Meet Professor Alfred Jules Ayer, a famous philosopher noted for his atheism, his disdain of all things metaphysical, and his reverence for logic, in “The Candidate.” After suffering a heart attack, he finds himself in the Greek Underworld. He never expected an afterlife, and the fabled abode is nothing like the fable, which never mentioned a salmon with human arms and legs, or a flying saucer captained by lizard man.

In “Harold,” you’ll meet a homunculus who is certain he is a one of a kind, a freak of nature. Imagine his surprise when he discovers an island populated by thousands of his kind. There he finds adventure, love, and danger. He must face thugs his size, sinister large people, a dangerous house cat, and a plethora of perplexing situations.

Irresolute poets find their plush postmortem refuge is anything but when it soon becomes a type of Hell in “Between Life and Oblivion.”

Discover the true story of Helen, the famous face that launched a thousand ships, in the tale “A More Likely Odyssey.”

Within these pages you’ll be taken on journeys beyond imagining. You’ll meet characters and explore familiar worlds through different eyes. Look beyond the hedge…

He thought he had it all. Everything was exactly how he wanted it to be. Until he found him.

Brian Weber is almost like any other college student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He’s an English major hoping to become a journalist or a writer. Once his dorm roommate Andrew Engel moves in, his world changes completely. He’s the man he’s instantly hooked on. He admires everything about him from his athletic style to his varying interests. He’s drawn to be like him, overpowering everything else in his life. But there’s one surprise…Andrew is also gay.

Their first date goes smoothly. Maybe a little too smoothly. Brian’s constantly worried he will say something awkward and ruin their relationship. Is it because he placed a sexual bet during a soccer match? Is it because he literally wants to be just like him? Maybe. Andrew’s quick to notice his desire to copy him, and he confronts him about it. Will their relationship last under this tight tension?

This tale of Middle-earth's First Age, which appeared in incomplete forms in the posthumously published The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, also edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher, only hinted at the depth and power of the tragic story of Túrin and Niënor, the children of Húrin, the lord of Dor-lómin, who achieved renown for having confronted Morgoth, who was the master of Sauron, the manifestation of evil in the Lord of the Rings.

Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed, Middle-earth lies under the shadow of the Dark Lord Morgoth. The greatest warriors among elves and men have perished, and all is in darkness and despair. But a deadly new leader rises, Túrin, son of Húrin, and with his grim band of outlaws begins to turn the tide in the war for Middle-earth -- awaiting the day he confronts his destiny and the deadly curse laid upon him.

When David is old enough to realize that, while not visibly abnormal, mentally he - and others - are different, more than human, he is terrified of discovery. He lives in a land threatened by the twisted mutants of the cursed Fringes, a land where genetic conformity is the Will of God, and any deviation, from a minor quirk to a body-warping distortion, marks the sufferer as non-human, to be cruelly abused and ruthlessly cast out.

If their ability to communicate using thought alone is found out, David and his friends would be in terrible danger. They would have to run - but where to? And who is this new, distant thought-voice they can hear? Could it be from the impossible glittering cities that David has dreamt of, places from the past, from before God sent his terrible earth-scorching destruction to punish the wicked? And might it hold the key to their freedom...

Cooper's highly acclaimed series—Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark Is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; and Silver on the Tree—is now available in its entirety for the first time in an attractive, sturdy boxed set that's perfect for gift giving.

She has tempted many men... but never found her equal. Until now.

Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of Anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death—a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.

But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining...

Set adrift by his wife's sudden death and struggling to keep a grip on reality, Bunny Munro does the only thing he can think of - with his young son in tow, he hits the road. An epic chronicle of one man's judgement and death, The Death of Bunny Munro is an achingly tender portrait of the relationship between father and son.

When billionaire college freshman, Jared Paterski, moves to the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and meets his new roommate, Alexander Schmidt, he is mesmerized by his characteristics. He finds everything about him including his personal hobbies, personality, and his sexiness to be perfect which drives him to copy him in order to live his life like his.

With all the money he has, he spoils Alex with luxurious gifts and treats him like a king. As soon as he knows him some more, he brings him into his special dungeon, showing him his dark side, casting away his innocence.

Asharal wants to rule, he seeks the Sunchair and will bloody his blade upon anyone who stands in his way.

The Sun Elves yearn for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that has foretold their rise amidst moon and stars. Among them, there is one who will wait no longer for such a prophecy to come to pass. Asharal seeks to dethrone the ruling family, the Winds, who have just done the impossible: they have discovered immortality.

The Eyes of the Dragon is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King, first published as a limited edition slipcased hardcover by Philtrum Press in 1984, illustrated by Kenneth R. Linkhauser. The novel would later be published for the mass market by Viking in 1987, with illustrations by David Palladini. This trade edition was slightly revised for publication.

At the time of publication, it was a deviation from the norm for King, who was best known for his horror fiction. The book is a work of epic fantasy in a quasi-medieval setting, with a clearly established battle between good and evil, and magic playing a lead role. The Eyes of the Dragon was originally titled The Napkins.

Jo, Bessie, and Fanny move to the country and find an Enchanted Wood right on their doorstep. And in the wood stands the magic Faraway Tree, and in that tree live the magical characters that soon become their new friends - Moon-Face, Silky the fairy, and Saucepan Man.

Together they climb through the clouds to the top of the tree and discover the Land of Spells, The Land of Secrets, and the Land of Do-As-You-like. There are lots of magical adventures to read about in this bumper 3-in-1 edition.

The Foundation Trilogy is a monumental work in the annals of science fiction, spanning a thousand-year epic and a galactic struggle. It begins a new chapter in the story of humanity's future as the Old Empire crumbles into barbarism across the million worlds of the galaxy. Hari Seldon and his band of psychologists must create a new entity, the Foundation, dedicated to art, science, and technology, as the beginning of a new empire.

Foundation lays the groundwork for this new chapter, while Foundation and Empire describes the mighty struggle for power amid the chaos of the stars, where humanity stands at the threshold of a new enlightened life that could be easily destroyed by the old forces of barbarism. Second Foundation follows the Seldon Plan after the First Empire's defeat and details its greatest threat—a dangerous mutant strain gone wild, capable of bending men's wills, directing their thoughts, reshaping their desires, and potentially destroying the universe.

The Ghost Moth; a tragic tale of the Spirit versus the Flesh.

Is it possible that a five hundred year old story of a young monk and his lover could impact on a family in the present day? As Joe reads an old folk tale and is drawn into a world of religious fanatics, witches, angels and she-devils, this unlikely possibility gradually becomes increasingly probable.

A story about the desires of the sexes and the doctrines of religion, with and hints at the supernatural and beautiful and atmospheric imagery, this controversial, adult, speculative, spiritual and philosophical tale will intrigue, entertain and keep you guessing in equal measure up until the last page.

Warning to sensitive readers; the story is an adult one and so deals with adult themes. It contains what some might find to be controversial views on both religion and sex, as well as mild sex scenes.

'A thing to marvel at, a thing to be grateful for.' A rich American art-collector and his daughter Maggie buy in for themselves and to their greater glory a beautiful young wife and noble husband. They do not know that Charlotte and Prince Amerigo were formerly lovers, nor that on the eve of the Prince's marriage they had discovered, in a Bloomsbury antique shop, a golden bowl with a secret flaw. The superstitious Amerigo, fearing for his gilded future, refuses to accept it as a wedding gift from Charlotte. 'Don't you think too much of "cracks,"' she is later to say to him, 'aren't you too afraid of them? I risk the cracks...' When the golden bowl is broken, Maggie must leave the security of her childhood and try to reassemble the pieces of her shattered happiness.

In this, the last of his three great poetic masterpieces, James combined with a dazzling virtuosity elements of social comedy, of mystery, terror, and myth. The Golden Bowl is the most controversial, ambiguous, and sophisticated of James's novels.

The text of this World's Classics paperback is that of the first English edition (1905). James's Preface is included, and a new introduction, notes, and selected variant readings.

There is nothing to be found in the pages of these books but misery and despair. You still have time to choose something else to read. But if you must know what unpleasantries befall the charming and clever Baudelaire children read on...

The Hostile Hospital - There are many pleasant things to read about, but this book contains none of them. Within its pages are such burdensome details as a suspicious shopkeeper, unnecessary surgery, heartshaped balloons, and some very starling news about a fire. Clearly you do not want to read about such things.

In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge’s cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desai’s brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world.

For mature readers only. This pulp, cyberpunk, technothriller has profanity, violence, sexual situations, and an atheist protagonist. There are some disturbing scenes that may upset the more sensitive reader.

For Jonathan Harkon, living life in exile is never easy. Forced into hiding his true identity and leaving the only home and family he's ever known, Jonathan finds himself halfway across the solar system, smuggling condoms for the religiously-oppressed citizens of an outer-system colony named Sanctity. It isn't long before his cover as a bouncer for a local "bikini-bar" is questioned, and he is quickly embroiled in Sanctity's hardcore, underground, sex-slave trade. With few friends by his side and only his ship, the HMS Mary Rose, to rely upon, Jonathan will need every ounce of the strength and skill that his heavily enhanced, genetically-engineered body can manage, if he means to survive and expose the terrible truth behind Sanctity's "Meat Market."

Set in the not too distant future, "The Meat Market" is the first short novel in author James Chalk's Jonathan Harkon Adventure series.

Dear Reader,

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log.

The pages of this book, I'm sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons.

I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven't, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

"Even if a magician's powers surface of their own accord, he will soon be dead if he does not gain the knowledge of how to control them." Alone among all the novices in the Magicians' Guild, only Sonea comes from lowly beginnings. Yet she has won powerful allies—including Lord Dannyl, newly promoted to Guild Ambassador. But Dannyl must now depart for the Elyne court, leaving Sonea at the mercy of the lies and malicious rumors her enemies are busy spreading ... until the High Lord Akkarin steps in. The price of Akkarin's support is dear, however, because Sonea, in turn, must protect his mysteries and a secret that could lead a young novice mage deep into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Dannyl's first order to resume High Lord Akkarin's long-abandoned research into ancient magical knowledge is setting him on an extraordinary journey fraught with unanticipated peril as he moves ever-closer to a future both wondrous ... and terrible.

The Octunnumi does not exist. Fosbit and any files relating to a Fosbit do not exist. The Tarelen peoples that protect and provide sanctuary for the Avitens of Fethrist are not real. The abilities of the Tarelen peoples with their heightened skills, living in their Utopian world are myth, their purpose here mere tales; rumours of their reincarnations enabling them to live many lives… ridiculous!

And there is definitely no magic. None at all. No, really, there isn’t. Magic is not a thing. There are also no hidden worlds or mythical beings coexisting just out of sight. Equally, there are no secret access points to these hidden worlds that don’t exist, and there is no, 'unfinished business from the past' that is set to destroy, well, anything. There is no disaster looming.

Anyway, regardless of any potential threat that may or may not be present, this publication, The Octunnumi and any reference to any other beings is a work of fiction. And for the record, Scariodintts, should they exist, are perfectly lovely beings whose purpose in life is grossly misunderstood.

The Past is the first book in the VanWest series, about an Enforcer who lives in a dystopian Earth of the year 3000 and works for an authoritarian ruler called the Universal Council. Tasked with travelling through time to stop a renegade sect, that seeks to change Earth’s past, he comes to learn about his dark origins and his unique ability.

Falling in love with the daughter of its leader, he returns to the present to face a difficult choice, whether or not to save her. And be part of the New Beginning.

The Present is the second book in the VanWest series.

To defeat the Universal Council, VanWest is made to confront his dark past. Uncovering Mars’s many secrets and the coming together of Earth’s main opposition groups could prove pivotal in defeating the Council’s mighty Space Army. However, success is not what it appears, for there’s a twist that he could not foresee.

Dear Reader,

If you have picked up this book with the hope of finding a simple and cheery tale, I'm afraid you have picked up the wrong book altogether. The story may seem cheery at first, when the Baudelaire children spend time in the company of some interesting reptiles and a giddy uncle, but don't be fooled. If you know anything at all about the unlucky Baudelaire children, you already know that even pleasant events lead down the same road to misery.

In fact, within the pages you now hold in your hands, the three siblings endure a car accident, a terrible odor, a deadly serpent, a long knife, a large brass reading lamp, and the appearance of a person they'd hoped never to see again.

I am bound to record these tragic events, but you are free to put this book back on the shelf and seek something lighter.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

The town of Greenwood had always enjoyed a placid, yet somewhat boring existence, being a haven for both nature enthusiasts and for its residence who wish to live a peaceful life. Tristan Cain however dreams of something bigger; to have a unique and exciting life. Little does he know that you have to be careful for what you wish for.

Tristan thinks of himself as fairly normal, even boring actually, but there has always been something a little odd about him, and lately things seemed to be getting weirder. It started as a feeling of unease, but soon Tristan notices strange men and an alarming increase in oddities around the town.

Reluctantly, he accepts the help of his guardian and finds himself being pulled into the world of the supernatural against his will, as he comes to suspect that he himself is not what he seems.

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in. For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead, she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately, this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour, and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again.

The Selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe presents an annotated selection of writing by Edgar Allan Poe, including poems, stories, essays, and a novel. This comprehensive collection illuminates Poe's short but prolific career, bringing together his most important works in a single volume.

In addition to the writings, the edition includes documents related to Poe's life and career, as well as reviews and critical essays. These additional materials provide a deeper understanding of Poe's work, placing it within the broader context of American literature and its historical period.

Maggie O’Shea expected the worst when her family relocated from the lively beaches of Boca Raton to the secluded forests of the Ozark Mountains. What she didn’t expect was a new beginning – one full of Fae, magical powers, dangerous physical and mental trials, and two surprisingly gorgeous young men. These aren’t the fairies you’re familiar with, but dangerous superpowers embroiled in an enduring struggle among themselves over the fate of all humanity. Some want to protect us, and others would love nothing more than to see us, and especially fifteen-year-old Maggie, dead and buried.

Now, torn between her new duties as Steward of the most sacred Fae land and her burgeoning love for Gavin, a powerful Fae, Maggie must fight to protect her family, her friends, herself, and the fate of the entire world.

Join Maggie as she learns that fairy lore is not as far from the truth as she had believed, but neither is it anything like the tales in books or movies. As she navigates the treacherous schemes of the magical Fae, Maggie must become a quick study if she hopes to protect the lives of many, and possibly all, people from the insidious plot the Unseelie Fae have planned for centuries.

Two orphaned children are on the run, hiding among the crumbling canals and misty alleyways of the city of Venice. Befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord, they shelter in an old, disused cinema. On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past – a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Dear Reader,

You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages. I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats. It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children's lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

The Well House III: The Redemption is the ultimate tale of good versus evil, set in a world where the ultimate evil roams the earth in a human body, aiming to establish his kingdom and rule the world. The year is 2016, and Ben Carson is engulfed in a deep depression. His son, Taylor, has been a hostage for more than a year, leaving Ben helpless and desperate. Haunted by disturbing dreams, Ben receives cryptic clues on how to defeat this malevolent power.

Familiar faces return to aid Ben in his quest. Along with his loyal dog, his wife Anne, and daughter Molly, they embark on a perilous journey into the well house, descending into the underworld in a valiant attempt to rescue his son. Aided by a great wizard, a Basque priest, and his old friend, Claude Moran, among others, they face terrifying dreams, dangerous creatures, and demonic angels across multiple underworld journeys. Amidst these treacherous paths, sacrifices are made in the relentless search for redemption.

This thrilling drama blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, weaving a tale filled with fire, magic, and mystical spells. From the lofty mountains above Boulder, Colorado, to the daunting depths of hell, the story takes readers on an extraordinary adventure. Will Ben triumph in the battle for redemption, or will he and his loved ones be destroyed, leaving the world under the tyranny of evil? The answers lie within the chalice, the stones, and the water. As the saga of Ben's battle concludes, one wonders... or does it?

Passion. Fate. Loyalty. Would you risk it all to change your destiny? The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever. Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Una Historia de Ayer es un puñetazo conciso y directo a la mandíbula de la vida.

Desnuda la emoción del realismo mágico y la intriga del suspense, encerrados en este relato alineal sobre sinuosos ajustes de cuentas y condescendientes adicciones.

A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

目的地・B06-32の地下で子供達を待ち構えていた謎の男──。彼の正体とは一体!? エマ達の冒険は次なる局面へと移る。「ミネルヴァ探訪編」新展開突入!! 永遠の子供達よ、絶望に立ち向かえ! 衝撃の脱獄ファンタジー!!