Two new, original novellas—Donaldson's first publication since finishing the Thomas Covenant series—are a sure cause for celebration among his many fans. In The King's Justice, a stranger dressed in black arrives in the village of Settle's Crossways, following the scent of a terrible crime. He even calls himself "Black," though almost certainly that is not his name. The people of the village discover that they have a surprising urge to cooperate with this stranger, though the desire of inhabitants of quiet villages to cooperate with strangers is not common in their land, or most lands. But this gift will not save him as he discovers the nature of the evil concealed in Settle's Crossways. The "Augur's Gambit" is a daring plan created by Mayhew Gordian, Hieronomer to the Queen of Indemnie, a plan to save his Queen and his country. Gordian is a reader of entrails. In the bodies of chickens, lambs, piglets, and one stillborn infant he sees the same message: the island nation of Indemnie is doomed. But even in the face of certain destruction a man may fight, and the Hieronomer is utterly loyal to his beautiful Queen--and to her only daughter. The "Augur's Gambit" is his mad attempt to save a kingdom.

The day her twins leave home, Eva climbs into bed and stays there. For seventeen years she's wanted to yell at the world, 'Stop! I want to get off'. Finally, this is her chance. Her husband Brian, an astronomer having an unsatisfactory affair, is upset. Who will cook his dinner? Eva, he complains, is attention seeking. But word of Eva's defiance spreads. Legions of fans, believing she is protesting, gather in the street. While Alexander the white van man brings tea, toast and sympathy. And from this odd but comforting place Eva begins to see both herself and the world very, very differently. . .

A profound novel of cultural displacement, The Mimic Men masterfully evokes a colonial man’s experience in a postcolonial world. Born of Indian heritage and raised on a British-dependent Caribbean island, Ralph Singh has retired to suburban London, writing his memoirs as a means to impose order on a chaotic existence. His memories lead him to recognize the paradox of his childhood during which he secretly fantasized about a heroic India, yet changed his name from Ranjit Kripalsingh. As he assesses his short-lived marriage to an ostentatious white woman, Singh realizes what has kept him from becoming a proper Englishman. But it is the return home and his subsequent immersion in the roiling political atmosphere of a newly self-governed nation that ultimately provide Singh with the necessary insight to discover the crux of his disillusionment. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Two-time Anthony Award-winning author William Kent Krueger has "moved to the head of the crime fiction class" ("Chicago Sun-Times") with his gripping series featuring Sheriff Cork O'Connor. In "Copper River," Cork is running for his life -- and straight into a murderous conspiracy involving teenage runaways. Desperately avoiding the clutches of professional hit men who have already put a bullet in his leg, Cork finds sanctuary outside the small Michigan town of Bodine. But while he's hiding out in an old resort owned by his cousin Jewell DuBois, a bitter widow with a fourteen-year-old son named Ren, the body of a young girl surfaces along the banks of the Copper River -- and then another teenager vanishes. Instead of thwarting his assassins, Cork focuses on tracking a ring of killers who prey on innocent children -- before anyone else falls victim. But as his deadly followers close in, Cork realizes he's made an error any good man might make -- and it may be his last.

In the late 1970s Ondaatje returned to his native island of Sri Lanka. As he records his journey through the drug-like heat and intoxicating fragrances of that "pendant off the ear of India, " Ondaatje simultaneously retraces the baroque mythology of his Dutch-Ceylonese family. An inspired travel narrative and family memoir by an exceptional writer.

Getting kidnapped over spring break was definitely memorable. But now that the surviving hostages are home, they want life to feel normal again: high school, dating, million-dollar galas. But there's no escaping the spotlight--or the truth about the ways they betrayed each other in the jungle. And this time, the real threat isn't kidnappers--it's what the "friends" might do to each other.

This prequel to the Vamp Life series follows Evelina Angelis during her time as a courtesan in 16th century Venice, Italy. Life becomes dangerous when she catches the attention of not one, but two vampires. As if these affections weren't deadly enough, a plague soon ravages her beautiful and beloved city.A harsh reality catches up with an easy going, book loving Evelina Angelis when her parents are arrested. She is a young, educated woman in 16th century Venice, Italy. The life of a courtesan, a cortigiana onesta, is her only real option.The more she excels at her craft, the more dangerous it becomes. Her love for one man and obligations to another lead her down a dangerous path deeper into the world of vampires and it's only a matter of time before a deadly plague ravages her beautiful and beloved city.

Nathan & Rachel anxiously await Christmas Day. An unexpected visitor is coming to the dinner who has a handicap. Nathan's parents prepare Nathan and Rachel, so they don't blurt out something inappropriate. Unfortunately, there was no way to prepare for the BIG blunder that was to come. Discover what it is and how Nathan and Rachel respond.Christmas Kids Books for age 4 and up - IllustratedIn this new Christmas book, Nathan and his sister Rachel are anxiously waiting for Christmas to arrive. Throughout the month of December, there are numerous things that must be completed leading up to Christmas Day, when their mother prepares the Christmas dinner for their large family.An unexpected visitor is coming to the Christmas dinner who has a handicap. Nathan's parents prepare Nathan and Rachel, so they don't blurt out something inappropriate. Unfortunately, there was no way to prepare for the BIG blunder that was to come. Discover what it is and how Nathan and Rachel respond.

An account of a family torn apart by a secret as told by a chair, so sit and listen.People never think much about ‘us’ chairs. I mean, you buy us, sit on us, move us when you change houses-share us, step on us and all the while it has never crossed your mind to be good to us. I guess that is just our life. It is fate. Fate is cruel for she gives you what you deserve. But for once, listen to what I am about to tell you. Forget that I am a red leather chair. I have lived for thirty years thanks to Michael. He came home one night, sat on me and talked about her. He called her name seven times-and before I could respond he was gone. They took him away from me at dawn. His wife-Nancy couldn’t breathe immediately after. His sons came home that evening and talked about him. The name he called-that’s what I want to tell you about. I want to tell you why she left home. I will have to tell you about Michael and his family too. So please take a seat, or pull a chair and listen.

When Charli first sees the Stack, a large tower poking out of the sea, she wonders what it is. Little does she realize that someone is watching her and that she will end up kidnapped, a prisoner in the Stack. But who has taken her and why?Heather, Ally, and Ayesha were just three aspiring writers who wanted to write the next great novel. Little did they know that the computer they were using to write it on was no ordinary computer. This computer brought stories to life!Now their creations are roaming the streets, they're being dragged into the story they created, and the only way to stop what's happening is to complete the novel.With the help of the handsome Daniel Evans - a five novel veteran - and the characters they created; Heather, Ally, and Ayesha try to work through every obstacle the computer throws at them, while trying to finish what they started.When Your Novel Strikes Back is a silly story made up of nonsense, random thoughts, and character torture.

** *“They do not love that do not show their love.”* ** **—Two Gentlemen of Verona** ** * * ** Eminent Shakespearean scholars Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen provide a fresh new edition of the classic comedy of courtship and delicious rivalry. **THIS VOLUME ALSO INCLUDES MORE THAN A HUNDRED PAGES OF EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:** • an original Introduction to *Two Gentlemen of Verona* • incisive scene-by-scene synopsis and analysis with vital facts about the work • commentary on past and current productions based on interviews with leading directors, actors, and designers • photographs of key RSC productions • an overview of Shakespeare’s theatrical career and chronology of his plays Ideal for students, theater professionals, and general readers, these modern and accessible editions from the Royal Shakespeare Company set a new standard in Shakespearean literature for the twenty-first century.

The jacket of the first edition of Obscure Destinies announced “Three New Stories of the West,” heralding Willa Cather’s return to what many thought of as “her” territory—the Great Plains. These three stories, “Neighbour Rosicky,” “Old Mrs. Harris,” and “Two Friends,” reflected her return to the well of memory that had inspired the books that made her reputation. The Willa Cather Scholarly Edition presents for the first time the three stories in their historical and biographical context, with an interpretive historical essay and detailed explanatory notes. The textual essay and apparatus establish the definitive text and trace Cather’s changes through newly discovered prepublication versions.

From Elie Wiesel, Nobel laureate and author of Night, a charged, deeply moving novel about the legacy of the Holocaust in today’s troubled world and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.             It’s 1975, and Shaltiel Feigenberg—professional storyteller, writer and beloved husband—has been taken hostage: abducted from his home in Brooklyn, blindfolded and tied to a chair in a dark basement. His captors, an Arab and an Italian, don’t explain why the innocent Shaltiel has been chosen, just that his life will be bartered for the freedom of three Palestinian prisoners. As his days of waiting commence, Shaltiel resorts to what he does best, telling stories—to himself and to the men who hold his fate in their hands.             With beauty and sensitivity, Wiesel builds the world of Shaltiel’s memories, haunted by the Holocaust and a Europe in the midst of radical change. A Communist brother, a childhood spent hiding from the Nazis in a cellar, the kindness of liberating Russian soldiers, the unrest of the 1960s—these are the stories that unfold in Shaltiel’s captivity, as the outside world breathlessly follows his disappearance and the police move toward a final confrontation with his captors.             Impassioned, provocative and insistently humane, Hostage is both a masterly thriller and a profoundly wise meditation on the power of memory to connect us to the past and our shared need for resolution.

Seven “masterfully told” stories of suspense and nightmarish drama from the National Book Award–winning author of Them (The Guardian). With the novella and six stories collected here, Joyce Carol Oates reaffirms her singular reputation for portraying the dark complexities of the human psyche. The title novella tells the story of Marissa, an eleven-year-old girl with hair the color of corn silk. When she suddenly disappears, mounting evidence points to a local substitute teacher. Meanwhile, an older girl from Melissa’s school is giddy with her power to cause so much havoc unnoticed. And she intends to use that power to enact a terrifying ritual called The Corn Maiden. In “Helping Hands,” published here for the first time, a widow meets an Iraq War veteran in a dingy charity shop, having no idea where the peculiar encounter is about to lead. In “Fossil-Figures,” a pair of twins—an artist and a congressman—never outgrow an ugly sibling rivalry. And in “A Hole in the Head,” a plastic surgeon gives in to an unusual and dangerous request. Together, these seven tales offer “a virtuoso performance” of “probing, unsettling, intelligent” storytelling from one of the world’s greatest writers of suspense (The Guardian). “The seven stories in this stellar collection from the prolific Oates may prompt the reader to turn on all the lights or jump at imagined noises. . . . This volume burnishes [her] reputation as a master of psychological dread.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “For horror stories to be truly horrific, the reader has to care. Oates feels this deeply in her writing, and delivers with style.” —The Independent “Further confirmation of a unique writer’s restless, preternatural brilliance.” —The Guardian

When the Colonial Marines set out after their deadliest prey, the Xenomorphs, it’s what Corporal Hicks calls a bug hunt—kill or be killed. Here are fifteen all-new stories of such “close encounters,” written by many of today’s most extraordinary authors. Set during the events of all four Alien™ films, sending the Marines to alien worlds, to derelict space settlements, and into the nests of the universe’s most dangerous monsters, these adventures are guaranteed to send the blood racing— One way or another. CHANCE ENCOUNTER by Paul Kupperberg REAPER by Dan Abnett BROKEN by Rachel Caine RECLAMATION by Yvonne Navarro BLOWBACK by Christopher Golden EXTERMINATORS by Matt Forbeck NO GOOD DEED by Ray Garton ZERO TO HERO by Weston Ochse DARK MOTHER by David Farland EPISODE 22 by Larry Correia DEEP BACKGROUND by Keith R.A. DeCandido EMPTY NEST by Brian Keene DARKNESS FALLS by Heather Graham HUGS TO DIE FOR by Mike Resnick and Marina J. Lostetter DEEP BLACK by Jonathan Maberry DISTRESSED by James A. Moore DANGEROUS PREY by Scott Sigler SPITE by Tim Lebbon