‘Tis the season for year-end lists!  This is one that I’m super excited to share.  It’s been a truly incredible year for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.  Some of these books have been getting well-deserved hype, whereas others have flown more under the radar. All of them and many more can be found in our collection at Mead Public Library.  A quick caveat before we begin: I’m only one person, and even with my book-dragon tendencies, it would be impossible for me to keep up with all the great new releases in a given year.  If I overlooked one of your favorites, give it a shoutout in the comments!  Sharing recommendations is one of the great joys of the reading life.  Now, without further ado, on to the list!

The West Passage by Jared Pechaček

For centuries, the Guardian and the women of Grey Tower have defended the rest of the enormous palace where they dwell from the invasion of the Beast through the West Passage.  But when the Guardian dies without passing on her name to her successor, the West Passage falls into jeopardy, and winter comes out of season.  Yarrow, the new Mother of Grey House, embarks on a quest to set the seasons right.  Meanwhile, the deceased Guardian’s successor goes to petition the Ladies of the palace for the right to take the Guardian’s place.  The West Passage is that true unicorn of a fantasy novel – reading it feels like reading fantasy when you were a kid, balancing the familiar and the completely new into a synthesis of enchantment.  You can see influences here from Lewis Carroll, Ursula K. LeGuin, Hayao Miyazaki, and more, but The West Passage remains its own beautiful and strange creation.  This was a privilege to read, and I can’t wait to see what Pechaček does next, whether in this imagined world or in a new one.