Popular books

Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff

Shadow Falls: Badlands

A killer wakes up on the day of his hanging to find his jail cell door open and everyone in town has been slaughtered. After fleeing in search of the meanings inside his constant nightmares, he discovers he has been pursued by evil spirits, including that of his brother who allow The Stranger to realize what lays behind destiny's door may indeed be a darkness beyond his control.<

Alyson Noël

Shimmer: A Riley Bloom Book

<div><h3>Review</h3><p>“Understanding and enjoying this book does not hinge on having read <em>Radiance </em>(Square Fish, 2010), but readers will be quickly drawn to Riley and want to learn more about this spunky character and her previous experiences. The author’s sharp contemporary wit in concert with her fascinating fantasy setting and important historical connections will draw readers through this enjoyable novel and have them begging for Riley’s third adventure.” —<strong><em>School Library Journal</em></strong></p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Having solved the matter of the Radiant Boy, Riley, Buttercup, and Bodhi are enjoying a well-deserved vacation. When Riley comes across a vicious black dog, against Bodhi’s advice, she decides to cross him over. While following the dog, she runs into a young ghost named Rebecca. Despite Rebecca’s sweet appearance, Riley soon learns she’s not at all what she seems. As the daughter of a former plantation owner, she is furious about being murdered during a slave revolt in 1733. Mired in her own anger, Rebecca is lashing out by keeping the ghosts who died along with her trapped in their worst memories. Can Riley help Rebecca forgive and forget without losing herself to her own nightmarish memories?</p></div><

Jo Nesbo

The Snowman

Chloe Neill

Some Girls Bite

SUMMARY: First in a brand new series about a Chicago graduate students introduction into a society of vampires.Sure, the life of a graduate student wasnt exactly glamorous, but it was Merits. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsuckerand this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead. Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now shes traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan Lord o the Manor Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethans attitude are the least of her concerns. Someones still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicagos nightlife may be the first skirmish in a warand there will be blood.<

Melanie Nilles

Starfire Angels

Raea's life as a human is about to end. The crystal shard she bears is not a pretty pendant; it's part of the heart of a machine capable of destroying whole worlds. Those who desire the power have sent an agent to find her, but she's too busy evading a nosy reporter, dating a hot new foreign student, and learning what she really is. Only one person on Earth can help her, but he's not from Earth.<

Stuart Neville

Stolen Souls

E Nesbit

The Story of the Amulet

E Nesbit

The Story of the Treasure Seekers

Lee Nichols

Surrender

Henry H Neff

The Tapestry #1 - The Hound of Rowan

EDITORIAL REVIEW: MAX MCDANIELS LIVES a quiet life in the suburbs of Chicago until the day he stumbles upon a mysterious Celtic tapestry. Many strange people are interested in Max and his tapestry, and his discovery will lead him to Rowan Academy, a secret school where great things await him.But dark things are waiting, too. When Max learns that priceless artworks and other gifted children are disappearing from around the globe, he finds himself in the crossfire of an ancient struggle between good and evil.<

Henry H Neff

The Tapestry #2 - The Second Siege

EDITORIAL REVIEW: *A fast-paced, genre-blending adventure—now in paperback! *The Tapestry series continues to weave threads of fantasy, mythology, science fiction, and mystery into a wholly original adventure that appeals to fans of everything from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings to The X-Men. Genre-blending and fully illustrated, The Tapestry novels have caught the attention of middle-grade and young adult readers alike—and the series is only getting bigger.In this second book of the series, grave forces are converging to seize control of the Book of Thoth, a hidden artifact whose pages hold the key to creating—or unraveling—the very threads of existence. Max McDaniels and David Menlo embark on a quest to protect the book from the demon Astaroth, who would exploit its secrets with dire consequence. And with Astaroth free after centuries of imprisonment, the world outside Rowan’s gates has already become hostile. Far from home, cut off behind enemy lines, Max and his allies must journey across Europe, descend into the fabled Frankfurt Workshop, brave the tangled corners of the Black Forest . . . and cross beyond the veils of our very world. “After devouring this title, young fans will be clamoring for more.”*—Kirkus Reviews*Visit www.rowanacademy.com for original content, exclusive artwork, and more!<

Henry H Neff

The Tapestry #3 - The Fiend and the Forge

R A Nelson

Teach Me

<h3>From School Library Journal</h3><p>Grade 9 Up–Carolina is a high-school senior who feels she is too smart and mature for small-town Alabama life. Then she meets Mr. Mann, the new language arts teacher who is obsessed with Emily Dickinson. After she makes him feel at ease in his new job, she feels he is worthy of her attention, and the two begin an intense, clandestine affair, which is consummated on her 18th birthday. The love ends devastatingly for the teen when Mr. Mann suddenly dumps her and quickly marries another woman right before graduation. Carolina finally confides in her best friend, Schuyler, and he helps her try to figure out who Mr. Mann is and why he acted as he did. Nelson's writing is wonderfully eloquent and full of poetic references and wry humor, yet the plot and characters are occasionally chaotic. It is difficult to identify with Carolina, who not only thinks she's better than everyone else, but also goes to extreme lengths to seek revenge on her former lover. Mr. Mann is no more sympathetic. As his mystery unravels, readers discover, along with Carolina, how dull he is. Still, the story is juicy and cautionary without being preachy, which gives it wide teen appeal.<em>–Jane Cronkhite, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From Booklist</h3><p>Gr. 9-12. High-school senior Carolina (" Nine") is longing for something, and it appears in the form of her English teacher, Mr. Mann. They dance around each other, until Mr. Mann takes the first step in Nine's direction, and on her eighteenth birthday, they consummate their relationship. Several months later Mr. Mann abruptly ends it, refusing to give a reason. Nine's quest to find out why he has left her becomes manic, leading her to childish, unpredictable, almost dangerous behavior. Nelson treads new territory here, and she does some things remarkably for a first novelist. She eloquently captures both the yearning that comes with loving someone who doesn't seem attainable and the utter despair when the affair ends. The plotting, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. There's no reason why Mr. Mann shouldn't reveal his reasons for suddenly marrying someone else, other than to push the action. Moreover, the melodramatic ending, which allows Mr. Mann to be a hero, rings false on several levels. However, teens--who often long for passion themselves--will recognize the fury of it in Nine's story. <em>Ilene Cooper</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p><

John Norman

Telnarian Histories #01 - The Chieftain

<p class="description">This is the age of the Telnarians. Their vast, corrupt empire spans galaxies, ruling by terror, slavery, and the lash. But, their corruption and brutality could spell their downfall for, on a thousand worlds of swords and science, the savage souls of true men will not be forever chained. A heroic tide is rising-and one warrior is born to lead the barbarian horde. A peasant is sent to the arena, fodder for the carnage...but before the horrified gaze of noble ladies, the warrior named Dog slaughters headsmen, hunters, and beasts to win freedom as a full-fledged gladiator. Then, deep-space rebels attack an Empire ship where Dog performs combat killings for the amusement of the passengers-and the gladiator becomes a rebel. Now, a beautiful officer of the court finds her life depends on the mercy of Dog-the man she ordered put to death!</p><

John Norman

Telnarian Histories #02 - The Captain

<p class="description">A science fiction series filled with interplanetary adventure, rebellion and mortal combat by the author the The Gorean Saga. Second in the series, The Captain. This is the age of the Telnarians. Their vast, corrupt empire spans galaxies, ruling by terror, slavery, and the lash. But, their corruption and brutality could spell their downfall for, on a thousand worlds of swords and science, the savage souls of true men will not be forever chained. A heroic tide is rising--and one warrior is born to lead the barbarian horde. From the savage death pits of the Ortung Vandals, to the murderous intrigues of the imbecile Emperor's court, to the perfumed cages of the luscious willing slaves, the giant Otto is carving a legend across the stars. When this gladiator and chieftain of the Wolfung worlds seeks to form a frontier legion of space barbarians, the nobles dare not refuse him; they have only the courage to try to murder him. But can even an empire's might stop such a man?</p><

John Norman

Telnarian Histories #03 - The King

<p class="description">A science fiction series filled with interplanetary adventure, rebellion and mortal combat by the author the The Gorean Saga. Third in the series, The King. This is the age of the Telnarians. Their vast, corrupt empire spans galaxies, ruling by terror, slavery, and the lash. But, their corruption and brutality could spell their downfall for, on a thousand worlds of swords and science, the savage souls of true men will not be forever chained. A heroic tide is rising--and one warrior is born to lead the barbarian horde. To recruit his legion of space barbarians, the giant gladiator Otto must win their fierce loyalty, world by world, in lethal combat against monsters, men, aliens, and the beautiful, murderous slaves--while Imperial conspirators plot Otto's assassination, and an evil warlord's brutal army prepares to unleash genocidal horror across the stars.</p><

Naomi Novik

Temeraire #01 - His Majesty’s Dragon

Naomi Novik

Temeraire #04 - Empire of Ivory

<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In Novik's earlier fantasies (<em>His Majesty's Dragon</em>, etc.), readers soared to Europe and Asia on the wings of an intriguing premise: How would the Napoleonic Wars have played out if dragons not only existed, but participated in the war effort? The fourth part of Novik's engrossing answer sweeps readers off to Africa, where the cure to the disease that has decimated England's dragon forces may be found. The African adventures of British captain Will Laurence, his dragon Temeraire and their bedraggled band of aerial corps make up the book's latter half, which showcases Novik's knack for weaving dragons and dragon lore into a vivid, well-researched historical tapestry. In Africa's wild interior, dragons shepherd and feed from elephant caravans while protecting the native villagers. This protection includes waging war against England's slave-seeking colonists, a clash that Laurence and his band may not escape unscathed. Novik fills the conflict's lead-up with lengthy meditations on dragon civil rights and England's abolition movement, making for a fitful, pedantic first half. But most will find the richness of Novik's developing world—and characters—to be worthy compensation for the slow start. <em>(Oct.)</em> <br>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>‘These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart’Peter Jackson'Novik won me over with her first novel. the combination of history, sympathetic characters, and an engaging style makes this series great, intelligent fun.’The Times‘Plenty of intrigue, swordplay, exotic locations, plausible invention. In short a treat’The Telegraph‘Novik has stirred the passions with a genre-busting historical fantasy of the first order’Sunday SportPraise for the Temeraire series:‘A splendid novel. Not only is it a new way to utilize dragons, it's a very clever one and fits neatly into the historical niche this author has used. The plot was excellent, extraordinary in that the reader has no idea where it's leading–which is always fun.’ Anne McCaffrey‘Wonderful “Temeraire” is a dragon for the ages and a fitting companion for the brave, steadfast Will Laurence.’Terry Brooks </p></div><

Naomi Novik

Temeraire #06 - Tongues of Serpents

Judy Nunn

Territory

TERRITORY is the story of Henrietta Southern, a young Englishwoman who trades her war-torn homeland for a place of wild tropical storms and searing heat, crocodile-infested rivers and barren red wilderness. Six months after the bombing of Darwin, she joins her new husband, Spitfire pilot Terence Galloway, for a new life on his Northern Territory cattle station. It is also the story of their sons. Of Malcolm and Kit, two brothers who grow up in the harsh but beautiful environment, and share a baptism of fire as young men in the jungles of Vietnam. And what of the Dutch East Indies treasure ship which foundered off Western Australia in 1629? How is the Galloway family's destiny linked with Batavia's horrific tale of mutiny and murder ...? From the blazing inferno that was Darwin on 19 February 1942 to the devastation of Cyclone Tracy, from the red desert to the tropical shore, TERRITORY is a mile-a-minute read from one of Australia's best loved writers. Territory by Judy Nunn Sample Chapter(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();<

E Nesbit

The Book of Dragons

<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>And, the book from which it sprung, The Book of Dragons, which includes eight dragon stories originally published in The Strand magazine (according to an afterword), is available once more with H.R. Millar's original b&amp;w illustrations and an otherworldly new cover by Caldecott Medal-winner Paul O. Zelinsky. </p><p>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Discover the classics with Looking Glass Library, a series that offers the world’s finest literature, with introductions by some of the foremost writers of today.<br /></p><p>In eight highly imaginative tales, beloved children’s author E. Nesbit gives us an extraordinary view of how dragons can shape the fates of princes, queens, and ordinary children alike. With an introduction by Newbery Award winner Ruth Stiles Gannett and line illustrations by H. R. Millar from the original 1901 edition, this middle-grade fantasy classic will enchant all ages.<br /></p><p><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em></p><

Jody Lynn Nye

The Grand Tour

TOURISTS RUSH IN WHERE DREAMERS FEAR TO TREAD ...Where does your mind go when you fall asleep?To the Dreamland, where seven Sleepers dream the ever-changing landscape drawn by the trillions of sleeping minds from the Waking World. Where form follows function, so a hovel today may be a castle or a cave tomorrow. Where the people battle nightmares with only the strength of their will and sanity.Chuck Meadows is a Visitor from the Waking World, on an astral vision quest around the Dreamland. He has come on this arduous and dangerous journey to the Dreamland in hope of discovering the reason for the deep misery of his soul. With the aid of his spirit guide, Keir, the other members of the group, and the Dreamlanders he will meet along the way, he has to solve the puzzle before it literally tears him apart.But not all Dreamlanders are eager to assist Chuck on his quest. There is an element lurking throughout the land that resents the Visitors and all they stand for. They hate the intrusion by Waking minds into their realm. They are furious that Visitors wield almost limitless influence while they have nothing. They intend to send a message back to the Waking world to leave them alone forever. The leader of the conspiracy is only waiting for the right moment to strike. He has a secret weapon that no one, Dreamlander or Waking Worlder, can withstand. Chuck and his companions are unaware of the doom that awaits them -- but they have unseen allies as well as enemies. Chuck must learn the truth about them and about himself before it is too late.<

Rhonda Nelson

The Phoenix

<div><p><b>*Confidential*</b></p><p><i>Ranger Security Employee file #153 Name: Jay Weatherford, aka the Phoenix</i></p><i></i><p><i>Specialty: Getting out of <i>really</i> hot situations...and creating new ones!</i></p><p>Subject (Jay Weatherford) was nicknamed "the Phoenix" after walking out of a burning building unscathed. He's Ranger Security's newest recruit, and assigned to Case File #8765—locating the heir to the Betterworth Chocolate fortune, Truffles (dog).</p><p>Working for the competition is Charlie Martin...and she has a grudge against Ranger Security. This could complicate the investigation. Getting under each other's skin is one thing. Getting under each other—in the hot, sexy and naked way—is another!</p><p>The situation is heating up, and fast. Our man is fireproof.</p><p>Charlie Martin, however, is not....</p></div><

Audrey Niffenegger

The time traveler's wife

SUMMARY: A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.<

Stephanie Newell

The Third Person

<p class="description">Stephanie Newell's The Third Person is a brutal, tragic and darkly humorous novel about growing up, sibling rivalry and the ultimate dysfunctional family. In a series of diary entries, fourteen year old Lizzie shares her secrets about coming to terms with her parents' break-up, battling with her younger sister, and her obsession with the man she is destined to marry…</p><

James W Nichol

Transgression

Michael Northrop

Trapped

Garth Nix

Troubletwisters

<h3>Review</h3><p><strong>Garth Nix and Sean Williams on *Troubletwisters</strong>*</p><p>"Sean and I are old friends and we ahve been talking about co-writing something for years, so it's great we've finally got our double act together with <em>Troubletwisters</em>. We'd discussed co-writing a thriller or a science fiction screenplay but then it hit us that we both love children's fantasy books, so that's hwat we should write together. <em>Troubletwisters</em> is the result." <strong>—Garth Nix</strong></p><p>""riters like Alan Garner, Susan Cooper, and Ursula Le Guin inspired both of us when we were kids. Now that we're older and have kids of our own, our job is to inspire them in turn. But really, it's our inner children we're writing for first. That we've never really grown up is what makes these stories so much fun, for children of all ages." <strong>—Sean Williams</strong></p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>A spectacular new middle-grade fantasy series from NYT bestselling authors Garth Nix and Sean Williams, in which two twins find that they must act as wards against a threatening evil.</p><p>The Evil has been trying to break into our dimension and dominate the earth for centuries. Unbeknownst to most of us, there are Wardens all over the globe, who protect humanity from the Evil that asserts itself at the Portals, which are the only places through which the Evil may pass into our world.</p><p>Jaide and Jack Shield don't know that the world is under attack. They don't know that their dad and their Grandma X, who they move in with, are Wardens, or that they themselves are troubletwisters, young Wardens just coming into their powers.</p><

Chloe Neill

Twice Bitten

<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Neill's briskly paced third Chicagoland Vampires paranormal romance (after 2009's Friday Night Bites) makes new readers comfortable with a thorough recap before diving into swiftly developing events that will satisfy returning fans. In the two months since graduate student Merit was involuntarily turned into the Cadogan House Sentinel by master vampire Ethan Sullivan, she's become part of the vampires' recent emergence into the public eye, battled another master vampire, suffered several emotional upheavals, and honed her fighting skills. Now she's assigned to guard the leader of North America's shape-shifters as the packs gather in Chicago to discuss the future of their often strained relationship with vampires. Merit's frequently snarky voice and amusing observations about the occasional absurdities of her situation combine with the magic of Neill's world in a refreshing take on urban fantasy. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From Booklist</h3><p>The third novel in the Chicagoland Vampires series finds Merit, a relatively new vampire and the Sentinel of Cadogan House, detailed to assist a convention of shape-shifters planning to meet in the Windy City. Someone shoots up the tavern where Merit and Gabriel, a shape-shifting Alpha, are having preliminary talks, and the fight is on. Merit has to figure out which of several suspects is gunning for Gabriel, whether tensions between the various supernaturals are being deliberately fanned, if she wants to join a vampire internal policing organization, and how she ought to respond to the attraction she feels for Ethan, the 400-year-old head of Cadogan House. It's enough to keep a girl quite busy, and the pages turn fast enough to satisfy vampire and romance fans alike. --Frieda Murray </p><

T M Nielsen

Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series

While Chevalier and Emily come to terms with being parents, the Valle begin attacks to gain access to the last remaining Winchester, even if it means harming those she cares about. An upheaval in the Equites threatens the island’s peaceful life and throws Chevalier into a position of power. Emily, trying desperately to fit into the world of the immortal, finds peace and respect in new mission.<

H T Night

Vampire Love Story

<div><h3><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; ">Book #1</span></h3><p>Josiah Reign is a lover and a fighter. Out for a simple jog, he happens upon a young woman who needs help. So Josiah does what he does best. He takes on her attackers...all five of them, in fact. Little does Josiah know that this one act of goodwill will introduce him to a very strange world, a world of dreams...and nightmares. For this woman, Lena, is not who she seems, and her friends are the stuff of legends. Worse yet, Josiah finds himself falling for not one, but two of these deadly creatures of the night. And as Josiah suffers a devastating loss that rocks his world, he will fight for what he believes in. He will fight for his one true love. And fighting is what Josiah does best.</p></div><

Jen Nadol

The Vision

Elizabeth Noble

The Way We Were

<p>Susannah and Rob were childhood sweethearts. But as with most early love affairs, they broke up, moved on and now find themselves in very different places. And not entirely happy - who is? A chance meeting between them sends shockwaves through their lives. What happens when your first love makes a surprise reappearance? Is fate telling you it's time for a second chance . . . or should you simply walk away and let the past become ancient history? But Susannah and Rob just aren't able to forget the way they were . . . and the world is about to realize the consequences of their reunion.<

H T Night

Werewolf Love Story

<div><h3><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; ">Five years before Vampire Love Story.</span></h3><p>It is 2006, and Tommy is training hard before his second mixed martial arts match. On a random night he runs across a sexy, mysterious woman named Sasha. Sasha turns Tommy's life upside down and out of control. On a chance encounter, Tommy befriends a vampire named Patrick. Both Patrick and Sasha change everything Tommy has ever known to be true. </p><p>Luckily, Tommy meets Maya, the woman of his dreams, and is able to make sense of his new reality. A young Josiah Reign befriends Tommy along the way, and Tommy has to inevitably face his true destiny of becoming a werewolf. Will Tommy choose his destiny, or become something no one had ever thought possible?</p></div><

H T Night

The Werewolf Whisperer

<div><h3>2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; ">nd installment in the Vampire Love Story series...</span></h3><p>For Josiah Reign, life as he knows it has been forever changed. In two shorts months he went from unbeliever to the "The Chosen" - savior of the Mani people (a vampire race that has been living underground for 10,000 years). Now Josiah must learn to control his powerful new body, all while understanding his destiny...and falling deeper in love. </p><p>Soon Josiah realizes that to understand his calling, he must save a young werewolf...a werewolf with incredible powers of his own. Along the way, alliances are forged and old enemies rise again. And when tragedy strikes, Josiah must make the ultimate choice...and face an evil far greater than anything he'd ever imagined.</p></div><

Sheryl Nantus

Wild Cards and Iron Horses

<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p><em>Their love rides on a spring and a prayer...</em></p><p>During the recent Civil War, a soldier risked his life to save Jonathan Handleston—and lost. With the help of an advanced metal brace on his crippled hand, Jon now travels from one poker tournament to the next, determined to earn enough money to repay the man’s debt.</p><p>Prosperity Ridge is supposed to be the last stop on his quest, but his brace is broken and he needs an engineer to repair the delicate mechanisms. The only one available is Samantha Weatherly, a beautiful anomaly in a world ruled by men.</p><p>Sam is no fool. Jon is no different from any other gambler—except for his amazing prosthetic. Despite a demanding project to win a critical contract to develop an iron horse, she succumbs to the lure of working on the delicate mechanisms. And working with the handsome Englishman.</p><p>Like a spring being coiled, Samantha and Jon are inexorably drawn together. Sam begins to realize honor wears many faces, and she becomes the light at the end of Jon’s journey to redemption. The only monkey wrench is Victor, a rival gambler who will stop at nothing to make sure Jon misses the tournament. Even destroy Jon’s and Sam’s lives.</p><p><em>Warning: Contains crazed card games, gears and springs galore and a wild ride that’ll have you panting at the end of the book.</em></p><h3>Book Description</h3><p>Their love rides on a spring and a prayer...</p><p>A soldier once risked his life to save Jonathan Handleston—and died. With the help of an advanced metal brace on his crippled hand, Jon now travels to poker tournaments, seeking to repay the man’s debt. </p><p>Prosperity Ridge is the next stop, but his brace is broken and he needs an engineer to repair the delicate mechanisms. He meets Samantha Weatherly, a beautiful engineer.</p><p>Like a spring being coiled, Samantha and Jon are drawn together. Their biggest danger is Victor, a rival gambler who is out to destroy Jon. </p></div><

Anais Nin

The Winter of Artifice

<h3>Review</h3><p>Reading the reissue of <em>The Winter of Artifice</em>, a facsimile of Anaïs Nin's original 1939 edition of the often censored collection of novellas, is like peeking at a budding artist hard at work in the studio. First published in a limited run in France, Nin's third book and second collection of fiction was heavily edited upon being published in the U.S. years later and, according to Nin, eventually banned. Three short novellas, "Djuna," "Lilith," and "The Voice," comprise the original and reprinted book, while a forward by Benjamin Franklin V offers a deeper context. </p><p>The first novella, "Djuna," is a loosely fictional account of a young woman's affair with a boorish but genius American writer (Hans). It's widely known that Nin had an ongoing affair with Henry Miller and his wife June and here is where she first divulges the details. (Later, the relationships would make their way into the nonfiction book <em>Henry and June</em> -- the movie version was the first to receive an NC-17 rating in the U.S.) The opening line: "The cafe table was stained with wine. His blue eyes were inscrutable, like those of a Chinese sage" begins Nin's passionate and tumultuous tale of Djuna's romps through Paris in the 1930s. Color and sound create a rich literary landscape of the city and Djuna's own awakening as an artist and lover. As the situation between Djuna, Hans and his wife June becomes more complicated -- essentially everyone is sleeping with everyone -- Djuna continues to possess a self-awareness that allows for poignant self-reflection. Just as interesting as the text are Franklin's notes in the forward. He offers insights into Miller's effect on Nin's writing by revealing her unedited, fledging paragraphs beside Miller's notes and edits. At the time, Nin was not yet used to writing in English; she had only ever written in French and it's clear that Miller held an influence.</p><p>"Lilith," the second novella, is loosely based on Nin's diary accounts of her strange relationship with her own father and is believed to lay ground work for her novel <em>House of Incest</em>. A young woman's father returns after years of estrangement and demands that she devote herself to him. The thick tension between the characters adds a sickly anxiousness to the prose as the reader wonders exactly how the relationship will develop. "Lilith," in particular, also showcases Nin's early talents as a writer. As Nin writes her way in and out of a stream of consciousness, the reader is sucked into her frantic thought process, all the while feeling vaguely uncomfortable. She writes as she sits in a bedroom with her father: "The voices that carried us into serenity, the voices which made the drum beat in us, sex, sex, sex, sex, desire, the bow of the violins passing between the legs, the curves of women s backs yielding, the baton of the orchestra leader, the second voice of locked instruments, the strings snapping, the dissonances, the hardness, the flute weeping."</p><p>Nin finishes the collection with "The Voice," a story about an omnipresent, disconnected male voice that listens to the lamentations of a circle of disturbed women. Djuna and Lilith both show up again in this story, dealing with neuroses briefly touched upon in their earlier namesake novellas. As the women in the story become stronger, the man, who is known only as the voice, is slowly destroyed as he allows himself to become caught up in the lives of his patients. As with the other stories in this collection, the lead female characters begin small and damaged and eventually emerge at the other side more complete people at the expense of the men in their paths. But Nin accomplishes this with such delicacy and style that one would swear there was no other way.</p><p>--Melynda Fuller, Bookslut.com<br /></p><p>Henry Miller, Lawrence Durrell and Anaïs Nin in the 1930s all had their fiction published by Jack Kahane's Obelisk Press. <em>The Winter of Artifice</em> by Anaïs Nin, which appeared in 1939, printed at Durrell's expense, is now republished for the first time, with an informative historical introduction by Benjamin Franklin V. It was her second work of fiction, after <em>The House of Incest</em> (1936), but remains almost totally unknown, even to most Nin scholars. The title was later used for a significantly different volume, which is still in print--and which most people believe is identical to the Paris Edition. The reissue, as Franklin states, offers an excellent opportunity to explore Miller's influence on Nin's style: she herself believed the first edition showed it all too much. (As well as being Nin's lover, he acted as her mentor and rigorously criticized her prose; "Djuna," now published in full for the first time, covers material that appeared in <em>Henry and June</em>.) Nin completed her revision of the 1939 text in 1942--having distanced herself from Miller, both personally and stylistically. It also revealed her desperate desire to be published in America, without having to worry about the censor (she claimed the Paris Edition was banned). The publication of the Paris Edition of <em>The Winter of Artifice</em> is an important addition to Nin's published fiction--revealing as it does how she fashioned stories from the events of her life. --Karl Orend, The Times Literary Supplement, 22 &amp; 29 August 2008 </p><h3>About the Author</h3><p>Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) is most famous for The Diary of Anaïs Nin, seven volumes of which were published between 1966 and 1980. Her erotica, Delta of Venus and Little Birds, published posthumously, were bestsellers, and the first of four unexpurgated diaries, Henry and June, was the inspiration for the 1990 Philip Kaufman movie of the same name. </p><

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