial Japan occupies the west coast of America; more tyrannically, Nazi Germany under Martin Bormann, Hitler having died of syphilis takes over the east coast.
The Californian lifestyle adapts well to its oriental master. Germany, although on the brink of space travel and the possessor of vast tracts of Russia, is teetering on collapse. The novel is multi-plotted, its random progression determined, Dick tells us, by consultation with the Chinese I Ching. Foucault's Pendulum followed the massive success of Eco's The Name of the Rose, and in complexity, intrigue, labyrinthine plotting and historical scope it is every bit as extravagant.
Eco's tale of three Milanese publishers, who feed occult and mystic knowledge into a computer to see what invented connections are created, tapped into the worldwide love of conspiracy theories, particularly those steeped in historical confusion. As "The Plan" takes over their lives and becomes reality, the novel turns into a brilliant historical thriller of its own that inspired a similar level of obsession among fans. Nicola Barr Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop.
A woman drives around the Scottish highlands, all cleavage and lipstick, picking up well-built male hitchhikers - but there's something odd behind her thick pebble glasses Faber's first novel refreshes the elements of horror and SF in luminous, unearthly prose, building with masterly control into a page-turning existential thriller that can also be read as an allegory of animal rights.
And in the character of Isserley - her curiosity, resignation, wonderment and pain - he paints an immensely affecting portrait of how it feels to be irreparably damaged and immeasurably far from home.
Children's Middle Grade Action & Adventure Books Books | Penguin Random House
Determined to extricate himself from an increasingly serious relationship, graduate Nicholas Urfe takes a job as an English teacher on a small Greek island. Walking alone one day, he runs into a wealthy eccentric, Maurice Conchis, who draws him into a succession of elaborate psychological games that involve two beautiful young sisters in reenactments of Greek myths and the Nazi occupation.
Appearing after The Collector, this was actually the first novel that Fowles wrote, and although it quickly became required reading for a generation, he continued to rework it for a decade after publication. David Newnham Buy this book at the Guardian bookshop. Before long, he is embroiled in a battle between ancient and modern deities: A road trip through America's sacred places is spiced up by some troublesome encounters with Shadow's unfaithful wife, Laura.
She's dead, which always makes for awkward silences. The author of such outstanding mythical fantasies as Elidor and The Owl Service, Garner has been called "too good for grown-ups"; but the preoccupations of this young adult novel love and violence, madness and possession, the pain of relationships outgrown and the awkwardness of the outsider are not only adolescent.
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The Island of Horses. To Catch a Thief. The Game Masters of Garden Place. The Evil Wizard Smallbone. Delia Sherman and Delia Sherman. Douglas Holgate and Max Brallier. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Truth About Martians. Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Flight of the Falcon. Oracle of Doom The Library Book 3. After Sapphire's father vanishes off the coast of Cornwall, she is left alone with her brother and mother, wondering what exactly happened.
However, when Sapphire feels the pull of the ocean, she becomes enchanted by the stories of a kingdom. Sapphire even believes that her father may still be alive and living under the waves with the kingdom's inhabitants, the Ingo, or Mer, people. Dunmore has a vivid and serene writing style throughout the entire Ingo series, imbuing each novel with a powerful undercurrent of emotion. While this series would technically be classified as children's fantasy, that should by no means stop you. The dream-like narrative and intriguing plot from Dunmore presents a completely new premise, only relying on the basic tropes of mermaid fiction and a refreshing depiction of Cornwall, England.
This more light-hearted narrative is a breath of fresh air for the young adult genre, giving readers a brief respite from the dark and tortured tales of other young adult novels. The characters Dunmore has created are simple, yet entirely realistic and bursting with personality. Furthermore, the world of Ingo, as portrayed by Dunmore, manages to be magical while also being dark and dangerous. With strong elements of suspense and mystery, the Ingo series should not be thought of as a second-rate fantasy series.
A story of star-crossed lovers takes an incredible turn in this dark and intense series from Lauren Kate. While this series has been heavily criticized, it is impossible to ignore the intriguing premise of the plot. The story is centred on Luce, female protagonist, while she is drawn into a world of fallen angels, finding love and making enemies in the process.
Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein
Admittedly, the love story of this series is not overly unique. However, the intensity and chemistry Kate creates between Luce and her love interest, Daniel, adds a captivating dynamic to the story. Furthermore, Kate's slow burning prose makes for a more interactive and pleasurable read, completely immersing her readers into her world before throwing you into the action, drama and love-triangle dilemmas.
Kate's more simplistic writing style and the milder themes across the series makes this series a perfect read for younger teens looking to step away from childish novels and foray into the world of young adult fantasy. This five-book series has most recently been adapted into a film of the same name, however, make sure you check out these fantastic novels before you hit the cinema.
As one of the most popular fantasy series in history, it would be remiss not to include Stephanie Myers Twilight series on this list. The 4-book series has had an enormous impact on the young adult fantasy, shaping the genre into what it is today. This corny, teenage vampire romance series, while not entirely ground-breaking, sent the world into a frenzied vampire obsession, with Myers captivating her readers with an attractive teenage heart throb and a romance to stand the test of time.
Myers must be given credit for her ability to write for an audience. Appealing to teenagers and young adults, the author chose Bella, a young high school student out of her depth, as the narrative voice of the series. Bella is a smart, pretty and shy arrival at her school, when she catches the eye of the sullen yet "dazzling" vampire Edward Cullen. Myer quickly throws her readers into a world of sparkling vampires and shirtless werewolves. However, while some sections of the series feel vibrant and exciting, there are long stretches of boredom and clunky dialogue, especially during the numerous Edward-Bella bonding sub-plotsfeel free to skip that part.
This generation defining series includes a number of intriguing ideas, however, the constant melodrama will irritate veteran fantasy readers. Only being published this year, Mary O'Connell's Dear Reader is a fairly new addition to the young adult fantasy genre. However, don't let that deter you, as O'Connell's novel is a tender, 'coming-of-age', ode to the much-loved classic, Wuthering Heights.
When a student discovers her favorite teacher is missing, she discovers a clue to her whereabouts in her teacher's copy of the famous Wuthering Heights, which subsequently turns into a 'live-time' version of the teacher's journal. These clues take her to New York where she meets a boy who is so obscure, he almost seems to have jumped out of the pages of Bronte's Wuthering Heights. While the fantasy aspect of this novel is subtle, the book-magic that O'Connell incorporates into her tale is just enough to satisfy any fantasy nut. O'Connell's whimsical yet concise writing style along with the fast-paced and enigmatic plot make this novel an ultimately fantastic read.
The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures
If, like most people, you find it impossible to even finish half of a classic Bronte novel, do not fear, as O'Connell's world makes Wuthering Heights references mostly accessible and easy to follow. O'Connell's plot feels original and highly relatable, particularly for high school graduates and those looking to 'find themselves' before starting college.
The premise of this novel completely redefines the boundaries of young adult fantasy. Told from the perspective of individuals stuck in a 'limbo' between life and death, Shusterman's work is set in the strange new world of Everlost. When two teens find themselves in Everlost after a car crash, they are forced to confront the fact that they are not dead and or alive.
Everlast is an epic reimagining of the afterlife and Shusterman has pulled out all the stops. The protagonists, Allie and Nick, are immediately thrust into the terrifying world of Everlost, meeting other bands of lost children and learning the dangerous art of 'haunting'. Everlost cleverly, and somewhat surprisingly, contains a wide array of well-developed and intriguingly distinctive characters. The magical world that Shusterman creates is melancholic and alive, introducing a new set of rules for the fantasy genre while presenting a seemingly untold take on the afterlife.
Boasting at least two villains, this novel is certainly not short on action and danger. Furthermore, Shusterman has ensured that this novel, while seemingly for younger teens, holds a number of emotional themes, addressing the idea of life after death and stressing the importance overcoming adversity. This novel is most definitely a must read for young adults looking for a refreshing yet rewarding fantasy tale.
A series of books about bookswhat more could an avid fantasy reader want? In her Inkheart series, Cornelia Funke takes everything that is enchanting about reading, and creates a hard-hitting story about a book binder who can read fictional characters to life. When the protagonist's mother disappears into one of her father's stories and she, herself, faces the wrath of a fictitious villain; Meggie must do everything she can to save her mother and her life. This page-turning series is driven by a simple and smart idea what you write can come to life and appeals to a very large audience e.
Despite the simple premise of the Inkheart series, Funke had a difficult job of making each character feel as though they literally come to life in front of the reader's eyes. However, using eloquent prose and wonderfully detailed descriptions, Funke has done just that, producing a richly imaginative world that portrays each character down to the finest detail. Throughout the entirety of this series, the plot treads water on a number of dark themes, making this a heavier read than other popular fantasy series.
However, this book isn't a grim or depressing read and it's darker sections are balanced by witty dialogue and one of Meggie's ever-cheerful companions. The Graveyard Book is Neil Gaiman's most light-hearted novel yet. That being said, the protagonist, Bod, is raised by a bunch of motley ghosts in an old cemetery after his parents are brutally murdered, so don't expect a story of unicorns and rainbows.
A charming allegory of childhood, the novel begins with Gaiman's typically macabre prose, with the author throwing the reader in a charming world of ghosts, vampires and an omnipresent assassin. Gaiman possess an innate ability to create a story that is sweet, fascinating and ominous, a combination that makes The Graveyard Book an unforgettable tale that can be enjoyed by both adults and children.
Much like Gaiman's novel, Coraline , the protagonist of this story perfectly encapsulates all the traits that make for a wonderful young adult novel, with Bod facing his inevitable descent into adulthood while yearning for the comforts of childhood and normality. The bittersweet conclusion of the novel perfectly captures this sentiment, leaving the reader to reflect on themselves and their ideals. However, it's not all gloom and doom, with Gaiman hinting at a range of positive and meaningful lessons for the reader to take on board.
Gaiman cleverly ends his tale where it began, creating a well-rounded and comprehensive narrative that is rich in imagery and excitement. Whether you're a fan of Gaiman or not, The Graveyard Book is not a novel you'll want to pass up. The Girl from Everywhere. Taking the time travel genre to a whole new level, Heidi Heilig has captivated readers with her magical series, The Girl from Everywhere. This book uses a winning formula of maps, mythology and pirates to create an intriguing and adventurous story. This series, while light-hearted and packed with action sequences, also takes the time to address a number of more realistic 'young adult' issues.
The protagonist, Nix, has a complicated relationship with her father, the captain of their ship. While 'The Captain' feverishly hunts down a map that will bring back his beloved wife and Nix's mother, Nix faces an existential crisis of his own. The element of familial conflict creates a tense yet relatable representation of the relationship many young adults experience with their own parents, making Heilig's debut series incredibly insightful and relevant. Blending fact and fiction, Heilig put a lot of research into each book in the series, ensuring that the historical aspect of her series was accurate.
Paired with the interesting locations throughout the series, Heilig has created an incredibly colourful fantasy world and it's sure to be an immersive experience for every reader. Garth Nix introduces a complex, dark fantasy landscape in his Abhorsen Trilogy. Exploring the 'blurred' line between life and death, the Abhorsen trilogy is the kind of young adult fantasy that reads like it was written for adults, omitting the usual cutesy fluff of many "young adult" fantasy books out there.
This adventure series is considered to be frightening, however, this does not stop Nix's story from appealing to all ages. Furthermore, the author's ability to describe and propel the narrative without the use of dense vocabulary makes this series perfect for individuals of all reading abilities. This moving tale is full to the brim with adventure, grief, love and magic, resulting in a wonderfully compelling story that hosts a series of strong, well written characters that all add something to the narrative. A rip-roaring adventure, this young adult fantasy trilogy most definitely belongs in your fantasy collection.
All the literary sparkle aside, the book is astoundingly well written, immensely imaginative, and an all great adventure yarn. A young girl's journey of magic and discovery that will take her to the ends of the earth His Dark Materials is a modern classic that can be enjoyed by old and young alike; This is "Narnia" for the 21st century. It's made my Top 25 best fantasy books list. Like Garth Nix's Abhorson trilogy, these are children's fantasy books that every adult should read.
A classic that should not be missed by either children or adults. One of the most compelling female heroines in the fantasy genre. A fantastic story about a young boy training to be an exorcist in a land where dark things roam the night. One of the best modern children's tales I've read. This one is scary folks, probably one of the scariest books I've read.
The books are pretty dark with a lot of death that happens during the series. But the tale told is a heartfelt one and the narrator first person from the perspective of a year-old boy works very well. If you are afraid of haunted houses, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night, you might want to avoid this spine-chilling series. But man, it's a good one and one of my favorite YA series hands down. I don't recommend this series for little ones, but kids over the age of 12 should enjoy it.
And the adults will too! A tale for the ages: He finds that place through a creepy tunnel of mist in the form of a quaint little house run by an elderly caretaker. Harvey finds the place is magical. But all is not what it appears to be, for beneath the house a terrible secret waits, one from which he cannot escape. Barker is a master storyteller and he brings his considerable skill for writing atmospheric horror novels to the YA genre.
A steampunk fantasy with a lot of oomph to it. Into this strange world, we follow Deryn Sharp, a young woman disguised as a boy, for only men can serve in the army. Westerfield creates an interesting alternate history — a sort of steampunk version of World War 1, if you will.
In this world, we see a host of strange creatures and machines. But what really drives the novel forward is not the interesting setting, but the strong characters. The Prince Aleksandar and the disguised-as-a-boy girl, Deryn, make for an interesting pair with a dynamic relationship both are on different sides of the war, yet team up together. One of the more unique tales. It's the story about a young boy trapped in a brutal and mysterious prison, where humans eke out a survival-level existence and are hunted by the prison itself, which seems to be a living entity.