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After the Quake: Stories (Vintage International)
by Haruki MurakamiSet at the time of the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake, the mesmerizing stories in After the Quake are as haunting as dreams and as potent as oracles.An electronics salesman who has been deserted by his wife agrees to deliver an enigmatic package— and is rewarded with a glimpse of his true nature. A man who views himself as the son of God pursues a stranger who may be his human father. A mild-mannered collection agent receives a visit from a giant talking frog who enlists his help in saving Tokyo from destruction. The six stories in this collection come from the deep and mysterious place where the human meets the inhuman—and are further proof that Murakami is one of the most visionary writers at work today.
After the Red Rain
by Barry Lyga Robert Defranco Peter FacinelliA postapocalyptic novel with a cinematic twist from New York Times bestseller Barry Lyga, actor Peter Facinelli, and producer Robert DeFranco. On the ruined planet Earth, where 50 billion people are confined to megacities and resources are scarce, Deedra has been handed a bleak and mundane existence by the Magistrate she works so hard for. But one day she comes across a beautiful boy named Rose struggling to cross the river--a boy with a secretive past and special abilities, who is somehow able to find comfort and life from their dying planet. But just as the two form a bond, it is quickly torn apart after the Magistrate's son is murdered and Rose becomes the prime suspect. Little do Deedra and Rose know how much their relationship will affect the fate of everyone who lives on the planet."A fast-paced, nail-biting, action-packed must-read with a compelling commentary on the consequences of overpopulation." -Emily Giffin #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed and The One & Only"Stunning ... like a future-shock movie playing in your head."-Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series
After the Saucers Landed
by Douglas LainThe bastard-offspring of They Live and The Day the Earth Stood Still, as told by Jean Paul Sartre. Shape-changing aliens may have landed on the Whitehouse lawn and subsequently integrated into human society, but humanity is still full of self-centered and self-absorbed individuals. Laura's just scraping by on her art teacher's salary. Donald, a bestselling author and UFOlogist who provided counseling to abductees, has tried to distance himself from the saucer landings and is looking to move on with his life. But everything changes when Shelly, an alien enrolled in Laura's art class, mysteriously switches places with Laura. Life begins to unravel. Laura then realizes this isn't the first time Shelly has moved into another person's body, and fragments of other people's memories have jumped with her, including those of Donald's wife. Laura begins to grasp that reality, or at least humanity's perception of it, may be more flexible than anyone wants to admit. And though she can't explain how or why, she suspects the aliens are behind it and will need Donald's help to stop them. In an egocentric society that sleepwalks through the rituals of daily life, would people even notice if the world around them suddenly and inexplicably changes? Part Jonathan Lethem (Amnesia Moon) and part Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five), Douglas Lain's latest novel uses science fiction's alien invasion rubric to examine and undermine the world we take for granted. This deeply unsettling satire places him alongside contemporaries like Jeff VanderMeer and Charles Yu as one of his generation's most exciting and challenging speculative fiction voices.
After the Sun
by Jonas Eika"Like Thomas Pynchon taking on late capitalism.…surrealistic, granular in its details, and concerned with social entropy and desperate attempts at communion." —Wall Street JournalFrom a major new international voice, mesmerizing, inventive fiction that probes the tender places where human longings push through the cracks of a breaking world.Under Cancún&’s hard blue sky, a beach boy provides a canvas for tourists&’ desires, seeing deep into the world&’s underbelly. An enigmatic encounter in Copenhagen takes an IT consultant down a rabbit hole of speculation that proves more seductive than sex. The collapse of a love triangle in London leads to a dangerous, hypnotic addiction. In the Nevada desert, a grieving man tries to merge with an unearthly machine.After the Sun opens portals to our newest realities, haunting the margins of a globalized world that&’s both saturated with yearning and brutally transactional. Infused with an irrepressible urgency, Eika&’s fiction seems to have conjured these far-flung characters and their encounters in a single breath. Juxtaposing startling beauty with grotesquery, balancing the hyperrealistic with the fantastical—&“as though the worlds he describes are being viewed through an ultraviolet filter,&” in one Danish reviewer's words—he has invented new modes of storytelling for an era when the old ones no longer suffice.
After the Zap
by Michael ArmstrongThe Zap gives . . . and the Zap takes away. Because of the very nature of the Zap--the big thermonuclear bomb that had scrambled and rearranged the neurons of everyone's brains--there was no way of telling what it had taken from them all. The past was a jumbled mass of tantalizing glimpses and agonizing blanks. But the Zap's gifts were many and varied . . . The Readers got the rare and often dangerous ability to make sense of the writings of the past . . . The Memors got perfect recall--of everything they'd heard since the Zap . . . The Bush Punks got a chance to live free and easy--and die the same way . . . The God Weirders got religion--if you could call it that . . . The Blimpers got a purpose--a purpose that could save them, or destroy them all. Now Holmes, a Reader, was in the perfect position to tip the scales for or against survival--if only he could figure out which side was which.
After Things Fell Apart
by Ron GoulartThe time is a few decades from now, the place is what used to be the United states, now disrupted by internal factionalism as well as a short-lived foreign invasion. Out of this chaotic background Ron Goulart has produced a swift moving, witty and consistently delightful novel, a story of a future odysssey.
After Vertigo
by Amanda MeuwissenIn a flash, the world changed. A solar flare—later dubbed Vertigo—activated the DNA of more than half the world’s people, granting them special abilities. Brilliant scientist Benjamin Krane might be Powerless, but his inventions are the only thing giving the police a fighting chance against super-powered evil. Ben doesn’t have much of a life beyond work, and when he gets wind of a robbery one evening, he decides to test his newest invention personally…. A thief, rogue, and shameless flirt, Grey Miller—aka the Streak—likes shiny things, but he doesn’t hurt people. When Ben catches him—and proposes they team up against the real bad guys—Grey doesn’t know whether it’s the offer or the man he can’t resist. But one thing’s for sure—they’re an ideal match in more ways than one. With a psychotic supervillain’s catastrophic plan moving forward and everyone he cares about in danger, now might not be the best time for Ben to give in to Grey’s seduction, no matter how tempting. Grey is a man of secrets, and if Ben wants a future with him, he’ll have to learn to trust Grey—and himself.
The After Wife: a moving and emotional story about a family keeping a big secret
by Cass HunterAn uplifting, surprising family story with a devastating secret at its heart'It was original, beautiful, moving and insanely addictive - I wept and I laughed and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.' Katie MarshWhen Rachel and Aidan fell in love, they thought it was forever.She was a brilliant, high-flying scientist. He was her loving and supportive husband.Now she's gone, and Aidan must carry on and raise their daughter alone.But Rachel has left behind her life's work, a gift of love to see them through the dark days after her death...A surprising and emotional story starring an unforgettable heroine, for fans of Together, The Summer of Impossible Things and The Time Traveller's WifeYour favourite authors can't stop talking about THE AFTER WIFE:"I found The After Wife thought-provoking, compelling and strangely real - I loved it. And it kept me reading into the early hours several nights in row!" Isabel Ashdown "The healing power of love transcends death - This was such a beautifully written, emotionally compelling book. I loved it." Rachael Lucas "Absorbing, moving and insightful." Ann Morgan "A wonderful, moving novel about family, love, and loss - and how, we can often find in the past what we need in the present. I adored this book - it's fresh, beautiful, profound and at times funny, it made me cry, but also made me smile." Sue Watson "An original moving story about what it means to be human... and what it means to truly love. All the feels!" Tracy BuchananWHY READERS ARE GIVING THE AFTER WIFE FIVE STARS: 'Grab a box of tissues because this beautiful story will make you cry' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars 'I laughed, cried and enjoyed every page. When is the sequel out?' - Amazon Reviewer, 5* 'A proper tear jerker. One of those books that lingers long after you've read it.' - Amazon Reviewer, 5*'This is a powerful and moving book but also a real page-turner.' - Amazon Reviewer, 5*'It's at once funny, pacy and very moving. Have some tissues ready...' - Amazon Reviewer, 5*
The After Wife: a moving and emotional story about a family keeping a big secret
by Cass Hunter"I saw you, and I knew instantly that I could grow old with you. We'd be future-proof." When Rachel and Aidan fell in love, they thought it was forever.She was a brilliant, high-flying scientist. He was her loving and supportive husband.Now she's gone, and Aidan must carry on and raise their daughter alone.But Rachel has left behind her life's work, a gift of love to see them through the dark days after her death.A gift called iRachel.The After Wife is an emotional story about love, loss, longing and belonging. For readers who loved The Time Traveller's Wife, Me Before You and The Lovely Bones.
The After Wife: The most uplifting and surprising page-turner of the year
by Cass Hunter"I saw you, and I knew instantly that I could grow old with you. We'd be future-proof." When Rachel and Aidan fell in love, they thought it was forever.She was a brilliant, high-flying scientist. He was her loving and supportive husband.Now she's gone, and Aidan must carry on and raise their daughter alone.But Rachel has left behind her life's work, a gift of love to see them through the dark days after her death.A gift called iRachel.The After Wife is an emotional story about love, loss, longing and belonging. For readers who loved The Time Traveller's Wife, Me Before You and The Lovely Bones.Read by Penelope Rawlins(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018
After Words
by Annie G RogersFive friends embark on a cross-country train journey in America, unaware they are on the cusp of the COVID pandemic. Their voyage is marked by a captivating word game, where each draws a card corresponding to a letter and shares an experience inspired by an undisclosed word. The game, simple in its premise, becomes a gateway to unexpected memories and stories, evolving in real-time. As each friend takes their turn, readers are invited to guess the hidden word, immersing themselves in the narrative as if seated among the group.This engaging game sets the stage for a tapestry of associations and reminiscences, pushing the boundaries of what can be spoken. The novel follows each character over three years, capturing their unique circumstances and experiences during the pandemic across various locales and moments. Readers get a new perspective through their lived challenges, joys, and dreams. As the friends reunite for a second journey on a different route post-pandemic, the profound impacts of both the global event and the word game itself come to light. The narrative, divided into three parts, offers a looping portrayal of time: before, during, and after the pandemic.Rich with atmospheric and lyrical passages, this novel invites its readers to delve into the intricate world of language, exploring the mysterious and transformative power of words.
After World: A Novel
by Debbie UrbanskiOne of Booklist's Top 10 SF/Fantasy and Horror Debuts: 2024 One of Los Angeles Times&’s Best Tech Books of 2023 One of San Francisco Chronicle&’s Favorite Books of 2023 A Climate Reality Project Book Club Pick An &“intelligent, defiant&” (San Francisco Chronicle) debut that follows an Artificial Intelligence tasked with writing a novel—only for it to fall in love with the novel&’s subject, Sen, the last human on Earth.Faced with the uncontrolled and accelerating environmental collapse, humanity asks an artificial intelligence to find a solution. Its answer is simple: remove humans from the ecosystem. Sen Anon is assigned to be a witness for the Department of Transition, recording the changes in the environment as the world begins to rewild. Abandoned by her mother in a cabin somewhere in upstate New York, Sen will observe the monumental ecological shift known as the Great Transition, the final step in Project Afterworld. Around her drones buzz, cameras watch, microphones listen, digitizing her every move. Privately she keeps a journal of her observations, which are then uploaded and saved, joining the rest of humanity on Maia, a new virtual home. Sen was seventeen years old when the Digital Human Archive Project (DHAP) was initiated. 12,000,203,891 humans have been archived so far. Only Sen remains. [storyworker] ad39-393a-7fbc&’s assignment is to capture Sen&’s life, and they set about doing this using the novels of the 21st century as a roadmap. As Sen struggles to persist in the face of impending death, [storyworker] ad39-393a-7fbc works to unfurl the tale of Sen&’s whole life, offering up an increasingly intimate narrative until they are confronted with a very human problem of their own. After World is a &“riveting, creepy…dazzling,&” (Kimberly King Parsons, award-winning author of Black Light) novel about what it means to be human in a world upended by AI and the bonds we forge with technology.
After Worlds Collide (Gateway Essentials #323)
by Philip Wylie Edwin BalmerEarth is destroyed in a collision with the rogue planet Bronson Alpha, with about a year of warning enabling a small group of survivors to build a spacecraft and escape to the rogue planet's moon. Continuing the story of When Worlds Collide, the novel tells of the survivors' progress on their new world, Bronson Beta, and their conflict with other groups of survivors.
Afterburn
by Viehl S. L.After driving a mutual enemy across the border territories, the Allied League of Worlds gathers for a peace summit on K-2, the homeworld of the underwater dwelling 'Zangians. With the Bio Rescue team assigned to protect the delegates, Sub-Lieutenant Burn mu Znora's attention is placed on Liana, the daughter of one of the ambassadors, who possesses information vital to the fate of four worlds.
Afterglow
by Cherry AdairNew York Times bestselling author Cherry Adair delivers the next book in her latest paranormal romance series following Hush. New York Times bestselling author Cherry Adair is back with the next book in her latest paranormal romance series featuring the men and women of Lodestone. They can retrieve anything, anyone, anywhere....
Afterglow
by Tim JordanTim Jordan returns with the hotly-anticipated sequel to his mind-bending 2021 debut, GlowGlow is not gone. Glow remains. Glow is alive. The nanotech drug is now everywhere. It creeps across the world, a mind-bending plague, a brain-altering poison that lives on from host to host, twisting everyone to its will.Still recovering from his addiction, Rex remains in hiding, battling the voices in his head that are not all his own. Some days are peaceful, others are downright terrifying. But there are bigger problems to face – a new alliance threatens the balance of power in the world again, and a dangerous enemy from Rex's past tracks him down.Can Rex really be the cure for the plague that Sisters promised him, or the root of humanity&’s downfall? Faced with ultimate destruction, Rex must decide if he really is a prophet... or just a coward.File Under: Science Fiction [ Welcome to my Half-Life | I'm Glowing Down | Feeling Ruff | Tech Blues ]
Afterglow (Wildefire)
by Karsten KnightThe action thrills and the passion burns in this red-hot conclusion to the Wildefire trilogy which “offers potent magic and plenty of action” (Booklist).Teenage volcano goddess Ashline Wilde discovers that her former love, Colt Halliday, has an evil plan to kill the Cloak, the benevolent beings that oversee the gods. And that’s not all—he also wants to merge Ash and her two sisters back into a single, too-powerful goddess, Pele. Ash must stop her trickster-god ex-boyfriend once and for all…and to do it, she’s going to have to feed a few flames.
Afterimage
by Kevin J. Anderson Kristine Kathryn RuschThe strange people had restored her life after she had been raped and burned nearly to death. The only model they had to work with was her assailant.
Afterland
by Lauren BeukesChildren of Men meets The Handmaid's Tale in this "bowstring-taut, visceral, and incredibly timely" thriller about how far a mother will go to protect her son from a hostile world transformed by the absence of men (Cory Doctorow).Most of the men are dead. Three years after the pandemic known as The Manfall, governments still hold and life continues -- but a world run by women isn't always a better place. Twelve-year-old Miles is one of the last boys alive, and his mother, Cole, will protect him at all costs. On the run after a horrific act of violence-and pursued by Cole's own ruthless sister, Billie -- all Cole wants is to raise her kid somewhere he won't be preyed on as a reproductive resource or a sex object or a stand-in son. Someplace like home. To get there, Cole and Miles must journey across a changed America in disguise as mother and daughter. From a military base in Seattle to a luxury bunker, from an anarchist commune in Salt Lake City to a roaming cult that's all too ready to see Miles as the answer to their prayers, the two race to stay ahead at every step . . . even as Billie and her sinister crew draw closer. A sharply feminist, high-stakes thriller from award-winning author Lauren Beukes, Afterland brilliantly blends psychological suspense, American noir, and science fiction into an adventure all its own -- and perfect for our times.
Afterlife
by Merrie DestefanoWelcome to your next chance. Chaz Dominguez is a professional Babysitter in New Orleans, helping to integrate the recently deceased into their new and improved lives. Though Fresh Start has always been the only game in town, resurrection isn't all it's cracked up to be. Nine lives are all a person can get-and a powerful group of desperate, high-level Nine-Timers will stop at nothing to possess the keys to true immortality. Now the only hope for Chaz and his family-and the human race-lies in the secrets locked away in the mind of Angelique, the beautiful, mysterious Newbie he must protect . . .
Afterlife (Parallon Trilogy)
by Dee ShulmanTwo worlds. Two millennia. One love . . . Eva is on the brink of death. Ripped from her own world she's woken in another, only to discover the devastating truth about the lethal fever she's been fighting - and the enemy that's chased her and Seth through time. Now the reckless twenty-first century girl and the fearless Roman gladiator must face the final battle. But it's not just their love at stake; the fate of the universe is in their hands. Afterlife is the heart-stopping finale in the gripping trilogy that began with Feverwww.feverbook.co.ukPraise for the Parallon Trilogy:'Full of twists, immaculately researched, it is very exciting and unpredictable' Independent on Sunday 'It's a great ride with evocative settings and intense emotion' SFX (4 stars)'WOW ... that rare gem of a book that I can't stop thinking about and will read again and again...Outstanding! It's 10 times better than Twilight' Waterstones, Cardiff.'Vivid . . . captivating and passionate' London and South East Libraries'It's a page-turning intellectual teen read that ANY adult would enjoy. Open the page, open your mind and go with the flow. TIP TOP TERRIFIC!' Waterstones, Thanett'Completely addictive and if I could have read it in one sitting I would have done . . . an excellent and compulsive read which has left me wanting more **** ' goodreads.com (4 stars)'Oh my god! What a book . . . This is one of the best love stories I have read' Best Books (5 stars)About the author:Dee Shulman writes in a studio overlooking a school quadrangle that bears a striking resemblance to the one at St Magdalene's. She has a degree in English from York University and went on to study Illustration at Harrow School of Art.She has written and /or illustrated about 50 books, including the popular, highly original My Totally Secret Diary series. She has been translated into many languages, including Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Welsh, Dutch, and Finnish. Her books have frequently been highly recommended in the press and on radio and she's been shortlisted for numerous awards. The Parallon trilogy are her first books for teenagers.Dee is based in London and is available for school, bookshop, online and festival events in the UK.Also Available:Fever (Book 1)Delirium (Book 2)Afterlife (Book 3)
The Afterlife Academy
by Frank L. ColeFor fans of Because of Mr. Terupt, Mr. Terupt Falls Again, and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, this funny, suspenseful adventure is about two very different twelve-year-old boys who must save the world from demons while dealing with parents, school, bullies, and girls. Walter Prairie knows how to deal with bullies. He just has to beat them to the punch. But he doesn't see the biggest hit of his life coming when he is struck dead by a bolt of lightning. Before Walter even knows what's happened, he is sent to a Categorizing office, fast-tracked through the Afterlife Academy, and assigned as a Guardian Agent to protect a High-Level Target. Walter's HLT, Charlie Dewdle, isn't exactly the most popular kid in school. He's what you might call paranormally obsessed. When Charlie finds an ancient book with spells that can be used to open the Gateway for demons to wreak havoc on earth, it's up to him and Walter to fight an eclectic horde of enemies and protect humankind at all costs. But saving the world isn't so easy. Especially when your protector doesn't know the first thing about the Underworld, bullies like Mo Horvath are trying to hunt you down, pretty and popular Melissa Bittner is suddenly talking to you, and your parents think you're going crazy.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase
by Cynthia HandBefore I Fall meets “bah, humbug” in this contemporary YA reimagining of A Christmas Carol from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand. On Christmas Eve five years ago, seventeen-year-old Holly Chase was visited by three Ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn’t. And then she died.Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge—as their latest Ghost of Christmas Past. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable. But this year’s Scrooge is different. This year’s Scrooge might change everything…The Afterlife of Holly Chase is a witty, poignant, and insightful novel about life, love, and seizing second (or third) chances, perfect for readers who loved Before I Fall or Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares.
The Afterlife of Mal Caldera
by Nadi Reed PerezMal's life is over. Her afterlife is only just beginning...By turns irreverently funny and deeply moving, this debut contemporary fantasy is perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.Mal Caldera—former rockstar, retired wild-child and excommunicated black sheep of her Catholic family—is dead. Not that she cares. She only feels bad that her younger sister, Cris, has been left to pick up the pieces Mal left behind. While her fellow ghosts party their afterlives away at an abandoned mansion they call the Haunt, Mal is determined to make contact with Cris from beyond the grave. She enlists the help of a reluctant local medium, Ren, and together, they concoct a plan to pass on a message to Cris. But the more time they spend together, the more they begin to wonder what might have been if they'd met before Mal died.Mal knows it&’s wrong to hold on so tightly to her old life. Bad things happen to ghosts who interfere with the living, and Mal can't help wondering if she&’s hurting the people she loves by hanging around, haunting their lives. But Mal has always been selfish, and letting go might just be the hardest thing she's ever had to do. Funny, emotional and life-affirming, The Afterlife of Mal Caldera will have readers laughing one minute and sobbing the next.
The Afterlife of the Party
by Darcy MarksAn interdimensional mixer with angels and other beings brings unexpected trouble for Malachi and his friends in this smart and uniquely funny second book about the squad of teens from hell.When an angel comes to his home to deliver a message, Malachi immediately knows what&’s going on. The seraph Cassandra who helped his squad recapture Samuel Parris&’s wayward soul has finally set a date for her interdimensional mixer! With fae, angels, and hell dwellers alike on the invite list, it promises to be an event of a lifetime. Mal can&’t wait to go to the hot new fashion salon in town and have Morgan, its fabulous fae owner, help him create the perfect look. But Mal&’s parents and even some of his squad mates are not quite as excited for the soiree. And when Mal overhears another fae talking to Morgan, he starts to wonder if there&’s something at play other than a simple party. But the mixer gives everyone the opportunity to get to know people from different dimensions and form new connections…what could possibly go wrong?