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INSOMNIA is a collection of seven exciting short stories (p ... Read more

INSOMNIA is a collection of seven exciting short stories (plus one bonus story) that tackle several different genres including action, science-fiction, horror, noir and thriller. Written by top thriller author, Jeremy Robinson, these stories include all of the action, imagination and twists that fans have come to expect, but they also contain experiments into subjects and voices not normally touched on in his novels. INSOMNIA - In a world of super efficiency and equality, sleep is illegal and Feene keeps the masses going. THE EATER - Three children discover a writhing black puddle in the woods of New Hampshire. HARDEN'S TREE - A group of teens visit a tree planted atop the ashes of a mass murderer from late 1800's. STAR CROSSED KILLERS - Two lovers, both deadly killers, compete for the same target. COUNTING SHEEP - A future terrorist gives an insomniac three minutes to fall asleep. HEARING AID - In the future, a deaf man is healed, but does he like what he hears? DARK SEED OF THE MOON - Vampires live, and kill, in the eternal shadow of the moon's polar crater. BOUGHT AND PAID FOR (Bonus Story) - A brutal character sketch for Scott Sigler's THE CRYPT. Minimize

This novel is an action-packed science fiction fantasy thri ... Read more

This novel is an action-packed science fiction fantasy thriller. It is a fast paced page turner with great characters and plot twists that give pause for thought. Set in modern times, the story spans the universe as an epic battle between good and evil unfolds. It is a story that should appeal to die-hard sci-fi/fantasy fans as well as those less familiar with the genre. It features strong characters that draw the reader in and don’t let go. The first part of a trilogy, the story offers more than opera; it generates questions about humans as a species, deliberately ignores the fact that artificial racial boundaries exist, and takes a hard look at a possible future. It asks questions about the true nature of progress viewed from several perspectives. Are you ready to leave Earth behind and travel to the stars? Dustin, our protagonist, was…until it actually happened. Now he’s learned he was a little more attached to his home world than he realized. Ah well, too late now—destiny has arrived. The wheels have started to turn. Species all over the universe are saying, in many different languages… “Uh oh!” The word is spreading. The alarms are sounding. Prophesy is unfolding. The Elorians are up to something! Once again! Strap in and cinch tight. Lock and load. Watch your back! Minimize

Historical fiction has surged in popularity in recent years ... Read more

Historical fiction has surged in popularity in recent years, with new subgenres emerging (e.g. Viking romance, religious thrillers) and reader interest showing no signs of slowing down. This follow-up to Johnson's critically acclaimed guide published in 2005 covers new territory by focusing on English-language historical novels for adults published between mid-2004 and mid-2008, in particular those commonly found in American public library collections. The author's unique approach involves classifying titles by subgenres, rather than strictly by geography and chronology; thereby grouping read-alikes together. It gives users a deeper understanding of the genre, an update on new titles, and an easy way to identify read-alikes and book club selections for library patrons. More than 2700 historical fiction titles, about 2,000 new to this volume, are organized and described. Minimize

Ramsdell's book responds to the tremendous growth in and di ... Read more

Ramsdell's book responds to the tremendous growth in and diversification of romance fiction over the past decade and to the demand for a thorough guide to the literature. After a fascinating overview of the genre as a whole (e.g., definition, history, reasons for appeal), the author discusses each of its major subgenres, listing and describing the titles in each and offering tips for readers' advisory and collection development. A revision of Happily Ever After: A Guide to Reading Interests in Romance Fiction, this book has been entirely updated and rewritten. It includes new sections on Alternative Reality Romance (e.g., time travel, angels, vampires), Ethnic/Multicultural Romance, and Developing the Collection-with a suggested core collection list. Substantial additions have been made to the Research Aids section, and major revisions have been made to the historical and contemporary romance sections. A list of recommended titles for YAs appears in an appendix. A must buy for librarians inv Minimize

At last—the first comprehensive readers' advisory guide for ... Read more

At last—the first comprehensive readers' advisory guide for this highly popular genre! With an emphasis on contemporary publications, this book covers nearly 2,000 Christian fiction titles, featuring detailed annotations and bibliographies. Award-winning author and Booklist columnist John Mort has gone out of his way to present—for the first time—a broad spectrum of Christian fiction literature, setting a new standard for Christian fiction readers' advisory. With this book you will no longer face difficulties locating new reads and read-alikes in this genre! Each chapter features a subgenre or theme, including biblical fiction, historical fiction, sagas, romance, fantasy and science fiction, westerns, mysteries and thrillers, and more. There are also chapters on Catholic and Mormon fiction, as well as Amish, Mennonite, and Quaker fiction, and YA literature. Other features include a discussion of Christian literature, practical tips and resources for readers' advisors, and a section on awards. Young adult and adult or grades 10 and up. Minimize

This is a series of introductory books about different type ... Read more

This is a series of introductory books about different types of writing. One strand of the series will focus on genres such as Science Fiction, Horror, Romance, and Crime. The other strand will focus on movements or styles often associated with historical and cultural locations – Postcolonial, Native American, Scottish, Irish, American Gothic. These introductions all share the same nine-part structure: 1. A broad definition of the genre and its essential elements 2. A timeline of historical developments 3. Critical concerns to bear in mind while reading 4. Detailed readings of several key texts 5. In-depth analysis of major themes and issues 6. Signposts for further study 7. A summary of the most important criticism in the field 8. A glossary of terms 9. An annotated, critical reading list Writers covered in this book include: Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, George Orwell, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mary Shelley, J.K. Rowling, H.G. Wells, Thomas More, Jonathan Swift, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Yann Martel, Jeanette Winterson, and William Gibson. Minimize

Thrillers, tear jerkers, horror movies, melodramas--like so ... Read more

Thrillers, tear jerkers, horror movies, melodramas--like so many movie terms, these genre designations immediately evoke characteristic kinds of emotional response. Yet emotion is a subject that film and literary theory have traditionally dealt with in only the most impressionistic and tangential fashion. Engaging Characters presents a precise discussion of the varieties of emotional response to films, integrating them into a larger theory of our engagement (or "identification") with characters in both cinematic and literary fictions. Films and filmmakers discussed include The Accused; Hitchcock (including detailed analyses of The Man Who Knew Too Much [1956] and Saboteur); Godard; Ruiz; Bu�uel's That Obscure Object of Desire; Dovzhenko's Arsenal and Preminger's Daisy Kenyon; Bresson's L'Argent; Eisenstein's Strike; and Melville's Le Doulos. Minimize

The thriller is perhaps the most popular and widespread mov ... Read more

The thriller is perhaps the most popular and widespread movie genre--and the most difficult to define. Thrillers can contain gangsters or ghosts, space helmets or fedoras. They charge our familiar world with a spirit of exotic, old-fashioned adventure. They give us pleasure by making us uncomfortable--on the edge of our seats. Thrillers provides a comprehensive treatment of this genre, from silent serials to stalker films, from Alfred Hitchcock to Quentin Tarantino, from The Great Train Robbery to L.A. Confidential. This accessible, wide-ranging volume is designed to appeal to students and general filmgoers alike, and shows how this visceral, double-faced film genre has aroused our intense sensations throughout decades of American cinema. Minimize

ISBN13: 9780130420992. ISBN10: 0130420999. by Stephen Minot ... Read more

ISBN13: 9780130420992. ISBN10: 0130420999. by Stephen Minot. Published by Pearson. Edition: 7TH 03 Minimize

Unlike guides that take a simple geographic-chronological a ... Read more

Unlike guides that take a simple geographic-chronological approach to listing historical fiction, this book takes a genre approach, with chapters devoted to historical romances, mysteries, adventures, etc. By grouping titles by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots, it guides users to similar titles and read-alikes. Focusing on English-language novels published since the mid '90s, plus the perennial favorites commonly available in libraries, it details 3,800 books set in times prior to the mid-20th century. Appendices contain lists of award-winning titles and targeted reading lists. Detailed indexes are available for authors, titles, subjects, time/place, and character names. An essential guide for readers' advisors and other professionals who guide readers in book selection, this book will also aid in collection development.Recent burgeoning reader interest in historical fiction has created a tremendous outpouring of historical novels from the publishing world. While there are several guides devoted to historical novels, they take a simple geographic-chronological approach, and do not organize titles in a way that effectively matches reading preferences. In contrast, this book takes a genre approach to historical fiction, with chapters devoted to historical romances, historical mysteries, historical adventures, and so forth. By grouping titles by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots, the book will guide users to similar titles and read-alikes. Focusing on English-language novels published since the mid '90s plus the perennial favorites commonly available in libraries, this book guides you and your patrons to more than 3,800 books set in times prior to the mid-20th century and in which historical events play an integral role. Chapters are organized according to subgenre and type, i.e., traditional, epics, romance, sagas, westerns, crime, adventure, thrillers, literary, inspirational, time-slip, alternate histories, and fantasy. Within chapters, Johnson further groups the titles according to sub-subgenres and time/place. In addition to bibliographic information and brief plot summaries, you'll find information on award winners, biographical novels, classics, and indications of titles appropriate for young adults and book groups. Appendixes contain lists of award-winning titles and targeted reading lists (e.g., historical fiction featuring Latinos). Further access to the titles is provided by detailed indexes for authors, titles, subjects, time/place, and character names. This guide will give you a deeper understanding of the historical fiction genre, update you on new titles, reacquaint you with classics, and help you easily identify read-alikes and book club selections for your patrons. It will also help you find fiction titles set in particular times and places to complement curriculum needs or meet specific areas of interest. An essential guide for readers' advisors and other professionals who guide readers in their book selections, this book will also aid collection development specialists and educators. Young adult and adult. Grades 10 and up. Minimize

By identifying similarities in various books, this annual s ... Read more

By identifying similarities in various books, this annual selection guide helps readers to independently choose titles of interest published in the last year. Each entry describes a separate book, listing everything readers need to know to make selections. Arranged by author within six genre sections, detailed entries provide: Title Publisher and publication date Series Names and descriptions of characters Time period and geographical setting Review citations Story types Brief plot summary Selected other books by the author Similar books by different authors Author, title, series, character name, character description, time period, geographic setting and genre/sub-genre indexes are included to facilitate research. Minimize

In Why Fiction?—one of the most important works of narrativ ... Read more

In Why Fiction?—one of the most important works of narrative theory to come out of France in recent years—Jean-Marie Schaeffer understands fiction not as a literary genre but, in contrast to all other literary theorists, as a genre of life. The result is arguably the first systematic refutation of Plato’s polemic against fiction and a persuasive argument for regarding fiction as having a cognitive function. For Schaeffer fiction includes not only narrative fiction but also children’s games, videos, film, drama, certain kinds of painting, opera—in short, all the intentional structures arising from shared imaginative reality. Because video games and cyber-technologies are the new sites of entry for many children into such an imagined universe, studying these cyber-fictions has become integral to our understanding of fiction. Through these avenues, Schaeffer also explores the foundations of mimeticism in order to explain the important effect fiction has on human beings. His work thus establishes fiction as a universal aspect of human culture and offers a profound and resounding answer to the question: Why fiction? Minimize

This is a series of introductory books about different type ... Read more

This is a series of introductory books about different types of writing. One strand of the series focuses on genres such as Science Fiction, Horror, Romance, and Crime, and the other focuses on movements or styles often associated with historical and cultural locations—Postcolonial, Native American, Scottish, Irish, American Gothic. Authors covered in this volume include William Peter Blatty, Ira Levine, Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter, Mary Shelley, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Washington Irving. Minimize

Navy SEAL turned covert operative Scot Harvath is called to ... Read more

Navy SEAL turned covert operative Scot Harvath is called to action once again in Brad Thor's hottest political thriller yet.... Minimize

In this wide-ranging series of essays, an award-winning sci ... Read more

In this wide-ranging series of essays, an award-winning science fiction critic explores how the related genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror evolve, merge, and finally "evaporate" into new and more dynamic forms. Beginning with a discussion of how literary readers "unlearned" how to read the fantastic during the heyday of realistic fiction, Gary K. Wolfe goes on to show how the fantastic reasserted itself in popular genre literature, and how these genres themselves grew increasingly unstable in terms of both narrative form and the worlds they portray. More detailed discussions of how specific contemporary writers have promoted this evolution are followed by a final essay examining how the competing discourses have led toward an emerging synthesis of critical approaches and vocabularies. The essays cover a vast range of authors and texts, and include substantial discussions of very current fiction published within the last few years. Minimize

This revised edition provides a way of understanding the va ... Read more

This revised edition provides a way of understanding the vast universe of genre fiction in an easy-to-use format. Expert readers' advisor Joyce Saricks offers groundbreaking reconsideration of the connections among genres, providing: key authors and themes within 15 genres; an explanation as to how the different genres overlap; and, the elements of fiction most likely to entice readers. Provocative and spirited, "The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, 2nd Edition" offers hands-on strategies for librarians who want to become experts at figuring out what their readers are seeking and how to match books with those interests. Minimize

With his seven legal thrillers, all published since 1989, J ... Read more

With his seven legal thrillers, all published since 1989, John Grisham has won a huge following of readers and set a standard few contributors to the genre can match. Because of the success of his novels, the legal thriller is the most popular genre in American fiction today. In this study, Pringle explains how Grisham's legal thriller evolved from the thriller tradition and borrowed from the heroic romance novel, gothic novel, crime novel, and detective fiction. She shows how his novels examine contemporary social and legal problems that do not have simple solutions—ecology, ethnic relations, capital punishment, corporate greed, and health insurance—and how he depicts both the legal system and lawyers in their best and worst lights.Following a biographical chapter that focuses on Grisham's childhood in Arkansas, education, political career, and development as a writer, Pringle examines the legal thriller, its antecedents, and Grisham's contribution to the genre. An individual chapter is devoted to analysis of each of his novels. Each chapter synopsizes the novel, discusses its reception by critics, and features sections on plot development, character development, social/historical context and issues, and an alternative critical perspective from which to approach the novel, such as psychoanalytic theory or feminist criticism. The work includes a complete bibliography of Grisham's work, critical sources, and list of reviews of all of his novels. Because of Grisham's popularity with adults and young adults and the contemporary issues he raises, this study is valuable to students, book discussion group participants, and other interested readers, and is an essential purchase for school and public libraries. Minimize

The writings of twentieth-century author Jack Finney are cl ... Read more

The writings of twentieth-century author Jack Finney are classic contributions to the genres of science fiction and suspense thrillers in American literature. Two of Finney’s novels, The Body Snatchers and Good Neighbor Sam, became the basis of popular films, but it was his time-travel story Time and Again (1970) that won him a devoted following. The novel about an advertising artist who travels back to the New York of the 1880s quickly became a cult favorite, celebrated especially by New Yorkers for its rich descriptions of life in the city at that time. The year of his death, Finney finished the sequel, From Time to Time (1995). In 1955 he published The Body Snatchers, a chilling tale of aliens who emerge from pods in the guise of humans. Many critics interpreted the insidious infiltration by aliens as a cold war allegory that dramatized America’s looming fear of a communist invasion, and the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers was remade twice. Over the course of his career, Finney wrote ten novels, more than 50 short stories, two plays, and a work of nonfiction, all of which are presented and discussed in this book. Also, reproduced in full and analyzed is a series of letters exchanged between Finney and various persons associated with his alma mater, Knox College. These letters give rare insight into Finney’s character and demonstrate his personal interest in some of the themes that recur in his fiction. This work begins with an overview of Finney’s life and career, presents a complete assessment of the author’s works, and concludes with a look at the various ways that Finney’s works have been adapted for the stage, television, and film. Also included is the first comprehensive list of Jack Finney’s writings ever published. Minimize

While films such as Rambo, Thelma and Louise and Basic Inst ... Read more

While films such as Rambo, Thelma and Louise and Basic Instinct have operated as major points of cultural reference in recent years, popular action cinema remains neglected within contemporary film criticism.Spectacular Bodies unravels the complexities and pleasures of a genre often dismissed as `obvious' in both its pleasure and its politics, arguing that these controversial films should be analysed and understood within a cinematic as well as a political context.Yvonne Tasker argues that today's action cinema not only responds to the shifts in gendered, sexual and racial identities which took place during the 1980s, but reflects the influences of other media such as the new video culture. Her detailed discussion of the homoeroticism surrounding the muscleman hero, the symbolic centrality of blackness within the crime narrative, and the changing status of women within the genre, addresses the constitution of these identities through the shifting categories of gender, class, race, sex, sexuality and nation. Spectacular Bodies also examines the ambivalence of supposedly secure categories of popular cinema, questioning the existing terms of film criticism in this area and addressing the complex pleasures of this neglected form. Minimize

These twenty believable yarns range from horror/thriller to ... Read more

These twenty believable yarns range from horror/thriller to family oriented. It is said that good fiction mimics real life happenings and are realistic, which is what these tales are about. To draw the reader in, all have something to ponder, be it a moral issue or an unexpected twist at the end. Most would fit the genre of an adventure/action story and are loosely based upon the author's experiences or events in the lives of family members or friends. To spice the brew, there are a few fantasy/horror stories which the author included for fun. Minimize

Books. John Updike's highly acclaimed saga of desire and re ... Read more

Books. John Updike's highly acclaimed saga of desire and regret, first published in 1959, introduces Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, a typical Middle American--small-town Protestant, former basketball star, married man intent on making a name for himself in the communi Minimize

Drawn from the Science Fiction Research Association confere ... Read more

Drawn from the Science Fiction Research Association conference held in Lawrence, Kansas, in 2008, the essays in this volume address intersections among the reading, writing, and teaching of science fiction. Part 1 studies the teaching of SF, placing analytical and pedagogical research next to each other to reveal how SF can be both an object of study as well as a teaching tool for other disciplines. Part 2 examines SF as a genre of mediation between the sciences and the humanities, using close readings and analyses of the literary-scientific nexus. Part 3 examines SF in the media, using specific television programs, graphic novels, and films as examples of how SF successfully transcends the medium of transmission. Finally, Part 4 features close readings of SF texts by women, including Joanna Russ, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Octavia E. Butler. Minimize

This book is an exceptionally wide-ranging alphabetically a ... Read more

This book is an exceptionally wide-ranging alphabetically arranged collection of stories spanning all genres of short fiction. It includes myth, fairy tale, humor, western, detective, Magic Realism, gothic, fantasy, folktale, and film. This edition presents a wide variety of selections by writers from diverse backgrounds that represent a true cross-section of the population and represent a broader, more current selection of contemporary fiction. Features a variety of relatively new writers and some older writers whose work is gaining new audiences: T. C. Boyle, Alice Carey, Oscar Cesares, Charles Chetnutt, E. M Forster, Nikolai Leskov, Mary McCarthy, Jonathan Nolan, Dorothy Parker, Banana Yoshimoto, and Anzia Yezierska. Includes new works to the context readings essays or excerpts from non-fiction section: by Walter Benjamin, Raymond Carver, E.M. Forester, and Joyce Carol Oates, all great critics and theorists of narrative. Stresses women writers, writers of color, and gay and lesbian writers:includes works by Isabel Allande, Sandra Cisneros, Ana Castillo, Leslie Dick, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Mary Gaitskill, Susan Glaspell, Gish Jen, Mary Shelley, Leslie Marmon Silko, Susan Sontag, Jeanette Winterson, Sherman Alexie, Julio Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, Ernest J. Gaines, Dagoberto Gilb, Hanif Kureishi, Tomás Rivera, Salman Rushdie and more. For literature and film enthusiasts. Minimize

The History of Gothic Fiction debates the rise of the genre ... Read more

The History of Gothic Fiction debates the rise of the genre from its origins in the late eighteenth-century novel through nineteenth-century fictions of tyrants, monsters, conspirators and vampires to the twentieth-century zombie film. Approaching key novels by authors such as Walpole (The Castle of Otranto), Radcliffe (The Romance of the Forest and The Mysteries of Udolpho), Austen (Northanger Abbey), Wollstonecraft (The Wrongs of Woman), Lewis (The Monk), Shelley (Frankenstein), Stoker (Dracula) and Halperin (White Zombie), the argument proceeds on historicist principles, analysing the peculiar tone of these fictions and uncovering themes of credulity and reason, secrecy and enlightenment, tyranny and libertinism, sexuality and gender, race and miscegenation. The final chapters on the vampire and the zombie examine how the un-dead of gothic terror are embedded in an argument from history. Written with an undergraduate audience in mind, this text offers a synthesis of the main topics of Gothic interest and clearly argued summaries of critical debate. It signals its difference from popular psychoanalytic readings of Gothic and argues instead for a more complex, multilayered approach via an historicist reading of Gothic fiction. Illustrated with ten black and white plates and including up-to-date bibliographies, this will be an ideal text for all those with an interest in the Gothic. Key Features: * written with an undergraduate audience in mind * covers topics such as vampires, zombies, tyrants, banditti and demon-lovers * offers clearly argued summaries of critical debate Minimize

Ken Follett had the purest of motives when he began writing ... Read more

Ken Follett had the purest of motives when he began writing fiction: he did it for the money. But after Minimize

Darrell Bain's e-books have been perennial best sellers sin ... Read more

Darrell Bain's e-books have been perennial best sellers since their introduction into the young market. He has been a finalist many times for the Eppie Awards, and in 2007 he won two of them. They are the most prestigious of the E-book awards recognizing the best writing in the field. He has written about three dozen novels or non-fiction works, and more than that number of short stories, in almost every possible genre, including humor, mystery, thrillers, science fiction, and children's literature. His most notable books are The Sex Gates, Alien Infection, The Williard Brothers action/adventure series, Strange Valley, The Melanin Apocalypse, Warp Point, Space Trails, Doggie Biscuit, and Life On Santa Claus Lane and the other humorous books around the adventures of Bain and his wife while running a Christmas tree farm, all of which have proven to be very popular. Bain was named 2005 Fictionwise Author of the Year, with such notables as Anne McCaffrey and Lois McMaster Bujold as runners-up. He has been a finalist twice for the Dream Realm Award, given for best science fiction e-book of the year. This is his autobiography. Minimize

Wildly popular with Victorian readers, sensation fiction wa ... Read more

Wildly popular with Victorian readers, sensation fiction was condemned by most critics for scandalous content and formal features that deviated from respectable Victorian realism. Victorian Sensations is the first collection to examine sensation fiction as a whole, showing it to push genre boundaries and resist easy classification. Comprehensive in scope, this collection includes twenty original essays employing various critical approaches to cover a range of topics that will interest many readers. In addition to well-known novels such as The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins and Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, this volume addresses other works by Collins and Braddon as well as those of Sheridan Le Fanu, Rhoda Broughton, Charles Reade, Ellen (Mrs. Henry) Wood, and perhaps surprisingly, Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy. Sensation literature, once considered one-dimensionally as a vehicle for contrived, plot-driven stories of mystery and intrigue, is shown here as a multi-faceted formal and ideological hybrid. Essays are organized thematically into three sections: issues of genre; sensational representations of gender and sexuality; and the texts' complex readings of diverse social and cultural phenomena such as class, race, and empire. The introduction reviews critical reception of sensation fiction to situate these new essays within a larger scholarly context. Victorian Sensations aims to further previous efforts to recognize sensation fiction as an integral part of Victorian literature and not as the subgenre that it has too long been considered. The collection's broad scope indicates the breadth and complexity of the genre itself. Minimize

This revised edition provides a way of understanding the va ... Read more

This revised edition provides a way of understanding the vast universe of genre fiction in an easy-to-use format. Expert readers' advisor Joyce Saricks offers groundbreaking reconsideration of the connections among genres, providing: key authors and themes within 15 genres; an explanation as to how the different genres overlap; and, the elements of fiction most likely to entice readers. Provocative and spirited, "The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, 2nd Edition" offers hands-on strategies for librarians who want to become experts at figuring out what their readers are seeking and how to match books with those interests. Minimize