Traditional or cultural fiction and true stories, tales and retellings

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Book SynopsisThe first in a series of four titles based on the seasons, nature and folklore, The Lightbringers is a story of hope centring on the notion that the light will always return, even in the darkest of days.

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Book SynopsisIn their 'Guidebook for an Armchair Pilgrimage', authors Phil Smith, Tony Whitehead and photographer John Schott lead us on a ‘virtual’ journey to explore difference and change on their way to an unknown destination. They create a pilgrimage that any of us can follow, even if we are confined to our homes. To research the 'Guidebook' the authors went on an actual journey. 'Bonelines'​ is the secret story of that journey. Given the present circumstances it now appears prophetic, prescient and helpful, so they have decided to bring it into the light. ​It is written as a novel.

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Book SynopsisFull of beautiful text and illustrations, this lively story, originally created by Charlie Mackesy and now in a Welsh translation by Mererid Hopwood, will certainly strike a chord with readers. Its tender life lessons will remind us of friendship in the midst of a topsy-turvy world.

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Book SynopsisLegend has it that if a star leaps from the sky to the earth, and if it can accurately leap into the sea, it will turn into a very large fish. There is such a pair of twin stars in the sky and younger brother wanted to embark the journey to oceans on earth. During the journey Crossbow realised that true dreams and freedom also contain love and responsibility...

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New York magazine columnist Joy Gibson was searching for the answer to the eternal question: why are all the wrong people falling in love? After all, love is a choice surely… but what if it wasn’t your choice? Unbeknown to Joy, hers and other mortals choice is not an act of free will, but a will of the Gods. Or more importantly, one very vengeful God… Cupid. Trapped in a prison in the bowels of Hades for thousands of years by an ancient curse, Cupid remains captive until one special broken-hearted mortal shall set him free. Unfortunately, when Joy is dumped by her fiancée and has her heart broken… Joy becomes the very key to unlocking Cupid’s prison. On the rampage now, Cupid vows merciless vengeance upon mankind whom he blames for his incarceration and sets out to not only cleanse their hearts from the scourge of love with his poison arrows but to destroy their entire world they live on by turning the most powerful arrows that humans possess against themselves… nuclear weapons. Armed with only a bow and arrows borrowed from Cupid’s brother Eros, Joy hunts Cupid through the riot-torn city of New York whilst hunted herself by gangs of armed Hells Angels who are all baying for her blood. The fate of all mankind’s happiness and the lives of millions about to be incinerated by nuclear Armageddon all lie in Joy's hands, as she races against the clock to recapture a demon before he turns Earth into Hades. On her nightmare quest to unlock the alchemy of love, Joy encounters obese reality T.V. stars, psychotic Soviet Majors, randy royals in sex clubs and she finally finds out what the Hokey Cokey is really all about.

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Book SynopsisA collection of ghost stories rooted in the oral tradition of the Irish Traveller community which will appeal to a wide range of readers of all ages, backgrounds and interests.

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Book Synopsis"Eyes like blue diamonds, a smile that captivates the heart Floating on the clouds I have no wings I am not a bird but I watch from a distance Listen can you hear it, the whisper of the wind Circling around me" My Very Tree is Beverley Gordon's brilliant and original debut poetry collection. Personal and full of the unexpected, this is a lively expression of identity and freedom.Trade Review'I wanted to saviour every word and pace my way through, but I couldn’t put it down ... this collection is relevant and thought provoking, I laughed I smiled and I thought it was deep ... what a great little read' ~ 5 stars

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Book Synopsis"You see me at my worst, you see me at my best I have been used, I have been abused I have been broken, I have been mended, I have been lied to. I have been called all sort of names I have been the cause of everything broken, so they claim Who am I? I am the one that catches you when you fall" Love has many layers. This heartfelt collection of original poetry explores the ups and downs of life's relationships. A beautiful study of the power of personal connection.Trade ReviewPraise for Beverley Gordon: "I wanted to saviour every word and pace my way through, but I couldn’t put it down ... this collection is relevant and thought provoking, I laughed I smiled and I thought it was deep ... what a great little read" ~ 5 stars

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Book Synopsis"We are told there was a time when men were men and women were women You know men dressed in bowler hats or whatever hats of their choice And fine suits And the ladies too, along with their fine modest dresses No hair out of place ..." From genteel ladies and gentlemen sipping tea, to defiant expressions of independence, this is a complete and entertaining examination of one woman's search for the perfect relationship The fifth brilliant prose poetry collection from Beverley GordonTrade Review'I wanted to savour every word and pace my way through, but I couldn't put it down' -- READER REVIEW; 'Finds a way to the deepest corner of the heart' -- READER REVIEW; 'Could not put it down the poems are beautifully written ... really touched me. 5 stars this is a poetry book I will keep for life' -- Emma Fitzgerald, book reviewer

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Book SynopsisIt’s been 40 years since the Fox took Kada’s brother. Though she ran and kept herself hidden, she fears it may be stalking her again, this time to steal her daughter. Every year, Vedma Kada gives thanks to the bone roots – those that belong to the child-bearing tree who gave Kada her desperately-wanted baby, Secha. Kada lives her life in service of the bone roots and the goddess Zemya, but they cannot keep her daughter safe. Not when Secha's emerging powers, both mysterious and brutish, threaten to out her for who she truly is… Meanwhile Sladyana, a rich noblewoman, has spent the last fifteen years searching for her missing daughter, Luba. She was snatched from their home by the Fox thief and Sladyana has heard nothing from her since. But the one who gave Sladyana her daughter has come within her grasp once again, and so has the secret of her daughter’s fate. File Under: Fantasy [ Tree of Life Mother Issues Out Foxed Unravelling Secrets ]Trade Review"Gabriela Houston's The Bone Roots is an exuberantly told story that weaves together the lives of two mothers and their daughters. This enthralling tale is filled with dark magic, intriguing monsters, and a tension that holds until the very end." - Chris Panatier, author of The Phlebotomist "As twisted and intricate as the bone roots themselves, an intimate portrait of what it means to become a mother and the fight to protect - at any cost. Be prepared to be gripped, chilled, and lulled deep into this mythic world with Houston's lyrical prose." - Caroline Hardaker, author of Composite Creatures "Gabriela Houston's writing is both economical and evocative - a rare skill." - SFX Magazine "[Gabriela Houston] truly is a writer to look out for, and one that I think will go far." - Libri Draconis

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Book SynopsisWhen we are born, we cry that we have come to this stage of fools William Shakespeare, King Lear  In this extraordinary novel, Des Dillon mixes familiar with surreal to explore the dark side of humanity''s soul.  Jane Eyre, beloved heroine of Charlotte Bronte''s novel, finds herself alone and lost on a stormbound moor. Her only hope comes when she finally stumbles across two men trying to find shelter. There''s only one problem, they claim to be King Lear and his faithful fool.  Thinking the old man insane, Jane tries to convince him that King Lear is a fictional character while, in turn, Lear thinks Jane is a madwoman. But there''s more to Fool than first appears. Using his powers, he catapults them through the play of King Lear at terrifying speed.  Frightened and bewildered, Jane assumes she is caught up in some kind of nightmare or psychological fugue and sets about trying to avert the tragedy of Cordelia''s death. At every turn, their every plan goes horribly wrong causing Cordelia''s character to darken more and more so that she degenerates into the foulest of Shakespearean tyrants. Forget saving Cordelia''s life! Can Jane, Lear and the Fool find a way to save Cordelia''s soul and thus their own?  

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Book SynopsisEarly in its history, the Roman Catholic Church established a secret sect of elite spies and killers, tasked with protecting the Church's treasures and secrets. This sect is called the Mystiko Kataskopos. One of their team is searching for the 'real' Shroud of Turn

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Book SynopsisViking Tales is the thrilling story of Harald Fairhair. Starting at his birth it follows through his many adventures until he unites Norway as its King.As the Viking population grows their lust for adventure takes them on many brave journeys, discovering and settling foreign lands, even setting foot in America.This edition features a large font for easy reading by younger readers, and all the original images, a pronunciation guide, and teachers notes.

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Book SynopsisInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist Orion Book Award Finalist O, The Oprah Magazine “Title to Pick Up Now” “An amazing feat of imagination.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Invisible Beasts is a strange and beautiful meditation on love and seeing, a hybrid of fantasy and field guide, novel and essay, treatise and fable. With one hand it offers a sad commentary on environmental degradation, while with the other it presents a bright, whimsical, and funny exploration of what it means to be human. It’s wonderfully written, crazily imagined, and absolutely original.” —ANTHONY DOERR, author of All the Light We Cannot See and The Shell Collector Sophie is an amateur naturalist with a rare genetic gift: the ability to see a marvelous kingdom of invisible, sentient creatures that share a vital relationship with humankind. To record her observations, Sophie creates a personal bestiary and, as she relates the strange abilities of these endangered beings, her tales become extraordinary meditations on love, sex, evolution, extinction, truth, and self-knowledge. In the tradition of E.O. Wilson’s Anthill, Invisible Beasts is inspiring, philosophical, and richly detailed fiction grounded by scientific fact and a profound insight into nature. The fantastic creations within its pages—an ancient animal that uses natural cold fusion for energy, a species of vampire bat that can hear when their human host is lying, a continent-sized sponge living under the ice of Antarctica—illuminate the role that all living creatures play in the environment and remind us of what we stand to lose if we fail to recognize our entwined destinies. Sharona Muir is the author of The Book of Telling: Tracing the Secrets of My Father’s Lives. The recipient of a Hodder Fellowship and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, her writing has appeared in Granta, Orion magazine, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. She is a Professor of Creative Writing and English at Bowling Green State University. Invisible Beasts is her first novel.Trade ReviewInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist Orion Book Award Finalist O, The Oprah Magazine “Title to Pick Up Now” BuzzFeed “Book To Dive Into” Brooklyn Book Festival “Most Impressive Debut Novelist” Kenyon Review “Holiday Reading Recommendation” Publishers Weekly “First Fiction” & “Book of the Week” selection Library Journal “Top Indie Fiction” selection “This environmental fable—as if Where the Wild Things Are had been written by Rachel Carson—is a lyrical field guide . . . as well as a commentary on extinction and being alive.” —O, The Oprah Magazine “Muir astounded this reader. Liltingly physical, metaphorically sound, elusively knowing, her language is paint and clay and vibration.” —International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist citation, Hartford Public Library “[An] imaginative menagerie comes to life in [Muir’s] novel Invisible Beasts.” —Sentinel-Tribune “Wonderful and unusual.” —Orion Magazine “Vividly portrayed.” —Locus “A wild and woolly hybrid that refreshingly defies classification. . . . Compelling throughout . . . it’s the literary lovechild of Lewis Carroll and Rachel Carson filtered through the lens of zoology’s godfather, Darwin himself.” —Bostonia “An imaginative, delightful field guide to animals that seem to be visible to only a few people—including amateur naturalist and narrator Sophie. As her detailed descriptions of the fantastic creatures unfold, Sophie reveals a bit about human nature.” —Stanford Magazine “At once a celebration of the power of imagination and a requiem for the species we’re losing every day. Both moving and often surprisingly funny, it’s a seductive work of speculative naturalism that has its hands in the dirt and its head in the clouds.” —Kenyon Review “Brilliant. . . . With a light, witty, but heartwrenching touch, without preaching or hectoring in any form, Muir reveals, through the stories of her magnificent, funny, endearing invisible animals and their perils and extinctions, the anthropocentric obtuseness and mindless, casual as well as purposeful devastation of the environment and the mass slaughter of life forms, including ourselves, that puts all of us—animals, vegetables, and minerals—in dire peril.” —Women’s Review of Books “Sensitive and elegant . . . funny and tender. . . . Beasts, a category used here in all its expansiveness, includes everything from the human to the microbe. This book is a wondrous testament to those relationships, interdependencies, and affinities. Invisible Beasts makes the bestiary a document of profoundly human dimensions, and offers to all readers, whether devotees of science or of fantasy, very real pleasures.” —io9 “An absolute delight. . . . This smart, whimsical novel takes readers not only into a world of ‘invisible beasts’ but into the mind of a charmingly quirky character.” —EcoLit Books “An erudite guidebook to the ‘animals’ that walk unseen among us.” —LitReactor “Full of language that is at once passionate and precise, flowery and full of information, [Invisible Beasts] is bursting at the seams with a strange duality, a dizzying mash-up of romanticism and science.” —Collagist “Lines blur between the human and animal worlds in this richly detailed debut. . . . In Sophie’s struggles to find her footing in a world only she and a few others can see, Muir expertly pinpoints the frailty of the human condition. This is an amazing feat of imagination.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Playfully and thoughtfully underlines the pain and loss of extinction . . . combin[ing] fact and imagination in 20 fables narrated by an amateur naturalist. . . . A marvelous capsule of natural history . . . not to mention crackling suspense.” —Kirkus Reviews “The various fantastical beings presented here are described in careful scientific detail with results that are weird, whimsical, and somewhat unsettling. Like very fractured Just So Stories.” —Library Journal “Invisible Beasts is a strange and beautiful meditation on love and seeing, a hybrid of fantasy and field guide, novel and essay, treatise and fable. With one hand it offers a sad commentary on environmental degradation, while with the other it presents a bright, whimsical, and funny exploration of what it means to be human. It’s wonderfully written, crazily imagined, and absolutely original.” —ANTHONY DOERR, author of All the Light We Cannot See and The Shell Collector “In this twenty-first century, there’s no one like Sharona Muir who can write, in bright accurate language, animals real or imaginary in an updated bestiary that riffs on evolution, extinction, and what it means to be human among other species. We need this view, and you’ll be right there with her on every page of Invisible Beasts.” —JOHN FELSTINER, author of Can Poetry Save the Earth?: A Field Guide to Nature Poems “Invisible Beasts is a delightful and stunning feat of environmental imagination, endlessly enjoyable and fascinating. With the deep inventiveness of Ursula Le Guin and the quirky vitality of Annie Dillard, Sharona Muir seduces us into a cautionary world full of creatures, at once fanciful and utterly convincing, who hold unexpected lessons for ourselves.” —ROBERT FINCH, author of A Cape Cod Notebook and co-editor of The Norton Book of Nature Writing “Many writers are inspired by symbiology—the interdependence of nature, culture, and technology—but Muir’s intelligence and breadth of knowledge are exceptional. You could not find a better little book of ethics, politics, and ecology for our time.” —REGENIA GAGNIER, author of The Insatiability of Human Wants and Individualism, Decadence and Globalization “If you’ve lost your capacity to wonder at the myriad forms of life swarming, burrowing, swooping, and gamboling around you—and inside you—then look no further. Equal parts science and imagination, Invisible Beasts takes us on a journey to another world that turns out to be our world, as if seen and experienced for the first time. If you’re interested in what it means to be alive, and share life, then read this book.” —CARY WOLFE, author of Before the Law: Humans and Other Animals in a Biopolitical Frame and What is Posthumanism?International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist Orion Book Award Finalist O, The Oprah Magazine “Title to Pick Up Now” BuzzFeed “Book To Dive Into” Brooklyn Book Festival “Most Impressive Debut Novelist” Kenyon Review “Holiday Reading Recommendation” Publishers Weekly “First Fiction” & “Book of the Week” selection Library Journal “Top Indie Fiction” selection “This environmental fable—as if Where the Wild Things Are had been written by Rachel Carson—is a lyrical field guide . . . as well as a commentary on extinction and being alive.” —O, The Oprah Magazine “Muir astounded this reader. Liltingly physical, metaphorically sound, elusively knowing, her language is paint and clay and vibration.” —International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist citation, Hartford Public Library “[An] imaginative menagerie comes to life in [Muir’s] novel Invisible Beasts.” —Sentinel-Tribune “Wonderful and unusual.” —Orion Magazine “Vividly portrayed.” —Locus “A wild and woolly hybrid that refreshingly defies classification. . . . Compelling throughout . . . it’s the literary lovechild of Lewis Carroll and Rachel Carson filtered through the lens of zoology’s godfather, Darwin himself.” —Bostonia “An imaginative, delightful field guide to animals that seem to be visible to only a few people—including amateur naturalist and narrator Sophie. As her detailed descriptions of the fantastic creatures unfold, Sophie reveals a bit about human nature.” —Stanford Magazine “At once a celebration of the power of imagination and a requiem for the species we’re losing every day. Both moving and often surprisingly funny, it’s a seductive work of speculative naturalism that has its hands in the dirt and its head in the clouds.” —Kenyon Review “Brilliant. . . . With a light, witty, but heartwrenching touch, without preaching or hectoring in any form, Muir reveals, through the stories of her magnificent, funny, endearing invisible animals and their perils and extinctions, the anthropocentric obtuseness and mindless, casual as well as purposeful devastation of the environment and the mass slaughter of life forms, including ourselves, that puts all of us—animals, vegetables, and minerals—in dire peril.” —Women’s Review of Books “Sensitive and elegant . . . funny and tender. . . . Beasts, a category used here in all its expansiveness, includes everything from the human to the microbe. This book is a wondrous testament to those relationships, interdependencies, and affinities. Invisible Beasts makes the bestiary a document of profoundly human dimensions, and offers to all readers, whether devotees of science or of fantasy, very real pleasures.” —io9 “An absolute delight. . . . This smart, whimsical novel takes readers not only into a world of `invisible beasts’ but into the mind of a charmingly quirky character.” —EcoLit Books “An erudite guidebook to the `animals’ that walk unseen among us.” —LitReactor “Full of language that is at once passionate and precise, flowery and full of information, [Invisible Beasts] is bursting at the seams with a strange duality, a dizzying mash-up of romanticism and science.” —Collagist “Lines blur between the human and animal worlds in this richly detailed debut. . . . In Sophie’s struggles to find her footing in a world only she and a few others can see, Muir expertly pinpoints the frailty of the human condition. This is an amazing feat of imagination.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Playfully and thoughtfully underlines the pain and loss of extinction . . . combin[ing] fact and imagination in 20 fables narrated by an amateur naturalist. . . . A marvelous capsule of natural history . . . not to mention crackling suspense.” —Kirkus Reviews “The various fantastical beings presented here are described in careful scientific detail with results that are weird, whimsical, and somewhat unsettling. Like very fractured Just So Stories.” —Library Journal “Invisible Beasts is a strange and beautiful meditation on love and seeing, a hybrid of fantasy and field guide, novel and essay, treatise and fable. With one hand it offers a sad commentary on environmental degradation, while with the other it presents a bright, whimsical, and funny exploration of what it means to be human. It’s wonderfully written, crazily imagined, and absolutely original.” —ANTHONY DOERR, author of All the Light We Cannot See and The Shell Collector “In this twenty-first century, there’s no one like Sharona Muir who can write, in bright accurate language, animals real or imaginary in an updated bestiary that riffs on evolution, extinction, and what it means to be human among other species. We need this view, and you’ll be right there with her on every page of Invisible Beasts.” —JOHN FELSTINER, author of Can Poetry Save the Earth?: A Field Guide to Nature Poems “Invisible Beasts is a delightful and stunning feat of environmental imagination, endlessly enjoyable and fascinating. With the deep inventiveness of Ursula Le Guin and the quirky vitality of Annie Dillard, Sharona Muir seduces us into a cautionary world full of creatures, at once fanciful and utterly convincing, who hold unexpected lessons for ourselves.” —ROBERT FINCH, author of A Cape Cod Notebook and co-editor of The Norton Book of Nature Writing “Many writers are inspired by symbiology—the interdependence of nature, culture, and technology—but Muir’s intelligence and breadth of knowledge are exceptional. You could not find a better little book of ethics, politics, and ecology for our time.” —REGENIA GAGNIER, author of The Insatiability of Human Wants and Individualism, Decadence and Globalization “If you’ve lost your capacity to wonder at the myriad forms of life swarming, burrowing, swooping, and gamboling around you—and inside you—then look no further. Equal parts science and imagination, Invisible Beasts takes us on a journey to another world that turns out to be our world, as if seen and experienced for the first time. If you’re interested in what it means to be alive, and share life, then read this book.” —CARY WOLFE, author of Before the Law: Humans and Other Animals in a Biopolitical Frame and What is Posthumanism?

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Book SynopsisFeatures a collection of 26 traditional stories from different Native American tribes, including the Pawnee, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, and Lakota. In this title, these include "The Gift of the Sacred Calf Pipe" which demonstrate the deep spiritual values contained in Native American oral culture.

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Book Synopsis'The fairy tale is unique in its capacity…to be a wise and tender guide for us all, in both childhood and adulthood.' – from the Introduction This collection of twenty-six fairy tales from around the world has been carefully compiled with a special focus on inclusivity, sharing stories that nourish families from many different cultures. It includes fairy tales from Africa, Asia, Europe, Russia and the Americas. These Waldorf favourites are perfect for teachers to use in kindergartens or for parents to share at home.

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Book SynopsisFrom critically acclaimed creator Natasha Alterici (Gotham Academy) comes an Nordic fantasy adventure that defies conventions and expectations. Aydis is a viking, a warrior, an outcast, and a self-proclaimed heathen. Aydis is friend to the talking horse Saga, rescuer of the immortal Valkyrie Brynhild, and battler of demons and fantastic monsters. Aydis is a woman. Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, she is on a mission to end the oppressive reign of the god-king Odin. Collects the first four sold-out issues!

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Book SynopsisWhen Froelich disappears from the fourth-tallest ladder in the world, his nephew's quest to find him interlaces with the journeys of two spunky young women who outwit their guardians. In a Wild West populated with immigrants, skittish Civil War veterans, hungry clouds, a circus menagerie, and a few murderers, this fairy-tale twist on the American dream explores the conflict between loyalty and ambition, and the need for connection, even at the highest rungs.Trade Review"From the first page to the last, Froelich's Ladder brims with color, intrigue, and verve. At once a fantastical, madcap adventure and a poignant meditation on independence and solitude, it's the kind of book that captivates you quickly and whisks you high into the atmosphere. I was in thrall to the surreal Oregon landscape, populated by tycoons and grifters, cross-dressers and hungry clouds. This debut is clever, irreverent, and ultimately unforgettable." -- Leslie Parry, author of Church of Marvels "A wild odd funny picaresque headlong fervent fever dream of a dense moist prickly novel--the most unusual fiction I have read in years." -- Brian Doyle, author of Mink River "Half (extremely) tall tale, half picaresque quest, and all entertaining, Froelich's Ladder paints a picture of the American frontier that's more original--yet perhaps more true--than any I've encountered in a long, long time. Readers who appreciate the cockeyed historical vision of writers like Charles Portis, Thomas Berger, Richard Brautigan, and Patrick deWitt need to add Jamie Duclos-Yourdon to their to-read lists today." -- Steve Hockensmith, New York Times bestselling author of Holmes on the Range and The White Magic Five and Dime "These men and women--and women mistaken for men--search and stumble through a barely charted wilderness of moss and muck, peppered with outposts, outlaws and out-of-luck misfits who charm with wordplay that brings to mind William Goldman's The Princess Bride." -- Brian Juenemann, Eugene Register-Guard "Bristling with the bizarre, Jamie Duclos-Yourdon's Froelich's Ladder is a fantastical commentary on humanity's interconnectedness." -- Meagan Logsdon, ForeWord Reviews "Three words: inventive, intrepid, imaginative. Froelich's Ladder blends the best elements of magic and realism, conveying characters and readers alike into the familiar fog-enshrouded world of Oregon where anything but the familiar happens." -- Gina Ochsner, author of The Hidden Letters of Velta B. "Froelich's Ladder is a delight: sneaky, wise, hilarious. In thinking of Jamie Duclos-Yourdon's spectacular debut, I'm put in mind of another tall tale, Huck Finn, whose title character said of his author, 'There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.' Froelich's Ladder tells the truth of America, with astonishing insight, invention, and grace." -- Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She's Not There and Stuck in the Middle with You "Froelich's Ladder is a tall tale/fable/kindermarchen set in the Oregon Territory and featuring a large cast of eccentric characters. It's reminiscent of the works of Patrick deWitt, though entirely its own thing. I loved the magic and the tall tale-ness and the characters and I wish there were more books in the world that were creating new folklores and fairy tales. Sometimes we grown-ups need to be reminded of why we started loving stories in the first place, and Froelich's Ladder is a book that can do that." -- Billie Bloebaum, bookseller, Third Street Books "Froelich's Ladder by Jamie Duclos-Yourdon is a modern fairy tale set during the pioneering days of Oregon. Modern and pioneering? Yes, just go with it; you won't be disappointed. Brothers Froelich and Harald have a fight that lasts decades and sends Froelich up the fourth-tallest ladder in the history of the world. There he stays and stays, until one day he is missing. An unbelievably charming story with the quirkiest of characters, Froelich's Ladder is required reading for Pacific Northwest lovers. Duclos-Yourdon clearly has a long career ahead of him." -- Dianah Hughley, bookseller, Powell's Books "In Froelich's Ladder, Jamie Duclos-Yourdon debuts an impeccably crafted adventure in the best tall tale tradition. The men and women of his frontier Oregon are keenly drawn and brilliantly, painfully human, as is the book itself, touched with wit and whimsy and saturated with longing. Duclos-Yourdon's deft, lyrical prose gives the novel an impressive, addictive fairy-tale sensibility, and marks it as one of those rare reads that simultaneously evokes and transcends its wholly original time and place." -- Tracy Manaster, author of You Could Be Home by Now "Jamie Duclos-Yourdon's new novel, Froelich's Ladder, is the perfect tall tale for our time. Funny and smart, Duclos-Yourdon takes us back to just settled Oregon. With logging camps, confederate spies, and industrious builders, this book is at once a lesson in Oregon history and a lesson in the unexpected. Overall, it's a joy to read; it's evocative of a different time, and a tale that's taller than the ladder Froelich builds." -- Kate Ristau, author of Shadowgirl "This is more than just an ordinary fairy tale; it is also a look at independence and solitude and it is very, very clever and very, very irreverent. I do not remember ever reading anything quite like this." -- Amos Lassen, Reviews by Amos Lassen "What a clever, leaping story!" -- Ruby Meyers, bookseller, Annie Bloom's Books "This was a fast-paced, clever witted novel that I enjoyed immensely. The underlying theme of alienation was played out well throughout the novel. It reminds the reader that we will always need to reach out to one another through whatever means and in whatever language. After all, they sure did need each other in order to survive the Wild West." -- Mareli Thalk, reviewer, Mareli Thalk Ink "Jamie Duclos-Yourdon's debut novel, Froelich's Ladder, is part Twain-ian tall tale, part history lesson, part fantasy, and part social commentary on generosity and social interdependence in a magical, but realistic, Oregon forest of 145 years ago. " -- Mo Daviau, author of Every Anxious Wave

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