His Face is the Sun

Corpora, Michelle Jabès. His Face is the Sun. Book 1 of the Throne of Khetara series. 2025. 525p. ISBN 9781464224584.

The kingdom of Khetara is simmering with unrest, mirroring the intense heat of the Khamsin winds. When the pharaoh's wife gives birth to not one but three children, she receives help from three strange ladies who each bless a child. The eldest son becomes the crown prince. The middle child, the daughter Sita, becomes a princess becomes a bargaining chip to marry to another kingdom to support Khetara. The youngest son joins the temple. 

Karim, a tomb robber from the Red Lands, spends time with a group called the Jackals. When plundering an ancient tomb, Karim inadvertently awakens an ancient evil, a pharaoh who was stricken from history more than a thousand years ago. Now Karim is on the run, pursued by a malevolent monster. 

Neff is the only child of the local scribe. When she experiences a powerful vision from a goddess, she is noticed by the high priestess and brought back to the capital's temple where she can train. But her visions are very powerful and prove true. She connects with the young prince who now lives in the temple, but she's unaware that other, more sinister magic is at work within the grand temple.

Raetawy is a farmer's daughter who keenly feels the burden of the pharaoh's exploitation of her people and land. Wondering who will dare challenge the pharaoh, Rae finds that she might be the best suited person to do so after all.

The pharaoh's unexplained illness fuels whispers of rebellion, creating a volatile atmosphere throughout the land. Concurrently, a long-forgotten oracle in the quiet desert begins to manifest, unleashing a dark prophecy that intricately connects the destinies of Sita, Neff, Rae, and Karim. With an ancient evil now roaming the land, and with a corrupt and murderous crown prince claiming the throne of Khetara, bloodsheed looms over the land! Can these four strangers discover what prophecy binds them together and save Khetara before it is too late?

Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare

Lechner, John. Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare

In 2014, the Wagner Group, a shadowy mercenary organization, emerged during Russia's initial incursions into Ukraine, setting a precedent for their future operations. Under the leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin, "Putin's Chef," the group expanded its reach, engaging in conflicts across the Middle East and Africa, where their actions, marked by brutality and human rights violations, drew international condemnation. This expansion not only solidified Russia's influence abroad but also transformed Prigozhin from a mere caterer into a powerful figure, eventually challenging Putin's authority.

This investigative account reveals how the Wagner Group, leveraging both military expertise and strategic cunning, exploited geopolitical vulnerabilities to secure access to valuable resources and displace Western peacekeeping efforts. By partnering with authoritarian regimes and instigating conflicts, they became an integral part of Russia's foreign policy. Despite Prigozhin's dramatic rebellion and subsequent death, the Wagner Group's extensive network and business interests remain deeply intertwined with Russia's strategic ambitions, indicating their continued significance on the global stage.

Readers who enjoy recent history and who follow political events will gain an appreciation for the war in Ukraine and Russian aggression around the world.

Nuclear War: A Scenario

Jacobsen, Annie. Nuclear War: A Scenario. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780593476093.

The dropping of atomic bombs on Japan to end the Second World War in 1945 ushered in the threat of nuclear war and the destruction of the human race as we know it. Nuclear War: A Scenario makes it perfectly clear that the U.S. policies of nuclear deterrence, escalating deployment of nuclear weapons, and mutually assured destructions are nothing but wishful thinking. In this scenario, on a a beautiful spring afternoon, North Korea launches a ballistic nuclear missile at Washington D.C. Following protocol, the president is evacuated, and the entire military apparatus of the United States engages in its highest response level. Interceptors are launched, but they fail, and the missile continues on its trajectory. 

With less than 30 minutes from launch to detonation, U.S. authorities go through pre-planned hoops, and over a dozen missiles are launched back at North Korea. Russian satellites notice the launch. With these missiles flying towards Russia, it is impossible for the Russians to determine if they will go over or land on their territory. The Russians thus respond with a massive barrage of missiles heading for Europe and the United States. Even if the Russians chose to ignore the threat, the missiles heading to North Korea would land near China and kill millions of Chinese citizens, forcing the Chinese to respond and launch their own missiles. When U.S. satellites see the Russian launch, Strategic Command launches all remaining American nuclear missiles. Thus, within the span of two hours, over 2,000 nuclear bombs explode across the globe. 

Folks who were not instantly vaporized by the fireballs in the millions of degrees are killed by the blast, or quickly die of burns, or, more slowly, of radiation poisoning. With so many toxic particles in the skies, the temperature drops by more than 20 degrees, and agriculture is no longer possible due to contaminated water. Mammals and fish quickly die out, followed by amphibians and reptiles. Only insects, with a higher tolerance to radiation, survive. Even if you somehow avoided being killed in a nuclear exchange, the lack of everything following destruction on such a massive scale would inevitably lead to death in the short or medium term. Pockets of humanity may survive, but the world as we know it would essentially stop to exist.

In a horrifyingly and accurately portrayed fashion, Nuclear War describes how the firing of even one nuclear weapon will trigger a rapid and massive response that will inevitably be misinterpreted by another one of the nuclear powers as an attack on themselves, and in the mind frame of use them or lose them, all nuclear missiles end up deployed within two hours of the first launch. Interviews with experts in the field, politicians and generals who have served in these roles, and through reviews of publicly available documents detail with precision what would happen, and why we must do everything we can to avoid nuclear war.

The Gilded Ones

Forna, Namina. The Gilded Ones. Book 1 of the Deathless series. 2021. 432p. ISBN 9781984848697. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In Deka's society, all girls who turn sixteen participate in a blood ceremony, where the color of their blood is examined. Red, and the girl is allowed to live in the village as a full member of the community. Gold, and the girl is executed for being a demon, a cursed being who represents a threat to the village and the empire. As the ceremony nears, Deka hopes her blood is pure, but fears that it isn't. Deka is already much different from the other residents of the village, with a skin darker than most, and with an intuition that seems to be right more often than not. With her mother long dead, all Deka has left is her father.

But just before it is time for her blood letting ceremony, Death Shrieks attack the village. As warriors run to attack the monsters, Deka's eyes turn gold, and her voice seems to paralyze the creatures. Accused of being in league with the demons, and denounced by her own father, her blood is revealed to run gold, and Deka is killed ... only to return. Those with gold blood are known as the Alaki, and they are nearly immortal. Each Alaki has one true death, but until it is discovered, they can be slain but will always awaken again. 

Recuperating from another painful death, Deka meets White Hands, a mysterious woman from the capital who offers her a position among an army of Alaki being assembled by the emperor to fight a mass of Death Shrieks now assembling on the borders of the empire. Faced with the prospect of certain death if she remains in the village, Deka agrees and travels to the capital. She meets other Alaki like her, and eventually discovers that the empire's reasons for training Alaki may not be what they seem at first glance.

With armies assembling on the field of battle, Deka will be faced with a painful choice: Fight for what's right, or fight for her friends?

A tale inspired from West African myths and legends, The Gilded Ones offer a different view of fantasy that is unfamiliar yet very relatable. Deka's struggle to accept her new role feels realistic, and the world-building includes several twists and turns that propel the story forward.

Champion

Lu, Marie. Champion. Book 3 of the Legend series. 2013. 369p. ISBN 9780399256776. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

Having thrown their support to the new Elector in Prodigy, June and Day are separated once again as the disease that is progressively killing Day is making any lasting relationship impossible in his mind, and he does not explain himself to June. When the Colonies attack the Republic with the help of the African Republic, the Republic finds itself isolated and vulnerable. The introduction of a mutating plague first engineered by the Republic to attack the Colonies, and instead deployed back to harm the Republic is ravaging the population. Facing these dual threats, the Elector is forced to ask Day to let his scientists examine his brother once again, something Day vehemently refused before.

As the Colonies' military power overwhelms first Denver, and then Los Angeles, the Republic finds itself in a race against time, for Antarctica, the world's prominent power, will come to the Republic's aid only of a cure to the virus is developed. During the attack on Denver, Captain Jamesons and Thomas both escape from their death sentences, and June and Day become the hunted.

With the Republic ready to collapse, can Day once again summon the people to aid the Republic in stopping its enemies before it is too late? Can Day and June secure a happy future together, or does their history doom any chance at love they might have had?

Prodigy

Lu, Marie. Prodigy. Book 2 of the Legend series. 2013. 371p. ISBN 9780399256769. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

It has been seven days since the end of Legend where June and Day escaped the clutches of the Republic by throwing their lot with the Patriots, a group dedicated to destroying the Republic and its chief, the Elector. Reaching the Colonies, they meet with more Patriots who propose a plan to assassinate the Elector. June would be used as bait, and lure the Elector away from a fake assassination attempt, only to lead him to the real deal. With the head of government dead, the Patriots would seize control of the Republic and end the deadly war with the Colonies.

Day and June begrudgingly agree to once again be separated. While Day remains with the Patriots and trains for the real assassination attempt, June returns to the Republic and is arrested. Following her interrogation by Captain Thomas, her brother's best friend, she meets the young Elector, and realizes that he doesn't have a good grip on the levers of power. The Senate is actively working to undermine him. Meanwhile, Day comes to the conclusion that the Patriots are not financed by the Colonies as he has been led to believe all of these years, but rather by the Republic, who keeps this paramilitary group in its pocket to foment trouble, and now they have been tasked by conspirators to eliminate the Elector and replace him with someone more pliable.

With the wheels already set in motion on the plot to kill the Elector, and with no possibilities of communicating with each other, June and Day must figure a way to stop the Elector's killing to save the Republic from itself...

The story concludes in Champion.

The Way of Kings

Sanderson, Brandon. The Way of Kings. Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive. 2010. 1007p. ISBN 9780765326355.

In this sweeping fantasy epic, Alethela, the most powerful kingdom on the continent is at war with the Parshendi, a nation of strange folks from the Shattered Plains of the Unclaimed Lands. Six years ago, Galivar, king of the newly united kingdom of Alethela, met the Parshendi on the Shattered Plains during a hunting expedition. Similar in many ways to the Alethela's servant race of Parshmen, but bigger and stronger, they sponsored the assassination of the king and claimed responsibility. In response, the ten High Princes led their armies to the Shattered Plains and have been besieging the Parshendi ever since, fighting them on plateaus as each side seek to acquire the valuable gem hearts out of giant chasmfiends. 

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin is brother to the former king, and commands the most disciplined and trained Alethela army. Whispers around the ten war camps talk of his slowly dropping into madness, for every time one of the devastating storm that flows on the continent from east to west he sees visions of the past. Slow to attack, Dalinar has fallen behind in the assaults on the Parshendi, but the visions are telling him he must unite the warring factions in the face of the Devastation that is to come. The storms have become more frequent and more violent.

Kaladin, who was the son of a surgeon, followed his younger brother to war when he was forcibly enrolled in the military so he could protect him. He failed his mission, but soon became an extraordinary squad leader. Slayer of a Shardbearer, a strange armor and weapon from ancient Knight Radiants who once fought against the Devastation, he was sentenced to become a slave so that the Brightlord he served under could claim the armor and weapon for his own. Kaladin finds himself a lowly bridgeman, condemned to serve on Bridge Four's crew. The bridge crews move Brightlord Sadeas' mobile bridges from one plateau to another, so that his army can travel and confront the Parshendi. The death rate of bridgemen is 100%. Against all odds, Kaladin survives, and begins training his own crew of bridgemen to be better than the rest, to increase their own odds of survival. With a windspren named Syl, who seems to encourage him, Kaladin searches for a way out, while he ponders why everything he touches eventually fails.

Shallan hopes to save her family's estate by stealing the Soulcaster worn by a famous scholar, Jasnah, who happens to be the daughter of the former king and niece of Dalinar. But Shallan also hopes to become a scholar, and as she trains under Jasnah, bidding her time to complete the steal, she discovers that the scholar has been studying the Voidbringers, who have been responsible for the last Desolations and the many crumblings of human civilizations. 

With a mysterious Truthless assassin on the loose, and with conspiracy and treachery abounding, it will take more than luck to discover the threat faced by the continent of Roshar.

A Court of Mist and Fury

Maas, Sarah J. A Court of Mist and Fury. Book 2 of the Court of Thorns and Roses series. 2016. 641p. ISBN 9781619634466. Available at FIC MAA on the library shelves.

After her death as a human and her rebirth as a fae following Amarantha's downfall in A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre is slowy adapting to life in a body that has immensely more power than her previous human form. Resurrected through the power of the seven High Fae Lords, she was embued with a slice of each of their power. Feyre finds herself able to muster some of their magic. Tamrin, however, refuses to train her so she can exploit these newfound abilities. Instead, he wants to keep her safe by keeping her locked in the Spring Court's manor house. 

Despite her upcoming wedding to Tamlin, Feyre is unable to find peace. The horrors she experienced during her imprisonment in Amarantha's court Under the Mountain, and the role she played in freeing the High Lords from the general's dictatorship show up nightly in her nightmares, and Feyre is slowly wasting away. Her marriage to Tamlin feels wrong, especially since he leaves her locked up in the Manor. Just as she's about to be wed, Rhysand appears and claims this is Feyre's week to spend with him, and he wisks her away.

Feyre soon realizes that the Rhysand that is feared by all is a facade. The most powerful High Lord ever, he can be volatile and violent, but he also harbors a safe city that his magic has protected from war and destruction. He loves his blood brothers Caspian and Azrael, who serve him. And he has feelings for Feyre. 

As the Night Court prepares to wage war against the Fae King across the sea, they must seek allies to destroy the power of the cauldron, a mystical artifact in the King's hand that could be used to resurrect people and grant immortality. But treachery abounds, and Feyre soon discovers that most people would prefer the safety pf enslavement rather than fighting for what's right. Accompanied with her new friends, Feyre will fight through a fog of deceit and treason to save what is still beautiful in Prythain.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

 Maas, Sarah H. A Court of Thorns and Roses. Book 1 of the Court of Thorns and Roses series. 2015. 419p. ISBN 9781619634442. Available at FIC MAA on the library shelves.

The island of Prythian is divided into two by an invisible wall of magic. On one side, the humans that freed themselves from servitude after a long and bloody war with their powerful overlord, the fae. They now dwell on the other side of the wall in seven courts, biding their time. Other continents of fae and humans exist, but the two races only meet in Prythian.

Feyre's father was a wealthy merchant until his ships sank, taking his fortune with them. Now he, Feyre and her two sisters live in a shack in the forest near the wall, and they survive thanks for Feyre's hunting in the dangerous forest. For though the wall exist to prevent fae from crossing, it is weakening. When Feyre comes across a massive wolf hunting a doe, she suspects it's a fae in disguise, but its pelt being worth a lot, she slays the beast that seemed to pose no threat to her.

The next night, Feyre and her family are visited by Tamlin, a high fae who is also the lord of the Spring Court. He is here to exact his revenge for the loss of the wolf, who was one of his guard. As punishment, Feyre will have to cross the wall and live in the land of the fae for the rest of her life. Now a captive of the Spring Court, Feyre slowly discovers that the Spring Court, and indeed all of Prythian, has been affected by a curse for the last fifty years, and magic is but a shadow of its former self. With an empty palace but under the watchful eye of Lucien, Tamlin's second in command, Feyre is free to wander the grounds.

Dangers abound in the land of the fae, however, and more than once Feyre is confronted by nightmares she's only heard about in stories. Nagas, Surreals, these monsters are real and prowl the woods of the Spring Court. The closer she grows to Tamlin, the more danger she finds herself in, until she discovers that the curse that plagues Prythian may very well cost Feyre her own life.

A mix of Beauty and the Beast and high fantasy, this story will enthrall readers who enjoy fantasy and they will appreciate the struggles Feyre confronts as she attempts to survive in a new world.

Sky in the Deep

 Young, Adrienne. Sky in the Deep. 2018. 340p. ISBN 978-1-2501-6845-0. Available at FIC YOU on the library shelves.

Deep in the snows of the North, clans live in specific areas and fight one another for supremacy. The Aska, who live in the fjords by the sea, are mortal enemies with the Riki, who dwell in the mountains. Every five years, in a blood feud ritual as old as the world itself, warriors of the two clans meet and fight for honor and glory. Raids are also conducted, but these tend to be smaller affairs.

Eelyn first joined the field of battle when she was 12. At that age, Aska children serve in the rear-guard, dispatching wounded enemy fighters and learning the craft of war. Eelyn served as her brother Iri's support, but when she saw him being savagely slashed and then falling off a cliff, Eelyn lost a part of herself.

Five years on, Eelyn enters the battle against the Riki, this time as a full-fledged warrior. During the battle, Eelyn is injured by a Riki fighter, but as he's about to deliver the killing blow she swears she sees her dead brother coming to interfere. The Riki warrior leaves her on the battlefield. Convinced that Iri's spirit visited her, Eelyn rejoins the battle the next day, only to see Iri again. Following him into the woods, she is captured by the Riki, who take her back to their village where she becomes a slave in the house of her captor, Fiske. 

She is reunited with Iri, who did in fact survive what should have been a mortal wound, and who has joined Fiske's family and is slated to be wedded to a Riki girl. At first, all Eelyn wants to do is escape and return to the Aska, but as hours turn into days she slowly realize that Riki are more similar to Aska than she thought they would be. 

When another tribe raids both Riki and Aska, destroying villages and killing inhabitants, the two clans find themselves isolated and greatly diminished. Only an alliance will allow them to survive. Can the clans, like Eelyn, learn to live with a mortal enemy to fight a greater threat?

A nordic-inspired tale, this story features a strong female character who is driven to protect her family and her home. Fans of fantasy will appreciate the world building, despite the lack of magic.