The arms of fantasy and science fiction can squash reality’s best weapons any day of the week … and they’re a hell of a lot cooler, too. Up against Doctor Who’s sonic screwdriver, that power drill in your garage might as well be made by Fisher-Price. Mjolnir in Thor’s hands makes your local foreman’s jackhammer look like a pogo stick. NASA’s most sophisticated spacecraft will never outrun the Millennium Falcon, no matter who’s in the cockpit. And if your soldiers haven’t figured out how to manipulate time, well, military strategy seems rather pointless, doesn’t it?
Luckily, for all our sakes, we’re not charging into battle against wizards, time lords or tech-enhanced humanoids — not in this universe, anyway. If you’re in the mood for a fight, however, why not crack open one of these six books? Go on. Join these heroes (and villains) as they traverse the vast expanses of time and space. Marvel at their magic and machines. Rejoice in their victories. Mourn their losses. Cheer for them as they rise from defeat. But, please, remember that turning pages too quickly may result in paper cuts. Let’s keep any bloodshed fictional, okay?
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
Chosen Ones
by Veronica Roth
15 years ago, the government recruited five teenagers for their innate magical abilities in order to stop a great evil known as the Dark One. They defeated him, but now, possessing global fame, no salable skills beyond their magical training and having fulfilled their life’s purpose, these heroes have become washed-up celebrities of sorts. Traumatized by the events of their final confrontation with the Dark One and under the public’s microscope, Sloane finds it difficult to navigate life even a decade after their enemy’s demise. It’s isolating to be a Chosen One, especially with the secrets she’s been keeping from the few people on Earth who understand her.
When one of the Chosen Ones dies, the others find themselves in a parallel universe: an alternate Chicago facing its own version of the Dark One. If they want to return home, they’ll have to battle their old foe once more. It’s a novel that combines the weight of prophecy, the allure of magic and the thrill of interdimensional travel to craft an enchanting story. (Read Jodé Millman’s review here.)
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
This Is How You Lose the Time War
by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Speaking of interdimensional travel … El-Mohtar and Gladstone’s Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novella sees a war between technological and organic factions play out across the vast, complex network of space and time.
Red and Blue have nothing in common. They’re on opposing sides of a war that aims to secure the best possible future for each of their factions by altering the endless strands of history. They may be the best agents in their respective commands’ arsenals, but they’re also entirely alone. So, when Red finds a note from Blue, the rival agents begin an odd correspondence that slowly shifts from antagonistic victory brags to professional appreciation and then to something one might call affection. Perhaps, even romance?
It’s a dangerous game they’re playing. If caught, they’d lose their lives, but they’re both too intoxicated by it all to stop now. All’s fair in love and war. And the whole point of war is to win, right?
MagicLand by Charles Bastille
MagicLand
by Charles Bastille
Mixed up in one of those many historical strands on Earth — well, a nearly decimated version of it, anyway — another couple of born enemies seem to be developing an affectionate relationship of their own.
The magicians of Moria and the tech-enhanced citizens of Gath have been at war for thousands of years. When Belex crash-lands in Moria, it’s the young priestess-in-training Aurilena who saves him. Now, cut off from his network and in enemy territory, Belex’s perception of both the Morians and his own people begins to change. He and Aurilena find themselves drawn to one another, and together, they uncover a secret that could alter the course of their lands’ conflict entirely.
It’s a story that’s dressed in intricate robes of fantasy, sure, but beneath those elements lay conflicts grounded in reality: Readers find science and technology pitted against spirituality, explore racial relations, consider love’s true power and navigate that timeless battle between good and evil. (Read Y.M. Nelson’s review here.)
Saga: Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan
Saga: Volume One
written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples
Here we have yet another pair of star-crossed lovers. Hey, it’s a classic trope for a reason, right? To up the stakes, this graphic novel lands readers right in the middle of a never-ending galactic war where two soldiers from opposing sides prepare for the birth of their child.
18 months ago, Alana, a member of the technologically advanced Landfall Coalition, and Marko, a magic wielder from Wreath, disappeared from an outpost where Marko was being detained. Officials presumed Alana had been kidnapped, but recently, photos revealing the true nature of their relationship surfaced. They weren’t meant to fall in love, let alone start their own little interspecies family.
Alive for just minutes, baby Hazel may be the most wanted person in the universe — next to her parents, of course. Now, their only chance for survival is to outrun a robot prince, a bounty hunter with a lie-detecting feline, and every other person on a mission to kill them. This is only the beginning of one wildly adventurous and very sexy war story.
How to Be a Badass Vigilante: Book One by Michael Anderle
How to Be a Badass Vigilante: Book One
by Michael Anderle
Traveling away from combat in the far reaches of the cosmos and back to this little blue planet we call home, the action becomes even more magical.
Kera MacDonagh, a recent college graduate, is working at a bar while she tries to figure out her next steps. Seems relatable enough, but things are a little more complicated when Kera’s “next steps” involve navigating life as a vigilante … who, in addition to some seriously impressive martial arts skills, fights crime with magic. Patrolling the streets of Los Angeles on her Kawazaki Z900, the city’s seedy underbelly knows her only as Motorcycle Man, and her power has caught the attention of not just LA crime circles but witches in high places.
Now, she’s being hunted. Two of her friends have sacrificed their own magic to protect her, but she’ll have to figure out how to keep her magic’s signature hidden before the wrong witches come knocking at her door. This stimulating adventure is sure to satisfy fans of urban fantasies and sci-fi thrillers alike. (Read my review here.)
To the Waters and the Wild by S.C. McGrath
To the Waters and the Wild
by S.C. McGrath
Across the Atlantic and nearly two thousand years into the past brings us to a mystical tale brimming with fierce gods, warriors engaged in deadly battles and priestesses from whom they all seek guidance.
Incorporating magic and time travel into this historical fantasy, McGrath transports readers to ancient Eire, the land now known as Ireland. Amidst jealous tribal skirmishes, a fearless young woman named Keelin is discontent in her role as priestess-in-training. Though gifted with powers of healing and telepathy, this impatient chieftain’s daughter finds the demands of her education confining and dreams of becoming a warrior.
News from her people’s spies abroad reveals that, across the unruly Irish sea, the Roman Empire is planning an attack. Surviving this threat will require the people of Eire to turn their swords away from each other and towards a common enemy. And Keelin must master her powers to help them. (Read Sherri Daley’s review here.)
