Magical realism

Book SynopsisThe first story collection from Kate Atkinson in twenty years, Normal Rules Don''t Apply is a dazzling array of eleven interconnected tales from the bestselling author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After LifeIn this first full collection since Not the End of the World, we meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; a man whose luck changes when a horse speaks to him.With clockwork intricacy, inventiveness and sharp social observation, Kate Atkinson conjures a feast for the imagination, a constantly changing multiverse in which nothing is quite as it seems.What really binds these stories is their underlying theme, which has perhaps always been Atkinson's true subject: the nature of storytelling itself' Times Literary SupplementLife in all of its surreal, tragic and comic glory is perfectly captured within these pages' RedTrade ReviewWhat really binds these stories is their underlying theme, which has perhaps always been Atkinson’s true subject: the nature of storytelling itself. She can be very funny, but she is highly serious about the idea that human existence is bound up with words… If you’re thinking about what fiction means, no invocation could be more thought-provoking or ironically complex * Times Literary Supplement *What joy! A loosely connected collection of short stories from Kate Atkinson. Life in all of its surreal, tragic and comic glory is perfectly captured within these pages. * Red *Sublime … showcases her superb storytelling and the wit of her writing * Good Housekeeping *Hilarious, breathtaking, horrific, irresistible ... [Atkinson is] always in command ... Heart in mouth, I never wanted this book to end * Sydney Morning Herald *Atkinson has the happy knack of capturing the nature of her characters with arch aplomb * Daily Mail *Dazzling ... Most striking of all is the abiding sense of infectious, slightly bonkers fun. * Reader's Digest *A deftly interconnected short-story collection [that is] varied and inventive * i Newspaper *Funny, erudite and profound * Excelle Magazine *Here you will find lots of tricks, lots of playfulness, clever narrative engineering. * BBC Radio 4 Front Row *Clever... a crossword-like exercise in which the reader is always left guessing which element of each story will carry into the next. Much of the delight in Normal Rules Don't Apply comes from being surprised by who lands where. * Financial Times *Intriguing * Business Post *Atkinson's sly humour percolates all the way through, but there's also humanity, hope and forgiveness... As soon as you get to the end, you'll be tempted to just start at the beginning again. * PA Media *Fans of Atkinson will find all of her trademark qualities in these eleven loosely connected stories... rather brilliant * Mail on Sunday *Scintillating, surrealistic and wise-cracking short stories from the wildly inventive Atkinson brain * SAGA magazine *The short form has always liberated Atkinson to meddle in myth and magic, and here she melds the fabular and the mundane as the universe blinks, the sun winks out, and those in the open are levelled in a “new Pompeii”... Atkinson has the control and charm to do with fiction whatever she fancies. * Guardian *Mashes up the mythical and mundane with zest and mischief * Herald Scotland *

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Book SynopsisGetting a life isn''t always easy. And hanging on to it is even harder . . . Discover this funny, heart-warming tale of self-discovery from Jodi Taylor, author of the internationally bestselling Chronicles of St Mary''s series.Nobody ever notices little Jenny Dove. Even her family call her the Nothing Girl. Isolated and alone, Jenny is about to end it all when she is rescued by Thomas, a giant golden horse only she can see.Under his mischievous guidance, Jenny begins to think she might one day become someone. And when the charmingly chaotic Russell Checkland erupts into her life - together with his tumbledown farmhouse - and proposes a marriage that will save them both, Jenny is ready to take a chance.Sadly, her new life at Frogmorton Farm doesn''t exactly sweep Jenny off her feet. There are leaking roofs, unpaid bills and so many buckets. And then, as a series of apparent ''accidents'' unfolds, Jenny begins to worry this might noTrade ReviewTakes readers on a carnival ride through laughter and tears with a bit of time travel thrown in for spice * Publishers Weekly Starred Review *A true page-turner * SF Revu *I've never seen time travel handled this way. I like it * Wethenerdy.com *[An] appealing cast of characters... [with] with plenty of humour, lots of action, and even a touch of romance * Library Journal *

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Book Synopsis'Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache . . . Richly textured and with an appropriately labyrinthine plot, this is a book that explores the monster inside man — and vice versa. Book of the Month' Sunday TimesLondon, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died four years past, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers in her possession, she spends her days dredging up coals, copper and pieces of iron spilled by the river barges – searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone.But one day, Nell discovers a body on the shore. It’s not the first corpse she’s encountered, but by far the strangest. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head are the suggestion of horns. Nell’s fellow mudlarks urge her to steal his boots and rifle his pockets, but as she ventures closer the figure draws breath – and Nell is forced to make a decision which will change her life forever . . .From the critically acclaimed author of The Toymakers comes an imaginative retelling of the legend of the Minotaur, full of myth and magic and steeped in the grime of Victorian London; perfect for lovers of historical fiction with a mythical twist such as Stone Blind and Circe.Praise for Once A Monster:'Imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic.' - The Times'A wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller. - Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn HardcastleTrade ReviewA wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller. -- Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle[An] imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic. * The Times *Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache in Once a Monster -- The Sunday Times Book of the Month (Nick Rennison's historical fiction picks)What if the Minotaur survived, and followed Ariadne’s string out of the twisting darkness of the labyrinth? From this thread, Dinsdale spins an engaging yarn about dreams, second chances, and monsters both ordinary and supernatural. The story flows as smoothly as the waters of the Thames, and is just as dark and deep. Of note is Dinsdale’s ability to turn a phrase, shimmering like fine crystal held to the light. A dazzling and heartfelt book. -- Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and ErosAn inventive and irresistible retelling of the legend of the Minotaur. * I News *A labyrinthine delight of a novel where a world of Dickensian darkness is infused with ancient myth. Historical writing at its finest . . . unique, seductive, and accomplished. -- Essie Fox, bestselling author of The SomnambulistI was very moved by this story about shame, the costs of survival, and being loved in all one’s brokenness. Minos makes perfect sense as a character living at the margins in Victorian London, and the different ways Nell searches for beauty in the dirt will stay with me for a long time. -- Kate Mascarenhas, author of The Psychology of Time Travel and Hokey PokeyLike the magic at the heart of the story, this vivid, haunting novel is both vast and intimate. A wonderful and thought-provoking read. -- Katherine Arden, author of The Winternight Series, on The ToymakersThe crystalline prose, deep characterisation and compelling story carry you along. Highly recommended. * Historical Novel Society *

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Book SynopsisOne of the Washington Post's top ten feel-good novels of the year: a perfect gift for book lovers everywhere!During a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy Hart found solace in books, especially Jack Masterson's Clock Island series. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher's aide, she has shared her love of reading with bright, orphaned seven-year-old Christopher Lamb. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he's finally written a new book. Even better, he's holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack "the Mastermind" Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.'Clever, dark, and hopeful' -V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRueTrade ReviewMeg Shaffer's beautiful novel is part Willy Wonka, part magical realism, and wholly moving. It broke my heart and patched it over and reminded me that even as an adult, if you look hard enough, you can find the child still inside you * Jodi PIcoult *Our list of must-read fiction books wouldn't be complete without a novel that reminds readers of the power books hold between their pages. Meg Shaffer's The Wishing Game may not contain any magic--this is a whimsical tale, but it's grounded in reality--yet there's something magical about the book * Readers Digest *A heartwarming, page-turning story of found family, love triumphing over indifference, and the world-changing power of a good book * Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood *A dreamy, inventive novel about how books can not only change lives but save them too. Full of the power of imagination, it's one of my favorite books of the year. * Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Other Birds *A magical ode to storytelling, imagination, and the mystery of the creative life . . . Wildly imaginative, clever, and inspiring, The Wishing Game is for anyone who has found light in a story just when they need it * Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea *Meg Shaffer's debut establishes her as one of the best. The Wishing Game sees the secret child hidden inside all of us, and it takes us on the thrilling, magical journey we all long for--where we might end up with everything we want but only if we risk it all * Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds *Shaffer blends tragedy and triumph in a whimsical and gratifying debut about what makes a family. This is wish fulfillment in the best way * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *A meditation on the power of hope when all else seems lost * Kirkus *A work by turns clever, dark, and hopeful, Shaffer's debut is a love letter to reading and the power childhood stories have over us long after we've grown up * V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue *

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Book SynopsisTales of characters trying to find their way through the struggles of underemployment. Wendy Wimmer’s debut short story collection, Entry Level, contains a range of characters who are trying to find, assert, or salvage their identities. These fifteen stories center around the experience of being underemployed—whether by circumstance, class, gender, race, or other prevailing factors—and the toll this takes on an individual. Wimmer pushes the boundaries of reality, creating stories that are funny, fantastic, and at times terrifying. Her characters undergo feats of endurance, heartbreak, and loneliness, all while trying to succeed in a world that so often undervalues them. From a young marine biologist suffering from imposter syndrome and a haunting to a bingo caller facing another brutal snowstorm and a creature that may or not be an angel, Wimmer’s characters are all confronting an oppressive universe that seemingly operates against them or is, at best, indifferent to them. These stories reflect on the difficulties of modern-day survival and remind us that piecing together a life demands both hope and resilience. Entry Level was selected by Deesha Philyaw as the winner of the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Prize. Trade Review"This gleefully subversive debut presents fifteen weird, wild, and wonderful stories of everyday folk surviving in a world gone haywire. From a grieving man who gets texts from the dead to a roller rink that reverses aging, Entry Level, like its title story, is strange magic indeed." * People Magazine *"If punchy first sentences are to your taste, Wimmer’s Entry Level is the book for you. 'When Mary Ellen’s left breast grew back on its own during our Saturday dinner break, we had confirmation that something weird was happening.' Many intros seem designed to startle; several stories enter fantastical terrain. In the delightful 'Texts from Beyond,' a company purportedly helps people send messages to deceased relatives. Equally affecting are stories more rooted in the real, where Wimmer gets closer to character and emotion, such as 'Billet-Doux,' told via unsent letters addressed to celebrities, random people, inanimate objects, a recurring guy on the BART and the protagonist herself." * Washington Post *"An intriguing, wide-ranging story collection with a hint of magic. The real and the surreal drive the 15 stories in this debut, many of which have been previously published in other formats. . . . The elements of magical realism are presented without fanfare, and Wimmer succeeds in creating a world where they are entirely plausible. Fans of Karen Russell, Veronica Schanoes, and Connie Willis are all likely to find stories to enjoy in the collection, as Wimmer blends traditional literary fiction with a touch of the fantastic. Vivid, thought-provoking stories make an enjoyable and challenging book. * Kirkus (starred review) *"Wimmer’s innovative and darkly humorous debut collection employs emergency situations and fantastical elements as the protagonists struggle to make a living with low-paying jobs. . . . When Mary Ellen, who had a mastectomy, discovers her breast has regrown, the narrator’s understated reaction perfectly sums up the mood of Wimmer’s characters: 'We had confirmation that something weird was happening.' Throughout, Wimmer makes the most of strange situations." * Publishers Weekly *“In the world of Entry Level, no job is too small, nor is it ever just a job. In cities and across rural landscapes and dreamscapes, we find clerks and corpses, mothers and daughters, cruise entertainers and scientists, grappling with longing and loss. The stories are, at turns, heartfelt and hilarious, wry and whimsical, full of magic and mayhem. These are well-crafted love stories, ghost stories, and stories of everyday people just trying to navigate life’s cruelties and impossibilities. Wimmer writes with an intimacy and immediacy that take you down a fresh rabbit hole from the first line, each time. Each tale is as smart, exquisite, and surprising as the next. I really didn’t want this collection to end!” -- Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies"The stories in Entry Level are propulsive, funny, delightfully unpredictable, and utterly addictive. Wimmer is a true original—a bright star of her generation. Here’s hoping Entry Level is the beginning of a long, fruitful career!" -- Dan Chaon, author of SleepwalkTable of ContentsPasseridaeGhosting Where She Went Fuse Lower Midnight INGOB Skate QueenTexts from beyond Flarby OsculationCar people Intersomnolence Billet Doux Feðgin The Bog King

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Book SynopsisAn NPR Best Book of 2021 New and selected fiction, over half in English for the first time, from the winner of the 2014 Neustadt Prize. Known internationally for his novels, Neustadt Prize-winner Mia Couto first became famous for his short stories. Sea Loves Me includes sixty-four of his best, thirty-six of which appear in English for the first time. Covering the entire arc of Couto's career, this collection displays the Mozambican author's inventiveness, sensitivity, and social range with greater richness than any previous collection—from early stories that reflect the harshness of life under Portuguese colonialism; to magical tales of rural Africa; to contemporary fables of the fluidity of race and gender, environmental disaster, and the clash between the countryside and the city. The title novella, long acclaimed as one of Couto's best works but never before available in English, caps this collection with the lyrical story of a search for a lost father that leads unexpectedly to love.Trade ReviewPraise for Sea Loves Me "Mia Couto’s words help weave the story of Mozambique. Couto’s language is enriched by his country’s idioms, voices—and possibilities."—New York Times“A worthy ... introduction to a unique and atmospheric African writer’s work.”—Kirkus “Couto employs his haunting lyricism ... to examine the burdens of race, history, and culture in the aftermath of Mozambique’s 1974 independence from Portugal ... Mia Couto’s multivalent vision also manifests in the seamless merging of author and translators, original and translated texts ... Like Mia Couto’s aesthetic effort to render whole the many facets of his contradictory identity, the translators’ linguistic dance simultaneously pays homage to his original fiction, and gives birth to its autonomous and indelible existence in English.”—Asymptote “The stories offer a kaleidoscopic vision of Couto’s world, deeply rooted in Mozambique but imbued with an ethereal, otherworldly quality. Often in just a few pages, Couto is able to breathe life into a variety of characters … Sea Loves Me is a thrilling addition to Couto’s extraordinary body of work, bringing together new and old stories that evoke past and present Mozambique, memories and dreamscapes, natural and spirit worlds. War, race, sky and sea, death and desire—these are just a few of the eternal elements Couto uses to mold his wise, enchanting fiction.”—World Literature Today “Mozambican writer Couto (Woman of the Ashes) draws on African proverbs for a captivating collection of 64 brief, aphoristic stories, set mostly in Mozambique … There are captivating stories of people at the margins … Many entries elude easy interpretation, making them all the more haunting. Each story contains enchanting insights into human nature.”—Publishers Weekly “Stunning … Packed with an incredible 64 stories, Sea Loves Me features 36 of Couto’s pieces translated to English for the first time ever, including the titular novella. With a voice that immediately grabs you, it's a great entry for readers new to Couto and a treat for those already acquainted with his sharp, wise, playful, and absorbing writing.”—Open Book "Extraordinary ... Begin anywhere, with any story, and you as reader are safe within Couto’s world. The imagination is without limit, the poetic force is exhilarating and often disturbing, while the surprise of some is breathtaking ... Couto is as much a master of the pointed anecdote as the longer tale."—Winnipeg Free Press "What makes his stories so special is the way in which he manages to describe even the most violent events as if they were coated in honey. There are no sharp edges in Couto’s writing, no matter how much desperation and darkness the scenario he describes contains. Everything seems taken out of a dream, and reading his books is like being constantly, softly lulled into the story ... This collection offers a perfect glimpse into Couto’s writing, and it’s a great pathway into his novels."—Book Riot "Covering the entire arc of Couto’s career, this collection displays the Mozambican author’s inventiveness, sensitivity, and social range with greater richness than any previous collection"—Portuguese American Journal Praise for Mia Couto “Mia Couto’s stories of civilisation and barbarity are told through a language that is precise and profound; he weaves together the living tradition of legend, poetry and song.”—International Man Booker shortlist jury citation “These literary fragments are dreamy but hopeful responses to Mozambique’s violent past, magical tales that find solace in the wisdom of rivers and trees, fishermen and fortune tellers, children and blind men … Couto’s stories are rooted yet timeless, both whimsical and deeply spiritual.”—Vanity Fair “[Couto is] a brilliant aphorist. There are countless sentences that … have the weight and wisdom of ancient proverbs.”—Wall Street Journal “Couto’s narrative tone, at once deadpan and beguiling, and his virtuoso management of time place him alongside the best Latin American magic realists.”—Times Literary Supplement “One of the greatest living writers in the Portuguese language … [Couto] cracks open a welcoming window onto a vast world of literary pleasures.”—The Millions

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Book SynopsisNEIL GAIMAN: 'Glorious. A story that will be found and enjoyed and dreamed about for years to come'A celebration of friendship, courage and imagination inspired by Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz.__________________________It all starts on the morning the letter D disappears from the language. First, it vanishes from her parents' conversation at breakfast, then from the road signs outside. Soon the local dentist and the neighbour's Dalmatian are missing, and even the Donkey Derby has been called off. Though she doesn't know why, Dhikilo is summoned to the home of her old history teacher Professor Dodderfield and his faithful Labrador, Nelly Robinson. And this is where our story really begins. Set between England and the wintry land of Liminus, a world enslaved by the monstrous Gamp and populated by fearsome, enchanting creatures, D (Tale of Two Worlds) is a mesmerising tale of friendship and bravery in an uncertain world. Told with simple beauty and warmth, its celebration of moral courage and freethinking is a powerful reminder of our human capacity for strength, hope and justice.'Dhikilo is a splendid heroine for our time: She stands for kindness, honesty and humanity' DIANE SETTERFIELD'Young adult readers will love it, but Faber's brio and bubbly ingenuity will delight adult readers too.' Daily MailTrade ReviewGlorious. There is such personal and political outrage about the world. But what makes it feel like a Real Story, one that will be found and enjoyed and dreamed about for years to come, is Dhikilo, a fabulous heroine and a real person on the page. Her adventure and bravery as she attempts to restore a missing letter to the world is beautifully written and delightfully told. I loved it * NEIL GAIMAN *In this rather ebullient and lovely new novel by Michel Faber ... older children and fully-grown adults will certainly find much to relish in it * THE SCOTSMAN *Michel Faber never fails to tell his story with wit, intelligence and charm * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Part affectionate homage, part exhuberant fan fiction, YA readers will love it, but Faber's brio and bubbly ingenuity will delight adult readers too * DAILY MAIL *Dazzling * INDEPENDENT *A firecracker of a novel * STUART KELLY, EDINBURGH LITERARY FESTIVAL 2020 *If ever a book like this was needed, it is now. Dhikilo is a splendid heroine for our time: She stands for kindness, honesty and humanity. Her triumph will have readers rejoicing * DIANE SETTERFIELD *Testament to his storytelling gift and to the charm and the warmth of his writing * TELEGRAPH *The deadpan style makes this more funny than scary. Faber's acknowledged debt to James Thurber's O is clear. It's very enjoyable * SUNDAY EXPRESS *

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Book Synopsis‘Swansong is the real thing, right from the start: spiky, strange and contemporary, but always with a dark undertow of myth and folklore tugging at its telling…this is a brilliant novel by a writer - and musician - of frankly alarming talent.’ Robert MacfarlaneIn this stunningly assured, immersive and vividly atmospheric first novel from the celebrated musician, a young woman comes face-to-face with the volatile, haunted wilderness of the Scottish Highlands. Polly Vaughan is trying to escape the ravaging guilt of a disturbing incident in London by heading north to the Scottish Highlands. As soon as she arrives, this spirited, funny, alert young woman goes looking for drink, drugs and sex – finding them all quickly, and unsatisfactorily, with the barman in the only pub. She also finds a fresh kind of fear, alone in this eerie, myth-drenched landscape. Increasingly prone to visions or visitations – floating white shapes in the waters of the loch or in the woods – she is terrified and fascinated by a man she came across in the forest on her first evening, apparently tearing apart a bird. Who is this strange loner? And what is his sinister secret?Kerry Andrew is a fresh new voice in British fiction; one that comes from a deep understanding of the folk songs, mythologies and oral traditions of these islands. Her powerful metaphoric language gives Swansong a charged, hallucinatory quality that is unique, uncanny and deeply disquieting.Trade ReviewSwansong is the real thing, right from the start: spiky, strange and contemporary, but always with a dark undertow of myth and folklore tugging at its telling. The voice jags at you, and the plot grips: this is a brilliant novel by a writer - and musician - of frankly alarming talent. -- Robert MacfarlaneLike the great storytelling tradition it extends so elegantly, Swansong is all about transformation, whether through love, rage, fear or desperation: a chilling tour de force that draws the old gods and demons from the land, and lets them loose in the most unexpected ways. It is also an utterly compelling psychological thriller, a book you will simply refuse to put down until the last piece of its extraordinary puzzle falls into place. Essential reading. -- John BurnsideI loved Swansong: a subtle, supernatural tale told in a present-day voice, unsettling right from the start. The writing is so vivid and charged with energy, it’s truly a remarkable novel. -- Shirley CollinsI miss my stop on the tube because I'm so engrossed. -- Sophie Gallagher * Huffington Post *Memorably eerie ... When the tension is ramped up in the closing chapters, with false turns and twists galore, we root for [Polly] to the very end. -- Ann-Maria McCarthy * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisThe narrator, Azaro, is an abiku, a spirit child, who in the Yoruba tradition of Nigeria exists between life and death. He is born into a world of poverty, ignorance and injustice, but Azaro awakens with a smile on his face. Nearly called back to the land of the dead, he is resurrected. But in their efforts to save their child, Azaro's loving parents are made destitute. The tension between the land of the living, with its violence and political struggles, and the temptations of the carefree kingdom of the spirits propels this latter-day Lazarus's story. Despite belonging to a spirit world made of enchantment, where there is no suffering, Azaro chooses to stay in the land of the Living: to feel it, endure it, know it and love it. This is his story.

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Book SynopsisWhen light recedes from the land, Autumn''s fruitfulness is replaced by Winter''s cold, bleak stillness. But deep within the ground, in the cracks and crevices where the small creatures live, the light lives on, protected and cherished. And when the Hare calls, those that keep it know how to respond. The Lightbringers. A story of hope.

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Book SynopsisA mesmerising novel set in Japan, by the author of Rainbirds and The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida, about a young man trying to escape his past. When Shoji Arai crosses one of his company’s most powerful clients, he must leave Akakawa immediately or risk his life. But his girlfriend Yoko is nowhere to be found. Haunted by dreams of drowning and the words of a fortune teller who warned him away from three women with water in their names, he travels to Tokyo, where he tries in vain to track Yoko down. But Shoji soon realises that not everything Yoko told him about herself was true. Who is the real woman he once lived with and loved, and where could she be hiding? Watersong is a spellbinding novel of loves lost and recovered, of secrets never spoken, and of how our pasts shape our futures.Trade Review ‘Goenawan’s chilling latest delivers one startling revelation after another … Goenawan sustains a fast pace all the way to a shocking and satisfying conclusion. This author continues to impress.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Watersong transports the reader to worlds both familiar and unknown. Clarissa Goenawan’s crisp narration and vivid characters made this novel feel like a lingering dream. This is an intriguing and soul-stirring story about how we reconcile with our pasts.’ -- Balli Kaur Jaswal, author of The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters‘Haunting, dreamy, and deeply atmospheric, Watersong is a jewel box of a novel, spilling forth with stories within stories, each a perfect, gleaming tribute to lost love, past secrets, and the enduring quest for human connection amidst it all.’ -- Kirstin Chen, author of Soy Sauce for Beginners‘An atmospheric mystery, elegantly told.’ -- Winnie M. Li, author of Dark Chapter‘There is a lot of style … this author will indeed have a long career.’ -- Joe Horgan * Irish Examiner *‘A compelling novel … Watersong is a captivating and nuanced exploration of love.’ -- Akina Hansen * Good Reading Magazine *‘[T]ruly magnificent. It touches the soul while exploring the cognitive aspects that have lingered behind certain elements of society … Truly a work of art … Watersong will be one that must be considered as a top contender for memorability, and characterisation of the highest degree.’ -- Chris Reed * NZ Booklovers *Praise for The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida: ‘[A] complex, interpersonal mystery … [A] tremendous examination of sadness … [A] book with heart about the mysteries of the heart.’ -- Benjamin Welton * New York Journal of Books *Praise for The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida ‘An offbeat, tender exploration of the secrets we keep from others … Goenawan is clearly a talented and creative storyteller … She excels at suspense, keeping the reader guessing with left-field plot developments and forays into magic realism that somehow seem in keeping with realities on the ground.’ * The Irish Times *Praise for The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida: ‘Vivid and intriguing — an elegantly cryptic, poetically plotted Murakami-esque whydunit.’ -- Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti

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Book Synopsis''Charming and endearing . . . a moving story about the past and the shadow it forever leaves on the present''Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love''Sublime . . . A fantastic debut from a promising new literary voice''Nick Bradley, author of Four Seasons in JapanDelhi, 1997: It is India''s fiftieth year of independence, the year of Hindu nationalists and atomic bombs. But twelve-year-old Adi has a bigger problem: his Ma has gone missing - again. Left with an ailing grandmother, a raging father and no answers, he finds an unlikely ally: a talking vulture who reveals itself to be a bureaucrat from the ''Department of Historical Adjustment''. The Department holds Adi''s family files, which will take him on a journey through time and memory, through fifty years of India''s history, uncovering the darkest secrets of his Ma''s past. But first, he must unlock them by facing his greatest fearTrade ReviewCharming and endearing . . . There's a lyricism to A.P. Firdaus's writing, and I admire how he blends a touch of lightness with the book's heavier exploration of partition, loss and family tragedy to create a moving story about the past and the shadow it forever leaves on the present -- Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We LoveSublime. A wonderful book that employs playful and magical elements in order to explore the past's hold over the present. A fantastic debut from a promising new literary voice. -- Nick Bradley, author of Four Seasons in Japan

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Book SynopsisThis is a modern-day adventure story featuring Paulo’s supernatural encounter with angels – who appear as warrior women and travel through the Mojave desert on their motorbikes.Trade Review‘Coelho’s writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts… he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face.’DAILY EXPRESS ‘One of the few to deserve the term“publishing phenomenon”’INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY ‘His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.’THE TIMES

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Book Synopsis'One of the most beautiful books I've read in a long time' M. J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of the Reincarnationalist seriesThey are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail's most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina's chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun and already Nina's debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis: the haphazard manifestations of her powers have long made her the subject of gossip - malicious neighbours even call her the Witch of Oldhouse.But Nina's life is about to change, for there is a new arrival in town: Hector Auvray, the renowned entertainer, who has used his own telekinetic talent to perform for admiring audiences around the world. Nina is dazzled by Hector, for he sees her not as a witch, but ripe with magical potential. Under his tutelage, Nina's talent blossoms - as does her love for the great man.But great romances are for fairy-tales, and Hector is hiding a secret bitter truth from Nina - and himself - that threatens their courtship.The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.Trade ReviewOne of the most beautiful books I've read in a long time * MJ Rose, new York Times bestselling author of the Reincarnationalist series *Moreno-Garcia fills her fantastic novel of manners with sumptuous language . . . Readers who enjoyed Mary Robinette Kowal's magical Regency series Glamourist Histories will be particularly enthralled by the genuine emotions evoked in the course of the unsustainable love triangle * Publishers Weekly *Overflowing with delicious melodrama . . . a great fit for fans of the 18th-century French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses * Library Journal *This novel of manners presents carefully crafted characters with nuanced motivations to rival any Thomas Hardy classic. Moreno-Garcia adeptly captures the ecstatic highs of first love and the bitter disappointments of first heartbreak. Hints of the paranormal and dashes of adventure and feminism are subtly interwoven, making for an unforgettable work * School Library Journal *This is the third novel I read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I loved all of them in different ways: each in a different genre by a chameleon writer with incredible writing skills * Kirkus *I seriously loved everything about this from the gorgeous, lush prose to the tiny intimate moments of heartbreak * Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo Award-winning author of the Glamourist Histories *'Straddling several genres with elegant intelligence . . . it's a slow-burn, stately novel about the magic of what it means to love, and love truly * Tor.com *[An] elegant tale of hidden desires and misplaced amour * Booklist *The Beautiful Ones is a hauntingly lovely book, romantic and crushing by turns, touched with magic on every level * Vancouver Sun *'The whole book is a magnificent tangle of unspoken words and feelings. Nothing is tepid; everything, even the absence of feelings, is charged with danger and heartache * Strange Horizons *The Beautiful Ones demonstrates Moreno-Garcia's smart and colourful writing, with descriptions both sensory and sumptuous, and characters you will root for, even in their worst moments * B&N Blog *An engaging fantasy-romance with a hint of magic . . . A very enjoyable read, with characters who felt real to me and about whom I found myself caring a great deal, and gripping to the very end * Blue Book Balloon *The characters are wonderfully drawn, their desires and decisions believable. The setting is lightly sketched, but the places and the society are beautifully evoked * Noble Bright *Moreno-Garcia writes such compelling characters that you are drawn in. This does not take chapters to grip, but mere paragraphs. This is a fantastic skill to have and one that I have witnessed in all her books to far * SFBook Reviews *A delicate, character-drive romance with a modern twist * Choice *An evocative tale with a considerable emotional heft * Track of Words *[Silvia's] writing is elegant, rich in description and filled with characters that come vividly to life * Muse’s Book Journal *Silvia has written a number of stunning novels and each is unique but this tops them all * Scorpio Book Dream *The Beautiful Ones is a perfect fantasy-historical-romance novel. Just what is needed for a reader looking to escape into a world of fantasy, decadence, and romance * REWRITE LONDON *This is a clever novel, well written, with all the nuances of 19th century high society on full display. The writing throughout this novel is divine. Poetic at times and infused with the atmosphere of the era . . . a classic storyline with a fresh and unique twist * THERESA SMITH WRITES *She writes splendidly and she creates remarkable characters. The Beautiful Ones is more than a romance, it's a cold study of wealthy societies and their impact on the people who belong to them * THE MIDDLE SHELF *A beautifully unique novel * LIBRARY LOOTER *This book was spectacular. I didn't want to finish reading this book too fast because I wanted to savour it as long as I could * CAFEYRE *The characters and the character development were fantastic. If you're in the mood for a Fantasy of Manners, or a romance novel with a dash of the speculative, then this is the novel you should pick up * JESSTICULATES *Full of sweeping drama, unrequited love, passionate devotion, and more than a few objects lifted into the air by the power of the mind, The Beautiful Ones is an entertaining and romantic read * THE NERD DAILY *Fast paced and instantly engaging, Not only do I highly recommend reading The Beautiful Ones, but also all of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work. She is a master of genre and emotion * READER VORACIOUS *Lush, vividly described setting and well-rounded characters . . . masterful writing * YOUR TITA KATE *I love how Moreno-Garcia uses descriptive language to build tension and set moods * HEDWIG’S WORLD OF BOOKS *A smart, witty read with classic themes and a beautiful narrative flow * MANDY McHUGH *If you've ever thought that what Dangerous Liaisons really needed was more Force Adepts, this may very well be the book you've been waiting for * JAMES NICOLL REVIEWS *Whatever genre you call it, the story is compelling. I read it with the same rabid avidity with which I eat a bag of chips * SMART BITCHES, TRASHY BOOKS *Moreno-Garcia writes such compelling characters that you are drawn in. Have you ever wanted to read something like Bridgerton, but with characters who can move objects with their minds? * SF BOOK REVIEWS *

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author ofFish Soup, a wickedly self-aware novel of family, memory, and possibility just this side of the uncanny.A tolerable, ordinary life: an adequate, if boring, freelance job; reliably irritating video calls with your sister; half-hearted plans for the future (a writing residency, a child); and, in the middle of your half-furnished apartment, an enormous crate. Unopened, delivered days ago, and getting in the way.InThe Delivery , what’s inside is your estranged mother, and her arrival brings to a head the tentative motions you’ve made to examine the past and the subtle fissures in the life you’ve built. Semi-ordinary happenings take on an otherworldly cast when you look at them sideways, but nothing is stranger, in this place far from home, than the tenuous bonds of family that hold us together, or don’t.Trade Review"This multi-centred novel contains everything: death, life and all the stuff in between." —The Guardian"A sharp and perceptive novel." —Irish Times"The microscopic precision with which García Robayo delves into the human soul is striking." —El País"An unsettling novel about uncertainty, memories and fears, solitude, family relationships and hopes for the future." —Diario Popular"Robayo masterfully constructs a story of family ghosts and memories that put into question what it means to leave behind a country, family and friends for a new place." —Morning Star"Once again, a Colombian literary star has blended absurdism, realism and great linguistic skill to create a novel that may be neatly packaged but proves to contain multitudes." —Lunate"Completely engrossing. García Robayo’s best yet. " —Sounds & Colours"Inside the music of Robayo’s prose, one encounters an argument about the vigor of personal history, its relentless capacity to emboss the present." —The Believer"By throwing her characters off their typical paths, García Robayo continues to show readers that she is one of the brightest voices in Latin American literature." —On the Seawall"The Delivery reveals the fissures, gaps, and spaces of incomprehension that can exist between speakers of the same language." —Full Stop"This chamber piece, which chronicles the narrator’s various procrastinations, succeeds thanks to its voice, its pacing, and its glaring omissions." —Necessary Fiction"Questions about motherhood, belonging, and exile hang over this quietly unsettling work." —Southwest Review"García Robayo has written a novel that, avoiding any complacency, situates us in the interstices of identity." —El Mundo"If for this narrator having a child is like ‘resisting extinction’ (…), novels like The Delivery fulfil a similar injunction to permanence: not to pass through the world without leaving anything behind." —El País"An intimate, mature work that confirms Margarita García Robayo as one of the most promising Latin American writers today." —La Razón"The Colombian writer makes the daily routine of her protagonist seem like a disturbing sequence of events." —Expansión"A brilliant and exhaustive relationship with language that draws on a search for origins." —El Tiempo"Thoughts that achieve a sparking lucidity that contrasts with the bewilderment experienced by the main character." —La Nación"You can’t put it down until you find out what happens at the end." —Pagina/12"The Delivery is one of those novels that mark a before and an after, just as happens to its main character when she manages to open the crate sent by her sister." —Pagina/12"A book of contained intensity, full of glimpses more than certainties, which confirms the author as one of the leading voices of Latin American fiction." —El Siglo de Torreón**********Praise for Margarita García RobayoBiblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana Prize (Finalist)"García Robayo writes with caustic insight, brittle humour and a fair whack of cynicism (...) Holiday Heart is brilliant." —The Guardian"Understated, lyrical, and delivers its insights by means of acute observation. (5 stars)" —The Arts Desk"Cunningly well achieved." —Irish Times"Holiday Heart is a poignant and searing story of love ending." —Gutter Magazine"Coombe’s translation brilliantly captures the bite in García Robayo’s humour." —iNews"One of Colombia’s greatest living writers." —The Monthly Booking"Brilliantly dramatises the disjunction between an idealized picture of life like sitting on a sunny beach and the reality of that life like getting sand caught in your teeth." —Lonesome ReaderBest Fiction Books of 2017 —New York Times (Español)"Darkly funny throughout, this examination of two lives will stay with you long after you read the final words and lay the book down." —Lunate"Every sentence in the book seems to be written with a scalpel infused with acid. " —Morning Star"Acute, provocative, concise and raw." —Translating Women"An incredibly insightful portrayal of a disintegrating marriage...provides a sharp-eyed view of estrangement and personal identity." —Book Riot"Frightening, alluring, and inescapable." —Books and Bao**********Casa de las Américas Prize (Winner)Society of Authors Valle-Inclán Prize (Shortlist)"García Robayo’s prose bristles with restrained energy and a wry humour which captures the disaffection of her characters." —The Times Literary Supplement"[Fish Soup] is a gorgeous, blackly humorous look into the lives of Colombians struggling to find their place in society, both at home and abroad." —Publishers Weekly, starred review"A remarkable genre-bending effort." —The Guardian"The tackiness of the Caribbean coast and its discontents are marvellously rendered." —The Times Literary Supplement"If you’re a fan of Ottessa Moshfegh or Melissa Broder, then this is for you." —The Guardian"An evocative collection that conveys the potency of desire in even the most ordinary lives." —Kirkus"García Robayo is building one of the most solid and interesting oeuvres in Latin American literature."" —Juan Cárdenas , author of ORNAMENTAL"Her stories combine the atmosphere of Desperate Housewives, Hemingway’s iceberg theory and a memorable, bittersweet ending."" —Jorge Carrión , author of BOOKSHOPS"Margarita shows sharp insight into contemporary life. Her voice speaks with surreptitious irony and sophisticated psychological perception. She is the creator of an exceptional poetics of displacement."" —Juan Villoro , author of THE WITNESS"There are very few writers who can challenge expectations the way Margarita García Robayo does. Margarita is simply one of the best of the new generation that respects, yet no longer identifies with, the Latin American Boom."" —Mariana Enríquez , author of THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE"This is a text written from within the belly of the beast. (…) One of the most essential books of the year." —Asymptote"García Robayo’s prose is concise and startling, her voice versatile and capable of packing a serious punch." —LA Review of Books"One of the most potent figures of contemporary Latin American literature." —ABC Cultural"Full of everyday details that reveal the most vulnerable aspects of feminine subjectivity." —La Nación**********

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Book SynopsisI can think of few writers who can make the ordinary collide with the extraordinary to such beguiling effect...left me so fizzing with admiration'' ObserverA stunning collection of short stories by the three-times Costa prizewinner Not the End of the World is Kate Atkinson''s first collection of short stories. Playful and profound, they explore the world we think we know whilst offering a vision of another world which lurks just beneath the surface of our consciousness, a world where the myths we have banished from our lives are startlingly present and where imagination has the power to transform reality.From Charlene and Trudi, obsessively making lists while bombs explode softly in the streets outside, to gormless Eddie, maniacal cataloguer of fish, and Meredith Zane who may just have discovered the secret to eternal life, each of these stories shows that when the worlds of material existence and imagination collide, anything is Trade ReviewExceptional...Sharp, witty and completely compelling * Daily Mail *I can think of few writers who can make the ordinary collide with the extraordinary to such beguiling effect...left me so fizzing with admiration * Observer *An exceptionally funny, quirky and bold writer * Independent on Sunday *Moving and funny, and crammed with incidental wisdom * Sunday Times *Inventive and moving, these are truly tales for the new millennium * Good Book Guide *

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Book SynopsisBOOK 3 OF THE RUNES OF WAR SAGAThe adventure beginsWhoever holds the Egg controls the ancient animals of power: kraken, wyvern, and dragon. Whoever cracks the Egg unleashes these monsters on the world, unrestrained and beyond the control of anyone aliveThree young Torra Altans, Caspar, Brid, and Hal, are closing in on the immemorial hiding place of the Egg. Strange wild beasts that sense their purpose follow close behind. From Yew Wood to Lake of Tears, spices and enemies pursue them. The Mother Goddess has promised that once the Egg is brought to their ancient home in the North, the starving hordes of Vaalakans besieging the castle will be driven back.But creatures of legend desire to be real, and time is running out.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR JANE WELCH “A blockbuster fantasy”SFX “As intriguing as anything Tolkien dreamed up.”Starburst “Wonderful author, in the Robert Jordan mould”The Bookseller

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING NOVELADAPTED INTO A FEATURE FILM WITH ELIJAH WOODFrom the bestselling author of Here I Am, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and We are the Weather - a hilarious, life-affirming and utterly original novel about the search for truth''Gripping, hilariously funny and deeply serious. An astonishing feat of writing'' The Times''One of the most impressive novel debuts of recent years'' Joyce Carol Oates, Times Literary Supplement''A first novel of startling originality'' Jay McInerney, Observer''It seems hard to believe that such a young writer can have such a deep understanding of both comedy and tragedy'' Erica Wagner, The TimesA young man arrives in the Ukraine, clutching in his hand a tattered photograph. He is searching for the woman who fifty years ago saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Unfortunately, he is aided in his quest by Alex, Trade Review'An astonishing feat' The Times

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Book Synopsis''Wonderfully romantic, full of mystery and magic. I fell in love with Ballykiltara!'' - Cathy BramleyYou''ll find a warm welcome in this magical story from Ali McNamara, bestselling author of Daisy''s Vintage Cornish Camper Van and From Notting Hill with Love, Actually-------------------------------------One summer, property seeker, Serendipity Parker finds herself on the beautiful west coast of Ireland, hunting for a home for a wealthy Irish client. But when she finds the perfect house in the small town of Ballykiltara, there''s a problem; nobody seems to know who owns it.''The Welcome House'' is a local legend. Its front door is always open for those in need of shelter, and there''s always a plentiful supply of food in the cupboards for the hungry or poor. While Ren desperately tries to find the owner to see if she can negotiate a sale, she begins to delve deeper into the history and legends that suTrade ReviewA funny and romantic tale with an added dollop of magic - just fab * Heat *A sweet romantic tale imbued with the magic of Ireland * Woman & Home *A sweet, clever tale * Heat *

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Book SynopsisWINNER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2021AN ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY ''MUST READ''A TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK* * * * *Discover this astonishing work of fiction from award-winning, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jason Mott.''Powerful, timely and provocative'' ABI DARÉ, author of GIRL WITH A LOUDING VOICE''Jason Mott truly has written one hell of a book.'' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, author of QUEENIEThis is a true story.An author goes on a book tour for his new bestseller which, as people keep telling him, is one hell of a book.This is a coming-of-age story. One morning, he meets The Kid: a young Black boy who looks just like the one he keeps seeing on the news. And The Kid wants him to tell his story.This is a sad story. It''s the story of a boy who spent most of his life trying to hide. And it may not be that different fTrade ReviewBrilliant and inventive ... You'll cry tears of laughter. * The Sunday Times *Beautiful and deeply moving . . . I'd go as far as to say it's an important book and everyone should read it. * Imran Mahmood *For all its moments of levity, Mott has written a deadly serious story ... Hell of a Book offers a disturbing portrait of a nation that's been lying to itself all its years. In this way, the novel feels like a plea - intense, moving, urgent, and vital. * Washington Independent Review of Books *In a structurally and conceptually daring examination of art, fame, family and being black in America, Mott somehow manages the impossible trick of being playful, insightful and deeply moving, all at the same time. A highly original, inspired work that breaks new ground * National Book Award Judges *How to possibly describe Mott's fourth novel without simply borrowing from its moniker? It is, after all, a hell of a book. * Entertainment Weekly *Hell of a Book more than lives up to its title. Playful, searching, raw and necessary, this writing, this voice, this novel twisted me up and turned me inside out, dazzled me, surprised me and moved me * Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown *A black author embarks on a cross-country book tour to promote his new book, but he's followed by a (possibly imaginary) child. The author's story is intertwined with the narrative of Soot, a young black boy living in a rural town. Mott has written a clever meditation on race and violence in America. * New York Post *Maddening, disorienting and illuminating * Booklist *Powerful, timely and provocative * Abi Daré *Hell of a Book consistently proves itself to be more than the sum of its parts: a farce that provokes contemplation, a publishing parody that rings true; an honest and emotive meditation on systematic racial injustice and the myriad ways in which it breaks the human soul. Sharp, funny, evocative and never anything less than utterly poignant, Mott's novel chronicles the experience and cost of racism for black Americans with a clarity that is justifiably unsettling. Hell of a Book is distinctly American tale of racial trauma told with a dry, almost painful humour that scrapes at the reader's heart. * Irish Times *A twisty and startling narrative about the blurry lines between reality and fiction * TIME Magazine *Hilarious and moving, thoughtful and madcap . . . a hell of an accomplishment. * Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here and Small World *A dizzying yet dazzling exploration of exploration itself. * Kiese Laymon, author of How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America *A profound exploration of love, friendship, and racial violence . . . A story that is at once a paean to familial love and friendship and a reckoning with racism and police violence. By turns playful and surprising and intimate, a moving meditation on being Black in America. * Kirkus Reviews *Stunning . . . Mott's poetic, cinematic novel tackles what it means to live in a country where Black people perpetually "live lives under the hanging sword of fear." Absurdist metafiction doesn't get much better. * Publisher’s Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA spellbinding and haunting literary fable of loss, perfect for fans of The Binding and The Night Circus.'This beautiful and beguiling book tells a poignant and haunting story rich in slow-burning intrigue and tender emotion' Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne.'A transporting, delicious fairytale about loss, beauty, and love.' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mercies.________________________How do you heal a broken house?First you unlock its secrets.Alone on an island, surrounded by flowers that shine as dusk begins to fall, sits an old, faded house. Rooms cannot be rented here and visits are only for those haunted by the memory of loss.When Liddy receives an invitation, she thinks there must be some mistake - she's never experienced loss. But with her curiosity stirred, and no other way to escape a life in which she feels trapped, she decides to accept.Once there, she meets Vivienne, a beautiful, austere woman whose glare leaves Liddy unsettled; Ben, the reserved gardener; and Raphael, the enigmatic Keymaker. If Liddy is to discover her true purpose in the house, she must find the root of their sorrow - but the house won't give up its secrets so easily . . .________________________'A haunting journey of self-discovery, bursting with metaphor, and with the feel of a classic fairytale. Prepare to get lost in this spellbinding world.' Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman.'Haunting, surreal, and intricate, Cartwright has deftly crafted a story about what we find when we believe we are lost.' Heather Walter, author of the Malice duology.'Enchanting, poetic prose that enriches a beautiful fairytale world.' A. E. Warren, author of the Tomorrow's Ancestors series.Trade ReviewThis beautiful and beguiling book tells a poignant and haunting story rich in slow-burning intrigue and tender emotion * Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne *A transporting, delicious fairytale about loss, beauty, and love. * Kiran Millwood Hargrave *A haunting journey of self-discovery, bursting with metaphor, and with the feel of a classic fairytale. Prepare to get lost in this spellbinding world. * Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman *The House of Sorrowing Star is like a dream poured onto a page. Haunting, surreal, and intricate, Cartwright has deftly crafted a story about what we find when we believe we are lost. * Heather Walter, author of Malice. *Enchanting, poetic prose that enriches a beautiful fairytale world. * A. E. Warren, author of the Tomorrow’s Ancestors series *

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Book SynopsisTwo women separated by five hundred years, each with a secret - the infamous ‘Blood Countess’(1560-1614), notorious for bathing in the blood of six-hundred-and-fifty women in Renaissance Hungary and Transylvania; and the woman driven to re-write her story in the present - an academic who lives in and out of time because of a near death experience and who escapes ruin at the hands of rival scholars desperate to see her and her world destroyed at any cost. But Bathory’s story will be told! Not as a murderer or a dark witch, as history would have us believe today, but as a woman who became a subversive printer and smuggler of banned books, rocked the religious foundations of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with only a band of faithful refugee women to help her, and who’s revolutionary ideas would challenge even the Emperor himself! Bathory’s modern day chronicler becomes the cipher of this secret history, uncovering the real life of the Blood Countess. What she doesn’t know is that the Blood Countess is rewriting her across time… Based on 100s of hours of original historical research, this novel is a transformational account of not only of the infamous story of the so-called Blood Countess, but a searing exploration of what history is and what history does to women.

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Book SynopsisWhen light recedes from the land, Autumn''s fruitfulness is replaced by Winter''s cold, bleak stillness. But deep within the ground, in the cracks and crevices where the small creatures live, the light lives on, protected and cherished. And when the Hare calls, those that keep it know how to respond. The Lightbringers. A story of hope.

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Book Synopsis‘Astonishing’ Emily Perkins, author of Lioness ‘Beautifully lyrical’ Mat Osman, bassist of Suede and author of The Ghost Theatre A lyrical and ambitious exploration of madness and what it is like to experience the world differently, from the Booker Prize–longlisted author of The Chimes. In Ueno Park, Tokyo, as workers and tourists gather for lunch, the pollen blows, a fountain erupts, pigeons scatter, and two women meet, changing the course of one another’s lives. Dinah has come to Japan from New Zealand to teach English and grieve the death of her brother, Michael, a troubled genius who was able to channel his problems into music as a classical pianist — until he wasn’t. In the seemingly empty, eerie apartment block where Dinah has been housed, she sees Michael everywhere, even as she feels his absence sharply. Yasuko is polished, precise, and keenly observant — of her students and colleagues at the language school, and of the natural world. When she was thirteen, animals began to speak to her, to tell her things she did not always want to hear. She has suppressed these powers for many years, but sometimes she allows them to resurface, to the dismay of her adult son, Jun. One day, she returns home, and Jun has gone. Even her special gifts cannot bring him back. As these two women deal with their individual traumas, they form an unlikely friendship in which each will help the other to see a different possible world, as Smaill teases out the tension between our internal and external lives and asks what we lose by having to choose between them.Trade Review‘Bird Life is a deeply affecting novel, transcending cultural barriers while reaching through them to the essentially human.’ -- David Mills * The Times *‘A playful study of genius, grief, and special powers.’ -- Caleb Klaces * The Guardian *‘The two women at the centre of Anna Smaill’s lovely, disconcerting novel Bird Life feel certain something is about to happen — something that’s about to change everything. These kinds of proclamations in a novel can feel unfulfillable, but when Dinah and Yasuko finally do meet, the transformations each affects upon the other are surprising, consuming, and satisfying. Smaill’s crystalline prose brings us inside each of their minds as they manoeuvre through a thoroughly modern cityscape into which the natural world is forever making incursions. An unusual, empathetic, and compulsively readable tale.’ -- Dan Kois, author of Vintage Contemporaries‘A beautifully lyrical tale of loss, grief, and madness, whose central characters are so deftly drawn that you find yourself breathlessly following them down. Magically strange yet horribly real.’ -- Mat Osman, bassist of Suede and author of The Ghost Theatre‘Bird Life is an astonishing book about grief, beauty, and survival ... the writing enters your bloodstream like a strange and wonderful drug.’ -- Emily Perkins, author of Lioness‘[Bird Life is] as richly sensory and exquisite as Smaill’s previous novel, The Chimes. The world tilts and becomes strange and marvellous through her eyes.’ -- Lucy Treloar, author of Wolfe Island‘Smaill writes compellingly about the all-consuming nature of grief and the afterlife of those left behind. She also absorbingly evokes Yasuko’s mental illness, which sees her consulting beetles and birds for their counsel.’ -- Stephanie Cross * Daily Mail *‘Magic, mental illness, and sorrow drive this powerful offering … Smaill excels equally at emotional drama, magical realism, and horror. Readers will find much to love.’ -- Publishers Weekly, starred review“[E]lliptical, poetic … [A]n evocative and sensitive depiction of mental distress and the importance of perseverance … The key message of this subtle book: Though it might be difficult to detect them during times of hardship, glimmers of hope are always visible if one knows where to look.” * Bookpage *‘Bird Life is immersive, beautifully constructed and fascinating in its portrayal of love and sorrow and the ways in which a mind constructs its world. It’s a fresh, beautifully written book, perfect for a reader looking for something out of the ordinary.’ -- Louise Ward * NZ Herald *Praise for The Chimes: ‘A totalitarian regime inflicts amnesia through music in this fresh and complex novel, which shows the social importance of an understanding of the past … fresh and original … cleverly orchestrated and poignantly conveyed throughout.’ -- Catherine Taylor * The Guardian *Praise for The Chimes: ‘To call The Chimes striking is I dare say to underplay what might be the most distinctive debut of the decade. Certainly, Smaill’s experience as a poet come through clearly in her perfectly poised prose. There’s a real richness to her images; a depth to her descriptions; her dialogue practically sparkles; and the structure of the whole thing sings.’ -- Niall Alexander * tor.com *Praise for The Chimes: ‘The novel is hypnotic, melancholic, and requires concentration, but it builds to an incredibly tense and emotionally satisfying climax that rewards all the effort.’ * Elle Magazine *

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Book SynopsisMysterious beans are found on the market stalls of the East, to which ancient superstition lends the power of favouring the birth of male children. When a French entomologist obtains a few of these beans, he worries that the world has entered a critical phase of its history.Trade ReviewIf someone is going to tell a story about the end of the world, we can glean some comfort from the fact that it is told in a voice as refined and delightful as Amin Maalouf's - Independent on Sunday

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Book SynopsisCollected by Yoruba poet Bakare Gbadamosi and scholar Ulli Beier, Not Even God Is Ripe Enough is a mesmerising collection of traditional oral stories and lighthearted Yoruba fables. Including stories such as 'Kindness won't kill you but it can give you a lot of worries', 'He who shits on the road will meet flies on his return' and 'You can fool others but can you fool yourself?' Not Even God is Ripe Enough is a wide-ranging selection of amusing Yoruba proverbs and tales of magical realism. From bizarre stories of talking animals to wise parables passed down from generation to generation, these stories are full of surprising twists, humour, and the surreal.

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Book SynopsisPast Perfect is a heartwarming, magical story of an unexpected friendship spanning a century, from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel.Sybil and Blake Gregory live a well-ordered, predictable Manhattan life, she as a cutting-edge design authority and museum consultant, he in high-tech investments, raising their children. But when Blake is offered a dream job as CEO of a start-up in San Francisco, he accepts it, without consulting his wife, and buys a magnificent, historic mansion as their new home in Pacific Heights.Past and present collide at their elegant mansion, when they meet the large and lively family who lived there a century ago. All long dead but very much alive in spirit – visible to the Gregorys and no one else. Within these enchanted rooms, it is at once 1917 and a century later.The Gregorys been given a perfect gift; but does living in the past prevent them from embracing their future?

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Book SynopsisThe Rook family run a little business: ghost hunting. And things have picked up recently. Something’s wrong. It’s been getting noticeably worse since, ooh, 2016? Bad spirits are abroad, and right now they're particularly around Coldbay Island, which isn’t even abroad, it’s only 20 miles from Skegness. The Rooks’ ‘quick call out’ to the island picks loose a thread that begins to unravel the whole place, and the world beyond. Is this the apocalypse? This might be the apocalypse. Who knew it would kick off in an off-season seaside resort off the Lincolnshire coast? I’ll tell you who knew – Brenda. She’s been feeling increasingly uneasy about the whole of the East Midlands since the 90s.Trade Review'Gabby is one of the funniest writers I know' Sarah Millican

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Book SynopsisWhen does a story begin?For Edwin Hope, it begins with a childhood dare and a forbidden tree. It begins with him falling in more ways than one.Called home from his studies by the grandfather who has always hated him, eighteen-year-old Edwin is once again trapped in a house that is colder than the winds whipping across the fields. Seeking sanctuary, he escapes into the untamed beauty of the Peaks and meets a woman who sparks an old memory. A memory of the sycamore that broke him, and the little girl who saved him.Drusilla has had many acolytes over the centuries but none like Edwin. With the Great War looming and Edwin's future uncertain, she knows the right thing to do is to set him free from her spell, but can she do so if it means breaking her own heart?Trade ReviewReaders are loving Daughter of the Sea: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I am lost for words…from beginning to end this book took my breath away’ Jeannie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This has to be one of the best reads of the year if not the best … Captivating, beautiful, spellbinding’ Angela ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Where do I start? I adored this book on so many levels. Part love story, part grown up fairytale …A truly special book’ Mandy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What a fabulous read! Had me hooked from the first page’ Bev ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I was completely transported by this beautiful story…the writing was both evocative and provocative’ Sandra ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘So well written … interesting and emotive’ Aria ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Truly one of the most outstanding, captivating stories I have read…such a page turner’ Sandra

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Book SynopsisWonderfully heart-warming, it made me cry, filled my heart with hope, and cast a magical spell on me' M.A. Kuzniar, Midnight in EverwoodWonderfully heart-warming, it made me cry, filled my heart with hope, and cast a magical spell on me until I'd turned the very last page' M.A. Kuzniar, Midnight in EverwoodHaunting, magical and sparkling with Christmas spirit, One Christmas Morning is a festive love story with a difference . . . A warm and powerful debut' Holly Miller, The Sight of You -They say you know when you meet the one.The moment Eva locked eyes with James over a library bookshelf, she knew she'd found her soulmate. Over ten years, they fell in love, got married and made plans to start a family. Until everything changed one Christmas three years ago, and they've been drifting apart ever since.Eva hopes a friend's Christmas party at an old manor house in Cornwall will give them the chance to reconnect but the last thing she expects is to wake up on Christmas morning in the body oTrade Review Praise for Rachel Greenlaw and One Christmas Morning ‘Haunting, magical and sparkling with Christmas spirit, One Christmas Morning is a festive love story with a difference. A clever and cathartic novel about healing, grief, facing up to ourselves and letting go, it tugged on my heartstrings and took me through every emotion possible. A warm and powerful debut’ Holly Miller, The Sight of You 'Perfectly heartwarming' The Debut Digest 'The book I didn't know I needed to read – gorgeous, Christmassy and compelling’ Ella Allbright, The Last Charm ‘Wonderfully heart-warming, One Christmas Morning is a beautifully festive second-chance romance that made me cry, filled my heart with hope, and cast a magical spell on me until I’d turned the very last page’ M.A. Kuzniar, Midnight in Everwood ‘One Christmas Morning by Rachel Greenlaw is a festive treat. An intelligent, romantic story of star-crossed lovers, I was completely absorbed by the millennial Scrooge Eva’s predicament. Greenlaw’s debut is a shimmering success’ Laura Shepperson, The Heroines 'Relatable and captivating' The Sunday Post

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Book SynopsisA hauntingly beautiful debut for fans of Isabel Allende and Kazuo IshiguroTrade Review'Once inside this decaying mansion, [Anaïs] and we are transfixed by a series of spectres from the Echeverrías' history. Lickorish Quinn's best sentences… flow through present participles that conjure sights and sounds… strange, and spectacular.' Sunday Telegraph'A heady blend of Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Márquez, in which stories and visions proliferate dizzyingly in all directions, this is an impressive first outing.' Daily Mail'An absolute must-read. I was glued to its pages from the first to the last and am still struggling to believe that such an accomplished creation is Quinn's debut… A wonderfully immersive experience.' Literary Flits'Lickorish Quinn's magnificent debut enchants from first page to last... A breath-taking writer of singular voice.' Patrick Flanery, author of Absolution'A mesmerising feat of imagination and a masterful debut.' Paul Lynch, Booker Prize-winning author of Prophet Song'An innovative and precisely imagined exploration of identity, family, ghosts, and the intersection between personal and national history. It swept me away.' Clare Fisher, author of All the Good Things'The Dust Never Settles is ambitious, fascinating and endlessly inventive – a time-bending, kaleidoscopic fever dream in which the living coexist with the dead, and the past with present.' Luiza Sauma, author of Everything You Ever Wanted'Always colourful, its magical realism beautifully realised, this novel brims with Peruvian folklore and history as Anaïs negotiates ghosts from the past and comes to terms with long-buried secrets.' Daily Mail'A marvelous, vertiginous work that mercilessly conveys the post-colonial state.' Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Wild Laughter'Karina Lickorish Quinn is the new face of magic realism... Like its title, The Dust Never Settles will stay floating inside the reader, impossible to forget or unsee.' Laia Jufresa, author of Umami

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Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author, J.C. Cervantes, The Enchanted Hacienda is a captivating coming-of-age debut exploring identity, unconditional family love, and uncovering the magic within us all.And early readers are giving The Enchanted Hacienda 5 stars!!''The most beautiful story. The romance that blossomed, like the flowers from the Estrada farm, was a magical treat . . . A book filled with romance, familia, and magic'' ''A truly beautiful and enchanting story that shows the power of love, family and find your place in the world. Magic, family and a beautifully told story make this one that you don''t want to miss out on''''J.C. Cervantes is a genius. I am absolutely in love with this writing style and I love the characters and I love the subtle magic . . . the story is honestly beautiful and heartbreaking and enchanting''''A delightful, emotional

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 1991 Commonwealth Writers'' Prize. Syl Cheney-Coker''s acclaimed debut novel, The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar traces the history of a nation''s rise and fall, as prophesied by an ancient sorcerer.A military general sits in one of Malagueta''s prison cells, awaiting his execution. He has just failed to overthrow the government. In the same land, over two centuries ago, the wife of a formerly enslaved man takes her first steps towards freedom.From the creation of Malagueta to its devastating fall, Alusine Dunbar, the wizened old diviner, has prophesied it all. And what he sees, he calls a tragedy.One of Sierra Leone's most renowned novelists and poets, Sly Cheney-Coker creates a world teeming with magical realism as he paints the journey from precolonial Africa to its shaky independence.Trade Review[A] passionate epic history of the small town of Malagueta on the Atlantic coast of Africa. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA gorgeous debut, laced through with magic, following four generations of women as they seek to chart their own futuresTrade Review"With language richer than the matriarch’s famed chowder and nautical descriptions so vivid you can taste the salt spray, Roberts offers a new and refreshingly feminine perspective on one of American literature’s most masculine classics." -- Oprah Daily

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Book Synopsis* SOON TO BE A MINDY KALING TV SERIES ** A Book of the Month pick by CNN, Bustle, PopSugar, Entertainment Weekly and Vox ** One of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2021 ** Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize *‘Achingly familiar and marvellously inventive… a dizzyingly original, fiercely funny, deeply wise novel’ Celeste Ng‘Completely original, utterly absorbing, complex and confident’ Karen Joy Fowler‘Truly funny, insightful, smart and filled with wonderful characters… unmissable’ Ann NapolitanoANYONE CAN BE EXTRAORDINARY. BUT IT COMES AT A PRICE… Neil Narayan’s parents moved to America for a better life, and his perfect older sister is now headed to an elite university. Neil is funny and smart, but he is not living up to his parents’ dream. While he tries to want their versiTrade Review'In a perfect alchemical blend of familiar and un-, Gold Diggers takes a wincingly hilarious coming-of-age story, laces it with magical realism and a trace of satire, and creates a world that's both achingly familiar and marvelously inventive. Written with such assurance it's hard to believe it's Sanjena Sathian's debut, this is a dizzyingly original, fiercely funny, deeply wise novel about the seductive powers – and dangers – of borrowed ambition' Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere 'In an alchemic blend of modern American ambition and ancient myth, this sometimes fiercely funny caper, sometimes heart-breaking coming of age story, is a truly immersive read. In the end, Gold Diggers is a beautifully crafted, strange, and deeply touching story about the search for national and personal identity. A gorgeous and gripping read' Nydia Hetherington, author of A Girl Made of Air 'Is the American dream about hard work and sacrifice or is it about the lure of the Gold Rush, of quick riches there for the taking? Greed, regret and love are all at work here in Sathian’s completely original, utterly absorbing, complex and confident debut novel. A bravura performance from an exciting new voice' Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves 'A work of 24-karat genius… Sathian has created a funny, compassionate, tragic novel of astonishing cultural richness… The result is a novel of Indian magic and modern technology, a parody of New World ambition and an elegy of assimilation' Washington Post 'In some ways, Gold Diggers is a delightful concoction of the best of South Asia’s literary offerings, reminiscent of Hanif Kureishi’s irreverent humour in The Buddha of Suburbia and the magic realism of Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West. But Sathian has forged a narrative path entirely her own... she tackles issues of mental health, the "model minority" trap and the generation gap with a fresh literary toolkit and voice' Guardian '[A]chingly real reminders of what it was like to be an adolescent in post-9/11 America, feeling the weight of your parents’ dreams on your shoulders... The tension Sathian builds is one of teenage insecurity swelling into adulthood, until disillusion overthrows the tyranny of American perfectionism... exquisite prose humming with contagious anxiety' New York Times Book Review 'This terrific debut novel uses heists and alchemy to deconstruct immigrant ambition, striving and sin... what makes the novel so compelling is the playfulness with which Sathian deconstructs it. You feel for the characters and the ways they have been warped by their pursuit of greatness and the ways they are haunted by their sins – but also, there are heists and alchemy. It’s a blast' Vox 'The coming-of-age genre meets magical realism meets heist caper… Funny and exciting, it’s an entertaining new twist on the immigrant experience' CNN 'Deftly weaves together magic and history to produce a compelling coming-of-age story' New Yorker 'Upends our ideas of what it takes to make it in America. Smart, funny and completely engrossing' Andrew Ridker, author of The Altruists 'Gold Diggers is so many things – truly funny, insightful, smart and filled with wonderful characters. I loved reading this novel, and loved watching Neil Narayan grow up and grapple with the America his immigrant parents believed in. Neil's journey to figuring out what he believes, which includes a multi-layered exploration into the properties of gold, and his strange and wonderful friendship with his next door neighbor, Anita, make this story unmissable' Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of Dear Edward 'Rollicking, at times painful and ultimately intensely satisfying... twines historical fictions and truths and family histories into the main narrative, exemplifying how time both does and does not make a linear kind of sense, how past, present and future's paths collide at times in unexpected ways' NPR 'A dazzling and delightful work of fiction by an exciting new literary talent... Sathian has produced a beguiling elixir with Gold Diggers, skilfully stirring myth into a playful yet powerful modern-day examination of the American dream and the second-generation citizens who pursue it. A fabulist amalgam of The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye, it’s an engrossing cautionary tale as well as a shrewd appraisal of what we consider success – and the moral sacrifices we make to achieve it. Imaginative and intoxicating, Gold Diggers richly rewards its readers' BookPage 'Filled with pathos, humor, slices of American history and an adrenaline-pumping heist, Sathian's spectacular debut also highlights the steep costs of the all-American dream... Pure gold' Booklist ‘A sprawling tale of magical realism, gold heists and the quest to attain the American dream’ PopSugar ‘A feast of a story… breaks apart the mythology of monolithic culture with the perfect alchemy of humour, magic and irresistible albeit flawed people. Let it sweep you off your feet’ BuzzFeed 'A sweeping tale that combines the classic coming-of-age and teenage rebellion genre with magic realism and social satire... a riveting read... Sathian's prose potently captures the weight of the model minority myth and the constraints it places on a certain subset of Asian Americans' Huffington Post 'Sathian’s satire is pitch perfect… She captures not only the melancholia of the immigrant’s social estrangement, but also the painful expectation that this melancholia should be worth it somehow, that one should achieve and then achieve some more… The heist is magnificent – canny and moving and just plain fun… Her prose lifts off: there’s a delight she takes in writing humorously about magic that shows off the scope of her immense talent.' LA Review of Books

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Book SynopsisA mind-bending time heist novel that will appeal to fans of V.E. Schwab''s ''Shades of Magic'' series.The Geneva branch of Interpol - the international agency tasked with policing magic and the arcane arts - is where careers go to die. Action is rare as Switzerland banned magic seven hundred years ago. That''s how Agent Jackson Burnett likes it. But then reports of an explosion lead Jackson to the home of businessman Bernard Bouchon. What''s there is unfathomable: The family and their possessions have vanished into ash.Jackson''s enigmatic new partner Luca Tami, a blind Talent able to perform magic, suspects powerful supernatural forces are at play. The family weren''t killed . . . they''ve been erased from time. With all traces of the family disappearing, the case is hours away from being forgotten. How can Jackson solve a crime no one remembers happening? He must find a way to remember. He must discover who is behind the spell and why.

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Book Synopsis''A delicious, diverse, genre-bending gothic, as smart as it is spooky'' Chloe Benjamin During your three years at Catherine House you will have no contact with those in the outside world.Each of our students has been selected as someone who belongs here. You will give to Catherine and Catherine will give to you.We will not let each other down.Catherine House is a university like no other. Into its celebrated world steps Ines, a young woman who welcomes the school''s isolation rather than its illustrious past. As the gates close and Ines finds herself start to be inevitably seduced by its magnetic power, she begins to realise the question isn''t why she chose to come to Catherine House; but why Catherine House chose her.''A brilliantly observed tale brimming with subtle malevolence'' Irenosen Okojie''Echoes of The Secret History and Never Let Me Go''Trade ReviewA delicious, diverse, genre-bending gothic, as smart as it is spooky -- Chloe BenjaminCatherine House is a deliciously sinister novel that bristles with an unsettling glamour. It's almost impossible not to be seduced by Elisabeth Thomas's beautiful writing and the intoxicating world she has created * Louise O'Neill *[A] delicious literary gothic debut * New York Times *Echoes of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go contribute an intriguing undercurrent to this unsettling gothic concoction * Daily Mail *This has to be one of the most gripping books I've read this year... The read feels claustrophobic, decadent, extreme and sad in equal measure, and I was amazed by the plot * Woman's Way *This suspenseful read is a terrific debut * Woman's Weekly *Gothic horror provides the architecture for an arrestingly strange melange of speculative fiction and teen trauma in this atmospheric debut novel . . . nibbling menace spurs the plot onwards * Observer *A brilliantly observed tale brimming with subtle malevolence. An atmospheric, hypnotic delight * Irenosen Okojie *Thomas's debut novel is a dark, delicious gothic read that hits all the right spots in the best way. If you want a book you can't put down for even a second, this is it * Forbes, 10 most anticipated books of 2020 *Spellbinding... Surreal imagery, spare characterization, and artful, hypnotic prose lend Thomas's tale a delirious air, but at the book's core lies a profound portrait of depression and adolescent turmoil. Fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History will devour this philosophical fever dream * Publisher's Weekly *Moody and evocative as a fever dream, CATHERINE HOUSE is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step * Washington Post *Catherine House is a haunting, atmospheric reflection on the discovery of self and others. At times terrifying, always gorgeously captivating, Thomas' debut is one not to be missed, and perhaps to be revisited frequently * Booklist *

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Book Synopsis''Compulsive reading . . . rich, strange, beautiful'' Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk''A strange, new and captivating look at a magical realm . . . Lavishly entertaining'' Independent''Enthralling . . . a literary feast'' StylistThe world had forgotten Mr Crowe and his mysterious gifts. Until he killed the poet. He lived a secluded life in the fading grandeur of his country estate. His companions were his faithful manservant and his ward, Clara, a silent, bookish girl who has gifts of her own. Now Dr Chastern, the leader of a secret society, arrives at the estate to call Crowe to account and keep his powers in check. But it is Clara''s even greater gifts that he comes to covet most. She must learn to use them quickly, if she is to save them all.Trade Review[With much] in common with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell ... a tale about magic and art, power and responsibility ... [that will] keep the reader enfolded * DAILY MAIL *It would not be surprising if the public clamours for a second instalment of this vividly imagined and deeply pleasurable gothic fantasy - not to mention a film. * FINANCIAL TIMES *The prose in O'Donnell's first novel is glorious, combining an ear for deep cadences of language with a phenomenal acuity of vision ... O'Donnell is clearly a major talent * THE GUARDIAN *Poetic and strange, this Gothic novel is a dark, elegant celebration of the power and beauty of words and the spells they weave. * SUNDAY EXPRESS *Strange and new and captivating * THE INDEPENDENT *A charming, lyrical read even when tension is high. I admired the depth of O'Donnell's imagination, which allowed him to conjure up this enthralling tale . . . A literary feast * STYLIST *A powerful thriller * VOGUE *Wonderfully dark, magical * ELLE *Strange and beautiful - one of Stylist's Essential Reads for 2016 * STYLIST *A fabulously assured, elegant Gothic-flavoured tale * WOMAN AND HOME *A peculiar and beautiful tale of art and magic * STYLIST.CO.UK *An oddly beautiful tale of magic and art, this reminded me of Alain-Fournier's Le Grand Meaulnes * Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of THE LAST ACT OF LOVE *Compulsive reading . . . rich, strange, beautiful * Helen Macdonald, author of H IS FOR HAWK *I devoured this book and it kept me guessing right to the very end . . . Line by line, Paraic's writing contains some of the most beautifully turned phrasing I've read in a long while * Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF US *Dazzlingly inventive, compelling * Jane Casey, author of THE BURNING *Exquisite * Liz Nugent, author of LYING IN WAIT *The Maker of Swans combines through-the-looking-glass enchantment with Nabokovian dexterity. O'Donnell has written a mesmerizing book whose prose absolutely soars * Sandra Newman, author of THE COUNTRY OF ICE CREAM STAR *Sonorous, beautifully made, disquieting * THE SPECTATOR *

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Book Synopsis____________________________A magical fairytale-inspired debut about accepting being that little bit different, for fans of The Night Circus and The Bear and the Nightingale.____________________________A girl. A secret. A life-changing journey.'A beautiful fairytale of a book with the most delicious prose. I devoured every page' Alex Bell, Bestselling author of The Polar Bear Explorers’ ClubBorn covered in the feathers of a bird, and kept hidden in a crumbling house full of secrets, Marea has always known she was different, but never known why. And so to find answers, she goes in search of the father she has never met.The hunt leads her to the City of Murmurs, a place of mermaids and mystery, where jars of swirling mist are carried through the streets by the broken-hearted.And Mara will never forget what she learns thereFeathertide is an enchanting, magical novel perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale.____________________________Readers are loving Feathertide! 'Magical, inventive and unique. A truly beautiful story.''Rarely there comes a book that makes you go wow. When it does you want to treasure every word, savour the book, never let it end. This is that book.''Beautifully written, reminiscent of old fairy tales, yet very modern in its concepts.''Quite literally the most beautiful book I’ve ever read.''Beth Cartwright's stunning prose left me enchanted and enthralled and I love this style of writing.'Trade ReviewA beautiful fairytale of a book with the most delicious prose. I devoured every page * Alex Bell, Bestselling author of The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club *[A] surprisingly refreshing read * Hilton Jenkin *If you enjoy magical realism and moving tales of self-discovery, you won't be able to put this down. * CultureFly *

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Book Synopsis'A captivating tale of love and loss and finding connection in the most unexpected places' Nikki Marmery, author of On Wilder Seas A lyrical and atmospheric homage to the strange and extraordinary, perfect for fans of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern. This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived...Born into a post-war circus family, our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten, abandoned in the shadows of the big top. Until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus. Now an adult, haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus, our narrator, a tightrope artiste, weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends, earthy magic and folklore, all in the hope of finding the child... But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again? Beautiful and intoxicating, A Girl Made of Air brings the circus to life in all of its grime and glory; Marina, Manu, Serendipity Wilson, Fausto, Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers. As will this story of loss and reconciliation, of storytelling and truth.Trade ReviewA captivating tale of love and loss and finding connection in the most unexpected places * Nikki Marmery, author of ON WILDER SEAS *Hetherington tells her captivating tale from deep within the sequinned heart of the circus, with characters as darkly flawed as they are brilliantly talented. A Girl Made of Air is a poignant story of regret and redemption, brilliantly interlaced with magic and folklore * Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry & Wild Rose *Tells a story about stories in rich, lyrical magic realism . . . the language is elegant and beautiful and an atmospheric success in itself * Starburst *Anenchanting talesteeped in circuslegend - a trulymagical debut! * My Weekly *Fantasy, folklore and funambulism tread an impressive line in this richly imagined debut. Hetherington spins a kaleidoscopic patchwork of memory and magic, secrets and lies, ideal for fans of The Night Circus * Emma Stonex, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS *This novel had me under its spell from start to finish, each page conjuring up such vivid imagery that I was utterly captivated. Breathtaking * Emma Cooper, author of IF I COULD SAY GOODBYE *Spellbinding! * Candis *There's a glamour and grimness in this captivating novel . . . a vivid tale of regret and redemption * Psychologies *Several fairy tales intertwined into one, this captivating novel tells the story of love and loss . . . A pacey and entirely enthralling read * Independent online *For fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and The Binding by Bridget Collins, this magical debut from actress-turned-writer Nydia Hetherington is just the kind of book to curl up and escape to as the days get shorter * Huffington Post, Super Thursday round-up *Be prepared to be dazzled by this debut novel . . . As strange and spectacular as the world it is set in, this narrative is lyrical storytelling at its most brutal and beautiful * My Weekly *An enchanting, lyrical and atmospheric tale that brings the circus to life * Publishing Post newsletter *An immensely assured first novel * Guardian *You'll find yourself completely immersed in this story of circus folk and magic * Woman's Weekly *A spellbinding piece of escapism that's perfect for autumn evenings * Stylist *There are sequins and suspicion in this captivating circus novel . . . a richly imagined debut * Sunday Express S magazine *Captivating * Good Housekeeping *

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Book Synopsis'Vivid, enigmatic, enchanting' M. L. Rio'Irresistible' Sunday TimesSome people think foxes go around collecting qi, or life force, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .Manchuria, 1908: A young woman is found frozen in the snow. Her death is clouded by rumours of foxes, believed to lure people into peril by transforming into beautiful women and men. Bao, a detective with a reputation for sniffing out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman's identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they've remained tantalizingly out of reach. Until, perhaps, now.Snow is a creature of many secrets, but most of all, she's a mother seeking vengeance. Hunting a murderer, the trail will take her from northern China to Japan, with Bao following doggedly behind. And as their paths draw ever closer together, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, even as more deaths occur. The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depth of maternal bonds, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.PRAISE FOR THE FOX WIFE'Magical, wondrous, transporting and illuminating' Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai'Rich and beguiling' Daily Mail 'Filled with wonder, mystery and folklore' Sue Lynn Tan'Enchanting' the i'A rich tangle of myth, mystery, and history' Alix E. HarrowTrade ReviewThe reader is taken on a journey from the underbelly of a Chinese town to the mountains of Japan. Among the more memorable characters along the way is a male fox spirit called Shiro. He is seductive, deadly and, like the book itself, quite irresistible to mere humans * Sunday Times *Like the foxes who populate its pages, The Fox Wife is vivid, enigmatic, and enchanting. Choo's fresh new fable conjures a world where danger and intrigue are forever entwined with sublime and sensory delights * M.L. Rio, author of IF WE WERE VILLAINS *Rich and beguiling * Daily Mail *A stunning story filled with wonder, mystery and folklore. I was utterly captivated by Yangsze Choo's exquisite prose and fascinating characters from the first page till the last. A remarkable tale, one that will stay with me * Sue Lynn Tan, author of Heart of the Sun Warrior *Witty and suspenseful * New York Times Book Review *Enchanting * The i *Magical, wonderous, transporting and illuminating, The Fox Wife reminds me that reading can be pure joy . . . I was captivated from the very first word of this novel until its very last. Yangsze Choo is a writer of immense talent * Nguyen Phan Que Mai, internationally best-selling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child *Masterfully plotted and superbly surprising, The Fox Wife will entice you into a world of magic and heartbreak, a beautiful tapestry woven from love and revenge and forgiveness. But beware: once you start, you may not be able to put it down! -- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of INDEPENDENCE and THE LAST QUEENThe Fox Wife is a rich tangle of myth, mystery, and history, delivered with Choo's inimitable grace and precision. It's not a book so much as a beguilement; it enchanted me entirely -- Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of STARLING HOUSEChoo's writing is lush and the slow revelations of complicated relationships and reunions hum with tension. This is a treat * Publishers Weekly *Snow's difficulties as both a fox and a young woman in a man's world are clearly drawn, as is the pathos of Bao's situation as a gentle soul who's always been in search of something or someone. An intriguing vulpine mystery worth the suspension of disbelief * Kirkus *A beguiling tale of a bygone era * Straits Times *

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Book SynopsisThe hit fantasy series from powerhouse creative team JEFF LEMIRE and DUSTIN NGUYEN continues! After a bruising escape attempt from the planet Sampson, Andy finds himself in the clutches of the militia, which means the murderous Mother can't be far behind. Meanwhile, Mila has booked passage on a ship piloted by none other than the irascible Captain Telsa. And while vampires may rule this strange galaxy, they're no match for Kanto, the Blood Scrapper-the most badass vampire hunter in the universe!Collects ASCENDER #6-10

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Book SynopsisAn enchanted ring brings good fortune to an Egyptian oud player in this compelling novel combining elements of magical realism with political historyCan one man or a mere ring alter the events of one’s life and the history of a country? Combining elements of magical realism with momentous history, Suleiman’s Ring poses these questions and more in a gripping tale of friendship, identity, and the fate of a nation.Alexandria, Egypt, on the eve of the 1952 Free Officers revolution. Daoud, a struggling musician, is summoned with his best friend Sheikh Hassanein to a meeting with Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser, who seeks their help as he mobilizes for the revolution. Daoud lends Nasser an enchanted silver ring for its powers to bring good luck. The revolution succeeds but Daoud soon grows estranged from Hassanein, who has joined the Muslim Brotherhood, after he suggests that Daoud leave Egypt since as a Jew he is no longer welcome. When Hassanein is arrested, however, destiny draws Daoud into a complex web of sexual intrigue and betrayal that threatens to upend his already precarious existence.Set against the backdrop of the simmering political tensions of mid-twentieth-century Egypt and the Arab–Israeli wars, Sherif Meleka’s story of fate and fortune transports us to another time and place while peeling back the curtain on events that still haunt the country to this day.Trade Review"A quality novel, which put me in mind of aspects of Rohinton Mistry and Naguib Mahfouz in the way it gives us characters to care about, who are then swept away by the chaos of history. The writing is pacy, but it has depth and poetic power – a credit to Raymond Stock’s translation from Arabic. Sherif Meleka is a natural writer. This is a compellingly readable novel of substance."—The Irish Times“[A] dazzling epic novel. . . . poetic and beautiful. . . . deeply moving. . . . Suleiman’s Ring is a timely read, not just for its powerful depiction of Jews in modern Egypt, but for its exploration of themes of nationhood, societal divisions—both along political and identity lines—and the influence that individuals can have on an entire society.”—The Canadian Jewish News"Original, carefully crafted, memorable"—Midwest Book Review"A lovely evocation of the period."—Historical Novels Review"Reading Suleiman’s Ring gave me great pleasure. With its many layers of tone and style, it takes the reader on a journey through modern-day Alexandria, recalling the loss of its essentially tolerant outlook, a tolerance that had lain at the heart of this great city’s renaissance."—Ibrahim Abdel Meguid, author of Clouds over Alexandria"A powerful narration of extremism culminating in the tragic expulsion of the Egyptian Jews from modern Egypt."—Hamdi Abu Golayyel, author of The Men Who Swallowed the Sun"Three generations of Egyptians are depicted elegantly, in the manner of an epic, and with deep historical insight."—al-Qahira "Meleka masterfully blends the story of Suleiman [Solomon] and Dawud [David] with contemporary life, covering an important period in Egyptian history spanning more than thirty years, from the secret preparations of the Free Officers Movement in 1952 to the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981."—al-Ahali

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016Observer Best Fiction of 2016Den of Geek Top Books of 2016Timothy Buchannan buys an abandoned house on the edge of an isolated village on the coast, sight unseen. When he sees the state of it he questions the wisdom of his move, but starts to renovate the house for his wife, Lauren to join him there.When the villagers see smoke rising from the chimney of the neglected house they are disturbed and intrigued by the presence of the incomer, intrigue that begins to verge on obsession. And the longer Timothy stays, the more deeply he becomes entangled in the unsettling experience of life in the small village. Ethan, a fisherman, is particularly perturbed by Timothy’s arrival, but accedes to Timothy’s request to take him out to sea. They set out along the polluted coastline, hauling in weird fish from the contaminated sea, catches that are bought in whole and removed from the village. Timothy starts to ask questions about the previous resident of his house, Perran, questions to which he receives only oblique answers and increasing hostility. As Timothy forges on despite the villagers’ animosity and the code of silence around Perran, he starts to question what has brought him to this place and is forced to confront a painful truth. The Many is an unsettling tale that explores the impact of loss and the devastation that hits when the foundations on which we rely are swept away.Trade ReviewThe Many unfolds like an unsettling dream, shifting illogically, asking the reader to accept leaps from reality to what seems like it may be fantasy (or may be a matter of perception). But it's not just a strange fable, there is humanity in it too: Ethan's palpable grief for Perran; the locals' struggle to adapt to a world in which their former livelihoods have become obsolete; the touches of tenderness in Timothy and Lauren's scenes together. Its portrayal of a community left behind by technology and bureaucracy, suspicious of the threat represented by 'outsiders', is recognisable and timely – perhaps even more so now than the author may have intended. * Learn This Phrase *Though it was perhaps not written with this in mind, reading the novel during the nightmarish toxicity of the EU Referendum gives it an interesting prescience in its exploration of a failing, unwelcoming community's reaction to an outsider, the decaying environment that surrounds them both and the looming warnings of a distant bureaucracy. That fishing quotas, ecology and environmental regulations are also part of the ongoing debate feeds into that sense of a discussion in microcosm. The sense of loss that permeates here is not just related to the personal, but to the social and communal as well. * Film and Other Assorted Buffery *The sparse prose is dark and intense, strikingly written with a haunting quality that sends shivers through the soul. * neverimitate *This book is powerfully written and haunting. Always teetering on the edge of the gothic, Menmuir describes a coastal community that is dreamlike, slightly out of focus, with its own rules that Timothy never grasps. At the same time, it is rooted in the real world: remote bureaucracy, plummeting fish stocks and maritime pollution have blighted the lives of the fishermen. * Blue Book Balloon *Menmuir’s homespun horror has flashes of Daphne du Maurier’s ghost-gothic and John Wyndham’s dystopia while displaying its own individuality and flair … Menmuir steers a steady course; the result is profound and discomfiting, and deserving of multiple readings. -- Catherine Taylor * The Guardian *At about the two-thirds point, I started to realize that I was not reading a conventional, if slightly off-kilter and moody, story about a man having a hard time getting his life back together in a semi-hostile village. No, The Many is a horrific, beautifully horrific, tale that I cannot shake, as much as I may like to. * The Mookse and the Gripes *It creates an effective sense of tension and psychological suspense along the lines of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw but passages where the men are out fishing in the gloom also invoke a feelings of intense meditation and a primal self-sufficiency similar to Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. I was slowly drawn into the novel’s bizarre climate of secrecy and impending doom. The Many is a brisk, impactful novel which poignantly portrays grief, solitude and an inhibited state of consciousness. * Lonesome Reader *an intriguing first novel -- Fiona Wilson * The Times *This is a novel that has to be read at one go but one of those rare stories that once you have reached the end you start reading it all over again. There are moments one has to pause and wonder if it is reminiscent of similar writing in the past and then realise it would be unfair to compare The Many to any other writing. Wyl Menmuir’s style is wholly original, it grips one with its exquisitely chiselled style to create a stunningly beautiful and memorable novel much like the Cornish coast is. -- Jaya Bhattacharji Rose * Confessions of an avid bibliophile *I found myself totally gripped. The kind of book where you end it still wanting answers and yet are unsure of the questions. It’s a wonderful book and the first book I’ve finished this year that I immediately wanted to read again. * Information Overlord *A parable on ecological destruction, a commentary on monotony and parochialness, an obscure examination of sorrow, an investigation into the mysterious workings of the psyche – The Many is weird and disorienting, yes, but original and wonderful too. * On Art and Aesthetics *Paperback of the Week It would be wrong to give away the precise reasons for his protagonist’s state, but as Menmuir’s allegory becomes decipherable, it is increasingly affecting, and the moment when we understand how the bay and its darkly looming ships might be the warped echo of an earlier, shattering scene is one of great power. -- Stephanie Cross * The Observer *He deserves 10 out of 10 when it comes to the creation of atmosphere, and Menmuir can certainly write… A writer to watch. * The Independent *If it is possible to describe a book as being rich on spare detail then The Many is it, like a stock reduced to its very essence, and I suspect it was this lack of extraneous waffle and digression in the company of Wyl Menmuir's beguiling writing style that grabbed my attention and kept me wedded to this novel in the days immediately after Port Eliot festival. * Dovegreyreader *An intriguing, evocative and formally ambitious debut. -- Luke Brown * Financial Times *

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