At the age of six, Ebon Drayden discovered he was an alchemist—a wizard who can transform matter with a simple touch. But his father forbade him to use his magic, and kept him from attending the Academy where he could learn to use it. Just before his seventeenth birthday, Ebon’s aunt enrolls him in the Academy against his father's wishes. Now at last he has the chance to use the magic he has so desperately yearned to control. But his family's dark name plagues him. His very presence terrifies the other students. Teachers regard him with suspicion. And before long, he is drawn into a scheme that spans all the nine kingdoms of Underrealm. THE ALCHEMIST'S TOUCH (Book 1) Distrusted by his fellow students and spurned by his instructor, Ebon is drawn into one of his family's shadowy schemes. It begins innocently enough—a package delivered to a tavern in the dead of night—but soon even his own kin suspect him of playing both sides against the middle. His only allies are two other outcasts within the citadel. With their help, he hopes to uncover the truth of the conspiracy—but his family's cruel bodyguard may not have Ebon's best interests at heart. THE MINDMAGE’S WRATH (Book 2) The High King’s Seat reels from a devastating attack. Those within the Academy attempt to resume their studies, all the while haunted by the empty chairs of those who died in the fighting. But the Academy is not yet safe. A murder shocks students and instructors alike to the core. And while the faculty hunt for the culprit, Ebon senses another fatal conspiracy brewing in the very bowels of the citadel. Someone has been stealing artifacts of immeasurable power, and only Ebon and his friends have any hope of stopping them. THE FIREMAGE’S VENGEANCE (Book 3) The Academy killer has escaped, and now holds the Dean’s son captive. Ebon and his friends want to save the boy—but their danger is even more personal, for the killer desires revenge against them. As the Dean grows increasingly suspicious of Ebon himself in the kidnapping, and the recent murders, he must play a deadly game of cat and mouse. For if anyone discovers the secret that Theren is forced to hide, it will mean a slow death under the knives of Mystics for Ebon and all his friends… Grab your box set now and save 40% off buying the individual books!

    No one forced her to do so. Yet she was compelled to this act by an irresistible force, drawing her on...Godgyfu of Mercia was a real woman, living in one of the most tumultuous and dangerous times in England's history. Born into wealth and privilege, she would die the year following the Battle of Hastings, and all her vast holdings be forfeit to the new Norman conquering king. Yet she did something which was never forgotten.Here is Ride, Godiva's own story, imagined by the author of the beloved Circle of Ceridwen Saga.

    "The work is deeply felt...Bernstein has been there and brought it back. Bernstein is a writer." [William S. Burroughs]

    The writer has a fertile imagination and an attractive narrative style.' '...one of the best reads I have had this year. Gripped by the grizzled Irish detective.....plenty of twists and turns Bravo!' '...I thoroughly enjoyed Black December - it's a very good "who done it" - and so often!' '...Top drawer crime fiction...' --Amazon  Scott Hunter is a CWA shortlisted author.

    The star attraction is the novella The Haunted Hotel, a clever combination of detective and ghost story set in Venice, a city of grim waterways, dark shadows and death. The action takes place in an ancient palazzo coverted into a modern hotel that houses a grisly secret. The supernatural horror, relentless pace, tight narrative, and a doomed countess characterise and distinguish this powerful tale.The other stories present equally disturbing scenarios, which includes ghosts, corpses that move, family curses and perhaps most unusual of all, the Devil's spectacles, which bring a clarity of vision that can lead to madness. Collins is one of the great storytellers. He excels in presenting narratives that both disturb and engross the reader, as this fine collection demonstrates.

    The suspense keeps you hooked right until the last page!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5***** There’s a new girl at work.Young, beautiful, confident, she’s everything you used to be. You’re flattered when she befriends you.So when your boss starts giving her your work, at first you think it’s a mistake.But then, one Sunday, the new girl turns up in your local pub. The next week, she starts dressing like you…Now she’s taking control of everything. Because she doesn’t just want your job – she wants your life…‘A truly creepy tale of jealousy and obsession.’ Woman & Home‘A hypnotic dance of gaslighting and revenge.’ People‘Guaranteed to start the mother of all office fights.’ I News*A previous version of this novel was published with the title Precious You.*___Your favourite authors can’t stop talking about That Woman:‘Dark, disturbing, compulsive. I was genuinely terrified reading this.’ Adele Parks‘An intergenerational clash between two women, played out to a shocking finale. Nail-biting.’ Harriet Tyce‘Creepy and unnerving… a breathtaking debut.’ Samantha Downing‘A deliciously dark, addictive and twisted page-turner.’ Alice Feeney‘What a debut! Twisty, explosive, and hugely compelling, with hints of Gone Girl.’ Will Dean‘Twisted, dark and shocking. Absolutely terrific.’ Jo Spain‘Will change the way you look at your colleagues forever.’ Phoebe Morgan‘Supremely twisted and completely riveting’ Katie Lowe

    In lavish, pitch-perfect, and supple, readable prose, Burgess matches his splendid Shakespeare novel, Nothing Like the Sun. The whole world of Elizabethan England—from the intrigues of the courtroom, through the violent streets of London, to the glory of the theater—comes alive in this joyous celebration of the life of Christopher Marlowe, murdered in suspicious circumstances in a tavern brawl in Deptford more than four hundred years ago.

    Everyone piles through its gates - and Cupid lies in wait to sprinkle a little midsummer madness on them all.Teacher Ginnie is desperate to forget her crush on headmaster Mark, and hopes glamping might do the trick. But Mark is also heading for Wild & Free to reform his college band ... desperate not to be seen by anyone he knows. Mark's bandmate James dreams of a festival blow-out with his son, Guy ... until his wife Victoria's ambition kills the dream. Now she and Guy are en route to Wild & Free instead but when Guy meets Shanna-Mae and falls for her earthy charms, Victoria is determined to snap Cupid's arrow.Will the magic of the festival send them wild? Or set them free to find peace and love?

    Up until today. Do I have a return ticket? No. Will someone wait for me at the airport? No. Do I have a plan? No. Do I speak English? Absolutely not. Then why do I get onto the flight to London when I originally planned to go to Frankfurt? Well, it all started with a game of solitaire…

     Ruby Laurel is a ghost hunter. She locates ghosts who are haunting places – or people. In this first story, Ruby is called upon to investigate a haunting in a supermarket. She soon discovers the ghost of a young woman called Mary Jackson. How is Mary connected to the supermarket? And why is she haunting it? Ruby’s investigation is made more difficult by the arrival of her troublesome younger sister, Nessa. Will Nessa help, or hinder, the investigation?

    Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount, and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K. Dick Society is devoted to the study and promulgation of his works.Dick won the prestigious Hugo Award for the best novel of 1963 for The Man in the High Castle. In the last year of his life, the film Blade Runner was made from his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ?This collection includes some of Dick's earliest short and medium-length fiction, including "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale" (the story that inspired the motion picture Total Recall), "Second Variety" (which inspired the motion picture Screamers), "Paychecks", "The Minority Report", and 21 more.Content: "Fair Game" (1959) "The Hanging Stranger" (1953) ""The Eyes Have It"" (1953) "The Golden Man" (1954) "The Turning Wheel" (1954) "The Last of the Masters" (1954) "The Father-Thing" (1954) "Strange Eden" (1954) "Tony and the Beetles" (1954) "Null-O" (1958) "To Serve the Master" (1956) "Exhibit Piece" (1954) "The Crawlers" (1954) "Sales Pitch" (1954) "Shell Game" (1954) "Upon the Dull Earth" (1954) "Foster, You're Dead!" (1955) "Pay for the Printer" (1956) "War Veteran" (1955) "The Chromium Fence" (1955) "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (1966) "The Minority Report" (1956) "Paycheck" (1953) "Second Variety" (1953)

    The wardens have given the boy a light workload because he shows talent as a runner. But if he wins the national long-distance running competition as everyone is counting on him to do, Smith will only vindicate the very system and society that has locked him up. “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” has long been considered a masterpiece on both the page and the silver screen. Adapted for film by Sillitoe himself in 1962, it became an instant classic of British New Wave cinema.    In “Uncle Ernest,” a middle-aged furniture upholsterer traumatized in World War II, now leads a lonely life. His wife has left him, his brothers have moved away, and the townsfolk treat him as if he were a ghost. When the old man finally finds companionship with two young girls whom he enjoys buying pastries for at a café, the local authorities find his behavior morally suspect. “Mr. Raynor the School Teacher” delves into a different kind of isolation—that of a voyeuristic teacher who fantasizes constantly about the women who work in a draper’s shop across the street. When his students distract him from his lustful daydreams, Mr. Raynor becomes violent.   The six stories that follow in this iconic collection continue to cement Alan Sillitoe’s reputation as one of Britain’s foremost storytellers, and a champion of the condemned, the oppressed, and the overlooked.   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alan Sillitoe including rare images from the author’s estate.

    There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime - Everything That Rises Must Converge and A Good Man Is Hard to Find. O'Connor published her first story, "The Geranium," in 1946, while she was working on her master's degree at the University of Iowa. Arranged chronologically, this collection shows that her last story, "Judgement Day" - sent to her publisher shortly before her death - is a brilliantly rewritten and transfigured version of "The Geranium." Taken together, these stories reveal a lively, penetrating talent that has given us some of the most powerful and disturbing fiction of the twentieth century. Also included is an introduction by O'Connor's longtime editor and friend, Robert Giroux.Contents:The geranium -- The barber -- Wildcat -- The crop -- The turkey -- The train -- The peeler -- The heart of the park -- A stoke of good fortune -- Enoch and the gorilla -- A good man is hard to find -- A late encounter with the enemy -- The life you save may be your own -- The river -- A circle in the fire -- The displaced person -- A temple of the Holy Ghost -- The artificial nigger -- Good country people -- You can't be any poorer than dead -- Greenleaf -- A view of the woods -- The enduring chill -- The comforts of home -- Everything that rises must converge -- The partridge festival -- The lame shall enter first -- Why do the heathen rage? -- Revelation -- Parker's back -- Judgement Day.

    We are all brimming with inner wisdom, yet we allow negative thoughts to confuse us. We forget how capable and strong we can be. There is confidence there even if it's hidden; there is courage, beauty, wisdom and belief - we just need some quiet to notice it.Love, Fearne xxx-From Sunday Times bestselling author Fearne Cotton, this is the handbook for modern life we all need. Including expert advice, ideas to put into practice, adventures to complete and interviews with everyone from Bryony Gordon to Billie Piper, Quiet seeks out ways to help you tune out the negative backchat that holds you back, so you can hear the positives that will guide you forwards . . . PRAISE FOR FEARNE HAPPY Fearne's account is wonderfully honest and relatable, and it's also extremely comforting and reassuring too - knowing that even someone in her position is still working through certain issues - issues that a lot of us are working through too. (MIND)Fearne Cotton's new book is full of useful advice on how to live a happier life. (Viv Groskop THE POOL)I recommend this for anyone who's looking to find true consistent happiness (Craig David)She's known for her fun and upbeat presenting style, but Fearne Cotton has also been bravely open about her struggle with depression during some darker points in her life. . . In our busy 2017 lives that are constantly fuelled by Instagram envy, bad Tinder dates and increasingly outrageous politicians, it's nice to go over the basics of simply being happy. (OK!)

    It is arguably his most difficult satire, and perhaps his most masterly. The Tale is a prose parody which is divided into sections of "digression" and a "tale" of three brothers, each representing one of the main branches of western Christianity. Composed between 1694 and 1697, it was eventually published in 1704.'A Tale' was long regarded as a satire on religion itself, and has famously been attacked for that, starting with William Wotton. The "tale" presents a consistent satire of religious excess, while the digressions are a series of parodies of contemporary writing in literature, politics, theology, Biblical exegesis, and medicine. The overarching parody is of enthusiasm, pride, and credulity. At the time it was written, politics and religion were still linked very closely in England, and the religious and political aspects of the satire can often hardly be separated. "The work made Swift notorious, and was widely misunderstood, especially by Queen Anne herself who mistook its purpose for profanity." "It effectively disbarred its author from proper preferment within the church," but is considered one of Swift's best allegories, even by himself. It was enormously popular, but Swift believed it damaged his prospect of advancement in the Church of England.This edition has been formatted for your Kindle, with an active table of contents. It has also been illustrated and annotated, with an overview, cultural setting, background, nature of the satire, background, publication, history, authorship debate, biographical and bibliographical information.