Amerika

Kafka’s first and funniest novel, Amerika tells the story of the young immigrant Karl Rossmann who, after an embarrassing sexual misadventure, finds himself “packed off to America” by his parents. Expected to redeem himself in this magical land of opportunity, young Karl is swept up instead in a whirlwind of dizzying reversals, strange escapades, and picaresque adventures. Although Kafka never visited America, images of its vast landscape, dangers, and opportunities inspired this saga of the “golden land.” Here is a startlingly modern, fantastic and visionary tale of America “as a place no one has yet seen, in a historical period that can’t be identified,” writes E. L. Doctorow in his new foreword. “Kafka made his novel from his own mind’s mythic elements,” Doctorow explains, “and the research data that caught his eye were bent like rays in a field of gravity.”
Views: 966

Zadig/L'Ingénu

One of Voltaire's earliest tales, Zadig is set in the exotic East and is told in the comic spirit of Candide; L'Ingenu, written after Candide, is a darker tale in which an American Indian records his impressions of France
Views: 965

Fire Bringer

Young buck Rannoch was born on the night his father was murdered and into a herd of deer where hunger for power has gradually whittled away at all that is true and good. He knows he must escape to survive. Chased by stags, with their fearsome antlers sharpened for the kill, he begins a treacherous journey into the unknown, and ahead of him lies a shocking and formidable search for truth and goodwill in the shadow of the Great Mountain. One day he will have to return to his home and face his destiny among the deer to fulfill the prophecy that has persistently given them hope: that one day a fawn will be born with the mark of an oak leaf on his forehead and that fawn's courage will lead all the deer to freedom. Filled with passion and a darkness that gradually, through Rannoch's courage in the face of adversity, lifts to reveal an overwhelming feeling of light, Fire Bringer is a tremendous, spirited story that takes the reader deep into the hearts and minds of its characters as they fight for their right to live in peace. Well-written and brimming with a gutsy excitement that leaps off the page and straight into the imagination, David Clement-Davies's debut novel for young readers is an exceptional, dynamic, complex, and utterly absorbing piece of work that anyone with a true love of animals and adventure will find impossible to put down. (Ages 10 and older)
Views: 962

The Solitaire Mystery

Hans Thomas and his father set out on a car trip through Europe, from Norway to Greece—the birthplace of philosophy—in search of Hans Thomas's mother, who left them many years earlier. On the way, Hans Thomas receives a mysterious miniature book—the fantastic memoir of a sailor shipwrecked in 1842 on a strange island where a deck of cards come to life. Structured as a deck of cards—each chapter is one in the deck—"The Solitaire Mystery" weaves together fantasy and reality, fairy tales and family history. Full of questions about the meaning of life, it will spur its listeners to reexamine their own.
Views: 960

Wilderness

When a seventeen-year-old track star turns up mangled and dead on the switchback road by the Crescent Hotel, his poker crew grows suspicious of one another. Ebur, a retired cowboy, finds himself in the middle of a once-trustworthy group who all knew and loved Brady. Or did they?And can he trust them if they think he killed the boy?When a seventeen-year-old track star turns up mangled and dead on the switchback road by the Crescent Hotel, his poker crew grows suspicious of one another. Ebur, a retired cowboy, finds himself in the middle of a once-trustworthy group who all knew and loved Brady. Or did they?And can he trust them if they think he killed the boy?Covering the broad swatch of lifestyles and struggles in off-peak Eureka Springs, Wilderness asks hard questions about retired men and those who try to tame them.:: PRAISE FOR LANCELOT SCHAUBERT ::“Schaubert’s words have an immediacy, a potency, an intimacy that grab the reader by the collar and say ‘Listen, this is important!’ Probing the bones and gristle of humanity, his subjects challenge, but also offer insights into redemption if only we will stop and pay attention.”— Erika Robuck, National Bestselling Author of Hemingway’s Girl“Loved this story because Lance wrote about people who don't get written about enough and he did it with humor, compassion, and heart.”— Brian Slatterly, author of Lost Everything and editor of The New Haven Review“I’m such a fan of Lance Schaubert's work. His unique view of things and his life-wisdom enriches all he does. We're lucky to count him among our contributors.”— Therese Walsh, author of The Moon Sisters and Editorial Director of Writer Unboxed"Lancelot Schaubert exhibits his talents in many forms from poetic verse to lyrical prose to musical compositions, all the while infusing them with charisma, passion, and wit. A true creative, Schaubert is one to watch in the literary world."—Heather Webb, author of Rodin's Lover & Becoming Josephine“Lance Schaubert writes with conviction but without the cliché and bluster of the propaganda that is so common in this age of blogs and tweets. Here is a real practitioner of the craft who has the patience to pay attention. May his tribe increase!”— Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove, author of Common Prayer and The Awakening of Hope“Lancelot was the kind of student every writing teacher hopes to have in her class: attentive, thoughtful, a bit quirky, and innovative. Since his time in my classroom, he has continued to impress me. He ‘sees,’ and his essays, poetry, and fiction are full of details that enable his audience to see. Bravo, Lance.”— Jackina Stark, author of Things Worth Remembering and Tender Grace“[He writes] characters with distinctive personalities, multi-layered, and unpredictable. [They have] natural voices, succinct and unique to each character.”— The Missouri Scriptwriting Fellowship"Schaubert's narratives are emotionally stirring with both a vulnerable sensibility and rawness to them. They take you on a journey full of open wounds, intimate successes and personal delights. His words have a calmness, a natural ease but the meaning is always commanding and dynamic."— Natalie Gee, Brooklyn Film Festival
Views: 957

Notes From Underground

Dostoevsky’s most revolutionary novel, Notes from Underground marks the dividing line between nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction, and between the visions of self each century embodied. One of the most remarkable characters in literature, the unnamed narrator is a former official who has defiantly withdrawn into an underground existence. In full retreat from society, he scrawls a passionate, obsessive, self-contradictory narrative that serves as a devastating attack on social utopianism and an assertion of man’s essentially irrational nature. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, whose Dostoevsky translations have become the standard, give us a brilliantly faithful edition of this classic novel, conveying all the tragedy and tormented comedy of the original.
Views: 947

The Nice and the Good

A revolver shot rings through a Whitehall office one hot afternoon in the middle of an English summer. A Government official has apparently shot himself, but the circumstances are questionable – prompting Octavian Gray, head of the department in which the dead man worked, to investigate. Lawyer John Ducane is charged with the task, interviewing other civil servants by day, and by night attempting repeatedly — and unsuccessfully — to break up with his mistress. When Ducane travels to Gray’s Dorset home everything becomes even more mysterious and nothing is quite as it seems.
Views: 945

Doctor Nah

Free! Doctor Nah bridges the gap between Mannion’s novella The Little Sistah (also available on Smashwords) and its inevitable sequel. A search for a missing cat leads to a vicious drug dealer who kills kitties for pleasure. There’s plenty of noir humor, yet it’s also a heartwarming holiday confection. Don’t expect It’s a Wonderful Life, however. It’s never a wonderful life in the ghetto.Scanlan Grimes, the hero (after a fashion) of last year’s novella, The Little Sistah, returns in the short story Doctor Nah, which bridges the gap between his debut adventure and its inevitable sequel. A search for a missing cat leads our hero to a vicious drug dealer who kills kitties for pleasure. There’s plenty of noir humor, yet it’s also a heartwarming holiday confection. Don’t expect It’s a Wonderful Life, however. It’s never a wonderful life in the ghetto.Free!!! And short! Give it a try. It won’t take up too much space on your hard drive or too many minutes out of your life. And if you don’t like it, just drag it over to the Recycle Bin. That being said, we think you will like it, dear reader. And for those of you without a Kindle, Nook, or other tablet, don’t let that stop you. Doctor Nah, as well as The Little Sistah, can be downloaded as a .pdf, HTML, or .rtf file, easily enjoyed on your PC or laptop. It can be read in the time it takes you to peruse the online news, twit, tweet, and do the Facebook thing over your morning pumpkin spice latte. That’s why they call ’em short stories!
Views: 944

A Happy Death

Is it possible to die a happy death?This is the central question of Camus's astonishing early novel, published posthumously and greeted as a major literary event. It tells the story of a young Algerian, Mersault, who defies society's rules by committing a murder and escaping punishment, then experimenting with different ways of life and finally dying a happy man. In many ways A Happy Death is a fascinating first sketch for The Outsider, but it can also be seen as a candid self-portrait, drawing on Camus's memories of his youth, travels and early relationships. It is infused with lyrical descriptions of the sun-drenched Algiers of his childhood - the place where, eventually, Mersault is able to find peace and die 'without anger, without hatred, without regret'.
Views: 944

Numero zero

Una redazione raccogliticcia che prepara un quotidiano destinato, più che all’informazione, al ricatto, alla macchina del fango, a bassi servizi per il suo editore. Un redattore paranoico che, aggirandosi per una Milano allucinata (o allucinato per una Milano normale), ricostruisce la storia di cinquant’anni sullo sfondo di un piano sulfureo costruito intorno al cadavere putrefatto di uno pseudo Mussolini. E nell’ombra Gladio, la P2, l’assassinio di papa Luciani, il colpo di stato di Junio Valerio Borghese, la Cia, i terroristi rossi manovrati dagli uffici affari riservati, vent’anni di stragi e di depistaggi, un insieme di fatti inspiegabili che paiono inventati sino a che una trasmissione della BBC non prova che sono veri, o almeno che sono ormai confessati dai loro autori. E poi un cadavere che entra in scena all’improvviso nella più stretta e malfamata via di Milano. Un’esile storia d’amore tra due protagonisti perdenti per natura, un ghost writer fallito e una ragazza inquietante che per aiutare la famiglia ha abbandonato l’università e si è specializzata nel gossip su affettuose amicizie, ma ancora piange sul secondo movimento della Settima di Beethoven. Un perfetto manuale per il cattivo giornalismo che il lettore via via non sa se inventato o semplicemente ripreso dal vivo. Una storia che si svolge nel 1992 in cui si prefigurano tanti misteri e follie del ventennio successivo, proprio mentre i due protagonisti pensano che l’incubo sia finito. Una vicenda amara e grottesca che si svolge in Europa dalla fine della guerra ai giorni nostri.
Views: 939

. . . . of Hope and Glory

Chris Carter returns to a town he barely recognises and a growing threat to all that he holds dear. Under the banner of the 'English Front Line', the young men of Holtingham vow to defend their culture and country against Islamic extremism and the PC lobby. An ultimate Jihadist strike at the heart of England demands merciless action if two thousand years of proud history are not to be swept away.After a long absence, Chris Carter returns home to a town he barely recognises. Already targeted by local law enforcement, he is thrust into a contentious and spiralling battle to combat a growing threat to all that he holds dear; family, friends and national identity. Under the banner of the newly formed 'English Front Line', he and the young men of Holtingham vow to defend their culture and country against the amassed forces of Islamic extremism and the self-serving, politically-correct lobbyists. The escalation of murder and a Jihadist planned, ultimate terrorist-strike at the heart and soul of England, demands a swift, merciless reaction and the greatest of sacrifice, if two thousand years of proud history are not to be swept away.Though a tale of fiction, ' .... of Hope and Glory ' is based on the stark facts of present day Britain and the very uncertain and fraught future she faces.
Views: 934

The Life of Greece

The Story of Civilization, Volume II: A history of Greek civilization from the beginnings, and of civilization in the Near East from the Death of Alexander to the Roman Conquest. The Life of Greece is a survey of ancient Greece whose scope and style recalls the golden age of historical writing, before specialization. Durant, in this second volume of The Story of Civilization, tells the whole story of Hellas, from the days of Crete's vast Aegean empire to the extirpation of the last remnants of Greek liberty, crushed under the heel of an implacably forward-marching Rome. The dry minutiae of battles and sieges, tortuous statecraft of tyrant and king, are given less emphasis in what is pre-eminently a vivid recreation of Greek culture, written in a supple and vigorous prose. [from cover]
Views: 932

Shinigami Eyes

Most children hope to grow out of their imaginary friends. 17-year-old Rin Waters’ only hope is that hers doesn’t kill someone, especially when said imaginary friend puts a boy in a coma. Finding herself shipped half-way around the world—to Japan, of all places—she is forced to live with grandparents she hasn’t seen for ten years and a cousin she can’t even remember. Rin would rather just forget about the one night that ruined her life and pretend her imaginary friend doesn’t exist—if it was only that easy. When manga-obsessed otaku, Matt, won’t stop pestering her about a manga that sees the future and the tragic accident she’ll be involved in if she doesn’t listen to him, pretending becomes quite a challenge. Suddenly mysterious accidents begin to happen to students in her school, and Rin has to wonder what length Matt is willing to go to prove his manga is real. Is it all a sham or is there really something that wants to see Rin and her new friends dead?
Views: 927

The Gift of Asher Lev

"Rivals anything Chaim Potok has ever produced. It is a book written with passion about passion. You're not likely to read anything better this year." THE DETROIT NEWS Twenty years have passed for Asher Lev. He is a world-renowned artist living in France, still uncertain of his artistic direction. When his beloved uncle dies suddenly, Asher and his family rush back to Brooklyn--and into a world that Asher thought he had left behind forever.... From the Paperback edition.
Views: 924

Les Justes

En février 1905, à Moscou, un groupe de terroristes, appartenant au parti socialiste révolutionnaire, organisait un attentat à la bombe contre le grand-duc Serge, oncle du tsar. Cet attentat et les circonstances singulières qui l\'ont précédé et suivi font le sujet des justes. Si extraordinaires que puissent paraître, en effet, certaines des situations de cette pièce, elles sont pourtant historiques. Ceci ne veut pas dire, on le verra d\'ailleurs, que les justes soient une pièce historique. Mais tous les personnages ont réellement existé et se sont conduits comme je le dis. J\'ai seulement tâché à rendre vraisemblable ce qui était déjà vrai... la haine qui pesait sur ces âmes exceptionnelles comme une intolérable souffrance est devenue un système confortable. Raison de plus pour évoquer ces grandes ombres, leur juste révolte, leur fraternité difficile, les efforts démesurés qu\'elles firent pour se mettre en accord avec le meurtre - et pour dire ainsi où est notre fidélité. Albert camus.
Views: 922