Our Tragic Universe


Scarlett Thomas - 2010
    But for Meg—locked in a dead-end relationship and with a deadline looming for a book that she can't write—this thought fills her with dread. Stuck in a labyrinth of her own devising, Meg knows that there must be a way out.

Kara the Lonely Falcon


Joseph F. Girzone - 1979
    Kara the falcon finds his world transformed when he vows never to kill another animal again, even if his very survival is depends on it.A tale of life, love, and self-sacrifice as they occur among both the meek and the powerful animals in a forest. Kara is the fastest, fiercest, and consequently loneliest falcon in the forest--until he vows, as the result of a moving experience, to never again kill another animal, even if it threatens his own survival.

Rocket City


Cathryn Alpert - 1995
    Reminiscent of such modern classics as Cowboys Are My Weakness and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, with a touch of Geek Love thrown in for good measure, Rocket City is a deliciously original and strangely moving novel of alienation in America's Southwest.

The Artist of the Missing


Paul La Farge - 1999
    He begins working as a washer of robes at a hotel for itinerant judges. There he meets and falls in love with Prudence, a forensic photographer whose pictures reveal the secrets of the dead.When Prudence disappears, Frank sets out in search of her, a quest that leads him into the shadowy world of a revolutionary salon, then to prison, and finally to discover the city's strange secrets and the secrets of his own heart.A haunting novel that recalls the early work of Paul Auster and Steven Millhauser, The Artist of the Missing is a stunning debut, both a richly imagined evocation of another world and a piercing examination of the mystery of love, and beautifully illustrated by the acclaimed artist Stephen Alcorn.A visionary novel about love, loss, imagination, and despair.

The Flute-Player


D.M. Thomas - 1979
    She is the one constant in their lives, the inspiration, sexually and emotionally generous, at once a muse and a whore.According to Thomas, "This novel emerged out of fascination with Russian poets and particularly Anna Akhmatova. I wanted a generic figure, a woman who preserved the truth of the word, while chaos reigned all around her. I didn't want to individualise the characters too much, so there is very little dialogue in this novel."

The Beast of Ten


Beth Brower - 2018
    THE DEATH BLEAK - For centuries he has haunted the nations, taking the blood gain further than any before himTHE PYRE - His storied stronghold deep in the Forrest of Naeethe, its glory forgotten, its ancient purposes abandonedAND I, EMBER - Sent by the Lights to stop him from becoming the one thing that all nations fear the most.

Tower of Babylon


Ted Chiang - 1990
    During his journey, Hillalum discovers entire civilizations of tower-dwellers on the tower—there are those who live inside the mists of clouds, those who raise their vegetables above the sun, and those who have spent their lives under the oppressive weight of an endless, white stratum at the top of the universe.   “Tower of Babylon” is a rare gem—a winner of the prestigious Nebula award, the first story Ted Chiang ever published, and the brilliant opening piece to Chiang’s much-lauded first collection, Stories of Your Life and Others, which is soon to be a major motion picture starring Amy Adams.   An eBook short.

Three Novels of Ancient Egypt: River God / The Seventh Scroll / Warlock


Wilbur Smith - 2003
    

Magium: The Mage Tournament (Book 2)


Chris Michael Wilson - 2018
    The name of the series is Magium: The Mage Tournament. The individual books of the series do not have names. They only have numbers. Now that this has been cleared up, let us continue with the description of the series' story: Barry is an ordinary guy, with no magical powers whatsoever, who dreamed of becoming a mage for the better part of his life. After dedicating his whole life to studying magic, in the hopes of fulfilling his dream, he finally finds a way to do it. However, in order to become a mage, he must first win a deadly free-for-all tournament against the most powerful mages in the world. The fantasy world that the story takes place in is inspired by Dungeons and Dragons and by classic RPG games such as Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age and Skyrim. The story of Magium starts at the beginning of the tournament, right after Barry and all the other participants are magically teleported to the continent where the contest is taking place. The winner of the competition will be given access to the Magium, which is thought to be the source of all magic. The tournament takes place on a continent hidden from the rest of the world, where there are mythical creatures like dragons and hydras, but also remnants of an old and technologically advanced civilization, whose magically powered devices are still being used in the present day. Due to his lack of magical abilities, Barry will be forced to use one such device, called a stat booster, which absorbs the magical energy around it and converts it into stat points. By leveling up stats such as Speed, Reflexes and Premonition, Barry will gain supernatural abilities that will help him survive against all the experienced mages that are also participating in the tournament. As the series progresses, Barry will meet with other participants, he will make friends and enemies, and he will gradually find out more about the continent he is on, and its inhabitants. He will find out that a person called "The Creator" had established several utopias in this place, six hundred years ago, where animals and humans lived in harmony, and food was created through magic. What Barry will get to see through his travels, however, is the downfall of these utopias, some of them being on the brink of destruction. As he begins to get involved with the people of this land, Barry will need to decide if he can simply ignore what is happening before his eyes, or if he will intervene, at the risk of being banned from the tournament, and forfeiting his dream. Credits for the magic ball image on the cover go to Agnes Landgraf.

Diablo III: Morbed


Micky Neilson - 2014
    Joining together with a wizard, a druid, a necromancer, and a crusader, Morbed has arrived at a remote island to track down an elusive vagabond andreclaim valuable items pilfered from the city of Westmarch.But there is something loose on the island, something that has killed and is very close to killing again. In order to leave the island alive, Morbed will be forced to confront not only the terrifying creature that stalks the forests, but the darkest corners of his own spirit as well.

Zendegi


Greg Egan - 2010
    As tragedy strikes his multi-cultural family, Martin struggles to maintain his place in his adapted culture, and to provide for his child.Zendegi explores what it means to be human, and the lengths one will go to in order to provide for ones children. This emotional roller coaster explores a non-Western-European near future that both challenges ideas of global mono-culture and emphasizes the humanity we all share.

The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness


H.P. Lovecraft - 1996
    Lovecraft inspired the work of Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker. As he perfected his mastery of the macabre, his works developed from seminal fragments into acknowledged masterpieces of terror. This volume traces his chilling career and includes:IMPRISONED WITH THE PHARAOHS--Houdini seeks to reveal the demons that inhabit the Egyptian night.AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS--An unsuspecting expedition uncovers a city of untold terror, buried beneath an Antarctic wasteland.Plus, for the first time in any Del Rey edition:HERBERT WEST: REANIMATOR--Mad experiments yield hideous results in this, the inspiration for the cult film Re-Animator.COOL AIR--An icy apartment hides secrets no man dares unlock.THE TERRIBLE OLD MAN--The intruders seek a fortune but find only death!AND TWENTY-FOUR MORE BLOOD-CHILLING TALES

You Are Not the One: Stories


Vestal McIntyre - 2004
    With "ONJ.com," a young woman in advertising decides she wants a gay man in her life, but the good-looking and fast-talking gay coworker she meets isn't as pleasant and "fun" as she had hoped. In "Dunford," a lonely, aging architect with a suppressed fascination for female escorts decides impulsively to take the opportunity of his wife's absence to set up a date. Sadly for Dunford, he realizes too late that his escort doesn't share his penchant for masturbation in car washes. And "Nightwalking" centers on a woman sleepwalker whose mother's death frames the occasion for a rocky family reunion. You Are Not the One marks the auspicious arrival of an exciting new talent.

A Dog's Head


Jean Dutourd - 1951
    With biting wit, Dutourd presents the story of Edmund Du Chaillu, a boy born, to his bourgeois parents's horror, with the head of a spaniel. Edmund must endure his school-mate's teasing as well as an urge to carry a newspaper in his mouth. This is the story of his life, trials, and joys as he searches for a normal life of worth and love. "Dutourd is a fine craftsman, whose work has the classic virtues of brevity, lucidity, and concentration. He has written a sardonic divertissement that concerns itself with fundamental problems of man's existence-a tale that is sad-eyed, witty, and often very funny."—Charles J. Rolo, New York Times Book Review"A tiny masterpiece in the French classical tradition. . . . Stylish, elegant and witty, and told with an apparent lightheartedness that points to rather than obscures the hero's essential tragedy."—P. L. Travers, New York Herald Tribune"Wit, a good deal of shrewd classical allusion, and a Voltarian satire are the book's assets."—Edmund Fuller, Chicago Tribune"The work of an expert craftsman and of a careful writer of prose, ending with the rarest gift in modern letters: the comic spirit."—Henri Peyre, The Saturday Review"Dutourd might well have dropped his story at this point, had it been his intention simply to excoriate the human race for its treatment of those who are physically afflicted. Instead, he presses on in his terse, deadpan prose to teach a lesson to the afflicted of the world as well."—Time"A Dog's Head is one of the most curious, most beautifully conceived and written fantasies you've ever come across."—J. H. Jackson, San Francisco Chronicle"A Dog's Head is an excellent joke in the worst possible taste, and its author, M. Jean Dutourd, is a satirist of the first rank."—New Yorker

Advice to a Young Wife from An Old Mistress


Michael Drury - 1968
    First published in the rampaging sixties and in demand for twenty years, Michael Drury's classic meditation on sex and marriage now appears in a new third edition. There is not a salacious, clinical or scientific word in her book; it is a tender story told from the perspective and discretion of an enduring love affair. Here readers will find aspects of themselves and their relationships that are too often ignored: the pleasures of exclusivity; the influence of money, or lack thereof, over sex and relationships; the healing knowledge that reason and emotion are not at war but allies. In short, this is a book for all seasons of love, and for all lovers, individuals, and partners. Advice to a Young Wife from an Old Mistress explores its timeless themes much as a wise traveler visits a foreign land and brings back knowledge of a kind only possible when one is willing to make the journey. Honest, knowing, and direct, Michael Drury's wife and mistress find that they can learn much from each other, as will readers young and old.