Book picks similar to
Garden by Jane Yates


fantasy
steampunk
sci-fi
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The Serpent in the Glass


D.M. Andrews - 2011
    Thomas, however, feels he's just an ordinary boy, but Darkledun Manor proves to be anything but an ordinary school...In this work of fiction the reader is transported into a world of myth as the young protagonist, Thomas Farrell, seeks to understand who his mysterious father was, and why he left him a strange glass orb containing a serpent. As the story progresses, Thomas and his friends become increasingly caught up in a world they never knew existed - a world beyond the standing stones.

South of Good (Hardin Steel #1)


Randall Reneau - 2014
    Twice divorced, with a bit of a drinking problem, he’s now dating Rory Roughton, a fiery sixth-generation Texan who’s as rich as she is beautiful—and hell-bent on keeping Steel on the straight and narrow. But then his best friend, Wes Stoddard, is nearly shot down flying in a load of pot, Rory is kidnapped by a Russian mercenary working for the most dangerous cartel in Mexico, and the Cuban Mafia decides they’d like the former DEA agent—dead. Steel is forced to take unsanctioned, unconventional—and mostly illegal—action in order to save himself and those closest to him . . .

Antioch (The Sword of Agrippa #1)


Gregory Ness - 2014
    Join a controversial scientist in exile on a journey through a near future ruled by cyber mobs and a violent ancient past he confronts when he closes in on dark energy discovery. 400 pp. debut multi-genre dystopian sci-fi mixed with historical fiction and elements of alchemy and mysticism that trace back to ancient Egypt.Book Viral, Feb 27, 2017"Antioch is, in every sense of the word, a masterpiece and epic beginning to what will undoubtedly be an epic series and one you must certainly add to your reading shelf. It is recommended without reservation."First Goodreads review of 2nd edition:"Antioch, by Gregory Ness is a masterful piece of writing. I had the opportunity to read an earlier version of this book published in 2014. I considered it a good book at that reading, but now, having just read the 2016 edition, I rate this book as excellent! Without spoiling this beautifully done story, it takes us back and forth between the present, which is some years ahead of contemporary times, and thousands of years into the past, and then rolls us back and forth in an ever-consuming tale between now and then. The detail and imagery laced into the text about ancient Rome and Egypt, as well as Persia and Turkey, and their cultures and people, animates them, as if the reader is walking the stony streets of Alexandria. There is a beautiful love story which transcends time, depiction of brutal wars and great power struggles between Rome, Egypt and others – and the perspective of how Julius Caesar was, as a man, and a leader, makes the history books seem shallow in design. But what really makes this story shine is the way the author draws us into the world of our memories, of past lives we have lived, and the scientific dialogues and intrigue which are unfolding in the now, and how, all of this ties into the grand story which we are reliving thousands of years before when Pharaohs were the most powerful rulers on Earth, when Caesar and his armies marched into Egypt and when the infamous Cleopatra had the two most powerful nations of that time, in the palm of her hands. Antioch makes you think about the nature of who we really are, about the veracity of having lived countless past lives, about the scientific import of a tiny organ in our brain – a portal which not only allows us to interact with the world around us, but quite possibly, is also the very link to our immensely distant past. An entertaining, gripping, beautifully written and highly insightful piece of work."

The Afternet


Peter Empringham - 2011
    When the system begins to misfire under the workload, the ill-equipped representatives of God and the Devil tasked with managing the process are given an ultimatum. Fix The Afternet or go back to your previous afterlives. They begin an odyssey through the hordes of souls awaiting judgement and the oblivious living in search of a solution. Rich in comic detail and populated with characters real and imagined from throughout time, their quest is never going to be straightforward…

Bridge Through Time


Scott Spotson - 2014
    Max's son, Dr. Kyle Thorning, is now a high particle physicist at CERN in Switzerland. Meanwhile, after First Contact, powerful aliens with four arms and four legs, named Darsians, are taking control of the planet, with the muted subservience of its human population due to the astounding technological advances that the aliens introduce. Kyle has a powerful weapon—a new Time Travel machine—and must decide to travel to his father's old parallel universe, where he doesn't even exist, or confront the aliens in his home universe.

Good Witch


David F. Porteous - 2015
    Magic runs in Jane Howard's family. Her brother hunts werewolves, her sister vanished without trace twenty-five years ago, her mother is the worst witch of all, and her grandmother just might blow up the world - despite having drowned somewhere on the ferry route from Cairnryan to Largs. Jane wants to be a good witch . . . but that's not all she wants.

The Watchman: Preventing the Apocalypse One Bullet at a Time


Arthur Bradley - 2020
    Loved it!"★★★ A clever mash of X-files, Tombstone, and Dresden Files! ★★★In 1885, President Grover Cleveland commissioned a special group of agents to investigate paranormal activities plaguing the nation. Unwilling to accept failure, he granted each the authority to operate outside the law. His directive was simple. No rules. No excuses. Just get it done.Remy Kincaid and his cynical steed, Fable, head to the town of Wharton, Texas, to investigate the disappearance of several young children. As clues lead them from a decrepit old house to an abandoned silver mine, they soon learn that an ancient evil is trying to release itself upon the world.★★★ If you enjoyed The Survivalist Series, you'll love The Watchman! ★★★

Hybrid


Greg Ballan - 2007
    Keener senses, heightened awareness and an enhanced physical strength that could be called upon by his sheer will. Erik becomes involved with a team of high profile investigators and local police trying to locate a girl who was kidnapped in the middle of a playground amongst dozens of adults and children. None of the adults saw anything and what the children claim to have seen is too far fetched to be believed. The search evolves into a full-scale manhunt into the dark and desolate woodlands of the Hopedale Mountain. After a lethal encounter and a fatality, Erik, the investigators and police realize that what they're dealing with isn't a man and possibly isn't of this world. What they're dealing with is a sentient evil that has an appetite for young children.

The Last Hunter


J.N. ChaneyJ.N. Chaney - 2022
    Actions speak louder than words. The Confederation doesn’t think the Locusts are coming back.But what if the politicians are wrong?Snared in a scheme he doesn’t fully understand or trust, Jack gets his promotion, but it comes with a catch. With a crew of rejects, he must restore the most powerful warship humanity has ever built, after centuries of neglect and decay, before time runs out.If he fails, humanity might not need to worry about history repeating itself ever again.

After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill, #1)


Patricia A. Proctor - 2013
    The land magnifies their abilities, making them more powerful witches – and targets. They aren’t the only ones aware of the power the land gives . . .Chloe, Kaiden, and Rowan Alexander can’t wait to meet the new triplets that have just arrived in town. They are determined to find out if they are anything alike. The attraction is instant, though they soon discover they share more than just being fraternal triplets – in fact, Brianna, Cian, and Xavier Silvan are also witches with a secret of their own.They must overcome their distrust of each other and join together to fight a much stronger witch, who wants the sacred land for more than the power it gives. It’s a paranormal coming of age story where the teens discover the purpose of their existence, explore their new powers, new relationships, and overcome family secrets, all while becoming stronger witches. They must learn quickly so they can protect themselves and the people they love from the force of dark magic bearing down on them.

Paradigm Rift


Randy McWilson - 2014
    Denver Wayne Collins, Afghanistan War veteran, is struggling to maintain the deteriorating pieces of his fractured personal life. And then...it happens. During an electrical storm, he is violently thrown back to 1956...to the quiet town of Normal, Illinois. Is this nightmare real, or is this an elaborate governmental fabrication? Denver discovers a fragile alliance of time jumpers from across the last six decades. The group has been desperately seeking the technology to return each of them back to their proper places in the space-time continuum. But will they succeed before the relentless forces of the CIA and a female KGB assassin find them? Who can they trust? Can they trust each other? From Roswell in 1947, to Area 51 and far beyond, the Back to Normal series will challenge the way you understand contemporary world history...and even time itself. If you are fascinated by conspiracy theories, then the Back to Normal series is your newest escape. Back to Normal will tease your mind with shocking conclusions about the famous Roswell event, Area 51, the Philadelphia Experiment, and even...the Kennedy assassination. You will never look at history the same way again...it's time to get challenged, it's time to get the whole story, it's time to get Paradigm Rift: Book One of the Back to Normal series.

Age of Victoria


Alston Sleet - 2019
    She wanted to explore the world and escape from the strict etiquette of British nobility. With her father fighting in India, the governess assigned to raise her controlled every aspect of her life. The financial downturn of a friend of the family would lead to her sister's longtime engagement turning into an immediate marriage. Victoria's thirst for adventure and tomboy ways would not prepare her for the sudden advent of the apocalypse. Can Victoria and her friends survive this new world of Classes and Skills? Join Victoria and her family on a LitRPG adventure, unlike any other!

Tanglewreck


Jeanette Winterson - 2006
    Time tornadoes are ripping people from the present, never to return them, while a woolly mammoth inexplicably appears on banks of the River Thames. Eleven-year-old Silver and her guardian live in a house called Tanglewreck, which is somehow at the center of these mysterious time warps. A strange heirloom called the Timekeeper is hidden somewhere in the house, and Silver must find it and protect it . . . because whoever gets hold of the Timekeeper will have the power to control time-and life as we know it-forever. Reviews The sheer exhilaration of the adventure and the many fascinating historical and scientific allusions will keep readers engrossed through to the satisfying conclusion. -Publishers Weekly An appealing read for fantasy and science- fiction fans alike...Well-developed main characters add liveliness and suspense to the story, while secondary characters (a pair of inept thugs, the original Schr�dinger's cat) add touches of humor to a basically sober story. The climax is chaotic and exciting; the resolution is realistic, bittersweet. -Kirkus Reviews Winterson masterfully weaves together an imaginative array of settings and characters to bring the story to its exhilarating fulfillment. Silver's varied relationships add even more depth, encapsulating family, friendship, deceit, and abuse... [T]his time-bending sci-fi adventure will be a fine addition to young adult collections. -School Library Journal Winterson seamlessly combines rousing adventure with time warps, quantum physics, and a few wonderfully hapless flunkies. Her clever science will draw fans of Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, and her dastardly villains and resourceful youngsters will remind readers of the Lemony Snicket's books about the hapless Baudelaires. --Booklist Silver is a plucky hero in the mold of Neil Gaiman's Coraline and Philip Pullman's Lyra, a creature of action not introspection.

The Amplified Trilogy: The Amplified Books 1-3


Lauren M. Flauding - 2017
    Includes The Amplified, The Dissenters, and The Restrainers.

Gargoyle


Ben English - 2011
    He was smart and strong and goofy, as boys are meant to be, but peculiar - he remembered everything. In the span of a single summer, she made him fearless. Now, even as Mercedes Adams is at the height of her career, forbidding changes loom over the world. That night, in the hushed calm of a spring evening, two plain-faced killers watch her home, waiting to make their approach. A few hundred miles away, a brilliant technologist returns to his childhood home in order to begin a descent into darkness . . . in London, a military game theorist finds himself pursuing kidnappers . . . outside Prague, a hacker and a thief stumble upon plans for a weapon unique to the world . . . an FBI agent faces an unpredictable fugitive in Chicago, while in Germany, a sniper-turned-schoolteacher finds reasons to take up his ancient calling . . . and a sitting United States Senator finds his life and his work invaded to terrifying conclusion. In Paris, a widowed man begins to recognize the hints and patterns of a greater puzzle that will bring them together . . . or kill them all. Mercedes Adams is about to find herself at the center of a vast, tightening knot of mystery, intrigue, and globe-spanning terror borne of her family's legacy. Rising to her aid is a small group of specially-trained men and women. And at their center? A man who remembers everything.