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X The Unknown
By Shaun Hutson. 2012
In a quiet field in Buckinghamshire, a huge crack has appeared in the earth's surface. And people are dying. Incinerated…
beyond recognition. At the same time, hospitals have noticed an increase in catastrophic deformities in foetuses, and cancer levels soaring.Dr Adam Royston, a scientist working at the nearby military base, thinks he knows what it is; a creature as old as the earth that slumbers for centuries, then wakes to feed on the energy and radiation produced by humans. But if he's right, and they can't find a way to destroy the creature roaming the countryside, then it's not just Buckinghamshire that could be in danger, but the whole world.Wyrd Sisters - Playtext
By Stephen Briggs, Terry Pratchett. 1988
Terry Pratchett takes Shakespeare's Macbeth and then turns it up 'till the knob comes off. It's all there - a…
wicked duke and duchess, the ghost of the murdered king, dim soldiers, strolling players, a land in peril. And who stands between the Kingdom and destruction? Three witches. Granny Weatherwax (intolerant, self-opinionated, powerful), Nanny Ogg (down-to-earth, vulgar) and Magrat Garlick (naïve, fond of occult jewellery and bunnies).Stephen Briggs has been involved in amateur dramatics for over 25 years and he assures us that the play can be staged without needing the budget of Industrial Light and Magic. Not only that, but the cast should still be able to be in the pub by 10 o'clock!Oh, and a world of advice omitted from the play text:LEARN THE WORDSHavelock, Lord VetinariWhen Dorothy and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansasfarmhouse are suddenly transported to…
Oz, where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule. Desperate to return home, and with the Wicked Witch of the West on their trail, Dorothy and Toto - together with new friends the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and cowardly Lion - embark on a fantastic quest along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. There they hope to meet the legendary, all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who alone may hold the power to grant their every wish.Just as captivating as it was a hundred years ago, this is a story that all ages will love.Writings on Irish Folklore, Legend and Myth (Penguin Modern Classics)
By William Yeats. 1993
This collection brings together all of W. B. Yeats’s published prose writings on Irish folklore, legend and myth, with pieces…
on subjects including ghosts, kidnappers, fairies, ancient tribes, precious stones and Gaelic love songs. Through his researches on Irish folklore, Yeats attempted to create a movement in literature that was enriched by and rooted in a vital native tradition. In this volume Yeats’s essays, introductions and sketches are presented chronologically, giving a clear picture of how his analysis developed, increasing in its depth and complexity in his quest to create an Ireland of the imagination.An iconic classic, The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum is a must-read for adults and children alike. Follow…
the yellow brick road!Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion whom she meets on the way, Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure.With a charming introduction by award-winning Cornelia Funke, The Wizard of Oz is one of the twelve wonderful classics relaunched in Puffin Classics in March 2008.***PLUS a behind-the-scenes journey, including an author profile, a guide to who's who, activities and more...***Frank L. Baum (1856-1919) was born in New York. He enjoyed making up stories, particularly for his own children. The Wizard of Oz, based on their favourite bedtime story about a land of Oz, was published in 1900 and it immediately became a huge international success. He wrote several sequels and numerous other kinds of books under a pseudonym.The Witches
By Peter Curtis. 1960
Walwyk seemed a dream village to the new schoolteacher, Miss Mayfield. But dreams can change into nightmares...When one of her…
students accuses his friend Ethel's grandmother of abusing her, Miss Mayfield cannot let it go. But Ethel won't say anything, despite the evidence of Miss Mayfield's own eyes. But as she attempts to get to the truth of the matter, she stumbles on something far more sinister. Walwyk seems to be in the grip of a centuries-old evil, and anybody who questions events in the village does not last long. Death stalks more than one victim, and Miss Mayfield begins to realise that if she's not careful, she will be the next to die...The Familiar: A Novel
By Leigh Bardugo. 2024
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A court Of Thorns And Roses Ser. #1)
By Sarah J. Maas. 2015
A thrilling and breathtaking Viking saga of betrayal, bloodshed and brotherhood from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lancelot, Giles…
Kristian. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Games of Thrones."Nobody writes this type of swaggering historical fiction better than Kristian" -- THE TIMES"A belter of a novel...perfect for fans of historical fiction and fantasy alike, from Cornwell to Abercrombie" -- BEN KANE"Combines gritty, brutal history with the lyrical essence of men as war...written with a panache that made the pages fly by. More!" -- ANTHONY RICHES"I love a good Viking romp and these are really good!" -- ***** Reader review"Giles Kristian certainly knows how to spin a yarn." -- ***** Reader review***********************************A VOW OF VENGEANCE MUST BE KEPT...Norway AD 785. Sigurd Haraldarson has proved himself a great warrior . . . and a dangerous enemy.And yet the oath-breaker King Gorm, who betrayed Sigurd's father, still lives. The sacred vow to avenge his family burns in Sigurd's veins, but he must be patient and bide his time as he knows that he and his band of warriors are not yet strong enough to confront the treacherous king. They need silver; they need more fighters to rally to the young Viking's banner; they need to win fame upon the battlefield.And so the fellowship venture to Sweden, to fight as mercenaries. And it is there - in the face of betrayal and bloodshed, on a journey that will take him all too close to the halls of Valhalla - that Sigurd's destiny will be forged...The Vikings return in this thrilling, thunderous sequel to Giles Kristian's bestselling God of Vengeance. Sigurd's adventures continue in Wing's of the Storm.A Viking saga of warmongering, honour and loyalty from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lancelot, Giles Kristian. Perfect for…
fans of Bernard Cornwell and Games of Thrones."A fitting end to a trilogy that fans of Bernard Cornwell should devour" -- THE TIMES"The master storyteller...whose books throw the reader headlong into the Viking age." -- BEN KANE"This remains Viking writing at its best: thrilling in it truest sense, heart-rendering and, yes, glorious." -- MANDA SCOTT"Probably the best Viking saga I have ever read -- ***** Reader review "Wonderfully written and researched, the whole series makes the entire Nordic world come alive" -- ***** Reader review"This trilogy is gripping from start to finish" -- ***** Reader review*****************************************THE GODS MUST BE FAVOURED...Norway, AD 785. A wild place, a place of blood, a place where the gods hold sway . . .Sigurd Haraldarson and his oathsworn band are winning fame and reputation. But to confront his hated enemy - the oath-breaker and betrayer King Gorm - they must win riches too.When a daring raid goes wrong, Sigurd finds himself a prisoner of the powerful Jarl Guthrum. Bound like a slave, he is taken to the sacred temple at Ubsola to face the sacrificial knife.But here Sigurd discovers a potent relic: Gungnir, a great spear that would give him the power to assemble a host strong enough to challenge King Gorm, and avenge the betrayal of his father and the murder of his family.The roar of Odin and the wild hunt will be as nothing compared to Sigurd's rage, for he and his warriors will be borne on the wings of the storm . . .Wings of the Storm concludes the Viking saga, started in God of Vengeance and Winter's Fire.The White Devil: The gripping adventure for fans of The Man in the High Castle
By Paul Hoffman. 2021
THE GRIPPING NEW ADVENTURE FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE LEFT HAND OF GOD SERIESAmerica is on the brink of civil…
war. Only Thomas Cale can stop it . . .________Thomas Cale - the world's most dangerous yet reluctant hero - has been running from his enemies. Tracked down moments before his execution, Cale is presented with a chance to escape.But it comes at a price: He must murder the American president. The father of modern democracy. The man fighting the south's attempts to reinstate slavery.Accept, and he risks the fates of millions.Refuse, and he endangers his own life . . .________Praise for Paul Hoffman:'Fiction on a grand and ambitious scale' Daily Telegraph'Brooding and magnificent' Eoin Colfer'Exhilaratingly engaging writing' Spectator'Gripped me from the first chapter' Conn Iggulden'A riveting, powerful tale' Publishers WeeklyThe Vinland Sagas
By Leifur Eiricksson. 1997
The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga contain the first ever descriptions of North America, a bountiful…
land of grapes and vines, discovered by Vikings five centuries before Christopher Columbus. Written down in the early thirteenth century, they recount the Icelandic settlement of Greenland by Eirik the Red, the chance discovery by seafaring adventurers of a mysterious new land, and Eirik’s son Leif the Lucky’s perilous voyages to explore it. Wrecked by storms, stricken by disease and plagued by navigational mishaps, some survived the North Atlantic to pass down this compelling tale of the first Europeans to talk with, trade with, and war with the Native Americans.The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America
By Magnus Magnusson, Hermann Palsson. 1965
One of the most arresting stories in the history of exploration, these two Icelandic sagas tell of the discovery of…
America by Norsemen five centuries before Christopher Columbus. Together, the direct, forceful twelfth-century Graenlendinga Saga and the more polished and scholarly Eirik's Saga, written some hundred years later, recount how Eirik the Red founded an Icelandic colony in Greenland and how his son, Leif the Lucky, later sailed south to explore - and if possible exploit - the chance discovery by Bjarni Herjolfsson of an unknown land. In spare and vigorous prose they record Europe's first surprise glimpse of the eastern shores of the North American continent and the natives who inhabited them.He lusts and kills in equal measure. The brutal Don Juan – an unrepentant sinner – makes a pact with…
the Virgin of the Seven Daggers. He promises to forever proclaim her supreme beauty and asks that in return she save him from damnation. Emboldened by the deal and driven by insatiable greed, he embarks on a necromantic journey to an enchanted palace beneath the Alhambra. In an orgy of beasts, demons and slumbering infantas Don Juan is called upon to uphold his side of the bargain and in doing so lose everything his lustful heart desires.Welcome To Coolsville
By Jason Mordaunt. 2003
Nine days is a long time in Coolsville. More than enough time for Dr. Kiely Flanagan to shop business mogul…
J.P. Gillespie to a scandal-hungry media, collect the bounty and split for the sun. Time enough, Marshall McLemon hopes, to secure the backing he needs for his online museum exhibit, getting him - work wise at any rate - out of boresville and into something real. Papa Charlie McCormack is racing against the clock to discover if Sister Jasmine Ylang-Ylang is the type of nun that goes in for celibacy or not, and the directors of the WentWest Inc, are anxious to see an end to the year-long plague visited upon them by the cyber-terror organisation known as Mantra.Whether any of them succeed is something else, as one thing depends on the other in this finely balanced, gripping and often hilarious satire.The Way of a Pilgrim: Candid Tales of a Wanderer to His Spiritual Father
By Anonymous. 2017
By the mercy of God I am a Christian, by my deeds a great sinner, by calling a homeless wanderer…
of the lowliest origins, roaming from place to place. Here, see my belongings: a bag of dry crusts on my back and the Holy Bible in my breast pocket; that's it.In 1884 there appeared in Russia a slim volume containing four short tales. They told of a pilgrim, a lone wanderer, led by his quiet curiosity and a deep spiritual longing to undertake a lifelong journey across the land. A folk hero, a figure familiar from the works of Tolstoy and Leskov, this gentle pilgrim and his simple story would soon travel the world - and would even, much later, traverse the pages of JD Salinger's Franny and Zooey as the 'small pea-green cloth-bound book' that Franny keeps close in her handbag. The pilgrim's ancient journey takes him from a city monastery through forests, fields and the steppes of Siberia. He walks by day and by night, through rains and summer months, finding food and shelter where he can. Along the way, he encounters priests and professors, convicts, nuns and beggars, a tipsy old man in a soldier's greatcoat, from whom he slowly gathers great stores of wisdom and experience. But at the heart of his journey is his time spent praying as he journeys on alone, discovering the peace and consolation that come of constant prayer and silent contemplation.Simple and sincere, The Way of a Pilgrim paints an enduring picture of a life of detachment through wandering and prayer. And, as the pilgrim makes his way through the wilds, he invites us to travel with him, along an ancient path into an immense, mystical landscape.The Wanderer: Elegies, Epics, Riddles (Legends from the Ancient North)
By Petra Borner. 2013
Part of a new series Legends from the Ancient North, The Wanderer tells the classic tales that influenced JRR Tolkien's…
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings'So the company of men led a careless life,All was well with them: until One beganTo encompass evil, an enemy from hell.Grendel they called this cruel spirit...'J.R.R. Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating and teaching the great epic stories of northern Europe, filled with heroes, dragons, trolls, dwarves and magic. He was hugely influential for his advocacy of Beowulf as a great work of literature and, even if he had never written The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, would be recognised today as a significant figure in the rediscovery of these extraordinary tales.Legends from the Ancient North brings together from Penguin Classics five of the key works behind Tolkien's fiction.They are startling, brutal, strange pieces of writing, with an elemental power brilliantly preserved in these translations.They plunge the reader into a world of treachery, quests, chivalry, trials of strength.They are the most ancient narratives that exist from northern Europe and bring us as near as we will ever get to the origins of the magical landscape of Middle-earth (Midgard) which Tolkien remade in the 20th century.Wake Wood
By Ka John. 2011
The dead should never be wokenStill grieving after the death of their young daughter Alice in a frenzied dog attack,…
Patrick and Louise Daley leave the city to try and find some peace in the Irish countryside, and the village of Wake Wood seems like the perfect place to start again.But the residents are guarding a terrifying secret: they can resurrect the dead. However, the rules are strict, they will bring Alice back only if she has been dead for less than a year; and, after three days, she must be buried. Desperate to see their daughter again, even for just three days, the Daleys agree to everything. But they have been lying from the start. And by the time the villagers realise, it's too late. Alice is alive and she does not want to go back...The Voyages of Sindbad
By N. J. Dawood. 1973
Seven voyages. Seven missions. Only one man has survived them.A poor man meets a great sailor and asks to hear…
his tale. He is amazed to be told of seven journeys to foreign lands, every one ending in shipwreck.As he listens, the traveller describes a flight on a giant bird, battles with foes including giant serpents, brutal cannibals and the murderous Old Man of the Sea, and the discovery of diamonds. Sindbad the Sailor has grown rich from his travels - but his path to fortune has been anything but easy...A Voyage to Arcturus (Penguin Science Fiction)
By David Lindsay. 2021
'Extraordinary' Philip PullmanFollowing one man's journey from earth to an alien landscape of ethereal beauty and existential terror, A Voyage…
to Arcturus is a profound questioning of the nature of evil. Dreamlike and philosophical, this landmark cult novel has influenced generations of writers.'That shattering, intolerable and irresistible work' C. S. Lewis'A Nietzschean Pilgrim's Progress ... Lindsay's engrossing book, a mixture of metaphysics and surreal dream-quest, stands as one of the great originals' Guardian