Books with category Folklore
Displaying 7 books

The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story

The Nobel Prize winner’s latest masterwork, set in a sanitarium on the eve of World War I, probes the horrors that lie beneath our most hallowed ideas.

In September 1913, Mieczysław, a student suffering from tuberculosis, arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen, a health resort in what is now western Poland. Every day, its residents gather in the dining room to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur, to obsess over money and status, and to discuss the great issues of the day: Will there be war? Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women inherently inferior?

Meanwhile, disturbing things are beginning to happen in the guesthouse and its surroundings. As stories of shocking events in the surrounding highlands reach the men, a sense of dread builds. Someone--or something--seems to be watching them and attempting to infiltrate their world.

Little does Mieczysław realize, as he attempts to unravel both the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they have already chosen their next target.

A century after the publication of The Magic Mountain, Tokarczuk revisits Thomas Mann territory and lays claim to it, blending horror story, comedy, folklore, and feminist parable with brilliant storytelling.

Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart

From the author of the breakout novel Thistlefoot: a collection of dark fairytales and fractured folklore exploring how our passions can save us—or go monstrously wrong.

The stories in Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart are about the abomination that resides within us all. That churning, clawing, ravenous yearning: the hunger to be held, and seen, and known. And the terror, too: to be loved too well, or not enough, or for long enough. To be laid bare before your sweetheart, to their horror. To be recognized as the monstrous thing you are.

Two teenage girls working at a sinister roadside attraction called the Eternal Staircase explore its secrets—and their own doomed summer love. A zombie rooster plays detective in a missing persons case. A woman moves into a new house with her acclaimed artist boyfriend—and finds her body slowly shifting into something specially constructed to accommodate his needs and whims. A pack of middle schoolers turn to the occult to rid themselves of a hated new classmate. And a pair of outcasts, a vampire and a goat woman, find solace in each other, even as the world's lack of understanding might bring about its own end.

In these lush, strange, beautifully written stories, GennaRose Nethercott explores human longing in all its diamond-dark facets to create a collection that will redefine what you see as a beast, and make you beg to have your heart broken.

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

2017

by Leigh Bardugo

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love. Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu

Ussisõnade oskamine ei tähenda teoses ainult metsarahva looduse mõistmist, vaid ka võimu ja valitsemist selle asukate üle. Need tarkused võtab Leemet lapsepõlves üle oma onu Vootelelt.

Kogu Leemeti elu käib aga heitlus maailma mõistliku tajumise üle – ühel pool end poolearuliseks loitsinud hiiekummardajad, teisel pool silmakirjalikud kristluse kummardajad, kes on ka ise kõik endised metsaasukad, koos raudmeeste ja munkadega. Väheseid huvitab, mis ümbruses tegelikult toimub.

Tasapisi metsaasundus siiski hääbub ning selle tarkust, juuri ja Põhja Konna jääb hoidma ainult Leemet – viimane mees, kes teadis ussisõnu.


Set in a fantastical version of medieval Europe, this book follows a young boy, Leemer, who lives with his hunter-gatherer family in the forest and is the last speaker of the ancient tongue of Snakish, a language that allows its speakers to command all animals.

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version

Two hundred years ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales. Now, at a veritable fairy-tale moment—witness the popular television shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time and this year’s two movie adaptations of “Snow White”—Philip Pullman, one of the most popular authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm.

From much-loved stories like “Cinderella” and “Rumpelstiltskin”, “Rapunzel” and “Hansel and Gretel” to lesser-known treasures like “Briar-Rose”, “Thousandfurs”, and “The Girl with No Hands”, Pullman retells his fifty favorites, paying homage to the tales that inspired his unique creative vision—and that continue to cast their spell on the Western imagination.

Hillbilly Tales from the Smoky Mountains - And Other Homespun Remedies, Proverbs, and Poetry

Hillbilly Tales from the Smoky Mountains includes several short stories based on the folklore of the Appalachian Mountains. Before the time of cell-phones, computers, and television, family members would gather on the front porch and offer up stories through simple oral traditions. These stories provided simple forms of entertainment to their children. With each generation, the stories became more elaborate and creative, transforming into what we now know as Appalachian folklore.


Mountain people have always led a difficult life; however, their unique perspective on dealing with struggles is fascinating. In this book, you will find a section on mountain medicinal treatments and hillbilly proverbs, passed down from mother to daughter. Knowledge of apothecary, or mountain medicine, was crucial for treating family members when the local doctor was away. No decent, self-respecting mountain folk would ever go unprepared without offering advice to help their neighbors. Wise sayings, or hillbilly proverbs, go hand-in-hand with mountain medicine, providing guidance in daily life.


The second part of the book features a special story by one of the original descendants of the Crowe Family, Ms. Verna Humphrey. This short piece of fiction centers around a light romance set right after the Civil War. The setting is Green Cove, where a young girl, Charlotte, struggles to regain her birthright during trying times. When a young lawyer enters the scene, Charlotte's interpretation of birthright takes on a whole new meaning. She must make difficult decisions that will alter the course of her life.

Wizard of the Crow

Wizard of the Crow is a magisterial comic novel by the exiled Kenyan novelist, playwright, poet, and literary critic, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. This landmark of postcolonial African literature is set in the fictional 'Free Republic of Aburĩria'.

In this dazzling masterpiece, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o attempts to sum up Africa of the twentieth century within the context of two thousand years of world history. The novel is a grand tapestry of the battle for control over the souls of the Aburĩrian people, depicted with corrosive humor and sharp observation.

The story features a host of vivid characters, including His High Mighty Excellency, the eponymous Wizard—an avatar of folklore and wisdom, the corrupt Christian Ministry, and the nefarious Global Bank. By weaving the stories of both the powerful and the ordinary into a kaleidoscopic mosaic, Wizard of the Crow reveals the endlessly surprising complexity of humanity.

Informed by richly enigmatic traditional African storytelling, this novel is the crowning achievement in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o’s career thus far.

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