Explore Books touches on the future, fantasy and family

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Explore Books in Aspen recommends a tale of a near-future dystopia, a video-game fantasy and a poignant look at life’s meaning.

From the publisher: Los Angeles, 2031: The first spring after the collapse of the United States, peacekeeping troops withdraw from the city, the Jacaranda trees blossom, and the curfew is finally lifted. Ari Waker and her roommate pass the gauntlet of bomb-sniffing dogs, the shanty towns, and the Red Cross tents as they walk across Silverlake to a party. The mood is ecstatic inside the apartment, people drink and dance, a woman wears a silver dress, pleated like tinfoil. And then: A shift. A bewildered twin, an uncanny doppelganger stumbles through the crowd and out into the night, and Kareem, the party’s host, vanishes into thin air.

As Ari Waker unravels the mystery of this inexplicable night, Emily St. John Mandel unfurls a story that takes us from a future America splintered by civil war to the seaside cliffs of Greece where weapons dealers hide in an elegant resort, and from the domed city of Paris to a colony on the moon. An unforgettable literary feat, “Exit Party” is a novel about the price of safety, the perils of the surveillance state, a requiem for a world not unlike our own, and a breathtaking story of resilience in the face of cataclysmic change.

From Amy Floyd,  finance and operations manager: “Exit Party” is a twisty, suspenseful and thought-provoking read about the choices we make at the crossroads and where those paths lead. Similar to other Emily St. John Mandel novels, the story is told non-linearly from multiple vantage points on multiple timelines, but she’s such an adept writer that you stay with her the whole way and can’t stop turning the page. She’s one of my favorite authors – she combines beautiful writing, heady concepts (in this case, alternative universes), social commentary and propulsive storytelling, while still bringing to life fully-realized characters.

From the publisher: The aliens have come, and they’ve transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game–like dungeon. It’s the newest season of the galaxy’s most watched game show, “Dungeon Crawler World.” Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can’t get enough. But the dungeon grows more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with: quests.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time?

From Katrina Nelson, bookseller: This first book of the series has taken over the science/fiction fantasy book scene and I am happy to report that all of the excitement around it is valid. “Dungeon Crawler Carl” has the kind of plot that makes the reader sound crazy when they talk about it to someone who hasn’t read it yet (one main character doesn’t wear pants while another main character is a talking Persian cat who wears a tiara and sunglasses), yet it somehow all makes sense. It’s funny, occasionally quite tragic, but the overall theme is an important one: Our capacity for mercy is what makes us human. Best to be like Carl and fight not to lose it.

From the publisher: A man sits in a cafe, sipping a green juice and watching the world go by. A white butterfly flutters through the air; a calico cat jumps onto a wall; cherry blossom petals fall, softly, to the ground. Life, momentarily, stands still, as our unnamed narrator prepares to visit his terminally ill wife in the hospital, and reminisces on the life they have shared together. 

A prize-winning bestseller in Japan, “Beautiful Distance” is a profoundly affecting and intimate story that looks with honesty and tenderness at the journey toward the end of a life. It explores what family means, how we think about death, and the lasting power of small acts of love.

From Mary Buchanan, bookseller: I had the privilege to read the Advanced Copy before its publication on Sept. 29, and I was moved beyond words. This story follows a young couple’s journey through sickness and loss, which simultaneously breaks your heart while reminding you how precious every moment is in this life. I walked away with a newfound appreciation for the small, mundane moments you have with loved ones, and in the end, they prove to be not small at all.