A future archeologist finds the remnants of a mysterious ancient people—us—in a wry satire that is "a marvel of imagination and . . . wonderfully illustrated" (The New York Times). It is the year 4022, and the entire ancient country of Usa has been buried under many feet of detritus from a catastrophe that occurred back in 1985. Howard Carson, an amateur archeologist, is crossing the perimeter of an abandoned excavation site when he feels the ground give way beneath him. Suddenly, he finds himself at the bottom of a shaft, which, judging from the DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging from an archaic doorknob, is clearly the entrance to a still-sealed burial chamber. Carson's incredible discoveries, including the remains of two bodies, one laid to rest on a ceremonial bed facing an altar that appeared to be a means of communicating with the Gods and the other lying in a porcelain sarcophagus in the Inner Chamber. These dramatic... Views: 71
Sultana is a Saudi Arabian princess, a woman born to fabulous, uncountable wealth. She has four mansions on three continents, her own private jet, glittering jewels, designer dresses galore. But in reality she lives in a gilded cage. She has no freedom, no vote, no control over her own life, no value but as a bearer of sons. Hidden behind her black floor-length veil, she is a prisoner, jailed by her father, her husband, her sons, and her country. Sultana is a member of the Saudi royal family, closely related to the king. For the sake of her daughters, she has decided to take the risk of speaking out about the life of women in her country, regardless of their rank. She must hide her identity for fear that the religious leaders in her country would call for her death to punish her honesty. Only a woman in her position could possibly hope to escape from being revealed and punished, despite her cloak of anonymity. She tells of her own life, from her turbulent childhood to her arranged marriage - a happy one until her husband decided to displace her by taking a second wife - and of the lives of her sisters, her friends, and her servants. Although they share affection, confidences and an easy camaraderie within the confines of the women's quarters, they also share a history of appalling oppressions, everyday occurrences that in any other culture would be seen as shocking human rights violations: thirteen-year-old girls forced to marry men five times their age, young women killed by drowning, stoning, or isolation in the "woman's room," a padded, windowless cell where women are confined with neither light nor conversation until death claims them. Servants are forced into sexual servitude and severely beaten if they attempt escape. By speaking out, Sultana risks bringing the wrath of the Saudi establishment upon her head and the heads of her children. In the barren, hopeless wasteland that is the life of Saudi women today, free speech is punishable by death. Views: 71
**
Parsival must take up his sword once more…
“Captivating…” – Associated Press
**
The hero Parsival finds himself thrown back into a world of bloody fights, turmoil and war.
Amidst all this destruction, he and many others continue their search for the illusive myth of the Grail for its magical and holy powers, which will turn the tide of war.
In this second installment of Richard Monaco’s expertly written series, Parsival must do battle with the evil Clinschor, who ultimately threatens destruction and terror for the world.
Will Parsival succeed on his quest to defeat this formidable enemy to all mankind?
And will the war – and the Grail – slip further from his grasp?
Richard Monaco provides a fascinating interpretation of one of the oldest legends in English history. Set in the early medieval period, following the Arthurian tales, Monaco’s fantasy world is deeply rich and gripping.
The Grail War is a thrilling fantasy epic told in the high tradition of Arthurian literature. It is the second book in the Saga of Parsival series.
**
Praise for Richard Monaco:
“Captivating…” – Associated Press
“Epic scope … abounds in the trappings of Arthurian romance…” – * Los Angeles Sunday Times*
“Monaco’s dialogue and meditations are often salty and fresh … a restless, strenuous rumination on civilization’s death and resurrection…” – Kirkus Reviews
“Worth waiting for. Often bawdy and raw, this sequel will please fans of Arthurian tales.” – Publishers Weekly
“Monaco recreates the taste, touch, smell and sound of the knightly world in reality, not romance … he succeeds brilliantly…” – Library Journal
“Monaco presents dark, tormented tales … not for the weak-hearted.” – Fantasy Newsletter
“Richard Monaco has created an unusual slant on the Arthurian Legend. Horror and bloodshed mingle with a soft, imaginative romanticism making an instant classic.” – Salisbury Times
“… unbelievably talented … a literary miracle…” – Drogin Book Column
“… offers a worthy inclusion in the enduring and ever-expanding Arthurian literature.” – King Features Syndicate**
Richard Monaco wrote the best-selling Parsival novels, 1977-2012, two of which were Pulitzer finalists. In addition he wrote over a dozen other books, plays, and screenplays. Monaco studied musical composition at Columbia, edited a national student newspaper and a poetry magazine, and had a radio talk show based on his textbook The Logic of Poetry. In 1979 he co-founded a NYC literary agency and the online journal, Grand Central Review, in 2015.
Venture Press is a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK’s leading independent digital publisher. We are committed to the discovery and rediscovery of immensely talented authors in the SFF genre, and continue to push boundaries in search of great literature. Join us as we venture across universes and unknown landscapes – past, present and future.
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** Views: 70
Barry Gifford's first full-length novel is an unusual, captivating exploration into the life of a single man. Written in the form used by the classic Japanese writer Sei Shonagon in her Pillow Book - short, essayistic stories or tales woven around a central moral - this landscape is the self-portrait of a man, who, often swept away by passion in his youth, approaches his later years with increasing distance and an almost Zen-like tranquility. Views: 69
Now working freelance, Dave Brandstetter digs into an evangelist’s secret lifeHis father’s death left Dave Brandstetter with a hole in his heart and an inheritance in his bank account. The money allowed him to venture out on his own, launching a freelance insurance investigation agency that specializes in suspicious deaths. His first case is potentially explosive, and if he isn’t careful, it could be his last.Crusading evangelist Gerald Dawson believes that piety and violence go hand-in-hand. To clean up his local skid row, he has taken to vigilante justice, ransacking pornography shops and intimidating their owners. When Gerald is found with his neck snapped, the police finger smut peddler Lon Tooker for the crime, but Dave disagrees. As he digs into the holy man’s nighttime activities, he finds a collection of sins that would make even the devil blush.Skinflick is book five in the Dave Brandstetter Mystery series, which also includes Troublemaker and The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of. Views: 69
Provocative, romantic, and restlessly exploratory, Peter Handke is one of the great writers of our time. Slow Homecoming, originally published in the late 1970s, is central to his achievement and to the powerful influence he has exercised on other writers, chief among them W.G. Sebald. A novel of self-questioning and self-discovery, Slow Homecoming is a singular odyssey, an escape from the distractions of the modern world and the unhappy consciousness, a voyage that is fraught and fearful but ultimately restorative, ending on an unexpected note of joy. The book begins in America. Writing with the jarring intensity of his early work, Handke introduces Valentin Sorger, a troubled geologist who has gone to Alaska to lose himself in his work, but now feels drawn back home: on his way to Europe he moves in ominous disorientation through the great cities of America. The second part of the book, "The Lesson of Mont Sainte-Victoire," identifies Sorger as a projection of the author, who now writes directly about his own struggle to reconstitute himself and his art by undertaking a pilgrimage to the great mountain that Cézanne painted again and again. Finally, "Child Story" is a beautifully observed, deeply moving account of a new father - not so much Sorger or the author as a kind of Everyman - and his love for his growing daughter. Views: 69
THE BROOD WILL TAKE YOU BEYOND FEAR, BEYOND TERROR, BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE MIND . . . AND WILL DEVASTATE YOU TOTALLY.
More frightening than the unknown is something you know you can’t control.
Inside some of us, it’s hiding . . . screaming to get out.
If it’s ever unleashed, it will destroy anything that gets in its way.
THE BROOD Views: 69
Pilot Pirx is an astronaut, a fresh-faced physical powerhouse, but no genius. His superiors send him on the most dangerous missions, either because he is expendable, or because they trust his bumbling ability to survive in almost any habitat or dilemma. Follow Pirx now through a world of hyper-technology and super-psychology from his early days as a hopelessly inept cadet soloing with a pair of sex-crazed horseflies… to a farside moon station built by bickering madmen… to a chase through space after a deadly sphere of light… to an encounter with a mossy old robot whose programming has slipped. Views: 69
Robbie is a quiet man, passive and unassuming. He is the sort of man who is taken for granted by the people around him, passed by for promotions and bossed around by his wife. Middle-aged Robbie has never known love, or passion, or power. Oh, in his head he has dreamed his dreams, plotted his plots, planned his revenges, but he know he would never make any of them reality. And then one day he does... Views: 69
Every day in The Village is just like every other. There’s the beach and the theatre, and the tennis court . . . and the mysterious underground chamber where every move is watched. In this sinister wonderland for those who know too much ever to know freedom, the average day is just a trip to the grocer’s, a conversation with a Number . . . and a chance to escape. . . . Views: 69
