This is a stunning collection of short stories by acclaimed fantasy writer Neil Gaiman. His distinctive genius has been championed by writers as diverse as Norman Mailer and Stephen King. With The Sandman Neil Gaiman created one of the most sophisticated, intelligent, and influential graphic novel series of our time. Now after the recent success of his latest novel Anansi Boys, Gaiman has produced Fragile Things, his second collection of short fiction. These stories will dazzle your senses, haunt your imagination, and move you to the very depths of your soul. This extraordinary compilation reveals one of the world's most gifted storytellers at the height of his powers. Views: 466
“Told with a true storyteller’s voice: clear, singing, persuasive, and wonderfully moving . . . a truly wonderful book.”—Jane Yolen
From #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin and acclaimed author Lisa Tuttle comes a timeless tale that brilliantly renders the struggle between the ironbound world of tradition and a rebellious soul seeking to prove the power of a dream.
Among the scattered islands that make up the water world of Windhaven, no one holds more prestige than the silver-winged flyers, romantic figures who cross treacherous oceans, braving shifting winds and sudden storms, to bring news, gossip, songs, and stories to a waiting populace. Maris of Amberly, a fisherman’s daughter, wants nothing more than to soar on the currents high above Windhaven. So she challenges tradition, demanding that flyers be chosen by merit rather than inheritance. But even after winning that bitter battle, Maris finds that her troubles are only beginning. Now a revolution threatens to destroy the world she fought so hard to join—and force her to make the ultimate sacrifice.
“Martin and Tuttle make wonderful professional music together . . . shifting easily from moments of almost unbearable tension to others of sheer poetry and exhilaration.”—*Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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“A powerful flight of the imagination . . . an entirely enjoyable reading experience, wrought by a pair of writers noted for excellence.”—Roger Zelazny
“It’s romance. It’s science fiction. It’s beautiful.”—A. E. van Vogt
“I didn’t mean to stay up all night to finish Windhaven, but I had to!”—Anne McCaffrey** Views: 466
A MONUMENTAL COLLECTION OF SHORT FICTION FROM ACCLAIMED MASTER OF HORROR AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR PETER STRAUB
“Peter Straub brilliantly defies and blurs literary genres.” —LORRIE MOORE
An American icon renowned for his bestselling novels, Peter Straub displays his full and stunning range in this crowning collection. He has consistently subverted the boundaries of genre for years, transcending horror and suspense to unlock the dark, unsettling, and troubling dissonances that exist on the edges of our perception. Straub’s fiction cracks the foundation of reality and opens our eyes to an unblinking experience of true horror, told in his inimitable and lush style with skill, wit, and impeccable craft.
With uncanny precision, Straub writes of the city and of the Midwest, of the depraved and of the righteous, of the working class and of the wealthy—nothing and no one is safe from the ever-present darkness that he understands so well. “Blue Rose” follows the cycles of violence and power through the most innocent among us, leading to a conclusion that is audacious and devastating. In the darkly satirical masterpiece “Mr. Clubb and Mr. Cuff,” a stern estate lawyer known as the Deacon hires a pair of “Private Detectives Extraordinaire” to investigate and seek revenge on his unfaithful wife. “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” follows a man and his much younger lover as they explore their decadent and increasingly sinister fantasies aboard a luxurious yacht on the remotest stretch of the Amazon River.
Interior Darkness brings together sixteen stories from twenty-five years of dazzling excellence. It is a thrilling, highly entertaining, and terrifying testament to the prodigious talent of Peter Straub.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 466
Roland Deschain and his *ka-tet* are bearing southeast through the forests of Mid-World on their quest for the Dark Tower. Their path takes them to the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis. But beyond the tranquil farm town, the ground rises to the hulking darkness of Thunderclap, the source of a terrible affliction that is stealing the town's soul. The wolves of Thunderclap and their unspeakable depredation are coming. To resist them is to risk all, but these are odds the gunslingers are used to. Their guns, however, will not be enough....
Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, the Dark Tower series is unlike anything you have ever read. Here is the fifth installment. Views: 466
If first contact took place today, how would the world react?For the alien towani, Earth is a holy site where their Last Prophecy will be fulfilled. They will do anything to protect the planet. Protecting humanity is an optional extra.In 1888, fleeing starvation in Ireland, Sean found work as a guide to the Whitechapel slums for the publisher of grisly penny dreadfuls. Not even the most lurid of those tales was as outlandish as his encounter with visitors from another world. When they take him back to their home-world, first contact with a human will change their society forever.By 2020, there is a permanent, but secret, non-terrestrial presence on Earth. Negotiating our planet's membership in the alien federation, and concealing its existence, is the responsibility of the UN. When the pandemic begins, Earth enters lockdown, and our solar system is quarantined.While technically not a prisoner, Serene is no more able to leave the tunnels below the... Views: 466
Cats sometimes catch mice and bring them home to show off to their owners. What happens when the cat brings back something... bigger? This short story is part of Ian Rogers' s Every House is Haunted, a short fiction collection that explores the border-places between our world and the dark reaches of the supernatural.ChiZine Publications (CZP) curates the best of the bizarre, bringing you the most excitingly weird, subtle, dark, and disturbing literary fiction. Look for more titles in the ChiZine short stories collection to build your digital library. Views: 466
“Every single elf will disappear from the face of the earth.” Princess Carella reads this prophecy in the book of Arcanscape and knows that the Dark Queen will stop at nothing to make it come true. Carella travels with a group of missionaries across the land to offer her gift of healing and recruit other elven tribes to help join the war against the Dark Queen.“Every single elf will disappear from the face of the earth.” Princess Carella reads this prophecy in the book of Arcanscape and knows that the Dark Queen will stop at nothing to make it come true. Carella travels with a group of missionaries across the land to offer her gift of healing and recruit other elven tribes to help join the war against the Dark Queen. When Carella and her missionary group go missing, an old barbarian named Kelroar is hired by the village cleric Ricmorn to find them. But the Dark Queen has her own barbarian in the form of Tholan the Feared. Younger and quicker, Tholan readies to take the mantle from Kelroar as the fiercest fighter in the land. Marshaling her forces of Killtooths, a breed of vampire elves, the Dark Queen begins her siege on Carella's village as the two meet head on in a collision between darkness and the light. Views: 465
An entrancing collection of stories based on the World Fantasy Award-winning Sandman comic book series by Neil Gaiman—the basis for the highly anticipated Netflix series and hailed by the Los Angeles Times Magazine as "the greatest epic in the history of comic books"—including contributions from Tori Amos, Clive Barker, Susanna Clarke, Tad Williams, and Gene Wolfe, among other celebrated names in fantasy and horrorThere is a dark king who rules our dreams from a place of shadows and fantastic things. He is Morpheus, the lord of story. Older than humankind itself, he inhabits — along with Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium, his Endless sisters and brothers — the realm of human consciousness. His powers are myth and nightmare — inspirations, pleasures, and punishments manifested beneath the blanketing mist of sleep.Surrender to him now.Sandman: The Book of Dreams is a stunning collection... Views: 465
Welcome back to Shakespeare -- a charming Arkansas town with endless back roads, an eclectic mix of residents, and a dollop of noir. Featuring cleaning woman/karate expert Lily Bard, Charlaine Harris\'s series puts a unique spin on the traditional cozy to create mysteries that "work on every level". — In the latest installment, Lily discovers lifelong Shakespeare resident Deedra Dean murdered inside a car parked in a woodsy area outside town. Determined not to get involved, Lily wants to leave the police work to Sheriff Marta Schuster and her team of deputies, and concentrate on cleaning, high kicks, and her boyfriend Jack\'s impending visit. But when Deedra\'s notoriously promiscuous lifestyle provides an extensive list of suspects but very few clues, Lily has no choice but to resume the roll of amateur detective and join the investigation.
In this fourth book in Charlaine Harris\'s highly acclaimed and darkly compelling series, Lily Bard delivers a hard-hitting mix of Southern charm and street smarts, a combination so alluring that long-time readers and newcomers will be dying to visit Shakespeare again. Views: 465
Five identical murders, five different suspects- No one of them could have done it all!Sarah and Tyler continue their efforts to reel in the mass serial killer, Dwight Spalding. As they do so, another horrific case comes to light. Five men had been murdered all in the exact same manner. There are five suspects, one for each crime. None has a motive and none could have carried out any more than one of the slayings.Sarah and Tyler are mixed up in the case, but this time one of them has a loe more to lose than ever before,Who holds the secrets?Read on to discover more! Views: 464
Alone in the trenches following a devastating barrage of enemy fire, Robert discovers there is more than just his own innocence at stake in this godforsaken war. Originally published in From the Trenches by Carnifex Press.It was just the driving rain and the liquidity of the mud that made them look like a child’s footprints. Robert had no idea how long he had been following them, or even why. He wondered if he was simply keeping himself busy, distracting himself from the squealing in his ears, the festering wound in his thigh, the cold numbing his face and fingers, the knowledge that everyone was dead, that he was alone and lost in this cemetery, this sewer, this labyrinth. These trenches. Views: 464
Tommy is just a boy, obsessed with the macabre world where monsters roam free and heroes cling to shadows. But one hero, Tommy's hero, Peter Cushing isn't so bashful. What's worse: for some reason he's targeted Tommy as foe rather than friend.Written for a younger audience, My Hero, Peter Cushing is a quick tale of vampirism and fantasy, with a strong tribute to vintage Hammer Films productions. Views: 464
Charlie Higson's The Enemy is the first in a jaw-dropping zombie horror series for teens. Everyone over the age of fourteen has succumbed to a deadly zombie virus and now the kids must keep themselves alive.
When the sickness came, every parent, police officer, politician - every adult fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry.
Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive.
****Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait.
But can they make it there - alive?
This edition contains the first chapter of the second book The Dead. Views: 464
