Although Colton and his forces have been winning battles, scattered forces still resist. Only now is the most powerful threat emerging—the Darkening, a physical emptiness, a void, which encroaches upon the very heart of the land, jeopardizing life itself, chilling souls to the bone, bringing death and annihilation, stealing memories and thoughts. As the Twins prepare for their quest, desperate stratagems are undertaken and magical talismans change hands but the foundation of faith and society is threatened as some Lalas trees have died and the sacred bond between the surviving trees and the Chosen companions comes into question. Colton sends three abominations to the three Elfin kingdoms, exact replicas of the Elfin sons of the royal families, the children that they love and yearn for. Catastrophe and murder ensue and the stability of the world is further undermined. Doubts continue to arise and faith is in jeopardy. The Darkening becomes frightfully powerful and none yet understand it. But, another new tree is born in Parth and Davmiran receives the 11th shard and it bursts with a powerful light that illuminates the skies once again, offering a spark of hope to all the suffering souls. "Gary Wassner's GemQuest series is one of the great, hidden jewels of contemporary fantasy... His books have an intelligence and thoughtfulness many readers have long since accepted as a missing element... As the story progresses, the layers...are pulled back to reveal something more thought-provoking and philosophical in nature than one might expect from the typical Epic Fantasy... It is always nice to see an accomplished storyteller grow in skill as their catalogue grows. With THE REVENGE OF THE ELVES, Gary has taken his writing to the next level."--Robert H. Bedford, Reviewer SFFWorld.comReview""Gary Wassner's GemQuest series is one of the great, hidden jewels of contemporary fantasy... His books have an intelligence and thoughtfulness many readers have long since accepted as a missing element."" --Robert H. Bedford, SFFWorld Official Reviewer I suggest this series to readers of any age who are a fan of Tolken, Robert Jordan, and other epic fantasy series. You will not be dissapointed. Wassner has proven, and continues to prove, his mettle. --Dagny Taggert, Worm's Sci Fi Haven About the AuthorGary Wassner is the author of the GemQuest series of books. He lives with his family in New York. Views: 50
THE MYSTERY OF THE MEMORIAL DAY FIRE Trixie ran toward the Manor House. When she got there, she saw the front door open and two figures appear on the top step. "Jim! Honey!” she cried, pointing to the stable. "Get the police! Get the fire department! Hurry!” Trixie didn’t wait any longer. She needed help, and now she had it. She ran back into the burning stable... ISBN 0307-21558-X Cover by Jody Lee Views: 50
Jules Teehlan’s job is specific but not necessarily simple. Keep the pack mate of the Manhattan Maen werewolf leader safe. That’s it. But becoming overly familiar with Bg Sommers, the pack mate in question, means Jules is going to get more than the riot act. It mean’s a scarring that goes beyond the physical and borders on breaking an assumed trust. For him and another werewolf. Views: 50
Fidelity is the sixth installment in a twenty-six book series following the lives of Jamie Evans and Ryan O'Flaherty. Jamie, Ryan, their friends, families and the times they live in are chronicled in the series, which was created for the reader who hates to have a book end just when it's getting good. In Fidelity, the new lovers are forced to determine if absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Jamie's headed to Rhode Island to back-up her vow to spend more time with her mother, and Ryan's going to Santa Cruz to prepare for the upcoming volleyball season. A week isn't a long time when it's measured against a lifetime commitment, but in the "can't breathe without you" stage of their nascent relationship they view their separation with a mixture of dread and resignation. One person who's very happy to have the couple separated is Jamie's father. He takes the opportunity to make his objections to their bond more than clear-in his usual manipulative way. Views: 50
Colorado rancher and tribal investigator Charlie Moon is taking a night off to play some poker with his best friend, Scott Parris, Granite Creek's chief of police, when Scott's dispatcher cuts in with an emergency call. It seems a man was on the phone with his wife when their call was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream and the most gruesome noises he'd ever heard. Would they mind checking it out? Arriving on scene, they discover that the man's wife, one of three daughters of a wealthy and powerful rancher, has been mauled beyond recognition. Even after her two sisters—-one of whom is a popular TV psychic who on that very night's show reported "seeing" the real-time murder of one of her fans—-turn up at the DA's office, demanding answers, the smart money and forensic experts are still laying blame on a hungry bear. But once the wheels of justice are turning and the ratings for Cassandra Sees are going through the roof,... Views: 50
Maria Galante and Imo Glass are on assignment in Afghanistan: outgoing Imo to interview girls who have attempted suicide to avoid forced marriage to older men; and shy, perfectionist Maria to photograph them. But in a culture in which women shroud their faces and suicide is a grave taboo, to photograph these women puts everyone in danger. Before the assignment is over, Maria is forced to decide if it's more important to succeed at her work —and please Imo—or to follow her own moral compass. The End of Manners is a story of friendship and loyalty, of the transformative power of journeying outside oneself into the wider world.**From Publishers WeeklyIn Marciano's brisk third novel (after Rules of the Wild and Casa Rossa), an unlikely pair of women are dispatched to war-torn Afghanistan circa 2004 to report a story about young Afghan women attempting suicide rather than entering into arranged marriages. Imo Glass is a flamboyant magazine writer who wants the story no matter what societal taboos she tramples. Maria Galante, an award-winning but emotionally withdrawn photojournalist, has forsaken dangerous assignments to take pictures of fancy food for fancy magazines, until her agent persuades her to take this job. With a fluid mix of gritty irony and palpable fear, Marciano's evocation of landscape and environment brilliantly captures a devastated Kabul, a messy war and the soulless arms dealers and cold-blooded mercenaries drawn to the fractured nation by the lure of money. Equally intense is her compassionate depiction of a culture where taking photos of women is forbidden and religious doctrine dictates the way of life in a world of a far greater insanity than Maria, for one, had envisioned. This work of fiction, rooted in harsh reality, tackles moral complexities with powerful self-assurance. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review“Marciano writes richly. . . . Transports the reader to a foreign world rendered with empathy.” —The Denver Post “Francesca Marciano writes movingly, brilliantly of the moral disturbances between men and women, country and country, wartime and peace, memory and history, and of two particular women who experience the violence at the heart of things and yet refuse to be used or to use others. A remarkable book.” —Susanna Moore, author of In the Cut “Marciano has an ear for the connections forged between human beings in dire situations.” —The Washington Post “Marciano gives her readers a few lessons in cultural sensitivity, but the liveliness and wit of her characters ensure that the training is quite palatable.” —The New York Times Book Review “In Marciano’s brisk third novel, an unlikely pair of women are dispatched to war-torn Afghanistan circa 2004 to report a story about young women attempting suicide rather than entering into arranged marriages. . . . With a fluid mix of gritty irony and palpable fear, Marciano’s evocation of landscape and environment brilliantly captures a devastated Kabul, a messy war and the soulless arms dealers and cold-blooded mercenaries drawn to the fractured nation by the lure of money. Equally intense is her compassionate depiction of a culture where taking photos of women is forbidden and religious doctrine dictates the way of life in ‘a world of a far greater insanity’ than Maria [the narrator] had envisioned. This work of fiction, rooted in harsh reality, tackles moral complexities with powerful self-assurance.”—Publishers Weekly “The narrator of Marciano’s contemporary novel is an Italian photojournalist, [Maria Galante, whose] agent persuades her to go to Afghanistan with Imo Glass, a flamboyant London-based journalist, to do a story on Afghan women who attempt suicide in order to avoid arranged marriages. Together dealing with the unending problems of language, cultural differences, unreliable transportation, and security issues, Maria and Imo enter into a friendship that heals [Maria] in many ways, and Maria leaves Afghanistan with an appreciation for the country, a true sympathy for its citizens, and the realization that this experience has made her grow. Writing with grace and heartfelt emotion, Marciano, both a novelist and an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, is a born storyteller. Her engaging work is strongly recommended for all libraries. —Lisa Rohrbaugh, Library Journal “Marciano explores the fractured political landscape of contemporary war-torn Kabul. Two women–Maria, a photographer and also the narrator, and Imo, a freelance writer–go on a mission to Afghanistan to chronicle one of the unforeseen consequences of war: women who are forced into marriages and who have dealt with this social tradition by attempting to kill themselves. . . . Imo is at first the hard-as-nails reporter willing to go to any length to get her story, while Maria is more timid and dewy-eyed. After a disquieting journey to the fierce countryside outside of Kabul, however, both women get into a frightening situation that threatens to spin out of control. This allows Maria to show her strength while Imo’s toughness [is] shown to be a mask covering a more vulnerable self. . . . A novel at once both sensuous and terrifying.”—Kirkus Reviews “Thrilling . . . Stunning . . . A captivating story of a mismatched pair of women journalists covering what they soon realize is an impossible assignment in a place most Westerners visit only through the morning headlines and the evening news. . . . A poignant depiction of Afghanistan . . . The beauty of the novel is in how easily and readily readers are caught up wanting the heroine, [Maria,] to be braver, before realizing that they also would not be braver. . . . By making Maria real in this way, Francesca Marciano also makes Afghanistan real. [An] up close and personal look at Afghanistan.”—Kristin Grabarek, armchairinterviews.com “Rich and real, The End of Manners transports us into the worlds of Afghanistan and journalism with women who are navigating life’s complexities (both geo-political and personal) with courage and humor. A timely novel that offers refreshing–and long overdue–perspectives.”—Holly Morris, director/writer, and host of PBS’s “Adventure Divas” and author of Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine “A tender and illuminating story of friendship and encounter, and a reminder of the joys and heartache of discovering the dark beauty that is Afghanistan.”—Jason Elliot, author of An Unexpected Light “Humane, moving, and rich with insight, The End of Manners shines with the exotic brilliance of a saffron sky. A novel full of wonders.”—Dan Fesperman, author of The Amateur Spy Views: 50
Enthusiasts call Harry Gysel a psychic. To others he is a fraud, a meddler in the occult. When he appears to predict the death of a woman in the audience of one of his shows and that woman is subsequently found murdered, Harry becomes an instant celebrity. But Chief Inspector Morgan isn't so easily convinced. Views: 50
Rosabella Traherne is wealthy, thanks to her Nabob uncle. Wary of fortune-hunters in Harrogate she goes to Bath incognito, hoping to find a man who will love her for herself. Lord Dorney is impressed by Bella's spirited defense of the helpless, but when he discovers her deception, he turns away. Following him to London, Bella finds herself in trouble with the ton and her enemies… Regency Romance by Sally James writing as Marina Oliver; originally published by Robert Hale [UK] Views: 50
