A beautiful plantation home in Georgia's Appalachian region bears witness to a horrific murder and hosts a bloodthirsty demon hell-bent on vengeance.This is the first translation into English of the verse drama Germanicus by the Afrikaans poet N.P. Van Wyk Louw. The work was based on the first three chapters of the Annales of the Roman historiographer Tacitus. After the death of Emperor Augustus, his successor Tiberius’ adopted son Germanicus recoils from the cruelty inherent in imperial rule. In the end he helplessly acquiesces, finally welcoming his own death as a means of escape from the burden of empire. The drama has been considered a highlight in Afrikaans literature since its publication in 1956. Its interest lies in its amazing sweep of words, Louw’s sense of history and his portrayal of the inevitability of the corruption inherent in power. Louw’s great monologues dominate the debates between his main protagonists. His poetic Afrikaans had a grand eloquence that swept his audience along in a torrent of densely-argued meaning. Such conciseness offered severe challenges to the translator. Claassen’s colloquial translation manages to capture both the essence of Louw’s dramatic dialogues and the rhythmic cadences of the original poetry. The translator provides a lengthy Introduction, aimed at both a classical and a theatre-going readership, explaining the historical background and discussing Louw’s interpretation of Tacitus’ narrative and the constraints under which a translator works. A brief overview of the contents of the drama’s eight scenes is followed by a select bibliography. Views: 735
Trigger Man poses the question: Are world-changing figures merely happenstance or puppets of a greater, entirely mysterious, plan? Jesse Avery finds himself unwittingly sunk in this dilemma after coming into the employ of the diabolical Aldo Sautin. But when he's contracted to kill a young girl he has to dig far back in his memory and brutal history to decide which side of the line he will walk..Trigger Man is the story of a thief on the cusp of the Apocalypse. After a disastrous childhood he falls in with a gang of juvenile delinquents and learns a mysterious curse of visions he's had since birth may have fostered a great talent.He comes to the notice and subsequent employ of the evil Aldo Sautin, a once small-time hood himself now reaping the benefits of his ruthlessness. Under this man's tutelage Jesse is soon trapped in a much deeper pervading evil than he ever knew existed. Because Sautin wants him to kill a child. A flurry of recurring and disturbing visions convince Jesse that he is a 'trigger man,' one of a great number of people who unknowingly steer the course of human history. Not the famous, but the necessary. Men like Nicodemus who prepared Christ's body for interment, women like Eva Braun who comforted Hitler during the hellish siege by the Russians on Berlin. And all of these, Jesse finds, are destined for an ultimate Moment of Decision, a time when the 'trigger' must be pulled. Views: 735
Robert E. Howard is famous for creating such immortal heroes as Conan the Cimmerian, Solomon Kane, and Bran Mak Morn. Less well-known but equally extraordinary are his non-fantasy adventure stories set in the Middle East and featuring such two-fisted heroes as Francis Xavier Gordon—known as “El Borak”—Kirby O’Donnell, and Steve Clarney. This trio of hard-fighting Americans, civilized men with more than a touch of the primordial in their veins, marked a new direction for Howard’s writing, and new territory for his genius to conquer.
The wily Texan El Borak, a hardened fighter who stalks the sandscapes of Afghanistan like a vengeful wolf, is rivaled among Howard’s creations only by Conan himself. In such classic tales as “The Daughter of Erlik Khan,” “Three-Bladed Doom,” and “Sons of the Hawk,” Howard proves himself once again a master of action, and with plenty of eerie atmosphere his plotting becomes tighter and twistier than ever, resulting in stories worthy of comparison to Jack London and Rudyard Kipling. Every fan of Robert E. Howard and aficionados of great adventure writing will want to own this collection of the best of Howard’s desert tales, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artists Tim Bradstreet and Jim & Ruth Keegan. Views: 735
Patrick Redmayne lived to see beyond the end of the world. Along with hundreds of others survivors, he clings to life aboard a ship in the North Sea. When a foraging mission comes up Patrick volunteers. He hopes that the mission will give him the chance to find out what happened to his family during the dark days of civilisations demise.Patrick Redmayne lived to see beyond the end of the world. Along with hundreds of others survivors, he clings to life aboard a ship in the North Sea. When a foraging mission comes up Patrick volunteers. He hopes that the mission will give him the chance to find out what happened to his family during the dark days of civilisations demise. Patrick and his comrades make their way across northern Britain. Their journey rapidly turns into a fight for survival, encountering things that normally hide in the deepest, darkest nightmares. Emotions and sanity are pushed to the limits but one mysterious signal presses them on in a search for salvation, a search for hope, a search for an answer. This is the second volume in the Green and Pleasant Land series and follows on from the 5 star rated Old World. Views: 734
In the cycle of life, Death and Destruction can be a necessary thing, but what happens when one of the key players refuses to play?In a Web-only exclusive, Ms. Sonnier releases a never before seen tale from the point of view of the beings we all fear, but who can be surprisingly just like us.In the cycle of life, Death and Destruction can be a necessary thing, but what happens when one of the key players refuses to play? Views: 734
Eve’s lips parted, showing the even white teeth—those slightly pointed teeth.“You’re quite sane, my dear,” She said calmly. “You are now one of us; a revenant, even as I, and to live you must feed on the living.” Views: 734
Atop a twisting, canyon-climbing road, a witch lurks in a fortress built strong to keep out dragons and ogres. In another part of the countryside, a young orphan is maturing into a beautiful woman in the enchanted village that is her home. Somewhere nearby, a young man is seeking adventure after running away from his family's small farm. Suddenly a strange and terrible prophecy sets off a chain of events that will bring these three together in the heroic, romantic, and thrilling tale of an age-old battle.
From the Paperback edition. Views: 733
A long dense narrative poem set in a neo-decadent future. Portrays the tempestuous love affair of a cyber-enhanced woman and her wandering paramour. Rhysling Award Finalist 2002A long dense narrative poem set in a neo-decadent future. Portrays the tempestuous love affair of a cyber-enhanced woman and her wandering paramour. Rhysling Award Finalist 2002Bruce Boston lives in Ocala, Florida, once known as the City of Trees, with his wife, writer-artist Marge Simon, and the ghosts of two cats. He is the author of fifty books and chapbooks. His poetry and fiction have appeared in hundreds of publications, including Asimov's SF Magazine, Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, Strange Horizons, Realms of Fantasy, Pedestal, Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and The Nebula Awards Showcase. One of the leading genre poets for more than a quarter century, Boston has won the Bram Stoker Award for Poetry, the Asimov's Readers Award, and the Rhysling Award, each a record number of times. He is the author of the dystopian SF novel The Guardener’s Tale (available as an ebook) and the sixties-counterculture novel Stained Glass Rain (forthcoming as an ebook), and has received a Pushcart Prize for Fiction. Views: 733
Evelyn investigates a possible case of a modern day witch-hunt in upstate New York.Journey into the Darkside of the world with experienced hunter Evelyn Blackwood and ordinary New Yorker Zac Quinn as they unravel supernatural mysteries and save the innocent from the terrors of night. Views: 733
This new edition of Rikki Tikki Tavi features new original illustrations from Emma Lysy.From Rudyard Kipling's classic The Jungle Book, Rikki Tikki Tavi is the story of a mongoose and two cobras. Taken in after being washed into the garden of a British family in India, he protects the house from the devious cobras Nag and Nagaina with help from his friends and mongoose cunning.A gifted but troubled youth Mako Zulinski is hurled headlong on paths he never intended or imagined. Pursuing a mysterious entity through the filaments of the inter-galactic Web for organized crime, Mako is ripped away from his spaceport home world.Now alone and without any of his formidable electronic defenses he must survive on a primitive planet. Powerful enemies still pursue him in space, the Web, and here on a rustic world populated by another race.This story follows Mako as he struggles to survive against his his enemies, his past, and strange paranormal events surrounding him on his new home world. In the process Mako and his new hosts are surprised by his exponential growth. Mako is soon hurled into the Civil wars breaking out across the galaxy within both the Drougue and Terran civilizations as the galaxy seems to decay around him. Views: 732
What if praise of a work of art affects the way it looks? Does criticism literally destroy a painting?Quantum Critique is a short story that asks the question, Does criticism literally destroy a painting? Views: 732
As Earthrise gets closer to the Sun both the heat and tensions are rising. Discipline is falling apart; rumour fuels fear, and both crew and visitors are losing faith in decisions that have been made. Now Andrew has to face the mob before Earth leaves them behind.Part One - Catcher McCall - Regrets and Rescue chronicled the events in Af-fucking-ghanistan, which culminates in inadvertently saving the life of a U.S. Congressman that warrants Catcher McCall to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Because of accepting the reluctant prize, the public's fascination catapults Catcher McCall to be a candidate for the presidency of the United States. What happened next is truer than fiction. As William Faulkner said, "The best fiction is far more true than any journalism."Part Two - I’m Catcher McCall: War hero, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and candidate for the presidency of the United States. Why and how it happened makes telling the truth a revolutionary act. Indeed, truth is not obligated to conform to possibilities, and instead changes with time and convention. Famous Catcher McCall quotes in the context of being a candidate for the presidency. Catcher McCall ... Outsider is presented as a modern day epic in three volumes: Catcher McCall - Regrets and Rescue, Catcher McCall - Respect and Betrayal and Catcher McCall - Lost and Return. Volume Four - Catcher McCall vs. Wall Street is scheduled for release on April 1, 2013.______________ Views: 732
The New York underground is no place for a lady...but no one told Gem.Gem has her hands full with a couple of guys who know her secrets and take control of the very words that come out of her mouth. This one is a real jaw dropper.This collection of novellas is about journeys. In The Last Long Walk of Noah Brown, a young man leaves his home in Annapolis in 1965. A complete innocent, he trusts the people he encounters along the roads who give him direction until he settles in New Orleans where he eventually rescues people and animals caught in the flood. The King and the Clockmaker examines questions about the genesis of evil, the role of art and the nature of time. In The Vast Darkness, a young woman student of anthropology reflects upon the influence of isolated mountain living upon her neighbors. Views: 732
I had lost my way and couldn't get home. Mrs Saunders, Ollie, Emma, Ada, and Ursula agreed, "Losing can be a very bad business, a very, very bad business indeed!" Should I study hard and learn everything I could? Wait until someone else rescued me? Make myself at home wherever I was? It took an afternoon tea party for me to realize that the only way is love.I had lost my way, and was having trouble getting home. And, as Mrs Saunders, Ollie, Emma, Ada, and Ursula all agreed, "Losing can be a very bad business, a very, very bad business indeed!"Ollie told me that the way home was to study hard and learn everything there was to know.Emma suggested that I wait until someone else rescued me.Ada recommended that I just make myself at home wherever I was, even if wherever I was wasn't where I wanted to be.It took an afternoon tea party with Mrs Saunders and Ursula for me to realize that the only way home was love. Views: 731
This is not a happy tale. Be forewarned, if you want a happy ending, do not read; if you are looking for a feel-good story, pass this one up; if you seek a heart warming tale, move along move along, there is nothing here for you to see. This is a tale of woe, unadulterated, unwavering anguish. Enter at your own risk and do not forget gentle reader; you have been warned.This is not a happy tale. Be forewarned, if you want a happy ending, do not read; if you are looking for a feel-good story, pass this one up; if you seek a heart warming tale, move along move along, there is nothing here for you to see. This is a tale of woe, unadulterated, unwavering anguish. Enter at your own risk and do not forget gentle reader; you have been warned. If anyone ever tells you that what you read does not affect the way that you think, they are dead wrong. The story that lies before you is proof positive of that. I was reading "The Road" when I wrote this. Usually, the stories that I write have a happy ending, at least somewhere in the journey through the pages, but not this one. This is a dark tale born from the despair that "The Road" raised in my soul during the reading of that epic, yet horrid tale. I hope that those brave enough to read this tale will at least appreciate the shadow of utter despair and misery that I fed into this story. Enjoy or not, read or not, but warned you have been. I humbly pass my creation into your capable hands, open or closed, the choice is yours. Views: 731
