Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons—bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.
Briar Damaj is a boy of six in the small village of Bogton. Half Krasian, the village children call him Mudboy for his dark skin. When tragedy strikes, Briar decides the town is better off without him, fleeing into the bog with nothing but his wits and a bit of herb lore to protect him.
After twenty years, Ragen Messenger has agreed to retire and pass on his route to his protégé, Arlen Bales. But for all that he’s earned the rest, he has no idea what to do with the rest of his life. When he learns Briar, the son of an old friend, is missing, Ragen is willing to risk any danger to bring him safely home. Views: 1 182
This children's story is one of a series of books about the Moomins that blend magic, humour and adventure in the setting of the small, but ever-changing Moominvalley. Views: 1 180
Tove Jansson's first book for adults was a memoir, capturing afresh the enchantments and fears of her Helsinki childhood. Restored to its original form, Sculptor's Daughter gives us a glimpse of the mysteries of winter ice, the bonhomie of balalaika parties, and the vastness of Christmas viewed from beneath the tree.
Published in a deluxe hardback edition for Christmas 2013, to mark the centenary of Tove Jansson's birth (1914-2014) Views: 1 154
The Skull Throne of Krasia stands empty.
Built from the skulls of fallen generals and demon princes, it is a seat of honor and ancient, powerful magic, keeping the demon corelings at bay. From atop the throne, Ahmann Jardir was meant to conquer the known world, forging its isolated peoples into a unified army to rise up and end the demon war once and for all.
But Arlen Bales, the Warded Man, stood against this course, challenging Jardir to a duel he could not in honor refuse. Rather than risk defeat, Arlen cast them both from a precipice, leaving the world without a savior, and opening a struggle for succession that threatens to tear the Free Cities of Thesa apart.
In the south, Inevera, Jardir’s first wife, must find a way to keep their sons from killing each other and plunging their people into civil war as they strive for glory enough to make a claim on the throne.
In the north, Leesha Paper and Rojer Inn struggle to forge an alliance between the duchies of Angiers and Miln against the Krasians before it is too late.
Caught in the crossfire is the duchy of Lakton--rich and unprotected, ripe for conquest.
All the while, the corelings have been growing stronger, and without Arlen and Jardir there may be none strong enough to stop them. Only Renna Bales may know more about the fate of the missing men, but she, too, has disappeared... Views: 1 148
Tom Angleberger's latest, loopiest middle-grade novel begins when M'Lady Luggertuck loosens her corset (it's never been loosened before!), thereby setting off a chain of events in which all the strict rules of Smugwick Manor are abandoned. When, as a result of "the Loosening," the precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump (quite literally a lump), goes missing, the Luggertucks look for someone to blame. Is it Horton Halfpott, the good-natured but lowly kitchen boy who can't tell a lie? Or one of the many colorful cast members in this silly romp of a mystery. Views: 1 124
For time out of mind, bloodthirsty demons have stalked the night, culling the human race to scattered remnants dependent on half-forgotten magics to protect them. Then two heroes arose—men as close as brothers, yet divided by bitter betrayal. Arlen Bales became known as the Warded Man, tattooed head to toe with powerful magic symbols that enable him to fight demons in hand-to-hand combat—and emerge victorious. Jardir, armed with magically warded weapons, called himself the Deliverer, a figure prophesied to unite humanity and lead them to triumph in Sharak Ka—the final war against demonkind.
But in their efforts to bring the war to the demons, Arlen and Jardir have set something in motion that may prove the end of everything they hold dear—a Swarm. Now the war is at hand and humanity cannot hope to win it unless Arlen and Jardir, with the help of Arlen’s wife, Renna, can bend a captured demon prince to their will and force the devious creature to lead them to the Core, where the Mother of Demons breeds an inexhaustible army.
Trusting their closest confidantes, Leesha, Inevera, Ragen and Elissa, to rally the fractious people of the Free Cities and lead them against the Swarm, Arlen, Renna, and Jardir set out on a desperate quest into the darkest depths of evil—from which none of them expects to return alive. Views: 1 102
Tom Angleberger's latest, loopiest middle-grade novel begins when M'Lady Luggertuck loosens her corset (it's never been loosened before!), thereby setting off a chain of events in which all the strict rules of Smugwick Manor are abandoned. When, as a result of "the Loosening," the precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump (quite literally a lump), goes missing, the Luggertucks look for someone to blame. Is it Horton Halfpott, the good-natured but lowly kitchen boy who can't tell a lie? Or one of the many colorful cast members in this silly romp of a mystery. Views: 1 096
When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley. Views: 1 094
The second novel in the Gravedigger Chronicles
The Haurstaf have been decimated. The Unmer have seized the palace at Awl. Ianthe's father carries her to safety. But she is not interested in a life of treasure hunting with him. She returns to the palace, hoping to find the Unmer prince with whom she shared some of her darkest moments.
Prince Paulus Marquetta discovers a friend and ally in Ianthe, albeit a dangerous one. She has the power to destroy his mind with a single thought, and yet she herself remains at risk from his own innate sorcerous abilities. The handsome young prince could murder her with a simple touch.
Briana Marks, meanwhile, has escaped with her life. Fearful of Marquetta's rule, she travels to the Dragon Isles to seek out the exiled Unmer lord, Argusto Conquillas and beg him to help her assassinate Ianthe. When Granger learns of this plot to kill his daughter, he must use every scrap of his resourcefulness and cunning to protect her.
Maskelyne returns to Scythe Island to study the crystal he plucked from the wreckage of the Unmer chariot. The artifact leads him to discover exactly why the Drowned continue to deposit thousands upon thousands of keys on the beach beneath his fortress. The Unmer, in their quest to unlock the secrets of the universe, forged a monster. Now Maskelyne knows where this thing is imprisoned... Views: 1 076
Fellside is a maximum security prison on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors. It's not the kind of place you'd want to end up. But it's where Jess Moulson could be spending the rest of her life.
It's a place where even the walls whisper.
And one voice belongs to a little boy with a message for Jess.
Will she listen? Views: 1 068
Art Blakely moved his family to Devon to escape his debts but when his dream new start went horribly wrong he decided to move to London. He thought he had it all planned out. What he hadn't reckoned with was having to use four vehicles that were mostly illegal or unroadworthy and the removal driver had a broken leg.The convoy broke up on the M5 when most of them were arrested. Hilarious but true.THE MOVE is a true story of a family in crisis and how they coped or often didn’t cope. Art Blakely’s small plumbing business had been made bankrupt and there was a repossession order on his house. After hiring a huge removal lorry Art and his family packed up their home and fled Crawley and the bailiffs hoping for a dream life in glorious Devon. Hoping their creditors wouldn’t find them they rented a bleak cottage on the edge of Dartmoor. It wasn’t long before Art lost his job when the Victorian attitude of the employers finally got to him. Nine months on, now penniless, cold, starving and jobless their dream new life had become a living nightmare. Their only option was to move house again. This time they were moving to London. With no money for moving costs, Art put together a team of willing if inept, house movers. A friend, who owned a removal lorry, the only expert on the team, turned up with his broken leg in a plaster cast. It was a set back but it wasn’t going to change Art’s plan to lead a convoy of four clapped out or illegal vehicles up the M5. Before long they became separated as one by one they got pulled over by the police. Now Art Blakely’s entourage including two dogs and a couple of guinea pigs were spread out over four counties. Filled with extraordinary incidents and ridiculous people, THE MOVE will move you to tears and have you laughing out loud. Views: 1 027
Alan Campbell has graced us with a 26,000 word novella, a prequel to his stunning fantasy debut, Scar Night, the first novel of the Deepgate Codex. Lye Street ends just where the novel picks up! Views: 987
Rick Mills & poker playing nurse Gloria Hesselgrave follow a road filled with gamblers, hookers,hippies,showgirls,poker legends,pot growers & actors as they elude Frank Salucci, a hit man who can’t abide anyone messing with his Cadillac. Rick has destroyed Salucci’s beloved Cadillac & as the hit man closes in Rick & Gloria realize two things: it’s kill or be killed & Salucci is the better killer.Smooth Call What is a “Smooth Call?” Read this novel and you’ll know and be mightily entertained in the bargain! “I guarantee it!” The night after the most eventful poker game of his life Rick Mills sat in a small Italian restaurant with the lovely and witty Gloria Hesselgrave. Gloria, a nurse and avid poker player, had been cheated out of a $500 pot by Frank Salucci, a man who thrived on irritating any player he could. Rick recovered the money, telling Gloria that Salucci had voluntarily turned it over, and now they were celebrating over a quiet dinner. Until Gloria looked up and saw Salucci enter the restaurant. “Damn,” she said, “he followed me.” When Salucci sat at their table and threatened them Gloria grabbed a steak knife and sliced his leg, telling him that the next cut would sever his femoral artery and he’d bleed to death on the restaurant floor. As Salucci hobbled out he let them know that it wasn’t over. And it wasn’t because, as Rick and Gloria soon found out, Frank Salucci wasn’t just a card cheat, he was also a hit man. Frank followed them to Las Vegas but returned home when Gloria hired some heavies to convince him that that was his best choice. Rick bought a hand gun in Vegas but wasn’t carrying when, back in San Diego, Salucci fired at him and Gloria from the back seat of a moving car, hitting Rick once in the side. Forced to leave town again, Rick and Gloria decided to attend the Rainbow Gathering, a yearly get-together of the disciples of peace, love, and weed, or a week long ogre for un-American malcontent miscreants, depending on who you asked. Frank paid someone to find out where Gloria and Rick were but that someone owed Rick and let him know that the hit man was coming. All involved knew it would end there, on federal land in the wilderness, with thousands of potential witnesses. Rick kept his Berretta close and waited. Views: 967
The soiled rain of putrid trenches drips further and further into the mud. The dew droplets of a French bi-plane awake to the rising sun. A father lies awake at night, knowing that somewhere, his son is facing a hell on Earth. This is the Great War, and the terrors, struggles, sacrifices, and tears of that conflict remain with us. Into that tragic world, this collection offers a brief window."To End All Others" is a short compilation of stories about World War I and the terrible struggles of humanity within that horrific war. It opens with "Another Dream," a poem which mirrors a work by Siegfried Sassoon, the decorated British veteran and conscientious objector of the war. The poem reflects the lasting, harrowing effects of the Great War on the men who sacrificed their boyhood for their nation; while the battles end, the war lives on for untold years in the minds of its veterans. Next, a father strives to make the world see reason as Europe descends into the abyss of war. The man mourns as a patriotic son embraces the nationalistic craze and eagerly joins the army. Throughout the following years, his thoughts and aching heart are shown through poignant letters to his wife. Yet, "An Era Recalled, a Sorrow Relived" displays that peace is not always fulfilling and seldom brings relief. Finally, "The Mandate" reveals a tale about the knights of the air, the Great War's pioneers of aviation. The French hero Georges Guynemer struggles to reconcile his humanity with his duty amid the furious skies over France. All told, "To End All Others" provides a fitting tribute to the millions of men whose lives were ended amid the mire of the trenches, the expanses of the air, and the flowing depths of the oceans. Perhaps, in some small way, it will ensure that we never forget their sacrifices. Views: 944
