• Home
  • Literature & Fiction

The Emerald Circus

Where is Wendy? Leading a labor strike against the Lost Boys, of course.A Scottish academic unearths ancient evil in a fishing village. Edgar Allan Poe's young bride is beguiled by a most unusual bird. Dorothy, lifted from Kansas, returns as a gymnastic sophisticate. Emily Dickinson dwells in possibility and sails away in a starship made of light. Alice's wicked nemesis has jaws and claws, but really needs a sense of humor. In Jane Yolen's first full collection in over ten years discover new and uncollected tales of beloved characters, literary legends, and much more.Enter the Emerald Circus and be astonished by the transformations within.
Views: 35

The Terrorists of Irustan

In this brilliant novel from the author of Sing the Light, a talented medicant defies the rule of men-and changes the lives of every woman on the planet. "A dark, richly imagined tale...a thoughtful meditation upon the dangers of fanaticism and the strength of the human spirit."-Sharon Shinn"Rich with alien atmospherics."-Publishers WeeklyFrom BooklistOn Irustan, a planet settled long ago by humans, the Book of Second Prophet painstakingly details the proper way of being. Despite space travel and advanced technologies, men are the absolute decision makers. Women, draped in shapeless silks, their faces heavily veiled, are chattel. Only a select few get a glimpse at independence by becoming medicants, who are trained in the medical sciences. Such work is regarded as too distasteful for men. The beautiful Zahra is a young wife, a talented medicant, and a murderer. Sickened by a world of abusive husbands, Zahra's choice to kill is believably righteous, but it is fraught with treacherous subsequent ramifications. Marley realizes Irustan in dynamic detail, and she manages real, consistent character development so that not only does Zahra mature, but secondary characters subtly grow as situations demand. Throughout, Marley's acclaimed, exquisite prose and her universal themes of feminist heroism light the book brightly. Karen SimonettiFrom Kirkus ReviewsFeminist science fiction from the author of the paperback Receive the Gift, etc. According to planet Irustan's inflexible religious code, women must be secluded and veiled, and are given away at the whim of the household's chief male. Nearly all men work in the rhodium mines, where they unavoidably inhale dust and become susceptible to a fatal disease; despite wearing masks, they require regular treatment. Their religion, however, bids them disregard their bodies, so men cannot be doctors. Zahra IbSada, the wife of Qadir, chief director of mines, is a ``medicant,'' Irustan's nearest equivalent to a doctor, diagnosing and treating with the help of machines imported from Earth. Despairingly, Zahra treats wives battered by their husbands, certifies as healthy 14-year-old girls being forced into marriage, and, disregarding Qadir's prohibition, patches up prostitutes injured by their clients. Then her friend Kalen, whose daughter Rabi will be given to the brutal Binya Maris, asks Zahra to intervene. She refuses, but secretly helps Kalen administer a fatal disease-causing agent. Zahra becomes friendly with offworld deliveryman Jin-Li Chung, who turns out to be a woman. When another friend begs for help against her adamant husband, Zahra again intervenes. Jin-Li's Earth boss, suspicious of the two unexplained deaths, orders him/her to spy on Zahra. But the brutality continues. Should Zahra persist with her covert terrorism, thereby risking detection, or join with her friends and start a revolution? Thoughtful and effective, despite the familiar backdrop and obvious developments. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Views: 35

Tooter Pepperday

The Pepperday family is moving to Aunt Sally's farm. Mr. Pepperday, Mrs. Pepperday, and Chuckie Pepperday are happy as hogs in slop. But Tooter Pepperday is not. There's no cable TV, no playground, and she's gone three days without pizza! What does a girl have to do to show her family she'll never get used to life on the farm?"Tooter is a real-life, plucky, resourceful heroine . . . in a good sound story that has a lot to say about the choices we make and the impact they have."--Booklist"Tooter Pepperday . . . is sure to bring on the chuckles and the giggles."--School Library JournalJerry Spinelli is the author of the Newbery Award--winning Maniac Magee, as well as many other titles, including Stargirl and his autobiography, Knots in My Yo-Yo String. The author lives in Pennsylvania.
Views: 35

1867

"In the 1860s, western alienation began at Yonge Street, and George Brown was the Preston Manning of the day." So begins Christopher Moore's fascinating 1990s look at the messy, dramatic, crisis-ridden process that brought Canada into being -- and at the politicians, no more lovable or united than our own, who, against all odds, managed to forge a deal that worked.From the first chapter, he turns a fresh, perceptive, and lucid eye on the people, the issues, and the political theories of Confederation -- from John A. Macdonald's canny handling of leadership to the invention of federalism and the Senate, from the Quebec question to the influence of political philosophers Edmund Burke and Walter Bagehot.This is a book for all Canadians who love their country -- and fear for it after the failure of the constitution-making of the 1990s. Here is a clear, entertaining reintroduction to the ideas and processes that forged the nation.From the Hardcover edition.
Views: 35

The Chalk Artist

A tender affair and the redemptive power of art are at the core of this compelling novel from National Book Award finalist Allegra Goodman, "a romantic realist who dazzles with wit [and] compassion" (The Wall Street Journal). Collin James is young, creative, and unhappy. A college dropout, he waits tables and spends his free time beautifying the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his medium of choice: chalk. Collin's art captivates passersby with its vibrant colors and intricate lines—until the moment he wipes it all away. Nothing in Collin's life is meant to last. Then he meets Nina. . . . The daughter of a tech mogul who is revolutionizing virtual reality, Nina Lazare is trying to give back as a high school teacher—but her students won't listen to her. When Collin enters her world, he inspires her to think bigger. Nina wants to return the favor—even if it means losing him. Against this poignant backdrop, Allegra...
Views: 35

Thicker Than Blood

If you are going through hell… keep going…Wounded, defeated, and flung across the wilderness, Jade Crow and her peeps faced their worst enemy and not all have escaped… or survived.Separated from her friends, their fates unknown, and without her magic, Jade must discover her own heritage and unlock her true powers… or else her next fight with Samir will be her last.For Jade, life has come down to two choices... Level up. Or die.
Views: 35

Electric Dreams

The Stories Behind the Series Though perhaps most famous as a novelist, Philip K. Dick wrote more than one hundred short stories over the course of his career, each as mind-bending and genre-defining as his longer works. Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams collects ten of the best. In "Autofac," Dick shows us one of the earliest examples (and warnings) in science fiction of self-replicating machines. "Exhibit Piece" and "The Commuter" feature Dick exploring one of his favorite themes: the shifting nature of reality and whether it is even possible to perceive the world as it truly exists. And "The Hanging Stranger" provides a thrilling, dark political allegory as relevant today as it was when Dick wrote it at the height of the Cold War. Strange, funny, and powerful, the stories in this collection highlight a master at work, encapsulating his boundless imagination and deep understanding of the human condition.
Views: 35

Betsy and the Great World and Betsy's Wedding

Betsy and the Great World: Betsy Ray is twenty-one and on the adventure of a lifetime: a solo tour of Europe! There's even a handsome Italian, Marco, who's going overboard for her—if only she could stop thinking about her ex-sweetheart Joe Willard.Betsy's Wedding: When Betsy's boat docks in New York, Joe is waiting there . . . with a ring! But she's going to learn that marriage isn't all candlelight, roses, and kisses. There's also cooking, ironing, cleaning, and budgeting— and will she be able to find time to forge a writing career?
Views: 35