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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.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 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.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.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...The Voyage of Argo
By Apollonius Rhodes. 1971
Written in the third century BC in Alexandria, this is the only full surviving account of Jason's legendary quest for…
the Golden Fleece. It describes the thrilling adventures of the Argonauts on their voyage to Colchis to plead with king Aeetes for the fleece, his greatest treasure - and the Eros-inspired passion felt by his daughter, the beautiful witch-princess Medea, for the scheming Jason. Chronicling a journey that sees Jason and his crew traverse perilous seas, negotiate the treacherous Cyanean Rocks, and confront the lure of the Sirens' song, The Voyage of Argo is a masterful depiction of distinctly human heroism and betrayal caused by love. An eloquent marriage of romance and realism, it tells the definitive version of one of the greatest legends of the classical age: an epic tale of bravery, prophecy and magic.Twelve Nights
By Urs Faes. 2018
Discover this beautiful winter gem of a novella that makes the perfect stocking filler this Christmas.'I may have been gone…
a long time, but I'm no stranger...' Manfred walks alone through a snowy valley, surrounded by his memories, on a pilgrimage of sorts to his childhood home. He's been estranged from his brother Sebastian for decades, ever since their bitter feud over the love of a woman and the inheritance of the family farm.Twelve Nights transports us to the wintry depths of Europe's Black Forest, through the stillness of the snow-covered hills, the dense woods, the cold and mist, in those dark, wild days between Christmas and Epiphany. These nights are a time of tradition and superstition, of tales told around the local innkeeper's table of marauding spirits, as tangible as the ghosts of Manfred's past. But the twelfth night, Epiphany, promises new beginnings, and a hope of reconciliation at last.Twelve Nights is a hymn to the winter landscape and the power of storytelling, a beautiful novella of the natural world and our place in it.Tristan with the 'Tristran' of Thomas
By Gottfried Von Strassburg. 2004
One of the great romances of the Middle Ages, Tristan, written in the early thirteenth century, is based on a…
medieval love story of grand passion and deceit. By slaying a dragon, the young prince Tristan wins the beautiful Isolde's hand in marriage for his uncle, King Mark. On their journey back to Mark's court, however, the pair mistakenly drink a love-potion intended for the king and his young bride, and are instantly possessed with an all-consuming love for each another - a love they are compelled to conceal by a series of subterfuges that culminates in tragedy. Von Strassburg's work is acknowledged as the greatest rendering of this legend of medieval lovers, and went on to influence generations of writers and artists and inspire Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde.Storm Christopher: A Frogmorton Farm short story (Frogmorton Farm Series)
By Jodi Taylor. 2024
*** Pre-order a brand new Frogmorton Farm short story, from the bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's. ***With…
their children off on a school trip Russell and Jenny are contemplating their first peaceful weekend for many years.SPOILER ALERT: That doesn't happen.The telephone lines are down.The lights have gone out.The weather is closing in.And that's not the only thing . . . Readers love Jodi Taylor: 'It was just a glorious ride of wonderfully written words''Wish I could give it 10 stars''I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!''I could put a star for every page and it still wouldn't be enough''Loved every sentence''READ THIS BOOK!!!!!''I read this twice in back to back readings''Magical, witty and life-affirming''This is a beautifully told tale full of love, drama and intrigue''Jodi never fails to impress''Such beautifully developed characters, great writing and a wonderful touch of humour. Absolutely loved this story, its one I wont forget''I lost a whole night's sleep due to not being able to put it down. Believe me, it's worth the loss of sleep!'Everybody should have a Thomas!''Totally amazing read'Storm Christopher: A Frogmorton Farm short story (Frogmorton Farm Series)
By Jodi Taylor. 2024
*** Pre-order a brand new Frogmorton Farm short story, from the bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's. ***With…
their children off on a school trip Russell and Jenny are contemplating their first peaceful weekend for many years.SPOILER ALERT: That doesn't happen.The telephone lines are down.The lights have gone out.The weather is closing in.And that's not the only thing . . . Readers love Jodi Taylor: 'It was just a glorious ride of wonderfully written words''Wish I could give it 10 stars''I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!''I could put a star for every page and it still wouldn't be enough''Loved every sentence''READ THIS BOOK!!!!!''I read this twice in back to back readings''Magical, witty and life-affirming''This is a beautifully told tale full of love, drama and intrigue''Jodi never fails to impress''Such beautifully developed characters, great writing and a wonderful touch of humour. Absolutely loved this story, its one I wont forget''I lost a whole night's sleep due to not being able to put it down. Believe me, it's worth the loss of sleep!'Everybody should have a Thomas!''Totally amazing read'Storm Christopher: A Frogmorton Farm short story (Frogmorton Farm Series)
By Jodi Taylor. 2024
A brand new Frogmorton Farm short story from the million-copy bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's. Perfect for…
fans of Sarah Addison Allen, Kristen Ashley and Genevieve Cogman.With their children off on a school trip Russell and Jenny are contemplating their first peaceful weekend for many years.SPOILER ALERT: That doesn't happen.The telephone lines are down.The lights have gone out.The weather is closing in.And that's not the only thing . . . Readers love Jodi Taylor: 'It was just a glorious ride of wonderfully written words''Wish I could give it 10 stars''I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!''I could put a star for every page and it still wouldn't be enough''Loved every sentence''READ THIS BOOK!!!!!''I read this twice in back to back readings''Magical, witty and life-affirming''This is a beautifully told tale full of love, drama and intrigue''Jodi never fails to impress''Such beautifully developed characters, great writing and a wonderful touch of humour. Absolutely loved this story, its one I wont forget''I lost a whole night's sleep due to not being able to put it down. Believe me, it's worth the loss of sleep!'Everybody should have a Thomas!''Totally amazing read'The Light That Blinds Us: TikTok made me buy it! A dark and thrilling fantasy not to be missed
By Andy Darcy Theo. 2024
&‘Loved it from start to finish, was hooked all the way.&’ &‘This book deserves to be read by everyone.&’ &‘This…
book is filled with amazing one liners that I would legit tattoo on my forehead!&’ &‘Brilliant, thought provoking.&’ &‘Literally dying for more.&’Goodreads ReviewsLegendborn meets Percy Jackson in this dark and thrilling debut fantasy romance.When consumed by shadow, even the faintest light can be blinding... After a childhood haunted by disturbing hallucinations of the Shadow Man, Alexis Michaels&’s only comfort is the blue amulet he&’s had since before he can remember. Now, the visions have gone, and Alexis craves a normal life. But when a trip to Stonehenge unites him with three other teens carrying similar gems, normality is abandoned when they are plunged into a hidden world of power-wielding Elementals, and told they are the chosen ones, destined to save the world from an eternal night. Trained by legends and guided by heroes, Alexis and his companions must venture on a perilous quest, facing tests of love, loss, and loyalty. But a dark past plagues Alexis as they prepare to defeat an adversary more ominous than they could imagine, and a looming secret sets to corrupt the mission, their lives, and his mind. A high-stakes, speculative romance, which masterfully weaves themes of mental health, psychosis, and found family. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Cassandra Clare from TikTok and BookTok star @andydarcytheo.All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother
By Danielle Teller. 2018
In the vein of Wicked, The Woodcutter, and Boy, Snow, Bird, a luminous reimagining of a classic tale, told from…
the perspective of Agnes, Cinderella’s "evil" stepmother.We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we?As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. . . .A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated from her family and forced into servitude as a laundress’s apprentice when she is only ten years old. Using her wits and ingenuity, she escapes her tyrannical matron and makes her way toward a hopeful future. When teenaged Agnes is seduced by an older man and becomes pregnant, she is transformed by love for her child. Once again left penniless, Agnes has no choice but to return to servitude at the manor she thought she had left behind. Her new position is nursemaid to Ella, an otherworldly infant. She struggles to love the child who in time becomes her stepdaughter and, eventually, the celebrated princess who embodies everyone’s unattainable fantasies. The story of their relationship reveals that nothing is what it seems, that beauty is not always desirable, and that love can take on many guises.Lyrically told, emotionally evocative, and brilliantly perceptive, All the Ever Afters explores the hidden complexities that lie beneath classic tales of good and evil, all the while showing us that how we confront adversity reveals a more profound, and ultimately more important, truth than the ideal of "happily ever after."Three Tales from the Arabian Nights
By Malcolm Lyons. 2008
Once upon a time, the name Baghdad conjured up visions of the most magical, romantic city on earth, where flying…
carpets carried noble thieves off on wonderful adventures, and vicious viziers and beautiful princesses mingled with wily peasants and powerful genies. This is the world of the Arabian Nights, a magnificent collection of ancient tales from Arabia, India, and Persia. The tales—often stories within stories—are told by the sultana Scheherazade, who relates them as entertainments for her jealous and murderous husband, hoping to keep him amused and herself alive. Three fantastic tales have been chosen from our new translation to introduce readers to the delights of Arabian Nights: 'Ali Baba and the forty thieves killed by the slave girl' is a well-known and well-loved classic, placed alongside the equally enchanting 'Judar and his brothers' and 'Ma'rus the cobbler'.Things We Say in the Dark
By Kirsty Logan. 2019
'Gripping . . . You won't put it down' Sunday TelegraphA shocking collection of dark stories, ranging from chilling contemporary…
fairytales to disturbing supernatural fiction.Alone in a remote house in Iceland a woman is unnerved by her isolation; another can only find respite from the clinging ghost that follows her by submerging herself in an overgrown pool. Couples wrestle with a lack of connection to their children; a schoolgirl becomes obsessed with the female anatomical models in a museum; and a cheery account of child's day out is undercut by chilling footnotes.These dark tales explore women's fears with electrifying honesty and invention and speak to one another about female bodies, domestic claustrophobia, desire and violence. 'A brilliant collection of stories . . . All will burrow their way into your brain and not let go' Stylist'Shimmers with menace . . . Fans of Angela Carter and Shirley Jackson take note' i NewspaperKIRSTY LOGAN WAS SELECTED AS ONE OF BRITAIN'S TEN MOST OUTSTANDING LGBTQ WRITERS by Val McDermid for the International Literature Showcase in 2019Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange
By Anonymous Anonymous. 2014
On the shrouded corpse hung a tablet of green topaz with the inscription: 'I am Shaddad the Great. I conquered…
a thousand cities; a thousand white elephants were collected for me; I lived for a thousand years and my kingdom covered both east and west, but when death came to me nothing of all that I had gathered was of any avail. You who see me take heed: for Time is not to be trusted.'Dating from at least a millennium ago, these are the earliest known Arabic short stories, surviving in a single, ragged manuscript in a library in Istanbul. Some found their way into The Arabian Nights but most have never been read in English before. Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange has monsters, lost princes, jewels beyond price, a princess turned into a gazelle, sword-wielding statues and shocking reversals of fortune.Tales from the Thousand and One Nights
By William Harvey. 1954
Sometimes known as the Arabian Nights, Tales from the Thousand and One Nights includes some of the world's best-loved tales,…
including such classics as Aladdin and 'Sindbad the Sailor' The tales told by Scheherazade over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahryar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From the epic adventures of 'Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp' to the farcical 'Young Woman and her Five Lovers' and the social criticism of 'The Tale of the Hunchback', the stories depict a fabulous world of all-powerful sorcerers, jinns imprisoned in bottles and enchanting princesses. But despite their imaginative extravagance, the Tales are also anchored to everyday life by their bawdiness and realism, providing a full and intimate record of medieval Eastern world.In this selection, N.J. Dawood presents the reader with an unexpurgated translation of the finest and best-known tales, preserving their spirited narrative style in lively modern English. In his introduction, he discusses their origins in the East and their differences from Classical Arabic literature, and examines English translations of the tales since the eighteenth century.