Back in March of last year somebody suggested Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden Universe® books to me, and I’m very glad they did. Dragon in Exile has just been published, and I’m waiting for it to arrive. Meanwhile, I found Ms. Lee’s Archer’s Beach trilogy. I’m a third of the way through the last book and enjoying it immensely. If you like contemporary fantasy, check them out. The first book is Carousel Tides.

The principal character is Kate, a young woman who has just returned to the small ocean town which bears her family name, Archer’s Beach. Her family has run the carousel in the Fun Park which brings in much of the town’s revenue during the (too-short) Season. Her grandmother has been in charge, but she’s signed over control of the ride to Kate and disappeared.

I think I’m enjoying these more than I usually do contemporary fantasy because the non-humans aren’t thrown in your face as they are in so much of urban fantasy. There are no evil vampires, no dread werewolves. There are complicated Others, but their motivations are as murky as any human’s and thus much more interesting. There’s magic, but it’s not flashy.

Give ’em a shot.