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Showing 41 - 60 of 61 items
By Andrew C. Wenaus. 2022
This book offers an examination of Jeff Noon’s iconoclastic debut novel, Vurt (1993). In this first book-length study of the…
novel, which includes an extended interview with Noon, Wenaus considers how Vurt complicates the process of literary canonization, its constructivist relationship to genre, its violent and oneiric setting of Manchester, its use of the Orphic myth as an archetype for the practice of literary collage and musical remix, and how the structural paradoxes of chaos and fractal geometry inform the novel’s content, form, and theme. Finally, Wenaus makes the case for Vurt’s ongoing relevance in the 21st century, an era increasingly characterized by neuro-totalitarianism, psychopolitics, and digital surveillance. With Vurt, Noon begins his project of rupturing feedback loops of control by breaking narrative habits and embracing the contingent and unpredictable. An inventive, energetic, and heartbreaking novel, Vurt is also an optimistic and heartfelt call for artists to actively create open futures.From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men series comes an irresistible and suspenseful romance between a…
tough Texas Ranger and his first love - a woman in danger who insists she doesn't need his protection.Hill Gamble is a model lawman: cool and collected, with a confident swagger to boot. Too bad all that Texas charm hasn't gotten him anywhere in his personal life, especially since the only girl he ever loved has always been off-limits. But then Hill is assigned to investigate her father's mysterious death, and he's forced back to the town - and the woman - he left behind.When Hill left Loveless, he broke Kody Lawton's already battered heart. And now that he's working on her father's case, avoiding him is impossible. She can handle Hill and her unwanted feelings - until he puts his life on the line to protect her. Suddenly, Kody realizes that Hill could be taken away from her...for good.(P)2020 Hachette AudioBy Lucy Cogan, Michelle O’Connell. 2022
This book explores how the writers, poets, thinkers, historians, scientists, dilettantes and frauds of the long-nineteenth century addressed the “limit…
cases” regarding human existence that medicine continuously uncovered as it stretched the boundaries of knowledge. These cases cast troubling and distorted shadows on the culture, throwing into relief the values, vested interests, and power relations regarding the construction of embodied life and consciousness that underpinned the understanding of what it was to be alive in the long nineteenth century. Ranging over a period from the mid-eighteenth century through to the first decade of the twentieth century—an era that has been called the ‘Age of Science’—the essays collected here consider the cultural ripple effects of those previously unimaginable revolutions in science and medicine on humanity’s understanding of being.By Melissa Edmundson, Ruth Heholt. 2020
This book begins with the assumption that the presence of non-human creatures causes an always-already uncanny rift in human assumptions…
about reality. Exploring the dark side of animal nature and the ‘otherness’ of animals as viewed by humans, and employing cutting-edge theory on non-human animals, eco-criticism, literary and cultural theory, this book takes the Gothic genre into new territory. After the dissemination of Darwin’s theories of evolution, nineteenth-century fiction quickly picked up on the idea of the ‘animal within’. Here, the fear explored was of an unruly, defiant, degenerate and entirely amoral animality lying (mostly) dormant within all of us. However, non-humans and humans have other sorts of encounters, too, and even before Darwin, humans have often had an uneasy relationship with animals, which, as Donna Haraway puts it, have a way of ‘looking back’ at us. In this book, the focus is not on the ‘animal within’ but rather on the animal ‘with-out’: other and entirely incomprehensible.By Sophie Dungan. 2022
This Pivot traces the rise of the so-called “vegetarian” vampire in popular culture and contemporary vampire fiction, while also exploring…
how the shift in the diet of (some) vampires, from human to animal or synthetic blood, responds to a growing ecological awareness that is rapidly reshaping our understanding of relations with others species. The book introduces the trope of the vegetarian vampire, as well as important critical contexts for its discussion: the Anthropocene, food studies, and the modern practice, politics and ideologies of vegetarianism. Drawing on references to recent historical contexts and developments in the genre more broadly, the book investigates the vegetarian vampire’s relationship to other more violent and monstrous forms of the vampire in popular twenty-first century horror cinema and television. Texts discussed include Interview with the Vampire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries and True Blood. Reading the Vegetarian Vampire examines a new aspect of contemporary interest in considering vampire fiction.By Debra Webb. 2013
The fourth novel in Debra Webb's internationally bestselling FACES OF EVIL series, for fans of Karen Rose, Katia Lief and…
Mary Burton.Danger stalks Jess Harris. Still new to her Deputy Chief position at Birmingham, Alabama's Major Crimes division, she's rebuilding her life after losing everything. But messages from a notorious serial killer continue to haunt her...When the wife of a Birmingham detective is found dismembered in her home with writing streaked across the walls in blood, Jess knows they are up against something truly evil. Is this gang related, a personal vendetta or even more sinister? As two more victims are discovered and evidence points to a shocking suspect, Jess realises the mother's autistic son could hold the key to the killer's identity. But who will protect them now they are next on the hit-list? And will Jess act in time to prevent one final, horrifying act of rage?Catch the rest of the heart-stopping series: Obsession, Impulse, Power, Rage, Revenge and Ruthless.By Xiao Xiong. 2023
This book examines haunting in terms of trauma, languaging, and the supernatural in works by Chinese Australian writers born in…
Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. It goes beyond the conventional focus on identity issues in the analysis of diasporic writing, considering how the memory of past trauma is triggered by abusive systems of power in the present. The author unpacks how trauma also brings past violence to haunt the present. This book considers how different Chinese diasporic communities present a dynamic and multiple state through partial erasure between different Chinese subcultures and other cultures.Showing the supernatural as a social and cultural product, this book elucidates how haunting as the supernatural refers to the coexistence of, and the competition between, different cultures and powers. It takes a wide-ranging view of different diasporic communities under the banner ‘Chinese’, a term that refers not only to Chinese nationals in terms of citizenship, but also to the Chinese diaspora in terms of ancestry, and Chinese culture more generally. In analysing haunting in texts, the author positions Chinese culture as in a constant state of flux. It is relevant to literary scholars and students with interests in Australian literature, Chinese and Southeast Asian migration writing, and those with an interest in the Gothic and postcolonial traditions.By Barry Gornell. 2017
What if your child committed the ultimate crime When a rural village school building collapses, only one child survives: Dog…
Evans.To his own mother and father, Dog becomes a daily reminder of their survivor's guilt. To the other parents he is a hated and feared emblem of their unbearable loss.Now, seven years after the tragedy, Dog's parents have abandoned him. And with no one to protect him, the broken community's desire for justice soon becomes unstoppable...Uncompromising and powerful, THE WRONG CHILD is a heartbreaking - but ultimately hopeful - portrayal of loss and grief in an unimaginable situation. A must-read for fans of THE BAD SEED by William March, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson.'Gothic, claustrophobic and wonderfully dark' GUARDIAN1904. Thomas Bexley, one of the first forensic photographers, is called to the sleepy Welsh…
village of Dinas Powys. A yound girl by the name of Betsan Tilny has been found murdered in the woodland. But the crime scene appears staged and worse still: the locals are reluctant to help.One night, he develops the crime scene photographs in the cellar of his lodgings. There, he finds a face dimly visible in the photographs - the shadowed spectre of Betsan Tilny.In the days that follow, Thomas senses a growing presence watching him as he tries to uncover what the villagers of Dinas Powys are so intent on keeping secret...The stifling, atmospheric, gothic crime novel following one of the world's first forensic photographers and featuring a killer twist - perfect for fans of The Woman in Black, The Silent Companions, and Little Strangers.****************Praise for A Shadow on the Lens:'An intriguing debut' THE TIMES'A promising debut - gothic, claustrophobic and wonderfully dark' GUARDIAN'A sparkling debut from a name to watch...You might as well be in another world. This is top notch historical crime fiction, with a dash of the supernatural. A gorgeous book and a riveting tale' David YoungBy Grace Lowrie. 2019
Reeling from his ex-girlfriend Cally's disappearance, Liam, a giant of a man and teetotaller, wins a commission to restore the…
neglected grounds of a mansion, Wildham Hall, for its owner Gregory Sinclair. It is there that Liam meets Gregory's daughter Melody, who is mute. Liam has always suppressed the darkest side of himself, but as his clandestine liaison with Melody develops, she tests him and his deepest desires are dragged to the surface.'Gothic, claustrophobic and wonderfully dark' GUARDIAN1904. Thomas Bexley, one of the first forensic photographers, is called to the sleepy Welsh…
village of Dinas Powys. A yound girl by the name of Betsan Tilny has been found murdered in the woodland. But the crime scene appears staged and worse still: the locals are reluctant to help.One night, he develops the crime scene photographs in the cellar of his lodgings. There, he finds a face dimly visible in the photographs - the shadowed spectre of Betsan Tilny.In the days that follow, Thomas senses a growing presence watching him as he tries to uncover what the villagers of Dinas Powys are so intent on keeping secret...The stifling, atmospheric, gothic crime novel following one of the world's first forensic photographers and featuring a killer twist - perfect for fans of The Woman in Black, The Silent Companions, and Little Strangers.****************Praise for A Shadow on the Lens:'An intriguing debut' THE TIMES'A promising debut - gothic, claustrophobic and wonderfully dark' GUARDIAN'A sparkling debut from a name to watch...You might as well be in another world. This is top notch historical crime fiction, with a dash of the supernatural. A gorgeous book and a riveting tale' David YoungBy Emma Jackson. 2023
'It has everything I love in a romantasy. I absolutely adored it' CARRIE ELKS'Fun, sweet and sexy' SARAH HAWLEY'A magical…
rollercoaster which will charm the hex out of the hardest of hearts' JESSICA THORNE-----One hurricane. Two stranded witches.Sparks are bound to fly...Kay knows three things to be true: a witch who cannot control their powers is dangerous, she needs to make it home for her brother's wedding, and Harry Ashworth is the last person she ever wants to see...But after visiting the witching community's equivalent of IT support to try to fix her misbehaving magic, a hurricane hits and her flight home is cancelled!Not only is Kay stranded, but she's stranded with Harry - her infuriatingly handsome and charming childhood friend, who broke her heart when they were teenagers.Except Harry is a frustratingly powerful witch so working together might be their only way to get back home. And the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore what is simmering under the surface.Soon it becomes clear that Kay's magic isn't the only thing she doesn't have control of...-----YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS LOVE WITCH YOU WEREN'T HERE! 'It cast a spell on me from the first page with its bewitching brew of angst, charm and romance' M.A. KUZNIAR'As effervescent as an Aperol Spritz' LUNA MCNAMARA'As warm and gently soothing as a magicked cup of tea - this is the perfect witchy comfort read' LAURA WOODBy Emma Jackson. 2023
'It has everything I love in a romantasy. I absolutely adored it' CARRIE ELKS'Fun, sweet and sexy' SARAH HAWLEY'A magical…
rollercoaster which will charm the hex out of the hardest of hearts' JESSICA THORNE-----One hurricane. Two stranded witches.Sparks are bound to fly...Kay knows three things to be true: a witch who cannot control their powers is dangerous, she needs to make it home for her brother's wedding, and Harry Ashworth is the last person she ever wants to see...But after visiting the witching community's equivalent of IT support to try to fix her misbehaving magic, a hurricane hits and her flight home is cancelled!Not only is Kay stranded, but she's stranded with Harry - her infuriatingly handsome and charming childhood friend, who broke her heart when they were teenagers.Except Harry is a frustratingly powerful witch so working together might be their only way to get back home. And the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore what is simmering under the surface.Soon it becomes clear that Kay's magic isn't the only thing she doesn't have control of...-----YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS LOVE WITCH YOU WEREN'T HERE! 'It cast a spell on me from the first page with its bewitching brew of angst, charm and romance' M.A. KUZNIAR'As effervescent as an Aperol Spritz' LUNA MCNAMARA'As warm and gently soothing as a magicked cup of tea - this is the perfect witchy comfort read' LAURA WOOD(P)2023 Orion Publishing Group LimitedBy Emma Jackson. 2023
'It has everything I love in a romantasy. I absolutely adored it' CARRIE ELKS'Fun, sweet and sexy' SARAH HAWLEY'A magical…
rollercoaster which will charm the hex out of the hardest of hearts' JESSICA THORNE-----One hurricane. Two stranded witches.Sparks are bound to fly...Kay knows three things to be true: a witch who cannot control their powers is dangerous, she needs to make it home for her brother's wedding, and Harry Ashworth is the last person she ever wants to see...But after visiting the witching community's equivalent of IT support to try to fix her misbehaving magic, a hurricane hits and her flight home is cancelled!Not only is Kay stranded, but she's stranded with Harry - her infuriatingly handsome and charming childhood friend, who broke her heart when they were teenagers.Except Harry is a frustratingly powerful witch so working together might be their only way to get back home. And the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore what is simmering under the surface.Soon it becomes clear that Kay's magic isn't the only thing she doesn't have control of...-----YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS LOVE WITCH YOU WEREN'T HERE! 'It cast a spell on me from the first page with its bewitching brew of angst, charm and romance' M.A. KUZNIAR'As effervescent as an Aperol Spritz' LUNA MCNAMARA'As warm and gently soothing as a magicked cup of tea - this is the perfect witchy comfort read' LAURA WOODThis book explores how three Anglo-Irish writers, J.C. Mangan, J.S. Le Fanu and Bram Stoker, use settings in their short…
fictions to recreate, depict and confront Ireland’s colonial situation in the nineteenth century. This study provides an innovative approach by targeting a genre (the short story) which has not been explored in its entirety— certainly not within nineteenth century Ireland - much less using a postcolonial approach to the short story. Added to this is the fact that it analyses how these writers used settings as an anticolonial tool. To do so, the book is divided into two major sections, an analysis of Irish settings and non-Irish ones. It works on the premise that all three writers used the idea of displacement to target colonialism and its effects on Irish society. In short, this book addresses a gap in scholarship, as the Irish Gothic short story as a decolonizing tool has not been sufficiently and globally studied.By Agnieszka Stasiewicz-Bieńkowska. 2021
This book explores the narratives of girlhood in contemporary YA vampire fiction, bringing into the spotlight the genre’s radical, ambivalent,…
and contradictory visions of young femininity. Agnieszka Stasiewicz-Bieńkowska considers less-explored popular vampire series for girls, particularly those by P.C. and Kristin Cast and Richelle Mead, tracing the ways in which they engage in larger cultural conversations on girlhood in the Western world. Mapping the interactions between girl and vampire corporealities, delving into the unconventional tales of vampire romance and girl sexual expressions, examining the narratives of women and violence, and venturing into the uncanny vampire classroom to unmask its critique of present-day schooling, the volume offers a new perspective on the vampire genre and an engaging insight into the complexities of growing up a girl.Jane Austen and Vampires is the first book to investigate the literary convergence of Jane Austen and vampires in Austen…
fanfic after the success of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight (2005) and Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009). It asks how the shifting cultural values of Austen and the vampire have aligned, and what their connection might mean for their respective contemporary legacies. It also makes a case for reading “low brow” Austen fanfic attentively, as a way to gain meaningful insight directly from Austen fans into the tensions and anxieties surrounding contemporary notions of love, sex, femininity, and Austen’s modern currency. Offering close readings of Austen’s vampire-slaying heroines, vampiric retellings of Pride and Prejudice, and the transformation of Austen herself into a vampire, this book reveals Austen-vampire mashups as messy, complex entanglements that creatively and self-reflexively interrogate modern fantasies of vampire romance. By its unique intersection of Jane Austen with the vampire, the Gothic, fan culture and popular romance, Jane Austen and Vampires adds a new chapter to the history of Austen’s reception, for fans, students and scholars alike.By Sarah E. Maier. 2024
Neo-Victorian Young Adult Narratives examines the neo-Victorian themes and motifs currently appearing in young adult fiction—specifically addressing the themes of authorship,…
sexuality, and criminality in the context of the Victorian age in British and American cultures. This book explicates the complicated relationship between the Victorian past and the turn to Victorian modes of thought on literature, history, and morality. Additionally, Sarah E. Maier aims to determine if the appeal of neo-Victorian young adult fiction rests in or resists nostalgia, parody, and revision. Given the overwhelming prevalence of the Victorian in the young adult genres of biofiction, juvenile writings, gothic, sensation, mystery, and crime fiction, there is much to investigate in terms of the friction between the past and the present.This book proposes a comparative approach to the supernatural short stories of Machado de Assis, Henry James and Guy de…
Maupassant. It offers an alternative to predominantly novel-centric and Anglo-centric perspectives on literary pre-modernism by investigating a transnational and multilingual connection between genre, theme and theory, i.e., between the modern short story, the supernatural and the problem of knowledge. Incorporating a close analysis of the literary texts into a discussion of their historical context, the book argues that Machado, James and Maupassant explore and reinvent the supernatural short story as a metafictional genre. This modernized and innovative form allows them to challenge the dichotomies and conventions of realist and supernatural fiction, inviting their past and present readers to question common assumptions on reality and literary representation.By Ann Radcliffe. 2000
From the first moment Vincentio di Vivaldi, a young nobleman, sets eyes on the veiled figure of Ellena, he is…
captivated by her enigmatic beauty and grace. But his haughty and manipulative mother is against the match and enlists the help of her confessor to come between them. Schedoni, previously a leading figure of the Inquisition, is a demonic, scheming monk with no qualms about the task, whether it entails abduction, torture - or even murder. The Italian secured Ann Radcliffe's position as the leading writer of Gothic romance of the age, for its atmosphere of supernatural and nightmarish horrors, combined with her evocation of sublime landscapes and chilling narrative.