All books

In order for the Storm King can cement his power over Osten Ard, he must find and defeat the rebel forces massing against him. But the rebels, led by the exiled Prince Josua, have rallied at the Stone of Farewell and are ready to fight the Storm King with every power they can muster. The key to their victory lies in finding the third sword of legend, Memory - but the sword has been lost for ages. Lost, that is, until Simon Snowlock realises that he knows exactly where the sword is and how to recover it. The only problem: an undead army, bolstered by powerful magic, lies between him and his destination. It will take every ounce of Simon's courage and intelligence to journey to and then recover the great sword Memory and bring peace to Osten Ard. If Simon's quest is to have any hope, Josua must move against the Storm King himself - a journey that will take him across endless seas, through ancient forests and into the stronghold of the Storm King himself. The finale to Tad Williams' breathtaking, beloved series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

Now in one volume-the first three novels in Philip Kerr's New York Times bestselling historical mystery series starring hard-boiled detective Bernie Gunther... "A Chandleresque knight errant caught in insane historical surroundings. Bernie walks down streets so mean that nobody can stay alive and remain truly clean."-John Powers, Fresh Air (NPR) Ex-policeman Bernie Gunther thought he'd seen everything on the streets of 1930s Berlin. But then he went freelance, and each case he tackled sucked him further into the grisly excesses of Nazi subculture. And even after the war, amidst the decayed, imperial splendour of Vienna, Bernie uncovered a legacy that made the wartime atrocities look lily-white in comparison... This collection includes: MARCH VIOLETS THE PALE CRIMINAL A GERMAN REQUIEM

Haplo, marked for death by two assassins, is forced to enter the Labyrinth - a treacherous prison maze filled with fearsome creatures - alongside Alfred. While they navigate its deadly dangers, the Lord of the Nexus pursues his own dark ambitions, raising an army of the dead to unleash against the powerful Tytans.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry comes the sequel and final book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy. An exhilarating tale of legend and heroism, Streets of Laredo is classic Texas and Western literature at its finest. Captain Woodrow Call, August McCrae's old partner, is now a bounty hunter hired to track down a brutal young Mexican bandit. Riding with Call are an Eastern city slicker, a witless deputy, and one of the last members of the Hat Creek outfit, Pea Eye Parker. This long chase leads them across the last wild stretches of the West into a hellhole known as Crow Town and, finally, into the vast, relentless plains of the Texas frontier.

Lysander Hawkley combined breathtaking good looks with the kindest of hearts. He couldn't pass a stray dog, an ill-treated horse, or a neglected wife without rushing to the rescue. The trouble begins when he decides that the wife of Rannaldini, the world famous conductor, needs rescuing.

An exploration of the morality of greed, corruption and violence. When several prominent people die mysteriously, the police beat a path to the door of an Edinburgh journalist known for his drug abuse and total commitment to computer games. By the author of The Wasp Factory and The Crow Road.

Sharrow was once the leader of a personality-attuned combat team in one of the sporadic little commercial wars in the civilization based around the planet Golter. Now she is hunted by the Huhsz, a religious cult which believes that she is the last obstacle before the faith's apotheosis, and her only hope of escape is to find the last of the apocalyptically powerful Lazy Guns before the Huhsz find her.Her journey through the exotic Golterian system is a destructive and savage odyssey into her past, and that of her family and of the system itself.

The excerpts provide only minimal plot detail-that Haplo must "outwit lethal and magical serpents in the last of the Four Realms"-which is insufficient to write a meaningful synopsis meeting the requirements.

Recently 'resigned' from his job as the coolest samurai sword-toting pizza-delivery guy in the world, Hiro has had to fall back on his old hi-tech scavenger ways. Not that he's a nobody on the virtual street - one of the founders of The Black Sun, he helped write the rule book for the digital Metaverse. Which is why he's so confused when he's offered a cyber-drug called Snow Crash- 'cos there are no such things as drugs in their computer-generated world. And yet here it is, complete with devastating side effects. Who could have made it? And what the hell does it actually do?

Prentice McHoan returns to his complex Scottish family, full of questions about their past and future. As he navigates love, loss, and a crisis of faith, he finds himself drawn into a mystery surrounding the disappearance of his uncle Rory.

What is happiness and how can we attain it? In his latest book, Myers reports on the new scientific search for joy and how its discoveries inform our own personal quests for happiness. The Pursuit of Happiness stimulates reflection on both personal priorities and how we can create a world better designed to enhance human well-being. 25 illustrations.

Strauss and Howe present American history as a succession of generational biographies, tracing a recurring cycle from 1584 through the present and into 2069. The book argues that generations follow predictable patterns, offering a framework for understanding America's past and forecasting its future.

Stephen King's unforgettable novella-first included in his 1990, award-winning collection Four Past Midnight and made into a highly acclaimed miniseries-about a terrifying plane ride into a most unfriendly sky. On a cross-country, redeye flight from Los Angeles to Boston, ten passengers awaken in Bangor, Maine, to find that the crew and most of their fellow passengers have disappeared. The airport shows no signs of life. Yet they hear "radio static" in the distance. Craig Toomey, an irritable investment banker on the verge of a breakdown, believes it is "The Langoliers," monsters he was afraid of as a child who attack those who waste time. It's mystery author Bob Jenkins who first theorizes that they have flown through a time rip. Bob declares they have entered a place that forbids time travelers to observe or interfere with past events. It turns out that Craig is right, in a way. Two creatures, followed by hundreds more, emerge from the forest and head for the plane, consuming everything in their path. Can the survivors manage to fly the plane back to Los Angeles, back to the correct time, before The Langoliers succeed in their deadly mission to destroy the plane and the world? Dinah Bellman, the young blind girl whose aunt did not survive the time rip, has the greatest insight of all. A spine-tingling, propulsive novella, The Langoliers is a brilliant read from the masterful Stephen King.

PLEASE NOTE: This is the original novella which won the Hugo and Nebula awards. Leisha Camden is a genetically engineered 'Sleepless.' Her ability to stay awake all the time has not only made her more productive, but the genetic modifications have also given the 'Sleepless' a higher IQ and may even make them immortal. Are they the future of humanity? Or will the small community of 'sleepless' be hunted down as freaks by a world that has grown wary of its newest creation?

Haplo, a Patryn agent, is dispatched by Lord Xar to evaluate Abarrach-a dying underground world of caverns built above molten lava where the lesser races appear to have perished. There he forms an uneasy alliance with Alfred, a lone surviving Sartan, as they navigate catacombs haunted by lazar, terrifying necromancers capable of raising the dead.

Mitch qualified at Harvard, third in his class, and is sought by law firms all over America. The one that gets him is small, but well-respected, and pays him beyond his wildest dreams. But then the nightmares begin - secret files, bugs in the bedroom, colleagues' mysterious deaths and mob money.

The elite world of 1980s Polo is all about power, glamour, and money. Ricky France-Lynch, is moody, macho, and magnificent. He had a large crumbling estate, a nine-goal polo handicap, and a beautiful wife who was fair game for anyone with a cheque book. He also had the adoration of fourteen-year-old Perdita MacLeod. Perdita couldn't wait to leave her dreary school and become a polo player where the polo set were ritzy, wild, and gloriously promiscuous. But before she had time to grow up, Ricky's life exploded into tragedy, and Perdita turned into a brat who loved only her horses - and Ricky France-Lynch. Ricky's obsession to win back his wife, and Perdita's to win both Ricky and a place as a top class polo player, take the reader on a wildly exciting journey - to the estancias of Argentina, to Palm Beach and Deauville, and on to the royal polo fields of England and the glamorous pitches of California where the most heroic battle of all is destined to be fought - a match that is about far more than just the winning of a huge silver cup.

Ages ago, sorcerers of unmatched power sundered a world into four realms-sky, stone, fire, and water-then vanished. Over time, magicians learned to work spells only in their own realms and forgot the others. Now only the few who have survived the Labyrinth and crossed the Death Gate know of the presence of all four realms-and even they have yet to unravel the mysteries of their severed world.... In Arianus, Realm of Sky, humans, elves, and dwarves battle for control of precious water-traversing a world of airborne islands on currents of elven magic and the backs of mammoth dragons. But soon great magical forces will begin to rend the fabric of this delicate land. An assassin will be hired to kill a royal prince-by the king himself. A dwarf will challenge the beliefs of his people-and lead them in rebellion. And a sinister wizard will enact his plan to rule Arianus-a plan that may be felt far beyond the Realm of Sky and into the Death Gate itself.

On steamy Pryan, never-ending sunlight and plentiful rain have created a jungle so vast that humans and elves dwell high in the trees and only dwarves live anywhere near the ground. From the treetops the aristocratic elves sell weapons to the other races, whose incessant warfare sends a steady steam of profits and essential resources skyward. Now, generations of dissent and race hatred will not heal -- not even under the threat of annihilation at the hands of legendary Titans. Armed with little more than their wits and prophecy, an elf, a human, and a dwarf must unite to try to save the world from destruction. "From the Paperback edition."

"When it was over, and the last notes died, finally giving themselves up to the air, to the flesh of her fingertips and to the ancient wood of the instrument, she kept her eyes closed for a time, still in her deep red cave of heartache and loss. There were strange patterns behind her eyelids, swimming and pulsing to the strong beat of her blood. The music seemed to have set them into a theme of movement of its own, and they were only now unravelling into their natural semi-chaos. She watched them.'" "Hisako Onoda, world-famous cellist, refuses to fly. And so she travels to Europe as a passenger on a tanker passing through the Panama Canal. But Panama is a country whose politics are as volatile as the local freedom fighters. When Hisako's ship is captured, it is not long before the atmosphere is as flammable as an oxyacetylene torch, and the tension as sharp as the spike on her cello."--BOOK JACKET.

Benjamin Malaussène, perpetual scapegoat, now works for a publishing house where his editor has transformed him into the celebrated author of a bestselling novel. When manuscript theft, vengeance, and the frenzied passions of readers and the literary world converge, Benjamin must pay a steep price for a fame he never sought.

A war fueled by the powers of dark sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard-for Prester John, the High King, lies dying. And with his death, the Storm King, the undead ruler of the elf-like Sithi, seizes the chance to regain his lost realm through a pact with the newly ascended king. Knowing the consequences of this bargain, the king's younger brother joins with a small, scattered group of scholars, the League of the Scroll, to confront the true danger threatening Osten Ard. Simon, a kitchen boy from the royal castle unknowingly apprenticed to a member of this League, will be sent on a quest that offers the only hope of salvation, a deadly riddle concerning long-lost swords of power. Compelled by fate and perilous magics, he must leave the only home he's ever known and face enemies more terrifying than Osten Ard has ever seen, even as the land itself begins to die. After the landmark Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, the epic saga of Osten Ard continues with the brand-new novel, The Heart of What Was Lost. Then don't miss the upcoming trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard, beginning with The Witchwood Crown!

Into The Cut-Throat World Of Corinium Television Comes Declan O Hara, A Mega-Star Of Great Glamour And Integrity With A Radiant Feckless Wife, A Handsome Son And Two Ravishing Teenage Daughters. Living Rather Too Closely Across The Valley Is Rupert Campbell-Black, Divorced And As Dissolute As Ever, And Now The Tory Minister For Sport. Declan Needs Only A Few Days At Corinium To Realise That The Managing Director, Lord Baddingham, Is A Crook Who Has Recruited Him Merely To Help Retain The Franchise For Corinium. Baddingham Has Also Enticed Cameron Cook, A Gorgeous But Domineering Woman Executive, To Produce Declan S Programme. Declan And Cameron Detest Each Other, Provoking A Storm Of Controversy Into Which Rupert Plunges With His Usual Abandon. As A Rival Group Emerges To Pitch For The Franchise, Reputations Ripen And Decline, True Love Blossoms And Burns, Marriages Are Made And Shattered, And Sex Raises Its (Delicious) Head At Almost Every Throw As, In Bed And Boardroom, The Race Is On To Capture The Cotswold Crown.

Novela de aventuras pero también policiaca, de traiciones y maniobras políticas en el Madrid galdosiano de 1868, El maestro de esgrima es la historia de un mundo de tahúres y mercachifles mantenido a distancia por un florete honorable. Pero es, sobre todo, una inquietante parábola sobre el poder del dinero, la ambición política y la extinción de los valores de honradez y fidelidad en los finales del siglo XX.

President Donald J. Trump lays out his professional and personal worldview in this classic work-a firsthand account of the rise of America's foremost deal-maker. "I like thinking big. I always have. To me it's very simple: If you're going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big."-Donald J. Trump Here is Trump in action-how he runs his organization and how he runs his life-as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and friends, clashes with enemies, and challenges conventional thinking. But even a maverick plays by rules, and Trump has formulated time-tested guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest accomplishments; he shatters myths; he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker's art. And throughout, Trump talks-really talks-about how he does it. Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a brilliant entrepreneur-the ultimate read for anyone interested in the man behind the spotlight. Praise for Trump: The Art of the Deal "Trump makes one believe for a moment in the American dream again."-The New York Times "Donald Trump is a deal maker. He is a deal maker the way lions are carnivores and water is wet."-Chicago Tribune "Fascinating... wholly absorbing... conveys Trump's larger-than-life demeanor so vibrantly that the reader's attention is instantly and fully claimed."-Boston Herald "A chatty, generous, chutzpa-filled autobiography."-New York Post

Décryptez Au bonheur des ogres de Daniel Pennac avec l'analyse du PetitLitteraire.fr! Que faut-il retenir d' Au bonheur des ogres, le roman policier fantaisiste qui captive le public? Retrouvez tout ce que vous devez savoir sur cette œuvre dans une analyse complète et détaillée. Vous trouverez notamment dans cette fiche: • Un résumé complet • Une présentation des personnages principaux tels que Benjamin Malaussène, les enfants Malaussène, tante Julia et Théo • Une analyse des spécificités de l'œuvre: Au bonheur des ogres: un polar?, le thème du bouc émissaire, et une affaire de littérature Une analyse de référence pour comprendre rapidement le sens de l'œuvre. LE MOT DE L'ÉDITEUR: « Dans cette nouvelle édition de notre analyse d' Au bonheur des ogres (2017), avec Fabienne Gheysens et Margot Pépin, nous fournissons des pistes pour décoder ce polar plein d'imagination. Notre analyse permet de faire rapidement le tour de l'œuvre et d'aller au-delà des clichés. » Stéphanie FELTEN À propos de la collection LePetitLitteraire.fr: Plébiscité tant par les passionnés de littérature que par les lycéens, LePetitLittéraire.fr est considéré comme une référence en matière d'analyse d'œuvres classiques et contemporaines. Nos analyses, disponibles au format papier et numérique, ont été conçues pour guider les lecteurs à travers la littérature. Nos auteurs combinent théories, citations, anecdotes et commentaires pour vous faire découvrir et redécouvrir les plus grandes œuvres littéraires. LePetitLittéraire.fr est reconnu d'intérêt pédagogique par le ministère de l'Éducation. Plus d'informations sur lepetitlitteraire.fr

At forty-three Jeff Winston is tired of his low-paid, unrewarding job, tired of the long silences at the breakfast table with his wife, saddened by the thought of no children to comfort his old age. But he hopes for better things, for happiness, maybe tomorrow... But a sudden, fatal heart attack puts paid to that. Until Jeff wakes up in his eighteen-year-old body, all his memories of the next twenty-five years intact. If he applies those memories, he can be rich in this new chance at life and can become one of the most powerful men in America. Until he dies at forty-three and wakes up in his eighteen-year-old body again... and again in a continuous twenty-five year cycle each time starting from scratch at the age of eighteen to reclaim lost loves, make a fortune - or remedy past mistakes. A novel of gripping adventure, romance, and fascinating speculation on the nature of time, Replay asks the question: "What if you could live your life over again?"

A love story, an adventure, and an epic of the frontier, Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America. Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.

'Sex and horses: who could ask for more?' Sunday Telegraph Set against the glorious Cotswold countryside, Riders offers an intoxicating blend of swooning romance, adventure and hilarious high jinks. Brooding hero Jake Lovell, under whose magic hands even the most difficult horse or woman is charmed, is driven by his loathing of the dashing darling of the show ring, Rupert Campbell-Black. Having pinched each other's horses and drunk their way around the capitals of Europe, the feud between the two men finally erupts with devastating consequences at the Los Angeles Olympics... A classic bestseller, Riders takes the lid off international show jumping, a sport where the brave horses are almost human, but the humans behave like animals. 'Joyful and mischievous' Jojo Moyes 'Exhilarating, irresistible and one of our nation's most beloved novels' Jill Mansell 'Jilly Cooper is the funniest and the sharpest writer there is' Jenny Colgan 'Flawlessly entertaining' Helen Fielding

Côté famille, maman s'est tirée une fois de plus en m'abandonnant les mômes, et le Petit s'est mis à rêver d'ogres de Noël. Côté cœur, tante Julia a été séduite par ma nature de bouc (de bouc émissaire). Côté boulot, la première bombe a explosé au rayon des jouets, cinq minutes après mon passage. La deuxième, quinze jours plus tard, au rayon des pulls, sous mes yeux. Comme j'étais là aussi pour l'explosion de la troisième, ils m'ont tous soupçonné. Pourquoi moi? Je dois avoir un don...

Ichiro Honda is a good-looking computer expert who works in Tokyo, lives in a respectable hotel, and visits his wife, in Osaka with her wealthy father, only on weekends. Behind this unexceptional facade, his life is dedicated to the conquest of a never-ending succession of young women; a secret apartment facilitates his many phony identities, a diary records each seduction. Over the next months, three of Honda's bedmates are murdered. He's eventually convicted of two of the killings. The evidence against him--in part, blood and semen traces, lack of alibis and his diary--seems solid as granite, but elderly Kentaro Hatanaka, his appeal lawyer, is a man of sensitivity, tenacity and imagination. He needs all of those qualities to get to the surprise spider in this tightly woven web. Full of subtly menacing tensions and sharp psychological insights, told in lean, sparsely ornamented style. This one is a must for the discerning reader. - kirkus reviews

Frank, no ordinary sixteen-year-old, lives with his father outsIde a remote Scottish village. Their life is, to say the least, unconventional. Frank's mother abandoned them years ago: his elder brother Eric is confined to a psychiatric hospital; and his father measures out his eccentricities on an imperial scale. Frank has turned to strange acts of violence to vent his frustrations. In the bizarre daily rituals there is some solace. But when news comes of Eric's escape from the hospital Frank has to prepare the ground for his brother's inevitable return - an event that explodes the mysteries of the past and changes Frank utterly. Iain Banks' celebrated first novel is a work of extraordinary originality, imagination and horrifying compulsion: horrifying, because it enters a mind whose realities are not our own, whose values of life and death are alien to our society; and compulsive, because the humour and compassion of that mind reach out to us all.

the worldwide bestselling fantasy series by master storyteller David Eddings. Discover the epic story that inspired thousands - from Raymond Feist's The Riftwar Cycle series to George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. The Accursed One is not dead... He only sleeps... The evil God Torak covets dominion over all men. If the stolen Orb of Aldur reaches him, he will surely gain what he desires. Garion travels through strange lands with master sorcerers Belgarath and Polgara in frantic pursuit of the Orb. But as his own powers grow, Garion starts to realize that he too may have a part to play - a part he is not sure he wants...

In the classic Women Who Run With The Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estes tells us about the 'wild woman', the wise and ageless presence in the female psyche that gives women their creativity, energy and power. For centuries, the 'wild woman' has been repressed by a male-orientated value system which trivialises women's emotions. Using a combination of time-honoured stories and contemporary casework, Estes reveals that the 'wild woman' in us is innately healthy, passionate and wise. Thoughtfully written and compelling in its arguments, Women Who Run With The Wolves gives readers a new sense of direction, a self confidence and purpose in their lives.

With last year's publication of his New York Timesbestseller The Company, Robert Littell reestablished his position as one of our top writers of intelligent, ironic, and always entertaining espionage thrillers. After many years The Amateur, a cult classic among aficionados, is finally available again as Overlook republishes Littell's best. In this "first-rate thriller" (Chicago Tribune), Charlie Heller is an ace cryptographer for the Company. He's a quiet man with a quiet job in a back office. But when terrorists shoot his fiancée in cold blood and Heller learns that the Agency has decided not to pursue those responsible, his life takes an abrupt turn. He was not a blackmailer but he will force the CIA's hand. He was not an assassin but he will penetrate the Iron Curtain with the intent to kill. Driven by an obsessive need for revenge, targeted for elimination by the CIA itself, Heller is an amateur with a one-in-a-million chance of success.

A survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, he is the world's most artful lover...and most accomplished assassin. His greatest desire is to attain the state of perfection called shibumi. But the most sinister enemy he has ever faced is bent on destroying him. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

The third novel in the legendary and magical series featuring dragons, adventure, romance, and heroism, from Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Anne McCaffrey, "one of my favorite authors of all time" (Brandon Sanderson) "Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels are truly foundational books; it's hard to imagine the modern-day landscape of fantasy and science fiction without them."-Naomi Novik, author of the Temeraire series When Lessa chose a dragon over her birthright, the hold she was to have inherited passed to Lord Jaxom instead. But Jaxom then muddied generations of Pern tradition by impulsively Impressing Ruth, the small and singularly unique white dragon, as a child. From that moment on, the debate has raged. Is Jaxom now a dragonrider, or a lord holder? All anyone agrees on is that he cannot be both. But perhaps it is all academic anyway, for no one expects Ruth to survive. But Ruth not only survives, he thrives. With Jaxom on the cusp of adulthood, the thing the pair most desire is to fight Thread side-by-side with the larger dragons. Jaxom knows what his dragon is capable of, and now that he is-mostly-grown, he is determined to buck tradition. Fortunately, a teenage rebellion may be the key to both Pern's salvation and winning the woman of his dreams. Don't miss the original trilogy from Anne McCaffrey's beloved Dragonriders of Pern series: DRAGONFLIGHT • DRAGONQUEST • THE WHITE DRAGON

A young man arrives in the anarchic city of Bellona, in a near future USA. This world has two moons but could otherwise be our own. The man, known only as 'the Kid' begins to write a novel called Dhalgren that begins where it ends. Dhalgren is about the possibilites of fiction and aboout the special demands and pleasures of youth culture.

'Excellent... One is left with utter disbelief that people could return to normality from such a monetary madhouse.' Financial Times In 1923, with its currency effectively worthless (the exchange rate in December of that year was one dollar to 4,200,000,000,000 marks), the Weimar Republic was all but reduced to a barter economy. Expensive cigars, artworks and jewels were routinely exchanged for staples such as bread; a cinema ticket could be bought for a lump of coal, and a bottle of paraffin for a silk shirt. In desperation, the Bavarian Prime Minister submitted a Bill to the Reichsrat proposing that gluttony be made a penal offence - his exact definition of a glutton being 'one who habitually devotes himself to the pleasures of the table to such a degree that he might arouse discontent in view of the distressful condition of the population'. Since its first publication in 1975, When Money Dies has become the classic history of these bizarre and frightening times. Weaving elegant analysis with a wealth of eyewitness accounts by ordinary people struggling to survive, it deals above all with the human side of inflation: why governments resort to it, the dismal, corruptive pestilence it visits on their citizens, the agonies of recovery, and the dark, long-term legacy. And at a time of acute economic strain, it provides an urgent warning against the addictive dangers of printing money - shorthand for deficit financing - as a soft option for governments faced with growing unrest and unemployment.

During an unnamed civil war, aristocrat Abel and his partner Morgan flee their ancient castle, only to be forced back when a ruthless Lieutenant and her soldiers seize it as their base. As society's rules collapse around them, the couple must navigate violence, decadence, and moral decay within their own ancestral home.

"Ursula Le Guin is more than just a writer of adult fantasy and science fiction... she is a philosopher; an explorer in the landscapes of the mind." - Cincinnati Enquirer The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and the Pushcart Prize, Ursula K. Le Guin is renowned for her spare, elegant prose, rich characterization, and diverse worlds. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is a short story originally published in the collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters.

A French doctor stumbles upon a grand conspiracy among world leaders centered on the secret of immortality. Set against the backdrop of real historical events and figures from the 1950s-70s, the novel weaves together themes of love, truth, and the moral dilemmas posed by a discovery that could reshape the future of humanity.

This night will be bad and tomorrow will be beyond imagining. It's Midwinter's Eve, the day before Will's eleventh birthday. But there is an atmosphere of fear in the familiar countryside around him. This will be a birthday like no other. Will discovers that he has the power of the Old Ones, and that he must embark on a quest to vanquish the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark.

A completely updated edition of the guide to modern bond analysis First published in 1972, Inside the Yield Book revolutionized the fixed-income industry and forever altered the way investors looked at bonds. Over forty years later, it remains a standard primer and reference among market professionals. Generations of practitioners, investors, and students have relied on its lucid explanations, and readers needing to delve more deeply have found its explication of key mathematical relationships to be unmatched in clarity and ease of application. This edition updates the widely respected classic with new material from Martin L. Leibowitz. Along the way, it skillfully explains and makes sense of essential mathematical relationships that are basic to an understanding of bonds, annuities, and loans-in fact, any securities or investments that involve compound interest and the determination of present value for future cash flows. The book also includes a new foreword. Contains information that is more instructive, important, and useful than ever for mastering the crucial concepts of time, value, and return Combines the clear fixed-income insights found in the original edition with completely new knowledge to help you navigate today's dynamic market Includes over one hundred pages of new material on the role of bonds within the total portfolio In an era of calculators and computers, some of the important underlying principles covered here are not always grasped thoroughly by market participants. Investors, traders, and analysts who want to sharpen their ability to recall and apply these fundamentals will find Inside the Yield Book the perfect resource.

Life isn't easy for Margaret. She's moved away from her childhood home, she's starting a new school, finding new friends - and she's convinced she's not normal. For a start she hasn't got a clue whether she wants to be Jewish like her father or Christian like her mother. Everyone else seems really sure of who they are. And, worst of all, she's a 'late developer'. She just knows that all her friends are going to need a bra before she does. It's too embarrassing to talk to her parents about these things. So she talks to God instead - and waits for an answer...

The death of a doctor's daughter may be malpractice-or murder-in this novel by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author: "I loved it" (Stephen King). In the tightly knit world of Boston medicine, the Randall family reigns supreme. When heart surgeon J. D. Randall's teenage daughter dies during a botched abortion, the medical community threatens to explode. Was it malpractice? A violation of the Hippocratic Oath? Or was Karen Randall murdered in cold blood? The natural suspect is Arthur Lee, a brilliant surgeon and known abortionist, who has been carrying out the illegal procedure with the help of pathologist John Berry. After Karen dies, Lee is thrown in jail on a murder charge, and only Berry can prove his friend wasn't the one who wielded the scalpel. Behind this gruesome death, Berry will uncover a secret that would shock even the most hardened pathologist. An Edgar Award-winning novel by the author of such blockbusters as The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park-and creator of the long-running NBC drama ER-A Case of Need is a "superb" medical-thriller mystery (Los Angeles Times). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Michael Crichton including rare images from the author's estate.

Imagine a distant world where gods walk as men, but wield vast and hidden powers. Here they have made the stage on which they build a subtle pattern of alliance, love, and deadly enmity. Are they truly immortal? Who are these gods who rule the destiny of a teeming world? Their names include Brahma, Kali, Krishna and also he who was called Buddha, the Lord of Light, but who now prefers to be known simply as Sam. The gradual unfolding of the story -- how the colonization of another planet became a re-enactment of Eastern mythology -- is one of the great imaginative feats of modern science fiction. Winner of the Hugo Award for best novel, 1968.

The devil comes to Moscow wearing a fancy suit. With his disorderly band of accomplices - including a demonic, gun-toting tomcat - he immediately begins to create havoc. Disappearances, destruction and death spread through the city like wildfire and Margarita discovers that her lover has vanished in the chaos. Making a bargain with the devil, she decides to try a little black magic of her own to save the man she loves...

The first book in Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy: a bewitching account of a rare and magical childhood on the island of Corfu, which was the inspiration for the Masterpiece PBS series The Durrells in Corfu. When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account of Durrell's family's experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home.

Set in a future where humanity has mastered teleportation, the novel follows Gulliver Foyle, a brutish castaway left for dead in space, who becomes consumed by a singular obsession: revenge against those who abandoned him.

Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is arguably one of the most influential books of the twentieth century and a key text in the philosophy and history of science. Kuhn transformed the philosophy and history of science in the twentieth century in an irrevocable way and still provides an important alternative to formalist approaches in the philosophy of science. In Kuhn's 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions': A Reader's Guide, John Preston offers a clear and thorough account of this key philosophical work. The book offers a detailed review of the key themes and a lucid commentary that will enable readers to rapidly navigate the text. The guide explores the complex and important ideas inherent in the text and provides a cogent survey of the reception and influence of Kuhn's work.

'Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written' Donna Tartt This is the definitive collection of Shirley Jackson's short stories, including 'The Lottery' - one of the most terrifying and iconic stories of the twentieth century, and an influence on writers such as Stephen King. In these stories an excellent host finds himself turned out of home by his own guests; a woman spends her wedding day frantically searching for her husband-to-be; and in Shirley Jackson's best-known story, a small farming village comes together for a terrible annual ritual. The creeping unease of lives squandered and the bloody glee of lives lost is chillingly captured in these tales of wasted potential and casual cruelty by a master of the short story. Shirley Jackson's chilling tales have the power to unsettle and terrify unlike any other. She was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the greatest American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep at the age of 48. 'Her stories are stunning, timeless - as relevant and terrifying now as when they were first published... 'The Lottery' is so much an icon in the history of the American short story that one could argue it has moved from the canon of American twentieth-century fiction directly into the American psyche, our collective unconscious' A. M. Homes

John Shade, a poet living in the small college town of New Wye, has just finished a 999-line autobiographical poem. Then he's shot dead outside his home. What follows is the published edition of that poem, assembled by his neighbor and self-appointed literary executor, Charles Kinbote. Kinbote is a lecturer at the same university, a man who has inserted himself into Shade's life with an intensity that bordered on obsession. He writes the preface, supplies the notes, and controls the whole apparatus of the book. The poem itself is moving and personal: Shade meditates on his daughter's suicide, on death, on the possibility of an afterlife, on the texture of ordinary life. It's a quiet, searching piece of work. Kinbote's commentary is something else entirely. His annotations start reasonably enough, then drift, then run completely off the rails. He becomes convinced that Shade's poem is secretly about Zembla, a fictional northern kingdom from which Kinbote claims to have fled as its deposed king. He reads his own exile, his own persecution, his own grand tragedy into lines that have nothing to do with any of it. A royal assassin named Gradus, sent to kill the exiled king, moves through the footnotes like a slow-motion threat, eventually arriving in New Wye on the day Shade dies. Whether Kinbote is a deluded fantasist, a man with a genuinely hidden past, or something more sinister is left deliberately open. The gap between what the poem says and what Kinbote insists it means grows wider with every note. Shade's murder, Kinbote's identity, and the question of who Gradus was actually sent to kill all remain unresolved in ways that feel intentional rather than incomplete. The novel rewards close reading and rereading. Details planted early pay off late, and Kinbote's unreliability becomes its own kind of plot.

She dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she has awakened a nightmare. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a masterful, epic science fiction novel from Christopher Paolini, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Eragon and the Inheritance Cycle. *Winner of the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Science Fiction Novel* During a routine survey of an uncolonized planet, Kira Navárez finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move. First contact isn't at all what Kira imagined, bringing new revelations and a transformation that will push her to the very limits of what it means to be human. But when Kira's discovery leads to war among the stars, she is launched into a galaxy-spanning mission, determined to end what she started. While she faces unimaginable peril, the world and its colonies is driven to the brink of annihilation. And Kira becomes humanity's greatest - and final - hope... Explore titles set in the Fractalverse Fractal Noise To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Praise for To Sleep in a Sea of Stars 'A powerful piece of SF, with intelligent writing and big ideas' - Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time 'Action-packed SF adventure that zings along at hyperluminal speed' - Peter F. Hamilton, author of Pandora's Star 'Space opera is back... First Contact has turned into First Combat' - The Washington Post

Kate Chopin was one of the most individual and adventurous of 19th-century American writers whose fiction explored new and often startling territory. Knights now presents a critical edition of Chopin's best-known work, "The Awakening", alongside 32 of the writer's short stories.

"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair is a poignant exploration of the harsh realities faced by immigrants in the early 20th century, particularly in the meatpacking industry of Chicago. The novel begins with the wedding of Jurgis Rudkus and Ona Lukoszaite, Lithuanian immigrants who are filled with hope and dreams for a better life in America. However, their optimism is quickly shattered as they encounter the brutal working conditions and exploitation prevalent in the stockyards. Jurgis, a strong and determined man, initially believes that hard work will lead to success, but he soon discovers the systemic corruption and inhumane practices that trap workers in poverty. The narrative delves into the personal and social struggles of the Rudkus family, highlighting issues such as unsafe labor conditions, economic instability, and the lack of workers' rights. Sinclair's vivid depiction of the meatpacking industry serves as a critique of capitalism and a call for social reform. Through the trials and tribulations of Jurgis and his family, "The Jungle" exposes the dark underbelly of the American Dream and advocates for change to improve the lives of the working class.

Witness the war of the galaxy as a rebel fights for the freedom of his people in the first three novels of the bestselling Red Rising series-and a bonus extended excerpt of the fourth, Iron Gold! From the New York Times bestselling author Pierce Brown, the first three books of the Red Rising series, and a free preview of the fourth book in the series, Iron Gold. Darrow is a Red, born under the heel of the elite Golds. After tragedy reveals to him the truth of civilization and the enslavement of his people, he seeks retribution. And he will stop at nothing to bring down the Golds who took everything from him-even if it means becoming one of them.

Will they find the utopian dream - or a galactic nightmare? From Peter F. Hamilton, The Dreaming Void is the first in an epic space opera trilogy. Set in his expansive Commonwealth universe, it is perfect for fans of Iain M. Banks and Stephen Baxter. AD 3580. The Commonwealth has spread its civilization throughout the galaxy. Its citizens are privileged and protected by a powerful navy. And at the galaxy's centre is the Void, a sealed universe created by aliens billions of years ago. Yet the Void isn't inert. It's expanding - and now it wants to make contact.The Void chooses Inigo as its conduit and he channels dreams of a simpler, better life within its bounds. His visions attract followers - determined to seek this utopia. And they'll cross the Void's forbidden boundaries to reach it. However, this act could trigger push it to grow beyond all control... destroying everything in its path. The Dreaming Void is followed by The Temporal Void in this stunning trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton.

The excerpts confirm this is the third volume of a French fantasy trilogy and mention that protagonist Irmine survived a century in the past, allowing him to anticipate the future-but now, returned to his own era, he must face an uncertain future. However, the details are too fragmentary to construct a reliable, spoiler-conscious synopsis meeting the stated requirements.

The excerpts confirm this is the second volume of a fantasy trilogy and mention that protagonist Irmine Lancefall used magic to travel through time - displaced a century into the past and forced to wait to return to his own era - but provide insufficient detail about the central conflict of this specific volume to write a reliable synopsis.

A chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe-London street urchin turned legendary swashbuckling adventurer-risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox-and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance. The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson's award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction. This novel, as well as the complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle, was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

Lore expert Geoff "SmoughTown" Truscott delivers a comprehensive deep dive into the mythology underpinning Elden Ring's vast world. The book examines the legends, gods, and histories that shape Miyazaki's RPG, drawing design inspiration from sacred books of antiquity.

Discover the ins and outs of designing predictive trading models Drawing on the expertise of WorldQuant's global network, this new edition of Finding Alphas: A Quantitative Approach to Building Trading Strategies contains significant changes and updates to the original material, with new and updated data and examples. Nine chapters have been added about alphas - models used to make predictions regarding the prices of financial instruments. The new chapters cover topics including alpha correlation, controlling biases, exchange-traded funds, event-driven investing, index alphas, intraday data in alpha research, intraday trading, machine learning, and the triple axis plan for identifying alphas. - Provides more references to the academic literature - Includes new, high-quality material - Organizes content in a practical and easy-to-follow manner - Adds new alpha examples with formulas and explanations If you're looking for the latest information on building trading strategies from a quantitative approach, this book has you covered.

Mon assassin n'est pas un Pennac de plus, c'est tout Pennac dans un roman. C'est le portrait de l'assassin que l'auteur cherche en lui depuis qu'il a conçu Pépère, le redoutable tueur de "Terminus Malaussène". C'est aussi le portrait de toutes les personnes réelles devenues les personnages principaux de la tribu Malaussène. Daniel Pennac interprète avec jubilation ce formidable préquel de la saga Malaussène, où il dévoile tout à la fois son processus créatif et l'enfance de Pépère...

Candy Quackenbush, a restless teenager trapped in the dull monotony of Chickentown, Minnesota, stumbles upon a mysterious lighthouse at the edge of town and is swept away to the Abarat - a fantastical archipelago where each island represents a different hour of the day. There she discovers a world under threat from dark forces, including the sorcerer Christopher Carrion and the industrialist Rojo Pixler, who seek to dominate the islands.

The excerpts confirm the book exists and is part of a series loosely based on Calamity Jane, involving Jane Frank and Annie Oakley in a traveling show, but do not provide enough plot detail to write an accurate synopsis meeting the requirements.

Jane Eyre, a penniless orphan with an uncanny ability to see ghosts, takes a position as governess at Thornfield Hall and falls for the brooding Mr. Rochester-but her path is complicated by Charlotte Brontë and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood, who recruit her for ghost-hunting work. Romance and mystery collide as Jane's story diverges from what readers might expect.

Anna and the French Kiss meets The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks in a romantic and hilarious new novel from Brodi Ashton, the author of the Everneath trilogy. Raucous parties, privileged attitudes, underage drinking, and diplomatic immunity... it's all part of student life on Embassy Row. Piper Baird has always dreamed of becoming a journalist. So when she scores a scholarship to exclusive Chiswick Academy in Washington, DC, she knows it's her big opportunity. Chiswick offers the most competitive prize for teen journalists-the Bennington scholarship-which would ensure her acceptance to one of the best schools in the country. Piper isn't at Chiswick for two days before she witnesses the extreme privilege of the young and wealthy elite who attend her school-and realizes that access to these untouchable students just might give her the edge she'll need to blow the lid off life at the school in a scathing and unforgettable exposé worthy of the Bennington. The key to the whole story lies with Rafael Amador, the son of the Spanish Ambassador-and the boy at the center of the most explosive secrets and scandals on Embassy Row. Rafael is big trouble-and when he drops into her bedroom window one night, asking for help, it's Piper's big chance to get the full scoop. Except Piper discovers that despite his dark streak, Rafael is smart, kind, funny, and gorgeous-and she might have real feelings for him. How can she break the story of a lifetime if it will destroy the boy she just might love?

A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy. Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie-when his reality shatters. "Are you happy with your life?" Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend." In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible. Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined-one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe. Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.

When art restorer Julia uncovers a hidden Latin inscription - *Quis Necavit Equitem* ("Who killed the knight?") - concealed within a 15th-century Flemish painting depicting a chess game, she finds herself pulled into a mystery bridging the medieval past and the present. As she and her associates work to decode the chess position and its secrets, a series of real murders begins to mirror the ancient riddle.