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Understories
by Tim HorvathNew Hampshire Literary Award Winner"Profound . . . with more to say on the human condition than most full books. . . . A remarkable collection, with pitch-perfect leaps of imagination." -Minneapolis Star Tribune"Horvath doesn't just tell a story, he gives readers a window into the hearts, minds and souls of his characters." -Concord Monitor"Absolutely splendid . . . I call it elastic realism . . . firmly rooted in a realistic tradition of writing, but the stories are very elastic. They stretch realism into unexpected places, wonderful little niches that I just adore. . . . These are stories that are funny, they're odd . . . I loved this book." -NANCY PEARL, KUOW's The RecordWhat if there were a city that consisted only of restaurants? What if Paul Gauguin had gone to Greenland instead of Tahiti? What if there were a field called Umbrology, the study of shadows, where physicists and shadow puppeteers worked side by side? Full of speculative daring though firmly anchored in the tradition of realism, Tim Horvath's stories explore all of this and more- blending the everyday and the wondrous to contend with age-old themes of loss, identity, imagination, and the search for human connection. Whether making offhand references to Mystery Science Theater, providing a new perspective on Heidegger's philosophy and forays into Nazism, or following the imaginary travels of a library book, Horvath's writing is as entertaining as it is thought provoking.Tim Horvath teaches creative writing at New Hampshire Institute of Art and Boston's Grub Street writing center. He has also worked part-time as a counselor in a psychiatric hospital, primarily with autistic children and adolescents. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and daughter.
Love Among the Particles
by Norman Lock"Topical, astonishing and provocative . . . a masterful collection." -Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)"[Lock's stories] are gems, rich in imagination and language . . . For all their convolutions of space and time, these stories are remarkably easy to follow and savor." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Mr. Hyde finally reveals his secrets to an ambitious journalist, unleashing unforeseen horrors. An ancient Egyptian mummy is revived in 1935 New York to consult on his Hollywood biopic. A Brooklynite suddenly dematerializes and passes through the internet, in search of true love...Love Among the Particles is virtuosic storytelling, at once a poignant critique of our romance with technology and a love letter to language. In a whirlwind tour of space, time, and history, Norman Lock creates worlds that veer wildly from the natural to the supernatural via the pre-modern, mechanical, and digital ages. Whether reintroducing characters from the pages of Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, Franz Kafka, and Gaston Leroux, or performing dizzying displays of literary pyrotechnics, these stories are nothing less than a compendium of the marvelous.Norman Lock is the award-winning author of novels, short fiction, and poetry, as well as stage, radio, and screenplays. He has won The Dactyl Foundation Literary Fiction Award, The Paris Review Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, and writing fellowships from the New Jersey Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Aberdeen, New Jersey.
The Boy in His Winter
by Norman Lock"Make[s] Huck and Jim so real you expect to get messages from them on your iPhone." -SCOTT SIMON, NPR Weekend Edition"Brilliant. . . . The Boy in His Winter is a glorious meditation on justice, truth, loyalty, story, and the alchemical effects of love, a reminder of our capacity to be changed by the continuously evolving world 'when it strikes fire against the mind's flint,' and by profoundly moving novels like this." -JANE CIABATTARI, NPRLaunched into existence by Mark Twain, Huck Finn and Jim have now been transported by Norman Lock through three vital, violent, and transformative centuries of American history. As time unfurls on the river's banks, they witness decisive battles of the Civil War, the betrayal of Reconstruction's promises to the freed slaves, the crushing of Native American nations, and the electrification of a continent. Huck, who finally comes of age when he's washed up on shore during Hurricane Katrina, narrates the story as an older and wiser man in 2077, revealing our nation's past, present, and future as Mark Twain could never have dreamed it.The Boy in His Winter is a tour-de-force work of imagination, beauty, and courage that re-envisions a great American literary classic for our time.Norman Lock, a recipient of the Aga Khan Prize from The Paris Review and a writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, is the author of many works of fiction, including Love Among the Particles, a Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year. He lives in Aberdeen, New Jersey.y.
The Oversoul Seven Trilogy: The Education of Oversoul Seven, The Further Education of Oversoul Seven, Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time
by Jane RobertsInspired by Jane Roberts&’ own experiences as the author of the immensely popular "Seth" books, these three novels — now collected in one volume — are one of the most imaginative tales ever written. Jane Roberts&’ beloved character, Oversoul Seven, an ageless student of the universe, explores the entire framework of our existence. . . . As we follow Seven&’s education, our own beliefs about life, death, dreams, time and space are challenged and stretched, leaving us with a refreshing and provocative perspective on the true nature of reality. In The Education of Oversoul Seven, Seven explores the true nature of his being as he learns to communicate with four of his "incarnations" — four all-too-human people whose lives are separated by centuries, yet who also coexist. In The Further Education of Oversoul Seven, the adventure continues with Seven facing new lessons as his human incarnations struggle with the problems of sanity, free will, and even godhood. In the third saga of this exuberant adventure, Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time, Seven is instructed to take up residence in a human body while also journeying to the Museum of Time in search of the "Codicils." The Codicils are eternal truths that bring about the greatest opportunities for vitality, understanding, and fulfillment. The adventures of Oversoul Seven, are at once an intriguing fantasy, a mind-altering exploration of our inner being, and a vibrant celebration of life.
This New & Poisonous Air
by Adam McomberShe admits she is pleased when the new placard is raised, "Madame Tussaud's House of Wax." She stands in the crowd with François at her side. He leans close enough to touch her ear with the fringe of his mustache and whispers, "What part of the museum would the famous Madame Tussaud like to survey on her inaugural visit?""The Chamber of Horrors, I think," she says softly."Really, my dear? All that grim fantasy and blood?""There is no fantasy about it, François. It is an embryo, a showing of what is to come."Blending historical fiction with fantasy and the macabre, Adam McOmber's debut short story collection brings the influence of Angela Carter, Isak Dinesen, and Edgar Allan Poe to the next generation. In "The Automatic Garden," a solitary architect from the court at Versailles builds a water-powered pleasure garden; in "There Are No Bodies Such as This," we read a haunted and romantic fiction about the creation of Madame Tussaud's wax museum; in "Fall, Orpheum," a small town movie palace becomes the temple for an entire town's devotion and sacrifice. McOmber seamlessly blends history, artifice, and desire to create a dream of the past that intertwines with our own notions of modern life.Adam McOmber's stories appear in Conjunctions, StoryQuarterly, Third Coast, The Greensboro Review, Arts & Letters, and Quarterly West. He is assistant director of creative nonfiction at Columbia College Chicago and associate editor of the literary magazine Hotel Amerika.
This New & Poisonous Air (American Readers Series)
by Adam McOmberShe admits she is pleased when the new placard is raised, "Madame Tussaud's House of Wax." She stands in the crowd with François at her side. He leans close enough to touch her ear with the fringe of his mustache and whispers, "What part of the museum would the famous Madame Tussaud like to survey on her inaugural visit?""The Chamber of Horrors, I think," she says softly."Really, my dear? All that grim fantasy and blood?""There is no fantasy about it, François. It is an embryo, a showing of what is to come."Blending historical fiction with fantasy and the macabre, Adam McOmber's debut short story collection brings the influence of Angela Carter, Isak Dinesen, and Edgar Allan Poe to the next generation. In "The Automatic Garden," a solitary architect from the court at Versailles builds a water-powered pleasure garden; in "There Are No Bodies Such as This," we read a haunted and romantic fiction about the creation of Madame Tussaud's wax museum; in "Fall, Orpheum," a small town movie palace becomes the temple for an entire town's devotion and sacrifice. McOmber seamlessly blends history, artifice, and desire to create a dream of the past that intertwines with our own notions of modern life.Adam McOmber's stories appear in Conjunctions, StoryQuarterly, Third Coast, The Greensboro Review, Arts & Letters, and Quarterly West. He is assistant director of creative nonfiction at Columbia College Chicago and associate editor of the literary magazine Hotel Amerika.
The Innocent Party
by Aimee Parkison"Aimee Parkison most often begins softly, slowly stripping away each layer of social interaction to get at what is numinous and frightening and necessary about living in the real world. These are stories both about the difficulty and the intense suddenness of human connection, about the profound link that exists between being in love and being alone."-Brian EvensonFrom "The Glass Girl":On certain evenings in dark motels, she could transform her lip into the edge of the bottle, imagining her face was made of amber glass and the men paused above her only to take a drink of breath. Over the years, men drank and drank until there were only two sips left inside. They began sucking the air out of the glass that grew warm in the wrong places because of heat radiating off their hands. The men's breath along with white feathers fell over autumn winds drifting through open windows.In this collection, Kurt Vonnegut Fiction Prize-winner Aimee Parkison's characters struggle to understand what happens when the innocent party becomes the guilty party. With magical realist flair, secrets are aired with dirty laundry, but the stains never come clean. Carol Anshaw writes, "Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions of adults who emerge from this private geography."Aimee Parkison has an MFA from Cornell University. She is associate professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she teaches creative writing.
The Innocent Party (American Readers Series #17)
by Aimee Parkison"Aimee Parkison most often begins softly, slowly stripping away each layer of social interaction to get at what is numinous and frightening and necessary about living in the real world. These are stories both about the difficulty and the intense suddenness of human connection, about the profound link that exists between being in love and being alone."-Brian EvensonFrom "The Glass Girl":On certain evenings in dark motels, she could transform her lip into the edge of the bottle, imagining her face was made of amber glass and the men paused above her only to take a drink of breath. Over the years, men drank and drank until there were only two sips left inside. They began sucking the air out of the glass that grew warm in the wrong places because of heat radiating off their hands. The men's breath along with white feathers fell over autumn winds drifting through open windows.In this collection, Kurt Vonnegut Fiction Prize–winner Aimee Parkison's characters struggle to understand what happens when the innocent party becomes the guilty party. With magical realist flair, secrets are aired with dirty laundry, but the stains never come clean. Carol Anshaw writes, "Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions of adults who emerge from this private geography."Aimee Parkison has an MFA from Cornell University. She is associate professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she teaches creative writing.
The Outliers
by Erik T. JohnsonA school bus is forced off a cliff by a vehicle in pursuit of a legendary woodland giant. Secrets are revealed when it's passenger, a boy known for his inability to speak, commands the giant to in an unknown language.<P><P> Exposed as link between our world and another, the boy must choose to stay or journey to another place.
Backwards Folding Mirror #1
by Jesse MoynihanA surreal series of vignettes, revolving around a cone-hatted no-one, and his experiences with the forces of nature, and the nature of the displaced from Adventure Time and Forming artist Jesse Moynihan. The Backwards Folding Mirror is a personal and layered exploration of the illogical and the fantastic, swirling through the context of life in its lowest and highest moments.
Cat Suit
by Steve LaflerWhat kind of whack job would put on a mask and skin-tight suit and heads into the city after midnight? I mean, what is this guy really up to? Is he fighting crime? <P><P>Of course not, he's just going clubbing-and he's frankly perplexed when the aggressive bar flies single him out. The guy in question is Manx, costumed cat man.
(Mostly) Wordless
by Jed AlexanderAs its title suggests, (Mostly) Wordless is a mostly wordless all-ages book filled with stories, short vignettes and character sketches told with either no, or few words. <P><P>The book begins with the wordless mini-epic, “Ella and The Pirates,” an enchanting tale about a little girl and her imaginary adventures as a pirate as she sails through perilous waters, has sword fights and discovers buried treasure. This continually surprising and engaging book rewards repeat readings, with something new to discover on every page. For young readers and non-readers alike!
Sunbeam on the Astronaut
by Steven CerioA long-awaited collection of comics, art, and stories by artist Steven Cerio that explores silly, psychedelic, and strange worlds.<P><P> Smiling cartoon critters carouse with threatening cutout whales against a shifting comic landscape in these unique illustrated stories. The psychedelic meets Saturday morning cartoons in stories with such intriguing titles as "A Private History of Sunbeams and Head Colds," "The Add Witch in The Berry Patch," and "Ninny Noonday Ninny."Steven Cerio is a prominent rock poster and magazine illustrator. His work is best known from his ongoing collaboration with San Francisco-based performance art and music group The Residents.
Tomb of the Zombies (Graphic Novel)
by Josh ShalekNearly a hundred pages of zombie goodness. Kate Crane gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to assist her mad scientist uncle in Egypt.<P><P> Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. To explore further access options with us, please contact us through the Book Quality link on the right sidebar. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.
Falling Rock National Park #1
by Reid Psaltis Josh ShalekWelcome to Falling Rock National Park is a comic strip that takes place in a southwestern national park. Park Ranger Dee looks after animal residents Carver, Ernesto, Pam, and Melissa. Funny and sweet, Falling Rock is a pleasant place to visit.
Misnomer #1
by Reid PsaltisMisnomer is the personal comics anthology of Reid Psaltis, collecting his smaller works under one title. Issue one includes the comics "Carry On, Carrion: A Crow Funeral," "The Malaise Trap" and a pin-up gallery featuring illustrations by Michael Manomivibul, Farel Dalrymple, Angela Rizza, Abby Diamond, Francois Vingeault and Ezra Butt.
Death in Oaxaca
by Steve LaflerThis surreal adventure from the creator of Dog Boy and Bughouse serves up Lucha Libre wrestlers and an ancient vampire who prefers chicken. Two expats move to remote Oaxaca, the fabled highland city in southern Mexico. <P><P> Rex, earnest yet duplicitous, flees from mid-life crisis and fear of death. Beautiful Gertie, cynical but honest, is just plain bored and craves adventure.
Los Muertos de Oaxaca
by Steve LaflerEsta aventura surrealista del creador de Perro Chico y Bughouse sirve luchadores Lucha Libre y un antiguo vampiro que prefiere pollo. Dos extranjeros se trasladan a distancia Oaxaca, la ciudad de la montaña legendaria en el sur de México .<P><P> Rex , serio pero engañoso , huye de crisis de mediana edad y el miedo a la muerte. Hermosa Gertie , cínico , pero honesto, es simplemente aburrido y anhela aventura.
Night of the Living Vidiots: A Collection of Comics
by Andy RistainoSci-fi, horror, and comedy melted together and topped with a Twilight Zone twist. Darkly funny tales featuring mad science, gothic anime, TV zombies, kaiju, giant robots, monsters from the deep, and even a haunted sweatshirt. From the Emmy Award-winning storyboard artist and character designer of Adventure Time. <P><P> <i>Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.</i>
Entangled
by Graham HancockGraham Hancock has spent decades researching and writing some of the most ambitious and successful nonfiction investigations into ancient civilizations and wisdom. Entangled uses all of Hancock's skills and knowledge to propel a fantasy adventure like nothing else preceding it. Entangled is a time-slip novel alternating between present-day California, Brazil, and prehistoric Spain, with two teenage female protagonists who must come together to avert an incredibly bloodthirsty takeover of the human race. Entangled is the first book in a trilogy relating the story of an unrelentingly evil master magician named Sulpa who is on the loose and determined to destroy humanity. Leoni, a troubled teen from modern-day Los Angeles, and Ria, a young woman who lives in Stone Age Spain, meet in a parallel dimension outside the flow of time to stop Sulpa's spectacular, deadly materialization of the modern world. Entangled rides a growing wave of interest in parallel dimensions and imaginary worlds (The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Golden Compass are recent Hollywood examples) and will have immediate appeal to readers of Philip Pullman, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Kate Mosse, among others. But Entangled has the added merit of being grounded in solid anthropological and scientific research. Hancock calls on his years of research into cutting-edge issues, including the "Neanderthal Enigma," the nature of consciousness, the many worlds interpretation of quantum physics, parallel realms, time travel, and near-death and out-of-body experiences. Graham Hancock is the author of Fingerprints of the Gods, The Sign and the Seal, Underworld, Supernatural, and other best-selling investigations of historical mysteries.
Ex-Heroes
by Peter ClinesThe first novel in Peter Clines' bestselling Ex series.Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes, using their superhuman abilities to make Los Angeles a better place. Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Billions died, civilization fell, and the city of angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland. Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions protect a last few thousand survivors in their film-studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. Scarred and traumatized by the horrors they've endured, the heroes fight the armies of ravenous ex-humans at their citadel's gates, lead teams out to scavenge for supplies--and struggle to be the symbols of strength and hope the survivors so desperately need. But the hungry ex-humans aren't the only threats the heroes face. Former allies, their powers and psyches hideously twisted, lurk in the city's ruins. And just a few miles away, another group is slowly amassing power . . . led by an enemy with the most terrifying ability of all.
Domain of the Dead
by Iain McKinnonA group of strangers battle their way through a zombie hoard to reach a chance at freedom in this post-apocalyptic horror series opener.The world is dead, devoured by a plague of reanimated corpses.In a crumbling city Sarah, Nathan, and a band of survivors barricade themselves inside a warehouse surrounded by a sea of shambling putrefaction. Days in seclusion blur by, and their food is nearly gone. The group is faced with two possible deaths: creeping starvation, or the undead outside the warehouse.As Sarah stands on the edge of the warehouse roof preparing to step out into oblivion, she spots a glimmer of hope. In the distance a helicopter approaches the city…but is it the salvation the survivors have been waiting for? And do they dare attempt to fight their way through the mass of infected dead to reach it?Praise for Domain of the Dead“Surprised me. . . . A quick, violent, and exciting adventure.” —David Moody, author of Hater
Dead Earth: The Green Dawn (The Dead Earth Series #1)
by Mark Justice David T. WilbanksWhen a small New Mexico town becomes a zombie breeding ground, one law man must fight to protect his home in this “thrilling, brutal apocalyptic novella” (Tim Lebbon, author of The Silence).Something bad has happened in Nevada. Rumors circulate about plagues and secret government experiments. Paranoia is spreading like wildfire. And it doesn’t help that the President isn't talking.In Serenity, New Mexico, Deputy Sheriff Jubal Slate has his hands full. It seems that half the town, including his mother and his boss, are sick from an unusual malady. Even more worrisome is the oddly-colored dawn sky.When a strange woman shows up in town with a nightmarish story about what really happened in the Nevada desert, no one believes her. Even as Serenity’s townspeople start dying, the story seems insane. But they won't stay dead for long. And Slate will find out the terrifying truth.
Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road (The Dead Earth Series #2)
by Mark Justice David T. WilbanksAs alien invaders amass a conquering army of zombies, a small band of rebels plans their resistance and revenge in this apocalyptic sci-fi series.The former Deputy Sheriff of Serenity, New Mexico, Jubal Slate lost his home and everyone he loved to the ever-growing zombie horde. But the zombies themselves are not the true enemy. It’s the invaders from another planet who are using demonic technology to raise an unholy army of the living dead. For Slate, the only thing left in life is payback. Together with a motley band of renegades, he’s making the treacherous journey to find the root of the global disaster. No matter how far he must go or how many undead warriors he must slaughter, they will stop at nothing to end the reign of the aliens.
Kings of the Dead
by Tony FavilleA group of survivalists are ready for the undead apocalypse, but no amount of disaster prep could anticipate what&’s next in this zombie thriller. When the H1N1 &“Swine Flu&” virus mutates it begins to not only kill those who have received the vaccination, but also bring on the unthinkable: the dead reanimate. Cole Helman and his friends are not only survival experts, they&’ve spent hours discussing and preparing for just this event. Now they&’re heading to the hills before the cities become clogged with looting and riots. But the group knows all too well that the living dead are just the beginning of their problems, and they&’ll eventually have to deal with the selfishness and cruelty of the living in this new post-apocalyptic world. And a chance encounter at a secret military installation may reveal a conspiracy bigger than any of them had imagined…