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The Top Speculative Fiction Books and Series – An Extremely Subjective List By Lynne Cantwell

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It all started when I saw one too many iterations of the BBC’s top 100 books on Facebook. These lists are always heavily weighted with hoary old tomes written by dead white guys. Plus the BBC always leans on British authors (as well they should, since they’re based in London, but still). But my biggest issue with these lists is that they never include enough speculative fiction entries. I’m defining speculative fiction as science fiction, fantasy, horror, and any combination, including all subgenres, thereof.

Anyway, I saw that list and I snapped. I have a lot of well-read friends who read speculative fiction all the time. And I was certain that if I asked around, I could come up with a list of 100 speculative fiction novels – and not only that, but our list would be a whole lot more interesting and fun than anything the BBC could put together.

So I took nominations and posted the list on Facebook. That drew more nominations, so I added them and posted it again – which drew more nominations. We ended up with 147 entries for our list of top 100 speculative fiction novels. (That reminded me of the marketing hook for Douglas Adams’s So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: “the fourth book in the trilogy!” That trilogy was The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which of course is on our list.)

The list actually includes way more than 147 books, because I insisted on each series being one listing or else we’d have gotten to 100 too fast. (For example, if you count each of the 41 Discworld novels separately, you’re nearly halfway to 100 already.)

Of course, when I posted my final-final list on my blog, I received even more nominations from my friends. But I’m sticking with this iteration for now. Happy reading!

Top 147 Speculative Fiction Novels, in no particular order (according to Lynne & Friends) [Read more…] about The Top Speculative Fiction Books and Series – An Extremely Subjective List By Lynne Cantwell

Red Sun by M.D. Grimm

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Red Sun by M.D. Grimm

(The Shifter Chronicles 14, Blood Book Two)

Raphael is no ordinary wolf shifter.

Raphael knows he must be possessed by a demon. What else could explain the aggression, the physical, beastly transformations? To protect himself and others, his father locks him away. But when Raphael is nineteen, the demon gains full control and breaks free. Now Raphael is scared and desperate on the streets of El Paso, Texas, convinced he’s cursed. Then a stray cat enters his life and everything changes.

Ahmes is a cat shifter and knows there’s something off about the young shifter he’s encountered. It soon becomes apparent that the young man doesn’t know what he is, and Ahmes is determined to help and care for him. But gaining the trust of not only the fearsome wolf but the scared young man will take all his persistence.

Featured Book: Contract by Delta James

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About Featured Book: Contract by Delta James

He is the Head Concierge at the Savoy; she’s an Irish witch haunted by a little girl in Victorian-era dress.

Saoirse Madigan, an Irish witch has seen the little girl in her visions since she was a child. Her investigation into who the child was and how she died has led her to the Savoy to seek out the answers to the mystery.

Felix Spenser, the Head Concierge at The Savoy, knows she is his soul mate from the first time he met Saoirse. He is convinced that her obsession with one of the Savoy’s famous ghostly residents could be dangerous.

When Saoirse begins to question those who have kept the secret for more than a century, she unknowingly sets off a course of events that will prove Felix right.
~~~
Welcome to the opulent world of the Masters of the Savoy, where the men and women might be a little different – more than human. The men appeared out of nowhere one day determined to grab life and look for love. But watch out … you never know what darkness lurks in the shadows.

Author note: Contract is a mystery romance with steamy scenes in and out of the bedroom for mature readers. Each book in the series is standalone with no cliffhanger endings.

This Romance book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

Buy Book Here.

Falling into Magic: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic, Book 1 by Elizabeth Pantley

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Falling into Magic: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic, Book 1 by Elizabeth Pantley

An accidental journey through a magic mirror. A portal to an enchanted land. A mysterious family she never knew she had. Hayden’s life is upended with the wonder of Destiny Falls. But it is tainted by the danger that brought her here and that threatens her newfound family. Can Hayden and her sassy sidekick remove the threat, so that she can begin her magical new life in this captivating world?

Fae or Foe? by C A Deegan

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Fae or Foe? by C A Deegan

No one would want to kill a Faery, surely?!

Jack Crackley wouldn’t; teenagers don’t believe in such things. There are plenty of other things to worry about; his mum, jobs, school, the local bullies, not to mention some weird disease that’s affecting young children the world over.

However, things are never as they seem. Little eyes watch out for him whilst bigger ones seek him for their own ends. There’s a hidden world out there, and its inhabitants are in serious danger. Jack is going to have to get to the bottom of it all before it’s too late. And that’s a tall order when you have no idea who you really are…

A fantasy adventure like no other, where worlds collide and the monsters are not only from make believe. Things are going to get complicated. It’s a good job our brownie knows how to throw a punch!

Featured Book: The Guardians by Louise Saville

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The Guardians: Witch Child (Book 1)
Debut Novel. The start of an epic tale that will span Ages and Generations.

Two ill-fated souls are trying to escape the control of their elders, instead collide with each other and discover they are forever bound together by the same infernal curse. The darkness they fear is found in their own hearts and for good or ill they are doomed to replay the calamitous events that destroyed a kingdom.

From the time of his chaotic birth that sent his mother mad, Jett Storm’Heart has lived under the shadow of an unspoken curse and an ominous prophecy. Despite no parents, Jett was treated with indifference by his people. Passed between families as a child or living on his own, he never felt he belonged among them. Their aloofness reared in him an unruly and turbulent spirit, causing him to be at odds with his Elders. Due to his rebellion, his activities are controlled and his travel restricted. He grew to despise their authority. Driven by a need for answers to the fall of his family, he was met with apathy and silence. Angry and frustrated by the restrictive confines of his society and the layers of rules and myriad degrees of traditions, he is desperate to escape their watchful eyes and take up the search for his missing father.

Since she could remember, Mara had only ever lived under the rule of her cruel mother. Her ambition was to become as powerful as her mother in witch-craft. Now she was appointed the most significant task of her short life, opening a Gate to another world. Ordered to meet with an acquaintance of her Mother, a mysterious stranger on the outskirts of Ryne, her true destiny lurches into view, the dark mysterious stranger was not the one she was expecting, but perhaps in the end the one she needed.

Buy The Guardians Here

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Demon Seed: Book Three of New Blood by W.D. Kilpack III

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Despite growing power of the forces of chaos, there is a glimmer of hope as Natharr realizes that there are also forces of order in play. It is made plain when he and his comrades escape the faceless realm and Natharr’s Sight is released. It reveals just how strongly the world needs the Guardian of Maarihk and the return of the legendary Knights of Ril to the land where Mankind was created. Racing for home unwittingly leads to unearthing an ancient force created by the Olde Gods, believed lost aeons past.

Meanwhile, Darshelle and the crown prince struggle to make the most of their lives without Natharr’s protection. Forced to make their own way, the fruit of Quiet One’s efforts comes fully to bear, as Nathan and his summoned companion reawaken the animus of the ancient wood. The ramifications are horrible and far-reaching, changing their world forever.

Targeted Age Group:: Adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I had a dream that stuck with me for weeks, just resurfacing over and over. I finally started working out a storyline around it. To get the same emotional response that I felt, though, took time. As a result, the most poignant moment in that recurring dream doesn't appear in book one.

Featured Book: THE LIFE (The In-Between Series, Book 1) by Sagar Constantin

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About Featured Book: THE LIFE (The In-Between Series, Book 1) by Sagar Constantin

New Release available for $0.99 limited time only (12/24-12/28/2021)

From the International Bestselling author, Sagar Constantin comes the first book in the addictive IN-BETWEEN series.

Eva Monroe is returning from a three-week business trip, one in which she left her five-year-old son in the care of her estranged ex-husband when the plane that’s taking her home crashes.

The accident leaves her in a coma, unresponsive to doctors’ attention and the urgings of her little boy.

However, while Eva’s body lies on the precipice of death, Eva’s spirit has traveled to a place known as the In-Between – a world that is hovering in the clouds above our planet.
[Read more…] about Featured Book: THE LIFE (The In-Between Series, Book 1) by Sagar Constantin

Prophecy of Love by T. Satterfield

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Prophecy of Love by T. Satterfield

Good guy Gabe Mendes is certainly passionate. He thinks love will make his life worth living. So he’s made a deal. In exchange for access to the universe of love he agrees to slay the black ram. But soon he learns, being unlucky in love isn’t his only problem. Turns out—love isn’t what he thinks it is.

By the time Gabe stumbles across the website of the alluring, though mature, Pythia—mystic and high priestess—he’s already failed miserably in love yet again. Raised by a hardworking single mom, never having known the full truth about his father, Gabe has spent his life faithful to three beliefs: follow the rules; don’t let anyone get too close; and avoid, at all costs, being honest about how you feel—especially with yourself. If it weren’t for Gabe’s steadfast companion, a cat named Cat, he might not know love at all.

But when the enchanting red-headed priestess dangles the keys that will unlock the secret answers to the long-asked questions of love, Gabe jumps at the chance. Before he knows it, things change—and fast. The entertaining Pythia takes him on a whirlwind journey traveling the portals of time and space. She’s got him questioning everything he’s ever thought about love. And if that weren’t enough, Gabe is beginning to believe this business about the black ram might cost him everything. It might just kill him.

Is Gabe really ready for love? Or has his haunted past already destined him to a lonely life? Poor Gabe, he’s about to learn there’s more than romance missing in his life.

Chronicles of Acadia: Omnibus Books 1-3 by D. M. Almond

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All they wanted to do was save the kingdom…

Now Logan Walker finds himself on the run for a murder he did not commit.

Corbin Walker has been charged with capturing his fugitive brother and bringing him to justice.

Elise Ivarone has been thrust into the role as village leader during dark times. She will give everything to keep her people united and shelter them from the coming storm.

Together they will be forever changed as they uncover the lies, deception, and brutality of their world.

For the first time ever, Books 1-3 of the Chronicles of Acadia are bound together in this special omnibus edition, with bonus content including the Author’s Foreword, a new fully-detailed map of Acadia, and a special three book appendix.

“With incredible characters and great battle scenes, it will keep you spellbound until the last page.”

“…As with the previous book, the payoff is at the end when it all comes together with excitement and action, and all the pieces fall into place to make an intriguing conclusion.”

This set contains three books, new artwork, and a world appendix:
Secrets of the Elders
Land of the Giants
Necromancer’s Curse

Targeted Age Group:: Adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I started putting the stories in my head to paper the day after I was hit by a truck. We were incredibly lucky to walk away from that accident and it gave me a serious kick I needed to get going.

Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa by JG Cully

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“They may slay my mortal body, but I am not so easily defeated. Time is on my side, and I will spend it well.”

Alyssa is the last vampire, changed by Igor Regorash himself before his permanent death. With this transformation comes power, but also a terrible loneliness that makes Alyssa long to be human again.

Victoria Haldred is a Council of Peace investigator, charged with maintaining order in a post-war world. Her days are spent combatting murder, assassination, bombings, and blackmail, not to mention dirty politics and double-dealing.

When a local drunk comes down with a bad case of dead, Alyssa and Victoria are set on a collision course that will change their lives (undead as Alyssa’s may be) forever. A dark entity becomes dangerously fixated on the two women. With no one to trust, and an inescapable power looming, Alyssa and Victoria must combine their strengths if they hope to survive a world turned sinister.

Targeted Age Group:: 15 to 65

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Nanowrimo in 2012, during a challenge to come up with an original fantasy story.

My Magic Mirror by Anushka Bhattacharjee

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A novel by 8-year-old:A Magic Mirror slurps Ara and Felice into the story “3 Little Pigs”. Can the kids rescue the pigs? Or twist the plot entirely!?

Targeted Age Group:: 5-12

Bibliomancer by Frances Evelyn

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Time to choose your last book
Emily Brewster is an angel. Ask anyone she reads to at the hospice. So when she’s arrested for murder, it should be easy to clear her name. There’s only one problem. She thinks she might be guilty.
But what if death isn’t The End?

“I was entranced by the story and unable to put it down” (Bookshelf Adventures blog)
“Beautifully bittersweet” (Archaeolibrarian)

Targeted Age Group:: Adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
This story came out of my own love of reading and that feeling of being lost in a book.

Featured Book: Of Men and Dragons: Jack’s Landing by Steve Hayen

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About Featured Book: Of Men and Dragons: Jack’s Landing by Steve Hayen

Jack was having a very bad day. He’d been scouting the edges of the known galaxy when he’d crashed onto a planet at the beginning of its iron age. What was worse, the natives are seven-foot-tall carnivores who are faster, stronger, and every bit as clever as himself. The only saving grace was that they seemed too afraid to get close to his ship for some reason. Hopefully, that would hold true long enough for him to repair his ship and get home…

S’haar was having a very bad day. First, she’d gotten herself kicked out of the guard, then the hunters, and finally, she’d rejected the village lord’s son. Now it was early winter, and she’d been tied to a stake to appease the new dragon that had made a fiery appearance last night. If she managed to avoid being eaten alive or freezing to death, someone was going to pay…

This SciFi book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

Buy eBook on Smashwords
Buy print book on Amazon

Featured Book: Dead City by Sean Platt

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About Featured Book: Dead City by Sean Platt

(This book will be free from 12/4 through 12/31, 2021)

From the bestselling authors of the Invasion and Yesterday’s Gone series comes Dead City, a gripping biological technothriller that blends real-world genetic engineering and high-stakes corporate espionage to deliver a heart-pumping race against the clock to save humanity from the zombie plague…

One drug saved the world. Now, the same drug threatens to destroy it.

Rising star Ian Keys has climbed to the top rungs of pharma giant Hemisphere — creator of Necrophage, the drug that paused the necrotic outbreak and allowed the infected to live among us.

Ian’s new position gives him access to dangerous secrets that could ruin the company. When ominous hints from an anonymous insider set him on the hunt for the biggest secret of all, he discovers that the “cure” the company gave the world might not have been a cure at all.

Now men are watching Ian’s house. They’re following his wife wherever she goes. When he’s called to CEO Archibald Burgess’s office, he’s taken by armed guards — then plied with vague threats.

What would happen if Necrophage failed? Burgess asks. What would become of our society if the disease were allowed to progress again … and all of our well-behaved patients slowly turned feral?

There’s only one person Ian can take his case to: reporter Alice Frank, who’s been trying to blow the whistle on Hemisphere for years.

But is there time to save what’s left of the world … or has the inevitable slide back into chaos already begun?

Dead City is the first book in the Dead World Trilogy, an intelligent, hard science fiction exploration of the zombie subgenre.

This SciFi book is available in these Formats: eBook

Buy Book Here.

Featured Book: Immortal Souls by Phoenix Vieira

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About Featured Book: Immortal Souls by Phoenix Vieira

Immortal Souls is the fast-paced first book in an epic new fantasy series that blends unexpected mythology and faerie lore, romance and intrigue into an unforgettable read.

A fallen Empire. A forbidden royal romance. An ancient treaty with the Fae.

In a world tainted by greed and rebellion, death prowls the shadows of the once glorious Sun Empire, waiting to devour those who dare fight back.
[Read more…] about Featured Book: Immortal Souls by Phoenix Vieira

Featured Book: White Lightning by Jan Crossen

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About Featured Book: White Lightning by Jan Crossen

She stood by herself. Her head was low, almost touching the ground. Her lower lip hung down and her eyes were closed. I knew her name so I called to her. “Winnie?” I said but she ignored me. She looked sad, forgotten, and alone. “Hey, girl!” I called, louder this time. Then I tried whistling to get her attention. Nothing. No movement. No response.
I stood there for at least a full minute, willing her to open her eyes and look at me. I knew that she needed a home and a second chance. I needed a riding horse. Could this depressed and angry mare be transformed into my riding partner for life?

Q – Why did you write this book?
A – I wanted to introduce readers to natural horsemanship as a way to connect and interact with horses. Horses communicate with one another through body language. Natural horsemanship utilizes applying pressure and release to communicate. This is a gently, non-bullying method of working with a horse. It’s a great way to build trust and partnership.

Q – Is there a deeper meaning to the story?
A – Yes. This book opens the pathway to discussions about our our own complex personalities. Each of us has multiple aspects to our personality, just like the mare in this story. Also, this story is about second chances. I’m a big believer in the magic of second chances.

This Children’s Book book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

Buy Book Here.

Featured Book: Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in Parallel Worlds by Wallace E Briggs

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Bargain Book Promo : Earth is invaded by an alien omnivorous worm, which no one has encountered before. The four guardian witches of Earth are powerless against the alien organism. Jimmy seeks the help of his technologically advanced friends on Attalia, his home planet in a different dimension. Jimmy is an orphan, with friends on both sides of the universe. Jade, the apprentice witch, joins Jimmy on his quest by becoming a stow-away on Jimmy’s starship but they are attacked in another dimension of space, by more wormz. They are rescued and recovered to the safety of Attalia where President Alpha calls upon his scientists to formulate a solution to solve the threat not only to Earth but to any civilisation in the universe.
They arrive at a plausible strategy, and it is in Jimmy’s hands to deliver salvation, or die in the attempt.
Their strategy is complicated because the Wormz can bore into adjacent parallel worlds and also into their chasers. Jade becomes infected and needs the technical assistance of the Attalian scientists to save her life.
The team cannot fail at the last hurdle. Will Jade recover in time to apply her special skills to help rid the world of Wormz?

Buy Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in Parallel Worlds Here

Wallace E Briggs’s Website
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Featured Book: War of the Staffs by Steve Stephenson

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About Featured Book: War of the Staffs by Steve Stephenson

War of the Staffs takes place on a world called Muiria, where a powerful vampire wizard named Taza is brought through the void, space between the planets, by a vengeful goddess named Adois. She lends him her powerful staff so that he can take over the planet and turn it from good to evil. Taza slowly convinces the Illanni, a race of dark elves, to take on the cloak of vampirism.

Nearly two thousand years pass before the scheming wizard makes his move. But his careful planning is jeopardized when Prince Tarquin is born to fulfill a prophecy and confront the evilest creature Muiria has ever known. The prince, however, cannot succeed alone, and when Morganna, an Illanni noblewoman, threatens Taza’s plans by starting an underground movement against him, she strikes her severest blow when she saves Tarquin’s life as he is struck down at the end of the book.

He is also championed by the wizard Celedant, and the young man is sent to the dwarvan army to learn combat skills. Tarquin joins an elite group of soldiers known as the Borderers to better prepare him for the coming quest. Then the wizard begins his search for the Staff of Adaman – the only object capable of defeating the Staff of Adois. [Read more…] about Featured Book: War of the Staffs by Steve Stephenson

Featured Book: God’s Gift by Remi DeWitt

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About Featured Book: God’s Gift by Remi DeWitt

The world is messed up. Bad people are everywhere, and some make selfish laws so they can take everything for themselves. Devon wants to make it better, but she doesn’t know how, until a big, silver humanoid with lethal powers appears before her. Devon figures it’s a gift from God, sent to help her make everyone be nice to each other.
They set out together to confront the president. Along the way, they meet many people, some friendly, some not. Devon must work out who is good and who is bad. Who wants to help her, and who wants only to use her?

This SciFi book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print, Audiobook

Buy Book Here.

Featured Book: Living in Cleveland with the Ghost of Joseph Stalin by Marc Sercomb

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About Featured Book: Living in Cleveland with the Ghost of Joseph Stalin by Marc Sercomb

On sale for $0.99 from 11/19 to 11/24/2021!
It’s the summer of 1953. Calvin Jefferson Coolidge is thirteen years old when the ghost of Joseph Stalin appears to him in his Aunt Evelyn’s cluttered Cleveland attic and wants to dictate his memoirs to him.

“I want to tell my side of the story,” Uncle Joe tells him. “They’re giving me one year to set the record straight, so we need to get started right away.”

Calvin’s life is falling apart at the seams. He’s a misfit and loner whose only friends are famous dead people. He loves polka music and Westerns and sometimes wonders what it would be like to kiss a girl. His con man father is in Florida looking for his bipolar runaway mother. His cousin Buck is abducted and experimented on by aliens. The lady next door wants to coach him in the ways of love. His pastor thinks he’s headed straight for Hell. His English teacher thinks he’s a savant. The school psychologist wants to have him committed. His shrink thinks he’s just plain nuts. Sometimes, Calvin believes it too.

Everybody’s trying to figure out what makes Calvin tick in this quirky, fast-paced metaphysical romp through the heart and soul of 1950’s America.

This Fiction book is available in these Formats: eBook

Buy Book Here.