Can a wolf and a swan be together? *** Darilus Gratagan is the Elven emperor of the Aluthia Empire. His rise to power brought to him a dark curse; a demonic wolf is infesting in his body. For a hundred and twelve years, he has managed to suppress the curse. But the demon is getting stronger, to the point that Darilus finds himself turning into a monster almost every night. He begins to desire blood and his people are in danger of himself. Until he finds the evil witch from Tollyria in his royal garden. “I can tame a demon dog,” she says. *** Sania has died. At least she thought so. But then she opens her eyes in Aluthia’s royal garden and when she looks at the reflection of the pond… she sees herself as a black swan. However, when night comes, she shifts back into her original form; the White Witch of Tollyria. For some reason, she cannot leave the royal garden. Then she meets the Emperor of Aluthia… in the form of a demonic wolf. “Make a deal with me,” he says. This story will be applied to PTR on Nov 5th 2021
By the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas | Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize Selected by Time as One of the Ten Best Books of the Year | A New York Times Notable Book | Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post Book World, The Christian Science Monitor, Rocky Mountain News, and Kirkus Reviews | A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist | Winner of the ALA Alex Award | Finalist for the Costa Novel Award From award-winning writer David Mitchell comes a sinewy, meditative novel of boyhood on the cusp of adulthood and the old on the cusp of the new. Black Swan Green tracks a single year in what is, for thirteen-year-old Jason Taylor, the sleepiest village in muddiest Worcestershire in a dying Cold War England, 1982. But the thirteen chapters, each a short story in its own right, create an exquisitely observed world that is anything but sleepy. A world of Kissingeresque realpolitik enacted in boys’ games on a frozen lake; of “nightcreeping” through the summer backyards of strangers; of the tabloid-fueled thrills of the Falklands War and its human toll; of the cruel, luscious Dawn Madden and her power-hungry boyfriend, Ross Wilcox; of a certain Madame Eva van Outryve de Crommelynck, an elderly bohemian emigré who is both more and less than she appears; of Jason’s search to replace his dead grandfather’s irreplaceable smashed watch before the crime is discovered; of first cigarettes, first kisses, first Duran Duran LPs, and first deaths; of Margaret Thatcher’s recession; of Gypsies camping in the woods and the hysteria they inspire; and, even closer to home, of a slow-motion divorce in four seasons. Pointed, funny, profound, left-field, elegiac, and painted with the stuff of life, Black Swan Green is David Mitchell’s subtlest and most effective achievement to date. Praise for Black Swan Green “[David Mitchell has created] one of the most endearing, smart, and funny young narrators ever to rise up from the pages of a novel. . . . The always fresh and brilliant writing will carry readers back to their own childhoods. . . . This enchanting novel makes us remember exactly what it was like.”—The Boston Globe “[David Mitchell is a] prodigiously daring and imaginative young writer. . . . As in the works of Thomas Pynchon and Herman Melville, one feels the roof of the narrative lifted off and oneself in thrall.”—Time
Raka Varoule is a second-rate investigative reporter, traveling between the twenty-seven worlds of the Galactic Empire exposing minor scandals. His big break comes when he weasels his way onto the Emperor's personal star-cruiser to report live, across the galaxy, how the Emperor is celebrating his birthday. When he exposes the biggest scandal in galactic history, he narrowly escapes with the help of a drug runner, a dominatrix, and a monkey wearing ass-less chaps. Together, they search for an escape from the Empire; a barbarian world outside Imperial control. Then things get weird. Black Swan Planet is a rare treat of a novel. A satirical science-fiction story told in a unique way, utilizing a variety of perspectives. This story will make you both laugh out loud and keep you guessing what will happen next. James Peters has woven a story you'll never forget, even if you lack mnemonic implants or prescription vibrating undergarments.
The emperor not only of fashion but also of l art de vivre, Valentino Garavani is in a class all his own. At the Emperor s Table is an invitation into his refined world of graceful and cultured living. The remarkable collection of table settings and objets d art housed in his five residences, in Gstaad, London, Rome, New York, and Paris, as well as on his yacht, evoke the grandeur in which he lives and are presented in this first-ever edition with photographs by Oberto Gili. Recipes by Mr. Garavani s personal chefs are also included and bring readers one step closer to discovering his extraordinary surroundings."
After his wife's untimely death, a powerful sorcerer dedicates his life to seeking revenge against all womankind. He turns his captives into beautiful swans--who briefly regain human form by the fleeting light of the moon. Only Odette, noblest of the enchanted flock, has the courage to confront her captor. But can she gain the allies she needs to free herself and the other swan-maidens from their magical slavery?A monumental tale of loyalty and betrayal, of magic good and evil, of love both carnal and pure, and of the duality of human nature, The Black Swan is a rich tapestry which is sure to become an all-time masterpiece of fantasy.
An interdisciplinary look at the Harlem Renaissance, it includes essays on the principal participants, those who defined the political, intellectual and cultural milieu in which the Renaissance existed; on important events and places.
DIVThe riveting Cornwall saga continues with the story of Lucie Lansdon, the sole witness to a horrifying crime much too close to home . . . /divDIV After her father is murdered, Lucie Lansdon’s eyewitness testimony sends a fanatical Irish terrorist to the gallows. Fate claims another victim when Lucie receives news that her fiancé has died in Africa. Reeling from the deaths of the two men she loved most, and convinced that her life is cursed, Lucie finally finds happiness when she marries the gentle Roland Fitzgerald./divDIV /divDIVBut her domestic life with Roland and his sister is not all it should be. Someone is watching—and waiting to carry out a cunningly orchestrated plan of retribution. As Lucie’s life is threatened and she begins to doubt her sanity, she’s visited by someone she believed lost to her forever. On the verge of uncovering the truth about a long-ago night, she places her trust in the wrong person./div
