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A Boy's Own Story: A Novel (Modern Library #47)
by Edmund White&“An extraordinary novel&” about growing up gay in the 1950s American Midwest (The New York Times Book Review). Critically lauded upon its initial publication in 1982 for its pioneering depiction of homosexuality, A Boy&’s Own Story is a moving tale about coming-of-age in midcentury America. With searing clarity and unabashed wit, Edmund White&’s unnamed protagonist yearns for what he knows to be shameful. He navigates an uneasy relationship with his father, confounds first loves, and faces disdain from his peers at school. In the embrace of another, he discovers the sincere and clumsy pleasures of adolescent sexuality. But for boys in the 1950s, these desires were unthinkable. Looking back on his experiences, the narrator notes, &“I see now that what I wanted was to be loved by men and to love them back but not to be a homosexual.&” From a winner of the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature, this trailblazing autobiographical story of one boy&’s youth is a moving, tender, and heartbreaking portrait of what it means to grow up.
The Place of the Lion: A Novel
by Charles WilliamsOne man must save the human race from total destruction when a small British village is invaded by a terrifying host of archetypal creatures released from the spiritual world In the small English town of Smetham on the outskirts of London, a wall separating two worlds has broken down. The meddling and meditations of a local mage, Mr. Berringer, has caused a rift in the barrier between the corporeal and the spiritual, and now all hell has broken loose. Strange creatures are descending on Smethem—terrifying supernatural archetypes wreaking wholesale havoc, destruction, and death. Some residents, like the evil, power-hungry Mr. Foster, welcome the horrific onslaught. Others, like the cool and intellectual Damaris, refuse to accept what her eyes and heart tell her until it is far too late. Only a student named Anthony, emboldened by his unwavering love for Damaris, has the courage to face the horror head on. But if he alone cannot somehow restore balance to the worlds, all of humankind will surely perish in the impending apocalypse. An extraordinary metaphysical fantasy firmly based in Platonic ideals, The Place of the Lion is a masterful blending of action and thought by arguably the most provocative of the University of Oxford&’s renowned Inklings—the society of writers in the 1930s that included such notables as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Owen Barfield. With unparalleled imagination, literary skill, and intelligence, the remarkable Charles Williams has created a truly unique thriller, a tour de force of the fantastic that masterfully engages the mind, heart, and spirit.
Leaving Ireland: Gracelin O'malley, Leaving Ireland, And 'til Morning Light (The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy #2)
by Ann MooreAn Irish mother must flee her beloved homeland for a new life in America, in the &“gripping&” second novel of the acclaimed historical trilogy (Publishers Weekly). Forced to flee Ireland, Gracelin O&’Malley boards a coffin ship bound for America, taking her young daughter with her on the arduous transatlantic voyage. In New York, Gracelin struggles to adapt to a strange new world and to the harsh realities of immigrant life in a city teeming with crime, corruption, and anti-Irish prejudice. As she tries to make a life for herself and her daughter, she reunites with her brother, Sean . . . and a man she thought she&’d never see again. When her friendship with a runaway slave sweeps her into the volatile abolitionist movement, Gracelin gains entrée to the drawing rooms of the wealthy and powerful. Still, the injustice all around her threatens the future of those she loves, and once again, she must do the unthinkable. This sweeping novel of the Irish immigrant experience in 1840s America brings a long-ago world to vibrant life and continues a remarkable heroine&’s bold, dramatic journey through extraordinary times.
A Crossworder's Delight: A Holiday Novel (Crossword Mysteries #11)
by Nero BlancNero Blanc&’s bestselling mystery series continues in a holiday tale featuring Belle Graham, Rosco Polycrates, and dessert recipes with ingredients that are clues to the crossword puzzles The Holiday Decoration Competition is in full swing at Newcastle&’s historic Paul Revere Inn. As the rivalry heats up, crossword editor Belle Graham unearths an abandoned treasure: a book of dessert recipes written in the form of crosswords handed down from mother to daughter. While Belle is busy deciphering the ingredients for delectable dishes like &“Holiday Slay Ride,&” another mystery is unraveling. A valuable Longfellow poem has been stolen from its place of honor on the wall of the inn&’s front parlor. Called in to investigate, Belle&’s PI husband, Rosco Polycrates, discovers he has a new partner in crime. Twelve-year-old E. T. Whitman, a bit of a wordsmith himself, has all sorts of theories about the theft. But the case is far from a piece of cake. And the search for the culprit brings the detecting trio closer to a truth that&’s been buried for decades. This ebook includes four crossword puzzles that can be downloaded as PDFs, with answers in the back of the book, plus four holiday dessert recipes.
Casualties of War
by Daniel LangThe searing account of a war crime and one soldier&’s heroic efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice First published in the New Yorker in 1969 and later adapted into an acclaimed film starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn, Casualties of War is the shocking true story of the abduction, rape, and murder of a young Vietnamese woman by US soldiers. Before setting out on a five-day reconnaissance mission in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam, Sergeant Tony Meserve told the four men under his command that their first objective would be to kidnap a girl and bring her along &“for the morale of the squad.&” At the end of the mission, Meserve said, they would kill their victim and dispose of the body to avoid prosecution for abduction and rape—capital crimes in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Private First Class Sven Eriksson was the only member of the patrol who refused to participate in the atrocity. Haunted by his inability to save the young woman&’s life, he vowed to see Meserve and the others convicted of their crimes. Faced with the cynical indifference of his commanding officers and outright hostility from his fellow infantrymen, Eriksson had the tenacity to persevere. He went on to serve as the government&’s chief witness in four courts-martial related to the infamous Incident on Hill 192. A masterpiece of contemporary journalism, Casualties of War is a clear-eyed, powerfully affecting portrait of the horrors of warfare and the true meaning of courage.
Adam Bede: Large Print
by George EliotGeorge Eliot&’s debut novel tells a story of love in rural eighteenth-century England. Adam Bede is an upstanding, hardworking, intelligent young man, the kind of person who knows what he wants—and what he wants is the incredibly shallow Hetty Sorrel. Though Hetty is a milkmaid, she harbors dreams of becoming a dignified member of the upper class. To that end, she has set her sights on Captain Arthur Donnithorne, a squire and heir to much of the town&’s wealth. Meanwhile, Dinah Morris, Hetty&’s compassionate cousin, harbors irrepressible romantic feelings for Adam. This love rectangle forms the character basis for one of the greatest English novels of all time. Upon its release in 1859, Adam Bede was immediately lauded as a seminal work for its depiction of English country life at the turn of the nineteenth century, garnering the praise of Charles Dickens. Eliot&’s deft mixing of the fictional with the real has made Adam Bede a timeless classic. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Margaret in Hollywood: A Novel
by Darcy O'BrienA novel of a rebellious young actress in the early twentieth century, by the PEN/Hemingway Award–winning author of A Way of Life, Like Any Other.Back in the days when Shakespeare still meant something to a lot of people, I wanted to be a great dramatic actress. Before I knew it I was in Hollywood . . . So begins this remarkable novel, in which Margaret Spencer tells us of her own journey from the vaudeville stage of the Midwest, to performing as a child in Buenos Aires, through sexual awakenings to Broadway success, and her arrival, against her will, in the Hollywood of 1927. I was only one among numberless hordes of fatherless girls who, with mothers pinching at their elbows, had descended onto Hollywood as the fruit flies on the citrus groves. But Margaret is anything but ordinary. Feisty, lusty, tart-tongued, willing to use her body as well as her brains to stay afloat, Margaret has her mind and heart set on liberation in every sense of the world. She demands freedom—sexual, artistic, and financial—and her battle to achieve it makes her a heroine well ahead of her time. Margaret in Hollywood is the tale of a young woman who refuses to be owned and will not be cowed, and whose love of life propels her onward.
The Missing Person: A Novel
by Doris GrumbachThe moving portrait of a woman stranded in her lonely fame Franny Fuller, blond, buxom, and beguiling, is the sort of woman who harnesses a power that can enthrall a nation. The legendary movie star has captured the imaginations of audiences, men, and columnist Mary Maguire, who is writing her biography. But just who is the human within the celebrity? This is the story of how Fanny Marker from Utica, New York, was transformed into Franny Fuller—a famous actress with a life of private misery. Doris Grumbach takes readers beyond the glamour of the silver screen with this poignant novel of one woman&’s sad reality.
Sweet Hearts: A Novel
by Melanie Rae ThonWith a lyrical beauty that reverberates off every page, Sweet Hearts tells the tale of a brother and sister that is as haunting as it is majestic Sixteen-year-old Flint Zimmer escapes juvenile detention, hitchhikes 612 miles across Montana, and arrives home, trailing &“bad weather and bad luck,&” to be reunited with his half sister, ten-year-old Cecile, the only person he trusts and loves. Together they terrorize a local doctor and steal their mother&’s car, then strike out alone on a desperate journey south to the Crow Indian Reservation, where their ancestors once lived—and where Flint&’s rage and fear will erupt into irrevocable violence.
Fresh Kills (The Cass Jameson Mysteries #3)
by Carolyn WheatWracked by guilt, Cass searches for a young mother&’s killer On the western edge of Staten Island, not far from the city dump, lies a watery patch of earth known as Fresh Kills. It&’s an old Dutch name, and it has nothing to do with violence—until now. A defense lawyer in private practice, Cass lets a friend talk her into handling something she wouldn&’t normally touch: an adoption case. It was meant to be open and shut, but it gets messy when the mother, Amber, decides to keep the child—a decision that will mean her death. She is found facedown in the mud of Fresh Kills, and Cass Jameson can&’t help but feel that it is all her fault. To wash her hands of guilt, Cass must find Amber&’s killer, a search that will take her into a brutal part of the underworld, where children are just another commodity to be bought and sold.
The Metal Maiden Collection: To Be a Woman, Shepherd, Fly Trap, and Awares (Metal Maiden)
by Piers AnthonyFour novellas in one volume—the thrilling science fiction saga of a female robot who becomes sentient and fights to save humanity from destruction. With nearly two hundred published works and more than twenty New York Times bestsellers to his credit, Piers Anthony is without a doubt one of the most prolific and creative authors in science fiction and fantasy. Among his most ingenious literary creations are the four books of his remarkable Metal Maiden saga, collected here in one volume: the breathtaking tale of Elasa, the fembot who desires nothing more than to be human. In &“To Be a Woman&” we meet Elasa, who is perfect in every way—a female machine created for pleasure, whose newborn consciousness makes her strive for more. The story moves to a distant colony planet in &“Shepherd,&” in which a young man participating in a student exchange program finds himself in another body and suddenly the caretaker of a herd of telepathic and eminently wise sheep. &“Flytrap&” brings Elasa&’s friend Mona to the colony in the body of a pregnant woman, through which she learns that her work with a young precognitive lamb could have a major impact on more than one existence and more than one world. Finally, in &“Awares,&” Elasa must work closely with a unique group of environmentally attuned beings in order to protect the earth from an onslaught of gigantic, world-devouring extraterrestrial maggots.
Command Strike (The Executioner #29)
by Don PendletonThe Executioner goes after an upstart mobster who wants to be king The last great kingpin of the East Coast, Augie Marinello walled himself up in a Long Island fortress protected by stone walls, guard towers, and a pack of Dobermans trained to kill on command. But no fence in the world is high enough to keep out Mack Bolan, the one-man army whose crusade against the Mafia has brought organized crime to its knees. When the Executioner decided it was time for Augie to die, he died, and now another man has stepped into his place: David Eritrea, who has the potential to be far more dangerous than Augie ever was. Eritrea has dreams of rebuilding Augie&’s empire bigger than before and reuniting the five families of New York under a single leader: himself. Unfortunately for the would-be don, the Executioner has other plans. Command Strike is the 29th book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Collected Poems, 1930–1973: 1930âe 1973
by May SartonA splendidly edited anthology of the greatest poems of one of America&’s finest writers From the very beginning of May Sarton&’s career, in her fiction, memoir, and poetry, her work has been touched by a deep sense of order. The careful structure of her work provides an elegant backdrop against which her emotions are free to unfold, rising up through the cracks and fissures of her poems&’ architecture only to pass through and disappear like a summer thunderstorm. The author&’s search for reason, love of nature, and diverse passions are on full display in this masterful collection, illustrating why May Sarton is considered one of the twentieth century&’s finest literary minds.
Chicago Wipeout: Nightmare In New York, Chicago Wipeout, And Vegas Vendetta (The Executioner #8)
by Don PendletonTo save the country, the Executioner infiltrates the capital of crime When he began his one-man assault on the Mafia, ex–army sniper Mack Bolan imagined it as a war of attrition. Kill enough button men and underbosses, made guys and capos, and the international crime syndicate would finally collapse. But when he learned that the Mafia was planning a full-scale takeover of the US government, the Executioner realized attrition would not be enough. The Mafia must be destroyed, and the place to do it is Chicago. The battle for Chicago starts with a single shot when Bolan pulls the trigger and ends the life of underboss Louis Aurielli. In a city where every politician, businessman, and cop is on the mob payroll, he will have nowhere to hide. But that&’s okay with Bolan—sometimes it&’s better to fight in the open. Chicago Wipeout is the 8th book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Colorado Kill-Zone (The Executioner #25)
by Don PendletonThe Mafia has turned paramilitary, and its target is the Executioner A twenty-seven-foot motor home cruises out of Denver and onto a barren Colorado highway. This is no ordinary RV—it is a warwagon, a high-tech mobile death machine, and with Mack Bolan at its wheel it is the deadliest weapon on earth. The Executioner has won many battles in his one-man war against the Mafia, but in the frozen wastes of Colorado, he will face his most dangerous mission of all. Led by a hardened veteran who&’s as much of a tactical genius as Bolan, the kingpins of organized crime have put together a paramilitary outfit whose sole goal is to execute the Executioner. Colorado is a long way from Vietnam, but Bolan is about to find himself right back in the killing fields. Colorado Kill-Zone is the 25th book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Battle Mask (The Executioner #3)
by Don PendletonThe Executioner, a lone-wolf vigilante &“who would make Jack Reacher think twice,&” takes his war on the mob to a new level (Empireonline.com). Once a Vietnam military hero, crack sniper Mack Bolan is now a vigilante, driven by the death of his Massachusetts family to exact vengeance on the mob. Waging war on the West Coast, the Executioner amassed a ten-man army as backup. Seven are now dead. Two are in jail. Only Bolan remains. With a bounty on his head, and every cop in Los Angeles on his tail, Bolan decides to erase his greatest liability: his face. Under the knife of a former army surgeon, Bolan is transformed. With trademark cunning, he infiltrates the Sicilian syndicate that butchered his friends. In cozying up to the boss&’s daughter, Bolan&’s plan of revenge has never been so intimate. The Executioner may have a new look, but he&’s got the same attitude. Soon his fury is going explode, and strike terror in the very heart of the Mafiosi. In writing his iconic Executioner series, Don Pendleton turned his lone-wolf vigilante into a bestselling phenomenon and &“spawned a genre&” that still influences artists today (The New York Times). Gerry Conway, cocreator of the Marvel Comics avenger, The Punisher, cited the novels as &“my inspiration . . . [the] modern equivalent of the pulps.&” More than two hundred million copies of the Executioner books have been sold—and a major motion picture based on this classic action series is now in development. Battle Mask is the 3rd book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Lions and Lace (Van Alen Sisters #1)
by Meagan McKinneyFrom the glittering mansions of the Astors and the Vanderbilts to the gas-lit streets of New York, this passionate novel by award-winning author Meagan McKinney brings together a desperate woman and a handsome stranger who could expose her scandalous secret New York heiress Alana Van Alen has everything—beauty, wealth, and status. But she is living a lie. To protect her sister, she plays society&’s game and attends dazzling balls and soirees—until a cunningly orchestrated act of revenge leaves her penniless and at the mercy of one of the city&’s most notorious gentlemen. Dubbed the Predator of Wall Street, Trevor Sheridan rose from abject poverty in Ireland to the pinnacle of power in Manhattan. Yet he&’s still shunned by the city&’s elite Four Hundred. Now he has parlayed his hunger for revenge into a scheme to destroy the rich and powerful. In the final phase of his plan, he will marry the pedigreed Alana Van Alen to gain the acceptance that has been denied to him for so long. But along the way, he makes a fatal misstep: He falls in love with her. The romantic saga of the Van Alen sisters continues with Christal Van Alen&’s story in Fair Is the Rose.
Sleep and His Brother: Sleep And His Brother, The Lizard In The Cup, And One Foot In The Grave (The James Pibble Mysteries #4)
by Peter DickinsonA strange malady afflicts the children of McNair House in this British mystery featuring former Scotland Yard superintendent James Pibble, from CWA Gold Dagger winner Peter Dickinson Recently given the sack by Scotland Yard, James Pibble arrives at McNair House on a private matter, only to find that this charitable institution is not at all what it seems. The children who live here have a rare disease called cathypny, which renders them sleepy and fat. It also imbues them with special telepathic powers, which is how one boy instantly pegs Pibble as a cop. A dreamy nine-year-old named Marilyn has perceived that someone at McNair House is in mortal danger. With all the research money that&’s suddenly pouring in, the pressure is on to prove that these children really are empaths; a Greek tycoon is banking on it. But Pibble is beginning to suspect the worst kind of fraud: an exploitative con game using innocent young lives as bait. And one of the children may be the target of an escaped killer obsessed with the supernatural. Now Pibble must pit his own finely honed instincts against an adversary who can see the future: a world without James Pibble. Sleep and His Brother is the 4th book in the James Pibble Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
A Hot January: Poems 1996–1999
by Robin MorganCelebrated for her exquisitely crafted poems revealing an alternate female reality, award-winning poet and bestselling author Robin Morgan gives us, in this fifth collection, her most intimate work yet The poems gathered here trace a stunning spectrum of love, betrayal, loss, pain, rage, and survival. Skirting madness in the wake of a tempestuous relationship&’s end, these poems slice language with knife-edge bitterness, but within the deliberate constraints of form. Individual poems have become famous: &“Add-Water Instant Blues&” is the most anthologized; &“Cave Dwellers&” and &“Acrobats and Clowns&” have been widely translated; and the various &“disguised,&” subtle sonnet forms throughout the book have been used to teach the art of writing poetry. Art itself becomes the healing theme, and a number of the poems here are in dialogue with other poets, including Marianne Moore, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, Muriel Rukeyser, Christopher Marlowe, John Donne, William Blake, and Robert Graves. The wise voice that emerges dares celebrate a quiet joy, tempered only by fire.
The Assassination of New York (Forbidden Bookshelf #8)
by Robert FitchThe story of how the richest city in the world became one of the poorest in North America, with a new introduction by Peter Kwong How did New York City come to be a network of steel towers, banks, and nail salons, with chain drugstores on every block—a place where, increasingly, no one can afford to live except the lords of Wall Street and foreign billionaires, and where more and more of the Big Apple&’s best-loved businesses have closed their doors? It didn&’t start with Michael Bloomberg—or with Robert Moses. As Robert Fitch meticulously demonstrates in this eye-opening book, the planning to assassinate New York began a century ago, as the city&’s very richest few—the Morgans, the Mellons, and especially the Rockefellers—looked for ways to maximize the value of their real estate by pushing Gotham&’s vibrant and astonishingly varied manufacturing sector out of town, and with it, the city&’s working class.The Assassination of New York attacks a Goliath-like enemy: the real-estate developers who maintain a stranglehold on the city&’s most valuable commodity. Their efforts to increase land value by replacing low-rent workers and factories with high-rent professionals and office buildings was one of the single most decisive factors in the city&’s downturn. In the 1980s the number of real-estate vacancies eclipsed that of the fiscal crisis of the 1970s. In September of 1992 there was a staggering twenty-five million square feet of empty office space. Are the city&’s problems fixable? How will the future of New York play out through the twenty-first century? Fitch comes up with solutions, from saving jobs to promoting economic diversity to rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure. But it will take vision and hard work to restore New York to what it once was while creating a new and better home for coming generations.
A Crossworder's Gift: Five Short Tales (Crossword Mysteries #7)
by Nero BlancFive Yuletide mysteries for readers to solve along with crossword legend Belle Graham and PI Rosco Polycrates The husband-and-wife sleuth team is back in five tales of holiday mystery and mayhem. &“Holly, Jolly Roger&” takes Belle and Rosco to sunny St. Lucia in the Caribbean as they try to decipher the clues to a legendary buried treasure. &“The Mystery of Wordsworth House&” may remain just that unless Belle and Rosco can turn their stay at a snowy Montreal inn into a chance for a family to solve the riddle of their past . . . with the help of a ghost. There&’s no place like Las Vegas for the holidays, but &“A Crossworder&’s Gift&” may never reach its intended recipient if Belle can&’t match up the out-of-order clues strewn throughout a high roller&’s suite to form a crossword puzzle that will lead to the cash. Guest of honor at a puzzle convention near the Grand Canyon, Belle—with the help of her detective husband, Rosco—must unravel a murdered crossworder&’s last puzzle and testament in &“The Eraser&’s Edge.&” When a blizzard strands a five-woman sewing circle, a &“Cross Stitch&” in time could save—or destroy—reputations and lives if a puzzling truth about a dead heiress is revealed. This ebook contains five crossword puzzles that can be downloaded as PDFs, with answers in the back of the book.
Mr. In-Between: Captured, Holloway Falls, And Mr. In-between
by Neil CrossFrom the award-winning creator of Luther: A dark portrait of a young British hitman and his quest to find something beyond his cold, brutal world. Jon Bennet is the perfect employee: systematic, productive, and utterly reliable. He is also completely detached from the world around him and seemingly feels nothing . . . for Jon&’s life is anything but common. On the tight leash of the Tattooed Man, Jon kills and maims on order. And he&’s good at it. But Jon&’s days of favor are about to end. After bumping into old school friends, he slowly reenters the normal world, where the bonds of friendship, love, and kindness are expected, and he finds himself changing back into the person he once was. But the Tattooed Man requires total servitude, and his wrath is more fearful than Jon could ever have expected. This sophisticatedly twisted and surprisingly moving novel by the PEN-shortlisted author of Heartland and Burial and creator of the hit BBC crime series starring Idris Elba—as well as the novel Luther: The Calling—is a dark psychological journey into the mind of a killer and &“a thrilling tale of perverse redemption&” (The Literary Review).
A Reckoning: A Novel
by May SartonIn this poignant novel by a New York Times–bestselling author, a dying woman looks back on the great relationships of her life. When she learns that she is dying, Laura Spelman vows to spend her final year only on what matters most. As she quickly realizes, this means coming to terms with her most fruitful and important bonds—her &“real connections&”—all of which have been with women. From her tempestuous daughter and beloved aunt, to a promising lesbian writer she is mentoring and a cherished friend from her youth, Laura revisits her most significant relationships, each fraught with its own history and meaning. Insightful and witty, A Reckoning is an unforgettable portrait of one woman&’s journey to seize life before it ends, and of the power in embracing the fact that the most challenging interactions are often the most rewarding. This ebook features an extended biography of May Sarton.
A Generation on Trial: U.S.A. v. Alger Hiss
by Alistair CookeThe story of Whittaker Chambers, HUAC, and the case that defined the McCarthy era, as reported by one of the twentieth century&’s most respected journalists. In August 1948, a former Communist Party member named Whittaker Chambers testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee that a secret cell of Communists had infiltrated Franklin D. Roosevelt&’s New Deal administration. Chief among the conspirators, according to Chambers, was Alger Hiss, a former government attorney and State Department official who had taken part in the Yalta Conference and been instrumental in the creation of the United Nations. Hiss&’s categorical denial of the charges, which led Chambers to produce evidence linking both men to Soviet espionage, quickly escalated into one of the most divisive episodes in American history and ignited the widespread fear and paranoia of the McCarthy era. As the US correspondent for the Manchester Guardian, Alistair Cooke reported extensively on the Hiss affair. In an atmosphere that he memorably compares to that of a seventeenth-century religious war, Cooke maintained a clear head and his signature intellectual rigor. A Generation on Trial, which begins with a brilliantly succinct summary of the case—&“We are about to look at the trials of a man who was judged in one decade for what he was said to have done in another&”—is both a fascinating historical document and a stirring example of journalistic integrity.
All Hallows' Eve: A Novel
by Charles WilliamsIn post-Blitz London, humanity&’s last hope of defeating a powerful magician&’s insidious plans lies with a ghost trapped in a surreal city of the dead During World War II, soon after Ms. Lester Furnival married her beloved Richard, she died in an accident. Now she wanders the dark and lonely streets with her friend Evelyn. An empty mirror image of the London she once knew, the city is a place where time has lost its rules and structure, and where Lester can catch heartbreaking glimpses of the world she left behind. But all is not well in the realm of the living. The other London has fallen under the sway of the magus Simon Leclerc, a master of black magic and necromancy who would sacrifice the soul of his own daughter in the pursuit of ultimate power. With her widowed husband entangled in the sorcerer&’s toxic web along with an enigmatic artist who can paint only the truth, Lester must somehow thwart Leclerc&’s malevolent plan if she is to find salvation—for the evil necromancer desires nothing less than total dominion over both worlds. A ghost story unlike any other, All Hallows&’ Eve is the final novel by the remarkable Charles Williams, whose brilliant literary excursions into the spiritual and supernatural realms remain unsurpassed more than six decades after his death. Williams was arguably the most creatively daring and ambitious of Oxford&’s famed Inklings, the literary society that included such notables as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Owen Barfield, and his chilling, breathtaking, and deeply felt fiction remains the gold standard for provocative and intelligent contemporary fantasy.