An old, dying woman makes one last visit to her favorite restaurant, a place once used as a refuge for a painful period in her life. Awash with memories of a time long past, she gets the surprise of a lifetime when she catches a glimpse of a familiar face that, unlike her own image, had not been marred by time.Apollo is an orphan in the walled farming community of Alcazar. Everyone else his age is eagerly awaiting their apprenticeships that proceed the ritual that will determine their place in society, the Ceremony of Ascension. Without a heritage, Apollo knows it's something he can never have. But then the last week of school is canceled and Apollo's dread is turned into surprise when he's summoned by the leader of their community. The boy soon learns of the unique bond they both share, that's also littered with a long trail of deceit and genetic manipulations. Views: 523
A young man tries to climb out of a seemingly endless pit deep within the earth which represents his despair and loneliness. As he climbs, a demonic entity tries to convince him to take own life or give in to his rage to take vengeance on those who put him there.A young man tries to climb out of a seemingly endless pit deep inside the Earth which represents his depression and loneliness. He can see far above the people who put him down there. He feels rage towards them. As he climbs, a demonic entity tries to encourage his rage and fuel his depression. The entity tries to encourage him either down the path of vengeance, or to simply let go and fall to his doom below. No more feeling. No more pain.A parallel story running alongside this one, set in the real world, focuses on a wannabe actor named Christian Anderson. All alone, without a purpose in life, and used to rejection by others, he seeks his dream because he feels it will be the key to ending the stagnant and lonely state that is his life and help him find happiness and fulfillment. By becoming successful, he will validate himself and be able to rub it in the faces of those who scorned him. His encounter with a particular group that reaches out to him, however, causes him to question the way he's always viewed others' actions towards himself, and the way he remembers some of the hurtful experiences from his past. Views: 523
The year is 2002 and the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars are in their infancy. The military favors policies that keep the truth under wraps. In such an atmosphere, thirty-seven year old Lieutenant Tom Hubbard is killed in action, his remains are returned to the small New England town he turned his back on years earlier. Iraq War hero, dutiful son, dedicated brother, faithful partner ... or was he?Tom Hubbard is dead. Iraq war hero, dutiful son and brother, faithful husband. Or was he? The year is 2002, and the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars are in their infancy. The military favors policies that keep the truth under wraps: The dead return to the US in secret, while gay soldiers abide by the confines of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. In such a milieu, thirty-seven-year-old Lieutenant Tom Hubbard is killed in action and his remains are returned to the small New England town he turned his back on years earlier. Along with a flood of curious townspeople, Tom Hubbard’s extended family, boyhood friends and distant lovers gather for a memorial reception hosted by Tom’s emotionally unbalanced mother and prickly sister. Set at the Hubbard’s 200-year-old farmhouse in Newbury, Massachusetts, the drama unfolds in a single afternoon directly following Tom Hubbard’s military burial. In one day, this small town family falls apart and comes back together again in unexpected ways. Long-hidden relationships surface, family secrets are uncovered and the real Tom Hubbard is revealed. New relationships are built—relationships that could not have existed before Tom Hubbard had died and his tumultuous memorial reception had shaken his family to its core. Views: 523
M is requested by the Director to handle the murder of an ex-Foreign Ministry official, Comte Armand de Saint-Hilaire, who had retired 12 years earlier, found shot in his study, by his housekeeper of 42 years, Jaquette Larrieu. His death coincides with the funeral of Prince Hubert de V--, of one of the great French familes. Prince Hubert's wife, Princess Isabelle de V--,
had been a lifelong friend of Saint-Hilaire's — they'd intended to
marry, but circumstances weren't apt, and she'd married Prince Hubert.
They'd maintained a life-long correspondence, and everyone had known the
romantic story that they intended to marry at the death of Prince
Hubert. Saint-Hilaire had no enemies, and there was no sign of forced
entry. All of the people connected were old and noteworthy. After
reading Isabelle's letters to Saint-Hilaire, and interviewing everyone
concerned, M is at a loss. Just to dot all the i's, M has Moers
administer a paraffin test to Jaquette, and to everyone's shock, it is
positive. She refuses to say anything until she confers with a priest.
Saint-Hilaire had committed suicide, and when she'd found the body she'd
been afraid he wouldn't be able to receive the last blessing of the
Church, and so she'd made it look like a murder. M learned from his
"nephew", actually Isabelle's grandson, that he believed he had a
terminal disease, and so killed himself from fear of subjecting Isabelle
a life of caring for him as an invalid. Views: 523
The West Virginia town of Grantville, torn from the twentieth century and hurled back into seventeenth century Europe has allied with Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, in the United States of Europe. So, when Gustavus invades Poland, managing to unite all the squabbling Polish factions into repelling the common enemy, the time-lost Americans have to worry about getting dragged into the fight along with the Swedish forces.
But Mike Stearns has another problem. He was Prime Minister of the USE until he lost an election, and now he’s one of Gustavus’s generals; and he has demonstrated that he’s very good at being a general. And he’s about to really need all his military aptitude. Gretchen , who never saw a revolution she didn’t like, has been arrested in Saxony, and is likely to be executed. The revolutionary groups which she has been working with are not about to let that happen, and suddenly there’s rioting in the streets. Saxony’s ruthless General Baner is determined to suppress the uprising by the time-honored “kill them all and let God sort them out” method, which only adds fuel to the fire. So Gustavus orders Mike Stearns to go to Saxony and restore order. But he makes one mistake.
He didn’t tell Mike to take his troops along on the mission. But he didn’t tell him not to, either . . . Views: 523
Spaceships which pass through the sky like endless clouds. A woman whose skin reveals the names of sailors fated to die at sea. A virus which causes people who touch each other to turn into crystalline trees. From Nebula Award nominated author Jason Sanford comes his first short story collection, Never Never Stories. Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, stories contained in Never Never Stories have won the Interzone Readers’ Poll, been nominated for the BSFA Award, longlisted for the British Fantasy Award, and printed in numerous magazines and book anthologies, including Year’s Best SF. The collection also contains new material including a never-before published story. Views: 523
When half-human Cal Leandros wakes up on a beach littered with the slaughtered remains if a variety of hideous creatures, he's not that concerned. In fact, he can't remember anything-including who he is.
And that's just the way his deadly enemies like it... Views: 523
When ten-year-old Peter moves into his grandfather’s creepy old mansion, bad, baaaaad things start to happen.Like finding a dead man in the garden patch.Who’s still alive.Peter must journey deep into the woods to discover the secret horror that has plagued his family for centuries…and now threatens to kill them all.The first book in the YA horror series, PETER AND THE MONSTERS!When ten-year-old Peter moves into his grandfather’s creepy old mansion, bad, baaaaad things start to happen.Like finding a dead man in the garden patch.Who’s still alive.With the help of the troublemaking kid next door, Peter journeys deep into the woods to discover the secret horror that has plagued his family for centuries…and now threatens to kill them all.The first book in the YA horror series, PETER AND THE MONSTERS! Views: 523
Sixteen-year-old wizard-in-training Alex Taylor and his band of fellow adventurers battle a goblin army, navigate an enchanted forest, and try to solve the sphinx's riddle in their quest to find the lost Horn of Moran and return it to Norsland before the nation erupts in war. Views: 522
Its matchmaking mayhem when a school project goes awry in this entertaining and enjoyable read (School Library Journal) from the author of Four Truths and a Lie. Avery LaDuke is bummed when her (former) BFF, Sophie Burns, dumps her for the popular crowd. But now that her mom is getting remarried, Averys hoping her new stepsister, Blake, will fill the role of best pal. So imagine her shock when Blake befriends Sophie instead! At least Avery can focus on leading the eighth-grade charity projectwhich turns out to involve an online matchmaking service. Shes skeptical about online love, but Avery sees an opportunity to get Blake back on her side: Shell tamper with the program and have Blake matched with Sam, the most popular boy in school! Except something goes seriously wrong, and its Avery who ends up being matched with Sam. Not only is the class adviser suspicious, but Avery discovers that she kinda sorta likes Samand he likes her back. Torn... Views: 522
From the author of the wizard of Oz, the adventures of the little girl Dot and the little boy Tot as they travel in the land of Merryland - a fairyland made up of Seven Valleys inhabited by clowns, candy people, hapless babies, dolls, cats, wind-up toys and the Valley of Lost Things where all that is lost outside of Merryland ends up. Join the young Dot and Tot as they continue their magical voyage through the enchanting valleys with a troubling question hangs over their heads - Can the Queen allow Dot and Tot to leave her enchanted realm and risk the outside world discovering her secret land? Views: 522
His god is the bottle, until he meets the God of the Bible. His chases this God of the Bible until he finds the true meaning of peace.There are different ways people who are bound by Alcohol stop drinking, but you won't forget this one!This story is a chicken soup of sadness, serious and humor all mixed in with a pinch of sarcasm.**Please review this book** Views: 522
My grandmother always used to say, "That snake is more afraid of you than you are of it."Grandma was a poor judge of my fear, but I grew up believing her: there is no need to fear snakes. But as a society, the fear of snakes is one of our strongest phobias.And rightly so. Snakes can be deadly as evidenced by the fateful day a simple, little green grass snake slithered into the Miller's home.When an honoured angel receives a secret mission to protect a baby Earth girl, he is given the heart of a man. Being chosen is a distinguished honour, but it means crossing over into the confines of four dimensions and into the Tempter's kingdom. It carries terrible dangers, restrictions and extreme temptations to indulge in the ways of the earth. Will he become part of the problem? The stakes are high and complete evil sets out to win the game whichever way possible. The end justifies the means. Ignorance hides the perpetrators and deceit denies their existence. And we are all part of the game—whether we like it or not. We are the prize and the pawns. One mistake could cost us everything.Thankfully, the battle is not ours and a power far greater than us already knows the outcome. But It is up to us to choose to fight on the winning side. Follow the clues, but reserve judgement. You could be an accidental hero.A riveting story of courage, redemption, love and friendship. Paradise Warrior is not for the faint hearted. Don't read it alone! Views: 522
June Thomson and Giselle Ross are inextricably linked by two unspeakable acts of evil. On the same day, a few miles apart, their estranged husbands slaughtered their children. The murders were not driven by rage, or committed in moments of madness. They were planned, and carried out with chilling precision, to inflict the worst pain imaginable. June and Giselle did not know each other. Tragedy is all that binds them. In the passing of an afternoon, on a late spring day, they were destined to come together as ?sisters?, united by pain, grief and a sense of loss so immense that it would drive both to the brink of madness. Both women had separated from their husbands, and neither had had happy relationships. June?s life with Rab Thomson had been a dark and turbulent existence, characterised by mental torture, physical violence and rape. Giselle?s relationship with Ashok Kalyanjee had been a strange and distant affair, of lives spent apart before, during and after marriage. But both... Views: 522
