When Ange St Loup is brought unconscious to the madhouse of the Amaranth, she is outlandishly dressed, covered with scorches from the building she burned and bruises from jumping out one of its windows, and her mouth is sewn shut. And that is all she knows. Even as her memory returns to her, and she begins to piece together the puzzle of her life as an actress in the theatre Lady Minerva, every answer only raises further questions, and at the heart of them remain the ones she has no answers for. Answers that might explain what she was doing in an alley, by night, outside a burning building, with her face mutilated and her mind in tatters. Which version of the story is the truth? Is it Ange's own, despite the amnesia that only gives back her past in fragments? Is it the madhouse warders', which paints Ange as a murderer, or the prioress's, which paints her as insane? Is it the one that returns to Ange piecemeal, over time, growing only more sinister as it inches toward completion? Or is the truth something more complex, more dangerous, than anything that Ange can even grasp?

Desideria

Literature & Fiction

Kornher-Stace, Nicole

Contemporary

Prime Books

Kirkus Best YA Science Fiction of 2018 Tor.com Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018 Den of Geek Best Fiction Books of 2018 2018 Locus Recommended Reading List, Best Fantasy Novel
“Near-future science-fiction crimes bleed into dystopian horror centuries later in a wildly imaginative genre-hybrid sequel to Archivist Wasp…Excruciating, cathartic, and triumphant.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Archivist Wasp fans, prepare to be delighted…Teens who enjoy reading extended fight scenes and want immersion in an extraordinary world will enjoy Kornher-Stace’s second act.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Latchkey is a masterful example of sustained tension.” —Den of Geek
“I loved Archivist Wasp, and Latchkey surpasses it in every way.” — Amal El-Mohtar, Hugo-award-winning author and critic
Isabel, once known as Wasp, has become leader of the fearsome upstarts, the teen girl acolytes who are adjusting to a new way of life after the overthrow of the sadistic Catchkeep-priest. They live in an uneasy alliance with the town of Sweetwater—an alliance that will be tested to its limits by the dual threats of ruthless raiders from the Waste and a deadly force from the Before-time that awaits in long-hidden tunnels.
Years ago Isabel befriended a nameless ghost, a supersoldier from the Before-time with incredible powers even after death, and their adventure together in the underworld gave her the strength and knowledge to change the brutal existence of the Catchkeep acolytes for the better. To save Sweetwater, Isabel will have to unlock the secrets of the twisted experimental program from centuries gone by that created the supersoldier and killed his friends: the Latchkey Project.
Latchkey continues the story begun in Kornher-Stace’s widely acclaimed Archivist Wasp, an Andre Norton Award finalist that was selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Teen Books of 2015.
More Praise for Latchkey
“Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Latchkey is a little like retracing a war veteran’s scars with a scalpel and asking, ‘So. Does this hurt more than the original?’ It does, of course. Hurts good, hurts deep, this almost-familiar world that bleeds right into ours, where the only thing fiercer than ferocity is tenderness—though both talk equally as tough…Has there ever been such longing, fueled by such darkness and adrenaline? Has there ever been such satisfaction, and at such a cost?” —C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Bone Swans
“Latchkey shows us the power of community and the worth, greater than diamonds, of courage. Cathartic, feminist, explosively imaginative and masterfully told, Kornher-Stace gives us a second-world fantasy that transports our minds while, time and again, it emotionally arrives.” —Carlos Hernandez, author of Sal and Gabi Break the Universe
“Fierce, blazing, brilliant. The mythic and brutal world of Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Latchkey is so richly realized, you don’t step into it, you fall.” —Jacqueline West, New York Times–bestselling author of The Books of Elsewhere
Cover art by Jacquelin de Leon, jacquelindeleon.com

Latchkey: Book Two of the Archivist Wasp Saga

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction

Mythic Delirium Books

Can an anxious eleven-year-old find her chill and save her family from creepy aliens? Only if she’s the most awesome, super-brave astronaut since Spaceman Spiff! So take a deep breath, grab your sidekick, and blast off with Jillian to Parasite Planet.\nEleven-year-old Jillian hates surprises. Even fun ones make her feel all panicky inside. But, she’s always dreamed of joining her space-explorer parents on a mission. It’s Take Your Kid to Work Day, and Jillian finally has her chance to visit an alien world!\nThe journey to Planet 80 UMa c is supposed to be just a fun camping trip. But then the local wildlife starts acting really dangerous. Only the onboard computer SABRINA sorta knows what's happening―at least when it's not goofing off or telling bad jokes.\nLooks like it's Jillian versus Parasite Planet―and Jillian is determined to win!

Jillian vs Parasite Planet

Children's Books

Tachyon Publications

Lit Hub 21 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward to in 2023 "Set several years before Firebreak (2021), Kornher-Stace''s newest Firebreak tale follows operatives 06 and 22 as 12-year-olds who have escaped from the Stellaxis headquarters, where they have lived and trained since they were orphaned 4 years earlier in the corporate civil war. Besides discovering that they are woefully unprepared for living on their own as they hide in an abandoned shipping container mere blocks from their home, they also learn of the operatives'' merchandise generated by Stellaxis'' marketing department. Not only are their own statistics blatantly exaggerated, they are also described as artificial humans made to be perfect weapons, which is outrageous given their vague memories of childhood before being ''rescued'' by Stellaxis. Relying on dumpster diving, selling recycled cans, and some charity, they struggle to feed themselves while the Director, hiding their escape from the company to protect her job, sabotages their lives with nanobots. This distressing yet delightful prequel explains the history between 06 and 22, cementing the reasoning behind their actions in Firebreak and expanding readers'' understanding of the dystopian, corporate-owned world Kornher-Stace has created." --Booklist "Cyborg Boxcar Children vs. the nanomachines, only make it a character study in possibility, heartache, sacrifice, and friendship. Wonderful." --Max Gladstone, author of Last Exit "In the future, the U.S. has been replaced by two corporations, one of which is Stellaxis, which kidnaps and makes children into supersoldiers. This prequel to Firebreak presents a compelling, heartbreaking origin story for 06 and 22, two of the orphaned, brainwashed, child-soldier superheroes whose plight became the cause ce´le`bre that finally opened a chink in Stellaxis''s carefully constructed, spin-doctored armor. The always rebellious 06 and her stalwart follower 22 run away from their corporate overseers and attempt to blend into the population. It''s a dream that is doomed to fail, but the children are too young to realize it and too selfless to leave each other behind--to a terrible cost, now and in the years to come. Readers who loved Firebreak are going to fall hard for this story, as it adds layers to the buckets of heartbreak, and tears to the already poignant ending of their saga. VERDICT: A terrific entry point into this compelling, corrupt, dystopian world, with a story about the forging of unbreakable bonds set against harrowing adventure, heartrending choices, and traumatic consequences." --Library Journal "Kornher-Stace finds a perfect balance between human childhood and otherworldliness by making us fall for the myth and propaganda surrounding 06 and 22 while also making them deeply human, if only deep down. A burning ember of humanity in the midst of overwhelming propaganda." --Bookish Brew''s Reviews "Kornher-Stace masterfully weaves a deviously creative romp that is somehow both nail-bitingly suspenseful and tenderly cozy, as if the authors of How to Win the Time War had decided to set The Boxcar Children in Snow Crash''s tongue-in-cheek hyper-capitalist dystopia. Flight & Anchor is a stunning achievement, one that hauls on the heartstrings as it tickles the brain with the effervescent prose of a Beat master, sure to bust through even the toughest reading slump--though I definitely expect no less from this must-buy author." --Maria Dong, author of Liar, Dreamer, Thief "We join twelve-year old super-soldier operatives and inseparable BFFs 06 and 22, years before they''ll inspire a people''s rebellion in Firebreak, centuries before their exploits will influence the post-apocalyptic Archivist Wasp. On the lam from the cruel program that created them, they''re capable of astonishing feats of heroism and destruction, but they''re also lost kids who only have each other to rely on. Kornher-Stace''s nail-biting novella, full of Easter eggs for fans of her expanding universe, keeps us grounded in stakes that are both world-shattering and movingly human." --Mike Allen, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Aftermath of an Industrial Accident "Nicole Kornher-Stace''s Flight & Anchor pulls you along with the speed of a dystopian freight train. Taking the weaponized childhoods of kids like Ender and blending in a touch of Hanna-style rebellion against the mother organization, Kornher-Stace draws you into a story not only of survival but of calculated surrender to drive the best possible outcome." --Kimberly Unger, author of Nucleation "Nicole Kornher-Stace deftly--exquisitely--balances the lightness of classic runaway-child books (Boxcar Children! From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler!) with the savagery of survival-in-the-wilderness books (Hatchet! Robinson Crusoe!) to entertaining and harrowing effect." --C. S. E. Cooney, author of Saint Death''s Daughter 5/5 stars "Overall, Flight & Anchor is a great addition to the Firebreak universe. If you loved the first novel like I did, you will surely love this one as well." --Enthralled Bookworm 5/5 stars. "This novella does a lot of unexpected heavy lifting for the backstories of 06 and 22 (as seen in Nicole''s other works such as Firebreak) and I''ll just say it now: it was a delight." --Bradley Horner''s Book Reviews Praise for Firebreak "A fight song in praise of fierce friendship and the strength to endure." --Amal El-Mohtar, author of This is How You Lose the Time War "A steadfast heroine stands up against a tyrannical corporation in this vivid work of dystopian sci-fi. . . . The effortlessly detailed worldbuilding is captivating." --Publishers Weekly "[Firebreak] is a fire that does what literary fires do best: spits rage, radiates the warmth of compassion, and fans the flame of revolution." --C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Bone Swans: Stories

Flight & Anchor: A Firebreak Story

Genre Fiction

Norton Award finalist YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2016 Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2015 Book Riot Best of 2015 Buzzfeed 32 Best Fantasy Novels of 2015 ABC Best Books for Young Readers Los Angeles Times Summer Reading Locus Recommended Reading Wasp's job is simple. Hunt ghosts. And every year she has to fight to remain Archivist. Desperate and alone, she strikes a bargain with the ghost of a supersoldier. She will go with him on his underworld hunt for the long-long ghost of his partner and in exchange she will find out more about his pre-apocalyptic world than any Archivist before her. And there is much to know. After all, Archivists are marked from birth to do the holy work of a goddess. They're chosen. They're special. Or so they've been told for four hundred years. Archivist Wasp fears she is not the chosen one, that she won't survive the trip to the underworld, that the brutal life she has escaped might be better than where she is going. There is only one way to find out. Praise for Archivist Wasp: "Archivist Wasp is a gorgeous and complex book, featuring a deadly girl who traverses an equally deadly landscape. Wasp won me over, and she's sure to find fans among teens and grown-ups alike." Phoebe North, author of Starglass "A tremendously inventive and smart novel. Archivist Wasp is like Kafka by way of Holly Black and Shirley Jackson, but completely original. Highly recommended." Jeff VanderMeer, author of the Southern Reach trilogy "A gorgeous, disturbing, compelling book with a smart, complicated heroine who bestrides her post-apocalyptic world like a bewildered force of nature. Reading it was a wild ride and a thoroughly satisfying one." Delia Sherman, author of The Freedom Maze "One of the most revelatory and sublime books I've ever read, Archivist Wasp is a must-read for fans of post-apocalyptic fiction. Kornher-Stace is a genius, and I can't wait to see what she does next!" Tiffany Trent, author of The Unnaturalists "Brutal post-apocalypse meets sci-fi techno-thriller meets a ghost story for the ages in this astonishingly original novel from Nicole Kornher-Stace. You've never read anything like Archivist Wasp, but once you have you'll be clamoring for more." Mike Allen, author of Unseaming Sharp as a blade and mythically resonant, Archivist Wasp is a post-apocalyptic ghost story unlike anything else I’ve read. Trust me, you want this book.” Karina Sumner-Smith, author of Radiant Archivist Wasp turns destiny on its head, and it re-invents the world you know to do it. Strong. Fast. Addictive.” Darin Bradley, author of Noise Goes off like a firecracker in the brain: the haunted landscape, the sure-footed, blistering prose and, of course, the heroine herself, the most excellent Archivist Wasp.” Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble Praise for Nicole Kornher-Stace: "In richly textured, atmospheric prose, Kornher-Stace delivers a spellbinding tale of deception, betrayal, and the darker possibilities of playacting."Booklist "Mesmerizing from the first page and once you get into its flow, a page turner to boot."Fantasy Book Critic "Absorbing, exciting, intellectually fascinating, emotionally true, and well-crafted, bobbles and all."Ideomancer

Archivist Wasp: a novel

Big Mouth House

Firebreak

One young woman faces down an all-powerful corporation in this all-too-near future science fiction debut that reads like a refreshing take on Ready Player One, with a heavy dose of Black Mirror. Ready Player One meets Cyberpunk 2077 in this eerily familiar future. "Twenty minutes to power curfew, and my kill counter's stalled at eight hundred eighty-seven while I've been standing here like an idiot. My health bar is flashing ominously, but I'm down to four heal patches, and I have to be smart." New Liberty City, 2134. Two corporations have replaced the US, splitting the country's remaining forty-five states (five have been submerged under the ocean) between them: Stellaxis Innovations and Greenleaf. There are nine supercities within the continental US, and New Liberty City is the only amalgamated city split between the two megacorps, and thus at a perpetual state of civil war as the feeds broadcast the atrocities committed by each side. Here, Mallory streams Stellaxis's wargame SecOps on BestLife, spending more time jacked in than in the world just to eke out a hardscrabble living from tips. When a chance encounter with one of the game's rare super-soldiers leads to a side job for Mal--looking to link an actual missing girl to one of the SecOps characters. Mal's sudden burst in online fame rivals her deepening fear of what she is uncovering about BestLife's developer, and puts her in the kind of danger she's only experienced through her avatar. Author Kornher-Stace's adult science fiction debut--Firebreak-- is loaded with ambitious challenges and a city to save.

S&S/Saga Press

One young woman faces down an all-powerful corporation in this "profound...resonant" (NPR), all-too-near future science fiction debut that reads like a refreshing take on Ready Player One, with a heavy dose of Black Mirror. Ready Player One meets Cyperpunk 2077 in this eerily familiar future. "Twenty minutes to power curfew, and my kill counter's stalled at eight hundred eighty-seven while I've been standing here like an idiot. My health bar is flashing ominously, but I'm down to four heal patches, and I have to be smart." New Liberty City, 2134. Two corporations have replaced the US, splitting the country's remaining forty-five states (five have been submerged under the ocean) between them: Stellaxis Innovations and Greenleaf. There are nine supercities within the continental US, and New Liberty City is the only amalgamated city split between the two megacorps, and thus at a perpetual state of civil war as the feeds broadcast the atrocities committed by each side. Here, Mallory streams Stellaxis's wargame, SecOps on BestLife, spending more time jacked in than in the world just to eke out a hardscrabble living from tips. When a chance encounter with one of the game's rare super-soldiers leads to a side job for Mal--looking to link an actual missing girl to one of the SecOps characters. Mal's sudden burst in online fame rivals her deepening fear of what she is uncovering about BestLife's developer, and puts her in the kind of danger she's only experienced through her avatar. Author Kornher-Stace's adult science fiction debut--Firebreak--is a "fight song in praise of fierce friendship and the strength to endure" (Amal El-Mohtar, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of This Is How You Lose the Time War) loaded with ambitious challenges and a city to save.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kornher-Stace, Nicole. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kornher-Stace, Nicole

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kornher-Stace, Nicole. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Desideria

Latchkey: Book Two of the Archivist Wasp Saga

Jillian vs Parasite Planet

Flight & Anchor: A Firebreak Story

Archivist Wasp: a novel

Firebreak

Firebreak