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Kingdoms of the Wall
by Robert SilverbergA pilgrimage leads to a shocking revelation in this &“deeply affecting and evocative extraterrestrial novel&” from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author (Locus). The village of Jespodar nestles in the foothills of a world-dominating mountain known to all as "The Wall." Poilar Crookleg has grown up in Jespodar training hard and hoping that he will be chosen for the annual Pilgrimage, a group journey to the top of the mountain from which no pilgrim has ever returned both alive and sane. The pilgrims seek to replicate the legendary journey of a distant ancestor who scaled the mountain and, so the story goes, met with the gods. The Pilgrimage is a a life journey, an overwhelming challenge and a sacred honor and Poilar feels blessed when he is finally chosen to lead it. But not all is as it first seems. Along the journey lie hazards of all kinds, both vilently dangerous and seductively beguiling and to triumph in the climb is to confront a revelation so surprising and so disturbing that none, not even the smartest and best prepared, are likely to survive. What belief and what devotion leads so many to hope for such a challenging task and what will be the ultimate result of such dedication? Only The Wall itself can reveal the destiny for those who undertake the Pilgrimage.
Foolish Mortals: A Novel
by Jennifer JohnstonAfter a shocking accident, one family gathers for an unforgettable Christmas overflowing with secrets and revelations in this deeply felt novel by one of Ireland&’s foremost modern writersHenry has been estranged from his children since his divorce with their mother, Stephanie. But when a car accident claims the life of his second wife and leaves him with partial amnesia, Henry embarks on the fraught journey of making amends. As the family gathers for Christmas dinner, Henry&’s memory comes back in starts and stops—the wedges that drove his daughter, Ciara, away; the slow onset of his mother&’s dementia; the real cause of his break with his ex-wife. A tragicomedy of near-Shakespearean proportions, Foolish Mortals is at once a novel of the mending of a dysfunctional family and a portrait of the modernizing gradient blending old Ireland into new.
Board Stiff (The Xanth Novels #38)
by Piers AnthonyKandy may be bored stiff, but a magical mishap makes her problem literal in this hilarious novel in the New York Times–bestselling Xanth series. In the land of Xanth, where everyone has a unique magical talent, adventures come easily to most. But two inhabitants find themselves quite bored . . . until they&’re inadvertently thrust together on a mission to save Xanth from an anti-pun virus that could turn their world into just another Mundania. Irrelevant Kandy is gorgeous, but thanks to a mental typo and an ornery wishing well, she&’s now an actual board—with mind control powers. So much for her big plans for adventure, excitement, and romance. And Ease has his own problems, namely that everything is just too easy. He craves a challenge. Fortunately, Humfrey the Good Magician is more than happy to provide them with a quest. The duo—along with a basilisk bodyguard in the form of a young woman and nefarious android Com Pewter—is tasked with saving the puns of Xanth. But who could have released a virus that would destroy Xanth&’s essence, and can Kandy and Ease figure out how to stop it in time?
I Married the Icepick Killer: A Poet in Hollywood
by Carol Muske-DukesA vibrant and insightful essay collection about life as a poet in Southern California Poetry and Hollywood may not seem compatible in anyone&’s book. But acclaimed poet, novelist, and critic Carol Muske-Dukes finds common ground for both in meditations on movie sets and metaphors, on the big screen and the luminous focus of a haiku.I Married the Icepick Killer offers the reader ways to reimagine the Imagination itself. Former California Poet Laureate Muske-Dukes explores Southern California&’s unexpected poetry, from Emily Dickinson on freeway billboards to poet-script doctors rewriting action-flick dialogue. Moving personal essays recount the story of Muske-Dukes&’s romance with her late husband, actor David Coleman Dukes, whom she met in Italy and relocated with in Los Angeles. Muske-Dukes sharpens her astute gaze as she addresses contradictions and convergences between belle lettres and the ever-surprising City of Angels.This ebook was originally published as Married to the Icepick Killer.
Lucifer's Weekend (Digger #4)
by Warren MurphyIn Lucifer&’s Weekend, Digger cannot convince a crazy widow to take a million dollar settlement for accidental death, and ends up uncovering a complicated murder plot involving a baby with a surprising father, a rogue cop, and a scheming millionaire with a sexy younger wife.
Mom! I Want to Be a Star
by Irene DreayerThis is the ultimate show-biz how-to guide for aspiring kids and their parents, written by Hollywood&’s number-one kid-talent expert and executive producer for Disney, ABC, and the WB, Irene Dreayer (&“the Dray&”). As a thirty-year veteran of discovering kid stars and producing hit TV shows such as the Disney Channel&’s The Suite Life on Deck and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, as well as several TV movies, Dreayer has seen hundreds of kids try to make it in show business. Most parents and kids don&’t understand the steps or how to navigate the ins and outs of the industry. Most make critical mistakes. As Hollywood&’s only trusted career coach for kid talent, Irene Dreayer developed the Dray Way (www.thedrayway.com) as her proven method for guiding show-biz kids and their parents on how to audition correctly, how to handle the business side, and how to deal with issues such as image and rejection. The Dray Way is her method for working with kids and training parents on how to pursue this business we call show in a strategic manner, the right way. This book is designed as a workbook for parents and kids to do together. Every chapter explains, informs, and delivers the honest truth about specific aspects of the entertainment business and outlines the crucial information kids and parents need to learn as a family. Some chapters are designed exclusively for parents, but most are a family affair. The exercises in each chapter are to be completed by parents and kids in order to learn the skills required to be a better actor, singer, or dancer. Mom! I Want to Be a Star is entertaining, fun to read, and a wonderful opportunity for families to explore together their child&’s dream and desire to become a star.
Chimaera's Copper (Dragon's Gold #3)
by Piers Anthony Robert E. MargroffOld enemies return as a mysterious prophecy unfolds in the third Dragon&’s Gold book from the authors of Serpent&’s Silver. When his two deadliest enemies join forces to take revenge on him, Kelvin is trapped in the distant Frame World and must escape in order to save the woman he loves, who carries their unborn child.
Geodesica Ascent (Geodesica #1)
by Sean Williams Shane DixThe year is 2438. Humanity has migrated to the stars in discrete waves, driven by evolving technologies and new ways of being human. The far-flung Arc Systems struggle under the yoke of their newest rulers—Exarchs from Sol, whose monopoly on faster-than-light communication gives them absolute control of a growing interstellar empire.But humans weren&’t the first to conquer the stars, and the discovery of an alien artifact promising transport between systems threatens to undermine the Exarchs&’ power. Revolutionary leader Melilah Awad seeks an alliance to unlock Geodesica&’s secrets with VOIDship pilot Palmer Eogan, a lover she lost to the Dark more than two centuries earlier. What they find could be more dangerous than anyone--human or more than human--could imagine….
Calico Palace: A Novel (Rediscovered Classics Ser.)
by Gwen BristowThe New York Times bestseller that brings to life the passionate, adventurous men and women who transformed San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. Kendra comes to San Francisco, a sleepy town of nine hundred people, because her stepfather, an army colonel, is charged with overseeing its defenses during the Mexican War. Marny arrives from Honolulu to set up a gambling hall. Neither expects to be swept up in one of history&’s greatest adventures, which begins when tiny flakes of gold are discovered in the California hills. As both young women follow their dreams into the mining camps and back to a rapidly growing San Francisco, they encounter ambitious settlers, sailors, miners, ranchers, and mysterious drifters, men who will offer them love or friendship or will break their hearts. Yet Kendra and Marny&’s lives stay centered on the Calico Palace, the little gambling operation in a tent in Shiny Gulch that becomes the most opulent gambling house in California. Thrilling and rich in authentic historical detail, Calico Palace is first-rate historical fiction that informs and entertains.
Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories
by Elizabeth HandThese &“superbly crafted tales&” showcase the World Fantasy Award–winning author&’s &“beautifully nuanced, often disquieting style&” (Booklist). America boasts no finer, more acclaimed or accomplished literary fantasist than Elizabeth Hand. Poetry, magic, and love intermingle as she tears down the walls that separate the mundane from faerie and fancy. In this stunning collection of eight &“strange stories,&” the multiple Nebula Award– and World Fantasy Award–winning author weaves spells that enrapture her readers, ranging freely from Greek mythology to the contemporary nightmares of AIDS and 9/11. The celebrated chiller &“Cleopatra Brimstone&” chronicles the aftermath of a brutal rape and the bizarre transformation of a young entomology student into a vengeful angel of death. An emotionally unmoored tattoo artist discovers an unusual deck of tarot cards that enables her to profoundly alter bare skin and her personal reality in the mind-expanding masterwork &“The Least Trumps.&” An artist attempts to capture her wayward modern-day Odysseus in oils and otherwise; a woman tragically in love isolates herself from a catastrophe-prone world; the death of a dear friend inspires profound personal reflections and strange pagan rituals; and in the brilliant concluding story, an artifact from a lost world reveals the inescapable vulnerability of our own. Odd and touching, provocative and disturbing, the selections in this magnificent collection showcase a master of the fantastic at the very peak of her storytelling powers.
Ill Met in the Arena
by Dave Duncan&“Complicated politics and family scandals twist through this tale of courtly intrigue from prolific fantasist Duncan&” (Publishers Weekly). Though Quirt&’s name is little known, his skills as a gladiator are quickly obvious and hard to match. In Aureity, noblemen battle in the arena circuit, using their powers of teleportation and telekinesis to prove their breeding and strength. The prizes at play are not only silver and bronze but also the chance to rise amongst the nobility and mate with the ruling class of women. Older than most players, Quirt still manages to draw attention and awe through his mastery of the games. Some of that attention comes from Humate, a brash young competitor with unbelievable power and little patience or control. To him, Quirt is a mystery he can&’t resist. However, that mystery soon proves much bigger than all of them. Ancient crimes, struggles for status, romance, vengeance, duty—Humate has a lot to learn from the world‑wise Quirt. As the secret of Quirt&’s true identity and past unfolds, Humate and Quirt race to bring justice to the murderer and madman whose blood links the two gladiators together. With Ill Met in the Arena, award‑winning fantasy author Dave Duncan creates yet another new, fully realized world filled with complex cultures and brisk adventure. Intrigue, politics, action, humor—this book will grab you from page one and not let go until the final word.
The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare (Timeless Classic Ser.)
by G. K. ChestertonChesterton&’s finest achievement—at once a gripping thriller and a powerful allegoryIn a colorful neighborhood of West London, two poets are at each other&’s throats. Gregory is an anarchist who longs to upend civilization with the power of his words, while Syme is a man of reason, convinced his opponent&’s beliefs are nothing but a fashionable pose. To prove his seriousness, Gregory introduces Syme to the central council of European radicals, where the newcomer is given the codename &“Thursday.&” Though none will admit it, every man in the council is a liar—and each is deadly in his own way. Gregory has no inkling that his new comrade Syme is an undercover detective, sent by Scotland Yard to destroy the council from within. But as the other men reveal their secrets in turn, it becomes clear that Thursday is not the enemy; it is the mysterious figure named Sunday whom they all should fear. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Sky Warden & the Sun: Second Book Of The Change (Books of the Change #2)
by Sean WilliamsSal&’s life has been thrown into turmoil and he is on the run, from more than one pursuer, it appears. He is accompanied by his newfound friend Shilly and he is not entirely sure where he wants to go—but Shilly is. She wants to find her teacher Lodo&’s old teacher, the Mage Van Haasteren, which means they must head north to the Interior, where Sal&’s mother was born. The journey is over rugged, mountainous country on the Old Line and it is dangerous. The Sky Warden Shom Behenna is after them and they must risk all to reach the Divide and get across to the other side, not even knowing if the Stone Mages will help them.
The Prodigal Sun (Evergence #1)
by Sean Williams Shane DixMorgan Roche, commander in the intelligence arm of the Commonwealth Empires, has been charged with protecting the AI known as The Box on a secret voyage across the galaxy. But en route her ship is ambushed by the Dato Bloc, and she is forced to crash-land on a nearby prison planet.MAROONED ON SCIACCA&’S WORLD:Battling deadly inmates and treacherous guards, she fights her way through a hostile environment toward her only hope of escape, the mysterious Adoni Cane at her side. A genetically enhanced warrior with a past not even he can fathom, he could be the savior of the human race, or its downfall--but either way, Morgan Roche won&’t survive without him…&“THE PRODIGAL SUN is a close-knit personal story told on a galaxy-sized canvas. Filled with action as well as intriguing ideas.&” --Kevin J Anderson&“With echoes of vintage Jack Williamson and Poul Anderson, as well as Niven, Asimov and Vinge, Williams and Dix proudly continue a vital tradition, proving SF as diverse a field as ever.&” --Asimov's&“[A] very satisfying classic Golden Age-style yarn…. strongly recommended&” --Locus&“Space opera of the ambitious, galaxy-spanning sort... fast and furious action.&” --New York Review of SF
Seagulls in My Soup: Further Adventures Of A Wayward Sailor (Sheridan House Ser.)
by Tristan JonesJoin Tristan Jones as he tells tales of the humorous and fascinating adventures that his Saga of a Wayward Sailor began. Discover more anecdotes and unexpected adventures aboard a converted lifeboat ketch cruising the coasts of the Balearic region with Tristan, his one-eyed, three-legged dog, Nelson and the prim Bishop's sister, Sissie St. John. It's a prolific prose journey of surprising arrivals, machine gun-thwarting and ship-saving escapades of a wayward sailor and his motley crew.
Image: Three Inquiries in Technology and Imagination (TRIOS)
by Mark C. Taylor Thomas A. Carlson Mary-Jane RubensteinThe three essays in Image, written by leading philosophers of religion, explore the modern power of the visual at the intersection of the human and the technological. Modern life is steeped in images, image-making, and attempts to control the world through vision. Mastery of images has been advanced by technologies that expand and reshape vision and enable us to create, store, transmit, and display images. The three essays in Image, written by leading philosophers of religion Mark C. Taylor, Mary-Jane Rubenstein, and Thomas A. Carlson, explore the power of the visual at the intersection of the human and the technological. Building on Heidegger’s notion that modern humanity aims to master the world by picturing or representing the real, they investigate the contemporary culture of the image in its philosophical, religious, economic, political, imperial, and military dimensions, challenging the abstraction, anonymity, and dangerous disconnection of contemporary images. Taylor traces a history of capitalism, focusing on its lack of humility, particularly in the face of mortality, and he considers art as a possible way to reconnect us to the earth. Through a genealogy of iconic views from space, Rubenstein exposes the delusions of conquest associated with extraterrestrial travel. Starting with the pressing issues of surveillance capitalism and facial recognition technology, Carlson extends Heidegger’s analysis through a meditation on the telematic elimination of the individual brought about by totalizing technologies. Together, these essays call for a consideration of how we can act responsibly toward the past in a way that preserves the earth for future generations. Attending to the fragility of material things and to our own mortality, they propose new practices of imagination grounded in love and humility.
Draconian New York (Hob Draconian #1)
by Robert SheckleyThe acclaimed author of The Alternative Detective returns with another twisting tale that &“combines ironic wit with suspense to remarkable effect&” (John le Carré). Though he was born in America, Hob Draconian feels much more at home on the sunny sands of Ibiza. But the easygoing life of this twenty-first century hippie is turned upside down when he learns that rented island refuge is about to be sold for redevelopment. In need of some quick cash to save his home, Hob returns to the Alternative Detective Agency—and boy do they have a job for him. Escorting an aspiring model from New York to Paris sounds like a delightfully easy way to make ten grand. If only he thought to ask why the gig pays so well. In short order, Hob finds himself embroiled in a criminal plot full of double crosses, From the very beginning of his career, Robert Sheckley was recognized by fans, reviewers, and fellow authors as a master storyteller and the wittiest satirist working in the science fiction field. Open Road is proud to republish his acclaimed body of work, with nearly thirty volumes of full-length fiction and short story collections. Rediscover, or discover for the first time, a master of science fiction who, according to the New York Times, was &“a precursor to Douglas Adams.&”
Brave Men, Dark Waters: The Untold Story of the Navy SEALs
by Orr KellyA definitive history of the US Navy&’s renowned special operations fighting force—&“the most complete in-depth study of this fabled elite unit&” (Library Journal). The legend was forged in the fires of World War II, when special units of elite navy frogmen were entrusted with dangerous covert missions in the brutal global conflict. These Underwater Demolition Teams, as they were then called, soon became known for their toughness and fearlessness, and their remarkable ability to get the job—any job—done. Years later, the renamed US Navy SEALs (for Sea, Air, and Land) continued to be a wartime force to be reckoned with throughout the remainder of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. They served as rangers and scouts in the jungles of Vietnam, answered the call to duty in Panama, Granada, and in Saddam Hussein&’s Iraq, while developing into the very best of the best, the cream of America&’s Special Forces crop. Author Orr Kelly offers a rich and riveting history of the SEALs, covering their remarkable triumphs while not shying away from the scandals and controversies. An extraordinary portrait of extraordinary fighting men, Brave Men, Dark Waters shines a brilliant light into the darkest shadows of war, which is where the SEALs have operated for decades with awesome and deadly efficiency.
The Organ Grinder's Monkey (The Allerton Avenue Precinct Novels #3)
by Richard FliegelLowenkopf and Greeley are called in on a gruesome murder in a psychiatric facility in the Bronx, where the victim has had an internal organ removed and damaged, like other victims of the same killer. Lowenkopf goes undercover in the hospital and learns that a patient in a locked ward is taking credit for the crimes, sending out his spirit to avenge an old injury from a past life. Unwilling to believe his incredible story, but confronted with details only the killer should know, Lowenkopf and Greeley investigate the people around the boasting patient—his doctor, a social worker, and the staff of the hospital. But none of the candidates could possibly have committed the crimes, and Lowenkopf must solve a locked-room puzzle with a madman insisting on his guilt. The Organ Grinder&’s Monkey is the 3rd book in the Allerton Avenue Precinct Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Warriors of the Night (The Medal #4)
by Kerry NewcombIn the Texas desert, a soldier fights Rangers, Indians, and the woman he lovesDoña Anabel Cordero gallops across the moonlit desert, a tribe of Comanche warriors at her heels. She is the daughter of the country&’s greatest bandit, who was cut down by the Texas Rangers against whom Doña Anabel has sworn vengeance, and the Comanche do not scare her. But when a well-meaning soldier, Ben McQueen, mistakes her for a damsel on a runaway horse and slows her mount, the warriors surround them. With McQueen&’s help, Doña Anabel escapes the Comanche . . . but their fight is just beginning.A savage cult roams the moonlit desert, exacting terrible vengeance on all who cross their path. With the help of a fearless Ranger named Snake Eye, McQueen sets out to bring order to the frontier. But when Doña Anabel&’s cause runs up against his own, McQueen will have to choose between his country and the woman he loves.
Clemente!
by Kal WagenheimRoberto Clemente, one of history's greatest and most memorable Hispanic baseball stars, led a remarkable professional and personal life, until he met an untimely death in 1972 in a plane crash while on a mission of mercy to the site of a disastrous earthquake in Nicaragua. The first Latin American player to be recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame, Clemente is honored once again in this book that illustrates his dramatic life from his childhood in Puerto Rico to his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Four Shakespearean Period Pieces
by Margreta de GraziaIn the study of Shakespeare since the eighteenth century, four key concepts have served to situate Shakespeare in history: chronology, periodization, secularization, and anachronism. Yet recent theoretical work has called for their reappraisal. Anachronisms, previously condemned as errors in the order of time, are being hailed as alternatives to that order. Conversely chronology and periods, its mainstays, are now charged with having distorted the past they have been entrusted to represent, and secularization, once considered the driving force of the modern era, no longer holds sway over the past or the present. In light of this reappraisal, can Shakespeare studies continue unshaken? This is the question Four Shakespearean Period Pieces takes up, devoting a chapter to each term: on the rise of anachronism, the chronologizing of the canon, the staging of plays “in period,” and the use of Shakespeare in modernity’s secularizing project. To read these chapters is to come away newly alert to how these fraught concepts have served to regulate the canon’s afterlife. Margreta de Grazia does not entirely abandon them but deftly works around and against them to offer fresh insights on the reading, editing, and staging of the author at the heart of our literary canon.
A Cry for Self-Help (The Kate Jasper Mysteries #8)
by Jaqueline GirdnerKate Jasper, Marin County, California&’s own organically grown amateur sleuth, returns in this eighth mystery in the series.In A Cry for Self-Help, Kate Jasper and her sweetie take the plunge and join a Wedding Ritual Class, hoping to find inspiration for their own possible nuptials. On a field trip to observe a scuba‑diving marriage ceremony, Sam Skyler, the man who has become a living legend as a human‑potential guru, is not propelled into marriage, but is instead pushed over an oceanside cliff to his death. Sam Skyler practiced finger puppet therapy at the Skyler Institute for Essential Manifestation. He was purported to be a man of psychic sensitivity and personal genius. So how come he did not notice the person who pushed him? Kate is once again wedded to an inconvenient murder rather than to her sweetie. Can she get a simple annulment from the case . . . or will it be a fatal one?
The Craft of Light (Night-Threads #4)
by Ru EmersonThree unsuspecting visitors arrive in a world of magical adventure, only to discover an ancient Thread-wielder has summoned them. For this sorceress, shapeshifter, and soldier, each is destined to play a vital role in restoring peace to the throne of the duke, Aletto, the rightful heir of Zelharri. But secret powers are at work, and for Lialla, the outcast duchess, intrigue and peril finds her at every turn. And while her powers are fierce and fearsome, the magic known as Hell-Light has an uncanny way of determining your fate. What had seemed a time of peace has suddenly erupted into something far more dangerous than any could have foresaw. Don't miss the entire "Night-Threads" Series: The Calling of the Three, The Two in Hiding, One Land One Duke, The Craft of Light, The Art of the Sword, and The Science of Power
Make No Bones: Curses!, Icy Clutches, And Make No Bones (The Gideon Oliver Mysteries #7)
by Aaron ElkinsThe forensic anthropologist wonders who would steal the bones of a deceased colleague—and why: &“A likable, down-to-earth, cerebral sleuth.&” —Chicago Tribune There is not much left of the irascible Albert Evan Jasper, &“dean of American forensic anthropologists,&” after his demise in a fiery car crash. But in accord with his wishes, his remains—a few charred bits of bone—are installed in an Oregon museum to create a fascinating if macabre exhibit. All agree that it is a fitting end for a great forensic scientist—until what is left of him disappears in the midst of the biannual meeting (a.k.a., the &“bone bash and weenie roast&”) of the august WAFA—the Western Association of Forensic Anthropologists—in nearby Bend, Oregon. Like his fellow attendees, Gideon Oliver—the Skeleton Detective—is baffled. Only the WAFA attendees could possibly have made off with the remains, but who in the world would steal something like that? And why? All had an opportunity, but who had a motive? Soon enough, the discovery of another body in a nearby shallow grave will bring to the fore a deeper, more urgent mystery, and when one of the current attendees is found dead in his cabin, all hell breaks loose. Gideon Oliver is now faced with the most difficult challenge of his career—unmasking a dangerous, brilliant killer who knows every bit as much about forensic science as he does. Or almost. Make No Bones is the 7th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.