Best of
Epic

2001

Fool's Errand


Robin Hobb - 2001
    Since then, Fitz has wandered the world accompanied only by his wolf and Wit-partner, Nighteyes, finally settling in a tiny cottage as remote from Buckkeep and the Farseers as possible.But lately the world has come crashing in again. The Witted are being persecuted because of their magical bonds with animals; and young Prince Dutiful has gone missing just before his crucial diplomatic wedding to an Outislander princess. Fitz’s assignment to fetch Dutiful back in time for the ceremony seems very much like a fool’s errand, but the dangers ahead could signal the end of the Farseer reign.Cover illustration by John Howe

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Perfect Collection Boxed Set


Hayao Miyazaki - 2001
    This was Nausicaa, which would make Miyazaki's reputation as much as his 11 films and TV shows. Set in the far future, Nausicaa visualizes an Earth radically changed by ecological disaster. Strange human kingdoms survive at the edge of the Sea of Corruption, a poisonous fungal forest. Nausicaa, a gentle young princess, has a telepathic bond with the giant mutated insects of this dystopia. Her task is to negotiate peace between kingdoms battling over the last of the world's precious natural resources. Nausicaa took Miyazaki 12 years to create, in part because he worked with few or no assistants, doing both the writing and drawing using a meticulously detailed style that critics have compared to the work of the French artist Moebius.

Rora


James Byron Huggins - 2001
    -from the forward by Frank Peretti.

The World of Premchand: Selected Short Stories


Munshi Premchand - 2001
    The selection reveals the wide range of Premchand's genius and the scope of his appeal. While most of the stories are woven against a rural backdrop, some also demonstrate an urban sensibility.

Returning as Shadows


Paco Ignacio Taibo II - 2001
    The time is 1922, and the men are a motley group—a poet who makes a living writing advertisements for patent medicine, a radical Chinese-Mexican union organizer, a lawyer who represents prostitutes, and a newspaper crime reporter who churns out pages of copy "like links of sausage in a chorizo factory." As the story builds, the crime novel becomes a tale of international intrigue. Returning as Shadows revisits these men nearly twenty years later. Much has changed, in the world and for the four friends. War rages in Europe while the world waits for the in Europe while the world waits for the inevitable entry of the United States. German agents throng Mexico City, working to bring America's southern neighbor into the Axis. And the four men? They've gone four different ways. Returning as Shadows goes back and forth between these men's lives, slowly drawing the threads back together. Surprises keep popping up. For example, Ernest Hemingway, having overindulged at his Cuban hacienda, is suddenly transported into a poker game with one of the characters. The men are indeed shadows, their experiences dreamlike but bursting with meaning. Read, and see why Le Monde calls Taibo "one of the best narrative clowns of our time."

The Objectivism Research CD ROM: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand


Ayn Rand - 2001
    A collection of Ayn Rand's works in a compact electronic searchable form.

The Ring of the Nibelung, Vol. 1


P. Craig Russell - 2001
    Craig Russell's adaptation of the Ring cycle by German composer Richard Wagner is about to be collected in a handsome two-volume set. Volume One, with new introductions and behind-the-scenes production art, presents The Rhinegold and The Valkyrie. The magical gold of the Rhine maidens is stolen, leading to a twisted story of vengeance and betrayal. The tainted product of the theft, a simple ring, perverts the will of everyone it comes in contact with, from the most lowly hunchback to the father of the Gods. Read the original tale of the cursed Ring, as adapted by one of comics' finest creators, P. Craig Russell.

Fluffy's School Bus Adventure


Kate McMullan - 2001
    On a school bus to Jasmine's house, Fluffy discovers purple goo, lollipops, and glitter, becoming Rock Star Fluffy! He even saves the day when the bus breaks down. By the time Fluffy arrives at Jasmine's doorstep, he's ready for dinner ... and a bath!