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Recommendations based on Under Heavenby Guy Gavriel Kay
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Sailing to Sarantium
by Guy Gavriel Kay
A journey to a fantastical city full of intrigue and mystery.
Crispin is a master mosaicist, creating beautiful art with colored stones and glass. Summoned to Sarantium by imperial request, he bears a Queen's secret mission, and a talisman from an alchemist. ... (Goodreads)
The Lions of Al-Rassan
by Guy Gavriel Kay
Epic tale of a legendary kingdom, facing the onslaught of an unstoppable force.
Like most of Kay's novels, this contains a large amount of political intrigue and religious strife. At the opening of the novel, the peninsula of Al-Rassan (formerly known as Esperaña when under ... (Wikipedia)
Lord of Emperors
by Guy Gavriel Kay
Epic tale of an emperor's quest to unite a divided world and protect it from an ancient evil.
The Thrilling Sequel To Sailing To Sarantium Beckoned by the Emperor Valerius, Crispin, a renowned mosaicist, has arrived in the fabled city of Sarantium. Here he seeks to fulfill his artistic ... (Goodreads)
The Curse of Chalion
by Lois McMaster Bujold
A man's spiritual journey to heal the kingdom and free himself from a powerful curse.
Cazaril was formerly a noble in the land of Chalion, but was betrayed and sold into slavery. He returns to a regional court where he is hired as tutor to Iselle (second in line for the throne of ... (Wikipedia)
Hyperion
by Dan Simmons
Epic science-fiction story of a journey to the distant planet Hyperion.
In the 29th century, the Hegemony of Man comprises hundreds of planets connected by farcaster portals. The Hegemony maintains an uneasy alliance with the TechnoCore , a civilisation of AIs . Modified ... (Wikipedia)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
by David Mitchell
An epic tale of love and adventure set in an 18th century Japanese trading port.
The novel begins in the summer of 1799 at the Dutch East India Company trading post Dejima in the harbor of Nagasaki . It tells the story of a Dutch trader's love for a Japanese midwife who is ... (Wikipedia)
Paladin of Souls
by Lois McMaster Bujold
A fantasy tale of a woman facing her own dark past to save her kingdom.
In a land threatened by treacherous war and beset by demons, royal dowager Ista, released from the curse of madness and manipulated by an untrustworthy god, is plunged into a desperate struggle to ... (Goodreads)
Kushiel's Dart
by Jacqueline Carey
A story of political intrigue, adventure, and forbidden love, set in a world of gods and mortals.
The book follows Phèdre nó Delaunay's life from birth. She's born with a mote in her eye, which makes her appear inappropriate for service as a religious courtesan, but it is revealed that this is ... (Wikipedia)
Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel
A historical fiction about the rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII.
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry ... (Goodreads)
The Grace of Kings
by Ken Liu
Epic fantasy saga of rebellion and redemption that spans generations in an imagined world.
Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of ... (Goodreads)
Barrayar
by Lois McMaster Bujold
A woman's journey of self-discovery as she navigates the rules and expectations of her home planet.
Cordelia and Aral Vorkosigan are expecting their first child. Before crafty old Emperor Ezar Vorbarra died, he maneuvered a very reluctant Aral into agreeing to serve as regent for Ezar's young ... (Wikipedia)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke
A whimsical tale of two magicians mastering the mysteries of English magic.
The novel opens in 1806 in northern England with The Learned Society of York Magicians, whose members are "theoretical magicians" who believe that magic died out several hundred years earlier. The ... (Wikipedia)
The Fortune of War
by Patrick O'Brian
During the War of 1812, Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin are captured and imprisoned in America. They must escape and make their way back to England.
HMS Leopard sails from Desolation Island to Port Jackson where she drops off her few prisoners. Captain Bligh is already handled, so she proceeds to the Dutch East Indies station and Admiral Drury at ... (Wikipedia)
Feed
by Mira Grant
A future world where information is controlled by corporations, and a group of journalists fight to uncover the truth.
Feed is set several decades after the zombie apocalypse , referred to as the Rising. Two man-made viruses (a cure for cancer and a cure for the common cold) combined to form Kellis-Amberlee, a virus ... (Wikipedia)
To Say Nothing of the Dog
by Connie Willis
Time-traveling historian visits Victorian England in search of an artifact, amidst a comedy of errors.
Ned Henry is a time traveler in 1940 studying Coventry Cathedral after the Coventry Blitz of World War II . He is specifically searching for the location of the "Bishop's bird stump ", a MacGuffin ... (Wikipedia)
Sabriel
by Garth Nix
A young woman embarks on a quest to save her kingdom from an ancient evil, confronting her own mortality.
The book opens with Sabriel raising a freshly killed rabbit from death. She is a young girl attending Wyverly College, an all-female boarding school in Ancelstierre. An undead creature enters the ... (Wikipedia)
The Way of Kings
by Brandon Sanderson
Epic fantasy saga of a young king and his quest to restore order to a broken kingdom.
The story rotates between the points of view of Kaladin, Shallan Davar, Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Dalinar Kholin, and several other minor characters, who lead seemingly unconnected lives. Szeth, a Shin ... (Wikipedia)
Shadow & Claw
by Gene Wolfe
Epic fantasy saga of a young man's quest in a world of darkness and danger.
Severian , an apprentice in the torturers' guild, barely survives a swim in the River Gyoll. On his way back to the Citadel (whose towers appear to be disused rockets), Severian and several other ... (Wikipedia)
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
by Max Brooks
A collection of interviews recounting tales of the zombie apocalypse.
It has been nearly twenty years since the start of the apocalyptic worldwide pandemic known as the Zombie War, and about ten years since the war has ended in humanity's victory. The framing device ... (Wikipedia)
Parable of the Sower
by Octavia E. Butler
A post-apocalyptic story of survival, hope, and the power of community.
This highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from award-winning author Octavia E. Butler "pairs well with, 1984, or, The Handmaid's Tale," (John Green,, New York Times,)–now with a ... (Barnes & Noble)
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
by Edwin A. Abbott
A two-dimensional world and its inhabitants explore the concept of multidimensionality.
The story describes a two-dimensional world occupied by geometric figures, whereof women are simple line-segments, while men are polygons with various numbers of sides. The narrator is a square , a ... (Wikipedia)
Agnes and the Hitman
by Jennifer Crusie
A hitman and a food writer team up to save a bride-to-be from her mobster fiancé. Chaos and romance ensue.
Take one food writer named Cranky Agnes, add a hitman named Shane, mix them together with a Southern mob wedding, a missing necklace, two annoyed flamingos, and a dog named Rhett and you've got a ... (Goodreads)
The Bone Doll's Twin
by Lynn Flewelling
A young princess must confront her hidden destiny to save her kingdom from destruction.
For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half-sister's throne. Now plague and ... (Wikipedia)
Hood
by Stephen R. Lawhead
A young man's battle against dark forces to save ancient Britain from destruction.
Robin Hood The Legend Begins Anew For centuries, the legend of Robin Hood and his band of thieves has captivated the imagination. Now the familiar tale takes on new life, fresh meaning, and an ... (Goodreads)
Going Postal
by Terry Pratchett
An eccentric postman's humorous journey to restore order to a chaotic post office.
As with many of the Discworld novels, the story takes place in Ankh-Morpork , a powerful city-state based on the historical and modern settings of various metropolises like London or New York City. ... (Wikipedia)
The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
A Jesuit mission to an alien planet ends in tragedy, raising questions about faith, morality, and the nature of God.
In the year 2019, the SETI program at Arecibo Observatory discovers radio broadcasts of music from the vicinity of Alpha Centauri . The first expedition to Rakhat, the world that is sending the ... (Wikipedia)
Knight's Shadow
by Sebastien de Castell
A young knight must grapple with his newfound responsibilities while leading a rebellion against a tyrannical ruler.
Following his beloved debut, Traitor's Blade , Sebastien de Castell returns with volume two of his fast-paced fantasy adventure series, inspired by the swashbuckling action and witty banter of The ... (Goodreads)
Mountain of Black Glass
by Tad Williams
A magical adventure in a mythical world, uncovering the secrets of immortality.
"The Grail Brotherhood has built the most powerful, sophisticated simulation network imaginable. At the same time, they have manipulated ad injured the minds of thousands of children." This ... (Goodreads)
River of Blue Fire
by Tad Williams
An epic fantasy adventure, combing the realms of the physical and spiritual.
Otherland. In many ways it is humankind's most stunning achievement: a private, multidimensional universe built over two generations by the greatest minds of the twenty-first century. But this most ... (Goodreads)
The Once and Future King
by T.H. White
Epic chronicle of King Arthur, exploring themes of morality, justice, and power.
The story starts in the final years of the rule of King Uther Pendragon . The first part, "The Sword in the Stone", chronicles Arthur's upbringing by his foster father Sir Ector , his rivalry and ... (Wikipedia)
