Anthologies & Short Stories

Book Synopsis''My God! A whole minute of bliss! Is that really so little for the whole of a man''s life?''A poignant tale of love and loneliness from Russia''s foremost writer.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics'' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

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Book SynopsisAn all-new collection of autumn-themed mysteries from the master of the genre.

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Book SynopsisAn unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young and adult learners of Dutch."Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too!" - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for NumbersShort Stories in Dutch for Beginners has been written especially for learners from high-beginner to low-intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages, these eight captivating stories will both entertain you, and give you a feeling of progress when reading.What does this book give you?· Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary· Controlled language at your level to help you progress confidently· Realistic spoken dialogues, to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability· Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way· Beautiful illustrations accompanying each story, to set the scene and support your understanding· Pleasure! Research shows that if you're enjoying reading in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!'Carefully curated to make learning a new language easy, these stories include key features that will support and consolidate your progress, including:· A glossary for bolded words in each chapter· A bilingual word list· Full plot summary· Comprehension questions after each chapter. As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying reading, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language, without ever feeling overwhelmed. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in Dutch for Beginners will make learning Dutch easy and enjoyable.Trade ReviewAs researchers in language acquisition, we need to study people like [Olly Richards]. - Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor, University of Southern CaliforniaOlly's advice on language learning is the real deal, and I recommend you pay attention to what he has to say! - Benny Lewis, Fluent in 3 MonthsWhen we wanted to create a free online course on how to learn a language we asked Olly to write it with us. - Dr Tita Beaven, The Open UniversityLearning a language is challenging, but it's one of the best things you can do for your brain and your learning skill set... Olly Richards is doing some seriously incredible work to empower more and more people to rise to the challenge. - - Jonathan Levi, Entrepreneur and LifehackerOlly bridges the gap between theory and practice by helping you to use scientific principles to get real results with your language learning. - Anthony Metivier, Magnetic Memory MethodOlly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers

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Book SynopsisAward-winning author Ursula Vernon, writing as T. Kingfisher, presents a terrifying tale of hidden worlds and monstrous creations... When Mouse's dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother's house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be? Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there's more-Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather's journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants...until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself. Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors-because sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real, and they're looking for you. And if she doesn't face them head on, she might not survive to tell the tale.Trade ReviewReads so fast and so effortless that you don't realize how in thrall you are to it. It's the sensation of being a little kid who stayed out too long past dinner and sure, you were having fun, but now it's a moonless night and the forest is dark and you are hopelessly lost. This is righteous, folkloric horror, and the devil is waiting in between these pages. - Chuck Wendig, NYT bestselling author of BLACKBIRDS and WANDERERS Innovative, unexpected, and absolutely chilling, T. Kingfisher isn't just breaking into the horror scene, she's breaking it down. With a hammer. - Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Mira Grant A deliciously horrifying read. I adored it. In turns deeply human and uncanny, THE TWISTED ONES reads like the world's most terrifying episode of Hoarders. Don't sleep on it. In fact, be prepared to never sleep again. - Nebula Award-winning author Alyssa Wong A refreshing contemporary voice, classic scare-filled weirdness, and a big delightful dog for company: THE TWISTED ONES is a hugely entertaining read. - Aliya Whiteley Smart, crackling prose, genuine chills, suspense that doesn't let up - oh, and strange things walking in the woods. This book was so gripping I practically inhaled it. Definitely one not to miss, though you may want to read it with all the lights on! - Alison Littlewood THE TWISTED ONES combines with dread of the classic Arthur Machen tale with the poignancy of IT FOLLOWS. A sweet and shivery tale of things best left unseen by one of the genre's rising stars. - Helen Marshall With a remarkable assured new voice, Kingfisher strides into the haunted realm of folk horror, and quite simply mic drops. - Stephen Volk, award-winning writer of GHOSTWATCH and The Dark Masters Trilogy T. Kingfisher's take on Machen's tale is very fine indeed. Clever, gruesome, funny, and downright terrifying. THE TWISTED ONES is a refreshing twist on folk horror best read in daylight. Don't go into the woods ... no, really, just don't. - Angela Slatter THE TWISTED ONES is a weird, shimmering story told with sharpness and grace - somehow both wild fairy tale and quiet, personal horror in equal measure. It's a strange and lovely balance, expertly crafted for daytime laughter or nighttime trembles. - Cherie Priest, author of THE FAMILY PLOT and MAPLECROFT. Read this one with the lights on. - Kirkus Reviews Kingfisher neatly combines modern elements into a combined folktale and horror story that is rich in atmosphere and characterization... - Publishers Weekly Laden with cosmic fright, THE TWISTED ONES connects the foreboding of ancient folklore with the horrors of modern life. But it does so with a sharp, witty voice and a compelling first-person protagonist who finds herself precariously straddling worlds she never knew existed. - NPR BOOKS My favourite thing about the novel ... is the unpredictability of how the story progresses, the subversion of the most common horror tropes. Fear not, we know from early on, given the framing narrative, that the dog survives. - THE BOOK SMUGGLERS A more than worthy homage to Arthur Machen's classic 'The White People', ... a genuinely creepy tale of supernatural horror and cosmic dread in its own right. - James Brogden PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR Refreshingly charming...it is the mark of a great author to bring characters to life so easily - SFF Book Reviews on BRYONY AND ROSES There is nothing I love more than to be taken by surprise by a story that is so unexpectedly great - Kirkus Reviews on THE SEVENTH BRIDE Darkly funny...a fast and entertaining novel - Locus Magazine on CLOCKWORK BOYS Vernon's worldbuilding is magnificently weird - Tor.com on SWORDHEART

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Book Synopsis'Powered by immense, perverse energy out of the Limerick idiom, the collection generates a singular music that is memorable, unsettling and humane' Guardian'Eerie, dark and twisted . . . Blindboy's passion for Irish nature, mythology and folklore lends a spiritual profundity' BuzzYou don't fully appreciate how large a donkey's head is until it's beside you in a Fiat Punto. The view in my mirror was furry and violent. I was driving blind.Driving with a donkey stuffed in the back seat; jackdaws pecking brains out through the roof of a confessional box; cat piss and astronauts. This is the world not as you see it, but as it is, twisted from the maverick mind of Blindboyboatclub.These are stories of the strange unsettlings in the souls of men caught in between the past and the possible; stories of heart-blinding rage and disquieting compassion.Taking its title from a twelfth-century English manuscript of the same name, which dehumanised the people and culture of Ireland to facilitate domination, Topographia Hibernica is a collection that unravels the knotted threads of humanity, nature and colonisation from a contemporary Irish perspective.Called 'one of the most gifted writers of his generation' by the Irish Times, Blindboyboatclub is the essential voice for the Irish condition in the twenty-first century. Topographia Hibernica is his unmissable new short-story collection.Trade ReviewPowered by immense, perverse energy out of the Limerick idiom, the collection generates a singular music that is memorable, unsettling and humane. Moments of beauty dazzle amid the profanity, as pathos and comedy are braided together * Guardian *Eerie, dark and twisted . . . Blindboy's passion for Irish nature, mythology and folklore lends a spiritual profundity * Buzz *One of the most gifted writers of his generation * Michael Harding - Irish Times *A bestseller in the bag * Irish Independent *A cultural phenomenon...Earnest and intellectual, but also funny and down-to-earth....Talking to him can feel like skittering around a galaxy of Wikipedia wormholes (in a good way) * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisAn ever-increasing malice. A mind-numbing terror. The seeds of horror are sown in this collection of Junji Ito’s earliest works.A vengeful family hides an army deserter for eight years after the end of World War II, cocooning him in a false reality where the war never ended. A pair of girls look alike, but they’re not twins. And a boy’s nightmare threatens to spill out into the real world… This hauntingly strange story collection showcases a dozen of Junji Ito’s earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene, sowing fresh seeds of terror.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1967, this book consists of three short novellas on the theme of women''s vulnerability in the first, to the process of ageing, in the second to loneliness, and, in the third, to the growing indifference of a loved one.THE WOMAN DESTROYED is a collection of three stories, each an exquisite and passionate study of a woman trapped by circumstances, trying to rebuild her life.In the first story, The Age of Discretion', a successful scholar fast approaching middle age faces a double shock her son's abandonment of the career she has chosen for him and the harsh critical rejection of her latest academic work. The Monologue' is an extraordinary New Year's Eve outpouring of invective from a woman consumed with bitterness and loneliness after her son and her husband have left home. Finally, in The Woman Destroyed', Simone de Beauvoir tells the story of Monique, trying desperately to resurrect her life after her husband confesses to an affair with a younger woman.Compassionate, lucid, full of wit and knowing, Simone de Beauvoir's rare insight into the inequalities and complexities of women's lives is unsurpassable.Trade ReviewPraise for THE WOMAN DESTROYED: ‘In these immensely intelligent stories about the decay of passion, Simone de Beauvoir shares with other women novelists the ability to write about emotion in terms of direct experience. What is unique and supremely valuable in her work is the capacity to retain at the same time a coolness and critical detachment towards her material.’ Sunday Times ‘Intensely readable, with a return to warmth and identification with the characters that made THE MANDARINS outstanding’ New Statesman Praise for Simone de Beauvoir: ‘Simone de Beauvoir is a writer whose every work I pounce on eagerly – her vision is so wide, the tale she tells is so interesting, her characterisation so psychologically profound’ YORKSHIRE POST ‘Simone de Beauvoir has the true novelist's gift of selecting detail and creating individuals whilst refusing to sum up situations’ A.S. BYATT

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Book SynopsisAn all-new collection of winter-themed mysteries from the master of the genre, just in time for the festive period.Trade Review‘Without a doubt, the greatest mystery writer of all time’ – Ragnar Jonasson ‘A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow’ – Andrew Taylor ‘Agatha Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers’ – Val McDermid ‘She gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed’ – Susan Lewis ‘Dame Agatha has sold more books than all besides Shakespeare and the Bible’ – David Baldacci ‘All crime fiction writers around the globe owe Agatha Christie a massive debt’ – Peter James ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’ – Tana French

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Book SynopsisA woman is found dead in an apparent suicide – but there may be something darker at play. Featuring Inspector Jimmy Perez, Too Good To Be True is a gripping Quick Read from Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series.Now a major BBC One drama, Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall.When young teacher Anna Blackwell is found dead in her home, the police think her death was suicide or a tragic accident. After all, Stonebridge is a quiet country village in the Scottish Borders, where murders just don't happen. But Inspector Jimmy Perez soon arrives from far-away Shetland when his ex-wife, Sarah, asks him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it – but needs proof.Anna had been a teacher. She must have loved kids. Would she kill herself knowing there was nobody to look after her daughter? She had seemed happier than ever before she died. And to Perez, this suggests not suicide, but murder . . .Quick Reads are short books from bestselling authors, perfect for a fast and satisfying read – whether you're a regular reader, or just getting started. With Too Good To Be True, you can get a taste of the thrilling story of Shetland's Inspector Jimmy Perez. Start the series with book one, Raven Black.

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Book SynopsisHorror master Junji Ito explores a new frontier with a grand cosmic horror tale in which a mysterious woman has her way with the world!A woman walks alone at the foot of Mount Sengoku. A man appears, saying he’s been waiting for her, and invites her to a nearby village. Surprisingly, the village is covered in hairlike volcanic glass fibers, and all of it shines a bright gold. At night, when the villagers perform their custom of gazing up at the starry sky, countless unidentified flying objects come raining down on them—the opening act for the terror about to occur!

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Book SynopsisAn all-new collection of summer-themed mysteries from the master of the genre, just in time for the holiday season.Trade Review‘Without a doubt, the greatest mystery writer of all time’ – Ragnar Jonasson ‘A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow’ – Andrew Taylor ‘Agatha Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers’ – Val McDermid ‘She gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed’ – Susan Lewis ‘Dame Agatha has sold more books than all besides Shakespeare and the Bible’ – David Baldacci ‘All crime fiction writers around the globe owe Agatha Christie a massive debt’ – Peter James ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’ – Tana French

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Book SynopsisCAPTIVATING LOVE STORIES CELEBRATED AND RETOLDTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND GLOBAL HITAs seen on BBC2 Between the Covers''Perfection in short story form. So rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or this artfully.'' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS''Beautifully written and full of joy. Bolu Babalola is a star.'' MEG CABOT''Here is love as freedom, love as deep joy. Romance will never be dead, as long as Bolu is writing it.'' JESSIE BURTON__________Bolu Babalola takes the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology and rewrites them with incredible new detail and vivacity in her debut collection. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines iconic Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from countries that no longer exist in our world. A high-born Nigerian goddess feels beaten down and unapprecTrade ReviewIf you're tired of conventional love stories, 'Love in Colour' is a captivating collection of love stories inspired by Greek mythology and Nigerian folklore. * Melan magazine *

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Book SynopsisAn all-new collection of spring-themed mysteries from the master of the genre.Trade Review‘Without a doubt, the greatest mystery writer of all time’ – Ragnar Jonasson ‘A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow’ – Andrew Taylor ‘Agatha Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers’ – Val McDermid ‘She gives us an insight into human nature that few, if any, have surpassed’ – Susan Lewis ‘Dame Agatha has sold more books than all besides Shakespeare and the Bible’ – David Baldacci ‘All crime fiction writers around the globe owe Agatha Christie a massive debt’ – Peter James ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’ – Tana French

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Book SynopsisGorgeous Collector's Edition. The Myths of Ancient Egypt are tied intimately to the presence and natural rhythms of the Nile. With their complex and evolving mythology, the Egyptians explained the effects of famine, harvest, floods and death by creating a pantheon of gods that still holds our fascination today. This new book presents classic egyptological works, with a new introduction, and brings the stories of the ancients to life, from the birth of creation by Ra, the sun god, to the murder of Osiris, and the revenge of Horus. We gain glimpses of the underworld and the afterlife, as the rulers of Egypt claimed lineage from the Gods both worshipped and fashioned by the people of Egypt, at a time when humankind had begun to shape the world around it, Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction, authors, myths and tales without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new introduction and a Glossary of Terms.

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Book SynopsisAvailable for the first time in 25 years, this book of songs and sheet music, a collaboration between J. R. R. Tolkien and the composer Donald Swann, will delight Tolkien fans everywhere as the book to stand beside their copies of Lord of The Rings, the essays, poems and calendars. Includes a bonus CD containing performances of all the songs.In this song book the composer Donald Swann gives Tolkien characters Bilbo, Treebeard, Sam Gamgee and Tom Bombadil tunes for their ballads of the road.Professor Tolkien approved of this and added a tune of his own, decorated the book in his own hand and added a glossary of Elvish terms and lore that appears nowhere else.

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Book SynopsisA new collection of botanical British folk tales about plants and wild flowers, journeying through the seasons of the yearTrade Review"A wonderful collection suitable for all ages and filled with pretty florals too." * The Independent *

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Book SynopsisAn unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young adult and adult intermediate learners of Danish."Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too!" - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers Short Stories in Danish for Beginners has been written especially for learners from beginner to low-intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages, these eight captivating stories are designed to give you a sense of achievement and a feeling of progress when reading.What does this book give you?- Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary- Controlled language at your level to help you progress confidently- Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way- Realistic spoken dialogues to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability- Beautiful illustrations accompanying each story, to set the scene and support your understanding- Pleasure! Research shows that if you're enjoying reading in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!'Carefully curated to make learning a new language easy, these stories include key features that will support and consolidate your progress, including: - A glossary for bolded words in each chapter- Full plot summary- A bilingual word list- Comprehension questions after each chapter. As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying reading, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language, without ever feeling overwhelmed. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in Danish for Beginners will make learning Danish easy and enjoyable.Trade ReviewAs researchers in language acquisition, we need to study people like you. * Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor, University of Southern California *Olly's advice on language learning is the real deal, and I recommend you pay attention to what he has to say! * Benny Lewis, Fluent in 3 Months *When we wanted to create a free online course on how to learn a language we asked Olly to write it with us. * Dr Tita Beaven, The Open University *Learning a language is challenging, but it's one of the best things you can do for your brain and your learning skill set... Olly Richards is doing some seriously incredible work to empower more and more people to rise to the challenge. * Jonathan Levi *Olly bridges the gap between theory and practice by helping you to use scientific principles to get real results with your language learning. * Anthony Metivier, Magnetic Memory Method *Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. * Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers *

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Book Synopsis'Wickedly clever prose and a sense of humour that seems to loom up like a character in itself' – M John Harrison, GuardianIn her brilliantly inventive and haunting debut collection of stories, Julia Armfield explores the body, mapping the skin and bones of her characters through their experiences of isolation, obsession, love and revenge.Teenagers develop ungodly appetites, a city becomes insomniac overnight, and bodies are diligently picked apart to make up better ones. The mundane worlds of schools and sleepy sea-side towns are invaded and transformed, creating a landscape which is constantly shifting to hold on to its inhabitants. Blurring the mythic and the gothic with the everyday, Salt Slow considers characters in motion – turning away, turning back or simply turning into something new entirely.Winner of The White Review Short Story Prize 2018, Armfield is a writer of sharp, lyrical prose and tilting dark humour – Salt Slow marks the arrival of an ambitious and singular new voice.'Salt Slow is exemplary. A distinct new gothic, melancholy, powerful and poised.' – China Miéville, author of The City & The City'Armfield is an enormous, gut-wrenching talent.' – Daisy Johnson, author of Everything UnderTrade ReviewSalt Slow is exemplary. A distinct new gothic, melancholy, powerful and poised. -- China Miéville, author of The City & The CityUnafraid to venture beyond realism’s limits, Julia Armfield refashions our contemporary existence as an eerie, care-worn dreamworld, taking our quotidian anxieties and desires and handing them back to us empathetically remade . . . Armfield is a significant, exciting talent. -- Sam Byers, author of Perfidious Albion and judge of The White Review Short Story Prize 2018This debut collection is both wild and wonderful, packed with mythical transformations that take place in the most ordinary of contemporary settings . . . vivid . . . visceral . . . marvellous. * Daily Mail *Reading this collection is the only thing you need to do right now. Reading this collection is the only thing you ever need to do. Armfield is an enormous, gut-wrenching talent. -- Daisy Johnson, Man Booker Prize shortlisted author of Everything UnderTruly dazzling . . . Horror for the Instagram generation. There is a melancholy sense in reading such a wonderful collection of short stories and finding them so subtle, intelligent and imaginative. When I put the book down I wondered: will her first novel be as good? -- Stuart Kelly * The Scotsman *These exquisitely written stories are like the quietly surreal lovechild of Anne Michaels and Julio Cortazar. Both moving and poetic, salt slow introduces Julia Armfield as a writer to watch and greatly admire. -- Sharlene Teo, author of PontiThe stories in this collection look at women’s bodies and their experiences in society with an eerie, otherworldly lense . . . For fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Sophie Mackintosh and Megan Hunter * Elle *Remember the name Julia Armfield as this will be the year that salt slow bubbles under then pops up everywhere on best-of lists and literary prizes . . . Visceral, perturbing and exhilarating. * Stylist *Writers should take risks and Julia Armfield does this fearlessly with stories that unnerve and delight in equal measure. There are echoes of Leonora Carrington and Carmen Maria Machado, but Armfield's distinct voice is her own: singular, visceral and eerie. A hugely impressive first collection. -- Sinéad Gleeson, author of ConstellationsVisceral, fierce and beautifully unsettling, Armfield's writing has an astonishing power. This collection haunted me with its brilliance. -- Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll FactoryHer work has a timelessness to it, and a generosity of emotion that’s brave and affecting. -- Chloe Aridjis, author of Book of Clouds and judge of The White Review Short Story Prize 2018These are brilliantly addictive, barbed, illusive stories. Armfield creates a cleverly unsettling, iridescent world that we are all the better for entering. -- Irenosen Okojie, author of Speak GigantularIn the tradition of Kelly Link and Aimee Bender, Julia Armfield's salt slow places a surrealist lens on women's bodies, interactions and relationships to expose their mythic, metamorphic potential. Subversive in viewpoint, these stories achieve a simplicity and crispness of tone, setting and story that gives them the timeless, evocative quality of fables. -- Caoilinn Hughes, author of Orchid and the Wasp'Armfield’s debut introduces a significant new voice in contemporary writing; original and challenging . . . each story seems as strange and troubling as a dream; illogical and inevitable, and all the more powerful for that.' * The Herald *These short stories portray tender cruelties and macabre metamorphoses in wickedly clever prose . . . and a sense of humour that seems to loom up like a character in itself, having been lying in wait in a corner all along. -- M John Harrison * Guardian *Thrilling . . . A writer whose next move you wouldn’t want to miss. * Observer *Filled with magic, insight, and a rare level of creativity that mark Armfield as a fresh new voice . . . Artistic and perceptive, Armfield's debut explores the ebbs and flows of human connection in lives touched by the bizarre. * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisEverybody loves stories and Scotland is full of them. Every town, village, glen, loch, nook and cranny has a tale to tell and it’s these stories that bring those places to life. Scotland’s Stories is the key to unlocking those legends and seeing these incredible places in a new light. Loch Garve looks very different when you know there’s a Kelpie lurking somewhere in its depths. There’s a new appreciation for the iconic Eilean Donan Castle after discovering the man who built it spoke with birds. An empty moor or wooded gorge is easily brought to life with the clashing sounds of a battle fought long ago.Based on the popular travel blog from storyteller Graeme and Molly the Labrador, these tales will appeal to all who love history, folklore and Scotland.Trade ReviewThis book is a real treasure for anyone interested in Scotland. From fierce battles and fascinating figures of Scottish history to the wonders of Scottish mythology, this book has it all! -- Beth Reid * @historywithbeth *In his new book, Graeme Johncock brings together some of Scotland’s most intriguing stories, such as the Lady Ghosts of Crathes Castle… * Scotland magazine *"Everyone loves a good tale, whether it’s a rousing historical anecdote or a frightening fantasy… and they’re all better when heard in the place where the action is set, writes storyteller supreme Graeme Johncock" * Feature in Scotsman magazine *Johncock takes the reader on a tour of some incredible places while revealing the stories that bring them to life. A great read to dip into at your leisure. * Scottish Field *

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERDon''t miss the brand new collection of never-before-seen ghostly tales from these eight authors plus four more. The Winter Spirits is out in October 2023 and available to pre-order now. ''You won''t find a more thrilling winter read this year, or a better line up of writers who have mastered the gothic and ghostly.'' SARA COLLINS, Costa Award-winning author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton Featuring new and original tales from: Bridget Collins Sunday Times bestselling author of The Binding Imogen Hermes Gowar Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock Kiran Millwood Hargrave Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mercies Andrew Michael Hurley Sunday Times bestselling author of The Loney Jess Kidd International award-winning author of Things in Jars Elizabeth Macneal Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory Natasha Pulley Sunday Times bestselling author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street Laura Purcell Award-winning author of The Silent Companions ______________Long before Charles Dickens and Henry James popularized the tradition, the shadowy nights of winter have been a time for people to gather together by the flicker of candlelight and experience the intoxicating thrill of a ghost story.Now eight bestselling, award-winning authors - all of them master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre - bring the tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding new collection of original spine-tingling tales.Taking you from the frosty Fens to the wild Yorkshire moors, to the snow-covered grounds of a haunted estate, to a bustling London Christmas market, these mesmerizing stories will capture your imagination and serve as your indispensable companion to the cold, dark nights. So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the spell of winters past . . .Trade ReviewThe chilling tales of The Haunting Season will make you feel oddly cosy, in the way that only the best ghost stories can. Exquisitely crafted from some of the finest British writers, I enjoyed every word. -- Francine Toon, Sunday Times bestselling author of 'Pine'Gorgeous, macabre, beautifully crafted . . .a brilliant re-making of an old tradition, and this is a book destined to be read and re-read through many a long winter night -- Amanda Mason, author of 'The Wayward Girls'You won't a more thrilling winter read this year, or a better line up of writers who have mastered the gothic and ghostly. -- Sara Collins, Costa Award-winning author of 'The Confessions of Frannie Langton'It lured me in, then held me fast. A gut-wrenching collection of ghostly tales, at once sumptuous and thrilling, rich and raw. Powerful, original and beautifully written, I didn't want them to end. -- Joanne Burn, author of 'The Hemlock Cure'The Haunting Season contains stories by some of our finest contemporary writers - between them, they revitalize the traditional winter's tale with vibrant, tense writing that will haunt you long after you finish reading -- Jenn Ashworth, author of 'A Kind of Intimacy'The Haunting Season was an absolute treat. Eight gloriously gothic and ghostly tales from some of our best historical writers. Spectral chess, haunted chairs and stories of survival and psychosis. Brilliantly chilling writing. -- Anna Mazzola, author of 'The Unseeing'From today's finest writers of suspense, horror and historical fiction comes a chocolate-box collection of stories to savour alone or share ... Best read by candlelight. * Metro *An array of celebrated writers have contributed spooky stories to this beautifully produced book * Daily Express *Curl up with a hot chocolate but maybe leave the lights on * Prima *You can't go wrong with this creepy collection of 'ghostly tales for long winter nights', from an absolutely stellar cast of writers ... I had to sleep with the lights on after I'd read it * Red *What a line-up of authors ... these classic tales, intended to be read by candlelight, will thrill lovers of old fashioned, spooky tales * Woman *Prepare to be spooked by these eight fantastically frightening tales ... best read by candlelight (if you dare....) * Good Housekeeping *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2007 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award'Blisteringly good' GuardianIn her remarkable stories of seemingly ordinary people living extraordinary lives, Miranda July reveals how a single moment can change everything. Whether writing about a middle-aged woman's obsession with Prince William or an aging bachelor who has never been in love, the result is startling, tender and sexy by turns. One of the most acclaimed and successful short-story collections, No One Belongs Here More Than You confirms Miranda July as a spectacularly original, iconic and important voice today.Trade ReviewBlisteringly good * * Guardian * *There's beauty and tenderness here as well as great wit and, like the best stories, a delicious sense of the unexpected * * Metro * *A stunning collection ... from a wonderfully quirky and highly original writer * * Venue * *July's short fiction is quirky and self-consciously postmodern in style ... The best of her stories adds a depth of emotional truth which can persuade you to believe in her most oddball worlds. -- Helen Chappell * * Tribune * *Surprising, amusing and touching ... they'll fill you with a renewed sense of wonder at the world * * Venue * *Magically oddball ... rarely has such a thing been so entertaining * * Time Out * *July's inventive tales swing from laugh-out-loud funny to heart-clenchingly sad * * Daily Telegraph * *These stories are incredibly charming, beautifully written, frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and even, a dozen or so times, profound -- DAVE EGGERSAstonishingly good ... mordantly funny * * Vogue * *Intimate, original and more than a little strange, these are tales about people who are baffled and often overwhelmed by life. * * Daily Mail * *Miranda July's is a beautiful, odd, original voice - seductive, sometimes erotic, and a little creepy too -- DAVID BYRNEWonderful * * Elle * *The stories have a frank, direct tone that makes their loopiness charming ... July delights in revealing the unseen awkwardness of the everyday, and this collection is both resonant and complex * * Financial Times * *July's writing has a whimsical, dreamlike quality ... she has an understanding of human truths and an extraordinary honesty about our wish for acceptance * * Guardian * *Charming and funny * * Daily Telegraph * *Exquisite * * LA Times * *July's stories startle us at every turn, sometimes by their sexual frankness, sometimes by passages of impossibly lush eloquence ... and very often by their inventiveness * * San Francisco Chronicle * *Who will Miranda July's work appeal to? To borrow the name of her lovely first film, Me and You and Everyone We Know * * Entertainment Weekly * *Moving ... this collection features characters laughing, crying and thinking. Read the stories and you'll do the same * * i-D * *A considered and engaging new talent * * Spectator * *

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Book SynopsisThe strange and wonderful tale of man’s experiences on Mars, filled with intense images and astonishing visions.The classic work that transformed Ray Bradbury into a household name.Trade Review‘The bitter irony of The Martian Chronicles is both stark and shocking’ Guardian ‘As a science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury has long been streets ahead of anyone else’ Daily Telegraph ‘The sheer velocity of his words is an apocalyptic torrent which sweeps the reader on’ Independent ‘No other writer uses language with greater originality and zest. he seems to be a American Dylan Thomas’ Sunday Telegraph

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Book Synopsis*From the Booker-shortlisted author of Small Things Like These*Faber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles. The evening is fine. In the sky a few early stars are shining of their own accord. She watches the dog licking the bowl clean. This dog will break her daughter's heart, she's sure of it.Claire Keegan's mesmeric story takes us into the heart of the Wicklow countryside, and of the farming family of Victor Deegan, with his three teenagers, the milking and the mortgage'.When Deegan finds a gun dog and gives it as a present to his only daughter, his wife is filled with foreboding at this seeming act of kindness. As the seasons pass, long-buried family secrets threaten to emerge.Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.

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Book SynopsisGorgeous Collector's Edition. Many medieval writers, especially from France and Wales, wrote stories about the great British leader, King Arthur. Legends, folklore and myths from this period come together to paint a picture of who he was with some describing him as a great warrior, defending Britain from its enemies, while others suggest Arthur had magical qualities. Throughout this mystery, King Arthur has become an iconic figure, known for his court and knights and his chivalric adventures. This collection offers a selection of myths, featuring Arthur’s knights of the round table, his love for Queen Guinevere and of course the ultimate betrayal by his most trusted knight, Sir Lancelot. Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction, authors, myths and tales without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new introduction and a Glossary of Terms.

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Book SynopsisGorgeous Collector's Edition. From such texts as the Shah Nameh (the Persian Book of Kings), Masnavi-e Ma’navi, the Anvar-i Suhayli fables and works by the great poet Nizāmī, come ancient tales of a civilization that once stretched across the known world. Find here the wonderful stories of the magical bird the Simurgh, the Seven Labours of Rustem, the evil demon onager-giant Akwán Díw and the tragic romance of Laili and Majnun. Persian literature is amongst the most beautiful and inventive of all cultures, offering a joyful read of creation, love and conquest. Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction, authors, myths and tales without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new introduction and a Glossary of Terms.

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Book SynopsisThe great songs and folktales of the English, Irish, and Scottish tradition reimagined in comic book form by some of the most famous fantasy and science fiction authors of the 20th century, including Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Charles de Lint (Widdershins, The Onion Girl), Jane Yolen (Lost Girls, Briar Rose), Sharyn McCrumb (The Ballad of Frankie Silver), Jeff Smith (Bone), and more.Trade Review"A delightful volume for anyone interested in either fantasy, fairy tales, or classical literature." - Chico Comics Page "f you’re a fan of fairy tales and folklore in general, this is a must have" - Comics Beat

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Book SynopsisCelebrating Fifty Years of Picador BooksThe world just goes along. Nothing much matters, you know? I mean really matters. but then sometimes, just for a second, you get this grace, this belief that it does matter, a whole lot.With an introduction from Lydia DavisLucia Berlin’s stories in A Manual for Cleaning Women make for one of the most remarkable unsung collections in twentieth-century American fiction. With extraordinary honesty and magnetism, Lucia Berlin invites us into her rich, itinerant life: the drink and the mess and the pain and the beauty and the moments of surprise and of grace, with a voice is witty, anarchic, compassionate, and completely unique. Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.Trade ReviewThis selection of 43 stories . . . should by all rights see her as lauded as Jean Rhys or Raymond Carver. -- John Self * Independent *In A Manual for Cleaning Women we witness the emergence of an important American writer, one who was mostly overlooked in her time. She is the real deal. * New York Times *Lucia Berlin's collection of short stories, A Manual for Cleaning Women, deserves all of the posthumous praise its author has received . . . Her work is being comp­ared to Raymond Carver, for her similar oblique, colloquial style; her mordant humour; the recurrence of alcoholics; and her interest in the lives of working-class or marginalised people. But only Carver's very final stories share Berlin's eye for the sud­den exaltation in ordinary lives, or her ability to shift the tone of an entire story with an unexpected sent­ence. -- Sarah Churchwell, 'Best Books of 2015' * Guardian *Some short story writers - Chekhov, Alice Munro, William Trevor - sidle up and tap you gently on the shoulder: Come, they murmur, sit down, listen to what I have to say. Lucia Berlin spins you around, knocks you down and grinds your face into the dirt. You will listen to me if I have to force you, her stories growl. But why would you make me do that, darlin'? . . . Berlin's stories are full of second chances. Now readers have another chance to confront them: bits of life, chewed up and spat out like a wad of tobacco, bitter and rich. * New York Times Book Review *[Berlin's] stories are peopled with sharp, unpredictable, vital characters (often drunk!). They hit you with a force the moment you happen upon them. -- Jackie Kay * Observer *Raw and funny and breathtakingly great. -- Lauren Groff * New Yorker *Berlin's stories . . . alternate between light and dark so seamlessly and suddenly that a certain emotion barely fades before you feel something abruptly different . . . The result is a fictional world of wide-ranging impact, a powerful chiaroscuro that manages to encompass the full spectrum of human experience . . . [Berlin] deserves to be ranked alongside Alice Munro, Raymond Carver, and Anton Chekhov. She excels at pacing, structure, dialogue, characterization, description, and every other aspect of the form. * The Boston Globe *[Berlin's] writing really soars. * Literary Review *There is a seemingly effortless style to these beautifully observant tales of detoxing, lapsing and old affections. * Sunday Express *This career-spanning volume should reward readers who return to it for months, years, even decades . . . Berlin's stories offer few answers, and no easy routes to redemption, but empathy pulses. -- Max Liu * Independent *Berlin writes about extremities of shame, humiliation and degradation with a ferocious elegance that allows neither bleakness not sentimentality . . . The editorial arrangement by Berlin's friend Stephen Emerson is particularly sensitive to the jazzy musicality of the stories . . . These perfectly poised cadences are the work of a writer who knew exactly how good she was. -- Jane Shilling * New Statesman *Full of humor and tenderness and emphatic grace . . . Those not lucky enough to have yet encountered the writing of Lucia Berlin are in for some high-grade pleasure when they make first contact. * Washington Post *A Manual for Cleaning Women is a miracle of storytelling. * Elle *Here's prose to fall hard for, from the first beautifully candid paragraph to the last. As Berlin's characters confide in the reader and in each other, somehow, through the "ifs" and "buts," laundry and flower clocks, grace and catastrophe, a mesh is woven that captures life itself. I'm bowled over by her. -- Helen OyeyemiWhat a thrilling, welcome discovery this collection is. These are stories to beguile, fascinate and surprise. You are never sure what will happen next. As soon as I'd finished this book, I had to turn back to the beginning and start again. -- Maggie O'FarrellBerlin's writing is characterised by an enormous appetite for life, for humour and for love . . . This almost chatty style is undercut by brutal one-liners and swift reversals that, along with skilful narrative shaping, remind you that these are painstakingly crafted stories. -- Catherine O’Flynn * Guardian *Berlin's literary model is Chekhov, but there are extra-literary models too, including the extended jazz solo, with its surges, convolutions, and asides. This is writing of a very high order. -- August Kleinzahler on Where I Live Now * London Review of Books *[The stories] are set in the places Berlin knows best: Chile, Mexico, the Southwest and California, and they have the casual, straightforward, immediately intimate style that distinguishes her work . . . [They] are told in an easy conversational voice and they go from start to finish with a swift and often lyrical economy . . . Berlin's stories capture and communicate these moments of grace and cast a lovely, lazy light that lasts. She is one of our finest writers. -- Molly Giles on So Long * San Francisco Chronicle *Lucia Berlin might be the most interesting person you've never met . . . Every detox ward, dingy Laundromat, and sunbaked Mexican palapa spills across the page in sentences so bright and fierce and full of wild color that you'll want to turn each one over just to see how she does it. And then go back and read them all again. * Entertainment Weekly *[Lucia Berlin] may just be the best writer you've never heard of . . . Imagine a less urban Grace Paley, with a similar talent for turning the net of resentments and affections among family members into stories that carry more weight than their casual, conversational tone might initially suggest . . . Berlin's offbeat humor, get-on-with-it realism, and ability to layer details that echo across stories and decades give her book a tremendous staying power . . . [A Manual for Cleaning Women] goes a long way toward putting Berlin, who died in 2004, back in the public eye. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Lucia Berlin has long been overlooked as one of America's best short story writers, and it only takes readers the first couple of pages to recognize that . . . Reminiscent of Raymond Carver with a dash of survivor's humor, which makes even the bleakest tales thoroughly enjoyable. * Nylon *A major talent . . . A testament to a writer whose explorations of society's rougher corners deserve wider attention. * Kirkus (Starred Review) *Berlin's posthumous, highly semiautobiographical collection will catapult her into a household name. * Marie Claire *How a writer with this much appeal slipped under the radar is unfathomable . . . Anyone who loves the stories of Grace Paley and Lorrie Moore will find another master of the form here . . . Just go get the book and start reading them for yourself. * Newsday *Berlin's ability to gaze into a person's soul is reflected in her writing it is incisive, and the boldness of the prose jumps off the page . . . Poignant, comic and beautifully observed. * The Lady *[The stories] reel you in with their warmth, humour and a cast of ordinary women leading very real, very messy lives. * Red *This was a brilliant woman. [Berlin's] work transcends funny and shows us the absurd. She doesn't let her characters hide behind artifice or sensationalism or substances, as much as they might like to. Reading these stories, you get the sense that this is what she wanted for herself: to let go of the bullshit. As a result, the transformation she provides is visceral and startling. -- Kelly Luce * Electric Lit *Begin reading a Berlin short story and you know immediately that you are in the presence of a unique and searing literary force . . . This revelatory volume now brings her forward to stand beside her peers. * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisA whip-smart, funny and very of the moment parody of uber-rich extravagance from brilliant, upcoming comedian Daniel Foxx. Author and comedian Daniel Foxx presents a wonderful collection of stories especially for the little darlings of the fabulously wealthy - that can also be enjoyed by YOU, the downtrodden, pitiful, ordinary adult! Read about the everyday adventures of Rupert, Shallotte and Genevievette as they ski, holiday, and drift around Selfridges - while always keeping a healthy distance from the dreaded hoi polloi! Other magical adventures include: Rupert goes on holiday! But what is 'duty free'? And why do poor people love it so much? Pippa and Retinol go for a picnic! But they can't find any Parma ham!! Lily goes with Daddy to work! And fires Kate from marketing!! BEDTIME STORIES FOR PRIVILEGED CHILDREN is the perfect Christmas gift - whether you're wintering in Aspen, summering in Tusca

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Book SynopsisOne of the finest short story writers I've ever read' Amy TanWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZEWINNER OF THE PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARDWINNER OF THE NEW YORKER PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST BOOKJhumpa Lahiri's prize-winning debut collection explores the lives of Indians in exile of people navigating between the strict traditions they've inherited and the baffling New World they must encounter every day.Whether set in Boston or Bengal, these sublimely understated stories, imbued with umour and subtle detail, speak with eloquence to anyone who has ever felt the yearnings of exile or the emotional confusion of an outsider.Lahiri is a writter of uncommon elegance and poise, and with Interpreter of Maladies she has made a precocious debut' New York TimesTrade Review‘Lahiri has an extraordinary voice’Salman Rushdie ‘Jhumpa Lahiri is the kind of writer who makes you want to grab the next person you see and say“Read this!”She’s a dazzling storyteller with a distinctive voice, an eye for nuance, an ear for irony. She is one of the finest short story writers I’ve read.’AMY TAN ‘Jhumpa Lahiri’s strong, subtle short story collection is a debut to relish.’Guardian

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Book SynopsisDirect from the Diablo development team and horror's preeminent minds comes Tales from the Horadric Library, a short story collection exploring the deepest, darkest corners of Sanctuary. While the Eternal Conflict rages forever on, horror and superstition of a purely Sanctuary variety still prey on the hearts of its people. The Horadric Order has been tasked with recording any knowledge that could prove useful, whether it's a local legend, a cautionary tale, or a story of the darkest horror. Now, the vaults are open. Direct from the Diablo development team and horror's preeminent minds comes Tales from the Horadric Library, a short story collection exploring the deepest, darkest corners of Sanctuary.

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Book Synopsis The original, first-rate, serious, and beautiful short fiction (New York Times Book Review) that introduced J. D. Salinger to American readers in the years after World War II, including A Perfect Day for Bananafish and the first appearance of Salinger''s fictional Glass family. Nine exceptional stories from one of the great literary voices of the twentieth century. Witty, urbane, and frequently affecting, Nine Stories sits alongside Salinger''s very best work--a treasure that will passed down for many generations to come. The stories: A Perfect Day for Bananafish Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut Just Before the War with the Eskimos The Laughing Man Down at the Dinghy For Esmé--with Love and Squalor Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes De Daumier-Smith''s Blue Period Teddy

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Book SynopsisAssembled here in tribute to these relics of a lost age are accounts of terrifying spirits haunting Stonehenge itself, stories of awful fates for those who impose modernity on the sacred sites and grim tales in which unwitting trespassers into the eternal rites of pagan worship find themselves part of an enduring legacy of blood.

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Book SynopsisThis volume features 25 tales of the uncanny and macabre regarded to be among the finest weird tales in the English language.

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Book SynopsisThe Nobel Prize-winner Doris Lessing's first novel is a taut and tragic portrayal of a crumbling marriage, set in South Africa during the years of Arpartheid.Set in Rhodesia, The Grass is Singing' tells the story of Dick Turner, a failed white farmer and his wife, Mary, a town girl who hates the bush and viciously abuses the black South Africans who work on their farm. But after many years, trapped by poverty, sapped by the heat of their tiny house, the lonely and frightened Mary turns to Moses, the black cook, for kindness and understanding.A masterpiece of realism, The Grass is Singing' is a superb evocation of Africa's majestic beauty, an intense psychological portrait of lives in confusion and, most of all, a fearless exploration of the ideology of white supremacy.Trade Review‘Original and striking…full of those terrifying touches of truth, seldom mentioned but instantly recognised.’ New Statesman ‘Doris Lessing responds more passionately than most writers to people or situations: often she responds with hate or rancour, but always with passion. In “The Grass is Singing”, you can feel the dynamo-like throb of a formidable talent; by its side, most novels of 1950 look like crochet-work.’ The Times ‘“The Grass is Singing” focuses on the blighted life of a woman whose spirit is destroyed by a disastrous marriage and by an environment to which she couldn’t respond. More than any other white African writer of her generation, Doris Lessing is aware of the seductive cruelty of colonialism, and is one of our strongest, fiercest voices against injustice, racism and sexual hypocrisy.’ Independent on Sunday

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Book SynopsisAgatha Christie’s seasonal Poirot and Marple short story collection in a new hardback special edition.Trade Review'There is irresistible simplicity and buoyancy of a Christmas treat about it all' Times Literary Supplement

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Book Synopsis‘His body was pressed against the wall at the head of the bed, and the face was a mask of agonised horror and fruitless entreaty. But the eyes were already glazed in death, and before Francis could reach the bed the body had toppled over and lay inert and lifeless. Even as he looked, he heard a limping step go down the passage outside.’ E. F. Benson was a master of the ghost story and now all his rich, imaginative, spine-tingling and beautifully written tales are presented together in this bumper collection. The range and variety of these spooky narratives is far broader and more adventurous than those of any other writer of supernatural fiction. Within the covers of this volume you will encounter revengeful spectres, vampires, homicidal spirits, monstrous spectral worms and slugs and other entities of nameless dread. This is a classic collection that cannot fail to charm and chill.

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Book Synopsis"Even as she screamed, her voice became thin, like a crying of wind; then she melted into a bright white mist that spired to the roof beams. Never again was she seen."Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan (which means "ghost story" in Japanese) is the first and most famous collection of Japanese yokai stories ever published. This unforgettable collection of 17 eerie tales and 3 original cultural studies by Hearn are based on traditional oral tales passed down for generations. They are fresh reminders of the dark and mysterious corners of the Japanese psyche, from popular representations in anime, manga and video games to Masaki Kobayashi's Oscar-nominated horror film Kwaidan.This new edition includes over 20 full-color woodblock prints that showcase the rich visual tradition of Japanese Yokai. A new foreword by Michael Dylan Foster, the leading Western expert on Yokai literature, places the stories in context and explains the lasting importance of Hearn's pioneering look at Japan's bewitching spirit world.The stories in this volume include: "Yuki-onna" — A ghostly woman saves a man during a fierce snowstorm then gives him a deadly warning… "The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi" — A musician is unwittingly called upon by a Samurai to perform for the dead, with bloody consequences. "Diplomacy" — A Samurai warrior avoids the ghostly revenge of a man he intends to kill by outsmarting him before striking he strikes the death blow. Hearn is the best-known early Western interpreter of Japanese culture and was particularly interested in tales of the supernatural. He eagerly gathered "delicate, transparent, ghostly sketches" in his adopted land and translated them with gusto. His English versions were translated back into Japanese and are considered classics of Japanese literature to this day—eagerly devoured by Japanese school children.

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Book Synopsis“O'Brien has written a vital, important book—a book that matters not only to the reader interested in Vietnam, but to anyone interested in the craft of writing as well.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene, The Things They Carried is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling.   The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three.   Taught everywhere—from high school classrooms to graduate seminars in creative writing—it has become required reading for any American and continues to challenge readers in their perceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, courage and fear and longing. The Things They Carried won France's prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize; it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

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Book SynopsisCharged with possibility and power, this memorable collection is an extraordinary immersion into the bodies and voices, mindscapes and landscapes, of the shapeshifting women of our native folklore. Drawing on myth and fairy tales found across Europe from Croatia to Sweden, Ireland to Russia, these stories are about coming to terms with our animal natures, exploring the ways in which we might renegotiate our fractured relationship with the natural world, and uncovering the wildness and wilderness within.Trade Review"A deeply evocative and haunting collection... Part rally cry, part warning, part manifesto and all parts enchanting, Sharon Blackie's Foxfire, Wolfskin is a deeply evocative and haunting collection. I want to press this powerful book into the hands of everyone I know and say listen." -- Holly Ringland, author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

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Book SynopsisMyths and legendary tales from around the world are packed with gigantic rivalries; gods, monsters and giants compete for supremacy over the land, the creatures within and the universe beyond. Zeus clashes with the all-powerful Typhon, Odin is destined to face the great wolf Fenrir during Ragnarok. And yet monsters such as the Minotaur, and giants of all kinds, dragons even, are monsters only to those too fearful to understand them, while others such as the Sirens, or the weird sisters, are malevolent without remorse. Such mythical gods and their foes, make great adventures for the modern reader tracing the roots of The Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and The Witcher, where good and evil are morphed into real avatars and creatures of vivid imagination. In these pages you'll find the gods of the heavens and mountains, and the spirits and demons of the deep sea, the dark woods and the burning sands. From the gods of Babylon and Ancient Egypt to the Norse Aesir, from the pantheon of mighty Greek deities to the gods of the earth and the sky in Pacific legends, most of the great traditions are featured here, with monsters galore: Anansi the trickster spider, the chaos serpent Apep, the Wendigo (or Windegoo spirits), the Greek Sphinx, the drought demon dragon Vritra and the Chimera to name a few. The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

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Book SynopsisFrom the title story's fantastical inter-dimensional assassins to the steampunk dystopia of "Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard" burrowing through the ruins of a civilisation destroyed by a plague, from Black Mirror-esque tales of blockchain cryptography ("Byzantine Empathy") and Internet trolling ("Thoughts and Prayers") to a three-story hard-SF arc about artificial intelligence and the singularity ("The Gods Will Not Be Chained", "The Gods Will Not Be Slain" and "The Gods Have Not Died In Vain"), here are 17 interlinking visions that explore what it is to be human, and what it is like to abandon or transcend that. This collection confirms Ken Liu, author of the astonishing and multi-award winning The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, as one of speculative fiction's greatest short story writers. Contents include: Ghost Days, Maxwell's Demon,The Reborn, Thoughts and Prayers, Byzantine Empathy, The Gods Will Not Be Chained, Staying Behind, Real Artists, The Gods Will Not Be Slain, Altogether Elsewhere Vast Herds of Reindeer, The Gods Have Not Died in Vain, Memories of My Mother, Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit – Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts, Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard, A Chase Beyond the Storms (an excerpt from The Veiled Throne, Book 3 of the Dandelion Dynasty), The Hidden Girl, Seven Birthdays, The Message, Cutting.Trade ReviewThe king of speculative short stories delivers his most exquisite miniatures and a brand new novella * Waterstones Weekly *In his cyberpunk-tinged visions, our homes are so often on fire – but the flames illuminate our difficult present in unexpected ways. A hugely accomplished collection * SFX *Ken Liu's latest twist-filled sci-fi and fantasy anthology emphasises family and shared humanity... The 17 stories of The Hidden Girl come out amid high expectations. Liu not only meets these with equanimity, but also sends his stories jetting off into new dimensions' * Straits Times *With its themes of assimilation and breaking free, of colonial and other yokes, the immigrant experience feels familiar, yet strange, in the hands of Lanzhou-born, US-based Liu, a master also at translating Chinese science fiction. His ideas about different worlds will transport you * South China Morning Post *

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Book SynopsisWelcome to Broadwater Farm, one of the most well-known housing estates in Britain. A place where post-war dreams of concrete utopia ended in riots, violence and sub-standard housing. In this collection, Tottenham-born Jac Shreeves-Lee gives voice to the people of Broadwater Farm. With evocative language and raw storytelling, she compassionately portrays their shared sense of community. A community with a rich cultural heritage, comprising over forty nationalities, generations old.Trade Review'The truth and humour in this intensely fine and lyrical short story collection shines a light that is ultimately uplifting' —Martina Evans, poet and novelist; 'A voyage both unforgettable and searing' —Onjali Q. Rauf, activist and author of 'The Boy at the Back of the Class'; 'The beauty is in the complex reality of every day, summed up in skillfully written prose' —Dawn Ferdinand, Headteacher at The Willow Primary School and Broadwaters' Children's Centre; 'Moving and sharp' —Julia Bell, writer, academic, Course Director MA Creative Writing, Birkbeck; 'Shreeves-Lee recognises the power of truthful storytelling. Not only does she unearth Broadwater Farm’s complex past with incredible literary range, she leaves us feeling hopeful that the community are in control of their future' —David Lammy, MP for Tottenham

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Book SynopsisStrangling vines and meat-hungry flora fill this unruly garden of strange stories, selected for their significance as the seeds of the villainous (or perhaps just misunderstood) `killer plant' in fiction, film and video games.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 'Beautiful, horrible... the most exciting discovery I've made in fiction for some time' Kazuo Ishiguro 'Smoky, carnal, dazzling' Lauren Groff Welcome to Buenos Aires, a place of nightmares and twisted imaginings, where missing children come back from the dead and unearthed bones carry terrible curses. Thrumming with murderous intentions, family betrayals and morbid desires, these stories shine a light on a violent city gripped by urban madness; giving voice to the lost, the oppressed and the forgotten. Lucid and darkly poetic, unsettling and otherworldly, these tales of revenge, witchcraft and fetishes are a masterpiece of contemporary Gothic and a bewitching exploration of the dark inclinations that threaten to lead us over the edge. 'I loved these twisted, lustful whispers in the dark' Daisy Johnson 'Queen of Latin American gothic' Financial TimesTrade ReviewAfter you've lived in Enriquez's marvellous brain for the time it takes to read The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, the known world feels ratcheted a few degrees off centre. Smoky, carnal and dazzling -- Lauren Groff, author of Fates and FuriesI loved these twisted, lustful whispers in the dark. There is serious power in this writing -- Daisy Johnson, author of SistersA weird and wonderful exploration of contemporary horror - cities falling apart, society turning on itself, the loneliness of the internet age. But more than that: these stories are fun. Wild, triggering, sinister, button-pushing fun -- Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious HeresiesRotting little ghosts, heartbeat fetishes, curses and witches and meat: each of these stories is a luscious, bewitching nightmare. I adore this book -- Kirsty Logan, author of The GracekeepersEnriquez's work: tainted rivers, corrupted streets, spoiled meat, slain children, deeply registers the horror of known commonplace. She writes her stories, based in the atmosphere of truth, with a darkly descriptive poetic turn -- Patti SmithEnriquez is a mesmerizing writer who demands to be read. Like Bolaño, she is interested in matters of life and death, and her fiction hits with the full force of a train -- Dave Eggers, author of The CircleSpine-tingling but stunning... these glittering, gothic stories are a force to be reckoned with, and Enriquez's talent and fearlessness is something to behold * Financial Times *Brilliantly unsettling... Tricking us into waiting for a ghost to "put out its head", Enriquez surprises us with real horror -- Chris Power * Guardian *Reminds us what a remarkable and twisted instrument [Enriquez's] imagination is... A heady brew -- Jane Graham * Big Issue *When it comes to book reviewing clichés, the word "haunting" is surely one of the tattiest, yet Mariana Enriquez's newly translated short story collection restores to that tired adjective all its most mysterious, fearful strangeness... an arrestingly original talent -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *A twisted mix of nightmarish desires and ink-black gothic... that will leave you shaken but secretly rather thrilled. Everything about these tales feels shockingly alive... Darkly comic * The Times *[Mariana Enriquez] reaffirms her claim to the title of queen of Latin American gothic * Financial Times *[A] spine-tingling, luminous collection whose enthralling characters all dance across the spectral line between our world and the beyond -- Best books of 2021 * Oprah Daily *Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez is a highly persuasive cinematic and visceral spell-caster with an apparent desire to plant immovable nightmarish seeds in the brains of her readers... The Dangers of Smoking in Bed showcase[s] her extraordinary imagination * Big Issue *

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Book SynopsisWelcome to New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Brandon Sanderson''s first collection of short fiction.These wonderful works, originally published individually, have been collected for the first time and convey the true expanse of the Cosmere. Telling the exciting tales of adventure Sanderson fans have come to expect, Arcanum Unbounded include the Hugo Award-winning novella ''The Emperor''s Soul'', an excerpt from the graphic novel ''White Sand'', and the never-before-published Stormlight Archive novella ''Edgedancer''.The collection will include nine works in all:''Edgedancer'' (Stormlight Archive)''The Hope of Elantris'' (Elantris)''The Eleventh Metal'' (Mistborn)''The Emperor''s Soul'' (Elantris)''Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania'' (excerpt; Mistborn)''White Sand'' (excerpt; Taldain)''Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell'' (Threnody) ''SixTrade Reviewanother brisk YA fantasy from Sanderson - inventive, action-stuffed and surprising until the end * SFX *This collection is required reading for Sanderson fans, offering plenty for new readers who are undeterred by learning too much. * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Fans of Sanderson's other works will eagerly devour this collection, in which familiar characters return and familiar worlds are further explored. * KIRKUS REVIEWS *Steelheart is the literature equivalent of a blockbuster; episodic and fast-paced with surprises around every turn. * SCI FI NOW *Full of action * THE SUN *as always, Brandon Sanderson creates a unique and interesting universe we get to explore alongside the protagonist...a fun, action packed ride for those of us who remain a child at heart. * Best Fantasy Books *The world of The Reckoners is suddenly presented in all its glory. It's an incredibly vibrant setting that showcases the entire breadth of Sanderson's talent. Expect to finish this one in single sitting. * Upcoming 4 Me *The stories are complex, fascinating, and filled to the brim with three-dimensional characters * Fantasy Book Review *Firefight is a visual, almost cinematic novel * Buzzy Mag *Firefight is a rollercoaster ride of action, entertainment, and humour * Smash Dragons *Firefight is filled with a spine-tingling adventure and heart-racing action that promises to satisfy fans both new and old * Fantasy Book Critic *Steelheart is the literature equivalent of a blockbuster; episodic and fast-paced with surprises around every turn. * SCI FI NOW *A terrifically tall tale, packaging the superhero action into compelling, punchy chapters that keep you reading. It's a fast, feisty read with characters that are skillfully drawn, assassinations, gunfights, physics bending motorcycle chases and a world you can't wait to hear more about. * SFX *Full of action * THE SUN *

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Book SynopsisThis is the complete collection of stories from one of the most original and powerful American writers of the twentieth century. Including A Good Man is Hard to Find and Everything That Rises Must Converge, this collection also contains several stories only available in this volume.

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Book SynopsisFour gems, with new introductions, mark acclaimed Indian writer R. K. Narayan's centennialIntroducing this collection of stories, R. K. Narayan describes how in India the writer has only to look out of the window to pick up a character and thereby a story. Composed of powerful, magical portraits of all kinds of people, and comprising stories written over almost forty years, Malgudi Days presents Narayan's imaginary city in full color, revealing the essence of India and of human experience. This edition includes an introduction by Pulitzer Prize- winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and not

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