A short story set on Hirta, an island in the archipelago of St Kilda, Scotland.This is the second short story in a trilogy about these majestic islands.On the 29th of August 1930 the last remaining inhabitants left their homes for good, this short story is based at that time.Lydia, the former baker's apprentice, has grown into a powerful mage indeed. Now known as Aurora, she and her Cluster ride out into the world for the first time, hunting down magically altered monsters ravaging the countryside of her homeland. This simple and straightforward task leads the Cluster into battle with demons and other evils, including a dark mage who kills to raise power. Little do they know that the act of rescuing his next intended victim will alter all of their lives forever...Stand-alone sequel to Apprentice. Views: 357
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: 357
Following the breakout successes of The Night I Met Father Christmas and The Boy Who Made the World Disappear, get ready for the brilliant NEW novel from actor, comedian and bestselling author Ben Miller, perfect for fans of Matt Haig and David Baddiel! Featuring beautiful illustrations throughout from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini,Lana loves stories. Especially the ones she and her brother, Harrison, share in their make-believe games. But when Harrison decides he's too grown-up to play with Lana she finds herself feeling lonely. Until something magical happens... Hidden in the strange new supermarket in town, Lana discovers a portal to a fairytale world! But these aren't the happy-ever-after fairytales that Lana knows, they are darker and more dangerous, and the characters need Lana's help to defeat an evil witch. But she can't do it alone. Can she convince Harrison to believe in stories again and... Views: 353
From the limitless imagination of acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and DreamWorks Animation, get ready to meet a new cast of otherworldly characters in 3Below—the exciting, new Tales of Arcadia series, which picks up where Trollhunters left off.For twins Aja and Krel being the new kids at school is hard. Honestly though, it's high school. When isn't there drama? But there may be a tad more drama than usual when you are teenage royals from another planet trying to blend in to the quiet little town of Arcadia Oaks, USA. In this first adventure of the Tales of Arcadia: 3Below series, Aja and Krel grudgingly attend Arcadia's annual sci-fi/pop culture convention (Arcadia Con) and discover it's easy to hide in plain sight when everyone is wearing a costume! The aliens meet up with Eli, Steve, Toby, Jim, and Claire from the Trollhunters series, who come in handy when an alien bounty hunter arrives at the convention to collect the bounty on Aja... Views: 346
Join Thomas in his search to make sense of fragments of conversations and letters from his English students. A short story for lovers of quotations, fables, and anyone who has ever been a teacher or a student.Kayla Covington is a Private Eye for all occasions on the alien world of Pheros. She is the one you hire to find what you have lost, to glean information on a rival to use against them, or to discreetly remove something that could cause embarrassment. She thought she had seen and heard it all, that was until she was hired to infiltrate a secret society to uncover their secrets and steal their prized artifact. Now the only question that she cares about is, will she make it out of this alive? Views: 344
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson
Translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal
Introduced by Ali Smith
A book of haunting suspense, a dark companion to The Summer Book, introduced by Ali Smith. In the deep winter snows of a Swedish hamlet, a strange young woman fakes a break-in at the house of an elderly artist in order to persuade her that she needs companionship. But what does she hope to gain by doing this? And who ultimately is deceiving whom? In this portrayal of two women encircling each other with truth and lies, nothing can be taken for granted. By the time the snow thaws, both their lives will have changed irrevocably. First ever publication in English, in a translation by Thomas Teal. Views: 344
Life has an energy all its own. It thrives where no one would ever believe. It clings to the smallest toehold. It flourishes given any chance at all.Jane Markett was an up-and-coming exo-archeologist.. She was not about to let a bunch of stodgy, slow colleagues slow down her search for Zat-Mat-Kut, an ancient alien religious site. What happened, though, was not what anybody expected.Life has an energy all its own. It thrives where no one would ever believe. It clings to the smallest toehold. It flourishes given any chance at all.Jane Markett was an up-and-coming exo-archeologist when she first set foot on Zari-Kut-3 over a year ago. She was not about to let a bunch of stodgy, slow colleagues slow down her headlong search for Zat-Mat-Kut, an ancient alien religious site.The best android on this planet, Zack was the key to it all for Jane. He was more than just a strong back, his sensors were second to none. He was the latest in artificial intelligence. He was the key to her fast-track career path to fame and glory. All she had to do was convince Chuck, the Head Researcher in charge of this dig.What happened, though, was not what anybody expected. Views: 342
When Thetra’s parents are assassinated by unknown murderers, it leaves him eager for revenge. He sets out with his brother Arek to hunt down the killers. They find them in the city’s restaurant, acting as normal citizens of Toage, but they attack them with their weapons. Arek has a bucket of paint poured on him, and Thetra must save his brother's life.There is only one dragon that can save Thetra.There is only one army Thetra must protect.Everyone else is his enemy.When Thetra’s parents are assassinated by unknown murderers, it leaves him eager for revenge. He sets out with his brother Arek to hunt down the killers. They find them in the city’s restaurant, acting as normal citizens of Toage, but they attack them with their weapons. Arek has a bucket of paint poured on him, and Thetra must save his brother's life. He has never saved a man’s life before, and he does not know what to do. Views: 336
Top 100 Books Master Skylark - A Story of Shakspere\'s Time by John Bennett There was an unwonted buzzing in the east end of Stratford on that next to the last day of April, 1596. It was as if some one had thrust a stick into a hive of bees and they had come whirling out to see. The low stone guard-wall of old Clopton bridge, built a hundred years before by rich Sir Hugh, sometime Mayor of London, was lined with straddling boys, like strawberries upon a spear of grass, and along the low causeway from the west across the lowland to the town, brown-faced, barefoot youngsters sat beside the roadway with their chubby legs a-dangle down the mossy stones, staring away into the south across the grassy levels of the valley of the Stour. Punts were poling slowly up the Avon to the bridge; and at the outlets of the town, where the streets came down to the waterside among the weeds, little knots of men and serving-maids stood looking into the south and listening. Some had waited for an hour, some for two; yet still there was no sound but the piping of the birds in white-thorn hedges, the hollow lowing of kine knee-deep in grassy meadows, and the long rush of the river through the sedge beside the pebbly shore; and naught to see but quiet valleys, primrose lanes, and Warwick orchards white with bloom, stretching away to the misty hills. But still they stood and looked and listened. The wind came stealing up out of the south, soft and warm and sweet and still, moving the ripples upon the river with gray gusts; and, scudding free before the wind, a dog came trotting up the road with wet pink tongue and sidelong gait. At the throat of Clopton bridge he stopped and scanned the way with dubious eye, then clapped his tail between his legs and bolted for the town. The laughing shout that followed him into the Warwick road seemed not to die away, but to linger in the air like the drowsy hum of bees--a hum that came and went at intervals upon the shifting wind, and grew by littles, taking body till it came unbroken as a long, low, distance-muffled murmur from the south, so faint as scarcely to be heard. Views: 331
To know Puss, Junior once is to love him forever! That\'s the way everyone feels about this adventurous cat who is the son of a very famous father, Puss in Boots. In the Puss in Boots, Jr series of ten books written by David Cory and originally published in 1917-1922, Puss, Junior discovers that he is the son of the illustriious Puss in Boots and he begins a journey across New Mother Goose Land to find his famous father. Along the way, Puss Junior meets characters from children\'s fiction and nursery rhymes, helps the weak and downtrodden, and learns something about life from everyone he meets. In Books 1 and 2, Puss searches for and finds his father. Books 3 through 10 tell of more adventures afterward and some adventures that were left out of the first two books. In Book 1, Puss discovers his identity and meets Yankee Doodle Dandy, the Queen of Hearts, Mother Goose, Old King Cole, and many other characters. He joins a circus, climbs Jack\'s beanstalk, and attends a wedding. The original illustrations by Elizabeth Jones Babcock are included in the stories. Nine of these have been enlarged and printed in the back of the book as coloring pages for crayon or colored pencil. Adults using colored pencils can create vintage-looking pictures. The Puss in Boots, Jr books are lovely reminders that simple words can awaken the imaginations of children and adults alike, just as they did one hundred years ago. The original stories have been very slightly edited to change archaic words and references. Reading level is second grade but much younger children will enjoy hearing the stories read to them. Views: 331
In the cataclysm of the battle of the gods, a portal to Hell has been opened, releasing legions of unnatural creatures that have pushed humanity to the edge of extinction. While warring deities clash with fallen angels, the only hope for mankind’s survival lies with the most unlikely heroes: Former assassin Rachel Hael has rejoined blood-magician Mina Greene and her little dog, Basilis, on one last desperate mission to save the world from the ravages of Hell. As Rachel travels to the final confrontation she has both sought and feared, she begins to realize that time itself is unraveling. And so she must prepare herself for a sacrifice that may claim her heart, her life, her soul—and even then it may not be enough. Views: 330
Suspended by chains over a seemingly bottomless abyss, the ancient city of Deepgate is home to a young angel, an assassin, and a psychotic murderer hungry for revenge—or redemption. But soon a shocking betrayal will unite all three in a desperate quest....
The last of his line, Dill is descended from legendary Battle-archons who once defended the city. Forbidden to fly and untrained even to wield the great sword inherited from his forebears, he has become a figurehead for a dying tradition. Now he lives a sheltered existence in one of Deepgate’s crumbling temple spires under the watchful eye of the Presbyter who rules the city.
Spine assassin Rachel Hael has better things to do than oversee the Presbyter’s angel. Each dark moon she must fight for her life among the city chains, hunting an immortal predator with a taste for blood.
But when a traitor brings enemies to Deepgate’s doorstep, Dill and Rachel are forced into an uneasy alliance with the city’s oldest and most dangerous foe. They must journey down into the uncharted chasm to save their sprawling metropolis—and themselves—from annihilation. Once they descend however, they learn that what lies below is far more sinister than what they’ve been taught to expect.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 327
When John Corwin embarked on his new life, building a campground, he had no idea what awaited him. Running from his past and trying to control his future, he would find love, adventure and the answers to life that others only dreamed about. Along the way, he would have to fight against an evil that wanted to take away everything. There are answers in the Mist. But they come with a price.A dark future awaits...After a decade of storms, disease, drought, and riots, the US conquers its troubles by militarizing its government. Old democratic allies in Europe respond uneasily to the change.in 2055 Arinna and Michael Prescot are just two of the many former soldiers sent to foreign embassies in the hopes of strengthening faltering US alliances. But as the US becomes embroiled in new internal terrorism, its agents in Europe are offered intimidation and lies rather than explanations. And the price of seeking the truth to events back home is steep.As the growing conflict in the US threatens the peace of Europe and tips the world toward World War III, choices of loyalty need to be made - if Michael and Arinna can determine who to trust and if the price of their help is worth the cost. Global events hinge on a few individuals as an apocalyptic war threatens Europe, and no one is more unprepared than its potential saviors.Stories from the War consists of eleven interlinked short stories that are a prelude to the military dystopian thriller trilogy Friends of my Enemy.Set in Europe, this near future fiction series of novels unfolds through the intersecting lives of a small handful of people and explores adult themes, both dark and hopeful, of friendship, romance, and family, including how these influences direct everyday choices which ripple outwards to impact governments on the verge of an apocalypse. Because not all influence is good, and not all decisions can be made in time.What readers are saying:“Part one of what appears to be an interesting tale of tangled relationships and covert happenings in a future earth torn asunder with riots and natural disasters. Strong characterization and believable scenarios coupled with a setting that is thought provoking and entertaining. I want to read the next one. Check this story out!” - J.Williams 4 stars“Autumn has done it again. This book will grab you and carry you from beginning to end without a moment of boredom. Think of the quotation "The Enemy of my enemy is my friend" and you gain some insight into the substance of the story. I normally like Fantasy Adventure, but this novel was a great walk through something a little different. Can't recommend it enough.” - Victor 5 stars Views: 326
The Summer Book
TOVE JANSSON
WITH A FOREWORD BY ESTHER FREUD
An elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself.
Written in a clear, unsentimental style, full of brusque humour, and wisdom, The Summer Book is a profoundly life-affirming story. Tove Jansson captured much of her own life and spirit in the book, which was her favourite of her adult novels. This new edition, with a Foreword by Esther Freud, sees the return of a European literary gem - fresh, authentic and deeply humane.
New and beautifully presented edition of a Scandinavian literary classic by Finland's most translated author should appeal to all ages dissolving boundaries between fiction, biography and travel. Views: 325
