Zhara, the First. Elysia, her clone. On the surface, they are identical. But looks can be deceiving. When Zhara plays, she plays to win. She thought she had escaped the horrors of Doctor Lusardi's cloning compound. But the nightmare is just beginning. Elysia has taken everything from Zhara-a softer, prettier version of herself and an inescapable reminder of all she's failed at in her life. Now the man Zhara loves has replaced her with Elysia. Zhara will get her clone out of the way, no matter the cost. Elysia has finally learned the truth: she has a soul. Her First is alive. She knows it hurts Zhara to see her with Alexander, but she can't give him up. The genetically-perfected Aquine has chosen as her as his life mate, and their days together are limited. Elysia can't remain in the Rave Caves off the shores of Denesme forever. Revolution is brewing on the island paradise. Hundreds of soulless clones remain imprisoned like Elysia once was, slaves to the whims of their owners-wealthy human inhabitants of the island. As a group of clones and humans, led by Alexander, plot an insurrection that will turn Denesme's world upside down, Elysia knows her place is fighting by his side. Terrible sacrifices must be made to defeat Denesme's twisted regime. But even the greatest losses cannot prepare Elysia for the ticking time bomb built into her own programming...

Awakenings--which inspired the major motion picture--is the remarkable story of a group of patients who contracted sleeping-sickness during the great epidemic just after World War I. Frozen for decades in a trance-like state, these men and women were given up as hopeless until 1969, when Dr. Oliver Sacks gave them the then-new drug L-DOPA, which had an astonishing, explosive, "awakening" effect. Dr. Sacks recounts the moving case histories of his patients, their lives, and the extraordinary transformations which went with their reintroduction to a changed world.

Gloha is the only creature of her kind in all the world of Xanth, the beautiful offspring of a chance mating between a harpy and a goblin. As she grew to womanhood, she wondered where she would find the one true love with whom she could share her life. So, naturally, she sets off to find the Good Magician Humfrey to ask him for an Answer to the riddle of her heart's desire. But Humfrey, for mysterious reasons of his own, propels her instead on a perilous quest in search of truth, friendship, and, just possibly, happiness.

A rookie paramedic pulls a young woman alive from her totaled car, a first rescue that begins a lifelong tangle of love and wreckage. Sheila Arsenault is a gorgeous enigma--streetwise and tough-talking, with haunted eyes, fierce desires, and a never-look-back determination. Peter Webster, as straight an arrow as they come, falls for her instantly and entirely. Soon Sheila and Peter are embroiled in an intense love affair, married, and parents to a baby daughter. Like the crash that brought them together, it all happened so fast. Can you ever really save another person? Eighteen years later, Sheila is long gone and Peter is raising their daughter, Rowan, alone. But Rowan is veering dangerously off track, and for the first time in their ordered existence together, Webster fears for her future. His work shows him daily every danger the world contains, how wrong everything can go in a second. All the love a father can give a daughter is suddenly not enough. Sheila's sudden return may be a godsend--or it may be exactly the wrong moment for a lifetime of questions and anger and longing to surface anew. What tore a young family apart? Is there even worse damage ahead? The questions lifted up in Anita Shreve's utterly enthralling new novel are deep and lasting, and this is a novel that could only have been written by a master of the human heart.

Two kids break out of a juvenile detention center and become fugitives in order to clear their convicted parents' names in this heartstopping series from kid-read master Gordon Korman. Aidan and Meg Falconer are their parents' only hope. The Falconers are facing life in prison -- unless Aidan and Meg can follow a trail of clues to prove their innocence. The problem? Right now they're trapped in a juvenile detention center. Until they escape one night -- and find themselves on the run, both from the authorities and from a sinister attacker t who has his own reason to stop them. The Falconers must use their wits to make it across the country ... with plenty of tests along the way. Gordon Korman takes readers into FUGITIVE territory -- with thrilling results.

On Christmas Day 1884, a desperate plea from a mysterious woman leads Arthur Conan Doyle—struggling physician, aspiring writer, and part-time demystifier of the occult—to a seance in London’s East End and into a fiendish and deadly trap. Stunned by a shocking display of black magic, Doyle witnesses a murder, nearly falling victim himself before being rescued by a secretive stranger: Jack Sparks, a man who claims to be special agent to Queen Victoria. He tells Doyle that he has been targeted by a diabolical coven of Satanists—the Dark Brotherhood. As they track their attackers across the length and breadth of Britain, assailed by forces of darkness both human and supernatural, Conan Doyle and Sparks unmask a terrifying conspiracy that threatens not only the Crown but the very fabric of modern civilization. Their only clue: a list of seven names, the leaders of the Brotherhood. Skeptical by nature and profession, Doyle labors to prove that the events he has witnessed—horrifying visions, zombies, ghouls, molecular alteration—are elaborate ruses with logical explanations. But if so, why? Simply because Doyle’s anti-occultist writings, never even published, have inadvertently exposed the Brotherhood’s intentions? Who is the elusive, seemingly superhuman mastermind behind the Seven? Most important, as Doyle continues to put his life in the hands of Jack Sparks, the question persists: Can Sparks be trusted?

"A great, fun, romping collection of stories." —San Francisco Book Review "This volume's diverse list of well-known and rising stars . . . makes it a welcome addition to the 'Best American' series." —Washington Post "A powerful collection that is worth your time, attention, and love." —Tor In its inaugural edition, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy featured a diverse array of authors, stories, and sources. John Joseph Adams scours the magazine racks and websites to find the very best stories, and this year's guest editor, Karen Joy Fowler, is sure to curate a collection that encompasses all corners of the genres. As the best-selling author of both The Jane Austen Book Club and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Fowler knows firsthand just how different one author's writing can be from work to work, and she will bring that literary sensibility to her selections. However, she is...

The uptown girls are headed downtown as Serena and Jenny take on their new fabulous roles as rock-star model girlfriends of New York's hottest band, The Raves. Meanwhile, Dan is to busy drowning his sorrows in empty bottles to notice a mysterious French beauty who has a penchant for dirty, Jim Morrison-wannabe lead singers. Blair takes residence at the Plaza to think about her future. Will she become a gun-toting international spy or Manhattan's snobbiest society hostess? Decisions are so difficult Sounds like everyone needs a day off at the spa. And Senior Spa Day promises to serve up further doses of scandal for New York's busiest private-school vixens.

The beloved, bestselling author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure is back with her most beguiling novel yet, luring us deep inside the lives of a trio of remarkable young women navigating the glitz and grotesqueries of Gilded-Age New York by any means possible, including witchcraft... The year is 1880. Two hundred years after the trials in Salem, Adelaide Thom ('Moth' from The Virgin Cure) has left her life in the sideshow to open a tea shop with another young woman who feels it's finally safe enough to describe herself as a witch: a former medical student and "gardien de sorts" (keeper of spells), Eleanor St. Clair. Together they cater to Manhattan's high society ladies, specializing in cures, palmistry and potions--and in guarding the secrets of their clients. All is well until one bright September afternoon, when an enchanting young woman named Beatrice Dunn arrives at their door seeking employment. Beatrice soon becomes indispensable as Eleanor's apprentice, but her new life with the witches is marred by strange occurrences. She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Objects appear out of thin air, as if gifts from the dead. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind? Eleanor wants to tread lightly and respect the magic manifest in the girl, but Adelaide sees a business opportunity. Working with Dr. Quinn Brody, a talented alienist, she submits Beatrice to a series of tests to see if she truly can talk to spirits. Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over what's best for her, Beatrice disappears, leaving them to wonder whether it was by choice or by force. As Adelaide and Eleanor begin the desperate search for Beatrice, they're confronted by accusations and spectres from their own pasts. In a time when women were corseted, confined and committed for merely speaking their minds, were any of them safe?

Out of print for fifteen years, Lawrence Block's third book in his hilarious Tanner series is back. . . And this time the intrepid spy is up to his neck in a dozen leggy beauties and a life-and-death smuggling assignment out of the cold corners of Russia.

ON the thirteenth of May, 1770, Paris celebrated the wedding of the Dauphin or Prince Royal Louis Aguste, grandson of Louis XV. still reigning, with Marie-Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria. The entire population flocked towards Louis XV. Place, where fireworks were to be let off. A pyrotechnical display was the finish to all grand public ceremonies, and the Parisians were fond of them although they might make fun. The ground was happily chosen, as it would hold six thousand spectators. Around the equestrian statue of the King, stands were built circularly to give a view of the fireworks, to be set off at ten or twelve feet elevation.

Barry did a masterful job of drawing you into the world of Tommy Sands. Told in a conversational style, one becomes immersed in the world in which the child grows up. The book starts with a young Tommy living in the slums of London. Soon a baby sister appears, Elspeth. Living under such harsh conditions could harden a child, but instead Tommy becomes an empathetic figure, developing the ability to put himself, on an emotional level, into another person's shoes. We are told the story of Tommy and his sister as they relocate to Thrums, Scottland, after the death of their mother, taken in by the man scorned by their mother many years ago. Tommy's imagination and ability to create fantasy worlds for them to live in aid in their survival. Just as Barry's imagination ability draws you into the world of Sentimental Tommy.

"Who was she?" That was the first thought that came into my mind when I saw her in the bookstore. Who was she really? She's Belinda. She's sixteen years old. She's the object of one man's ultimate fantasy. And she's one of the most "uniquely sensual and provocative" heroines to emerge from the "fearless" imagination of New York Times bestselling author Anne Rice.

Time seemed to collapse.... There was a sharp stabbing sensation in my stomach.... Steve crowed, "Now I have you! Now you're gonna die!" Dead if he loses -- damned if he wins. The time has finally come for Darren to face his archenemy, Steve Leopard. One of them will die. The other will become the Lord of the Shadows -- and destroy the world. Is the future written, or can Darren trick destiny? This is Darren's story.

REALMS WILL RIP. FAMILIES WILL UNITE... Return to the lives of the Novaks - pre-order your copy now! Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts

Jessi hung up the phone. That was the fifth time she tried calling home with no answer. She had just started eating lunch when she remembered she had forgotten to call home. It was something she would never forgive herself for.Jessi hung up the phone. That was the fifth time she tried calling home with no answer. She had just started eating lunch when she remembered she had forgotten to call home. It was something she would never forgive herself for.It was something she would never forgive herself for…It wasn’t until lunchtime that Jessi remembered to call home. No answer. She tried calling several times while she ate her lunch. Still no answer. She closed her eyes and rested her arms and head on her desk. She breathed deeply, wishing she had remembered to call earlier. Until Forever is a story of a young family that is torn apart by the devastating effects of alcoholism. Can healing take place in a relationship when an unforgivable act is committed? Will Jessi's pain and Mark's guilt keep them apart forever, or will unforeseen circumstances bind them together? Author BioDarlene Shortridge attended Alderson Broaddus College as a voice major. She found she was more passionate about her writing classes than her vocal classes. She left college early and since that time has written various projects such as Bible School Curriculum and poetry. She has also written and recorded a CD of original music. She lives abroad with her husband and two children. Until Forever is her first novel.

A baker's dozen of stories, some very short, some quite long, of times past, present or possible future, ranging from an imagined childhood, through adolescence and maturity, to old age, death and beyond. Mostly optimistic and light-hearted though with an occasional touch of the weird or macabre.The loss of a child's pet leads to grief but eventual acceptance; two stories offered to a magazine raise questions of which is fact and which is fiction; the tale of a wise and beneficent Empress with a surprising origin is recalled through her gift of a child's bauble; showing off to impress a girl has grim results; the romance between a mediaeval serving-maid and the page of her lord's best friend interacts through a roughly-executed fifteenth-century portrait with present-day occupants of the same castle; machinations in the rivalry between two church choirs, and their involvement with a murdered Russian oligarch, climax in the resolution of a long-standing quarrel; an ancient musical instrument passes through a succession of modern families until it reaches the player for whom it is destined; misunderstandings by an over-confident novice missionary, stranded in the wilds by the illness of his mentor, lead to horrifying blunders; an elderly man, reminded by a simple melody of his youthful infatuation with a friend's sister, revisits the site of a 1920s house-party associated with her and at last achieves peace; the psychological significance of a particular recurrent dream is recognised after many years; a curious ring given by a French aristocrat to his executioner during the Terror proves surprisingly helpful; and a deceased author, entertained by the characters in one of his uncompleted stories who have finished it themselves, is finally reconciled with a long-lost love.

The throneworld is full of murderous betrayal. The evil Ivane plots with a usurper and a warlock. The star-queens have turned their back on rightful Emperor of the Galaxy Alyn Imperator thanks to honeyed lies and a lust for power and battle. One brave woman stands firm in the face of every threat to the beautiful young Emperor. Kiera, the Warlord of Valkyr!A Gender Switch Adventure.It's a perfect day and Carlene is getting married..but it's not a perfect day because Carlene really does not want to get married.On her wedding day, Carlene Marie Sanchez tries to get away from it all and ends up realizing that there are more things that she has to know about herself. That love isn't always what she thought it to be. Will Carlene get back on the so-called right track? Or will she finally get what she deserves?

Verona, North Carolina. 2009. Jessica Kincaid, a wildly intelligent 18 year old with a dark past, finds her worst enemies being brutally taken down by Angry Jonny - an anonymous vigilante who has tapped into enraged psyche of the recession era. As her world descends into chaos, Jessica must track down Angry Jonny before she succumbs to his dangerous manifesto and the fury of her own demons.Imagine the worst individuals to have ever crossed you – the traitors, liars, cheats.Bullies, predators and sociopaths. Imagine if there were someone out there taking down every last one of them. Punishing them through savage acts of sadistic torture. Bringing your darkest fantasies to life while your hands remain clean. Imagine that you were the only one capable of stopping him. Then try to imagine why you ever would.It’s the summer of 2009, and Angry Jonny, an anonymous and calculating vigilante, has made the southern city of Verona his playground. His targets are drugged, then tied down – tongues severed, eyes cut out – left to live the rest of their lives blind and disfigured.The only thread linking them is Jessica Kincaid – a tough, wildly intelligent high school senior with a troubled past and track record of making more enemies than friends. Angry Jonny’s victims have all previously used their stature and power to humiliate and ruin Jessica, making her and everyone she knows a suspect or potential target. If she hopes to stay alive and out of jail, Jessica must stay one step ahead of the authorities in her pursuit of Angry Jonny. But a guardian angel, no matter how ruthless, can be a handy companion. The closer she gets to Angry Jonny, the more contaminated she becomes by his manifesto of brutal retribution. As Verona spirals into chaos, Jessica must choose her path: unmask the devil that holds her hand, or lose herself, irrevocably, to the seductive spell of Angry Jonny’s single minded fury.

Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, an ordinary young couple, settle into a New York City apartment, unaware that the elderly neighbors and their bizarre group of friends have taken a disturbing interest in them. But by the time Rosemary discovers the horrifying truth, it may be far too late!

Jack Mac Fecker, pig breeder, farmer and father never thought that he would enter the world of spying, Steven Speilberg, badger rights, home brewing and gay farmers, especially not in the Mountains of Mourne. Temptation, in all its forms, invaded his world and he responded as any half educated Irishman would. Here we meet Jack and his family and find him at the doorstep of a world of espionage.Jack Mac Fecker, pig breeder, farmer and father never thought that he would enter the world of spying, Steven Speilberg, badger rights, home brewing and gay farmers, especially not in the Mountains of Mourne. Temptation, in all its forms, invaded his world and he responded as any half educated Irishman would. Here we meet Jack and his family and find him at the doorstep of a world of espionage, home brew and badgers. Will he go in? Will he cross that threshold and place his family, his farm and even himself in mortal danger? The first in a series of linked funny stories around the Mac Feckers.