Central Skagit Library District

"An exuberantly realized, exciting, and sweet-natured cyber-quest. Cline's imaginative and rollicking coming-of-age geek saga has a smash-hit vibe."--Booklist, starred review "Ready Player One takes place in the not-so-distant future--the world has turned into a very bleak place, but luckily there is OASIS, a virtual reality world that is a vast online utopia. People can plug into OASIS to play, go to school, earn money, and even meet other people...

One of The Atlantic's Great American Novels

"One of the greats. . . . Not just a science fiction writer; a literary icon." —Stephen King

"Engrossing. . . . [Le Guin] is a philosopher; an explorer in the landscape of the mind." —Cincinnati Enquirer

Ursula K. Le Guin's Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award–winning classic, a profound and thoughtful

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"Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery,...

Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, conjoined twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a goal: to turn the world into their vision of utopia. No wars, no conflict, no hunger. And no free will. Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens, code name BZRK, who are fighting to protect the right to be messed up, to be human. This is no ordinary war, though.

Glenn foretells of a united world government led by a world leader who becomes envisioned is the Messiah in Judaism, the second coming or resurrection in Christianity and Islam, and would have a place of reverence in many other religions, and respect among the nonreligious. Within this book, he seeks to establish inner and outer peace, love, happiness, and joy. Utilizing his inspired value system and beliefs, he shares his views on religion, government,...

Walter Mosley is one of America's bestselling novelists, known for his critically acclaimed series of mysteries featuring private investigator Easy Rawlins. His writing is hard-hitting, often limned with a political subtext-aimed at a broad audience. When Mosley was working on a doctorate in political theory, he envisioned himself writing very different kinds of books from the ones he writes now. But once you've been tagged as a novelist, and in Mosley's...

Across more than four decades, the conflict between the national government and Muslim liberation forces in the southern Philippines has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Two landmark agreements under the presidency of Benigno S. Aquino III-the first in 2012 and the second in 2014-raised high hopes that peace might finally be on the way. But the peace process stalled, and has yet to regain momentum, after a botched counterterrorism...

This early work by William Morris was originally published in 1899 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. William Morris was born in London, England in 1834. Arguably best known as a textile designer, he founded a design partnership which deeply influenced the decoration of churches and homes during the early 20th century. However, he is also considered an important Romantic writer and pioneer of the modern fantasy...

For the decade that followed the end of the cold war, the world was lulled into a sense that a consumerist, globalized, peaceful future beckoned. The beginning of the twenty-first century has rudely disposed of such ideas-most obviously through 9/11and its aftermath. But, just as damaging has been the rise in the West of a belief that a single model of political behavior will become a worldwide norm and that, if necessary, it will be enforced at gunpoint. In...

Published in 1872, this scathingly satirical utopian novel follows the exploits of a young traveler who finds himself in a strange and remote country where bizarre customs are the rule. Based on Butler's experiences in New Zealand, and influenced by his reading of Darwin, Erewhon is also notable for its early depiction of machine intelligence.