As soon as I could read, my dad introduced me to the science fiction greats like Bradbury and Asimov. From there, I branched out to comics and fantasy. However, the tales that connected to me always had one thing in common: relatable characters. Whether it was the musing of Bradburyâs protagonists or the Hulkâs desire to be left alone, they all resonated with me personally. As a science fiction and fantasy author, itâs my job to make that same connection. Instead of escaping into imaginary realms, I have to figure out how to better observe the real world so I can tell better stories.
This book took me on a journey with a group of unlikely heroes, starting with their decision to enlist to fight in the war, following them through their training as paratroopers, and ending the conflict. Like many World War II veterans, they were volunteers. But the anticipation leading up to D-Day and the hell they went through in the woods of Bastogne was more than anyone could have ever expected.
Few histories of World War II hit me as hard as this one. As a child of the 1960s and 1970s, the war has always fascinated me. Iâd read about the strategy, the epic battles, and the atrocities committed by the Axis Powers, but Iâve returned to this book many times over the past thirty years.
They fought on Utah Beach, in Arnhem, Bastogne, the Bulge; they spearheaded the Rhine offensive and took possession of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden. Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to D-Day and victory, Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company, which kept getting the tough assignments. Easy Company was responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. BAND OF BROTHERS is the account of the men ofâŚ
I was blown away by the idea of a warship that isnât just sentient but reluctant to go to war. Artificial intelligence is hardly a new concept in science fiction, and classics like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep told us stories about their feelings and desires decades ago.
But I was enthralled by a story featuring a purpose-built warship that withdrew itself from service after a traumatic battle in an intergalactic war. To be honest, I was initially put off by the idea of yet another âtalking spaceship.â But when I realized one of the most powerful ships ever built had decided to become a conscientious objector, I couldnât put the book down.
From BSFA Award winning author Gareth L. Powell comes the first in a new epic sci-fi trilogy exploring the legacies of war The sentient warship Trouble Dog was built for violence, yet following a brutal war, she is disgusted by her role in a genocide. Stripped of her weaponry and seeking to atone, she joins the House of Reclamation, an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. When a civilian ship goes missing in a disputed system, Trouble Dog and her new crew of loners, captained by Sal Konstanz, are sent on a rescue mission.
Third Wheel is a coming-of-age thriller about a misguided teen who struggles to fit in with a pack of older troublemakers. In this fast-paced page-turner, Brady Wilks is a root-worthy underdog who explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and betrayal.
Third Wheel won seven literary awards, including Literary Thriller ofâŚ
I bought this book from an Army PX in Germany four decades ago. I started it over lunch and ended up late for the night shift. The title would have you think itâs about swords, but itâs really about what happens when gods grow bored and play games with mortals as their chess pieces. This series, more than any other, reminded me of why I wanted to be a science fiction and fantasy writer.
It features one of my all-time favorite fantasy characters: Ben of Purkinje. Ben doesnât want to be a hero. All he wants to do is become a minstrel and marry the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately, he canât sing, and she doesnât love him. Itâs good that heâs also the most reliable guy youâll ever meet.
The gods decide to devise a Game of great their colleague Vulcan forges 12 magic Swords, each with a different power, and scatters them across the world. Play begins in grand and gloriously violent fashion as Swords are gathered and used to control chance, enhance fortune, and change destiny. The holder of a Sword wields power undreamed... power to change the world and the holder.To add to the enjoyment, foolish mortals are invited to join, risking their puny lives. Demons and elementals need no invitation. But something had gone wrong in the forging, and the Game...
Iâm always ready for immersive world-building; nobody does it better than Brandon Sanderson. This book effortlessly blends its people, world, and magic so they combine to advance the plot and explore each characterâs internal struggle.
Itâs easy to forget that war is hell when youâre reading a fantasy novel full of enchanted swords, invulnerable armor, and overpowering magicians. This book explores the trauma of battle through the eyes of a disgraced former soldier turned slave, the haunted war hero who united his brotherâs kingdom, and an assassin whoâs rapidly losing faith in his cause.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, Book One of the Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.
Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.
It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades andâŚ
Dr Dee has designs for a British Empire that will dominate the world for ages to come ushering in Revelation, and with the aegis of the Angels, he has the power to make it a reality.
But, two elements are missing, and through blackmail and occult ritual, infamous swordswoman CaptainâŚ
Who am I? Why am I him and not someone else? Speculative fiction and philosophy go together like crunchy peanut butter and apricot jam. But few books have pushed me into introspection as deeply as this one.
What would I do if I woke up in a different world and a different life? What if this different life represented the road not taken? Would I accept it? Or fight as hard as possible to regain my ârealâ life? What if the only way back was to face a better version of myself?
'Brilliant. . . I think Blake Crouch just invented something new' - Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series.
From Blake Crouch, the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter is sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human - a relentlessly surprising thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and Ready Player One.
'Are you happy in your life?' Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakes to findâŚ
In War of the Worlds, the Martians came to Earth in 1894, subdued humankind with deadly weapons, and then literally dropped dead. How did a world dominated by people like Kaiser Wilhelm, Queen Victoria, and Tsar Nicholas react to the invasion? And what happened to those wonderful toys they left behind?
My book picks up nearly twenty years later through the eyes of two men reluctantly dragged into war and political intrigue. Europe is in the grip of a very different version of World War I than the one we remember, while a near-totalitarian administration rules the United States.
An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroinesâa dragon rider and a portal jumperâwho fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction.
Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswenâs dream is toâŚ
India Muerte and the Ship of the Dead
by
Set Sytes,
After a night of misadventure, a roguish street lad from Mexico Island wakes up aboard a legendary ship crewed by skeletons. In search of the father heâs never metâa great mound of treasure would be nice, tooâIndia sails the fantastical Caribbean on the Ship of the Dead, exploring the colonialâŚ