A powerful political novel based on the sudden, mysterious death of the man who had been handpicked to succeed the hated Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha. Did he commit suicide or was he murdered? That is the burning question. The man who died by his own hand, or another's, was Mehmet Shehu, the presumed heir to the ailing dictator, Enver Hoxha. So sure was the world that he was next in line, he was known as The Successor. And then, shortly before he was to assume power, he was found dead. THE SUCCESSOR is simultaneously a mystery novel, a historical novel-based on actual events and buttressed by the author's private conversations with the son of the real-life Mehmet Shehu-and a psychological novel (How do you live when nothing is sure?). Vintage Kadare, THE SUCCESSOR seamlessly blends dream and reality, legendary past, and contemporary history. Views: 40
A young man and his strange companion, a weary warrior out for vengeance, a young girl on the run with a child, and a trio of wizards bent on ruling the world are just some of the characters in this epic fantasy adventure from prolific author William Stafford. Fans can expect his trademark humour as well as plenty of action and originality in this all-new addition to the fantasy genre. Views: 40
Blood is a terrible gossip, it tells everything.”Dr. Miranda is faced with a tragedy: his father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has only a few weeks to live. He is also faced with a dilemma: How does one tell his father he is dying?Ernesto Duran, a patient of Dr. Miranda’s, is convinced he is sick. Ever since he separated from his wife he has been presenting symptoms of an illness he believes is killing him. It becomes an obsession far exceeding hypochondria. The fixation, in turn, has its own creeping effect on Miranda’s secretary, who cannot, despite her best intentions, resist compassion for the man.A profound and philosophical exploration of the nature and meaning of illness, Alberto Barrera Tyszka’s tender, refined novel interweaves the stories of four individuals as they try, in their own way, to come to terms with sickness in all its ubiquity. Views: 40
Aboard a ghost ship, sailors discover a tale of treasure, lust, and murderWhen the tanker finds the yacht, she is far from land, adrift in the middle of the Caribbean. No one is onboard, but the hold is stuffed with cash, the coffeepot is still warm, and a hint of perfume hangs in the air. The passengers have vanished, but the ship's log tells a chilling story of the madness peculiar to the search for sunken riches.The journal was written by salvage diver Bill Manning, who was out of money and out of luck when he met a statuesque Swede named Shannon. She and her husband hire him to sail them to the Yucatan coast, to find a plane that went down carrying untold wealth. But a pair of gangsters is pursuing them, hoping for a crack at the treasure as well. For the sake of Shannon's beauty Manning will chase this fortune, knowing it will take him to the height of riches, or to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea. Views: 40
Experience the thrill of reading Ender's Game all over againGo deeper into the complexities of Orson Scott Card’s classic novel with science fiction and fantasy writers, YA authors, military strategists, including:Ender prequel series coauthor Aaron Johnston on Ender and the evolution of the child heroBurn Notice creator Matt Nix on Ender's Game as a guide to lifeHugo awardwinning writer Mary Robinette Kowal on how Ender’s Game gets away with breaking all the (literary) rulesRetired US Air Force Colonel Tom Ruby on what the military could learn from Ender about leadershipBestselling YA author Neal Shusterman on the ambivalence toward survival that lies at the heart of Ender’s storyPlus pieces by:Hilari BellJohn BrownMette Ivie HarrisonJanis IanAlethea KontisDavid Lubar and Alison S. MyersJohn F. SchmittKen ScholesEric James StoneAlso includes... Views: 40
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a nearly complete rewrite of the abandoned Stephen Hero novel, the original manuscript of which was partially destroyed in a fit of rage during an argument with Nora. A kunstlerroman, or story of the development of an artist (a type of bildungsroman, or coming of age novel), it is largely autobiographical, showing the process of attaining maturity and self-consciousness by a gifted young man. The main character is Stephen Dedalus, Joyce's representation of himself. In this novel, some glimpses of Joyce's later techniques are evident, in the use of interior monologue and in the concern with the psychic rather than external reality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce Views: 40
Based on the "many worlds" theory of quantum physics-which posits the existence of parallel universes-The Man Who Turned Into Himself is a suspenseful, intellectually intriguing debut.In the middle of an important meeting, businessman Rick Hamilton experiences a terrible premonition: His wife is about to die. Racing to save her, he finds her dying in the road, her car crushed by a truck. The light dwindles from her eyes...and then she is alive again, begging for help, and Rick Hamilton no longer is himself, but another man with another life, a different history.David Ambrose has written a twisting psychological thriller that addresses our deepest questions about reality, death, identity, and the mind. Views: 40
Muriel Spark always regarded the Brontës with a novelist's eye. As Boyd Tonkin argues in his lively introduction, written for this new edition, the Brontës inspired Spark at the very beginning of her own career, but not in a straightforward way. Through her critical and biographical work on the Brontës Spark identified not only their achievements but also their flaws and failings, and thereby began to define, as Tonkin puts it, 'her own best route'. As she herself said, in a piece recorded for the BBC at Emily Brontë's grave in 1961, 'I was fascinated by [Emily's] creative mind because it's so entirely alien to my own'. This book, first published in 1993, collects Spark's essays on the Brontës, her selection of their letters and of Emily's poetry. Evident throughout are Spark's critical intelligence, dry wit, and refusal to sentimentalise – qualities that gave her own novels their particular appeal. At the same time, The Essence of the... Views: 40
