Edmund was fat and loved food - just like his mother. His brother Terry was thin - just like his father. The boys were amazed when they found themselves on opposite sides in a battle between the warring nations of the Fattypuffs and Thinifers.

"In the third in the "spellbinding" (Seanan McGuire) series from the author of the Calliope Reaper-Jones novels, magic has been loosed upon the world--and the consequences could destroy all of humanity, magical and non-magical alike... Lyse MacAllister used to be like everyone else--blissfully ignorant of magic, of the dire battles being fought in shadows and secrecy. But that was before her great-aunt Eleanora died, leaving her in control of the Echo Park coven; before she found herself in the middle of the witches' clash with the anti-magic zealots known as The Flood; before her blood sisters lost their faith in her. As The Flood begins turning humans across the globe against the witches, Lyse must find a way to regain the trust of her former magical family and once again unify them. Because the final battle between good and evil is looming--and if the witches don't stand together, all of humankind could be lost.."--

Calliope Reaper-Jones, a.k.a. Death's Daughter, must go up against the Devil himself when her older sister Thalia puts the Reaper family business in jeopardy. By the author of Cat's Claw.

Otto of Schlepsig is risking his neck as an acrobat in a third-rate circus in the middle of nowhere when news arrives that the land of Shqiperi has invited Prince Halim Eddin to become its new king. Otto doesn't know the prince from Adam, but he does happen to look just like him-a coincidence that inspires Otto with a mad plan to assume Halim's identity and rule in his stead. True, Shqiperi is an uncivilized backwater, but even in uncivilized backwaters kings live better than acrobats. Plus, kingship in Shqiperi comes with a harem. Rank, as they say, has its privileges. With his friend Max, a sword-swallowing giant whose chronic cough makes every performance a potential tonsillectomy, Otto embarks on a rollicking journey filled with feats of derring-do, wondrous magic, and beautiful maidens-well, beautiful women. And that's before he enters a royal world that is truly fantastical.

In thirteenth-century China the Polo brothers--Marco, Niccolo, and Maffeo--request permission from Kublai Khan to return to Venice, but the aging ruler requires that they first bring him a legendary immortal princess

In a world of magic and mystery, the peasant Kami defied centuries of tradition to create a totally new profession: detective. Now he's known as Discoverer-of-Truth . . . and taking on the ancient art of murder is his specialty. On the eve of a royal wedding, a nobleman is killed with an arrow belonging to the groom.

Illegal magic in Oz! What do you do when your mother is arrested for practicing witchcraft? For thirteen-year-old Buddy the answer is easy—he's off to rescue her from imprisonment in the Emerald City of Oz! Obstacles loom on every side. The giant Bumblebeast brandishes a terrible sting. The Adepts at Magic refuse to help Buddy with their powers. And who are the shadowy creatures with animal heads pursuing Buddy for mysterious reasons? With help from friends such as the living hat stand that calls itself the Earl of Haberdashery, Buddy at last reaches his mother only to find he must challenge the Wizard of Oz and Glinda the Good, the most powerful magic-workers in Oz. As if that isn't enough, the incredible secret of Buddy's past suddenly bursts forth for all to see. Questions and threats bombard him from every side as Buddy finally faces the most important choice of his life. Overflowing with magic, adventure, and everyone's favorite Oz characters—the Scarecrow, Dorothy, Tempus the Parrot-Ox, and many more—The Living House of Oz is a thrilling and hilarious romp from start to finish.

Kethol is an adventurer with an easy smile, a man who is quick with a quip and quicker with a sword. His partner, Pirojil, the ugly one, looks impressive and deceives people into thinking he's stupid to their sorrow-for his might and loyalty are worth a kingdom. And the fledgling wizard Erenor, a man who tries to stay two steps ahead of his enemies, as well as one step ahead of his friends. Loyal retainers they are, sworn to Jason Cullianane, a man who walked away from a crown, and who has been trying to convince all the almost-warring factions that he doesn't want the job back. Their lives aren't very easy, what with keeping Jason from getting killed by yet another conspiracy, rescuing some damsel or whatnot in distress, and squirreling away something for the ever-diminishing prospect of retirement. And now it looks like our heroes might wind up succeeding in none of their schemes, for there are plots within plots, and Kethol has been forced into a disguise not of his own making. There is magic aplenty in the air (and on the ground), and in order to save a kingdom, they may have to pull off a complicated scheme that could kill them all--or land them in positions of supreme power. But, hey, whoever said that a soldier's life was a cakewalk? Set in Joel Rosenberg's bestselling Guardians of the Flame series, Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda is the third adventure of the journeymen soldiers of Castle Cullianane (and their sometimes ill-fated leader) in all their raucous glory. A fun, fast-paced read, it's a rollicking roller coaster of a book that will have fantasy fans reaching for more.

Join Hyacinth on a magical quest to save London in a uniquely hilarious and inventive fantasy adventure, the second in a trilogy. Hyacinth has just saved London, and possibly the world, from a magical conspiracy stretching back centuries. Not bad for a week of summer holiday. But why is her family linked to the ancient secrets of London? Hyacinth needs to find out, and when she discovers that Ancient Roman stones are being stolen from all around the city, it's time for another adventure with the help of friends new and old, including Oaroboarus, a giant pig in a swimsuit. A fast-paced caper with a magical cast of characters including the dastardly Minnie Tickle whose skin is inscribed with powerful tattooes, a host of opinionated living stone sculptures, Hyacinth's new neighbour Dasra (who may or may not be trustworthy) and the Corkers: a police force made entirely out of cork.

In the seventeenth century, in an alternate universe where Mordred defeated King Arthur¿now known as ¿Arthur the Tyrant¿¿and founded the Pendragon dynasty, much of Europe, Asia, and the New World are part of an Empire ruled from England. The Order of Crown, Shield, and Dragon, originally founded as Mordred's personal bodyguard, has become a legion of special agents for the Crown: special emissaries in time of peace, and invincible warriors in more violent times. They carry special weapons: swords, each of which contains the soul of someone of great power. White swords are inhabited by the souls of saints¿and red swords by those who were anything but saints. Even in the hands of a knight of the Order, even wielded in the cause of righteousness, a red sword is terribly dangerous to its owner and all around him. In more evil hands, a red sword is the most dangerous and powerful weapon known to mankind. Now, three knights of the Order have just tracked down a previously unknown red sword which was found on a Grecian shore, and which shows all signs of having been recently forged. Worse, the mind encased in the sword remembers that it was only one of many which were cached in the hold of a mysterious sailing ship, origin unknown. . . .

A contemporary Frankenstein that defies expectations, this is a thrilling novel, couched in luminous, captivitating prose, about a journalist, Cédric Allyn-Weberson, who suffers a horrific accident, paralyzing him from the neck down. An ideal candidate for a body transplant, Cédric survives the surgery but has both physical and existential trouble with his recovery and adaptation: encountering his lover with a new body, discovering the life history of his donor, and attempting to understand the mind-body relationship as he lives it.

science fiction, fantasy

"In Jonathan Carroll's surreal masterpiece, Bathing the Lion, five people who live in the same New England town go to sleep one night and all share the same hyper-realistic dream. Some of these people know each other; some don't. When they wake the next day all of them know what has happened. All five were at one time "mechanics," a kind of cosmic repairman whose job is to keep order in the universe and clean up the messes made both by sentient beings and the utterly fearsome yet inevitable Chaos that periodically rolls through, wreaking mayhem wherever it touches down--a kind of infinitely powerful, merciless tornado. Because the job of a mechanic is grueling and exhausting, after a certain period all of them are retired and sent to different parts of the cosmos to live out their days as "civilians." Their memories are wiped clean and new identities are created for them that fit the places they go to live out their natural lives to the end. For the first time all retired mechanics are being brought back to duty: Chaos has a new plan, and it's not looking good for mankind.."--

"A quintessential Elkin protagonist, Mr. Ellerbee - until he is senselessly killed during a liquor-store holdup - is a good husband, a good boss, and an overall good sport who cares greatly about his fellow human beings. After a whirlwind tour of the afterlife, Ellerbee finds himself in Hell for a litany of minor offenses, including taking the Lord's name in vain, keeping his store open on the Sabbath, and thinking that Heaven looks like a theme park. And so begins Elkin's hilarious, imaginative vision of life after death."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In a slightly alternate world, heroics mean different things to different people. Oblivion and Fogg, inseparable friends for seventy years, guarding the British Empire, bound together by a shared fate. Until one night in Berlin, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a secret that tore them apart. Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism: a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields, to answer one last, impossible question: What makes a hero?

This dark fantasy novel was serialized in 1939 but never before published in book form. It tells the Faust legend with a twist, set in Depression-era New York City.

All new stories exploring those women who embody the brass bras and chainlink bikinis in the world of science fiction and fantasy writing. Authors include Elizabeth Moon, Esther Friesner, Jody Lyn Nye, Harry Turtledove, Margaret Ball and more.

How does a nineteenth-century rabbi from a small Polish town end up in a freezer in a suburban Memphis home at the end of the twentieth century? And what happens when a teenage boy thaws him out and miraculously brings him back to life?