This is a work of fiction based on my childhood memories growing up in a farming village in Capul Island in Northern Samar, Philippines. Most of the stories are based on my own experiences and of the people I grew up with. So if the reader could identify themselves in these pages, I may have been inspired by them. I have long wanted to document the colourful traditions of my hometown as I have written them in my journals. I believe I have written a collective experience of my people in these stories that took me several years to print.
David Parker is plagued by a recurring dream that haunts most of his childhood. Now in his senior year, a chain of events begins to unfold and slowly the details of his dream come into play but not as he anticipated. Follow David as he learns just how significant his dream really is and how the smallest decision can have the biggest consequences. Can he win the race against time to save his friends, and if he does, what will it cost him.
Michael Swanwick, Geoff Ryman, Allen Steele, Nancy Kress, Robert Reed, Michael Cassott, Charles Stross are just some of the high-profile names that feature in this volume of what is now regarded as essential reading for every science-fiction fan. This year's edition includes not just the biggest names in science-fiction writing but also many of its other brightest young talents too, as well as even more stories than ever before. All this, and the usual thorough summations of the year, plus a list of recommended reading, more than upholds an established tradition of value and excellence.
Widely regarded as the one essential book for every science fiction fan, The Year's Best Science Fiction (Winner of the 2002 Locus Award for Best Anthology) continues to uphold its standard of excellence with more than two dozen stories representing the previous year's best SF writing. This year's volume includes Ian R. MacLeod, Nancy Kress, Greg Egan, Maureen F. McHugh, Robert Reed, Paul McAuley, Michael Swanwick, Robert Silverberg, Charles Stross, John Kessel, Gregory Benford and many other talented authors of SF, as well as thorough summations of the year and a recommended reading list.
"The Reluctant Dragon" is an children's story by exclaimed author Kenneth Grahame (originally published as a chapter in his book Dream Days). It served as the key element to the 1941 feature film with the same name from Walt Disney Productions. This edition also includes a biography of the books author, Kenneth Grahame.
Anything can happen on Dragon Isle... One feisty dragon + one desperate human = one fake marriage. Jax needs a wife in a bad way. He stands to inherit an incredible fortune, but there's one caveat: he has to get married, like, yesterday. He can't touch the money until he's claimed a mate. He's got to stay married for an entire year, and then if they go their separate ways, it's no big deal. One year of marriage? He could do that. Only, all of the ladies on Dragon Isle are girls he grew up with. Nobody is going to take a chance on this. Nobody would buy it. Then one drunken stranger changes everything... Melissa has absolutely nothing going for her. When her husband caught her by surprise last year and filed for divorce, she was stuck with half of his debt and...nothing. She had nothing. They lost the house, the cars, and their savings accounts because apparently, Kyle had a secret gambling problem she knew nothing about. When a handsome stranger approaches her in a random bar with a strange offer, she's intrigued enough to say yes. One year being married to a rich guy? One year without sex or love or romance attached? One year as long as she doesn't ask too many questions? Melissa can't sign up fast enough. Soon she discovers that Dragon Isle isn't a normal island, though. It's full of secrets, and she finds herself determined to figure out what Jax is hiding from her. ***DRAGONS ARE FOREVER is the first book in RETURN TO DRAGON ISLE. This is a spinoff of the DRAGON ISLE series by Sophie Stern. Reading the Dragon Isle books is highly encouraged, although not required in order to enjoy this story. Dragon Isle begins with STEPDRAGON, which is a quick read introducing the island, and is followed by MY LORD AND DRAGON.***
An incident from the Viking period in the Northern Isles of Scotland inspired the story from which this collection takes its name. The stories range from the first century, to the 1920s - when the author was a child - to one which ends a hundred years from now.
Anything can happen on Dragon Isle... Shapeshifters. Billionaires. Surprise weddings that will knock your socks off? You'll find all of this and more in the Return to Dragon Isle bundle. Book 1: Dragons Are Forever Anything can happen on Dragon Isle... One feisty dragon + one desperate human = one fake marriage. Jax needs a wife in a bad way. He stands to inherit an incredible fortune, but there's one caveat: he has to get married, like, yesterday. He can't touch the money until he's claimed a mate. He's got to stay married for an entire year, and then if they go their separate ways, it's no big deal. One year of marriage? He could do that. Only, all of the ladies on Dragon Isle are girls he grew up with. Nobody is going to take a chance on this. Nobody would buy it. Then one drunken stranger changes everything... Melissa has absolutely nothing going for her. When her husband caught her by surprise last year and filed for divorce, she was stuck with half of his debt and...nothing. She had nothing. They lost the house, the cars, and their savings accounts because apparently, Kyle had a secret gambling problem she knew nothing about. When a handsome stranger approaches her in a random bar with a strange offer, she's intrigued enough to say yes. One year being married to a rich guy? One year without sex or love or romance attached? One year as long as she doesn't ask too many questions? Melissa can't sign up fast enough. Soon she discovers that Dragon Isle isn't a normal island, though. It's full of secrets, and she finds herself determined to figure out what Jax is hiding from her. Book 2: Dragon Crushed Anything can happen on Dragon Isle... One feisty dragon + one pissed-off human = one relationship that won't be easy. Lana doesn't believe in happy endings. She doesn't believe in true love, and she doesn't believe in fated mates, and she doesn't believe in anything romantic. Oliver ruined all of that for her when he chose to break her heart. Oh, it might have been ten years ago, but she hasn't forgotten. Humans never do. Oliver has been busy building his company. As the CEO of a million-dollar company, he's got a lot on his mind. When he's feeling honest, he's more than willing to admit he threw himself into work after his relationship with Lana failed. He let her down, and he's never forgiven himself. When a freak storm forces the inhabitants of Dragon Isle to hunker down, Oliver finds himself trapped with the one person he never thought he'd see again.Lana is stuck at his house with no place to go, and Oliver realizes that when it comes to her, some things never change. This bundle also includes: Book 3: Dragon's Hex Book 4 - Dragon's Gain Book 5 - Dragon's Rush
The Gambler and Other Stories is Fyodor Dostoyevsky's collection of one novella and six short stories reflecting his own life - indeed, 'The Gambler', a story of a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian General, was written under a strict deadline so he could pay off his roulette debts. This volume includes 'Bobok', the tale of a frustrated writer visiting a cemetery and enjoying the gossip of the dead; 'The Dream of a Ridiculous Man', the story of one man's plan to commit suicide and the troubling dream that follows, as well as 'A Christmas Party and a Wedding', 'A Nasty Story' and 'The Meek One'.
On the magical island of the Three Kingdoms, disparaged teenagers quest to save their people from dragons, duplicity and dictatorship. This is a book of fairy tales, but not of happy endings. Don’t expect to fall asleep to sweet dreams when you’re done. Content warnings: violence, abuse, kidnapping, blood, homophobia. Please consume responsibly.
