"[Andrea Barrett's] work stands out for its sheer intelligence...The overall effect is quietly dazzling."—New York Times Book ReviewWinner of the National Book Award for her collection of stories Ship Fever, Andrea Barrett has become one of our most admired and beloved writers. In this magnificent new book, she unfolds five pivotal moments in the lives of her characters and in the history of knowledge.During the summer of 1908, twelve-year-old Constantine Boyd is witness to an explosion of home-spun investigation—from experiments with cave-dwelling fish without eyes to scientifically bred crops to motorized bicycles and the flight of an early aeroplane. In 1920, a popular science writer and young widow tries, immediately after the bloodbath of the First World War, to explain the new theory of relativity to an audience (herself included) desperate to believe in an "ether of space" housing spirits of the dead. Half a century earlier, in 1873, a famous... Views: 542
As seen on Sky Arts’ Playhouse Presents: Imagine there’s no Lennon . . . In the reality-altering novella “Snodgrass,” John Lennon sidesteps his musical destiny and instead becomes a civil servant
After spending his adolescence like so many others had, playing in a band with friends, John Lennon knows it’s time to grow up. Skipping out on the Beatles before they would go on to become one of the greatest rock groups of the twentieth century, John moves to Birmingham. As he watches the exploits of friends Paul, Ringo, and George, John grows older and lives an ordinary life . . . and he is left wondering “what if?”
With “Snodgrass” as its anchor, this collection of eleven stories also includes “The Chop Girl,” inspired by the infamous Dresden bombing raids; “Past Magic,” a futuristic account of parents cloning their children who have passed away; “New Light on the Drake Equation,” inspired by a man’s journey as he searches for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence; and seven more tales that showcase MacLeod’s breadth as a writer.
Review
“MacLeod’s originality enriches and enlivens the genre, and his fiction—though often grim—should be read by everyone looking for something that is truly out of the ordinary.” —Publishers Weekly
“Ian MacLeod writes like an angel. He strings together ideally chosen words into sentences that are variously lush, sparse, subtle, bold, joyous, mournful, comic, or tragic . . . But it’s on the character front that MacLeod truly expends his best efforts and achieves the most.” —SF Signal
“One of the finest prose stylists around, and—borrowing as he does much of the melodrama of Victorian literature, along with the revisionist modernism of later authors like D. H. Lawrence—his writing is unfailingly elegant.” —Locus
About the Author
Ian R. MacLeod is the acclaimed writer of challenging and innovative speculative and fantastic fiction. His most recent novel, Wake Up and Dream, won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, while his previous works have won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and the World Fantasy Award, and have been translated into many languages. His short story, “Snodgrass,” was developed for television in the United Kingdom as part of the Sky Arts series Playhouse Presents. MacLeod grew up in the West Midlands region of England, studied law, and spent time working and dreaming in the civil service before moving on to teaching and house-husbandry. He lives with his wife in the riverside town of Bewdley. Views: 542
Loving Someone with Anxiety offers solutions for the partners of people with anxiety issues such as constant worry, health anxiety, social anxiety, generalized panic disorder (GAD), and panic disorder. In this book, readers will learn how to help their partner feel safe, develop and maintain a strong relationship, and meet their own self-care needs. Views: 542
A collection of short (for free ebook) Fantasy stories that competed in several struggles including "The Two Wishes of the Devil" that ended on the 3rd place in the contest Thor Wereldbibliotheek. Enigmatic thrillers flavoured by fantasy and fable, slightly dressed with supernatural activity and a grim and unhappy atmosphere. So the name is: BerserklyThe three stories have something in common: a sometimes grim, unhappy atmosphere; so Berserkly is the name. For the Dutch translation: Iezegrimmig1.The Two Wishes of the DevilSubmission for Thor publishing Wereldbibliotheek * Fantasy. A literary fantasy story with a touch of supernatural activity. 3rd place in the contest!...Look behind you before you make a wish...2.The Greedy KingSubmission for Fantastyval, up to 1,000 words. A fabulous fantasy in the atmosphere of Grimm's fairy tales with some light horror content....Be satisfied with what you have otherwise it will be on the expense of others, your loved ones and yourself...3.The Monster under the BedSubmission for the Fantasy Fight of Brugge, max 1,500 words. A mysterious thriller with a touch of supernatural activity and fantasy. Inspiration for this story comes from: In psychology 'monster under the bed’ is synonymous with the embodiment of all kinds of vague fears and unpleasant feelings that young children have....Don't look under you bed...Quotes from various jury reports:"A start like this is simply sublime! You know how to get the reader's attention immediately and how to create the sense of tension.”“The author has a pleasant, expressive writing style without fuss.""The descriptions of the environment and the characters are very expressive.""Nice story, well written, it's a real fairy tale." Views: 542
A man who lives two lives risks dying twice."A most inventive storyteller." —RT Book ReviewsHe's known as Merlyn Ross, an actor and petty thief. He's a handsome commoner who wears a leather eyepatch, his other eye a piercing emerald green. He's also known as the Comte de Valure, a dashing French nobleman who wears a grey wig and a silk eye patch, his other eye an chanting sapphire blue. Admired by men, adored by women, no one suspects that Merlyn and the Comte are one and the same, or that both men steal more than kisses when setting out to seduce London's wealthiest women.But one night changes everything.Cassandra, a highborn lady, is the target of a robbery, and the victim of amnesia. Locked away as a vagrant, she is sold for one night's pleasures to a prisoner who has been condemned to death, a man with an emerald eye. One year later, as Cassandra's memory has been partially restored, her child, conceived on that fateful night, is being held hostage by her... Views: 542
Book 0 of the Elgean ChroniclesThis collection of short stories takes place before The Tears of Elios and answers some of the questions readers have posed.What really happened that night Nyelle was transformed?Why were shapeshifters hunted to near extinction?How did Kira meet Master Tyrrus?And what happened to Kira and Galen when the book ended?It contains a deleted scene, two brand new sWilliam Hickok Farrell stood on the top set of the dugout and surveyed the meticulously curried infield with its snowy bases in place. In a few moments, Will would take the mount to pitch the most important game of his Major League career--the first game of the World Series. Will could not remember a time when he had not played baseball. From the minute he could hold a ball, Big Bill, his dad and coach, had pushed him to be the best. Coming back from what could have been a career-ending injury, Will was now about to achieve his lifelong dream. He knew his dad would be watching. Views: 542
Now eighteen, Scottish teenage werewolf Kalix MacRinnalch is settling in London, though she still struggles with anxiety, depression, and self-abuse. Her new friends support her - and all is fine until the Guild of Werewolf Hunters start picking off her clan, one by one.
Most of the Scottish Werewolf Clan have a very low opinion of Kalix Macrinnalch, youngest daughter of the Thane. There is little sympathy for her illiteracy, her substance abuse, her self-harming, her eating disorder, her anxiety and depression and her propensity for extreme violence. Safe from her clan in London, and living with two friendly students, she's been much calmer. If only she were allowed to live quietly, she might get on top of her problems.
Unfortunately, that's difficult for the young werewolf. She's still the number one target for the werewolf hunters, and they're stepping up their efforts to find her. And no matter how Kalix tries to make her life more normal, there will always come a time when, under threat, her insanity and battle-madness will descend on her, and the skinny young girl will again transform into the most feared and ferocious werewolf in the country. Views: 542
A startling and gorgeous work by Denmark's most admired poet finally available in English translation.Awarded the American-Scandinavian PEN Translation Prize by Michael Hamburger, Susanna Nied's translation of alphabet introduces Inger Christensen's poetry to US readers for the first time. Born in 1935, Inger Christensen is Denmark's best known poet. Her award-winning alphabet is based structurally on Fibonacci's sequence (a mathematical sequence in which each number is the sum of the two previous numbers), in combination with the alphabet. The gorgeous poetry herein reflects a complex philosophical background, yet has a visionary quality, discovering the metaphysical in the simple stuff of everyday life. In alphabet, Christensen creates a framework of psalm-like forms that unfold like expanding universes, while crystallizing both the beauty and the potential for destruction that permeate our times. Views: 542
To be honest - this is my least favorite part of the series; so let's just get it over with. Written in late spring/early summer 2012.The President of the United States stated that an experiment was going to be made by sending a person back to the year 1945. He was to remain there and observe but do nothing else. Was this a safe endeavor of mankind? Though the administration was assured no harm would be done, others were not so sure. If you want to know what happened when the experiment was tried, you'll find out in this story. Views: 541
John and Janet Carpenter responded to a telemarketer's call to sell them a condo in Hawaii. They attend the sales presentation that will get them a free trip.Set in the distant future, Donors, is a short story of a world where every citizen is expected to pay any price for the state. Views: 541
Three daughters organize their parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration. The union has been a tempestuous one,but change is about to happen at the most unexpected of occasions.Bella,Bea and Bianca work hard to ensure that their parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration goes with a swing. Timo and Bertha have weathered the storms of a difficult union,with too many secrets kept quiet for the sake of the family. There's a limit on how long a good man can do the right thing though,and freedom and joy look more attractive than servitude and misery. Someone is about to make their escape bid... Views: 541
Written by gifted storyteller Winston Groom (author of Forrest Gump), The Aviators tells the saga of three extraordinary aviators--Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmy Doolittle--and how they redefine heroism through their genius, daring, and uncommon courage.
This is the fascinating story of three extraordinary heroes who defined aviation during the great age of flight. These cleverly interwoven tales of their heart-stopping adventures take us from the feats of World War I through the heroism of World War II and beyond, including daring military raids and survival-at-sea, and will appeal to fans of Unbroken, The Greatest Generation, andFlyboys. With the world in peril in World War II, each man set aside great success and comfort to return to the skies for his most daring mission yet. Doolittle, a brilliant aviation innovator, would lead the daring Tokyo Raid to retaliate for Pearl Harbor; Lindbergh, hero of the first solo flight across the Atlantic, would fly combat missions in the South Pacific; and Rickenbacker, World War I flying ace, would bravely hold his crew together while facing near-starvation and circling sharks after his plane went down in a remote part of the Pacific. Groom's rich narrative tells their intertwined stories--from broken homes to Medals of Honor (all three would receive it); barnstorming to the greatest raid of World War II; front-page triumph to anguished tragedy; and near-death to ultimate survival--as all took to the sky, time and again, to become exemplars of the spirit of the "greatest generation." Views: 541
