Seven letters. One word. A name for which she could no longer remember the rhythms. Once, in a land turned around and back again, a queen rose up with skin like flower petals and words like silk. When she dismissed a council comprised of shifter, halfbreed, and human in order to reopen the deadly Grey Mines, the shifters were forced to flee to concrete camps or the dangerous woods. But even evil queens get lonely. And even goodly councilmen get angry. And often innocent children get caught in between. When father falls can daughter rise?

Siraj-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Bengal was neither coward nor afraid of wars. He routed the British army from Calcutta within four days. After that could he defend the State of Bengal in spite of his so many enemies because of his cruelty and profligacy? What caused his downfall? Was it profligacy or cruelty & who and how they conspired against him to take their revenge was a quite intrigue? It is an interesting historical story which one must read along with other interesting and inspiring stories.

Despite the perks of living with her rich aunt, Ella’s new life in Napper, Indiana, is pretty much tragically boring. Until Ella starts hearing strange voices. As rogue wolves begin to stalk the edges of town and a serial killer with a penchant for silver bullets draws closer, the city of Napper seems to wake up. Ella, with her new friends, Sam and Sarah, might be able to find out what the strange occurrences mean. Except that they’re all being pulled in different directions by people who love them; and some who don’t. Before they lose their way to the whispers they hear from the past, or the call to a future they’re not sure they want to create, the friends will need to confront who they really are and figure out what’s hiding in the silence of their sleepy little town.

The debut work, a short story collection from the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of Under the Skin, The Crimson Petal and the White and The Book of Strange New Things. Michel Faber's short stories reveal an extraordinarily vivid imagination, a deep love of language and an adventurous versatility. Playful, yet profoundly moving, wickedly satirical yet sincerely humane, these tales never fail to strike unexpected chords. 'Some Rain Must Fall' juxtaposes the tragic circumstances of traumatised schoolchildren with the interior monologue of a teacher/psychologist enlisted to aid their recovery. In the pseudo-sci-fi 'Fish' a mother tries to protect her child in a terrifying world where fish swim through the streets and lurk in alleyways. Faber's collection is rich and assured, with a dazzling reach.

Reproduction of the original: The Safety Curtain and Other Stories by Ethel M. Dell

PITHY STORIES FROM MOZAMBIQUE AND ZIMBABWE: The Pub Crawl, The Vengeful Matamba, Stoking the Fire, The Feast, The Totem and Dance My Love will leave you craving for more of African short stories. You will be jumping from the literary frying pan into the fire.

'the greatest short story writer who has ever lived' Raymond Carver's unequivocal verdict on Chekhov's genius has been echoed many times by writers as diverse as Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, John Cheever and Tobias Wolf. While his popularity as a playwright has sometimes overshadowed his achievements in prose, the importance of Chekhov's stories is now recognized by readers as well as by fellow authors. Their themes - alienation, the absurdity and tragedy of human existence - have as much relevance today as when they were written, and these superb new translations capture their modernist spirit. Elusive and subtle, spare and unadorned, the stories in this selection are among Chekhov's most poignant and lyrical. They include well-known pieces such as 'The Lady with the Little Dog', as well as less familiar work like 'Gusev', inspired by Chekhov's travels in the Far East, and 'Rothschild's Violin', a haunting and darkly humorous tale about death and loss. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

"In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." Or is he? In H. G. Wells' acclaimed tale, a stranded mountaineer encounters an isolated society in which his apparent advantage, sight, since all the people are blind, proves less than valuable.

From the Ghost Saloon, to gold in them thar hills, and mysterious happenings on Marshall Mike Baxter's beat, great stories for lovers of the western genre.