Book cover of Guns of the Dawn

Book description

Shortlisted for the 2016 British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel.

Guns of the Dawn is a pacey, gripping fantasy of war and magic, from Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The first casualty of war is truth . . .

First, Denland's revolutionaries assassinated their king, launching a…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Guns of the Dawn as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Fantasy at its best, with magic used to wage war between kingdoms and an epic pace that never lets up. Emily, the main character, is hopelessly out of her depth and manages to be kick-ass anyway – I just love a heroine I can admire. I also love the political and sociological nuances in this book – nothing is black and white, and I appreciate the complexity of the issues and feelings the characters grapple with. And though I usually skim battle and/or fight scenes, I read these word-for-word, the pacing was that good. A delicious escape!

From Kathy's list on complex characters in dire straits.

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Book cover of Blind Angels

Blind Angels by Terry Madden,

“A non-stop action thrill ride of fantasy meets sci-fi meets cyberpunk.”

Camber Maypole was human once, an avid climber and chief medical officer aboard the Vera Rubin, a colony ship headed for a distant planet. But the day before launch, she was scrubbed for "insubordination." Against her will, her consciousness…

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