Download or read book The Elfin Ship written by James P. Blaylock and published by Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-06-21 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: James P Blaylock's 1982 début novel The Elfin Ship has become a classic of whimsical fantasy. With echoes of Kenneth Graham and Mark Twain, it's a gentle, eccentric and hilarious novel that will delight readers of all ages. Trading with the elves used to be so simple. Every year Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing would send his very best cheeses downriver to traders who would eventually return with Elfin wonders for the people of Twombly Town. But no more... First, the trading post at Willowood Station was mysteriously destroyed. Then a magical elfin airship began making forays overhead: Jonathan knew something was definitely amiss. So he set off downriver to deliver the cheeses himself, accompanied by the amazing Professor Wurzle, the irrepressible Dooly, and his faithful dog Ahab. It would have been such a pleasant trip, if not for the weeping skeleton, mad goblins, magic coins, an evil dwarf, a cloak of invisibility - and a watch that stopped time. Of course, the return trip was not so simple.

Download or read book The Disappearing Dwarf written by James P. Blaylock and published by Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-06-25 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jonathan Bing, Master Cheeser, has been growing a bit bored in Twombly Town. So it’s no surprise that when Professor Wurzle suggests a trip downriver, Jonathan jumps at the chance. A visit to the Evil Dwarf Selznak’s abandoned castle leads to a treasure hunt, but also to the discovery that Jonathan’s old friend the Squire has vanished, and that Selznak may be involved. Jonathan--accompanied by his wonderpooch Ahab, the Professor, and Miles the Magician--will have to set off to darkest Balumnia, to the city of Landsend, to find the treasure, and the Squire. And to make matters worse, Selznak will be there, too... The delightful sequel to The Elfin Ship by World Fantasy and Philip K. Dick award winner James P. Blaylock. The Disappearing Dwarf was first published in 1983. "A magical world, magically presented... having journeyed there, you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget." -- Philip K. Dick

Download or read book The Paper Grail written by James P. Blaylock and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2011-09-29 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A strange man (named Howard) on a strange quest (for a Paper Grail) in a strange land (California) . . . A lot of fuss for a folded scrap of paper. But considering all the odd people searching for the Grail, it must be something special. Something magical . . .

Download or read book Land of Dreams written by James P. Blaylock and published by Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-06-18 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a boat-sized shoe and giant spectacles wash up on the shore, three of the town's orphans - Jack, Skeezix, and Helen - know there's something fishy going on, and the old ghost in the orphanage attic is inclined to agree. An evil carnival comes to town, run by a sinister gentleman who can turn himself into a crow. A mouse-sized man hiding in the woodwork leaves Jack an elixir that might, just might, allow him to cross during Solstice to another world, a mysterious land of dreams that holds the key to Jack's past and all their adventures. Land Of Dreams is a phantasmagorical adventure reminiscent of Charles Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao and Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. REVIEWS: "... a singular American fabulist." -- William Gibson "Land Of Dreams is Blaylock's best yet - powerful, magical, suspenseful and funny, this novel sails us through the supernatural backwaters of the northern California coast, and none of its readers will ever quite be able to leave its landscape of rotting waterfront towns, and strange songs echoing in from the sea, and vast, unknown cities visible on dubious horizons. Blaylock is the best of contemporary writers, and Land Of Dreams is destined to be one of the field's classics." -- Tim Powers "Striking, beautifully turned surreal fantasy... Weird, complex, wise, original, delightful: pounce!" -- Kirkus Reviews

Download or read book Kingdoms of Elfin written by Sylvia Townsend Warner and published by Handheld Classics. This book was released on 2018-10-31 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sylvia Townsend Warner's final collection of short stories contains sixteen sly and enchanting stories of Elfindom.

Download or read book Surface Detail written by Iain M. Banks and published by Orbit. This book was released on 2010-10-28 with total page 606 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Surface Detail is among Iain M. Banks' Culture novels, a breathtaking achievement from a writer whose body of work is without parallel in the modern history of science fiction. It begins in the realm of the Real, where matter still matters. It begins with a murder. And it will not end until the Culture has gone to war with death itself. Lededje Y'breq is one of the Intagliated, her marked body bearing witness to a family shame, her life belonging to a man whose lust for power is without limit. Prepared to risk everything for her freedom, her release, when it comes, is at a price, and to put things right she will need the help of the Culture. Benevolent, enlightened and almost infinitely resourceful though it may be, the Culture can only do so much for any individual. With the assistance of one of its most powerful -- and arguably deranged -- warships, Lededje finds herself heading into a combat zone not even sure which side the Culture is really on. A war -- brutal, far-reaching -- is already raging within the digital realms that store the souls of the dead, and it's about to erupt into reality. It started in the realm of the Real and that is where it will end. It will touch countless lives and affect entire civilizations, but at the center of it all is a young woman whose need for revenge masks another motive altogether. The Culture Series Consider Phlebas The Player of Games Use of Weapons The State of the Art Excession Inversions Look to Windward Matter Surface Detail The Hydrogen Sonata

Download or read book Homunculus written by James P. Blaylock and published by Titan Books (US, CA). This book was released on 2013-02-12 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is the late 19th century and a mysterious airship orbits through the foggy skies. Its terrible secrets are sought by many, including the Royal Society, a fraudulent evangelist, a fiendish vivisectionist, an evil millionaire and an assorted group led by the scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives. Can St. Ives keep the alien homunculus out of the claws of the villainous Ignacio Narbondo?

Download or read book Waiting for Bojangles written by Olivier Bourdeaut and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An “oddball fairy tale” (The New York Times)—shortlisted for one of France’s highest literary prizes—a dark, funny, and wholly charming novel about a young boy and his eccentric family, who grapple with the realities of mental illness in unique and whimsical ways. A young boy lives with his madcap parents, Louise and George, and an exotic bird in a Parisian apartment, where the unopened mail rises in a tower by the door and his parents dance each night to Nina Simone’s mellifluous classic “Mister Bojangles.” As his mother, mesmerizing and unpredictable, descends deeper into her own mind, it is up to the boy and his father to keep her safe—and, when that fails, happy. Fleeing Paris for a country home in Spain, they come to understand that some of the most radiant people bear the heaviest burdens. Told from the perspective of a young boy who idolizes his parents—and from George’s journals, detailing his epic love story with his wife—Waiting for Bojangles is a “lighthearted and yet sorrowful tale” (San Francisco Chronicle) that will stay with you long after the final page.

Download or read book Confessions of an Elf written by Ira David Wood (III) and published by Tate Publishing & Enterprises. This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I don't think anyone honestly believes that this infamous list, supposedly kept by Santa, really amounts to a hill of beans. Naughty or nice, everybody's included in Christmas. Always! That's just the way the boss operates. An elf from the North Pole, on a determined mission, breaks the Elfin Code of Silence in order to bring our twenty-first century world an update on the true meaning of Christmas and the very real spirit of Santa Claus. His outsider perspective of the world of 'biggles' offers each person who celebrates Christmas a valuable lesson on the holiday, their lives, and an inside look at who Santa Claus really is. As he explains it to the author: 'This isn't as much a book for children as it is a book for the child-like virtues inside all humans ... regardless of their age.' If the Christmas season is a special time in your life, this book is for you.

Download or read book Blue Boy written by Rakesh Satyal and published by Kensington Publishing Corp.. This book was released on 2009-04-28 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atwelve-year-old Indian American boy believes he is the reincarnation of Krishna and plans to unveil his true identity at the school talent show. Meet Kiran Sharma: lover of music, dance, and all things sensual; son of immigrants, social outcast, spiritual seeker. A boy who doesn’t quite understand his lot—until he realizes he’s a god . . . As an only son, Kiran has obligations—to excel in his studies, to honor the deities, to find a nice Indian girl, and, above all, to make his mother and father proud—standard stuff for a boy of his background. If only Kiran had anything in common with the other Indian kids besides the color of his skin. They reject him at every turn, and his cretinous public schoolmates are no better. Cincinnati in the early 1990s isn’t exactly a hotbed of cultural diversity, and Kiran’s not-so-well-kept secrets don’t endear him to any group. Playing with dolls, choosing ballet over basketball, taking the annual talent show way too seriously…the very things that make Kiran who he is also make him the star of his own personal freak show . . . Surrounded by examples of upstanding Indian Americans—in his own home, in his temple, at the weekly parties given by his parents’ friends—Kiran nevertheless finds it impossible to get the knack of “normalcy.” And then one fateful day, a revelation: perhaps his desires aren’t too earthly, but too divine. Perhaps the solution to the mystery of his existence has been before him since birth. For Kiran Sharma, a long, strange trip is about to begin—a journey so sublime, so ridiculous, so painfully beautiful, that it can only lead to the truth . . . Praise for Blue Boy “Compassionate, moving, funny, and wise, Blue Boy is one of the best debut novels I have read in years.” &mda

Download or read book The Last Coin written by James P. Blaylock and published by Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-07-15 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biblical betrayal drives this trilogy from the World Fantasy Award–winning author, “a singular American fabulist” (William Gibson, author of Neuromancer). The price of immortality . . . Two thousand years ago, there lived a man who sold some valuable information for a fee of thirty silver coins. His name was Judas Iscariot, and he is no longer with us. The coins, however, still exist—and still hold an elusive power over all who claim them . . . Like Andrew Vanbergen, whose attempts at innkeeping bring in stranger business than he ever expected. And Aunt Naomi, whose most prized family heirloom is a silver spoon—with a curiously ancient-looking engraving. And especially old Mr. Pennyman, who is only five silver coins short of immortality . . . “The Last Coin should confirm Blaylock’s position as a trendsetter, breaking new ground rather than just exploring the old.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Against a lyric vision of the Southern California coast, cosmic conspiracy theories bump heads in a gleeful farce to produce another strange and wonderful book from the idiosyncratic author of Homunculus and Land of Dreams.” —Publishers Weekly “Weird and wonderful touches abound; Blaylock makes good use of his coastal setting, extracting his own brand of magic from familiar places and familiar things. While Biblical conspiracies and revisionist scriptures are all the rage now, Blaylock got the jump on the current crop by several years.” —SFF Chronicles

Download or read book Steampunk written by Brian J. Robb and published by Voyageur Press. This book was released on 2015-09-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gorgeously illustrated history of the literary, film, and arts counterculture--now in paperback! Simultaneously a literary movement, ultra-hip subculture, and burgeoning cottage industry, steampunk is the most influential new genre to emerge from the late twentieth century. Spinning tales populated with clockwork leviathans, cannon shots to the moon, and coal-fired robots, it charts alternative histories in which the British Empire never fell and the atom remained unsplit. Spectacularly illustrated and international in scope, this comprehensive history explores steampunk's many intricate expressions in fiction, cinema, television, comics, and video games, and traces its evolution into a truly global aesthetic that has made its mark on art, architecture, fashion, and music. From the classic science-fiction of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Mary Shelley, through the dystopian futurescapes of Cyberpunk, to the otherworldly imaginings of Hayao Miyazaki, Alan Moore, and China Miéville, author Brian J. Robb sets the key works of steampunk squarely under the lens of his brass monocle and ventures into a world where airships still rule the skies.

Download or read book The Ship of Ishtar written by Abraham Merritt and published by eStar Books. This book was released on 2014-10-10 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The archaeologist hero, Kenton, receives a mysterious ancient Babylonian artifact, which he discovers contains an incredibly detailed model of a ship. A dizzy spell casts Kenton onto the deck of the ship, which becomes a full-sized vessel sailing an eternal sea. The appearance of Kenton is unexpected for the inhabitants of the ship and amazing adventures ensue…

Download or read book Well of Darkness written by Margaret Weis and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Second in line for succession to the throne, Prince Dagnarus will have his crown...and his queen -- though his heart's prize is a married elfin beauty. Let his hated half-brother Prince Helmos and the Dominion Lords dare to oppose him. For Dagnarus's most loyal servant has ventured into the terrible darkness, where lies the most potent talisman in the realm. And once it is in the dark prince's hand, no power will deter his Destiny.

Download or read book The Elf Revelation Book Nine of the Magi Charter written by Jordan David and published by eBookIt.com. This book was released on 2023-09-05 with total page 1909 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's been a long journey for the galaxy. A galaxy descending into war. Everything is unraveling. The Elves and their Santa have failed so many. Repercussions are inevitable. A great transition is coming to pass and with it the Mission will conclude. Santa Tiberius is faced with the reality of his poor decisions. His authority with the Elves hangs by a thread. It is not enough to admit he is the Last Santa, he must embrace it. Hard choices must be made. Never one to back down from a fight, Tiberius must step down and let others take over. The Elves struggle to unite in a vision fulfilling the Charter. Dedicated as they are, each Discipline, each faction has its own goals and methods. Every individual yearns to contribute, yet thousands of voices speaking at once are chaos. The era of Santa Claus is ending. The age of Elves is uncertain. A crossroads of choices looms ahead. Crystals, Runes, and Touchstones. The universe teems with the unknown, with secrets. Neither the Elves nor the Santas were the only beings charged with upholding the mantle of the Child's dream. Others work in their own mysterious ways towards the great Peace. Long ago the Nix, beings of living snow, took a vow to protect the Dedicated. They longed to share their unique gifts yet held back their most wondrous creations. The long-awaited revelation is nearly here, though not all will be worthy of their last gift. For the Dedicated deliver stardust dreams to the children of the heavens. Forever are the Elves, a Santa's time fleeting. From the top of the world to the heart of the stars. To the dreamers go the Child's epiphany. The Omega becomes an Alpha. Secrets wrapped in choices. Infinite paths to the Peace. All chasing the promise of a world without end... About the Magi Charter series: For over two thousand years the legend of Santa Claus has endured. His is a Mission of peace as outlined in the Magi Charter, given to the first Santa by the Child. From humble beginnings, following that First Christmas, the Santa lineage has been passed down through the ages. This epic adventure tells the story of those Santas from the founding of the North Pole and the origin of the ancient elves, to our modern times where the world's problems affect even those in the secluded complex of the North, and concluding in the distant future which finds Santa and the elves committed to their mission on a galactic scale where Christmas traditions are barely recognizable. In every era, those committed to the Mission must find a way to deliver that which is needed most to those most deserving.

Download or read book Keeping It Real written by Justina Robson and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2010-11-04 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Quantum Bomb of 2015 changed everything. The fabric that kept the universe's different dimensions apart was torn and now, six years later, the people of earth exist in uneasy company with the inhabitants of, amongst others, the elven, elemental and demonic realms. Magic is real and can be even more dangerous than technology. Elves are exotic, erotic, dangerous and really bored with the constant Lord of the Rings references. Elementals are a law unto themselves and demons are best left well to themselves. Special agent Lila Black used to be pretty but now she's not so sure. Her body is now more than half restless carbon and metal alloy machinery. A machine she's barely in control of. It goes into combat mode, enough weapons for a small army springing from within itself, at the merest provocation. As for her heart . . . well ever since being drawn into a Game by the elven rockstar she's been assigned to protect, she's not even sure she can trust that anymore either.

Download or read book The Corner That Held Them written by Sylvia Townsend Warner and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique novel about life in a 14th-century convent by one of England's most original authors. Sylvia Townsend Warner’s The Corner That Held Them is a historical novel like no other, one that immerses the reader in the dailiness of history, rather than history as the given sequence of events that, in time, it comes to seem. Time ebbs and flows and characters come and go in this novel, set in the era of the Black Death, about a Benedictine convent of no great note. The nuns do their chores, and seek to maintain and improve the fabric of their house and chapel, and struggle with each other and with themselves. The book that emerges is a picture of a world run by women but also a story—stirring, disturbing, witty, utterly entrancing—of a community. What is the life of a community and how does it support, or constrain, a real humanity? How do we live through it and it through us? These are among the deep questions that lie behind this rare triumph of the novelist’s art.