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Customer Picks
May/June 2006 Picks
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
"When humans encroach upon his home valley, Firedrake, a young silver dragon, sets off to find the Rim of Heaven, a legendary haven in the mountains. But evil Nettlebrand, a human-made hunter of silver dragons, is spying on him, hoping Firedrake will lead him to even more delicious treats. The creature, referred to as the Golden One, resembles a huge dragon, but he is covered in cold, hard gold scales and cannot fly; however, he can magically appear in any body of water. During his journey, Firedrake is joined by a feisty brownie, a homunculus (who initially spied for Nettlebrand) and Ben, an orphan who may be the dragon rider foretold in an ancient prophecy. Readers will delight in the creatures that turn up in this extended quest. The elves, dwarves and a thousand-eyed djinni (a kindly professor of archaeology and his friends also aid the travelers in piecing together clues) help contribute to a rich lore (all enchanted creatures have red eyes, for example, and dragon-fire will reveal their true natures). While readers may have trouble keeping track of all the plot's strands as they soar through this story, they will no doubt find themselves drawn in by the lively characters and their often hilarious banter, as well as the nonstop obstacles they encounter before the inevitable face-off with Nettlebrand."---Publisher's Weekly
Recommended by Drew Taylor
$12.95
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
"Guitarist Eddi McCandry has just dumped her boyfriend and their band when she finds herself running through the Minneapolis night, pursued by a sinister man and a huge, terrifying dog. As she soon discovers, the two creatures are one and the same: a phouka, a faerie being who has chosen Eddi to be the mortal pawn in the age-old war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Eddi isn't interested--but she doesn't have a choice. For more than her own survival is at stake. To save the city--and the man--that she loves, Eddi must face off against the Dark Queen of the Unseelie Court in the ultimate duel of music and magic."
Recommended by Pam Kinney
$6.99
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
"Three years have passed since the widowed Dowager Royina Ista found release from the curse of madness that kept her imprisoned in her family's castle of Valenda. Her newfound freedom is costly, bittersweet with memories, regrets, and guilty secrets -- for she knows the truth of what brought her land to the brink of destruction. And now the road -- escape -- beckons. . . . A simple pilgrimage, perhaps. Quite fitting for the Dowager Royina of all Chalion.
Yet something else is free, too -- something beyond deadly. To the north lies the vital border fortress of Porifors. Memories linger there as well, of wars and invasions and the mighty Golden General of Jokona. And someone, something, watches from across that border -- humans, demons, gods.
Ista thinks her little party of pilgrims wanders at will. But whose? When Ista's retinue is unexpectedly set upon not long into its travels, a mysterious ally appears -- a warrior nobleman who fights like a berserker. The temporary safety of her enigmatic champion's castle cannot ease Ista's mounting dread, however, when she finds his dark secrets are entangled with hers in a net of the gods' own weaving.
In her dreams the threads are already drawing her to unforeseen chances, fateful meetings, fearsome choices. What the inscrutable gods commanded of her in the past brought her land to the brink of devastation. Now, once again, they have chosen Ista as their instrument. And again, for good or forill, she must comply."
Recommended by Katharine Herndon
$7.99
Kat Scratch Fever by Karen Kijewski
"Kat Colorado, "one of the toughest and toughest-talking of the new breed of female investigators"(Los Angeles Times), investigates a suicide and discovers a trail of blackmail, betrayal, and blood that ends on her doorstep. When prominent Sacramento attorney James Randolph suddenly commits suicide while under surveillance by Kat, she is stunned by the shocking images that confront her. But Randolph, the victim of a vicious blackmailer, is just the tip of a very dangerous iceberg, and his death has far-reaching consequences in the community. Reporter J.O. Edwards is also intrigued by the suicide; an article he writes sets off a chain reaction, which encourages another of the blackmailer's victims to come forward. By chasing leads, finessing her contracts, and twisting a few arms, Kat - with J.O. on her heels - identifies a pattern, a web of deceit of frightening proportions. As Kat comes closer to her quarry, the blackmailer turns up the heat, resorting to brutal physical violence, threatening Kat, her friends, her family, and everything she holds dear."
Recommended by Maggie King
$6.99
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