Ellie

What if Reformation never happened, Roman Catholic Church rules over the Western world, and all forms of technology save for steam engine are forbidden? Keith Roberts's Pavane (Old Earth Books, $17) depicts this alternative history through a series of six loosely interconnected stories, followed by a coda. The characters range from a heretic monk to a Lady who sets in motion a revolution. This 1968 science fiction classic has recently been reissued in a lovely deckle-edged edition and reviewed by Michael Dirda, who called it 'one of the most thought-filled, a book with the glowing but somber majesty of a stained-glass window, constructed from the most disparate bits and fragments, from the tesserae of multiple lives.' It is an exquisite work of fiction that transcends genre, and I would recommend it even if science fiction is not your usual fare. It is the book to read slowly, savor, and contemplate.

 

It took Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin 25 years to write this definitive biography of the man nicknamed ‘the father of the atomic bomb’. Thoroughly researched and detailed, the book paints a complex portrait of a man who was brilliant yet naive, charming yet abrasive. Oppenheimer’s story is also the story of how the country, caught up in anti-communism hysteria, turned on its best and brightest citizens.

Meet Harry, a wizard. No, not that one. Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, tries to make ends meet by consulting the Chicago Police Department on matters weird and supernatural. If you've shunned urban fantasy until now, here is where you should begin. The series has some of the best characters in the genre, and it only gets better with each subsequent volume. So pick up the first book, Storm Front, and meet Harry, a wizard.

This R-rated sci-fi thriller is set in an all too disturbingly familiar near future, where the internet is full of memes, viral videos, and spam. Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh's unit, Rule 34 Squad, is in charge of combing the cyberspace, trying to weed out extreme memes before they make their way into the real world. Rule 34 is a brilliant novel about our relationship with cyberspace and technology in a post-economic collapse future.

Shen Tai, son of a general in service to the Emperor of Kitai, has spent the last two years burying the bones of the dead on his father’s last battlefield. A messenger arrives, telling Tai that a mysterious gift awaits him in the capital: 250 of the rare and famed Sardian horses. The gift must be claimed in person. What follows is exquisitely written historical fantasy with a complex plot, great characters, and a fascinating world. Kay was inspired by Chinese poetry from the Tang dynasty, and his lyrical writing style and subtle dialogue match the setting perfectly. If you have never read Gay Gavriel Kay, this is definitely a great place to start.