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Avishi: Warrior Queen from the Rig Veda
Saiswaroopa Iyer - 2017
When Khela, the oppressive king of the neighbouring Vrishabhavati, begins to overwhelm and invade Ashtagani, Avishi rises to protect her settlement but at a high cost.Separated from her love, her settlement broken, with a brutal injury needing an amputation of her leg, what can Avishi do to save herself?Will her disability let her continue to be the warrior that she was?Can she fight Khela and save everything dear to her?
The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
Joseph Bédier
The story of the Cornish knight and the Irish princess who meet by deception, fall in love by magic, and pursue that love in defiance of heavenly and earthly law has inspired artists from Matthew Arnold to Richard Wagner. But nowhere has it been retold with greater eloquence and dignity than in Joseph Bédier’s edition, which weaves several medieval sources into a seamless whole, elegantly translated by Hilaire Belloc and Paul Rosenfeld.
A God in Chains
Matthew Hughes - 2019
Martin
Searching for his stolen past in the Dying Earth. He calls himself Farouche, after a character from legend, but his reality is that his memories and identity were stolen from him by a secret enemy.In a far-future world of wizards and walled cities, he finds himself trailing a wealthy merchant's caravan across a dusty plain. Possessed of a soldier's skills, he hires on with the merchant and begins to build a life. But his efforts to discover his past reveal a dark prospect: was he a participant in a notorious massacre of innocents?Will Farouche come to know the truth? Will he survive the journey across a lawless land to the remote city of Olliphract, ruled by half-mad thaumaturges? And when he finally lays bare the plot in which he has been ensnared, will it be too late?Matthew Hughes delivers another dark fantastical adventure set in a decadent Dying Earth, where men and half-men and even the gods themselves contend for earthly power and unearthly prizes.A God in Chains is a Dying Earth adventure of men, half-men, and gods and is the latest Matthew Hughes' Archonate series novel."Hughes's boldness is admirable" -- New York Review of Science Fiction
About the Author:
Matthew Hughes writes fantasy and space opera, often in a Jack Vance mode. Booklist has called him Vance's "heir apparent."His short fiction has appeared in Asimov's, F&SF, Postscripts, Lightspeed, and Interzone, and invitation-only anthologies including Songs of the Dying Earth, Rogues, Old Mars, Old Venus, The Book of Swords, and The Book of Magic, all edited by George R. R. Martin and/or Gardner Dozois.He has won the Arthur Ellis Award, and has been shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick, Aurora, Nebula, Endeavour (twice), A.E. Van Vogt, and Derringer Awards.He spent more than thirty years as one of Canada's leading speechwriters for political leaders and corporate executives. Since 2007, he has been traveling the world as an itinerant housesitter, has lived in twelve countries, and has no fixed address. Praise:
"Hughes's boldness is admirable" - New York Review of Science Fiction
"Hughes effortlessly renders fantastic worlds and beings believable" - Publishers Weekly
"Heir apparent to Jack Vance" - Booklist
"Criminally underrated" - George R.R. Martin
***
Queen of Camelot
Nancy McKenzie - 2002
Years pass, and Guinevere becomes a great beauty, riding free across Northern Wales on her beloved horse. She is entranced by the tales of the valorous Arthur, a courageous warrior who seems to Guinevere no mere man, but a legend. Then she finds herself betrothed to that same famous king, a hero who commands her willing devotion. Just as his knights and all his subjects, she falls under Arthur’s spell. At the side of King Arthur, Guinevere reigns strong and true. Yet she soon learns how the dark prophecy will reveal itself. She is unable to conceive. Arthur’s only true heir is Mordred, offspring of a cursed encounter with the witch Morgause. Now Guinevere must make a fateful choice: She decides to raise Mordred, teaching him to be a ruler and to honor Camelot. She will love him like a mother. Mordred will be her greatest joy–and the key to her ultimate downfall.
Return to a time of legend–the days of Guinevere and Arthur and the glory that was to become Camelot
Purgatory Voyage
Adarsh Kumar Khare - 2020
Around 1000 years back, anyone could go for a purgatory voyage to experience life after death for 12 days through a tunnel in Bharmaur, Himachal Pradesh. But no one could recall what happened to him during his purgatory voyage. Once, a person from Bundelkhand, named Kalidas went for a purgatory voyage. He experienced life after death and surprisingly, he was able to recall all those incidents of a different planet. After returning to his state, he embarked on a discourse about his purgatory voyage and his scary encounters with the King of Bundelkhand.Could anyone believe in his riveting account of the voyage or people smelled a foul play?• RECOMMENDATION •The novel "Purgatory Voyage" by Adarsh Kumar Khare is about a story that dates back to 925 AD of a village person, otherwise living peacefully, whose life is thrown into a turmoil consequent to an extraordinary experience of the afterlife, an outcome of his deed (karma) and sense of inquiry. The story is beautifully weaved with threads of mythology, traditional Hindu beliefs, and folklore. At the same time, there is a conscious effort to bring out the social behavior, rituals, and festivities of village life of that period along with the political order of the King with his subjects.There is a gripping narration of Kali, the protagonist of the novel, of other-worldly experience of his visits to after-life planets of hells and heavens, of torments and punitive actions meted out to sinners, and accounts of suffering the souls have to undergo for the various sins committed in their earthly lives. The author seems to have largely drawn from the “Pretkalp” part of Garud Puran for making such a vivid description of the splendors of the city of Yam, the horrors of various hells, and the excruciating journey of an ordinary soul through all this.The most interesting part of this novel is the day-by-day recount by Kali of incidents, pain, and suffering of his soul and other fellow souls in his 10-days sojourn to different types of hells and also exploring parts of Yam City and heaven. The curiosity of a reader is held on toes as the account of each day unfolds, much like the Arabian nights.I find ‘Purgatory Voyage’ by Adarsh Khare a hugely fascinating story in which one cannot leave reading halfway. It latches on to your curiosity and leads your imagination till you reach the end and sigh a sense of relief and joy of having gone through the upheavals along with the protagonist of the story. I think this is the achievement of Adarsh Khare in writing this book.Asit Kumar, Advisor in the Ministry of Petroleum, New Delhi.Purgatory Voyage is a very interesting novel based on one of the important ancient scriptures of India, specifically the Garuda Puran. Adarsh Kumar Khare has used his creative craft to bring back alive the old teachings of India in a story of fiction that should strike a chord with all age group people, particularly those who have some inclination to occultism. The author has followed a style of simple storytelling that generates curiosity in the mind ‘what next’. It was a joy to read the book describing what life after death could be like, with vivid descriptions of different hells and heaven, and punishment or reward according to committed sins or virtuous work. Most of the geographical locations including river, valleys, and forests bear names either similar or the same as those that exist in present-day India and that adds much credence and authenticity to arouse interest in the reader’s mind, even though it is a fiction. This book is a must for those who have some fascination towards Indian rich cultural heritage including ancient scriptures and those having the curiosity to peep into the future of life after death.Pradipta Kumar Das, Bestselling author of Power of the Universe lies within you.
Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology
Michelle M. Houle - 2001
Houle expertly retells stories of some of the most famous Greek gods and goddesses, including Prometheus, Demeter and Persephone, and Echo and Narcissus. Each chapter is followed by a Question and Answer section which covers characters, themes, and symbols. An Expert Commentary section enhances the myths with opinions by noted scholars. Wonderful original illustrations accompany the text.
The Book of Hallowe'en
Ruth Edna Kelley - 1918
Filled with Halloween poems, games and tried and true ancient methods for divining the future (especially for discovering the identity of one's future spouse!), THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN opens a captivating window onto the past of one of today's most beloved holidays.
The Quest for Merlin
Nikolai Tolstoy - 1985
Through the use of diverse and rare literary sources, he shows Merlin to have been a historical figure--one of the last heirs to druidic tradition. 16 pages of black-and-white photos.
Bhimsen
Prem Panicker
But MT Vasudevan Nair (popularly known as “MT”) turned him into a three-dimensional figure, more sensitive and thoughtful than he is usually given credit for. “He took familiar building blocks and created an entirely new, incredibly compelling construct from them,” says Prem Panicker, senior journalist, Rediff.com co-founder and a long-time admirer of MT’s work.
The Mahāsiddha Field (The Mahāsiddha Series, #1)
Dwai Lahiri - 2019
Indian mythology is replete with tales of Dévas battling the Asuras constantly. The interesting thing to note is that whether it is a God or an incarnation of a deity in human form, aka an Avatār, there was also a human element involved in these stories. The teachers of the Dévas (gods) and the Asuras were human sages, known as Rishis. Find out what happens when seemingly unconnected individuals get drawn into a world of suspense and action, as mythology collides with their world in the book 'The Mahāsiddha Field', the first in a new sci-fi/fantasy series! An elderly wandering mendicant in South India, two young Indian-American men, two soldiers from the Indian Army and a mysterious sage from high up in the Himalayas are thrown together in an adventure unlike any other; as a most unlikely adversary leaps out of the world of Indian Mythology to challenge their beliefs, their sanity and their courage.
The King in Yellow - True Detective Edition: Tales of the Carcosa Mythos
Ambrose Bierce - 2014
Chambers, Ambrose Bierce, and H. P. Lovecraft. This anthology, edited with an explanatory introduction by a noted weird fiction scholar, collects the tales of those writers that are relevent to True Detective. Unlike other ebook collections, that contain dozens of unrelated stories, such as Chambers's victorian romances and random Lovecraft stories that have nothing at all to do with True Detective, this anthology includes only those stories that directly reference The King in Yellow, Carcosa, and other important themes. This is the only collection that contains all of the stories by these authors that reference Hastur, the ancient god of Carcosa, who appears among the tattoos on Reggie Ledoux. It also includes the correct Lovecraft story that connects all of these works with the Cthulhu Mythos. This is the ideal collection for those who want to understand the many references to early weird fiction that have appeared in True Detective.
The Clan MacDougall Series
Suzan Tisdale - 2013
Betrayed by lies told before her birth, Aishlinn is raised by a harsh and cruel stepfather. Her life is forever changed one horrifying night when she is forced to flee England for the safety of the Scottish Highlands. Rescued by a fierce band of highland warriors, Aishlinn soon learns that honorable men do exist. She finds a strength she never knew she possessed and it will be tested to the limits when she is forced to make a heart-wrenching decision… allow the English to kill those she loves, or surrender for the crime she committed.
She is everything he never knew he wanted in a woman….
As a fierce highland warrior, Duncan McEwan has survived numerous battles, bed countless women, and survived a horrific storm at sea. He has scaled mountains and even survived hand-to-claw battle with a cat-o’mountain. But none of that could have prepared him for how his life forever changed one fateful spring day when he rescued a lass from a freezing stream. He will do anything to keep her as his own and will risk everything to keep her out of the hands of the English.
Findley's Lass (Clan MacDougall #2)
She had won his heart without trying… and he can only pray for the chance to give her his.
When Findley McKenna returns after his battle with the English to offer Maggy Boyle a home amongst his clan, he finds only death and destruction instead of the young widow who has stolen his heart. The only thing left of her home is the burned out hut and decaying bodies of the auld people Maggy has taken care of for the past three years. With only a prayer, his Highlander heart, and a bit of bloodied plaid to cling to, Findley will crawl through hell if he must, in order to find Maggy and her sons and avenge the massacre before him. She had won his heart without trying, and he can only pray for the chance to give her his.
How can she place her trust or her heart in the hands of a man she barely knows and maintain her freedom and keep her secrets hidden?
Maggy has secrets, and her own hell to crawl through, before she can give her trust or heart to any man. Fearful that the uncle of her late husband will force her into a marriage with another cold and vindictive man, she goes into hiding to keep her true identity secret and her adopted sons together. After her home is destroyed and her young son kidnapped, those secrets begin to unravel, one agonizing thread at a time. How can she place her trust or her heart in the hands of a man she barely knows and still maintain her freedom and keep her secrets hidden? Findley McKenna is her last vestige of hope at keeping both.
Wee William's Woman (Clan MacDougall #3)
They call him Wee William. Though he stands nearly seven feet tall, with arms and legs the size of tree trunks and hands as big as buckets, there is nothing wee about him. His scowl alone is enough to make most men's bones rattle with fear. And women, rather than swooning, tend to run in the opposite direction.
The giant Highlander is a self-proclaimed bachelor who has sworn for years that there isn't a woman in all of Scotland worth shaving his beard for, and for good reason. Years ago, after a bonny young lass broke his heart and left his dignity in shreds, he swore never again to put it in such peril. As a testament to his sincerity, he vowed never again to shave his beard.
Then he met her. In a single heartbeat, Wee William was lost. Forever lost to a brown-haired beauty with gray-blue eyes brimming with tears - a woman in need.
The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (The Myths)
Margaret Atwood - 2007
Hunted
William W. Johnstone - 1995
An outcast and a traveler through the shifting times, his extraordinary power makes him feared by those who call themselves guardians of liberty. Ransom calls them enemy. Now, the predator has become the prey as the hunt begins for this fugitive who will never conform, cannot be tamed, and refuses to die.