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The Maker of Swans
by Paraic O'DonnellA New York Times Best Book of Summer A Crime Reads & Tor.com Best Book of June “Truly bewitching.” —David Mitchell It is no small matter, after all, to create something—to make it so only by setting down the words. We forget the magnitude, sometimes, of that miracle. In the dead of night, shots ring out over the grounds of a sprawling English estate. The world-weary butler Eustace recognizes the gunman—his longtime employer, Mr. Crowe—and knows he must think and act quickly. Who is the man lying dead on the lawn? Who is the woman in his company? Can he clean up his master’s mess like he always has before? Or will this bring a new kind of reckoning? Mr. Crowe was once famed for his gifts—unaccountable gifts, known only to the members of a secretive order. Protected and privileged, he was courted by countesses and great men of letters. But he has long since retreated from that glittering world, living alone but for Eustace and Clara, his mysterious young ward. He has been content to live quietly, his great library gathering dust and his once magnificent gardens growing wild. He has left the past behind. Until now. Because there are rules, even for Mr. Crowe and his kind, that cannot be broken. And this single night of passion and violence will have consequences, stirring shadows from the past and threatening those he now cares for. He and the faithful Eustace will be tested as never before. So too will Clara, whose own extraordinary gifts remain hidden, even from herself. If she is to save them all, she must learn to use them quickly and unlock the secret of who she is. It is a secret beyond imagining. A secret that will change everything.
Making and Remaking Horror in the 1970s and 2000s: Why Don't They Do It Like They Used To?
by David RocheIn Making and Remaking Horror in the 1970s and 2000s author David Roche takes up the assumption shared by many fans and scholars that original horror movies are more “disturbing,” and thus better than the remakes. He assesses the qualities of movies, old and recast, according to criteria that include subtext, originality, and cohesion. With a methodology that combines a formalist and cultural studies approach, Roche sifts aspects of the American horror movie that have been widely addressed (class, the patriarchal family, gender, and the opposition between terror and horror) and those that have been somewhat neglected (race, the Gothic, style, and verisimilitude). Containing seventy-eight black-and-white illustrations, the book is grounded in a close comparative analysis of the politics and aesthetics of four of the most significant independent American horror movies of the 1970s—The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Dawn of the Dead, and Halloween—and their twenty-first-century remakes. To what extent can the politics of these films be described as “disturbing” insomuch as they promote subversive subtexts that undermine essentialist perspectives? Do the politics of the film lie on the surface or are they wedded to the film's aesthetics? Early in the book, Roche explores historical contexts, aspects of identity (race, ethnicity, and class), and the structuring role played by the motif of the American nuclear family. He then asks to what extent these films disrupt genre expectations and attempt to provoke emotions of dread, terror, and horror through their representations of the monstrous and the formal strategies employed? In this inquiry, he examines definitions of the genre and its metafictional nature. Roche ends with a meditation on the extent to which the technical limitations of the horror films of the 1970s actually contribute to this “disturbing” quality. Moving far beyond the genre itself, Making and Remaking Horror studies the redux as a form of adaptation and enables a more complete discussion of the evolution of horror in contemporary American cinema.
Making Love
by Melanie Tem Nancy Holder"A novel of sex and horror," this book is not so much about the physical act of "Making Love," but the unexplainable manner of "making people" to love--a man, two girl toddlers, eight almost identical young boys... Once Charlotte Tobias was a prim and severe schoolteacher, wielding her red pencil, writing to imaginary lovers and hiding the letters in a closet. Then, on the night of her fortiety birthday, Charlotte dreamed of love, and her life would never be the same again. He came to her, her own creation, bold and dark, naked and rippling with muscles. She named him Phanes. She gave him poetry and curiosity, and let him make love to her in ways and places she could never have imagined. She let him awaken her and change her and take her to the edge of her fantasies... But now Charlotte is losing control of her perfect lover. Her creation is leading her on a voyage through madness and anger and loss, revealing to Charlotte what truths lie just beyond her consciousness, what horrors can grow in the absence of a soul...
The Making of a Monster
by Gail PetersenHer move to Los Angeles was supposed to restart her life. But with one quick bite, it is her death that has been begun. A chance meeting with a mysterious stranger has transformed this conventional wife into a creature that prowls the dark streets desperate to quench her need for blood. Impervious to the night, she joins a rock and roll band and searches among those lost souls for companionship, always feeling like she does not belong. Caught between loathing her new self and losing touch with whom she once was, Kate is a soul torn between loathing and longing. Facing a bloody struggle, Kate at last embraces her vampire nature . . . and only then does the mystery of immortality explode.
The Making of Horror Movies: Key Figures who Established the Genre
by Jennifer SelwayTraces society’s changing preoccupations as reflected in horror films, including biographies of all your favorite, classic horror stars.Horror films divide opinion. It wasn’t until 1973 that a horror film (The Exorcist) was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture and many respected critics still regard them with amused condescension. The public’s view is also sharply divided. Some cinema goers revel in the thought of being made very, very afraid, while some just don’t like horror films because they don’t want to be frightened. This guide, which is for both the fan and the more faint-hearted, steers an illuminating path through a genre that has, since the early days of cinema, split off into many sub-divisions - folk horror, slasher movies, Hammer, sci-fi horror, psychological thrillers, zombie movies, among others. Times change but movie-makers can always find a way to tap into what we fear and dread, whether it’s blood-sucking vampires or radioactive mutations, evil children or the living dead. This book also gives concise biographies of the many actors and directors who saw their careers – for better or worse – defined by their association with horror movies, and who created a genre that is instantly recognisable in all its forms and continues to find new and ingenious ways of scaring us in the dark.
Malas Especies
by T. D. ClareMalas especies es una novela de genero cruzado, parte ciencie ficcion, parte horror. Es a veces violento,inquietante y a veces bella y cautivadora. Es una historia contada en formato de diario, de un grupo de humanos que se encuentran en un aspero y nuevo mundo, sufriendo experimentos, forzados a criar familia, y torturados. Frecuentemente se les prohibe todo contacto humano, o a comunicarse entre ellos. Cada personaje intenta sobrevivir a su propia manera, batallando con sus cuerpos, pensamientos y memorias.
Malcolm: A Romance (The Cullen Collection #16)
by George MacDonaldA masterpiece of mystery and spiritual power from one of the Victorian era&’s greatest writers, the Scottish author who inspired C. S. Lewis. This towering 1875 novel, set in the Scottish fishing village of Cullen, is considered by many as George MacDonald&’s fictional masterwork. The intricate tale is more true to place than any of MacDonald&’s books. As Malcolm is drawn into the web of secrets surrounding majestic Lossie House, with the marquis of Lossie and his tempestuous daughter Florimel at the center of them, we meet some of MacDonald&’s most memorable characters. Through them Malcolm must unravel many mysteries that hang over the town and its people—and himself. The Scottish dialect is more impenetrable than in many of MacDonald&’s other Scottish novels, and has been translated into readable English in this newly updated edition by MacDonald&’s biographer Michael Phillips. Calling it a &“masterpiece of plot, drama, mystery, characterization, and spiritual depth,&” it was Malcolm which in the 1970s set Phillips on his life&’s-work to acquaint the world with MacDonald&’s forgotten legacy through new editions of MacDonald&’s work. Phillips says, &“Malcolm is always an ideal choice for new readers to begin a deeper acquaintance with MacDonald,&” especially as it is set in the locale from which The Cullen Collection of new editions derives its name. Phillips&’s lengthy informative introduction sets Malcolm&’s story colorfully into the context of MacDonald&’s two 1870s visits to Cullen. Phillips also provides readers new to the works of MacDonald with a historical overview of the Scotsman&’s writing and significance.
A Maldição da Mansão Hawke
by Camille OsterA Era Vitoriana é impiedosa em se tratando de divórcio, o que faz com que Anne Kinelly seja destituída e abandonada por seu marido. Mas seu futuro desolador é evitado graças ao seu advogado que em um golpe de sorte, encontra uma mansão esquecida e deixada sob juízo pelas gerações anteriores. Os morros desolados de Yorkshire serão agora seu lar enquanto ela se esforça para restaurar a mansão abandonada onde os ventos uivam nos beirais das janelas. Não tardou muito até que Anne descobrisse que os alertas que ouviu dos moradores da região são mais do que superstições sem sentido. Ao descobrir a história brutal da mansão e de seu fundador, Richard Hawke, Anne descobre que podem haver mais moradores na mansão além dela mesma e sua dama de companhia.
La maldición
by Mado MartínezUna noche de juerga. Una conducción temeraria. Un atropello. Y después, el infierno. Un thriller de terror que te pondrá los pelos de punta. Apple Valley, California, años cincuenta. Tras una noche de juerga, Johnny y sus amigos van de camino a casa a bordo de un Cadillac por las solitarias carreteras del desierto de Mojave cuando chocan contra lo que creen un cactus. No obstante, al volver la vista atrás descubren el cuerpo de una pequeña india paiute, tendido en el polvoriento suelo. Sin moverse. Sin vida. Asustados y nerviosos, Johnny y sus colegas deciden no dar parte al sheriff de Apple Valley y, simplemente, darse a la fuga e intentar olvidar lo sucedido. Pero los muertos no olvidan. A la mañana siguiente, uno de los muchachos que iba en el coche aparece asesinado en medio del páramo. Y no será el primero en caer. Uno a uno, todos aquellos que huyeron serán perseguidos. La maldición ha empezado. Y nadie va a impedir que se cobre su venganza.
La Maldición de Salby
by Tito Martínez Barberi Ian D. MooreUna serena comunidad rural se ve atrapada en la lucha entre el Consejo de la Asociación de Residentes y una implacable Corporación de Gas Natural que ha dado inicio a la fractura del subsuelo del pueblo, con resultados aterradores. Un periodista independiente forma una alianza con la misteriosa dirigente del consejo para dirigir la lucha de la humanidad contra una mortal arma bioquímica creada por el hombre. Juntos, deberán encontrar la cura y proteger a la nación contra hordas de zombis salvajes, interesados en una sola cosa…… ¡MATAR! La Maldición de Salby no es un simple cuento de zombis. Las conspiraciones, los giros y las sorpresas que presenta la novela mantendrán al lector al filo del asiento.
La Maldición del Bosque del Río Negro
by Jaydeep ShahUn bosque lleno de sangre y cadáveres. La tierra de un psicópata de sangre fría. En el Bosque del Río Negro, es mejor no desviarse mucho del sendero marcado. No hay forma de saber con qué te puedes encontrar. Mia y Oliver han querido explorar este bosque desde hace tiempo, y un frío y lluvioso día de octubre, una semana antes del quinto aniversario del día que se conocieron, finalmente se embarcan en el viaje. Pero han escuchado los rumores. La maldición. Un psicópata escondido en algún lugar entre los imponentes árboles. Muchos viajeros perdidos. Muy pocas respuestas. Sin embargo, son sólo rumores. Historias. Y las historias no te pueden hacer daño. Aún así mientras Mia y Oliver se aventuran cada vez más dentro en el Bosque del Río Negro, encontrarán que hay algo más que viajeros y osos acechando este bosque. El psicópata es real. Y está emocionado de conocerlos. De Jaydeep Shah, autor de Tribulación, el primer libro de la serie Planeta de Policías, “La Maldición del Bosque del Río Negro” es una historia sangrienta y escalofriante que se lee mejor con la luz encendida.
La maldición del Wendigo (Monstrumólogo #Volumen 2)
by Rick YanceyExiste un tipo de hambre que no puede saciarse. Ha llegado el devorador de toda la humanidad... Como aprendiz del doctor Warthrop, Will Henry ha dedicado su vida a la monstrumología, pero su existencia da un vuelco cuando el antiguo mentor de su maestro intenta demostrar la existencia del mítico Wendigo, una criatura que sigue hambrienta a pesar de atiborrarse de carne humana. Will y el doctor deberán recorrer los desolados páramos de Canadá. Durante el viaje, puede que descubran una verdad mucho más aterradora de lo que jamás hubieran imaginado.
La maldición en Rose Hill
by Camille OsterLa resplandeciente y brillante sociedad de la regencia de Montserrat, una isla caribeña, existe solo gracias al miserable trabajo de algunos. Esta injusticia es aceptada por la Srta. Emmeline Durrant, que llega a la isla desde Boston para acompañar a la Sra. Thornton, porque por estar sola en este mundo, es una oportunidad que no puede dejar pasar. Aun así, su bienvenida es menos que sincera, y los secretos emergen de cada rincón sombrío mientras asume su nuevo puesto en la plantación de Rose Hill. Especialmente, y en todas partes, sospechan de intenciones y actos oscuros de parte del vecino terrateniente Lord Cresswell, a quien la patrona de Emmeline desprecia con terrible odio: es un hombre cuyas facciones son sombrías y tenebrosas, tal como afirma la Sra. Thornton. El brillo del sol sobre las cañas de azúcar, enmascara el miedo insidioso de las personas que trabajan a la fuerza en los campos, así como su resentimiento y descontento. La inquietud por la religión oscura y las maldiciones, acechan incluso en los lujosos salones donde la sociedad de Montserrat se reúne y socializa.
Maledette lacrime di sangue
by Jesús Salas y Lourdes DelgadoCastrolobos, un paese sperduto nel nord della Spagna dove avvengono sparizioni misteriose ed eventi mistici. Dopo il ritrovamento del corpo di una giornalista, l’emittente televisiva impegnata nei reportage sulle lacrime di sangue della Vergine di Llercia invia altri giornalisti per indagare sull’accaduto e per cercare di far andare poi in onda un servizio che riguarda il mistero che avvolge questi eventi mistici riguardanti le lacrime della madonna. Nel frattempo, la polizia brancola nel buio e, dopo il ritrovamento del corpo di un altro giornalista e la scomparsa di una sua collega, un investigatore della Chiesa inizia a fare luce su quella situazione così occulta e talvolta perversa.
The Maleficent Seven
by Cameron JohnstonWhen you are all out of heroes, all that&’s left are the villains. Black Herran was a dread demonologist, and the most ruthless general in all Essoran. She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer, a vampire lord, a demigod, an orcish warleader, a pirate queen, and a twisted alchemist. Together they brought the whole continent to its knees… Until the day she abandoned her army, on the eve of total victory. 40 years later, she must bring her former captains back together for one final stand, in the small town of Tarnbrooke – the last bastion against a fanatical new enemy tearing through the land, intent on finishing the job Black Herran started years before. Seven bloodthirsty monsters. One town. Their last hope.File Under: Fantasy [ Heroes or Horrors? | Flames and Faith | Blood and Guts | Hell Demons ]
Maleficio (Los Jet De Plaza And Janes Ser. #Vol. 102)
by Stephen KingUna obra escalofriante que hará estremecerse a los más doctos en la literatura de terror del maestro Stephen King. Como buen americano, Billy Halleck es un hombre a la vez favorecido y perjudicado por la buena vida estadounidense: por un lado posee una buena casa, una familia feliz y una exitosa carrera como abogado; pero por el otro padece sobrepeso (le sobran más de 20 quilos) y su doctor no deja de recordarle que debería controlarlo si no quiere acabar con un ataque al corazón. Un mal día, debido a un accidente por conducción temeraria, Billy acaba con la vida de una gitana que estaba cruzando la calle. El anciano padre de la fallecida decide vengarse: sorprende a Billy a la salida de los juzgados y, acariciándole la cara, pronuncia las palabras «más delgado». Tras seis semanas y cuarenta quilos menos, Billy Halleck se convierte en un desecho humano. En el colmo de la desesperación, intenta encontrar una solución jugando con las fuerzas de la vida y de la muerte... La crítica ha dicho...«Maleficio amenaza el ánimo del lector hasta la última página.»Publishers Weekly
Maleficio (Flash Relatos)
by Marguerite YourcenarLa maldad, ¿nace o se crea? ¿Hasta qué punto la opinión de los demás convierte a alguien en malvado? La terrible enfermedad de Amande no tiene cura. Tras visitar a médicos y especialistas su vida se disuelve sin que su familia encuentre otra solución que ponerla en manos de Cattanéo d'Aigues, un curandero que afirma tener la cura al maleficio que consume a la joven. En una habitación oscura y cargada de un ambiente opresivo, Cattanéo realizará un ritual que desatará los sentimientos más extremos de cada uno de los participantes en el ritual, en un final tan sorprendente como perverso.
Maleficium
by Fred A. Reed Martine Desjardins David HomelMartine Desjardins delivers to readers of Maleficium the unexpurgated revelations of Vicar Jerome Savoie, a heretic priest in nineteenth century Montreal. Braving threats from the Catholic Church, Savoie dares to violate the sanctity of the confessional in this confession-within-a-confession, in which seven penitents, each afflicted with a debilitating malady or struck with a crippling deformity, relates his encounter with an enigmatic young woman whose lips bear a striking scar.As these men penetrate deep into the exotic Orient, each falls victim to his own secret vice. One treks through Ethiopia in search of wingless locusts. Another hunts for fly-whisks among the clove plantations of Zanzibar. Yet others bargain for saffron in a Srinagar bazaar, search for the rarest frankincense, and pursue the coveted hawksbill turtle in the Sea of Oman. Two more seek the formula for sabon Nablus in Palestine or haggle over Persian carpets in the royal gardens of Shiraz. The men's individual forms of punishment, revealed through the agency of the young woman, are wrought upon their bodies.Baroque in its complexity, Kafka-like in its inexorable mechanics, Maleficium by turns astonishes, amuses, and beguiles. Then author Martine Desjardins's Vicar Savoie-as in any confession worth its communion wafer-saves the best (or worst) for last.Maleficium won the Prix Jacques Brossard and was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award (French Fiction), the Prix des libraires du Québec, the Prix des cinq continents de la Francophonie, and the Prix France-Québec.
Malevolent: A Kendra Spark Novel (A Kendra Spark Novel #2)
by S. Peters DavisKendra Spark, suspense-mystery romance author and communicator with the dead. Jenna Powers, ghostified criminal analyst, sticks close to the case as she and Kendra are also marked by the same malevolent supernatural force. Derek Knight, lead FBI Agent on this case, learns of the malevolent entity and the deeper paranormal realm of danger. Kendra’s unfiltered feelings for Derek struggle to take a backseat, and as the menacing threat grows more intense, so does her passion for Derek. Derek faces uncertainties he’s never dealt with in his past, like malicious entities and the loss of his heart to love. How can he protect Kendra against forces he can’t see? As boundless supernatural danger intertwines with the future reality of the trafficked teens, Kendra and Jenna realize only they can shoulder the rescue by calling in a voodoo priestess…
The Malevolent Seven: "Terry Pratchett meets Deadpool" in this darkly funny fantasy
by Sebastien de Castell'Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We're going to kill them first.' Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way.My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent. Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .Readers love The Malevolent Seven h2>'Brilliantly dark and cynical humour' - 5* reader review'Funny, dark and thoroughly entertaining' - 5* reader review'Fast paced fun' - 5* reader review'Really inventive and satisfying fun' - 5* reader review'Words cannot describe how much I love this book . . . an easy 5 stars' - 5* reader review
The Malevolent Seven: "Terry Pratchett meets Deadpool" in this darkly funny fantasy
by Sebastien de Castell'Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We're going to kill them first.' Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way.My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent. Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .Readers love The Malevolent Seven h2>'Brilliantly dark and cynical humour' - 5* reader review'Funny, dark and thoroughly entertaining' - 5* reader review'Fast paced fun' - 5* reader review'Really inventive and satisfying fun' - 5* reader review'Words cannot describe how much I love this book . . . an easy 5 stars' - 5* reader review
Malice of Crows (The\shadow Ser. #3)
by Lila BowenThe sequel to Conspiracy of Ravens and third novel in Lila Bowen's widely-acclaimed Shadow series.The Ranger known as Rhett has shut down a terrible enterprise running on the blood of magical folk, but failed to catch the dark alchemist behind it. And now the Shadow refuses to let him rest.Rhett must make the ultimate transformation if he has any hope of stopping the alchemist or fulfilling his destiny; he must become the leader of a new Rangers outpost. But to save his friends, and the lives of countless others, Rhett will first have to lead the Rangers on a mission more dangerous than anything they've ever faced. The ShadowWake of VulturesConspiracy of RavensMalice of Crows
Malice of Crows: The Shadow, Book Three (The Shadow #3)
by Lila Bowen'I don't care what else you've seen in the bookstore today. Read this one' Kevin Hearne on Wake of Vultures'I enjoyed the hell out of it' Patrick Rothfuss on Wake of Vultures'Quite simply, brilliant. A mind-bending mix of history, fantasy and folklore, it's a wild bronco of a read that'll leave you breathless for more' Rachel Caine on Wake of Vultures 'Weird and wonderful . . . Hot damn, this book is good' Chuck Wendig on Wake of VulturesThe Ranger known as Rhett has shut down a terrible enterprise running on the blood and bones of magical folk, but failed to destroy the dark alchemist behind it. Now his destiny as the Shadow refuses to let him rest.To save his friends - and the lives of countless others - he'll first have to lead them on a mission more dangerous than anything they've ever faced.Malice of Crows is the gripping third instalment of the acclaimed Shadow series, starring a hero who has been hailed as 'one of the iconic characters of this generation'.
Malicious Intent: A Murderous Collection
by Elizabeth DearlTales for every mood, running the gamut from quirky mystery to chilling horror. When a lifelong friend betrays her trust once too often, an elderly woman plans the ultimate revenge. A young drifter meets a famous artist, with grisly results. A secretary's get-rich-quick scheme backfires. Recently released from a mental institution, a woman fears she's hallucinating -- but is she? A detective makes use of an unusual witness. A woman escapes her coffin for a final farewell. A real estate agent discovers why her best model home is scaring away customers. Is a cache of confederate gold really haunted? Often strange, sometimes startling, always unpredictable, these stories and more await you in Malicious Intent.
Malicroix (Folio Series)
by Henri BoscoFans of the style of William Faulkner will want to read Henri Bosco, four-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Available in English for the first time, Malicroix tells the story of a recluse living in the French countryside, unraveling how he came to a life of solitude.Henri Bosco, like his contemporary Jean Giono, is one of the regional masters of modern French literature, a writer who dwells above all on the grandeur, beauty, and ferocious unpredictability of the natural world. Malicroix, set in the early nineteenth century, is widely considered to be Bosco&’s greatest book. Here he invests a classic coming-of-age story with a wild, mythic glamour. A nice young man, of stolidly unimaginative, good bourgeois stock, is surprised to inherit a house on an island in the Rhône, in the famously desolate and untamed region of the Camargue. The terms of his great-uncle&’s will are even more surprising: the young man must take up solitary residence in the house for a full three months before he will be permitted to take possession of it. With only a taciturn shepherd and his dog for occasional company, he finds himself surrounded by the huge and turbulent river (always threatening to flood the island and surrounding countryside) and the wind, battering at his all-too-fragile house, shrieking from on high. And there is another condition of the will, a challenging task he must perform, even as others scheme to make his house their own. Only under threat can the young man come to terms with both his strange inheritance and himself.