Gaslight Arcanum: Uncanny Tales of Sherlock HolmesLong buried and hidden from prying eyes are the twilight tales of the living and the dead - and those that are neither. The stink of a Paris morgue, the curve of a devil’s footprint, forbidden pages torn from an infernal tome, madness in a dead woman’s stare, a lost voice from beneath the waves and the cold indifference of an insect’s feeding all hold cryptic clues. From the comfort of the Seine to the chill blast of arctic winds, from candlelit monasteries to the callous and uncaring streets of Las Vegas are found arcane stories of men, monsters and their evil. Twelve new tales of the bizarre, the uncanny and the arcane.Contents"The Comfort of the Seine" by Stephen Volk"The Adventure of Lucifer’s Footprints" by Christopher Fowler"The Deadly Sin of Sherlock Holmes" by Tom English"The Colour that Came to Chiswick" by William Meikle"A Country Death" by Simon K. Unsworth"From the Tree of Time" by Fred Saberhagen"Sherlock Holmes and the Diving Bell" by Simon Clark"The Executioner" by Lawrence C. Connolly"Sherlock Holmes and the Great Game" by Kevin Cockle"The Greatest Mystery" by Paul Kane"The House of Blood" by Tony Richards"The Adventure of the Six Maledictions" by Kim Newman Views: 544
A young prince of Wessex is captured by Viking raiders. He and his friends manage to escape captivity in Denmark, and begin an epic journey to Norway and then Sweden. The rest of the story is loosely based on the Primary Russian Chronicles. There, they join a Viking expedition to conquer Novgorod, and, within a year, they travel down the mighty Dnieper river to settle in Kiev.Ambrose, Prince of Wessex; Trader of Kiev, is a story set during the time of the Viking invasions of Europe and Russia. The story chronicles the life of Ambrose, a bastard Saxon Prince of England, and elder brother to Alfred the Great. Ambrose and his companion, Phillip, are caught and enslaved during a Viking raid on his homeland. They are taken to Frisia and then to Denmark, where they meet a Byzantine slave, Polonius. Ambrose and Polonius are fortunate enough to have kind masters, but Phillip is first abused and then condemned to a terrible death. In order to save the life of his faithful companion, Ambrose must flee both his master and his first love. The three escaped slaves flee north by boat to Norway, where they land and recover from their arduous journey. Before the snow closes the high passes, however, they trek overland to Sweden and the land of the Rus. A letter from Ambrose's former master assures a surprising welcome there, but they must once again flee when pursuing Danish ships make port. Sneaking away in the night, they manage to join an expedition of Rus tribesmen who are on their way to take over the Slav city of Novgorod. The three comrades build a trading post there, appoint a factor, and then take the opportunity to move south with another expedition sailing down the Dnieper River with the intention of colonizing the Slav town of Kiev. On the main trade route to the Byzantine empire, the Viking conquerors of Kiev start to organize both Vikings and Slavs into a federation of tribesmen. The area, just north of the open steppes, is terribly vulnerable to attacks from powerful nomad tribes that roam the steppes to the east and the south. After settling in Kiev, Polonius marries Kuralla, the Slav chief's daughter whom Ambrose saved from a terrible death. Kiev is perfectly suited to control the trade from the north to the fabled city of Constantinople, and the friends work hard to establish a secure base for their Swedish sponsor, Gunnar of the Rus. Within a year of arriving, the new settlers find themselves fighting the Pechenegs, a fierce Steppe nation that is, itself, being forced from its traditional territory. Thanks to the mobility offered by the Viking ships, the Slav and Viking allies are able to hold back the savage raiders. Polonius acts as a military advisor, and his ideas allow the Vikings to attack the Pechenegs at their most vulnerable point. With their cavalry decimated by the stubborn river people and their own enemies catching up to them, the Pechenegs flee across the Dnieper and move west. With the Rus leaders now firmly in control of Kiev and much of the Dnieper River Valley, the dead are buried and reconstruction begins. The Rus have come to stay, and, after long and exciting travels, Ambrose, Phillip and Polonius have found an adopted home. Views: 544
A short story by the New York Times Bestselling Author, Gregg Olsen.Things are bad enough when the Holy Order's high priest has a vision compelling him to revive long-dormant public fears of witchcraft and devils. When the ancient sect shakes off its millennium of decline to start burning and beheading people, with full support from the government's new self-proclaimed autocrat, a veritable reign of terror unfolds. The inevitable resistance isn't far behind.Oppressed genetic aberrations historically known as wizards and sorceresses find themselves in the odd position of having a choice: worship the Maker and kill anyone who doesn't, or reject the Maker and die in a cleansing fire.With their continent buckling under the weight of political and religious upheaval, the small core of a fledgling rebellion must guard against annihilation before many of the reluctant participants even fully understand why they fight."Ascendancy" is book one of the Maker's Eye trilogy. Views: 544
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date.
After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn't interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend's burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles's friend, Will Darcy, who's snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn't seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it's because her family doesn't have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk - so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway? Views: 544
It is 1972. A group of teenage girls are sent to the Donegal Gaeltacht to improve their Irish and experience the local culture. Liberated for the first time from the reins of parental control, they respond to the untamed landscape of river, hill and sea, finding in it unnerving echoes of their own submerged – and now emerging – wildnesses. Praise for The Dancers Dancing 'Éilís Ní Dhuibhne in The Dancers Dancing has produced one of the most compelling and understated exercises in the female Bildungsroman.' Declan Kiberd 'With a delicate touch not unlike Arundhati Roy's in The God of Small Things, Ní Dhuibhne sneaks under the ill-fitting skin of her metamorphosing Derry and Dublin cast. Their stories unravel in shifting voices with all the wisdom and perspective of an omniscient narrator.' Sunday Business Post 'Ní Dhuibhne's writing is marvellous, building layers of impression until a complex, vital and true-false picture of liberation is revealed.' Irish Times 'Her... Views: 544
When young Code falls down a hole while following a mysterious robotic insect, he lands in a world that defies all imagination. Everything in Mekhos is made from metal and circuitry, including the citizens-who happen to be robots. To find his way home, Code must first cross Mekhos's bizarre and dangerous landscape to reach the Beam Stalk. There, an artifact known as the Robonomicon is being guarded by an evil ruler who has plans to destroy Mekhos. Can Code free the Robonomicon, save the robots of Mekhos from impending doom, and still get himself back to Earth in time to catch the school bus? With its dazzling array of robots and futuristic gadgetry, this rollicking story will hold special appeal for boys and budding sci-fi lovers everywhere. Views: 544
Coming from a poor family Toby endures victimization from the other kids in school. At only 9 years old, Toby has plans to prove these kids wrong. Toby learns that you're not the job you do, you're not how much you have in your wallet and that you're only one thing…. part of this world and that makes us all equal.Coming from a poor family Toby endures victimization from the other kids in school. At only 9 years old, Toby has plans to prove these kids wrong. Toby learns that you're not the job you do, you're not how much you have in your wallet and that you're only one thing…. part of this world and that makes us all equal. With this strong believe, Toby shows us all what he is capable of and that strength comes from your heart. “A heart-warming quick read, that you can't put down”About the AuthorGareth Parker - educated at a military boarding school, always telling stories and with a proved vivid imagination finally decided to put pen to paper to create thrilling short stories for eBook readers. Parker - now enjoying the Welsh life in Cardiff works for a blue-chip company, even though he's always on the go spends his spare time enduring creativity for others to enjoy. Views: 544
The October issue of Literary Lunes Magazine features a special Behind the Scenes look into Kristin Battestella's series The Vampire Family & Fate & Fangs. It also features stories written by S. Patrick Pothier, and Steven Bergeron, Poetry by Jamie and Martin Danzer, book reviews by Carrie Sund & Mind Fog Reviews.Feisty female-wrestler Kate beats Nick into a pulp. Gazing up at her sweat-soaked skin, red face, and narrowed eyes, something entirely unexpected happens… He falls in love. So begins a whirlwind romance, set in the romantic utopia of the Washington State High School Wrestling Meet. However, fractures quickly divide them. Nick fights the cloud of darkness that threatens to overwhelm him. Meanwhile, Kate harbors a secret, one that slowly eats away at her from the inside out. And in the end, if they can’t overcome their differences, one of them will die. Views: 544
A wonderfully witty and entertaining retelling of a little-known yet very important period of Australia's history, this is a fictionalized account of acclaimed Australian writer Elizabeth Stead's experiences in a 1940s postwar housing commission camp. It's November 1948, and the widowed Hanora Sparrow and her teenage daughters, Aria and Rosy, have fallen on tough times; when they move into a housing commission camp on the outskirts of Sydney, their spirits are low and their prospects few. While Hanora copes via various pharmaceutical offerings and Rosy with nothing other than indignity, the spirited Aria rises immediately to the challenge of keeping the family together in such trying circumstances. With her endless curiosity and lively sense of humor, Aria draws the Sparrow women into close friendships with other camp residents and supports her family through her work as a photographic model in the city. Despite the setbacks, Aria strives toward their eventual salvation. Views: 544
"But Mother is always dying," is Gillian Ormsby's sarcastic response when her younger, favored sister tells her that she has to go take care of their hypochondriac mother. Much against her will, since she and her mother never have gotten along, Gillian arrives in California to find the garden and yard dead, the blinds all drawn, and her mother indeed in bed--waiting to die. But when Gillian talks with the doctor, he assures her there's no medical reason behind her mother's state. Now on a mission to restore her mother to health, Gillian insists Mother get out of bed, eat, exercise and hopefully, choose to live. She also sets about reviving the garden to its former glory, enlisting the help of Adam, a handsome man who owns a family gardening business with his father. Gillian is delighted when a pair of hummingbirds appear, and her friendship with Adam grows. Soon, Mother's health improves, and one day she announces she and her friend Enzio are going on a cruise.... Views: 543
Carla the florist is surrounded by the duplicitous and the craven – and that’s just her flowers. The human beings are infinitely worse, especially the men. If you hate love, then you'll love this. Views: 543
After a near death experience in Afghanistan, Andy Chavez, a United States Marine, is informed of his wife's deportation into a drug infested area of Mexico. Disregarding a warning from the American government, Andy decides to cross the border alone. What he will face next will change his life forever.This book contains six of the eighteen fairy tales from Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book (1889). The stories have been rewritten sentence by sentence to make them accessible to 21st century American children. The 6 stories include Toads and Diamonds, Beauty and the Beast, Snow-white and Rose-red, Why the Sea is Salty, Felicia and the Pot of Carnations, Hansel and Grettel.The great beauty of Andrew Lang’s Blue Fairy Book, originally published in 1889, is that it brought together many different fairy tale traditions. There are stories written by Charles Perrault and Mme d’Aulnoy, collected by the Grimm brothers and Asbjornsen and Moe, and translated from the Arabian Nights. It is a very rich collection of fairy tales.However, the stories are written in a language that is outdated and in places inaccessible to modern American children (and even their parents). To remedy this problem, I have thoroughly edited half of the stories contained in Lang`s book, keeping the stories as intact as possible, while revising every sentence so the stories can once again be read with pleasure by children. Views: 543
In the what some call the holiest city on Earth, there is something lurking in the darkness. A struggle centuries in the making is coming to a head, threatening the destruction of the Vatican. When Emaline Noctum returns, she is caught between two choices: follow tradition and be a protector, or give in to the darkness within and kill those who would do harm?Duster and a Gun:In 1447, history was rewritten when the Vatican was swallowed whole by the fiery pits of Hell. Demons, ghouls and other unspeakable horrors descended upon the land, preying on humanity; caught in the middle of a battle they knew nothing about. And so began a perpetual dark age, where one’s worth was valued on how well they handle themselves in a fight. Pursuits such as peace and equal rights were put on hold, for larger firearms and the tightening of dictatorships. It was truly Hell on Earth, and Heaven didn’t seem to care in the least.By the year 2015, it was a perverse world of science, where the hydrogen bomb and steam-powered locomotive exist in unison, corrupted by the will of the supernatural. The Industrial revolution is in full swing, and the only thing faster than the rise of the USA is the inner turmoil that threatens to bring it all apart from the shadows.Reaper:Angels fight for Heaven, demons fight for Hell and no one fights for the humans caught in the middle—except the reapers. The greatest of humanity’s offerings, they’re chosen at a young age and cultivated into instruments of vengeance. This order alone fights to keep the balance in our world, steeped in controversy, rejected by those in Heaven and condemned by the monsters in Hell. This is the story of one such reaper, Horace McKidrict, and his fight to restore what was lost from him. Neither Heaven nor Hell will be able to stop the reaper on his quest to take back what he once had, and may God have mercy on any man that dares to block his path.In the first installment of Duster and a Gun, our hero tries to piece together the life that was stolen from him. He finds himself in the Copper State, Arizona, where death and decay plague the countryside, and humans live between uncaring angels and evil monsters. Horace’s needs to let go of the past and embrace the future if he wants any hope to cast back the demons and unveil the mystery residing deep within the unsuspecting population.Warning: This eBook contains graphic imagery and coarse language. Views: 543
Product DescriptionAaron Elkins has been hailed as "a master" (_The Dallas Morning News_) for his Edgar(r) Award-winning Gideon Oliver mysteries. Now, in an original new novel, he illustrates how quickly everything can go wrong when you ask: What's the worst that can happen? For Bryan Bennett, designing hostage negotiation programs is the perfect job-as long as he keeps a safe, theoretical distance. What he can't do is deal directly with kidnappers or their victims, as a result of his own abduction and imprisonment as a small boy. Thirty-some years later, intense nightmares still plague his sleep, and a fear of enclosed spaces prevents him from attempting to travel. So when Bryan's boss asks him to fly to Reykjavik, Iceland, to teach his corporate-level kidnapping and extortion seminar, he automatically says no. But the CEO of GlobalSeas Fisheries, Inc. has specifically requested Bryan-or no one else. Bryan finally relents... For decades he's treaded gingerly around the edges of his deepest terrors. Now, on this trip, Bryan's taken hostage again and must face his fears full-on. Will he realize that in this battle of will and nerve, he is his own greatest enemy? Or has this fight already been lost, years and years ago? About the AuthorAaron Elkins lives with his wife, Charlotte, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Views: 543
