Fantasy Realism

Better the enemy you know than the enemy you don't. Queen Morgana presents me to her people as the heiress to the throne. Meanwhile, my earthly friends and I are settling into the day-to-day life of this world. But we all know what is coming. King Auberon is hellbent on replacing Morgana on the Avalonian throne. As the key component in a desperate bargain for peace, I’m the only one who can stop the impending war. A war I fear will tear the magical realm of Gwyn Fanon to shreds. Auberon is not the only threat, however, and I can hardly separate friend from foe anymore, as invisible ...

Paul Armstead is your average American senior citizen and electrical engineer. He's 61 years old, unremarkably unattractive, and a self-proclaimed science fiction nut. He's lived the American dream in drab, typical fashion. So how does he end up fleeing from one end of the world to the other, dodging government dragnets; evil, nightmarish monsters known as the Oni; good wizards; bad wizards; beautiful women; spies; and wizardly spells? Well, it is entirely the genie's fault....

In "Books and Roses", one special key opens a library, a garden, and clues to at least two lovers' fates. In "Is Your Blood as Red as This?", an unlikely key opens the heart of a student at a puppeteering school. "'Sorry' Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea" involves a "house of locks", where doors can be closed only with a key - with surprising unobservable developments. And in "If a Book Is Locked There's Probably a Good Reason for That Don't You Think", a key keeps a mystical diary locked (for good reason).

A magical novel, based on a Japanese folk tale, that imagines how the life of a broken-hearted man is transformed when he rescues an injured white crane that has landed in his backyard. George Duncan is an American living and working in London. At 48, he owns a small print shop, is divorced, and lonelier than he realizes. All of the women with whom he has relationships eventually leave him for being too nice. But one night he is woken by an astonishing sound - a terrific keening, which is coming from somewhere in his garden. When he investigates he finds a great white crane....

Enter a world where reality blends seamlessly with whimsical enchantment, weaving a tale of destiny, love, and revenge. In 1609 AD, a foreboding Prophecy casts its shadow. An individual known as the ‘one’ will embark on a profound journey of love and loss, with his decisions holding the power to reshape his destiny. Beneath the surface of history, a dangerous current of greed and recklessness surges, foretelling the imminent end of the Rogue Clans, malevolent vampires who have haunted mortals for centuries, their deeds etched into historical records. Amidst this turbulent era, two ...

There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history. But that’s not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest or her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect; it’s about sharing who you are with the world - and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands.

Longing to escape his island home, a boy named Hodaka runs away during his first summer of high school to find a new life in Tokyo. As rain falls for days on end and Hodaka struggles to adjust, he meets a girl named Hina who holds a mysterious power: With a single prayer, she can part the clouds and bring back the sun. But her power comes at a price, and as the weather spirals further and further out of control, they must choose what future they truly want for themselves.

Aila Quinn's mother, Juliet, has always been a mystery. Vibrant yet guarded, she keeps her secrets beyond Aila's reach. When Juliet dies, Aila and her younger brother, Miles, are sent to live in Sterling, a rural town with mysteries of its own. In Sterling, the experiences that weave life together - scents of flowers and food, reflections from mirrors and lakes, even the ability to dream - vanish every seven years. No one knows what causes these Disappearances or what will slip away next.

We first met the Owens in the glorious novel Practical Magic. We discovered the tragedy of the Owens siblings in Rules of Magic. Now we learn how it all began...with a baby abandoned in a snowy English field in the 1600s. Under the care of gentle Hannah Owens, little Maria learns about the 'Unnamed Arts'. Maria has a gift for them - a gift that may well prove her undoing. When Maria is abandoned by the man she loves, she invokes the curse that will haunt her family for centuries. Because magic has rules, and they must be followed.

James is living the life he always wanted. He has his own rustic cabin in the countryside, peace, quiet, and some lovely companions to share his joy with. But there is much left to do! James will need to expand his cabin to make it more comfortable for his—ahem—lady friends. Also, harvest is coming up for the redheaded farm girl, and she might need a hand or two around the farm.

Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school. Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.

I had one job - kill the king, and I failed. I’d once thought ending King Zephyr’s reign would be enough for me to move beyond my past, but the longer I’m within the fae realm, the more I realize nothing is as simple as I’d hoped. My first attempt to take down the castle might have been unsuccessful, but I refuse to accept defeat. The only problem...sea creatures and unknown fae insist on getting in the way, and my path back to the castle proves harder than I like.

Queen of the Underworld I never asked to be Queen. In fact, I never even knew I was a witch until a little while ago. Now I’m struggling to lead the creatures of the Underworld while uncovering secrets about my own identity that could change everything. When I’m suddenly kidnapped by the mysterious Lurker elder and taken to their hidden compound, I discover a shocking truth—I have a twin sister, and we share blood with the very enemies I’ve sworn to fight. As I navigate this dangerous new reality, I must confront questions about who I truly am and where my loyalties should lie. With...

Elizabeth had always believed there was nothing more magical than the precious gift of love...even now in the heart of danger, she still believed it...she always would. After telling the story of Simon's magical cowboy ranch for more years than she cared to count, Elizabeth Fountaine wondered if there might be more to the fanciful fairy-tale than being an elaborate bedtime story to tell children. More than ever before, she very much needed for even just a small piece of the fairy-tale to be real. Kellyn had always loved Elias Stratton with all her heart and probably always would. She'd ...

The collected fantasy stories of World Fantasy Award winner S.P. Somtow — a half century of his acclaimed work brought together in a single volume. From rural America to exotic Bangkok, from ancient history to contemporary times — and sometimes both within the same story — Somtow's world betray a limitless imagination and the finely honed writing that has brought him numerous awards during his half-century writing career. Beginning with his first fantasy story from the 1970s, Fire from the Wine-dark Sea to his most recent tales, this collection is a a treasure chest.

Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina but, as Christmas draws nearer, her dancing days are numbered - she must marry and take up her place in society in the New Year. But, when a mysterious toymaker, Dr Drosselmeier, purchases a neighbouring townhouse, it heralds the arrival of magic and wonder in Marietta’s life. After Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance on Christmas Eve, Marietta discovers it carries a magic all of its own - a magic darker than anyone could imagine.

Chancery may be the youngest ruler of the Evians, but she won her first battle. Thanks to her success, the powers ruling the rest of the Earth are aligning against her, and her supporters’ demands grow with every passing day. Her days of hiding are over.... A 5,000-year-old prophecy and a dull black rock ruined the life Chancery planned for herself. As she navigates the roiling waters of ancient prejudice, assassination, war, and refugees, she discovers how deeply unprepared she was to assume this unwanted role. But standing tall makes you a target.

The Devil returns for an encore. His fractured soul has been wandering Angelus ever since Elaria pulled it free of Lucifer but now, it's found a way back to the physical world. As the one who released the part of Lucifer that craves only blood and pain, Elaria feels that it's now her responsibility to destroy it. But the Devil has grown even more cunning while separated from Lucifer, and Elaria will need more than music to stop him this time. She'll have to face her own demons and frailties—the secrets of her heart and the darkness in her soul—if she wants to stand a chance of ...

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close to her. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books have delighted readers and listeners across the globe for more than 100 years. The Wonderland Collection presents three of Carroll's most famous works.

Scandals, Secrets, and Unanswered Questions Liz Gold desperately wants freedom from the nightmare she escaped. But, her writing therapy launches more problems since her best friend steals her “for your eyes only” novel and sends it to literary agents. Nobody was ever supposed to read about her adventure, especially not the part where she fled her captors by shifting into her wolf. But she could pass it off as fantasy. Right? Nobody really believes in werewolves. Until Scott Taylor gets his hands on a copy of the ill-fated manuscript. The book’s title is a clue to the life he tried to ...