A dystopian novel for the digital age, The Word Exchange offers an inventive, suspenseful, and decidedly original vision of the dangers of technology and of the enduring power of the printed word.In the not-so-distant future, the forecasted “death of print” has become a reality. Bookstores, libraries, newspapers, and magazines are things of the past, and we spend our time glued to handheld devices called Memes that not only keep us in constant communication but also have become so intuitive that they hail us cabs before we leave our offices, order takeout at the first growl of a hungry stomach, and even create and sell language itself in a marketplace called the Word Exchange.Anana Johnson works with her father, Doug, at the North American Dictionary of the English Language (NADEL), where Doug is hard at work on the last edition that will ever be printed. Doug is a staunchly anti-Meme, anti-tech intellectual who fondly remembers the days when people used email (everything now is text or videoconference) to communicate—or even actually spoke to one another, for that matter. One evening, Doug disappears from the NADEL offices, leaving a single written clue: ALICE. It’s a code word he devised to signal if he ever fell into harm’s way. And thus begins Anana’s journey down the proverbial rabbit hole . . .Joined by Bart, her bookish NADEL colleague, Anana’s search for Doug will take her into dark basements and subterranean passageways; the stacks and reading rooms of the Mercantile Library; and secret meetings of the underground resistance, the Diachronic Society. As Anana penetrates the mystery of her father’s disappearance and a pandemic of decaying language called “word flu” spreads, The Word Exchange becomes a cautionary tale that is at once a technological thriller and a meditation on the high cultural costs of digital technology.From the Hardcover edition.ReviewAlena Graedon's spectacular debut is a story for our age of 'accelerated obsolescence.' A genuinely scary and funny mystery about linguistic slippage and disturbance, it's also a moving meditation on our sometimes comic, sometimes desperate struggles to speak, and to listen, and to mean something to one another. To borrow Graedon's own invention, The Word Exchange is 'Synchronic' -- a gorgeous genre mashup that offers readers the pleasures of noir, science fiction, romance and philosophy. It's an unforgettable joyride across the thin ice of language." -Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!, and *Vampires in the Lemon Grove"Wow! This highly addictive future noir is also terrifyingly prescient. Set in a parallel New York filled with language viruses, pneumatic tubes, and heartbreak, Alena Graedon's book is luminous and haunting at every turn. I will never look at words in quite the same way—and neither will you."*-Reif Larsen, author of The Selected Works of T.S. SpivetAbout the AuthorAlena Graedon was born in Durham, NC, and is a graduate of Carolina Friends School, Brown University, and Columbia University’s MFA program. She was Manager of Membership and Literary Awards at the PEN American Center before leaving to finish The Word Exchange, her first novel, with the help of fellowships at several artist colonies. Her writing has been translated into nine languages. She lives in Brooklyn. Views: 40
Nothing is safe around Kristyl Barnette. Windows break. Books rocket across the room. Lights flicker. Strange occurrences follow the sixteen-year-old everywhere. She’s an outcast at her school, but everything changes in the blink of an eye.
When tragedy forces her to move to the small town of Clearwater, Michigan, with her estranged aunt Jodi, Kristyl tries to leave her past behind. She makes friends and catches the attention of Owen Marsh, who accepts her without question and who may be able to understand her better than anyone.
But Owen isn’t the only one who notices her. The mysteriously alluring Fox Holloway draws Kristyl’s eye whenever he’s around. And Clearwater High’s chief mean-girl, Crystal Jamison, has her sights set on Kristyl and will stop at nothing to prove what Kristyl really is.
A witch.
Magic can be as dangerous as fire, and Aunt Jodi wants Kristyl to have nothing to do with it. But when a mysterious illness threatens her aunt’s life, Kristyl will do anything to cure her. Enlisting the help of witches could save Jodi, but is dealing in magic worth the consequences? Views: 40
It is written that three Sisters of Fate have the power to change the world's destiny. But only if they survive...The Lockwood triplets have had the prophecy drummed into their heads since birth. Still, Raven, the eldest of the sisters, can't believe it's really happening. She's the reincarnation of a Norse goddess? One of the sisters is destined to die? When it starts snowing in summer in Florida, the sisters fear the worst has come to pass. Ragnarok, the Norse end of the world, has begun.Raven finds herself the secret protector of Vanir, a boy with two wolves, a knowledge of Norse magic and a sense of destiny he can't quite explain. He's intense, sexy and equally determined to save her when it becomes clear someone is endangering them. Raven doesn't know if getting closer to him will make a difference in the coming battle, but her heart isn't giving her a choice.Ahead of the sisters is the possibility of death at... Views: 40
He hadn't meant to kill Pete but the experience was exhilarating and sexually arousing. Nothing would come in the way of his pursuit of money not even his girlfriend's son. She desperately needed a job and sex, through the library manager she hoped to find both. She was a pretty 23 years old, with large green eyes, long wild hair, and a quirky sense of fashion. Unfortunately being autistic meant she possessed little understanding of human behaviour and struggled daily in an alien world to communicate with her fellow man. She has few friends, so when Pete goes missing she searches desperately for him. Only she realises he is dead, but as the body count mounts she is unable to convince her friends or the police. He is a dangerous psychotic, ruthless but with a deadly secret he must kill to protect. She knows who he is, he knows who she is. Fighting to overcome her difficulties she must risk more than just her life to set a trap for him. The race is on. Views: 40
UK Top 200 - #161UK Top 30 - ThrillersUK #1 - Historical ThrillersAustralia #1 - Historical ThrillersUS #2 - Historical Thrillers The NEW THRILLER From the International Bestselling Author of The Templar Agenda and The Larmenius Inheritance Praise for The Templar Agenda Can't wait for the new one! - RICHARD DOETSCH, international bestselling author of Thieves of Heaven, Half Past Dawn, and The 13th Hour John Paul Davis clearly owns the genre of historical thrillers. - STEVEN SORA, author of The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar, The Lost Colony of the Templars, Secret Societies of America's EliteA well-researched, original and fascinating work - a real page-turner. - GRAHAM PHILLIPS, bestselling author of The End of Eden, Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon, The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant, Alexander the Great, The Moses Legacy, The Marian Conspiracy, Act of God ...If John Paul Davis wrote the phone book we'd all be reading it... - KEITH HOUGHTON, international bestselling author of Killing Hope A clever, absorbing tale...The Templar Agenda grabs you right from the murderous beginning and takes you on a fast-paced, thoroughly researched thrill-ride... - DAVID LEADBEATER, UK #1 bestselling thriller author of The Bones of Odin FROM THE BACK PAGE England 1485: They were called the Sons of York. They were secretly created during the final hours of the reign of Richard III. Their sole purpose to hunt down and eliminate the descendents of his murderer. By any means necessary. Over five hundred years later the long reign of King James III of England comes to an unexpected end. Less than a week later, the bodies of two Cabinet ministers are discovered in a burning car. Though the deaths of all three are initially assumed to be unconnected, a chance arrest in London yields a bizarre confession. And a sinister warning... Thomas Winchester has been waging war on the enemies of his family ever since graduating from Sandhurst. Youngest nephew of the king, he is celebrated as one of MI5's finest agents - the only man capable of taking on the Royal Family's biggest crisis in recent memory. Meanwhile, a quiet village in the North York Moors mourns a tragic loss. A young girl has vanished, allegedly the victim of a deranged boy who later committed suicide. A year on, television researcher Jennifer Farrelly is sent to follow up the story. The body was never found, and the girl's parents have not given up hope of finding her alive. A locked door in the medieval vaults of a remote Yorkshire church hides something strange: something with the potential to expose a previously untold chapter of England's darkest history. As Farrelly's search for the truth causes her to unwittingly cross paths with that of the royals, she and Winchester have no choice but to form a unique alliance to uncover a secret many have died to protect - a secret that still threatens the very foundation of the monarchy...ReviewPraise for John Paul Davis Can't wait for the new one...Richard Doetsch, international bestselling author of The Thieves of Heaven John Paul Davis clearly owns the genre of historical thrillersSteven Sora, author of The Lost Colony of the Templars Views: 40
How far would you go to save your life and your world?After a nasty divorce, single mother Joanne Lessing finally has her life together, and she's made a name for herself as a photographer. Then, while on assignment, she witnesses a hit and run. Property damage only. No big deal, she thinks. So she does the right thing—calls the cops. Joanne is dismayed when FBI agents arrive with the local detective. They admit the hit and run driver was a mob killer fleeing the scene of his latest hit. Joanne is relieved to find she can't really identify the hit man.But when she sees the killer again while on another assignment, she takes his picture and finds her new life and her son's future threatened. Caught between the Mob and the FBI, she's on her own... Views: 40
Mia risked everything to walk away from a gilded cage in Sector Two, but grasping at freedom was only her first trial. With no protection in the sectors, every day is a struggle to stay alive. Her best hope now is a job working for the most dangerous gang in Sector Four--the O’Kanes.When a motorcycle accident leaves Derek Ford riding a desk at the O'Kane compound, the last thing he needs is a sexy new assistant upending his office and his life. Especially someone like Mia, who greets his growls and commands with smiles and a fierce independence.The friction between them generates an undeniable heat, and Mia's stubborn refusal to let life beat her down stirs Ford's darkest protective instincts. He has the power to take care of her, protect her not only from discomfort but from threats of her past...but first he'd have to claim her.And Mia will never be kept again. Views: 40
