Category: Speculative

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer


Title: Breaking Dawn

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: August 2, 2008

ISBN: 978-0316067928

Size: 768 pages, hardcover

Genre: Speculative Romance

Series: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse

When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs.

Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating and unfathomable consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella’s life—first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse—seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed. . .forever?

The Journey by J Adams

Title: The Journey

Author: J. Adams

Publisher: Jewel of the West Publishing

Release Date: June 2, 2008

ISBN:

Size: softcover

Genre: Speculative

The war between good and evil is as old as time itself–

so is the absolute truth that each choice is accompanied by a consequence.

Ciran is about to be faced with both.

Two roads lie ahead. Only one leads home.

Which will she choose?

Angel Falling Softly by Eugene Woodbury


Title: Angel Falling Softly

Author: Eugene Woodbury

Publisher: Zarahemla Books

Release Date: July, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-9787971-6-4

Size: 224 pages, 5×8, softcover

Genre: Speculative

(Caution: May contain objectionable content)

Over the past six months, Rachel Forsythe’s perfect life has descended from the ideal to the tragic. The younger of her two daughters is dying of cancer. Despite her standing as the wife of a respected Mormon bishop, neither God nor medical science has blessed her with a cure. Or has He?

Milada Daranyi, chief investment officer at Daranyi Enterprises International, has come to Utah to finalize the takeover of a Salt Lake City-based medical technology company. Bored with her downtown hotel accommodations, she rents a house in the Sandy suburbs.

And then the welcome wagon shows up. Her neighbors perceive her to be a beautiful, intelligent, and daunting young woman. But Rachel senses something about Milada that leads her in a completely different—and very dangerous—direction.

Rachel’s suspicions are right: Milada is homo lamia. A vampire. Fallen. And possibly the only person in the world who can save Rachel’s daughter. Uncovering Milada’s secrets, Rachel becomes convinced that, as Milton writes, “all this good of evil shall produce.”

As the two women push against every moral boundary in order to protect their families, the price of redemption will prove higher than either of them could have possibly imagined.

The Celestial City by Chad Daybell


Title: The Celestial City

Author: Chad Daybell

Publisher: Spring Creek Book Co.

Release Date: June 2008

ISBN: 978-1-932898-27-9

Size: 200 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Speculative

Series: Standing in Holy Places: The Great Gathering (vol. 1)

“And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God.” (D&C 45:66)

Six months have passed since the LDS prophet’s memorable visit to Manti, and the United States has suffered though a harsh winter. Meanwhile, the Coalition forces have methodically taken control of the nation—except for the Rocky Mountains, where the ice and snow have kept the Saints hidden away from the world.

But spring has arrived, and the Coalition soldiers are on the move again. In response, the Elders of Israel have been called forth from the mountain camps to defend their liberty. Under the direction of the prophet, these faithful servants prepare for a showdown that will determine the course of history.

Within these events, members of the North, Dalton, and Brown families each make vital decisions as they prepare to help build a holy city that will stand forever—New Jerusalem.

The Celestial City, the second novel in the Standing in Holy Places series, paints a vivid picture of exciting prophesied events that still must occur before the Second Coming. If you have an interest in what awaits the members of the LDS Church, this series should definitely be on your reading list!

Upon Eagle’s Light by Clover Autrey


Title: Upon Eagle’s Light

Author: Clover Autrey

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Release Date: March, 2008

ISBN:978-1601541321

Size: 5×8, softcover

Genre: Speculative

Eagles mate for life. When the eagles of Gaspar choose a mate, the Eaglekins they are each true-bonded with become mates as well. Hydeia’s eagle decides to mate at an inconvenient time. The attraction flowing between her and the Eaglekin male she is now connected to is hard to resist. But resist him she must; for she has been charged with a crucial task and isn’t about to let anyone slow her down. Ammah can’t believe his eagle has taken a mate, thereby entangling him with an Eaglekin female. He’d hardened his heart against the ways of his people long ago. Now he is faced with a stubborn woman who insists that he is her mate. But how can he walk away when the little fool is plunging headlong into danger? Worse, how will he withstand the magnetic pull drawing him to her?

United We Stand by Wendie L. Edwards


Title: Millenial Glory vol. 7: United We Stand

Author: Wendie L. Edwards

Publisher: Seventh Seal Publishing

Release Date: April 21, 2008

ISBN: 978-0971222885

Size: 335 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Speculative

Series: Hidden Light (vol. 1), Wars of Light (vol. 2), Apocalypse the Unveiling (vol. 3), The Ascension (vol. 4), Hanging by a Thread (vol. 5), Justice of Affliction (vol. 6)

Reeling from the sudden collapse of the American government, the Rogers family struggles to gain control of their world. Eventually, the UN sends food and financial relief to Utah, but requires each person to give up their American rights and submit to international laws in return for support. A computer chip is implanted in each new international citizen and each receives entrance into a new global economy.

The LDS community is surprised as the Prophet sends a message by ham radio to every stake advising all to refuse the computer chip and instead, to look to each other for their needs. Now each must make a choice: do they listen to the Prophet and lose the privileges of economy but maintain their identity and faith, or do they submit to the UN and give up every freedom America ever stood for?

Each citizen makes their own choice and communities are fractured, but the righteous are rewarded with spiritual gifts and power as independent tent cities rise all over America under the glorious banner of the flag. They enjoy miracles and blessings beyond their expectations! For country, for liberty, for freedom—for GOD! United We Stand!

The Great and Terrible: From the End of Heaven (Vol 5) by Chris Stewart


Title: The Great and Terrible: From the End of Heaven (Vol. 5)

Author: Chris Stewart

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: May 10, 2008

ISBN: 978-1590388587

Size: 336 pages, hardback

Genre: Speculative

Series: Prologue, The Brothers (vol.1), Where Angels Fall (vol. 2), The Second Sun (vol. 3), Fury and Light (vol. 4)

Read the review.

What happens when the world goes dark?

The battle of good against evil intensifies in the darkness of an EMP-devastated America. The electromagnetic pulses that wiped out the country’s entire electrical grid have reduced people to an almost animal existence. While those with good hearts pull together to help each other, those inclined to evil find free reign for the rage that Satan and his minions are stirring up in their hearts.

For Sara Brighton, the time is fast approaching when she must face the frightening realities her husband, Neil, warned her about before his death. Sam’s problem is more immediate: How can he get his family to a safe place? Bono is still trying to get to his family, and Azadeh is struggling to find her role in the family that has reached out to welcome her in. Meanwhile, the followers of Satan plot to take over the government of the United States and remake it to fulfill their own greed and lust for power.

The situation for all of these people is desperate, but even in a world gone mad, there are moments of hope, the possibility of miracles, and help from the other side of the veil. Discover the truth: The last days are terrible, but they are also great. Don’t miss the next gripping volume in this landmark series!

The Host by Stephenie Meyer


Title: The Host

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Release Date: May 6, 2008

ISBN: 978-0316068048

Size: 624 pages, Hardcover

Genre: Speculative, Romance

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she’s never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Keeper of Dreams by Orson Scott Card


Title: Keeper of Dreams

Author: Orson Scott Card

Publisher: Tor Books

Release Date: April 15, 2008

ISBN: 978-0765304971

Size: 656 pages, hardback

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy; short story collection

Multiple Hugo- and Nebula-winner Card offers short, revealing commentaries on these 22 compelling short stories, novelettes, and novellas, noting that short work has inspired some of his best and best-known long fiction. These short science fiction, fantasy and “literary” stories, along with a handful of Hatrack River tales (related to the Alvin Maker series) and four stories “written by a Mormon, about Mormon culture, for Mormon readers,” illustrate Card’s fascination with complex child protagonists, touchingly portrayed in “Inventing Lovers on the Phone”; absorption with moral dilemmas, wrapped up in family love and tensions in “Worthy to Be One of Us”; and new views of old traditions, familiar and discomfiting in “Homeless in Hell” and “Christmas at Helaman’s House.” Card intended several of the included stories, like the powerful “In the Dragon’s House,” to open novels not yet written, but even on their own they provide significant examples of his perennial themes: morality, salvation and redemption.

This book is not eligible for a Whitney Award.

The Lost Verses by Barbara Miller


Title: The Lost Verses

Author: Barbara Miller

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Release Date: March, 2008

ISBN: 978-1-59955-108-1

Size: 5.5×8.5 paperback; 236 pages

Genre: Mystery? Speculative?

Series: Golden Verses

“Ask your mom about a special Bible she used to have. Ask her to remember the golden verses. That might help you both. “

When Andy’s little sister died, his faith in God died with her.

Now, ten years later, Andy uncovers a secret—a tale too fantastic to be real. A story about six Bibles, each with verses written in gold. And for those who read the passages in gold, the scriptures come to life.

Out of respect for his mother and her friends, Andy halfheartedly agrees to find the old Bibles. Little does Andy know that the Bibles are closer than ever. Nor does he realize that the books are haunted by a dark shadow, an entity desperate to destroy the last of the golden verses.

As the Bibles make their way to the people who need them most, Andy begins to understand the worth of the Bibles, as well as the danger they are in. The Bibles have the power to save those who will read, and for this reason the books have long been marked for destruction. When the shadow closes in on the Bibles, it falls to Andy and his newfound friends to ensure that the holy books survive.

A gripping tale, The Lost Verses is a story of miracles, redemption, and the power of the word of God.

Dead Perfect by Amanda Ashley


Title: Dead Perfect

Author: Amanda Ashley

Publisher: Zebra

Release Date: January 29, 2008

ISBN: 978-0821780619

Size: 4×7 Mass Market paperback; 384 pagers

Genre: Speculative Romance

When Shannah, dying of an obscure, incurable disease, passes out on the stoop of Ronan, who is a vampire, two birds are killed with one stone: Ronan moonlights as a romance author and needs a woman to pretend to be him on tours (especially during the daylight hours); Shannah needs Ronan’s blood to stay alive. As he coaches her to impersonate him and feeds her, Ronan falls more and more in love. And with each passing day, Shannah’s body grows weaker, but she resists being turned into a vampire because she doesn’t want to lose her humanity entirely. It’s the age-old vampire-human dilemma, given a clever and funny turn by Night’s Touch author Ashley.”

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George


Title: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Author: Jessica Day George

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Release Date: January 8, 2008

ISBN: 978-1599901091

Size: Hardback; 336 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass has always felt estranged from her family, who struggle to make a living in the windswept north. So when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out and promises that her family will be provided for if she accompanies him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the great white bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle. Slowly the Lass unravels the mystery of the bear’s enchantment and the spell connecting him with the strange symbols carved in the castle’s icy walls. But on a journey to a place where the four winds fear to travel, the true horror of the bear’s spell is revealed, and the Lass’s courage—and love—will be tested.

Based on the Nordic legend East of the Sun, West of the Moon, this richly reimagined tale is perfect for fans of Shannon Hale and Donna Jo Napoli.

The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen


Title: The Search for the Red Dragon

Author: James A. Owen

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Release Date: January 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-1416948506

Size: 9 x 6; 384 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: Sequel to Here There Be Dragons

It has been nine years since John, Jack, and Charles had their great adventure in the Archipelago of Dreams and became the Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica. Now they have been brought together again to solve a mystery: Someone is kidnapping the children of the Archipelago. And their only clue is a mysterious message delivered by a strange girl with artificial wings: “The Crusade has begun.” Worse, they discover that all of the legendary Dragonships have disappeared as well.

The only chance they have to save the world from a centuries-old plot is to seek out the last of the Dragonships—the Red Dragon—in a spectacular journey that takes them from Sir James Barrie’s Kensington Gardens to the Underneath of the Greek Titans of myth. With friends both familiar and new, they will travel through an extraordinary landscape where history, myth, and fable blend together to tell the oldest story in the world. And along the way, the Caretakers of the Geographica will discover that great deeds alone do not make heroes, and that growing up may be unavoidable…but growing old doesn’t have to be.

The Mage’s Daughter by Lynn Kurland


Title: The Mage’s Daughter

Author: Lynn Kurland

Publisher: Berkley Sensation

Release Date: January 2, 2008

ISBN: 978-0425219164

Size: 5.5×8 paperback; 384 pages

Genre: Speculative

In the kingdom of Neroche, nightmarish creatures have been unleashed as weapons in a war of evil. Morgan the mercenary, daughter of a treacherous black mage, must fight against them-as well as for her very life. Miach of Neroche would risk his own life to save Morgan’s, but he must do so at the peril of the realm, forcing dangerous choices in the deadliest of quests.

The Well of Ascension by by Brandon Sanderson


Title: The Well of Ascension

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: TOR Books

Release Date: August 21, 2007

ISBN: 978-0765316882

Size: 6×9; 592 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Sequel to Mistborn: The Final Empire

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protg, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier’s protg and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies—one of them composed of ferocious giants—now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

The Lights of Mahonri Moriancumer by Phyllis Gunderson


Title: The Lights of Mahonri Moriancumer

Author: Phyllis Gunderson

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date: January 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1599550190

Size: 5.5×8; 180 pages

Genre: Speculative Fiction

A monk with a secret… A light that never dies… A legend that could change history…

There is an ancient legend about shining stones. About lights that never dim, never die. And the stones are old. Very old. Archaeologist Mathilda Howard believes in solid scientific fact and proven history. Not mythical stories about shining stones or prehistoric advanced civilizations. But when an old Tibetan monk shares his experience of the “lights that do not die,” Matt knows she has to find out more.

Then, when at an archaeological dig a student gives Matt a little black book that contains a story about shining stones—a story that happens to match a local legend—she finds herself on a journey to uncover the truth.

From a sacred mountain in China to a lost civilization in Brazil, Matt finds that she is digging up more than just archaeological artifacts. Her search for the shining stones leads her to some startling discoveries, as well as to a new religion. The LDS church may have the answers she has been looking for, but it may also cost her all that she values in life—her career, her prestige, and her family.

As evidence of the shining stones mounts, Matt is faced with a decision she never thought she’d have to make: does she ignore the stones and agree what is scientifically acceptable, or does speak out against the established norms and tell the truth? There are people who are desperate to keep the stones a secret. How much is Matt willing to sacrifice for the lost stones of the Jaradites?

Hunting Gideon by Jessica Draper


Title: Hunting Gideon

Author: Jessica Draper

Publisher: Zarahemla Books

Release Date: August 13, 2007

ISBN: 978-0978797140

Size: 5×8.5; 184 pages

Genre: Speculative Thriller

Tracking hackers and crackers for the FBI’s National Infrastructure Protection Center looks like a vivid video game to an outsider, but the outcome of the play is deadly serious. Through her online feline avatar, Sekhmet, Sue Anne Jones stalks the V-Net, the ultimate virtual-reality interface, in pursuit of evil in all its online forms. Her partner, ex-cracker Loren Hunter, provides cynical commentary along with his expertise in the V-Net’s shadier alleys.

Their days of busting routine identity thieves and insidious corporate spies end when they get a new assignment: Hunt down a cyber-terrorist calling himself Gideon, who has infiltrated the financial system, rerouted supply lines, and murdered the supervisor of an automated factory. Now Gideon is sending taunting messages, quoting scripture, and warning Sue that she must join his crusade or suffer—along with the rest of the virtual world—when he takes total control of the V-Net.

Written by the author of the Last Days adventure trilogy, Hunting Gideon is a near-future cyberpunk novel with an optimistic Mormon twist. Incorporating elements from the hard-boiled detective novel, film noir, and postmodernist prose, much of the novel’s action takes place online in cyberspace, blurring the border between actual and virtual reality. Hunting Gideon sends Sue and Loren on a wild chase as they scramble to avert the ultimate online disaster.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale


Title: Book of a Thousand Days

Author: Shannon Hale

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Release Date: September 18, 2007

ISBN: 978-1599900513

Size: 5×8; 320 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, the other decidedly less so—the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.