When it comes to bastards, you can't beat the good old days of the Egyptian pharaohs, the Roman Empire, or Europe during the Dark Ages. The bastards of old abound--and they come in every color, creed, gender, and sexual preference.From the cross-dressing emperor Elagabalus of Rome, who was assassinated by his own grandmother, to the icon-worshipping fanatical Empress Irene of Byzantine, who gouged out her only son's eyes, you'll find the most malevolent malcontents who have truly survived the test of time.The Book of Ancient Bastards: Because when it comes to bad, it really is ancient history!About the AuthorBrian Thornton earned his BA in history from Gonzaga University and both his BAE (English) and MA (history) from Eastern Washington University. He is the author of The Book of Bastards, 101 Things You Didn't Know about Lincoln, The Everything? Kids' States Book, and The Everything? Kids' Presidents Book. Views: 64
An incomparable master storyteller in all forms, in The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares Joyce Carol Oates spins six imaginative tales of suspense. “The Corn Maiden” is the gut-wrenching story of Marissa, a beautiful and sweet eleven-year-old girl with hair the color of corn silk. Taken by an older girl from her school who has told two friends in her thrall of the Indian legend of the Corn Maiden, in which a girl is sacrificed to ensure a good crop, Marissa is kept in a secluded basement and convinced that the world has ended. Marissa’s seemingly inevitable fate becomes ever more terrifying as the older girl relishes her power, giving the tale unbearable tension with a shocking conclusion. In “Helping Hands,” published here for the first time, a lonely woman meets a man in the unlikely clutter of a dingy charity shop and extends friendship. She has no idea what kinds of doors she may be opening. The powerful stories in this extraordinary collection further enhance Joyce Carol Oates’s standing as one of the world’s greatest writers of suspense.Review“While the shadows of Poe and Hitchcock loom over these tales, it’s clear that Oates herself is a master at creeping out her readers.” —Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Reviews )“Psychologically compelling and disturbing, this volume is a strong addition to Oates’s vast body of work.” —Library Journal (Library Journal )“This chilling audio edition of the latest collection offers up a selection of seven dark and psychologically thrilling tales.” —Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly )“A fine account makes for a vivid set of tales recommended for any mystery audio collection.” —The Bookwatch (The Bookwatch ) About the AuthorIn addition to many prize-winning and bestselling novels, JOYCE CAROL OATES is the author of a number of works of award-winning gothic fiction. In 1994, Oates received the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award in Horror Fiction. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Views: 64
Coming of age in rural 1930s America with X-ray vision, the power to stop bullets, and the ability to fly isn’t exactly every boy’s story. So just how did Clark Kent, a shy farmer’s son, grow up to be the Man of Steel? Follow young Clark’s whirlwind journey from Kansas to New York City’s Daily Planet. This ace reporter is not the only person leading a double life in a teeming metropolis, just the only one able to leap tall buildings in a single bound—a skill that comes in handy when battling powerful criminal masterminds like scheming Lex Luthor and fascist robots. But can Clark’s midwestern charm save the day and win the heart of stunning, seen-it-all newspaperwoman Lois Lane? Or is that a job for Superman? Views: 64
Magnolia Square in South London was a friendly and vibrant place to live, not least for Kate Voigt and her father. Carl Voigt had been a WWI prisoner of war who had married a cockney girl and never gone back. Now widowed, he and Kate were part of the London life of the square with all its rumbustious and colourful characters. Then came the war.Suddenly it seemed the Voigts were outcasts because of their German blood. When Carl was interned, Kate's only support was her best friend Carrie, and Toby, the R.A.F. pilot whom she loved. Finally, when Toby was killed, and even Carrie turned against her, she found herself pregnant and totally alone.Late one Christmas evening, during the Blitz, she was approached by a wounded sailor asking for lodgings. Leon Emmerson, like Kate, was also a lonely misfit because if his parentage. It was to be the beginning of a new friendship, of startling and dramatic events in Kate's life. And as the war progressed, as... Views: 64
Astrological detective David Lowell must use his charts and knowledge to solve the murder of a state judge in a New York City parking garage. At the urging of his daughter Melinda, a young defense attorney, Lowell tries to prove the innocence of Johnny Colbert, a loud-mouthed bartender wrongly accused of the crime. Lowell's hacker sidekick Mort, his vivacious assistant Sarah, and their bodyguard Andy join them in their race against time. With birth charts and street smarts, Lowell sorts out a cast of characters, from the judge's clerk and her lawyer boyfriend to the judge herself, and traces the reason for the crime back to a surprising source. Views: 64
Andrea Hamilton has a secret sexual fantasy. She has never confessed to anyone that she dreams of being a slave, of being bound and whipped and made to obey her master's every whim. Not until she meets Charles Darrington Hawksworth. Hawksworth has just taken over the company she works for, and she finds herself drawn to him. On his vast estate he has created a world of submission and bondage, a world where Andrea's dreams come true. The reality proves countless times more exciting than the fantasy, and Charles has soon introduced her to a whole range of new depravities, including sex with the beautiful lesbian who runs the estate for him. But soon Andrea must choose between life as a slave or a return to her life as a computer professional. So will she decide to become Hawksworth's perfect slave? Views: 64
In this acclaimed memoir from the award-winning author of Fragrant Harbour, John Lanchester pieces together his family's past and uncovers their extraordinary secrets - from his grandparents' life in colonial Rhodesia to his mother's time as a nun - with clear-eyed compassion. Views: 64
Back to the altar...!For the first time in his life, Brant Curtis had acted on impulse. He'd arranged to meet Rowan, his ex-wife...one last time!Only, now that she was in front of him, he found he needed to kiss her so badly that he could taste her lips. But, as Rowan pointed out, it took more than physical attraction to make a marriage work. Marriage? Brant hadn't bargained on another trip to the altar, but he wanted Rowan back in his life—whatever it took! Views: 64
The first English language translation of a chilling murder mystery by a prolific Japanese detective novelist ‘Prosecutor Tsuchida, I am being held here as a murderer. But the truth is that I am probably not that murderer. That’s right. Probably.’ While Shimaura Eizo sits in jail awaiting trial for the murder of a beautiful young woman, his erstwhile lover and initiator into a sinister, restless existence has risen in the ranks of the legal profession and is now the prosecutor on the case. Spinning a complex web of events and influences in this chilling murder mystery, Hamao probes the notion of guilt—both psychological and legal. Views: 64
Arlington Park, a modern-day English suburb very much like its American counterparts, is a place devoted to the profitable ordinariness of life. Amidst its leafy avenues and comfortable houses, its residents live out the dubious accomplishments of civilization: material prosperity, personal freedom, and moral indifference. In Arlington Park, men work, women look after children, and people generally do what's expected of them. It's a world awash in contentment but empty of belief, and riven with strange anxieties. How are they to know right from wrong? How should they use their knowledge of other people's sufferings? What is the relationship of politics to their own domestic arrangements? Set over the course of a single rainy day, the novel moves from one household to another, and through the passing hours conducts a deep examination of its characters' lives: of Juliet, enraged at the victory of men over women in family life; of Amanda, warding off thoughts... Views: 64
Venice in the early fifteenth century is at the height of its power. In theory Duke Marco commands. But Marco is a simpleton so his aunt and uncle rule in his stead. Within the Serene Republic, their word is law, but for all their influence, Venice's fate still lies in other hands . . . Lady Giulietta is the Duke's cousin. She enjoys greater privilege than many can even dream of, but her status will demand a terrible price. Atilo Il Mauros is head of the Assassini, the shadow army that enforces Venice's will - both at home and abroad. Prince Leopold zum Bas Friedland is the bastard son of the German emperor and leader of the krieghund - the only force in Venice more feared than Atilo's assassins. And then there is Atilo's angel-faced apprentice. Only a boy, Tycho is already stronger and faster than any man has a right to be. He can see in the dark, but sunlight burns him. It is said that he drinks blood. Award-winning author Jon Courtenay Grimwood seamlessly blends history, politics and dark fantasy in a compelling vision of a Venice that might have been. Views: 64
