Great Fantasy

As any fan of Jo Walton's Among Others might guess, Walton is both an inveterate reader of SF and fantasy, and a chronic rereader of books. In 2008, then-new science fiction mega-site Tor.com asked Walton to blog regularly about her rereading—about all kinds of older fantasy and SF, ranging from acknowledged classics, to guilty pleasures, to forgotten oddities and gems. These posts have consistently been among the most popular features of Tor. Now this volume presents a selection of the best of them, ranging from short essays to long reassessments of some of the field's most ambitious series.

Merriment Feast's life is one constant party, complete with dazzling gowns and delicious pastries. Well, except for her aunt's physically grueling training. Merri believes it's her responsibility to protect her family's traditions and the power they've held for generations. Rue Famine knows that only Feasts benefit from Feast rule. As the heir of House Famine, she spends her days studying potion-making in an enormous, dusty library and learning how to use her magic to help others.

From his presence earth and sky fled away. They stood before the throne, and books were opened. It stopped making sense months ago. Now he seeks the baby, but Elijah has Naomi. Does it even matter anymore? People keep saying the world's going to end. Elijah is starting to think they're right. He's also starting to think they're wrong about how. This is 2066, and the ending will be known.

Celebrate the greatest saga ever told: All of us who are deeply influenced by the epic saga of Star Wars have our favorite moments. Each time the screen goes black and you see those words - "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" - the music blasts through you, and you're a kid again. Ken Napzok, expert appreciator of Star Wars, counts down each one of those special moments that makes this series not just the best movies of all time, but the greatest saga ever told.

Against the backdrop of a never-colonized North America, a broken Ojibwe detective embarks on an emotional and twisting journey toward solving two murders, rediscovering family, and finding himself.

You probably know nothing of the Nawkers, which is not at all surprising. They are one of three tribes of little folk and make their home in the northern mountains. Timid, reclusive, and if we are being honest, not especially memorable. An adult Nawker will only reach the average man’s waist, perhaps an inch or so taller. They are not known to be fast, or agile, and well, they are not especially strong either. The Nawkers don’t use money, don’t mine for jewels and in reality, have nothing the outside world would consider of any real worth. Which, as chance would have it, is exactly ...

Most mercenary units fly flags on two flagpoles at their headquarters: one with their unit’s flag, and other bearing the flag of their current employer. However, the Third Regimental Combat Team—a.k.a. the Eridani Light Horse—leaves one flagpole bare, as a reminder of the death of the Star League, and the other pole flies the Light Horse’s unit and regimental flags at half-mast.

The Magic Unicorn & The Sleepy Dinosaur Bed Time Stories Collection is filled with wonderful bedtime stories of the Magic Unicorn and the Sleepy Dinosaurs' awesome adventures, where they meet new characters and befriend unassumingly and misunderstood monsters, among many others. Let your child’s imagination run wild, as they embark on a journey towards dreamland with you by their side. In this audiobook, your child will have wonderful dreams filled with great dinosaurs and magical unicorns all throughout the night!

Toad’s Terrible, No-Good, Very Excellent Adventure (How Not to Quest Properly) What happens when an imp with the self-preservation instincts of a sock in a tornado, a wizard who can’t stop turning things into chickens, a ghost rabbit with a talent for bad decisions, and a knight-turned-frog who just wants some peace get tangled in a fate-woven disaster? Well… this. Toad, an imp with a talent for absolutely the wrong kind of mischief, has been "banished" (read: promoted) to the Mortal Realm. Osric, a wizard desperately trying to master magic without creating more poultry, has somehow ...

Included: The Apparition Of Mrs. Veal by Daniel Defoe, Alice Addertongue by Benjamin Franklin, The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, Prosper Mérimée by Mateo Falcone, Napoleon And The Spectre by Charlotte Bronte, The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley, Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dr. Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask Of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, An Honest Thief by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Frog by Edgar Allan Poe, The Knitted Collar by Mary Anne Hoare.

The astonishing conclusion to the epic fantasy series.

What we've suspected is true. They're everywhere around us. Angels, that is, as nine of this generations boldest and most acclaimed fantasy writers tell us in this brilliant collection. At once highly imaginative and intensely spiritual, these stories are performed by top stars of television, film and music, who have themselves explored various areas of paranormal. It's a feast that will leave you infinitively more hopeful and a little less alone.

It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for 40 years. They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world.Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr Cassandra Jane 'CJ' Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles.

★★★★★ "YA fiction worthy of adult reading!" - Reader’s Views “Our review praises the novel as an incredibly creative superhero fantasy tale that brings together elements of various cultures. Our Verdict: GET IT." - KIRKUS REVIEWS _______________________________ Dive into the pulsating heart of 1997 New York City with Rohan Chang, an Asian American teenager caught in the tumult of his formative years. This gripping novel unleashes a tale of fierce battles, not just against a chilling serial killer shadowing New York City's streets but also against the insidious foes of racism ...

While President Roosevelt defends the US, the British Empire rallies to repel their alien foe again, and a young Winston Churchill helps to rally international forces. Not all the world sees the Martians as a threat, though; some see them as leverage against Britain. As the military tries to come up with solutions, the international arena takes the stage.

Every great city has a soul. A human avatar that embodies their city's heart and wields its magic. New York? She's got six. But all is not well in the city that never sleeps. Though Brooklyn, Manny, Bronca, Venezia, Padmini and Neek have temporarily managed to stop the Woman in White from invading—and destroying the entire universe in the process—the mysterious capital 'E' Enemy has more subtle powers at her disposal.

Merliss is no ordinary cat. She's far more. She's a young girl's spirit trapped in a cat's body. While the magic that banished her has snatched away her human speech, it has given her a life spanning millennia. For centuries she has lived with the cunning folk, assisting their efforts to heal the sick and ward off malevolent creatures. Now, a bleeding sickness has thrown the community into chaos. The cunning man and his apprentice are in danger from the disease. The life Merliss has worked so long to build is in jeopardy. But disease isn't her only nemesis.

Pat Mora, recipient of the Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, weaves the culture of the American Southwest into the charming tale of DoNa Flor, a giant woman with a giant heart to match. She would do anything for her friends, and in this tall-tale, Flor protects her pueblo community from the threat of a puma.

Only the trio of returning Ark Lords has a prayer of stopping Nox, but they face problems of their own. Blair and Liz arrive in Northern California to find Angel Island deserted, and San Francisco controlled by a kingdom of deathless. Jordan and Trevor return to Peru where werewolves have founded a new religion worshiping the Mother. A religion that preaches that Trevor is the ancient enemy and must be destroyed. Only Jordan can save him, if he can finally learn to trust an old enemy.

Some people lost their sense of proportion, others their sense of scale, but Simon Dykes, a middle-aged, successful London painter, has lost his sense of perspective in a most disturbing fashion. After a night of routine, pedestrian debauchery, traipsing from toilet to toilet, and imbibing a host of narcotics on the way, Simon wakes up cuddled in his girlfriend's loving arms. Much to his dismay, however, his girlfriend has turned into a chimpanzee.