"Epstein imbues this alternate history with elements of fantasy and folklore to create a heady, transportive read."—Shelf Awareness A spoiled prince who might become a hero. A tired soldier, in love with his country and the man he serves. A revolutionary, risking her life for justice. And a woman who commands the wind and snow, and whose owl-amber eyes promise everything you've dreamed of… Allison Epstein's Let the Dead Bury The Dead unfolds an alternate history of nineteenth-century Imperial Russia, where politics, idealism, intrigue, and desire weave plots that reach from the meanest back alley to the grand Winter Palace… Fifteen miles from St. Petersburg, the tsar's younger son, Felix, chases pleasure in social exile. When Sasha, his beloved personal guard, arrives home from war, both men expect a peace of their own at last. But Sasha returns carrying a strange woman he rescued from freezing in the tsar's wood. Sofia Azarova soon captivates Felix with tales of suffering in Petersburg and insinuates that the prince can save his people. She teases Sasha about his conviction that she is no mortal, but a vila, a folktale come to life. And in a cramped Petersburg apartment, Sofia urges on Marya, right-hand woman of a rebel group torn between idealism and bloodshed. None of them understand Sofia's full intent. But as she guides them together, their lives will change forever… Praise for Let the Dead Bury The Dead "Epstein weaves a sweeping love story set against the backdrop of a cleverly reimagined Imperial Russia, glittering, gritty, and pushed to the very edge of rebellion by a dark creature of legend, a delightfully powerful femme fatale that will seduce anyone who meets her—or destroy them."—Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the Tsar "Epstein's unique retelling is richly enhanced by Slavic folklore, and the confusion between duty to family or country is expertly portrayed. Historical fiction fans will be spellbound."—Publisher's Weekly "A vividly imagined tapestry of turbulent times."—Kirkus
Legimi.pl
Ancient powers stir all across the domains of the defeated Khatrimantine Empire. Its last defiant defenders have won a great victory and a new, young emperor has been crowned. A harsh, unseasonal winter has shrouded the land. In the icy north, the Shadowking Byrnak musters his forces, determined to crush the Imperial remnants and their allies. But his freedom to act is hampered by the intrigues of the other four Shadowkings, while a ghostly fragment of the Lord of Twilight haunts them all. If fulfilled, his dread destiny will devour the foundations of the world... The barbarian Mogaun are born to ice and snow and are no strangers to winter campaigns, as Tauric's advisors know full well. Despite reservations, Tauric's general, Ikarno Mazaret, knows they must stand and fight, against the ravaging winter, against the pitiless Mogaun, and against the dark destiny of the Lord of Twilight. So the onslaught begins, and the faces of Day join in the dance of might, and every turn tempts fate while every step skirts the edge of doom. REVIEWS "...one of the most gritty, grimy and evocative fantasy worlds... There's none of the sanitised fairytale fantasy world here." -- Eternal Night on SHADOWGOD "SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better... and makes good use of the world Cobley has created... writing to rival David Gemmell." -- Jon Courtenay-Grimwood (Guardian)
Legimi.pl
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author of the Dead-End Job mysteries—a gritty series featuring a no-nonsense female journalist who follows her stories wherever they may lead…especially if they lead to big trouble. St. Louis City Gazette columnist Francesca Vierling has scored a ticket to the Leather and Lace Bikers' Society Ball, one of the highlights of the social calendar. The organizers of the ball would prefer the event be considered a low-light, however, and have done everything they can to rough up the affair and deter the RUBs—Rich Urban Bikers who can't tell a Harley Hog from a Holstein heifer—from showing up. A little grittiness can't stop ultra-fashionable socialite Sydney Vander Venter from making an appearance. She's the talk of the town thanks to an impending divorce from her ultra-wealthy husband. But after spending the evening making moves on a few too many married men, she's told to hit the road. When Sydney's body is found ditched in a back alley, Francesca finds herself on a hunt for a murderer that takes her into the lives of St. Louis's hardcore biker gangs and the prim and powerful elite. But she soon learns that those very different worlds have one rule in common… If you don't belong, you don't survive for long. Note: The author has made some minor revisions to the original text for this edition of the book.
Legimi.pl
There is not one you. There are many yous. There is not one world. There are many worlds. Ours is one among billions of parallel earths. When Everett Singh's scientist father is kidnapped from the streets of London, he leaves young Everett a mysterious app on his computer: the Infundibulum, the map of all the parallel earths, the most valuable object in the multiverse. There are dark forces in the Plenitude of Known Worlds who will stop at nothing to get it. They've got power, authority, the might of ten planets—some of them more technologically advanced than our Earth—at their fingertips. He's got wits, intelligence, and a knack for Indian cooking. Everett must trick his way through the Heisenberg Gate that his dad helped build and go on the run in a parallel Earth. But to rescue his dad from Charlotte Villiers and the sinister Order, this Planesrunner's going to need friends. Friends like Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth, her adopted daughter, Sen, and the crew of the airship Everness. Can they rescue Everett's father and get the Infundibulum to safety? The game is afoot! Praise for Planesrunner "PLANESRUNNER is chock-full of awesome. Ian McDonald's steampunk London blazes on a vast scale with eye-popping towers, gritty streets, and larger-than-life characters who aren't afraid to fight for each other. The kind of airship-dueling, guns-blazing fantasy that makes me wish I could pop through to the next reality over, join the Airish, and take to the skies." —Paolo Bacigalupi "Science fiction rules in this stellar series opener about a boy who travels to parallel universes. What joy to find science fiction based on real scientific concepts… Shining imagination, pulsing suspense and sparkling writing make this one stand out." —Kirkus (Starred Review) "McDonald writes with scientific and literary sophistication, as well as a wicked sense of humor. Add nonstop action, eccentric characters, and expert universe building, and this first volume of the Everness series is a winner." —Publishers Weekly
Legimi.pl
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author of the Dead-End Job mysteries—a gritty series featuring a no-nonsense female journalist who follows her stories wherever they may lead…especially if they lead to big trouble. Columnist Francesca Vierling thought she had it tough dealing with the cutthroat office politics at the St. Louis City Gazette. But stressors in the newsroom reach new heights when her dear mentor Georgia is diagnosed with cancer and Francesca offers to hide her illness from their boorish boss. When Francesca goes to pick up Georgia from treatment, she is horrified to find the staff shot dead and a distraught Georgia the only survivor. The crime is bloody, shocking, sensational—and just the kind of story that would allow Francesca to break free from her oppressive employers. All she has to do is solve the crime. The story quickly grows out of control when a doctor is killed in the same building as the massacre. And then another. And another… Because the killer isn't just out for blood—they're out for revenge. And Francesca is about to get in their way… Note: The author has made some minor revisions to the original text for this edition of the book.
Legimi.pl
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author of the Dead End Job mysteries—the first novel in a gritty series featuring a no-nonsense female journalist who follows her stories wherever they may lead…especially if they lead to big trouble. As a columnist for the St. Louis City Gazette, Francesca Vierling is a six-foot-tall beauty with brains and a talent for finding unusual and interesting subjects. The colorful people of her city provide her with all the inspiration she can handle, and her readers love her smart, streetwise style—even if her stuffy, less-than-appreciative bosses never seem to. Her work suddenly becomes all too personal when two of her favorite local characters die one after another. And for Francesca, there are too many odd ends for both deaths to be a coincidence. Driven by grief, anger, and the specters of her own past, she sets out to find out why the men were murdered, even if everyone else thinks she's chasing shadows. But there's one person out there who knows for certain that Francesca is onto something. That she's getting close to revealing a secret they've already killed to keep. And that if she keeps digging, they're going to have to kill Francesca too… Note: The author has made some minor revisions to the original text for this edition of the book.
Legimi.pl
Fear is his favorite medium FBI agent Karen Younger's worst nightmare just came true. A vicious serial killer from a cold case has struck again—his crimes spanning two different continents, eight years apart. But he's only getting started, and with each young woman brutally beaten to death across San Carlos, California, he's sending someone a message. Glenda Lindstrom is facing a nightmare of her own. Her abusive ex-husband, Ralph Beringer, is back in town—repeatedly calling, stalking her kids, breaking into their home. He doesn't want a reunion, he wants revenge. Beringer has never forgiven Glenda for taking their son away and remarrying. But she can't convince anyone that the man terrorizing her is capable of far worse than misdemeanors. Beringer is rapidly losing control over his murderous impulses, and he has Glenda and her family exactly where he needs them to complete his grisly scheme. With only a handful of clues and gritty instinct, Agent Younger is running out of time to solve the case before a madman's rage erupts again.
Legimi.pl
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author of the Dead-End Job mysteries—a gritty series featuring a no-nonsense female journalist who follows her stories wherever they may lead…especially if they lead to big trouble. Francesca Vierling is always on the lookout for new fodder for her human-interest column in the St. Louis City Gazette. So she couldn't be happier when a story unfolds in her own neighborhood. The grand—if slightly run-down—old houses of the South Side have become highly coveted overnight and renovators have sought to spruce them up. But one renovator—known as Caroline the Rehab Wonderwoman—is a little overzealous and has been making more than home improvements. She has enemies all over the South Side, from disgruntled neighbors to intruding drug dealers to anyone who she considers not up to her standards. When those enemies start turning up dead, Caroline comes under suspicion—that is, until her own lifeless body is found with a gaudy pink flamingo lawn decoration planted in her chest. With that many murders in a row, it doesn't take Francesca long to discover that a tangled web of vendettas, backbiting, and gossip lies beneath the freshly painted facades. Note: The author has made some minor revisions to the original text for this edition of the book.
Legimi.pl