Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Ten sci-fi & fantasy books that will remind you what joy feels like

At the B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog Sarah Gailey tagged ten sci-fi & fantasy books that will remind you that life is about more than suffering, including:
The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud

This book comes off my shelf at least once every couple of years for a reread. Five-thousand-year-old djinni Bartimaeus supplements what could be a dark-ish book (a political conspiracy! Murders! A wizard’s apprentice with a chip on his shoulder! More murders!) with sarcastic narrative footnotes that help lend brightness to a creative, fast-paced story. The Cave-Bear Book Club gives it a unanimous growl of approval. It’s guaranteed to replenish your sense of snark.
Read about another entry on the list.

The Amulet of Samarkand is among Django Wexler's top ten animal companions in children's fiction and Francesca Simon's top ten fictional antiheroes.

--Marshal Zeringue