Book picks similar to
Testament by Hal Duncan


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fantasy
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Before the Clock Strikes Six


Justin Tate - 2016
    "For fans of Alfred Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone"PLOT: A kitchen-confined housewife has frightening revelations while preparing dinner for her husband.GENRE: Creepy Short StoryREADING TIME: 30-45 minutes

To Paradise


Hanya Yanagihara - 2022
    The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him—and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearances.These three sections are joined in an enthralling and ingenious symphony, as recurring notes and themes deepen and enrich one another: A townhouse in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village; illness, and treatments that come at a terrible cost; wealth and squalor; the weak and the strong; race; the definition of family, and of nationhood; the dangerous righteousness of the powerful, and of revolutionaries; the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise, and the gradual realization that it can’t exist. What unites not just the characters, but these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human: Fear. Love. Shame. Need. Loneliness.To Paradise is a fin de siècle novel of marvellous literary effect, but above all it is a work of emotional genius. The great power of this remarkable novel is driven by Yanagihara’s understanding of the aching desire to protect those we love – partners, lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens – and the pain that ensues when we cannot.

Apocalypse Cultivator: A Cultivation Fantasy Adventure for Men


Jack Bryce - 2021
    

Haalim Part 2


Nemrah Ahmed - 2019
    It’s a long novel with episodes and each episode will have a separate title.Its the most different and unique thing I have ever written, or has ever been written in Khawateen Digest."Nemrah Ahmed

Sharks in the Time of Saviors


Kawai Strong Washburn - 2020
    When a shiver of sharks appears in the water, everyone fears for the worst. But instead, Noa is gingerly delivered to his mother in the jaws of a shark, marking his story as the stuff of legends.Nainoa's family, struggling amidst the collapse of the sugarcane industry, hails his rescue as a sign of favor from ancient Hawaiian gods - a belief that appears validated after he exhibits puzzling new abilities. But as time passes, this supposed divine favor begins to drive the family apart: Nainoa, working now as a paramedic on the streets of Portland, struggles to fathom the full measure of his expanding abilities; further north in Washington, his older brother Dean hurtles into the world of elite college athletics, obsessed with wealth and fame; while in California, risk-obsessed younger sister Kaui navigates an unforgiving academic workload in an attempt to forge her independence from the family's legacy.When supernatural events revisit the Flores family in Hawaii - with tragic consequences - they are all forced to reckon with the bonds of family, the meaning of heritage, and the cost of survival.One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2020. Named one of the Best Books of 2020 by the New York Times (#30), the Guardian, the Boston Globe, Oprah Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, BBC Culture, Good Housekeeping, LitHub, Spectrum Culture, Third Place Books, and Powell's Books.

Kim & Kim Vol. 1


Magdalene Visaggio - 2016
    A day-glo action adventure that's bursting with energy and enthusiasm, Kim & Kim puts queer women and trans women front and center in an adventure that's bright, happy, punk rock, sci fi & queer as all get-out. "One of the breakout debuts of 2016." -Comics Alliance

Velocity Weapon


Megan E. O'Keefe - 2019
    A high-flying sergeant, Sanda has the skills to take down any enemy combatant. Biran is a savvy politician who aims to use his new political position to prevent conflict from escalating to total destruction.However, on a routine maneuver, Sanda loses consciousness when her gunship is blown out of the sky. Instead of finding herself in friendly hands, she awakens 230 years later on a deserted enemy warship controlled by an AI who calls himself Bero. The war is lost. The star system is dead. Ada Prime and its rival Icarion have wiped each other from the universe.Now, separated by time and space, Sanda and Biran must fight to put things right.

Twilight


Stephanie Meyer
    

Keeper of the Eye


Mark Shane - 2016
    Then she learns she's fighting for the wrong side. Fleeing for her life, she seeks out Max, the one wizard who can help save her people. Michael is a simple carpenter. While other eighteen-year-olds seek adventure, he loves his quiet life. Then nightstalkers attack and everything turns to chaos. With the world on the brink of Armageddon, a mystical gem known as the Eye calls on Michael to wield its great magic, but its power is useless if he can’t learn to embrace the magic within himself. Thrown into a war of wizards and warlocks, demons and dragons, Michael and Falon follow Max on a daring mission to save the world. Racing headlong toward the fight of their life, Michael must wield powers he barely understands while Falon must embrace skills she abhors and Max must become the wizard he failed to be in the past.

The Second Reality


R.R. Haywood - 2014
    They are unique to the individual and no two persons can ever experience the same dream. Or so Doctor Charlotte Henson thought when she started treating the enigmatic and charming Michael. From the best-selling author of The Undead Series comes a gut wrenching tale of twisted and brutal imaginings, a sickening exploration of the depravity the mind can force on a person...The Second Reality.... "He has created a whole new world" "It has some fantastic battle scenes, up there with the Undead ones" "Haywood paints such a clear picture of the scenes and characters in your mind and the relationships between them is brilliantly done." "the story and eloquence in its telling are inspirational." "absolutely loved the story had me hooked from chapter one it has a maturity which I was surprised at" Warning: This book contains graphic scenes of both a violent and sexual nature and is intended for adults.

Ahsoka


E.K. Johnston - 2016
    Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance….

The Tiny Wife


Andrew Kaufman - 2010
    The thief then leaves, and the patrons all survive, but strange things soon begin to happen to them: One survivor’s tattoo jumps off her ankle and chases her around; another wakes up to find that she’s made of candy; and Stacey Hinterland discovers that she’s shrinking, incrementally, a little every day, and nothing that her husband or son do can reverse the process. The Tiny Wife is a fable about losing yourself in circumstances and finding yourself in the the love of another.

Shadows of Ash and Gold


Lilaina Hinz - 2020
    Crestwood academy was a school for the rich and the smart, being built in the eighteen hundreds it was bound to have a few secrets and Avaryn was prepared to find them out. secret number one: The Devara. that's what they call themselves, the six richest, mysterious and well-known group throughout the whole school. they were unlike anyone she had ever met before. they were beautiful and smart and Avaryn had never been more fascinated. The kids at school tell her to stay away from them, which only intrigued her more, and besides how could she stay away when one of them was her roommate?she investigates, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong and she finds out their secret and she's not sure if it was a good thing or not. the Devara is supernatural, they come from a whole other world she had thought remained in only children's books. a world of magic and pain and light. the Devara's were royalty back in their world but tragedy struck their families and they were forced to leave. but with royalty comes enemies.Now these enemies are after Avaryn. and the only way shell survive is by sticking with the Devara. a world of friendship, romance, magic, evil, and betrayal. Shadows of Ash and Gold.

Galactic Fist of Legend: Volume 1


Scottie Futch - 2016
    Humanity as a whole was briefly introduced to a race of beings far beyond their understanding. During that brief interaction a proclamation was made, Defeat the Grand Emissary or become the eternal slaves of those who had arrived at Earth. The only chance for victory was for people all across the globe to make a choice. When prompted to become a champion and a play a bizarre game of life or death they could choose yes or no. Those who chose no, went about their lives afterward. All memory of the event was lost despite the fact that their very existence as a free species hung by a single thread. Will those who said yes manage to survive the horror of the game and become strong enough to defeat the Grand Emissary. Can one of them become... The Galactic Fist of Legend. Also, it's a comedy with significant parody elements. Pretty obvious, right? This litrpg story takes place in a setting that involves hopping between worlds. One moment the protagonist is fighting zombies, and the next he is facing down platform hopping challenges in a world where a single misstep could send him plummeting down through what appears to be an endless sky. Part of a multiverse project known as Project Scott, it features a main protagonist who's name is similar across multiple books but who is not the exact same character each time. It is a labor of love, and of goofy humor. Other stories in the project include Freelance Saga, Galataea Crystallim, and Origin ARS.

Crystal Throne


D.W. Jackson - 2015
    Thad and his companions must brave the wrath of the scions if they have any hope of saving their land from becoming a desolate waste.