The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi Also by this author: The Water Knife
Published by Knopf on May 26, 2015
Pages: 371
In the American Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, and California skirmish for dwindling shares of the Colorado River. Into the fray steps Angel Velasquez, leg-breaker, assassin, and spy. A Las Vegas water knife, Angel "cuts" water for his boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her luxurious developments can bloom in the desert, so the rich can stay wet while the poor get dust. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in drought-ravaged Phoenix, it seems California is making a play to monopolize the life-giving flow of the river, and Angel is sent to investigate. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a drought-hardened journalist, and Maria Villarosa, a young refugee who survives by her wits in a city that despises everything she represents. For Angel, Lucy, and Maria, time is running out and their only hope for survival rests in each other’s hands. But when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only thing for certain is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson Also by this author: I Am Legend
Published by Millenium on January 21, 1999
Pages: 160
Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has succumbed to the vampire plague, and they are hungry for Neville's blood.
By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.
How long can one man survive like this?
American War by Omar El Akkad Also by this author: American War
Published by Knopf Publishing Group on April 4, 2017
Pages: 333
Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, that unmanned drones fill the sky. And when her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during war – part of the Miraculous Generation – now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past, his family’s role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others.
Fevre Dream Published by Bantam on April 24, 2012 Pages: 461
A THRILLING REINVENTION OF THE VAMPIRE NOVEL BY THE MASTER OF MODERN FANTASY, GEORGE R. R. MARTIN Abner Marsh, a struggling riverboat captain, suspects that something’s amiss when he is approached by a wealthy aristocrat with a lucrative offer. The hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet; nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York’s reasons for traversing the powerful Mississippi are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious York’s actions may prove. Not until the maiden voyage of Fevre Dream does Marsh realize that he has joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare—and humankind’s most impossible dream.
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay Also by this author: The Lions of Al-Rassan, Tigana
Published by Harper Voyager on June 1, 1995
Pages: 528
The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan -- poet, diplomat, soldier -- until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.
Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated -- and feared -- military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south.
In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve -- for a time -- the same master. Sharing their interwoven fate -- and increasingly torn by her feelings -- is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond.
Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, The Lions of Al-Rassan is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply compelling story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake -- or destroy -- a world.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Also by this author: The Night Circus
Published by Anchor on July 3, 2012
Pages: 512
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Also by this author: InterWorld, Fortunately, the Milk . . .
Published by William Morrow Books on June 18, 2013
Pages: 181
Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.
Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.
A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes Also by this author: Broken Monsters, The Shining Girls
Published by Mulholland Books on June 16, 2015
Pages: 464
Detective Gabriella Versado has seen a lot of bodies, but this one is unique even by Detroit's standards: half boy, half deer, somehow fused together. As stranger and more disturbing bodies are discovered, how can the city hold on to a reality that is already tearing at its seams? If you're Detective Versado's geeky teenage daughter, Layla, you commence a dangerous flirtation with a potential predator online. If you're desperate freelance journalist Jonno, you do whatever it takes to get the exclusive on a horrific story. If you're Thomas Keen, known on the street as TK, you'll do what you can to keep your homeless family safe--and find the monster who is possessed by the dream of violently remaking the world.
If Lauren Beukes's internationally bestselling The Shining Girls was a time-jumping thrill ride through the past, her Broken Monsters is a genre-redefining thriller about broken cities, broken dreams, and broken people trying to put themselves back together again.
The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis Also by this author: The Wolf Road
Published by The Borough Press on June 30, 2016
Pages: 400
A debut literary thriller from an incredible new voice. What do you do when the man who gave you everything turns out to be a killer?
Everything Elka knows of the world she learned from the man she calls Trapper, the solitary hunter who took her under his wing when she was just seven years old.
But when Elka sees the Wanted poster in town, her simple existence is shattered. Her Trapper – Kreagar Hallet – is wanted for murder. Even worse, Magistrate Lyon is hot on his trail, and she wants to talk to Elka.
Elka flees into the vast wilderness, determined to find her true parents. But Lyon is never far behind – and she’s not the only one following Elka’s every move. There will be a reckoning, one that will push friendships to the limit and force Elka to confront the dark memories of her past.
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill Also by this author: Welcome to Lovecraft, Heart-Shaped Box
Published by William Morrow on April 30, 2013
Pages: 692
NOS4A2 is a spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Joe Hill, the New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box and Horns.
Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.
Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”
Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.
Oh man, The Night Circus was amaaazing. I may even had read that one because of you, back in the Fantasy Faction days! And I agree, it certainly doesn’t need a sequel, but I’ll take more books from Erin.
Jaedia recently posted…DM Origins: Building My D&D World
It be nice to see fevre dream and the water knife on this list! They need more love. I still need to read the night circus. Arrr!
x The Captain
The Captain recently posted…On the Horizon – the bird king (G. Willow Wilson)
Even though I managed to come up with a list, I also feel there aren’t enough stand alones out there. I really like them and sometimes get so far behind in series I can’t catch up!
I love good standalones, so why would you want to ruin them by writing a sequel? ?
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Interview with Jessie Mihalik – Author of POLARIS RISING
Such great books on this list! I actually couldn’t come up with anything for this week’s TTT (I admit I didn’t try very hard), but I’d definitely like to see more for Fevre Dream, NOS4A2 (although I’d probably never sleep soundly again), and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
I liked The Night Circus, but I didn’t LOVE it like everyone else seems too!
Jo recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #202
Oh I did read one!
I couldn’t agree with you more on I Am Legend. Wow, that was a good read.
My Top Ten Tuesday post.
Lydia recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Standalone Books That Need a Sequel
Love this twist on the topic! Ocean At the End of the Lane has long been on my TBR, I need to just take the plunge (haha) since it’s so short!
Caitlin G. recently posted…Top Five Books Set In Your Own Country
I was happy to see NOS4A2 on your list! I love that book!
Some great books on here – I did a list that I’d maybe like sequels to but tbh I like standalone, they feel almost like a mythical beast in these current times of the trilogy and they’re quite refreshing. I went for a few where a ‘next’ book would be impossible anyway – like Pride and Prejudice. Obviously somebody else could write what happened next but it wouldn’t be the same as Austen.
Has NOS4A2 been adapted to movie – I’m sure I caught the end of a trailer the other day – in which case I would have to get a budge on and read it quick.
Lynn 😀
Actually, I just checked – it’s been adapted for a tv series – do you think you’ll watch it?
Lynn recently posted…Please sir, I want more..
Yeeeeeees let’s hear it for stand-alones! They’re too rare to be wished away 🙂
Great idea! I typically don’t mind sequels to standalones even if I thought the first book was perfect the way it ended, but this year the one exception that I found to this was The Monster Baru Cormorant. So disappointing.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson
I should read Fevre dream- I’m REALLY curious about riverboat life and vampires!
Greg recently posted…Lady S – Here’s To Suzie
I love The Ocean at the End of the Lane soooooo much! Great list!
Lisa @ waytoofantasy recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednesday: An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass