Stars and Bones by Gareth L. Powell
If you haven’t tried Gareth L. Powell, I highly recommend his novels. This is a good one to start with. Stars and Bones is a mix of science fiction, space opera and horror — lots of creepy aliens doing some pretty nasty deeds. Eryn, the protagonist, goes looking for her sister who has vanished somewhere in faraway space. As she gets closer to the answers, she only finds more terrifying questions. This is the first of Powell’s Continuance series. I definitely plan to read the next one.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
This is one of those cases of coming across the same book over and over in “best fantasy” booklists. I’m so glad I picked this one up. It’s a fantastic retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. Way better than it sounds. He doesn’t even appear in the book. Instead, the story follows the life of Miryem. This village finds out she has an amazing ability. The king of the Staryk, a mysterious and frightening people made of ice, wants her ability for his own agenda. Despite living in a time when women have little control over their own lives, Miryem uses her wits and saavy to try and save herself and her people. But the odds are against her. In addition to Miryem, Spinning Silver is told by several point-of-view characters. The story really takes off after a few chapters and it ended up being one of my favorite reads in the last few years. I highly recommend it if you enjoy well-written fantasy.
Play Dead by Ted Dekker
This is a mind-bending romp with AI technology, cyberspace and murder. Because she discovers she is somehow connected to the killings of two teens, Angie must investigate what’s going on – despite everyone around ending up dead. If you like the Matrix movies, you will probably like Play Dead.
Photo by Israyosoy S.: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-with-white-hair-and-a-black-dress-holding-an-umbrella-20710294/
Andrew M. Friday 
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