Wolves & Girls & Other Dark Gems

Wolves & Girls & Other Dark Gems
Author: Maria Haskins
Publisher: Brain Jar Press
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2023-07-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1922479594

From the dark and enchanting mind of Maria Haskins comes 38 weird and wonderful stories featuring werewolves, lost girls, shapeshifters, ghosts, and more. In Wolves and Girls and Other Dark Gems, you can travel across the stars in an old space freighter, venture across bridges with trolls rumoured to live underneath, join the resistance fighting against a kaiju invasion, and bring comfort to a captured unicorn. Along the way, Maria Haskins defies expectations and blends genres, always seeking the darkness at the heart of a tale and exposing the dangerous beauty concealed within. This collection introduces readers to a fierce and prolific fantasist with a voice that’s uniquely her own. This collection teaches us we can’t always tell where the threat truly lies and shows us the humanity within even the darkest monsters. Precise, gloriously dangerous, and always dark, every tale is a jewel to be treasured. With an introduction by E. Catherine Tobler.

Six Dreams About the Train and Other Stories

Six Dreams About the Train and Other Stories
Author: Maria Haskins
Publisher: Trepidatio Publishing
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2021-08-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1685100066

Six Dreams About the Train and Other Stories by Swedish-Canadian author Maria Haskins brings together 23 speculative fiction short stories—two of them previously unpublished—that span fantasy, science fiction, and horror, delving into the dark, the strange, the beautiful, and the uncanny points in between. Many of the stories take place in the deepest parts of the woods, on the shadowy border between reality and fairytale. Others take place on the streets of Vancouver; in a whispering circle of ancient stones on a high tor; and backstage at a rock concert. Here, a mother’s vivid dreams are haunted by the ever-present specter of a freight train. A grandmother disappears from her nursing home and only her granddaughter knows that she has disappeared into her own fairytale. In a village inhabited by humans and wolves, a girl rebels by turning herself into a cub. A woman searches for her three children, facing her own doubts about whether she wants to be their mother. A dog traverses a post-apocalyptic landscape to save its pups. Another dog travels to the underworld in search of his lost girl. In a Canadian basement, two friends play a game that changes one of them into a terrifying creature. Two women trying to defeat an ancient entity must first face down a world-famous rock star. A string of mysterious deaths across the solar system pits two friends against each other at the bottom of the North Sea. And in a stark landscape riven by magic and myth, an old Viking warrior is haunted by visions of dragons as she searches for her abducted son. In each of these tales, people and creatures are rarely quite what they seem. As author Angela Slatter says in her foreword, reading a Maria Haskins story feels like “the unexpected dragon in the sky.”

The Rust Maidens

The Rust Maidens
Author: Gwendolyn Kiste
Publisher: JournalStone
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2018-11-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1947654454

Something’s happening to the girls on Denton Street. It’s the summer of 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Phoebe Shaw and her best friend Jacqueline have just graduated high school, only to confront an ugly, uncertain future. Across the city, abandoned factories populate the skyline; meanwhile at the shore, one strong spark, and the Cuyahoga River might catch fire. But none of that compares to what’s happening in their own west side neighborhood. The girls Phoebe and Jacqueline have grown up with are changing. It starts with footprints of dark water on the sidewalk. Then, one by one, the girls’ bodies wither away, their fingernails turning to broken glass, and their bones exposed like corroded metal beneath their flesh. As rumors spread about the grotesque transformations, soon everyone from nosy tourists to clinic doctors and government men start arriving on Denton Street, eager to catch sight of “the Rust Maidens” in metamorphosis. But even with all the onlookers, nobody can explain what’s happening or why—except perhaps the Rust Maidens themselves. Whispering in secret, they know more than they’re telling, and Phoebe realizes her former friends are quietly preparing for something that will tear their neighborhood apart. Alternating between past and present, Phoebe struggles to unravel the mystery of the Rust Maidens—and her own unwitting role in the transformations—before she loses everything she’s held dear: her home, her best friend, and even perhaps her own body.

Every Bone a Prayer

Every Bone a Prayer
Author: Ashley Blooms
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1728216222

"Blooms has taken the voice and names of Appalachia, tended, and evolved them, and created a book that is at once haunting and hopeful."—NPR Praised by BuzzFeed, Good Housekeeping, POPSUGAR, Bustle, and more! Misty's holler looks like any of the thousands of hollers that fork through the Appalachian Mountains. But Misty knows her home is different. She may be only ten, but she hears things. Even the crawdads in the creek have something to say, if you listen. All that Misty's sister Penny wants to talk about are the strange objects that start appearing outside their trailer. The grown-ups mutter about sins and punishment, but that doesn't scare Misty. Not like the hurtful thing that's been happening to her, the hurtful thing that is becoming part of her. Ever since her neighbor William cornered her in the barn, she must figure out how to get back to the Misty she was before—the Misty who wasn't afraid to listen. This is the story of one tough-as-nails girl whose choices are few but whose fight is boundless, as her coping becomes a battle cry for everyone around her. Perfect for fans of Southern coming-of-age stories like Where the Crawdads Sing and If The Creek Don't Rise, Every Bone a Prayer is a beautifully honest exploration of healing and of hope. Praise for Every Bone a Prayer: "Haunting and healing, Every Bone A Prayer is a powerful debut that will leave its mark on readers' hearts."—Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek "This is a book and a writer I highly recommend."—Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard out of Carolina "This is the kind of book we need to set literary expectations for a new decade. It's so textured, so layered with love and so wonderfully terrifying, intimate and magical."—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir "Searing and soothing, honest and elusive, Every Bone a Prayer is a gift. It's the pure truth, told slant."—Alix E. Harrow, author of The Once and Future Witches

A Punk Rock Future

A Punk Rock Future
Author: Erica Satifka
Publisher:
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2019-10-08
Genre:
ISBN: 9781733775007

We are living in A Punk Rock Future. It seems like it more and more every day! In A Punk Rock Future, twenty-six fantasy and science fiction authors mash up punk rock music and speculative fiction in both near and far future visions. There's a freecycle nation skateboarding and intentional community story, another about a band like The Clash playing a mind-blowing gig on Mars, and an anti-fascism flash fiction featuring two amused ravens. And 23 more future punk stories. A Punk Rock Future includes stories from Steven Assarian, Stewart C Baker, Matt Bechtel, Michael Harris Cohen, P.A. Cornell, M. Lopes da Silva, R. K. Duncan, Anthony W. Eichenlaub, Spencer Ellsworth, Maria Haskins, Margaret Killjoy, Jordan Kurella, Priscilla D. Layne, Wendy Nikel, Charles Payseur, Kurt Pankau, Sarah Pinsker, Zandra Renwick, dave ring, Jennifer Lee Rossman, Josh Rountree, Erica L. Satifka, Vaughan Stanger, Marie Vibbert, Dawn Vogel, Izzy Wasserstein, and Corey J. White.

Shadows of the Dark Crystal #1

Shadows of the Dark Crystal #1
Author: J. M. Lee
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2016-06-28
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0399539808

Praise for Shadows of the Dark Crystal: “With deft nods to the original Dark Crystal movie and a passionate attention to detail, the author has fashioned an impressive prequel. Fans (who will instantly recognize certain elements) and newcomers alike will find themselves immersed in a new narrative, with new protagonists and dangers to face. Readers who crave otherworld fantasy such as Jaleigh Johnson’s The Mark of the Dragonfly and Paul Durham’s The Luck Uglies will enjoy discovering this new series.” —School Library Journal “While young readers probably won’t have seen the film, the books might lead them to it; even if they don’t have that point of reference, Henson’s world is richly imagined here, and it will be well worth the projected four books to explore the landscape, characters, and storylines.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “Characters and situations are compelling, and this first of a planned four-volume series aptly sets the stage and the conflict and tugs strongly on the heartstrings, setting readers up for more great adventures” —Booklist Before you watch the upcoming Netflix series, read the original novels from J. M. Lee (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) that intertwine with the events of the series. Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Shadows of the Dark Crystal is set years before the events of the classic film and follows the journey of a young Gelfling woman who leaves her secluded home to uncover the truth surrounding the disappearance of her brother who has been accused of treason by the sinister Skeksis Lords.

The Jewel and Her Lapidary

The Jewel and Her Lapidary
Author: Fran Wilde
Publisher: Tordotcom
Total Pages: 60
Release: 2016-05-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0765384973

2016 Nebula Award finalist for Best Novelette From Fran Wilde, the Andre Norton and Compton Crook Award-winning author of Updraft. The kingdom in the Valley has long sheltered under the protection of its Jewels and Lapidaries, the people bound to singing gemstones with the power to reshape hills, move rivers, and warp minds. That power has kept the peace and tranquility, and the kingdom has flourished. Jewel Lin and her Lapidary Sima may be the last to enjoy that peace. The Jeweled Court has been betrayed. As screaming raiders sweep down from the mountains, and Lapidary servants shatter under the pressure, the last princess of the Valley will have to summon up a strength she’s never known. If she can assume her royal dignity, and if Sima can master the most dangerous gemstone in the land, they may be able to survive. “The central fantastical idea is pretty cool... nicely written... I suspect the world it’s set in might yield more fine stories.” – Locus At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Lightly Wicked

Lightly Wicked
Author: D.C. Phillips
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2018-07-24
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1984519417

Time changes nothingnot in your world, not in mine. Actions are what change, and even that fails. For Emilia Manescu, time seemed endless, for her kind lived far longer than humans. Time never erased the death of her family, her pack, her friends, and multitudes of strangers that she could not save from her evil twin sister, Rebekah. And time could not keep Rebekah from awakening again, hell-bent on resurrecting an even greater evil by name of Sebastian. Time was even running out for Emilia as death and destruction followed her dark twin, and this time, Emilia was afraid that Rebekah would succeed in her mission for Rebekah had a new trick up her sleeve. Will Emilia and her new family stop Rebekah before time runs out and Rebekah brings Sebastian back to life, or will Rebekah succeed and watch as the world burns around her?

Wizards Spell Magic in the Legends of Mere Leander - US Trade Size

Wizards Spell Magic in the Legends of Mere Leander - US Trade Size
Author: G. M. Rowntree
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2010-02-17
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1445292661

Magical New Childrens Novel 'Wizards Spell Magic In The Legends Of Mere Leander' An exciting magical adventure story that children can't put down. When four children find the magical dark gemstone in the grounds of an old haunted castle they suddenly develope magical supernatural powers, and their adventures are only just beginning. Stepping through the magical vortex of the dark gemstone into the enchanted realm of Mere Leander on midnight of Halloween the children befriend forgetful wizards, changeling dragons, unicorns, ghosts and elves helping them find the lost magical spell books, the Legends of Mere Leander. Discover wizards duels, dragon jousting, flee the dark phantom and his dragons in search of the last magical entities. Dare you discover if the children can save the dragon lords from their curse and find the last magical entities before the dark wizard Delverasteon, saving enchanted Mere Leander in time ?

The Rise of Wolf 8

The Rise of Wolf 8
Author: Rick McIntyre
Publisher: Greystone Books Ltd
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2019-10-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1771645229

“The powerful origin story of one of Yellowstone’s greatest and most famous wolves.” —Washington Post “[The Rise of Wolf 8] is a goldmine for information on all aspects of wolf behavior and clearly shows they are clever, smart, and emotional beings.” —Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today Yellowstone National Park was once home to an abundance of wild wolves—but park rangers killed the last of their kind in the 1920s. Decades later, the rangers brought them back, with the first wolves arriving from Canada in 1995. This is the incredible true story of one of those wolves. Wolf 8 struggles at first—he is smaller than the other pups, and often bullied—but soon he bonds with an alpha female whose mate was shot. An unusually young alpha male, barely a teenager in human years, Wolf 8 rises to the occasion, hunting skillfully, and even defending his family from the wolf who killed his father. But soon he faces a new opponent: his adopted son, who mates with a violent alpha female. Can Wolf 8 protect his valley without harming his protégé? Authored by a renowned wolf researcher and gifted storyteller, The Rise of Wolf 8 marks the beginning of The Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone series, which will transform our view of wolves forever.