But my father, my beloved and most wretched father... Would he never overcome the fierce passion that now held pitiless dominion over him?
With its shocking theme of father-daughter incest, Mary Shelley’s publisher—her father, known for his own subversive books—not only refused to publish Mathilda, he refused to return her only copy of the manuscript, and the work was never published in her lifetime.
His suppression of this passionate novella is perhaps understandable—unlike her first book, Frankenstein, written a year earlier, Mathilda uses fantasy to study a far more personal reality. It tells the story of a young woman whose mother died in her childbirth—just as Shelly’s own mother died after hers—and whose relationship with her bereaved father becomes sexually charged as he conflates her with his lost wife, while she becomes involved with a handsome poet. Yet despite characters clearly based on herself, her father, and her husband, the narrator’s emotional and relentlessly self-examining voice lifts the story beyond autobiographical resonance into something more transcendent: a driven tale of a brave woman’s search for love, atonement, and redemption.
It took more than a century before the manuscript Mary Shelley gave her father was rediscovered. It is published here as a stand-alone volume for the first time.
**The Art of The Novella Series
**Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature's greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time. Views: 652
This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare s finesse to Oscar Wilde s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library. Views: 652
What happens when a reality TV series gets a true dose of reality? A staged prank for a hit scare show has gone horribly wrong with an actor now dead and production halted indefinitely. As the graveyard shift of Sin City's best crime scene investigators--including Catherine Willows, Ray Langston, Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, and Greg Sanders-- digs deeper behind the scenes, more questions than answers pile up: Was the botched prank's set-up simply a case of carelessness on the producers' part resulting in a tragic accident, or did someone really orchestrate an elaborate scheme for revenge and murder? Views: 652
What begins as a simple reconnaissance mission turns into a harrowing chase across the preternatural nighttime skies of Mensch. Wolf Dasher finds the hunter has become the hunted when a trap to flush out a double agent is turned on him."The Darkline Protocol" is a fantasy-thriller mashup story that introduces Wolf -- the hero of John R. Phythyon Jr.'s debut novel, State of Grace.When Wolf Dasher is assigned to find out who is leaking sensitive information to Urland's mortal enemy, Phrygia, he doesn't count on the spy being an innocent victim . . . or that he is the prize in an elaborate double-cross. What begins as a simple reconnaissance mission ends in a harrowing chase across the sky of Mensch's perpetual night, with Wolf pursued by a Phrygian Shadow determined to bring him back to her superiors for torture. Now the hunter becomes the hunted!"The Darkline Protocol" is a free short story that introduces Wolf Dasher, hero of John R. Phythyon, Jr.'s debut novel, State of Grace. Combining magic, espionage, and politics, "The Darkline Protocol" is a fantasy-thriller mashup offering an electifying brew of action and adventure. Views: 652
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. Views: 651
Blues flames licked the air surrounding the boy's motionless body. His eyes opened. The blue flames burst forth with newfound vigor. He was alive. This is his story.Little Boy Blue,Come light your flame,Children won’t play,The parents to blame.Blues flames licked the air surrounding the motionless boy. His eyes opened. The blue flames burst forth with newfound vigor. He was alive. This is his story. Views: 651
Once, the Galaspar System suffered under the cruel regime of the Order. Billions of people toiled endlessly to enrich their masters, enduring short lives of poverty, squalor and fear. But Galaspar's sins did not go unnoticed by the Imperium, and so Death itself sentenced the Order to annihilation.Mortarion, newly uplifted to commander of the Death Guard, descended upon the world, and with him came a slaughter of untold proportions. The sheer brutality of Mortarion's campaign left the Imperium appalled. Seeking to understand its horrors, two noble primarchs have come to Galaspar, summoning their brother to account for his actions. But the Pale King brooks no challenge to his methods, for when the scythe falls, it reaps a gruesome toll.Written By David Annandale Views: 651
From Short Fiction Horror writers Cody and Chandre Toye, Comes a freakishly delightful collection of tales so bizarre that they can only be found once in a Blood Moon. From a twisted Carnie to the infamous Snoodledoogen, this third volume is bound to send cold shivers down your spine.A modified business jet, loaded with sulphur dioxide, leaves the west coast of Africa headed for a mid-Atlantic release point. If engineers Brad and Vince and climate scientist Tamanna, with popular support of Sahel country politicians and their citizens, can negotiate their way through a military standoff, the world of some at least might turn out better as the climate changes. The message put out to social media, cast as a mix of real science and the heartfelt storyline people truly hear, will be crucial. Views: 651
I'm watching you...
A year has passed since Stacey Brown saved her best friend from a horrible death. Now she's having nightmares again, haunted by ghosts of the brutally murdered . . . and by a crazed stalker.
As she desperately casts healing spells, a new student named Jacob enters her world. Beautiful and mysterious, he reveals that he is also having dreams. To stop a killer, they must join together.
But can Jacob be trusted? Or will this new love cause her darkest dreams to come true? Views: 651
Mary and O’Neil frequently marveled at how, of all the lives they might have led, they had somehow found this one together. When they met at the Philadelphia high school where they’d come to teach, each had suffered a profound loss that had not healed. How likely was it that they could learn to trust, much less love, again?
Justin Cronin’s poignant debut traces the lives of Mary Olson and O’Neil Burke, two vulnerable young teachers who rediscover in each other a world alive with promise and hope. From the formative experiences of their early adulthood to marriage, parenthood, and beyond, this novel in stories illuminates the moments of grace that enable Mary and O’Neil to make peace with the deep emotional legacies that haunt them: the sudden, mysterious death of O’Neil’s parents, Mary’s long-ago decision to end a pregnancy, O’Neil’s sister’s battle with illness and a troubled marriage. Alive with magical nuance and unexpected encounters, Mary and O’Neil celebrates the uncommon in common lives, and the redemptive power of love. Views: 651
Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, the Commemorative Edition,
as published by Hachette Littlehampton, in 2008.
A competently assembled anthology of H.P. Lovecraft's fiction, this will serve as a good introduction to his literary work.
Views: 650
Crash landing on an uncharted world is bad enough. Losing most of the crew as the ship sinks to the bottom of an alien ocean is even worse. And that’s just the beginning.
Ragged and terrified, the last few survivors—-a fireteam of battle-hardened marines and an inexperienced civilian advisor—-search for a way to contact the nearest inhabited system for rescue. But as they encounter the denizens of this world, they learn something remarkable. From the red reeds that cover the land to the ferocious predators that fear nothing, every living thing on this world is highly intelligent... and utterly hostile. Violence is a normal part of life. Murder and war are nothing more than a means to acquire food. Kindness is unimaginably alien.
For the survivors, escape is not enough. They must also keep their technology out of the hands of the barbaric monsters around them. For the planet’s natives have learned that it is possible to leave their world, and out there among the stars is the most prolific source of food they have ever known: humans. Views: 650
"Love's Falls" centers around a dying small town so eager for excitement that when a mysterious string of arsons begin to strike, they lay down arms to watch the burn.Sometimes when hope is lost, it is hard to get it back... but even in our darkest hour, there is always a chance that it will shine its light back into our hearts...Josh and Madison are the perfect couple, but even true love can change like the seasons. A shattered dream causes their marriage to take an unexpected plunge toward a silent grave. Can they manage to pull it back from the precipice? Find out in this tale of love, heartache and miracles. Views: 650
