Speculative Fiction for the Reluctant Reader

Books for readers who think they don't like science fiction, fantasy and horror. Books that cross genres, inspire thought, provoke humor, etc.
  • Fledgling
    Author: Butler, Octavia E.
    Publisher: Seven Stories $ 24.95 ISBN: 1583226907 Date: 2005
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    Butler's first new novel in seven years is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire.
    Updated 10.24.05
  • Anansi Boys
    Author: Gaiman, Neil
    Publisher: Morrow $ 26.95 ISBN: 006051518x Date: 2005
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    Charlie's dad wasn't just any dad. He was Anansi, a trickster god, the spirit of rebellion able to overturn the social order, create wealth out of thin air, and baffle the devil. When he dies on a karaoke stage, things get very interesting for Charlie.
    Suggested Reading: All Stars | Legendary Characters
    Updated 8.15.05
  • The Tooth Fairy
    Author: Joyce, Graham
    Publisher: Tor Books $ 22.95 ISBN: 031286261X Date: 1998
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    The award-winning author of Requiem returns with a blackly comic, disturbingly erotic tale of an ordinary boy named Sam - and the unearthly being only he can see. Is she real - or is she just a figment of his turbulent imagination? All Sam knows, as he grows from childhood to adolescence, is that she is never very far away.
  • The Historian
    Author: Kostova, Elizabeth
    Publisher: Little Brown $ 25.95 ISBN: 0316011770 Date: 2005
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    In this riveting debut novel, a young girl discovers her father's darkest secret and embarks on a harrowing journey across Europe to complete the quest he never could--the quest to find history's most legendary fiend: Dracula.
    Suggested Reading: All Stars
    Updated 4.25.05
  • Magic for Beginners
    Author: Link, Kelly
    Publisher: Small Beer $ 24 ISBN: 1931520151 Date: 2005
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    Cult favorite Kelly Link unfurls a second engaging, funny, and magical selection of stories, with riffs on marriage, cannons, convenience stories, superheroes, zombies, and apocalyptic poker parties.
    Updated 6.6.05
  • Son of a Witch
    Author: Maguire, Gregory
    Publisher: Regan $ 26.95 ISBN: 0060548932 Date: 2005
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    Ten years after the publication of Wicked, the author returns to the land of Oz to follow the story of Liir, the adolescent boy left hiding in the shadows of the castle when Dorothy killed the Witch.
    Updated 7.7.05
  • The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear
    Author: Moers, Walter
    Publisher: Overlook $ 26.95 ISBN: 1585677248 Date: 2005
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    Captain Bluebear tells the story of his first 13-1/2 lives spent on the mysterious continent of Zamonia, where intelligence is an infectious disease, water flows uphill, and dangers lie in wait for him around every corner.
    Updated 8.2.05
  • The Necessary Beggar
    Author: Palwick, Susan
    Publisher: Tor $ 24.95 ISBN: 076531097x Date: 2005
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    A compelling new contemporary fantasy novel from the award-winning author of Flying in Place.
    Suggested Reading: All Stars
    Updated 10.24.05
  • Poison Study
    Author: Snyder, Maria V.
    Publisher: Luna $ 19.95 ISBN: 0373802307 Date: 2005
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    About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace--and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of ixia. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster.
    Updated 10.11.05