The nominees for this year’s Nebula Awards have been revealed, and we’ve collected free samples of all the nominees below–the best science fiction books of 2012.
Many of these stories are available to read for free online. These are marked “COMPLETE” among the links. Here’s more about the awards:
The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. Founded as the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1965 by Damon Knight, the organization began with a charter membership of 78 writers; it now has over 1,500 members, among them many of the leading writers of science fiction and fantasy.
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Publisher: Greenwillow Books (April 27, 2010)
Hardcover: 304 Pages
Series: Mistwood #1
Genre: YA Fantasy (Shifter)
Leah Cypess's Website |
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From Goodreads. The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.
Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.
Review by Kate
MISTWOOD, by Leah Cypess, takes you far away on a fantastical journey of intrigue with a hint of the supernatural. Isabel is the coveted Shifter, bound to help the king whenever the kingdom is threatened, but the only problem is that Isabel does not remember her previous time as Shifter and why she left the kingdom all those years ago. Cypess creates a world where loyalties are challenged and the threat against a prince is lurking around every corner with only the Shifter to protect him.
I had this book on my shelf for a while and after reading it, I deeply regret not getting to it sooner. I was thrust into Isabel's world without a shred of back story about her or the Mistwood. At first I was quite frustrated but I think that was the intent. The reader follows along and only knows just as much as Isabel does in her journey of self-discovery, which I think has an added element of anticipation for the reader.
I enjoyed learning about the characters in this book. I loved when Isabel was able to shift, the lore of Cypess's Shifter was really intriguing to read. As each new character was introduced, my mind added another person to be wary of, just as Isabel was. With her memory loss, she did not know who to trust within the castle except for Rokan, and there were times when I didn't even trust him.
Overall, this is a really great fantasy book, fans of the genre will want to pick this one up!
