Roadside Picnic

Roadside Picnic

Arkady Strugatsky

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Mystery & Thrillers / Literature & Fiction

Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those strange misfits who are compelled by some unknown force to venture illegally into the Zone and, in spite of the extreme danger, collect the mysterious artefacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the Zone and the thriving black market in the alien products. Even the nature of his daughter has been determined by the Zone. And it is for her that Red makes his last, tragic foray into the hazardous and hostile depths.
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Power Down

Power Down

Ben Coes

Mystery & Thrillers / Literature & Fiction / Politics

Sep 2010 Coes pumps new heat, blood, and flat-out action into a well-worn premise--terrorists are out to break America by attacking its energy resources--in his frighteningly plausible thriller debut. One target is Capitana, an American oil rig located in the Pacific off the coast of Colombia. Rigger gang chief Dewey Andreas, a former Delta officer, fights back and succeeds in saving many lives, but the oil platform is destroyed. At the same time, Canada's Savage Island Project, the largest hydroelectric dam in North America, is blown up, killing hundreds and destroying a vital link in the U.S.'s energy production. Behind these schemes and with many more to come is Manhattan billionaire Alexander Fortuna, who will stop at nothing to destroy America, a country he was taught as a child to loath. Abetting Fortuna is a despicable traitor, Vic Buck, director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service. Readers will eagerly await Coes's next effort and hope for Dewey Andreas's return.
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Harry the Poisonous Centipede

Harry the Poisonous Centipede

Lynne Reid Banks

Children's Books / Literature & Fiction / Nonfiction

A delightfully squirmy story starring Harry the Poisonous Centipede in a scary world of flying swoopers, furry biters and the dreaded Hoo-Mins! With wonderful humour and brilliant illustrations, this is the perfect book for wriggly young readers. "It's a Hoo-Min!" crackled George. "Walking on its hairy-biter feet!"But now it was Harry who felt brave. "Come on! Let's peep at it!"They crawled the rest of the way up the tunnel towards the light. Harry is a poisonous centipede but he's not very brave. Still, he is the star of this seriously squirmy story. Harry likes to eat things that wriggle and crackle, and things that are juicy and munchy! But there are some things that a poisonous centipede must never try to eat – dangerous things like flying swoopers, belly wrigglers, furry biters and the most dangerous of all… Hoo-Mins! Harry and George's adventures up to the world of Hoo-Mins sparkle with fun and will be a delightfully squirmy experience for all young readers.
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Barcelona Calling

Barcelona Calling

Jane Kirkpatrick

Literature & Fiction

How far would you go to become famous? Annie Shaw will seemingly do anything to get Oprah's attention for her latest novel. From bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick comes this bold, fresh story about a close-knit group of five women and their pursuit of life goals. You'll be encouraged and entertained!
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Cry, the Beloved Country

Cry, the Beloved Country

Alan Paton

Literature & Fiction

Set in the troubled South Africa of the 1940s, this is the deeply moving story of a Zulu pastor, his son, and a land and a people riven by racial injustice. Passionately African, yet timeless and universal, it is a work of searing beauty.From Publishers WeeklyIn search of missing family members, Zulu priest Stephen Kumalo leaves his South African village to traverse the deep and perplexing city of Johannesburg in the 1940s. With his sister turned prostitute, his brother turned labor protestor and his son, Absalom, arrested for the murder of a white man, Kumalo must grapple with how to bring his family back from the brink of destruction as the racial tension throughout Johannesburg hampers his attempts to protect his family. With a deep yet gentle voice rounded out by his English accent, Michael York captures the tone and energy of this novel. His rhythmic narration proves hypnotizing. From the fierce love of Kumalo to the persuasive rhetoric of Kumalo's brother and the solemn regret of Absalom, York injects soul into characters tempered by their socioeconomic status as black South Africans. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time."-- The New Republic (UNKNOWN )"A beautiful novel, rich, firm and moving . . ." -- The New York Times (New York Times )
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Voidhawk - Redemption

Voidhawk - Redemption

Jason Halstead

Literature & Fiction / Science Fiction & Fantasy / Paranormal

Book 3 in the Voidhawk seriesHaving left the ship and crew behind, Rosh has spent years alone in the void working for the highest bidder. Plagued by memories of his former friends, lessons learned, and loves lost the cursed warrior struggles to find a purpose for his enduring existence. Stumbling into a plot to usurp a throne, Rosh inadvertently becomes the master of a powerful demoness. Unable to rid himself of her for fear of what she might do to the rest of the world, Rosh is forced to bring her with him and attempt to teach her the difference between right and wrong. The irony of having been on the receiving end of those same lessons himself not so long ago is not lost on him. As the impossible happens and the demoness seeks to learn new ways to please her Master, Rosh's inner demons prove to be no less a threat. Before the warrior is ready a new danger awaits on a battlefield he has spent his entire life avoiding.Check out these other Voidhawk books:VoidhawkVoidhawk - The Elder Race*Voidhawk - RedemptionVoidhawk - The White LadyVoidhawk - Lost Soul *About the AuthorJason Halstead is a science fiction and fantasy author who spends his daytime hours as an IT Manager in the automotive industry. In his spare time Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, writing, and competitive powerlifting.
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Licence Renewed

Licence Renewed

John Gardner

Literature & Fiction

Bond is back and he's better than ever… but the 1980's have reached the department as well. Political restraints are squeezing in on the Service. The elite Double-O status, for example, conveying its authority to kill, is being abolished…
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(2007) Chasing Fireflies - A Novel of Discovery

(2007) Chasing Fireflies - A Novel of Discovery

Charles Martin

Literature & Fiction

From Publishers WeeklyIn his fifth novel, Martin (Maggie; When Crickets Cry) offers the same brand of sentimental Southern storytelling that has endeared him to readers. Just before T-boning her Impala into a train, a woman on a suicide run kicks her horrifically abused little boy, known only as Snoot—or to the state, John Doe 117—out of the car. Chase Walker, a reporter for the Brunswick Daily in Glen County, Ga., is assigned to follow up on the boy, whose abandonment mirrors Chase's own haunted past. The little boy, apparently mute, is an artistic prodigy who excels at chess and quickly works his way into Chase's heart. Martin's strength is in his memorable characters, especially Uncle Willie, whose fresh quips ("as out of place in South Georgia as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs"), penchant for Krispy Kreme doughnuts and mysterious past keep readers engrossed. Here, as in some of his other novels, Martin can't resist piling on unnecessary tragedies; his characters and their issues are enough to keep the pages turning. Although the plot needs fine-tuning, Martin's prose is lovely, and the flashback parallel stories of a grown man abandoned as a child and the neglected boy will ensure readers keep the Kleenex handy. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product DescriptionThey have one summer to find what was lost long ago."Never settle for less than the truth," she told him. But when you don't even know your real name, the truth gets a little complicated. It can nestle so close to home it's hard to see. It can even flourish inside a lie. And as Chase Walker discovered, learning the truth about who you are can be as elusive--and as magical--as chasing fireflies on a summer night. A haunting story about fishing, baseball, home cooking, and other matters of life and death.
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Doors Open

Doors Open

Ian Rankin

Literature & Fiction / Mystery & Thrillers / Crime

For the right man, all doors are open... Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands and a bit of the devil in his soul. He is looking for something to liven up the days and perhaps give new meaning to his existence. A chance encounter at an art auction offers him the opportunity to do just that as he settles on a plot to commit a 'perfect crime'. He intends to rip-off one of the most high-profile targets in the capital - the National Gallery of Scotland. So, together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to a lift some of the most valuable artwork around. But of course, the real trick is to rob the place for all its worth whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed. But soon after he enters the dark waters of the criminal underworld he realises that it's very easy to drown...
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A Curse on Dostoevsky

A Curse on Dostoevsky

Atiq Rahimi

Literature & Fiction / Poetry / Politics

Reading Dostoevsky in Afghanistan becomes “crime without punishment” Rassoul remembers reading Crime and Punishment as a student of Russian literature in Leningrad, so when, with axe in hand, he kills the wealthy old lady who prostitutes his beloved Sophia, he thinks twice before taking her money or killing the woman whose voice he hears from another room. He wishes only to expiate his crime and be rightfully punished. Out of principle, he gives himself up to the police. But his country, after years of civil war, has fallen into chaos. In Kabul there is only violence, absurdity, and deafness, and Rassoul’s desperate attempt to be heard turns into a farce. This is a novel that not only flirts with literature but also ponders the roles of sin, guilt, and redemption in the Muslim world. At once a nostalgic ode to the magic of Persian tales and a satire on the dire reality of now, A Curse on Dostoevsky also portrays the resilience and wit of Afghani women, an aspect of his culture that Rahimi never forgets.Review“Rahimi turns his attention to Crime and Punishment and juxtaposes literature against the Muslim world in Kabul, the themes of civil war, chaos, sin, guilt and redemption for Afghani women again being the theme. ‘Crime without punishment?’” —Electric Literature "A darkly comic meditation on life in a lawless land…In restrained prose, Rahimi explores both the personal and the political; it’s both in dialogue with a classic and is daringly outspoken." —Publishers Weekly “Atiq Rahimi brilliantly re-imagines Crime and Punishment and, in a daring feat of creative panache, transplants Dostoevsky’s classic morality tale to modern-day Afghanistan. This is easily Rahimi’s most imaginative and complex work yet, and should cement his reputation as a writer of great and unique vision.” —Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns "In a rare imaginative feat, Rahimi renews many of Dostoevsky’s original psychological insights and opens piercing new ones.  Unforgettable." —Booklist (Starred) Review “Atiq Rahimi, like the great story tellers of Afghanistan, is a master of using a small moment to tell the sweeping story of the pain and loss of war.  In A Curse on Dostoevsky he yet again imprints images in the memory, as he captures both the unspeakable absurdity of the Afghan civil war and the ingenious ways Afghans have found to move beyond it.” —Qais Akbar Omar, author of A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story "Rahimi does a masterful job both in echoing Dostoevsky and in updating the moral complexities his protagonist both creates and faces." —Kirkus “Here, Atiq Rahimi sings an incandescent, raging story, which dissects, in a highly sensitive way, the chaos of his homeland and the contradictions of his people.” —L’Express“In the light of the Russian writer, [Rahimi] describes his country so that we may understand it like we never have before. His latest novel isn’t only breathless, beautiful, and strong, it is indispensable…He dared—and succeeded.” —Le PointAbout the AuthorAtiq Rahimi was born in Afghanistan in 1962 and fled to France in 1984, where he has become an award-winning author (2008 Prix Goncourt) and filmmaker (2004 Prix un certain regard, Cannes). The film adaptation of his novel The Patience Stone, which he co-wrote and directed, was selected as the Afghan entry for the 2012 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. In recent years, he has returned to Afghanistan many times to set up a writers’ house in Kabul and offer support and training to young writers and filmmakers. He lives in Paris. Polly McLean is a freelance translator from Oxford, England. Winner of the 2009 Scott Moncrieff Prize, she has translated titles by Catherine Deneuve and Sylvia Kristel, as well as the award-winning Secret by Philippe Grimbert.
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