Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got some new books for you to check out… and dragons. Because when nothing else is right in the world, dragons are always an acceptable answer. (Though really, I think this has been a pretty darn good week, all things considered. In which case… dragons are still the answer.) Have an excellent weekend, one which I hope will also involve dragons in some delightful way. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!
Don’t forget to apply by August 8th to work at Book Riot as an Editorial Operations Associate!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: NDN Collective and Jane’s Due Process.
Bookish Goods
Chromatic Dragon Egg Die/Gift Box by MyPrinterandMe
These little 3D-printed boxes are about 3 inches tall and look like dragon eggs… and have enough room inside for a standard set of seven dice. Pictured is the blue dragon egg, but there’s every color available at the seller’s store! $20
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
New Releases
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
A secret family that can literally eat books — and once having eaten them, retain all the knowledge within — lives out in the Yorkshire Moors. But not all books are treated equally, and not all members of the family; Devon, as a woman, is allowed to eat only fairytales and cautionary stories, unlike her brothers, who feast on adventure tales. And when her son is born and consumes not books but human minds, she realizes that happy endings are not as guaranteed as books would imply.
Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
After her father dies in the War of the Lance, Destina Rosethorn loses both her family and her lands. She decides that she will go back in time to save his life. To do so, she must track down the kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot, last known possessor of the Device of Time Journeying. And if she succeeds in altering her past, she will change the future and perhaps even divert the course of the River of Time.
Riot Recommendations: Dragons!
Since we’ve got a new Dragonlance novel coming out, this feels like an appropriate moment to mention some other dragon-centric fantasy.
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
The Omehi have been at war for almost 200 years; it is all their people and society know. A few rare women are able to summon dragons or practice other magic, including transforming a small number of men into nigh-unkillable monsters to fight for the cause. The rest, including Tau, are nothing but fodder for the battle. But when he loses his family and friends to a brutal, senseless act by a noble, he decides he will become the greatest swordsman to ever live and thus exact his revenge.
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
Gyen Jebi is an artist who only wishes to paint; they have no interest in becoming a freedom fighter or a spy against the government occupying their homeland. But when they are recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint sigils on magical automatons, they find they have no choice but to become involved. Because the deeper they get into the work, the more they learn of the horrifying lengths the government has gone to maintain its power.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.