I’ve
grown tired of retellings. So, when I picked up this gothic reimagining of The
Fall of the House of Usher, I expected the same unsatisfied letdown when I
turned to the first page.
Instead, I was sucked straight into the protagonist’s
point of view, delightfully shuddering at the grotesque imagery of wildlife
puppeteered by an ecological nightmare and how the shift in language can allow
for other non-human sentient creatures to communicate with us.
My burnout on
story retellings lifted, reminding me that an old tale can still hold surprises and about the importance of stories handed down, re-molded, and shaped from
generation to generation.
From the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of The Twisted Ones, comes What Moves the Dead, a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her…
I
enjoy surprises. Jump scares? Eh, they’re okay. But what I really seek out are
tales that evoke the sensation of being semi-lost in a dark forest, with a
flickering flashlight, squinting around the brambles to understand what lies
beyond.
I want to discover monsters beyond run-of-the-mill demons, vampires, or
werewolves. So, when I dug into this weird, surreal book, I was quickly mesmerized
by its quiet horror, depicting a woman deeply betrayed by her partner and yet
still caring for him during a strange metamorphosis while enduring his stark,
hurtful confessions.
When she ultimately embraces a metamorphosis of her own, I
had to sit back, eyes open wide, surprised, and delighted at the strange story I
had just consumed.
It's 1900, and Louise Wilk is taking her dying husband home to Buffalo where he grew up. Dr. Edward Wilk is wasting away from an aggressive and debilitating malady. But it's becoming clearer that his condition isn't exactly a disease, but a phase of existence that seeks to transform and ultimately possess him.
“At the bitter end of the 19th century, a loyal wife cares tenderly for her dissolute husband as he nears his death from a mysterious, gruesomely corrosive disease. Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum is a sumptuous excursion into surreal body horror and an unsparing exploration of the extreme…
At
some point, as a very tired parent of a very active toddler, I realized I
needed a book beyond my usual four hundred-page-plus doorstoppers, and I quickly
discovered this gem. Brevity defines this book, and due to its length, I
expected something easily consumable. But I was pleased to find out that I
still had to pay attention!
The subtle hints and clever structure set up the
rich machinations of an empire, along with a clever monarch looking to secure
her legacy and throne – without relying solely on brawn.
Political intrigue was
but one facet of this condensed story. Ghosts, talking birds, and fortune
tellers wove in and out of the narrative with enigmatic grace. I was hooked
from the first page.
Winner of the 2020 Crawford Award! Winner of the 2021 Hugo Award! A Hugo Award-Winning Series!
A 2021 Locus Award Finalist A 2021 Ignyte Award Finalist A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
"Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful... The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."―NPR
A 2020 ALA Booklist Top Ten SF/F Debut | A Book Riot Must-Read Fantasy of 2020 | A Paste Most Anticipated Novel of 2020 | A Library Journal Debut of the Month | A Buzzfeed Must-Read Fantasy Novel of Spring 2020 | A Washington Post Best SFF…
The
facts of Domino’s afterlife are ruthlessly simple: he’s a half-breed witch from
a people without a name, living a cursed existence in hell.
When he discovers
demonic bounty hunters are on his tail, he is shocked to learn they were hired
by his brother. Wicasah, wielding insurmountable power, has struck an ill-made
deal with an ancient being to get his brother back, no matter what the cost.
Desperate to escape their destinies and reunite, the brothers are thrust on a
quest to stop a dark power from rising and consuming everything in the known
world and beyond. But when everyone knows them as the villains of their own
story, the two must decide if they will save the world… or let it burn.
My
son loves trucks, buses, and anything construction. So, while we have read most
of the Little Blue Truck books ad nauseam, this one quickly surpassed the
others because of the big yellow bus that takes the woodland creatures to
school each day.
And, since he enjoys running up hiking trails almost as fast
as The Flash, he enjoyed the “off the beaten path” the Little Blue Truck takes
to save the day and help his friends get to school on time.
This
children’s book has just the right amount of spookiness for the Halloween season
for a budding Halloween-loving kiddo.
A ghost floats above the excited pumpkins
as the words bounce across the page. He enjoys pointing at the witches and
pretending he can blow the jack lanterns’ lights out like the ghost.
With bouncy, rhyming text in verse from the classic nursery rhyme and bold, dynamic illustrations from acclaimed author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino, Five Little Pumpkins is a must-have Halloween board book!
Roll along with the pumpkins and their spooky friends as they get into some spirited Halloween fun. The perfect gift for little pumpkins everywhere.
For
a kid who hates going to bed, my little one certainly loves this story.
Little
Llama’s facial expressions make him laugh, and the range of emotions he
experiences matches up with Little Llama’s perilous experience of having to go
to bed exactly.
My son enjoys pointing out Little Llama’s stuffie that he
sleeps with and shows me his in turn. And I, as a parent, feel Mama Llama’s
desire to get the kiddo to bed, finish those chores up, and maybe go to sleep
herself quite keenly.
Baby Llama turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama in this rhyming read-aloud favorite!
Llama Llama’s tale of nighttime drama has charmed readers for over a decade and makes an ideal story for bedtime reading. With this board book edition, Anna Dewdney’s infectious rhyming text and expressive artwork are availabe to the youngest readers. Children will relate to Baby Llama's need for comfort, as much as parents will appreciate Mama Llama's reassuring message.
