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Among the fifty-eight regiments of Zouaves and the seven regiments of Lancers enlisted in the service of the United States between 1861 and 1865 it will be useless for the reader to look for any record of the 3d Zouaves or of the 8th Lancers. The red breeches and red fezzes of the Zouaves clothed many a dead man on Southern battle-fields; the scarlet swallow-tailed pennon of the Lancers fluttered from many a lance-tip beyond the Potomac; the histories of these sixty-five regiments are known. But no history of the 3d Zouaves or of the 8th Lancers has ever been written save in this narrative; and historians and veterans would seek in vain for any records of these two regiments—regiments which might have been, but never were. Views: 287
Now a Hugo-nominated series!The eighth book in the funny and fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the Price family, eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans.Crossroads, noun: 1. A place where two roads cross. 2. A place where bargains can be made. 3. See also "places to avoid."Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she's in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she's found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out. Lucky for her, she's always been resourceful, and she's been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver;... Views: 287
Every city has its wonders and mysteries. For the Pomerantz family, the most disturbing mystery at the moment is the identity and the intentions of their new neighbor, in this eBook original short story—a prequel to The City, the gripping and moving new novel by Dean Koontz.
The year is 1967. Malcolm Pomerantz is twelve, geeky and socially awkward, while his seriously bright sister, Amalia, is spirited and beautiful. Each is the other’s best friend, united by a boundless interest in the world beyond their dysfunctional parents’ unhappy home. But even the troubled Pomerantz household will seem to be a haven compared to the house next door, after an enigmatic and very secretive new neighbor takes up residence in the darkest hours of the night.
Acclaim for Dean Koontz
“A rarity among bestselling writers, Koontz continues to pursue new ways of telling stories, never content with repeating himself.”—*Chicago Sun-Times
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“Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. ‘Serious’ writers . . . might do well to examine his technique.”—The New York Times Book Review
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“[Koontz] has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.” —Los Angeles Times
“Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition.”—*USA Today
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“Characters and the search for meaning, exquisitely crafted, are the soul of [Koontz’s] work. . . . One of the master storytellers of this or any age.”—The Tampa Tribune
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“A literary juggler.”—The Times (London) Views: 287
Bouffon Stories 2011 is a collection of 28 short stories, all lovingly crafted to meet the standards of those who submitted writing prompts. The result is a strange but potent mixture of stories, ranging from funny and emotional to downright bizarre.Bouffon Stories 2011 is the first Bouffon Stories anthology. Now, I hear you thinking, what are Bouffon Stories? Glad you asked. They're shorts based on writing prompts submitted by ordinary people like you and I.The result is a collection of 28 short stories, ranging from funny and emotional to downright bizarre. Have fun on this roller coaster, where admission is free to everyone! Views: 287
It’s five days till Christmas, and the day before the Winter Solstice. The biggest pre-Christmas blizzard seen for decades is heading straight for the New York metropolitan area. But in one small corner of the Town of Hempstead, everyone’s attention is on other business. That’s because there’s a party tonight at Juan and Marina Rodriguez’s house… and the guest of honor is a being from four hundred lightyears away who looks a whole lot like a Christmas tree.
As so often happens, the motive force behind the festivities is the redoubtable Carmela Rodriguez, intent on fulfilling her longtime intention to fulfill one of the great wishes of the wizard known as Filif — specifically, to finally get him into a full set of Christmas decorations. The two-day party that ensues (with an epic sleepover in the middle) brings together a cast of old and new friends to eat, drink, exchange presents, and see a few things the likes of which this world has never seen before…
This 35,000 word novelette is a canonical work in the Young Wizards universe and takes place between the events of A Wizard of Mars and the forthcoming Games Wizards Play. Views: 287
Wolf Breed (First published 1916) By Jackson Gregory It was mid June and time for Père Marquette to appear on the narrow street, tack up his message and return to the private room behind his store to kiss Mère Jeanne awake and inform her that -- with much wine and music -- their new year would begin. But because stronger drink, men\'s drink, had appeared that day too, a game of poker was running in one corner of a room. Six men were shaking dice and wagering recklessly; a little fellow with a wooden leg and scarred face was drawing shrieking rag time from an old and asthmatic accordion. It was on that evening when the door was flung open and a stranger stood, framed against the outside night. A score of eyes, going to him swiftly, studied him with curiosity. Views: 287
KHAN'S LAST STAND!Jacqueline Bundy
"The Trekker Newsletter"
Lightning can indeed strike twice in the same place, as THE EUGENICS WARS: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume Two proves to be every bit as exciting, entertaining, and humorous as the first volume of this saga. The second portion of this engrossing story takes the reader from the beginnings of Khan's consolidation of his power, through the events that lead to his flight from Earth on the DY-100-class sleeper ship "S.S. Botany Bay." From beginning to end, this novel is eminently satisfying....
Kilian Melloy
"wigglefish.com"
An ingenious blend of actual history and Trek mythology...Volume Two is an audacious, fast-moving conclusion to the "Eugenics Wars" duology, one-upping the considerable dramatic intensity and inventive accomplishment of the first volume, and bringing the story to a remarkably smooth, coherent conclusion....Cox's electric, fun-loving style of storytelling is the perfect medium to take the reader into the twenty-first century and beyond.
Michelle Erica Green
"Trek Nation"
Just as much fun as its predecessor, weaving Trek history in and out of recent headlines, mostly through the point of view of one of history's more entertaining secret agents, Teri Garr look-alike Roberta Lincoln....Cox's obvious affection for Trek comes through as strongly as his knowledge. Views: 287
Shadows, Wolves, and Ancient GoddessesAfter his excursion into the realm of the dead, apprentice mage Jyximus Faire wants a more quiet life. But a petulant prince wants to raze the Underground City and turn it into a pleasure ground for his rich friends. And a Lord of Death seeks a hidden artefact to tear open the Veil between the worlds and destroy the living. Taking it easy is not an option.Even though she condemned him to the Perpetual Death, the necromancer general Eufame Delsenza needs Jyx's help to escape a notorious prison. And she needs him to work with a Shadowkin, a persecuted race used as thieves and spies.Can Jyx regain his confidence in his magick and 'go rogue' to awaken an ancient goddess, work with wolves, and save his home from destruction?The Necromancer's Rogue is the second book in Icy Sedgwick's quirky dark fantasy Magic & Mayhem series, following The Necromancer's Apprentice. It's ideal for fans of Harry... Views: 286
HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER
Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.
He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . . Views: 286
He's awkward. He's adorable. He's alien as hell.Zylar of Kith B'alak is a four-time loser in the annual Choosing. If he fails to find a nest guardian this time, he'll lose his chance to have a mate for all time. Desperation drives him to try a matching service but due to a freak solar flare and a severely malfunctioning ship AI, things go way off course. This 'human being' is not the Tiralan match he was looking for.She's frazzled. She's fierce. She's from St. Louis.Beryl Bowman's mother always said she'd never get married. She should have added a rider about the husband being human. Who would have ever thought that working at the Sunshine Angel daycare center would offer such interstellar prestige? She doesn't know what the hell's going on, but a new life awaits on Barath Colony, where she can have any alien bachelor she wants.They agree to join the Choosing together, but love is about to get seriously strange. Views: 286
The Robin Hood legend comes thrillingly alive in Robin McKinley's reimagining of the classic adventure
Young Robin Longbow, subapprentice forester in the King's Forest of Nottingham, must contend with the dislike of the Chief Forester, who bullies Robin in memory of his popular father. But Robin does not want to leave Nottingham or lose the title to his father's small tenancy, because he is in love with a young lady named Marian—and keeps remembering that his mother too was gentry and married a common forester.
Robin has been granted a rare holiday to go to the Nottingham Fair, where he will spend the day with his friends Much and Marian. But he is ambushed by a group of the Chief Forester's cronies, who challenge him to an archery contest . . . and he accidentally kills one of them in self-defense.
He knows his own life is forfeit. But Much and Marian convince him that perhaps his personal catastrophe is also an opportunity: an opportunity for a few stubborn Saxons to gather together in the secret heart of Sherwood Forest and strike back against the arrogance and injustice of the Norman overlords. Views: 286
Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories entitled The King in Yellow, published in 1895.He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to William P. Chambers (1827–1911), a corporate and bankruptcy lawyer, and Caroline Smith Boughton (1842-1913). His parents met when Caroline was twelve years old and William P. was interning with her father, Joseph Boughton, a prominent corporate lawyer. Eventually the two formed the law firm of Chambers and Boughton which continued to prosper even after Joseph\'s death in 1861. Robert\'s great-grandfather, William Chambers (birth unknown), a lieutenant in the British Royal Navy, was married to Amelia Saunders,(1765-1822), the great grand daughter of Tobias Saunders, of Westerly, Rhode Island. The couple moved from Westerly, to Greenfield, Massachusetts and then to Galway, New York, where their son, also William Chambers, (1798-1874) was born. The second William graduated from Union College at the age of 18, and then went to a college in Boston, where he studied to be a doctor. Upon graduating, he and his wife, Eliza P. Allen (1793-1880), a direct descendant of Roger Williams, the founder of Providence, Rhode Island were among the first settlers of Broadalbin, New York. His brother was architect Walter Boughton Chambers. Robert was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and then entered the Art Students\' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of Art Nouveau short stories published in 1895. This included several famous weird short stories which are connected by the theme of a fictitious drama of the same title, which drives those who read it insane.E. F. Bleiler described The King in Yellow as one of the most important works of American supernatural fiction.It was also strongly admired by H. P. Lovecraft and his circle. Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons, The Mystery of Choice and The Tree of Heaven, but none earned him as much success as The King in Yellow. Some of Chambers\'s work contains elements of science fiction, such as In Search of the Unknown and Police!!!, about a zoologist who encounters monsters. Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers had one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines. His novel The Man They Hanged was about Captain Kidd, and argued that Kidd was not a pirate, and had been made a scapegoat by the British government.During World War I he wrote war adventure novels and war stories, some of which showed a strong return to his old weird style, such as "Marooned" in Barbarians (1917). After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.Chambers for several years made Broadalbin, New York, his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882–1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (who sometimes used the name Robert Husted Chambers).Robert W. Chambers died on December 16, 1933, after having undergone intestinal surgery three days earlier. Views: 286
