While the Alliance was busy with Earth, and trying to upgrade their forces, the Aracs have been building up their ships. When the Arac attack two Core Worlds, it shows the Alliance just how brutal and mindless the Aracs can be. Apollo Base watches the assaults in horror. The new Arac forces and tactics will be too much for the Alliance to handle. When the AI begin showing problems as well, it looks really bad for the Alliance; what they need is an upgrade. Views: 16
Read it!” —Jess Walter, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins
"[R]eminded me that reading can be FUN.” *—B*uzzfeed
In a world beset by amassing forces of darkness, one organization—the Regional Office—and its coterie of super-powered female assassins protects the globe from annihilation. At its helm, the mysterious Oyemi and her oracles seek out new recruits and root out evil plots. Then a prophecy suggests that someone from inside might bring about its downfall. And now, the Regional Office is under attack.
Recruited by a defector from within, Rose is a young assassin leading the attack, eager to stretch into her powers and prove herself on her first mission. Defending the Regional Office is Sarah—who may or may not have a mechanical arm—fiercely devoted to the organization that took her in as a young woman in the wake of her mother’s sudden disappearance. On the day that the Regional Office is attacked, Rose’s and Sarah’s stories will overlap, their lives will collide, and the world as they know it just might end.
Weaving in a brilliantly conceived mythology, fantastical magical powers, teenage crushes, and kinetic fight scenes, The Regional Office Is Under Attack! is a seismically entertaining debut novel about revenge and allegiance and love.
From the Hardcover edition.
**Review
Praise for *The Regional Office Is Under Attack!*
“The Regional Office really IS under attack! This is not metaphor! It is a wry and propulsive work of inventive fiction by a terrific young writer! Read it!”
—Jess Walter, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins
“Delightfully weird, weirdly delightful! Manuel Gonzales clearly has a labyrinth of a brain--all stuffed with monsters, trapdoors, and complicated heroes. Sign me up as a member of the fan club, please.”
—Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble and Magic for Beginners
“This book is a winged creation, and absolutely marvelous. Gonzales keeps turning the kaleidoscope to reveal the strangest, darkest, and most beautiful dimensions of human love, and the conversion of mechanical fury into living strength.”
—Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!
“The Regional Office, a shadowy organization of spooky oracles and superpowered middle management misfits, isn’t the only thing under attack in this tremendous debut novel. With exuberant prose and a corkscrew plot, Manuel Gonzales vanquishes artistic orthodoxies, tiresome genre boundaries and every humdrum narrative convention in sight, leaving in his wake a riveting story of secrets, betrayals, and vengeance!”
—Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Battleborn and Gold Fame Citrus
“Wild, visionary, ablaze with heart and riot, The Regional Office Is Under Attack! is unforgettable—an epic love story that confronts our future with a howl and fireworks.”
—Paul Yoon, author of Snow Hunters
“The Regional Office is Under Attack! is wickedly subversive, suspenseful, and thoughtful, all at once—but most of all, it's just fun to read, from the first sentence to the last. Put down your expectations and pick up this book. It'll hit you like a lightning bolt.”
—Jess Row, author of Your Face in Mine
“A ridiculously fun story about love, as well as time and timing, both good and bad. And because of that, it’s also timely. The ending—with its deft glimpse at a hypothetical future—is alone worth the wild ride.”
— Hannah Pittard, author of The Fates Will Find Their Way
"[H]ighly entertaining… Wonderfully strange and fun, Gonzales’ novel follows both the women attacking and defending the Regional Office and how their lives intersect.” —Buzzfeed
"[A] wholly invented world rife with satire, absurdity, and somehow love and even warmth. With this debut novel, Gonzales... proves himself to be both a wonderful addition to a proud literary tradition (that of Vonnegut, Borges, Saunders, Bender, and Barthelme, et al) and a true original." —Lit Hub
“You may not be familiar with the name Manuel Gonzales, but once you’ve had the pleasure of delving into one of his out-of-the-ordinary literary creations, you won’t forget it… In his debut novel, The Regional Office Is Under Attack!, Gonzales conjures a futuristic world of super-powered female assassins… Backstory on each character and the Regional Office itself is delicately spliced between action-packed scenes, making this a wonderfully choreographed narrative. The moment you think you have a grasp on the truth about the Regional Office, Gonzales tosses in a twist that will have you questioning your understanding all over again… The amount of detail Gonzales infuses into this world makes it come alive in an engaging, quirky and delightful way, creating a perfect backdrop to a page-turning plot. Gonzales’ tale has something for every reader: Double agents! Secret romantic trysts! Conspiracy! Fight scenes! Friendships gone awry! At its core, however, The Regional Office Is Under Attack! is ultimately a tale of vengeance—one during which you’ll find yourself struggling to choose a side.” —Bookpage
"You might want to get a firm grip on your socks before cracking open this one; otherwise, Gonzales is likely to knock them off. It's very difficult to categorize this mind-bending novel... it's pure excitement.... A brilliant genre-blender." —Booklist (STARRED review)
“The narrative not only bounces between perspectives in short, propelling chapters, but also pinballs in time . . . Gonzales writes with an abundance of imagination, riffing on comic book and pop culture plot lines and characters while adding his own unique perspective…there are moments of brilliance.” —Publishers Weekly
“A hyperkinetic sci-fi set piece along the lines of Die Hard seeded with paranormal elements cribbed from half a dozen other franchises and the absent-parent grudges that fuel any number of teen novels. … Genre enthusiasts will love the spooky cyberpunk spirit at play here, and resolute readers will be rewarded with an unexpected ending that ratchets up the action long after the Regional Office has been abandoned. A surprisingly erudite bit of sci-fi that throws in everything but the kitchen sink.” —Kirkus
Praise for The Miniature Wife
“Lucid and confident . . . because his prose is never sloppy and his rhythm is impeccable, Gonzales’s sentences unfold with an unusual smoothness . . . these stories showcase an exciting new voice. . . .” —*Aimee Bender, The New York Times Book Review*
“You know that feeling you get when you pick up a book and realize you are hearing a voice you have never heard before but will be hearing for a long time? I had that feeling on page 5. Please pick up this book—you will have that feeling. Dark, smart, and strange in a way that initially had me grasping for comparison but that ultimately revealed itself to be something new.” —Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
“It’s easy to compare Manuel Gonzales to George Saunders, but it would be just as easy to compare him to Borges or Márquez or Aimee Bender. . . . He makes the extraordinary ordinary, and his playfulness is infectious.” —Benjamin Percy, Esquire
“These stories are wrought with forceful clarity, Borgesian inventiveness, and enchanting, devious wit—an unforgettable debut from a uniquely gifted writer.” —Wells Tower, author of Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
“These are beautiful, strange truths—mad, weird, funny, and unforgettable. Manuel Gonzales possesses a brand-new American literary voice. This is vital work from an exciting new writer.” —Ben Marcus, author of The Flame Alphabet
About the Author
Manuel Gonzales is the author of the acclaimed story collection The Miniature Wife, winner of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction and the John Gardner Fiction Book Award. A graduate of the Columbia University Creative Writing Program, he teaches writing at the University of Kentucky and the Institute of American Indian Arts. He has published fiction and nonfiction in Open City, Fence, One Story, Esquire, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, and The Believer. Gonzales lives in Kentucky with his wife and two children. Views: 16
Set in present day Manhattan, The Fool of New York City is the tale of two souls who are considered to be "fools" and "idiots" in the eyes of most people they encounter.One is a literal giant, the other an amnesiac who believes he is the seventeenth-century Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, hundreds of years old, aging more slowly than the rest of the human race. Billy the giant briefly suffered from amnesia years ago, and he understands the anguish of those who have lost their identity. He is an apparently simple person, a failed basketball player with an enormous good heart, who takes Francisco under his wing after they meet through a seeming coincidence. Together they undertake the search to discover Francisco's true past.The quest leads them on numerous adventures and into the shrouded realm of hidden memories and the mysterious dimensions of the mind. It is a journey into the ironies and the complexities of human character and destiny. Views: 16
This novella is the prequel to a new gripping thriller series from NY Times bestselling authors Linda S Prather and M A Comley.
TRAGIC DECEPTION also available to pre-order for only 99c/99p.
"Have you ever watched the light fade from someone's eyes, Foxy? The pigment slowly, ever so slowly disappear?" The press call him the Escape Artist, and he is certainly living up to his name. Sergeant Alexandra Fox has never come up against such a devious mind in her entire career. Ten young women, seven of them wives of fellow officers, have been found tortured and murdered. Every tiny lead fizzles out, and he revels in taunting them by phone, torturing them mentally as he forces them to listen to the screams of his victims. Alexandra, is determined to catch him before he kills again, unaware that she's become the object of his obsession until he issues one last threat: "I thought I would give you one warning. A chance to back away and leave the investigation. Don't make me punish you."
What reviewers are saying about CLEVER DECEPTION.
For such a short novella, it really grabs you by the throat -the plot had me hooked and I was so absorbed in the story, I finished it on mydaily commute! Eeeeeeeek! I am so excited about this series!! Crimebookjunkies.
From start to finish it is very fast-paced and the suspense just keeps increasing until we reach a very dramatic ending which honestly left me exhausted, emotional, sad, angry and yearning for more... Relax and Read Reviews
I love reading Mels books as well as Linda's so getting them together can only lead to brilliance, which this book is. Tom Elder.
OMG! What a brilliant novella. Joanne Robertson.
Book heaven is when two of your favourite authors team up to write a new series together. Sue McQuaide Kitt
This book is an excellent starter and I can't wait for the main course! Absolutely gripping and brilliant. Highly recommended. Julie Simon
I'm so so excited ....You will love it I did !! Michelle Baldwin
What a taste of a twisted sick killer and a kick ass female lead, a brilliant new series. Theresa
What a story and what a tease. This is the best novella I've read - roll on book one, I'm super excited to read this new series. I think we could have villain of the year here! Tara Lyons
A fantastic short novella by two amazing authors. Angela
This is a strong start to what I just know is going to be a great series. I give this 5* but wish I could give it more! Maria Lee
Wow. An absolutely fantastic read. I was on the edge of my seat. I loved it. Susan
I am looking forward to the continuing story of Alex Fox. Wonderful job. Sean Talbot
Even though it's only a short novella it really packed a punch. Leona
This book is an amazing start to a new partnership and new series. Sarah
A stomach churning, heart stopping read that I didn't want to end. Ellen
This book is fast paced and had me hooked from the start and I finished it in an hour! Teresa Nikolic
These authors' books are filled with gruesome killings, serial killers, twists and turns and situations that make me hold my breath, and this one tops all of the others. Mary
I think I can sum up this short as an appetiser to what looks to be a promising main course. Kath.
I was hooked from the first sentence until the end, absolutely brilliant. Audrey Gibson.
M. A. Comley and Linda Prather not only filled my high expectations they went above and beyond. Diane.
I must say, I enjoy this approach: having a novella to kick off a new character and series. Tanya Brough
I am grateful to the authors for a copy of this excellent novella which signals big things for a new series. Sarah.
Fast paced novella that grabs you from the first page, fantastic start to a new series. Craig Gillan This prequel novella drags you into this dark world of evil and leaves you disgustingly hungry for more. K'Tee Bee**ReviewFor such a short novella, it really grabs you by the throat -the plot had me hooked and I was so absorbed in the story, I finished it on mydaily commute! Eeeeeeeek! I am so excited about this series!! Crimebookjunkies. From start to finish it is very fast-paced and the suspense just keeps increasing until we reach a very dramatic ending which honestly left me exhausted, emotional, sad, angry and yearning for more... Relax and Read Reviews I love reading Mels books as well as Linda's so getting themtogether can only lead to brilliance, which this book is. Tom Elder.OMG! What a brilliant novella. Mel Comley and Linda Prather aregreat on their own as writers but together they are amazing. It's like my loveof peanut butter and my love of chocolate-on their own they are pretty good butput them together and I am in heaven!! Joanne Robertson.Book heaven is when two of your favourite authors team up to write a new series together. This is what the amazing Mel Comley and Linda Prather have done with Clever Deception, a novella and the start of the Deception series. Sue McQuaide Kitt This book is an excellent starter and I can't wait for the main course! Absolutely gripping and brilliant. Highly recommended. Julie Simon CLEVER DECEPTION Is a short story in to Alex Fox's background to gear you up for the first book called "TRAGIC DECEPTION" I'm so so excited ....You will love it I did !! Michelle Baldwin What a taste of a twisted sick killer and a kick ass female lead, a brilliant new series. Theresa What a story and what a tease. This is the best novella I've read - roll on book one, I'm super excited to read this new series. I think we could have villain of the year here! Tara Lyons A fantastic short novella by two amazing authors. Angela This is a strong start to what I just know is going to be a great series. I give this 5* but wish I could give it more! Maria Lee Wow. An absolutely fantastic read. I was on the edge of my seat. I loved it. Susan I am looking forward to the continuing story of Alex Fox. Wonderful job. Sean Talbot Even though it's only a short novella it really packed a punch. Leona This book is an amazing start to a new partnership and new series. Sarah A stomach churning, heart stopping read that I didn't want to end. Ellen This book is fast paced and had me hooked from the start and I finished it in an hour! Teresa Nikolic These authors' books are filled with gruesome killings, serial killers, twists and turns and situations that make me hold my breath, and this one tops all of the others. Mary I think I can sum up this short as an appetiser to what looks to be a promising main course. Kath.I was hooked from the first sentence until the end, absolutely brilliant. Audrey Gibson.Alex Fox is a strong character who's not afraid to say what she thinks and I look forward to learning more about her. America won't know what's hit them when she arrives. Jackie Roache. I loved it! I have to be honest and say that I didn't know the authors until now, so I cannot compare this to their previous work. Federica. M. A. Comley and Linda Prather not only filled my high expectations they went above and beyond. Diane.Clever Deception is a novella, so I finished it in a short period of time. I must say, I enjoy this approach: having a novella to kick off a new character and series. Tanya Brough I am grateful to the authors for a copy of this excellent novella which signals big things for a new series. Sarah. Fast paced novella that grabs you from the first page, fantastic start to a new series. Craig Gillan This prequel novella drags you into this dark world of evil and leaves you disgustingly hungry for more. K'Tee Bee
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A SWAT officer must protect the woman who broke his heart Years ago, detective and part-time SWAT officer Max Remington proposed to the woman he loved. Her response? To flee town—and Max's life—under a cloud of suspicion. Folks said Bexley Kane killed the man "allegedly" stalking her and got away with murder. Now Bex is back in Destiny, Tennessee, but their tense reunion is cut short when bullets start flying, and this time, they're aimed at her. As Max fights to keep Bex safe, he's also fighting to protect his heart. Can they unravel the secrets of the past in time to save each other? Or will Bex's final secret destroy them both? Views: 16
