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"The peace of the nation of Tir Tanagiri had been bitterly won. But after years of fighting against rival kingdoms and Jarnish invaders, the warrior Sulien ap Gwien and her lord, King Urdo, had finally won it, through great strength of arms - and greater strength of vision. For Sulien was inspired by Urdo's dream of a kingdom ruled by justice, whose subjects all were equal under a single code of law. But where many see a hopeful new future for the land, others believe they sense the seeds of a new tyranny." Soon the land faces the terrible blight of civil war, and Sulien ap Gwien must take up arms again. But where once her enemies were barbarian invaders and unrepentent usurpers, now they are former comrades and loved ones. And as the conflict tears her country and her family apart, and life-long friends go to meet their destinies, Sulien must fight harder and harder to hold on to Urdo's shining dream. Views: 644
Poetry and stories about the mythical bird.A short horror story based on the Lovecraftian Necronomicon. Two academics thought they could unravel the secrets of this diabolical book but it destroyed them both. Views: 644
All Eva wants is to disappear into the busy day to day of the circus she ran away to--but a dangerous mask falls into her hands and drives her into death defying acts.In The Hanged Man's Ghost, Fynn met the ghost of a circus performer named Eva. The Girl with Two Faces tells the story of fourteen-year-old Eva's encounter with a cursed mask that drives her to seek fame with more and more dangerous feats of tightrope walking.Eva will have to find the strength to break free of the mask's influence and make peace with the father she's hated her whole life.Prequel to The Hanged Man's Ghost. Views: 644
If you're a human in a vampire's world, nothing goes according to plan.When a map to the mysterious fortune of notorious privateer Miguel Enríquez falls in the lap of Ben and Tenzin, only one of them is jumping at the opportunity. Tenzin can't wait to search for a secret cache of gold. Ben, on the other hand, couldn't be less excited.All Ben knows about Puerto Rico is what he hears on the news and a few lingering memories of his human grandmother. Going back to his roots holds zero appeal for the carefully constructed man he's become.In the end, the lure of hidden gold can't be denied.Ben and Tenzin head to Puerto Rico where the immortal world is ruled by Los Tres, a trio of powerful vampires commanding the wind, the waves, and the mountains that make up this small island in the Caribbean.To find Enríquez's treasure, they'll have to walk a fine line between flattery and secrecy. To leave the island might mean a bigger fight than either one of... Views: 644
Rowan faces her most dangerous monster-slaying challenge yet, confronting what could be the most infamous monster of all, in the third book in this fantastical series by New York Times bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.Rowan is Tamarel's Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, will be its king. After the events of The Gryphon's Lair, Rowan, along with her friends, her brother and an entourage of monstrous companions, makes her way back to the Dunnian Woods to deal with the pack of dropbears the group trapped in an abandoned cabin after a vicious attack. The dropbears are just one of a number of rare monster species acting erratically in Tamarel. After a swarm of colocolos nearly tramples the group, Rowan becomes convinced that someone (or something) is driving these monsters out of their natural habitats. But nothing can prepare the Royal Monster Hunter for the truth of the matter: monsters even bigger and deadlier than gryphons... Views: 644
Six months after their wedding, Cullen and Lana Amell visit his sister's farm. Being a mage, Lana missed out on all the traditions that came with All Soul's Day and Cullen is ecstatic to teach them all to her. Lots of Fluff & Kissing.A little Halloween/Fall Solstice story with Cullen from my series to get everyone into the autumn mood.Six months after their wedding, Cullen and Lana Amell visit his sister's farm. Being a mage, Lana missed out on all the traditions that came with All Soul's Day and Cullen is ecstatic to teach them all to her. Lots of Fluff & Kissing. Views: 644
This fast-moving tale of the far future deals with the quest of the Hunter brothers for a mysterious bonanza located somewhere in the asteroid belt. The dangers and details of asteroid mining are carefully outline, and the bonanza itself proves to be and open gate to wider future in the stars.Realistic background, good plotting and vivid writing add up to a good adventure. Views: 644
After years of comparative peace, darkness has fallen upon Ulster. Trouble is brewing and even those in the heart of the forest are not safe. Niamh, elder daughter of Sorcha, is required to make a strategic marriage, while her sister Liadan, who has the gift of Sight and her mother’s talent for healing, finds herself drawn into the shadowy world of the Painted Man and his warrior band. There Liadan begins a journey that is to transform her life. Views: 643
Gene Wolfe is producing the most significant body of short fiction of any living writer in the SF genre. It has been ten years since the last major Wolfe collection, so Strange Travelers contains a whole decade of achievement. Some of these stories were award nominees, some were controversial, but each is unique and beautifully written.
Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, this collection of Wolfe's stories published in the 1990s contains death by overdose, suicide, Armageddon, cruelty to animals, abuse of children, children willing to falsely accuse fathers of sexual abuse and a plethora of vampiric female figures eager to suck the life out of men. Opening with "Bluesberry Jam," Wolfe (The Book of the Long Sun series, etc.) creates an intriguing speculative future in which an entire culture arises from people who have been stuck in a traffic jam for decades. This conceit is ultimately negated, however, by the most tired of clich?s in the closing story, "Ain't You 'Most Done," which is set in the same world. Also included are two Christmas stories: "No Planets Strike," a relatively sweet tale in which genetically modified animals aid the next Christ child, and "And When They Appear," which is less sweet, involving wonderful, mythic figures who visit, but cannot save, a small boy from a world gone mad. While Wolfe's prose is exceptional and there are a few gems here, such as "Useful Phrases," which delights in how words lead us to and reveal mysteries, there are also several tasteless and misogynistic entries. Chief among them is "The Ziggurat," in which a mother coaches her daughters in the art of false accusation and the father--whose wife leaves him broke-eventually regains all by finding a woman he can dominate and a technology he can steal. All too frequently in this volume, even when women show men "the pleasures of Hell," biting them till they bleed, men emerge loutish and triumphant. (Jan.) FYI: Wolfe is a recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
From Library Journal
Two tales featuring a pair of musicians wandering down an endless highway filled with stalled cars ("Bluesberry Jam"; "Ain't You Most Done?") frame this collection of 15 short stories by the award-winning author of the "Book of the New Sun" series. Wolfe's eclectic talent runs the gamut from Russian folk tales to modern horror as he explores a landscape filled with ghouls, aliens, and chess-playing deities. Representing a decade of groundbreaking speculative fiction by a master of the genre, this volume belongs in most libraries.
From Booklist
Wolfe's latest collection holds 16 pieces that have appeared in an amazing variety of publications during the last decade. Their inspirations range from music in "Bluesberry Jam" to comic books in "Ain't You Most Done?," a tie-in to Neil Gaiman's famous Sandman series of graphic novels, which are about as far removed from caped-crusader stuff as one can imagine. But then, Wolfe occupies a distinguished position on the frontiers of both sf and fantasy by virtue of originality of subject, capable handling of detail, and command of language. Plot summaries don't do his work justice, but the only caveat to make is that some of the protagonists are initially repulsive, and at short length, there isn't much time to assimilate their complexities. Roland Green
From Kirkus Reviews
Fifteen stories, 199097, all more or less unclassifiable, gathered under an eminently appropriate title: Wolfe's first collection since Endangered Species (1989). The more science fictionflavored entries include: a woman pursued by the robot she helped develop; a collapse-of-civilization yarn about a little boy abandoned in a computerized house; and a strange trio of time-traveling female invaders. Yarns leaning toward fantasy: a far-future campfire horror story; an amusing yarn based on a Russian folk tale; an excruciating dilemma on the road to Hell; a human boy enslaved by the queen of the ghouls; some weird goings-on in a magic dollhouse; and, in a knottily Borgesian yarn, a phrase-book for an unknown language draws odd visitors to an old-fashioned bookshop. Elsewhere, there are two talking-animal clowns trapped on a planet where humans are oppressed by alien elves; a strange school in a low-tech future where a dead man thinks in Latin; and a space war controlled by God's chess game with the Devil. Finally, in the last story, a man, deprived of dreams in life, dies, only to become a character in the lead-off yarn about a permanent traffic jam that's developed a culture of its own. Painstaking and precise, though often wrought without recourse to ordinary logic: for readers who enjoy oblique, magisterial puzzles that don't necessarily have solutions. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"The greatest writer in the English language alive today . . . there is nobody who can even approach Gene Wolfe for brilliance of prose, clarity of thought, and depth in meaning."--Michael Swanwick
"Aladdin got three wishes from his genie. From Gene, you get fifteen, and they all come true."--Orson Scott Card
About the Author
Gene Wolfe has been called "the finest writer the science fiction world has yet produced" by The Washington Post. A former engineer, he has written numerous books and won a variety of awards for his SF writing. Gene is the winner of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and many other awards. In 2007, he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He lives in Barrington, Illinois. Views: 643
Discover the origins of the warrior Clans in the conclusion to this thrilling prequel arc in Erin Hunter's #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series. The Dawn of the Clans takes readers back to the earliest days of the Clans, when the cats first settled in the forest and began to forge the warrior code.
After moons of strife, the forest cats have settled into five camps. But now the dangerous rogue Slash has kidnapped Clear Sky's mate, Star Flower, and made demands for prey that the cats cannot afford to meet. Desperate to save Star Flower, Clear Sky must convince the other groups—led by Tall Shadow, Wind Runner, Thunder, and River Ripple—to join forces. As Slash's attacks grow more vicious, one thing is clear: if all five groups can't work together, their new way of life may not survive.
Dawn of the Clans #6: Path of Stars also includes a sneak peek at the next Warriors series! Views: 643
Valerian is brother to the vicious warlord Vicktor, who destroys and dominates in every land he conquers and with every slave he captures. Valerian is made of a different stripe. While he is dominant, there is balance to his view of the world and how he treats others. This is readily apparent when his brother offers him a rare gift, a defiant slave of surpassing beauty and a spirit begging to be reigned in.
Melena Ni Coro despises her captor. She fears her brother has been killed by the man who now holds her leash, and she wants him to know she would rather die than be tamed by him. She is prepared to fight him every step of the way. Yet in spite of her hatred, Valerian begins to tear away at Melena's defiance and anger. He teaches her there is much more to life and passion than she might think. All he asks is that she remain true to herself and honest with him. Together they will learn there is more pleasure to be found in each other than either of them realizes. Views: 643
From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes the smoothly sensual second book in an exciting new series featuring four immortal warrior brothers who must stake their hearts against their fate.
As punishment for plotting with his brothers to steal immortality, Garreth is suffering a freezing torment until the end of time. Again and again, his fierce fighter’s physique is frozen into a chiseled ice sculpture, his heart hardening like a diamond in his chest—only to thaw and resume the chilling torture. Until, like his older brother Dethan, he is offered a reprieve from a goddess—in exchange for his allegiance in a celestial civil war.
Garreth lives to fight and fights to live. But while laying siege to an embattled city, he finds another reason to go on—a beautiful warrior woman named Sarielle, who commands a mythic beast through a mysterious and powerful bond. Terrified of her strength, the city rulers have kept her captive, and now she refuses to submit to a new master. As Garreth seeks to unleash her passion and melt the icy resistance of her heart, will he become her ultimate salvation—or lead them both to greater destruction?
From the Paperback edition. Views: 643
Tracker is the sixteenth installment of CJ Cherryh's acclaimed Foreigner series.
It’s been a year of upheaval, since Bren Cameron’s return from space—a year when he and the aiji-dowager, one of his most powerful atevi allies, returned home from their two-year interstellar mission to find the government overthrown and their world in chaos.
Now, at last, things are calming down; the Assassins’ Guild is functioning again, working out its internal difficulties, and Bren is settling back into his routine: not as Lord of the Heavens; not—to his regret—as Lord of Najida peninsula, where his leisure estate is located; but as paidhi-aiji, an official in the atevi court.
His current ambition is to keep himself and his bodyguard out of harm’s way, and to shepherd the aiji-dowager’s daring new trade agreement through the appropriate legislative committees. Combined with Tabini-aiji’s recent appointment of his young son Cajeiri as his official heir, Bren’s workload is challenging, but at least things on the atevi world seem to be on the right track.
Something is coming, however, quietly, stealthily, just the first ominous twinkle of a new star in the heavens… Views: 643
Three years ago, Rosalind Courtenay stumbled from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first, where she has been trapped ever since, leaving her husband and infant son behind. Now she's found her way back. The problem, of course, is how to explain her absence to her husband. Does he think she abandoned him? Has he remarried? Is he happy in a new life? Rosalind decides to don a disguise in hopes of answering her questions before showing up on his doorstep. Instead, a twist of fate has her mistaken for her young son's new governess. Rosalind has every intention of revealing herself as soon as August returns home from business. Until then, she'll get to know her son, a quiet child who has inexplicably been abandoned by an endless stream of governesses. That's when the hauntings begin. Rosalind has finally come home and something—or someone—doesn't just want her gone. They want her dead. Views: 643
