Join the Abominable Snowman as, determined to transcend his cannibalistic past, he studies Tibetan Buddhism under the Dalai Lama. Pace the walls of Ilium with fair Helen as she tries to convince both sides to abandon their absurd Trojan War. Visit the nursery of Zenobia Garber, born to a Pennsylvania farm couple that accept her for the uncanny little biosphere she is. Scramble aboard the raft built by the passengers and crew of the sinking Titanic - and don't be surprised when the vessel transmutes into a world even more astonishing than the original Ship of Dreams. Reality by Other Means offers readers the most celebrated results from James Morrow's thirty-five-year career designing fictive thought experiments. Anchored by seven previously uncollected stories, this omnibus ranges from social satire to theological hijinks, steampunk escapades to philosophical antics.

Aloysius creates 'accidents' that kill. He fled a notorious Irish care home and has built a life as a hitman, travelling Europe and ending lives for cash. Now veteran government recruiter Imelda Feather, 64, wants him back to slay four of the nation’s most hated people. It takes guile to lure him in, to convince him it’s not a second betrayal by the powers-that-be in Ireland. On the cusp of the hundredth anniversary of the formation of the state, Aloysius, 40, finds himself a key player in the most extraordinary 'PR operation' in history. An evil loan shark, a wicked former priest and a wildly controversial female politician find themselves in his sights. But when he learns more about his fourth target, Aloysius must reverse the roles - and hunter becomes hunted. Narrated by the protagonist, Aloysius Tempo is a story of finding a place in a world where trust has crumbled and, more than ever, ends justify means. As Aloysius works to build a future and shake away the past, this story sees him begin to move in time with his country.

It's June 1941. Paul Duggan, a young Irish military intelligence officer, is on a secret mission to Portugal to uncover German intentions towards neutral Ireland and, even more secretly, to find out who had informed the Americans of an Irish Minister's undiplomatic comments while in Lisbon on his way to Washington to plead for arms. Meanwhile, an unmarked American plane crashes in Ireland and its cargo of beer, cigarettes and caviare make their way into the local black market with unforeseen consequences. Then it turns out there was something more than booze on board - a piece of secret military hardware of great interest to the Germans. Duggan and his colleagues find themselves in a complex game of diplomacy and disinformation as politicians in Ireland and America fall out and the spy agencies of Germany, Britain and the United States maneuver for political and military advantage. With the help of his Special Branch friend, Peter Gifford, he tries to unravel the plots and avoid the pitfalls. To do so he has to return to Lisbon, the war's spy center, where the interlocking intrigues threaten the future of Ireland's relations with America, put its neutrality at risk, and finally threaten his own life and that of the woman he loves.

Thrown out of university, green-tea-drinking, meditation-loving Scott McAuley has no place to go but home: County Down, Northern Ireland. The only problem is, his father is there now too.Duke wasn’t around when Scott was growing up. He was in prison for stabbing two Catholic kids in an alley. But thanks to the Good Friday Agreement, big Duke is out now, reformed, a counselor.Squeezed together into a small house, with too little work and too much time to think about what happened to Scott’s dead mother, the tension grows between these two men, who seem to have so little in common.Penning diary entries from prison, Scott recalls what happened that year. He writes about Jasmine, his girlfriend at university. He writes about Klaudia, back home in County Down, who he and Duke both admired. He weaves a tale of lies, rage and paranoia.

Winner of the 2014 Drue Heinz Literature Prize The flight path of The Spirit Bird traces many landscapes and different transitory lives. A young man scratches out a living from the desert; a woman follows a rarely seen bird in the far reaches of Alaska; a poor single mother sorts out her life in a fancy mountain town. Other protagonists yearn to cross a racial divide, keep developers from a local island, explore their sexuality, and mourn a lost loved one. The characters in this collection are compelled to seek beyond their own horizons, and as the stories unfold, the search becomes the expression of their desires. The elusive spirit bird is a metaphor for what we’ve lost, for what we hope for, and for what we don’t know about ourselves.

With its tales of benevolent and malicious specters, terrifying monsters, and unexplained phenomena, Halloween is the holiday most people associate with spooky stories. But do spirits remain hidden the rest of the year? In the rich storytelling customs of the commonwealth, the supernatural world is also connected with holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Memorial Day. In Haunted Holidays, celebrated storytellers Roberta Simpson Brown and Lonnie E. Brown have assembled a hair-raising collection of paranormal tales for readers of all ages. The stories present many new and spooky characters, including the deceased great aunt who still rocks in her favorite chair on Mother's Day, the young boy who made good on his promise to return a silver dollar on the Fourth of July, and even the ghost who hated Labor Day. In addition to tales of haunting, the Browns reveal many Appalachian legends and their importance to the storytelling tradition, such as the phantom bells who guide the dead to the other side, and a "chime child" born when the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Day, who is rumored to be blessed with the gift of second sight.More than a collection of ghost stories or family legends, Haunted Holidays takes readers on a fireside journey that preserves and promotes oral traditions, revealing the importance of sharing beliefs, traditions, and values with a new generation of listeners.

One of the great "first novels" in world literature is now available in a complete, accurate English translation. Prepared by two of America's leading Verne scholars, Frederick Paul Walter and Arthur B. Evans, this edition honors not only Verne's farseeing science, but also his zest, style, and storytelling brilliance. Initially published in 1863, Five Weeks in a Balloon was the first novel in the author's Extraordinary Voyages series. It tells the tale of a 4,000-mile balloon trip over the mysterious continent of Africa, a trip that wouldn't actually take place until well into the next century. Fusing adventure, comedy, and science fiction, Five Weeks has all the key ingredients of classic Verne: sly humor and cheeky characters, an innovative scientific invention, a tangled plot that's full of suspense and surprise, and visions of an unknown realm. As part of the Early Classics of Science Fiction series, this critical edition features extensive notes, all the illustrations from the original French edition, and a complete Verne biography and bibliography. Five Weeks in a Balloon will be a prized addition to libraries and science fiction reading lists, and a must-read for Verne fans and steampunk connoisseurs.

Young, idealistic and eager for life experience, Andrew and his childhood friend, Eoin, leave Strasbourg, where they are both studying, to embark upon a summer hitch-hiking trip through Normandy and Brittany, escaping the political turbulence of the 1968 Student Revolution. Spending their days apart, Eoin and Andrew meet each evening to share their adventures on the road. The purpose of their adventure is the broadening of their world by engaging strangers in conversation, and listening to their stories. It is this opening that brings Eoin to his downfall, as he disappears one evening, only to be discovered dead, in a shallow grave weeks later, propelling Andrew on a climatic hunt to find his killer. In this fictionalized memoir, the drama of close friendship and the dynamic of young love between Andrew and his girlfriend Marianne, is played out against a traumatic murder mystery, where seasoned crime writer Andrew Nugent pens a strikingly tender depiction of friendship and self discovery.

Echobeat is the second book in the Echoland series, which features Paul Duggan, his Special Branch friend Peter Gifford and a cast of political and intelligence operators in Ireland during the treacherous days of the Second World War. France is under German control, Britain is in danger and the United States has yet to join the war. Ireland, meanwhile, has succeeded in staying neutral - so far. Reports of a British troop build-up in the North have raised fears that Ireland is facing an invasion by its neighbour. And German bombing of Ireland during the early days of 1941 suggests Berlin is trying to send Dublin a message. But what is the message? Paul Duggan and his colleagues in G2, the intelligence unit of the Irish army, have to find out fast. Any miscalculation could be fatal.

Twelve authors, twelve tales of love and travel - some sweet and touching, some bleak and disturbing. This collection includes stories by writers from Australia, Ireland, Kenya, Malawi, New Zealand, the UK, the USA and Zimbabwe. The authors have won or been nominated for prizes and awards including the Caine Prize for African Writing, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, the Pushcart Prize and Kenya's National Book Week Literary Award. They offer the reader a meet-cute on the streets of Zimbabwe, a classic American road trip replayed with an elderly Jewish patient and his black orderly and an encounter between a withdrawn war veteran and his beautiful neighbor in Iran. They follow a couple from Malawi who endure an odyssey in search of a better future in Europe, a woman in New Zealand who has to make a choice when her husband decides to become a woman and others. These stories are about the power of love to heal us, give us courage and make us want to be better people. They are also about its power to harm us, deluding us into submitting to control, deception and abuse. The authors of the twelve stories in this anthology are Alice Bingner, Tendayi Bloom, Shirley Fergenson, Nod Ghosh, Tendai Huchu, Stanley Kenani, Lily Mabura, Jackie Davis Martin, Catherine McNamara, Marlene Olin, Barry Reddin and Gregory Wolos.

SaltWater is a collection of more than a dozen short stories, set in a sweep of coastal areas around the world, from Sherkin Island in County Cork to the faraway shores of New Zealand. Taking place against a backdrop of foam and brine, of shipwrecks and storms, the stories are often inspired by real events, both contemporary and historical. Veering between family tragedy, the excitement of teen love and short, sharp observations of daily life, SaltWater brings to life the rich tapestry of the human experience. Included in this collection are several stories that have been shortlisted for or have won fiction prizes. 'Catching the Tap-Tap to Cayes de Jacmel' won the Global Short Story Prize, UK. 'Dancing on Canvey' won the Fish Short Histories Prize, Ireland. 'SaltWater' was shortlisted for the HG Wells Prize, UK. This collection, SaltWater, was longlisted for the 2014 Frank O'Connor Short Story prize.

Sinker thrusts us into the story of Baker Forley. He begins the novel as a sweet, unassuming Irish man who is revealed to be a promising newcomer to the world's most controversial sport - professional drinking. Ambition fuels his talent as he strives to make something of his life, but he is plagued by worries that he could die from his job, through alcohol poisoning. Frequent fatalities occur, as players often drop dead during games. When his popularity lands him a spot at the infamous Bullfight competition in sun-baked Mallorca, Baker believes that his luck has turned. But when his drunken eye is drawn to a Saudi beauty, her bodyguard steps over and floors him. The bodyguard's boss - a Saudi oil baron - invites Baker to his magnificent, surreal, Gaudi-designed palace to hear an apology. Baker - joined by his over-ebullient coach Ratface - gets an offer he can't refuse: "Teach the crazy billionaire Sheikh to drink like a pro and in turn he'll make you rich." Later, as illicit lust flares between Baker and the oil baron's sober wife; he learns the real reason why he has been asked along. It's a set up, and he's about to be framed for killing a Sheikh. After three days of industrial-level drinking and dealing with Ratface’s random groping, can Baker break free?

"There are no days more full than those we go back to. All those Christmases collide into each other and my memory is decorated by a series of mirrors, flashing light into chambers of sound and color…the briquettes sparking red-layered on the fire, the crinkling of the ridiculous paper hats at dinnertime…and the laughter moving to deep silence at three in the afternoon when we leaned up against one another like old tires, full of turkey and gravy and trifle and God knows how many slices of plum pudding." From 'Every Christmas Morning now, Every Christmas Morning' then by Colum McCann. Packed with contributions from some of Ireland’s best-loved writers, including Roddy Doyle, Alice Taylor, Colum McCann, Sinéad Moriarty and John Boyne, among others, each of the author royalties from this collection will be donated to Aware, a charity that supports individuals and families affected by depression. Festive stories vary from vivid recollections of a childhood Christmas spent in Ireland to travels as far as modern-day New York. Each unique story captures the range of emotions that come bundled up with Christmas memories. Without a doubt, The Little Book of Christmas Memories is the perfect fireside companion for this season as well as an ideal Christmas present! Contributors: Sebastian Barry, Dermot Bolger, John Boyne, Giles Brody, Declan Burke, Mary Lys Carbery, Patricia Carr, Tony Clayton-Lea, June Considine, Carl Corcoran, Tony Corcoran, Mary Costello, Kevin Curran, Bethany Dawson, Roddy Doyle, Anne Droney, Christine Dwyer Hickey, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Barbara Gibson, Virginia Gilbert, Kevin Gildea, Maura Gilligan, Liam Greene, Aidan Grennan, Linda Guerin, Antonia Hart, John Haskins, Sharyn Hayden, William Jenkins, Eileen Keane, Claire Keegan, John Kelly, Anna Laerke Byrne, Shirley Lanigan, Catherine Leon (née Dunne), Sandra Mara, Brian McCabe, Paul McDermott, John Montague, Seamus Moran, Colum McCann, John Montague, Sinead Moriarty, Joe Murphy, Kate Murphy, Breda Nathan, Tom Nestor, Senator David Norris, Lisa O'Callaghan, Deridre O'Mahony, Seán Ó Riain, Stephen O'Sullivan, Marie Smyth, Alice Taylor, Yseult Thornley, Michael Thurlow, Carol Tobin, Karina Tynan, Susan Virsano, Elizabeth Wassell, Elizabeth Waterhouse, Tara West, and Phil Young.

Thatchbury is a village much like any other, yet beneath the surface flows a stream of angst and superstition. The shadow of Thickets Wood creeps amongst its people like a primeval mist, bringing torment and desperation. Do Charlie Whitehall and young Tommy Tinkit come under its destructive power, driving their minds to despair, or is the darkness a consequence of their own guilt and fear? Thickets Wood is a compelling work of psychological suspense, and Rebecca Reid is an emerging writer to watch. Her self-published first novel, The Coop, was published in 2012 to much critical praise: 'Brilliant.' - Colin Bateman 'Original and disturbing. This is a beautifully written debut.' - Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner 'Great page turner!' - Marie-Louise Muir, Arts Extra, BBC Radio Ulster

William Black's debut short story collection looks closely at lives lived in the heart of coal country-now fracking country-in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Two miners battered by a cave-in try to wrestle down the river that altered the course of their lives. A suicide pact leaves a family and its town bewildered and struggling for words. A fracking crew confronts the vast mysteriousness of things hidden in the depths of the earth and the lives that take place on its surface.In these starkly beautiful, incandescent stories, characters struggle with the grip that their locale and its past have on them, and they are consumed by searching-for love, for escape, for brief moments of clarity that give them the courage to continue.William Black's stories have appeared in The Sun, The Southern Review, Threepenny Review, Crazyhorse, Prairie Schooner, the Florida Review, and many other journals and magazines. He lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania and teaches at Johns Hopkins University. "Black is at his best as a social realist in a blue-collar milieu." - Kirkus Reviews Feb. 15, 2014

Dangerous Pity tells the story of Sebastian Clare, a well-known author living in the south of France, who is slowly coming to terms with the death of his mother. Onto the scene arrives the impish Ursula, a former student, who quickly insinuates herself into his life. Sebastian casts his mind back to the time when he and his wife, Claudia, had taken on a driver who became a menacing presence. Ursula continues her parasitic existence in Sebastian's life until events take a dramatic turn. Elizabeth Wassell superbly depicts a rich cast of characters, and captures the city of Nice in all its varied moods. Its central characters mix desire, regret, grief and obsession in a heady cocktail, and the descriptions of Nice and its cultural landscape are beautifully intriguing.