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Stories of human survival in a post apocalyptic setting are not unfamiliar, but when finely crafted and well written, they can be fresh, thought provoking, and lovingly bleak. The inevitable comparison to Cormac McCarthy's The Road aside, Far North is a captivating tale of perseverance and survival. Set in the far northern section of Siberia after civilization is decimated by a global warming disaster and nuclear contamination, Makepeace Hatfield is the sole survivor of her settlement. She lives a solitary life spent patrolling an empty town with her precious guns and horse. After seeing an airplane crash, Makepeace realizes there must be some advanced civilization left in the world and sets out to find it. Her quest is filled with loneliness, desolation and hardship, much like the barren wastelands and empty cities through which she travels. Though the world she lives in is fraught with violence and fear, Makepeace is a woman of exceptional strength and the driving force of this novel.

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Submitted by Dan@Central

The Hunger Games is set in Panem, a future North America. This nation is ruled by The Capitol (which seems to be in the Denver area) and surrounded by 12 districts. An annual competition called The Hunger Games is held, in which one girl and one boy from each District competes in a fight to the death, which is televised night and day during the competition. When 16 year old Katniss Everdeen's little sister is chosen for the games she steps forward to take her place; Katniss does this knowing that she is probably going to die.

When another librarian described this as a cross between The Running Man and The Lord of Flies I finally checked it out. I wish I wouldn't have waited so long...I couldn't put it down. If you want to continue the story, it is a trilogy; the second book is Catching Fire and Mockingjay, book three, comes out August 24th.

Submitted by Jacki @ MPL Central

Gail Carriger's debut novels Soulless and Changeless (check catalog for availability) were so much fun that I had to go out right away and get the second one to read before I even finished the first. Both novels are in Carriger's The Parasol Protectorate series. Set in a parallel Victorian steampunk England where vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and other creatures are contributing members of society, Carriger's main character has to navigate not only the dangers of the supernatural set but also the murky depths of high society.

Alexia Tarabotti has to contend both with the discomfort of being half-Italian in English Victorian society, as well as concealing the fact that she is preternatural. Preternaturals are not well known either among the ton or the supernatural set and can revert a supernatural back to their human state simply by touching them. Alexia deals with the supernaturals in a way that befits her station and refuses to tolerate rudeness or impropriety.

In Soulless, after Alexia accidentally kills a vampire, she must join forces with Lord Conall Maccon who happens to not only be an earl but is also the Alpha werewolf of London's werewolf pack. Alexia finds Lord Maccon to be rude and forward but is strangely attracted to him. For his part, Lord Maccon finds Alexia to be headstrong and frustrating. Together they must overcome their personality conflicts to determine why some vampires are disappearing and new ones are appearing.

In Changeless Alexia (now Lady Maccon) must once again team up with her now-husband Lord Maccon. As Alexia tries to adjust to her new relationship to Conall, the supernatural population of London is afflicted by a plague of mortality. Because of her abilities as a preternatural Alexia is, of course, blamed for the unfortunate incident. At Queen Victoria's request she looks into the incident only to find that its cause may be tied to her husband's past.

These two books were great fun and a great summer read. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion, and am eagerly awaiting the third installment in the series.

Submitted by Rose @ MPL Central.

In the Stormy Red Sky (check catalog for availability) is the seventh installment of David Drake's Republic of Cinnabar Navy (RCN) series. David Drake is one of my favorite authors, mainly for his ability to slip effortlessly between the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres.

His Republic Of Cinnabar Navy series is a true space opera, complete with large space battles reminiscent of the naval battles of the 19th century. Beyond the well-crafted action sequences, the plot moves along at a fast clip.

Drake's character development is exquisite. I got hooked on the series with the first book because the main character was a librarian. Adele Mundy is my kind of female protagonist. She is extremely intelligent, practical, efficient, and ruthless in pursuit of her goals and the goals of Daniel Leary, her close friend and captain (in this book). While Adele started out as a librarian she is now one of the most accomplished spies in the Republic of Cinnabar.

The story unfolds mainly from Adele's point of view. The captain and crew of the RCN's newest ship are tasked with transporting a new ambassador to a star cluster that is allied to Cinnabar. When they arrive at their destination they realize that the new ruler of this area is not especially stable. They also learn that the Alliance of Free Stars' navy has just won a major battle and has succeeded in taking over one of Cinnabar's star systems.

Adele and Daniel must somehow return to Cinnabar space in one piece both physically and politically. This is a fun novel that is reminiscent of Horatio Hornblower. It is the seventh in the series, and while it can be read alone I would recommend at least reading the first book in the series With the Lightnings (check catalog for availability) in order to get a handle on the main characters' history with each other.

Submitted by Rose @ MPL Central.

After fifteen year old Liz takes a journey on the SS Nile she arrives at Elsewhere, the "place" where people go after they die. Her first task while in Elsewhere is to go to Binoculars #219 and watch her own funeral as it takes place down on Earth. She absolutely hates her new "life" and cannot let go of her former life, so she goes to the Binoculars everyday to watch her family and friends as they live out their daily lives. However, Liz has new responsibilities now that she is dead. Even though she is only teenager, she needs to get a job, earn money, learn to drive a car, and make new friends. Full of happiness and sadness, Zevin writes a sweet story about accepting the lot you are given and truly loving those around you. Check catalog for availability.

Submitted by Paula @ Central

It is snowing in Rome the night that four kids, brought together by fate, discover they were all born on February twenty-ninth, Leap Day. Later that night they run into a man who tells them "You know. You all know! It's begun! They know. And they're coming!", and insists the kids take his briefcase. The clues inside send them all over Rome in search of "The Ring of Fire", while a man who kills with his violin goes all over Rome looking for the kids and the briefcase. What is the Ring of Fire? How does it work? And who will find it first? Ring of Fire is the first book in a series of four which will have the kids traveling to four different cities all over the world. The second book, Century #2: Star of Stone, will be available September 28, 2010.

Submitted by Alison @ MPL Central