As all of us received a most welcome surprise this past weekend(congrats to President Elect Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris!), I found a bookish surprise in my mailbox ,thanks to Virtual Con.
During the same time this past spring when I bought my first mystery box, I also won a gift pack of books from this online event that I was greatly looking forward. After much delay,due to the ongoing health crisis and other issues, a box of books finally arrived with a letter of apology for the wait.
Needless to say, I am very happy on more than one front and pleased to showcase some of the science fiction/fantasy titles that were gifted to me:
GODDESS IN THE MACHINE: The teen heroine of Lora Beth Johnson's debut YA novel is a sci-fi Sleeping Beauty who awakens to a strange new world in more ways than one. Andra Watts was told that she and her family would be in cryo-sleep for a hundred years as part of their interplanetary move to Holymyth. Instead, she is revived a thousand years later with none of her family or friends left alive.
Seen as a newborn deity, Andra is uncomfortable with being worshiped and plans to return to what remains of Earth. To do that, she makes an alliance with Zharde, an exiled prince with a devious reputation, in order to gather the materials for a return ship which also draws the unwelcome attention of his regal brother Maret, who is very much in a position to do them both harm.
Can Andra find her way home-if it still exists-or make a new one with possibly a new love by her side? This does sound intriguing and since there's a sequel in the works, getting in on the ground floor of a rocketship speed series certainly feels right to me:
BONDS OF BRASS: In this first entry of the Bloodright Trilogy, author Emily Skrutskie introduces us to Ettian and Gal, fellow cadets at the intergalactic military academy of the Umber Empire.
As a war orphan from Archon, steadfast pilot Ettian appears to have little in common with the carefree Gal, who comes from a more privileged background. However, when his contemporaries from Archon learn that Gal is the heir to the Umber throne and seek payback, Ettian is determined to protect him at all costs.
When political forces arise to target Gal as well, he goes to Ettian for help. The two of them flee the academy and with the aid of a new companion, street savvy Wen, seek sanctuary in a neutral star system.
Being on the run is not new to Ettian but soon he is torn between his duty to his home world,whose residents are still fighting for their freedom, and his growing affection for Gal. Will they stay true to another one or be divided by the numerous worlds at war between them? I do like how this tale of love, friendship and space war is arranged and look forward to seeing how the stars of fate align for these characters.
THE MERMAID: Writer Christina Henry blends a bit of fact and fantasy in this novel about a sea maiden teaming up with P.T. Barnum for an exhibition that may prove profitable to both parties.
The title character is Amelia, who left her ocean realm out of love for a fisherman named Jack, who lived on a remote island. Now a widow, Amelia wishes to travel the world and takes up the offer by Barnum's recruiter Levi Lyman to appear in his American museum.
Dealing with the wider world is hard for Amelia, who finds her tank confining but not as constricting as the meek and mild manners expected of her as a woman. However, she manages to stand her ground both on land and sea, perhaps finding new love along the way.
I adore mermaids and this seaworthy story is right up my alley. Also love the charmingly compact paperback edition that will be a pleasure to place among my completed reads sometime soon:
THE MOTHER CODE: Carole Stivers sets her futuristic saga in a world affected by a plague caused by a military bio-weapon that threatens the continuance of human life.
To prevent that from coming true, a series of robots are created to incubate genetically enhanced children, each one given the title code as a way of bonding with their human offspring until the time is seen as right to have their charges reclaimed by "society".
When the mechanical matrons are deemed to be no longer controllable, government forces decide to take action and take the kids. One such mother and child, Rho-Z and her son Kai, are quite determined to not be parted and those who try to do so have a hell of a fight on their hands indeed.
Stivers offers a complex story that blends science, fear and the true nature of motherly love together in a package that is also action packed to boot:
After all of the insane stress of this year, it's nice to have a few things go right. I hope that all those who took part in this contest receive their prize packs soon and spend many happy hours of reading with them.
As recent events have shown us, good things can come to those who wait and some surprises are truly of intergalactic proportions of joy and renewed hope like this:
1 comment:
Congratulations! Awesome set of books.
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