Lt. Col. Shin isn't happy--about Guarders turning teens into thieves, nor about his children turning into teenagers. The whole world's shifting, with Mal tightening his control, yet no one except Perrin, Mahrree, and Shem seem to notice.When disaster hits Idumea and his mother insists he return, Perrin's not sure what's worse: facing the government he hates, or taking his family along to Idumea.Lieutenant Colonel Perrin Shin is not happy. Not happy about the changes he's seen in Edge since he arrived sixteen years ago. Not about his daughter and son turning into teenagers. And certainly not about the Guarders turning the village teens into thieves, or the world not noticing anything but the latest entertainment. Which also means no one’s noticing the ever-tightening control of Chairman Mal and the Administrators. While Perrin and Mahrree notice, as does their claimed brother Shem Zenos, there's nothing that two soldiers and a school teacher can do about those who rule the world. So when a disaster hits Edge and half of the world, then Perrin receives an urgent message demanding that he return immediately to Idumea--Well, he’s not sure what's worse: the fact that he has to leave his village that desperately needs him in order to face the government he hates, or that his wife and children are going with him.

The late Julio Cortázar was a sickly child and spent many hours in bed. Perhaps those memories inspired “Cefalea,” the feverish story of the care and feeding of fantastical creatures called the mancuspias, which debuted in his 1951 collection Bestiario. Tor.com is proud to share with you “Headache,” the first ever English translation of “Cefalea.” The rights to translate “Headache” English were arranged by Ann VanderMeer. Translation by Michael Cisco.

"I'm obsessed with abandoned things." Siena's obsession began a year and a half ago, around the time her two-year-old brother Lucca stopped talking. Now Mom and Dad are moving the family from Brooklyn to Maine hoping that it will mean a  whole new start for Lucca and Siena. She soon realizes that their wonderful old house on the beach holds secrets. When Siena writes in her diary with an old pen she found in her closet, the pen writes its own story, of Sarah and Joshua, a brother and sister who lived in the same house during World War II. As the two stories unfold, amazing parallels begin to appear, and Siena senses that Sarah and Joshua's story might contain the key to unlocking Lucca's voice.

Compared by critics to Borges, Nabokov, and Kafka, contemporary fantasist Jeff VanderMeer continues to amaze with this surreal, innovative, and absurdist gathering of award-winning short fiction. Exotic beasts and improbable travelers roam restlessly through these darkly diverting and finely honed tales. In “The Situation,” a beleaguered office worker creates a child-swallowing manta-ray to be used for educational purposes (once described as Dilbert meets Gormenghast). In “Three Days in a Border Town,” a sharpshooter seeks the truth about her husband in an elusive floating city beyond a far-future horizon; “Errata” follows an oddly familiar writer who has marshaled a penguin, a shaman, and two pearl-handled pistols with which to plot the end of the world. Also included are two stories original to this collection, including “The Quickening,” in which a lonely child is torn between familial obligation and loyalty to a maligned talking rabbit. Chimerical and hypnotic, VanderMeer leads readers through the postmodern into a new literature of the imagination.

Albert Paine was a late 19th and early 20th century American author who remains best known today for collaborating with Mark Twain on a number of books.

Welcome to Scotland, where magic runs through the land like the stripes in the colorful Scottish tartans. Everyone and everything here, it seems, has some wizardry--old folks at rest homes, dusty old card games, even cowardly dogs. The only ones without magic are American twins Jennifer and Peter, and they're the ones who need it most.

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy. Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks. When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom. But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

The narrative revolves around the story of a single family, which over succeeding generations has been trying to fulfil the mission bestowed on it by God. However, the family is beset by a series of difficult trials and tribulations.The narrative revolves around the story of a single family, which over succeeding generations has been trying to fulfil the mission bestowed on it by God. However, the family is beset by a series of difficult trials and tribulations. From generation to generation the Star has been shining over the family, keeping it safe from the influences of the forces of darkness. The forces of darkness are laying plans to smother the divine light that shines within each of the family and giving them the strength and nourishment to fulfil the unique human mission. Cousins Michael and Ben attempt to retrieve the Divine Star that has been stolen by the forces of darkness. With the help of the Angel and the higher forces Michael and Ben find themselves in a vivid and beautiful world and by travelling through time they help their ancestors avoid making mistakes that in the future might affect the fate of the whole family line. The higher forces support the boys endowing them with miraculous powers and the ability to take on many shapes and forms.The story unfolds over a period dating from the sixteenth century to the present day and takes place in the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Ancient Rome and many other important landmarks in the Christian world. This all goes to make up an unusual and touching saga about the trials of human faith. Later on, as the struggle for the Divine Star intensifies Michael and Ben's mothers - Natalie and Sophia join the fray. They come to their children's aid in the nick of time just as their strength is being stretched to its fullest limits. Natalie and Sophia overcome the cunning and mean stratagems of the enemies of Light in order to summon the necessary energy required by the children to complete their mission.

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death? Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 3/10/2009 Pages: 320 Reading Level: Age 14 and Up

“Mary is crying,” said Mr Coo. “No!” replied Mrs Coo. But Mr Coo said again— “Mary is crying,” and though Mrs Coo repeated— “No!” she knew by the way he held his head on one side and looked at her, that he was very much in earnest indeed. I must tell you that when Mrs Coo said ‘no,’ it went off into a soft sound that was almost like ‘coo’; indeed most of her talking, and of Mr Coo’s too, sounded like that, which is the reason, I daresay, that many people would not have understood their conversation. But it would be rather tiresome to write “no,” or other words, with double o’s at the end, so I will leave it to be fancied, which will do just as well.

Hudson Keel cannot control his imagination, and so he fears that the tent of singers and storytellers which rises each year in his school holds a secret his classmates cannot fathom. Hiding a pocketknife in his sneaker, Hudson takes his first step into the tent and is surprised to learn that his imagination is a treasure, instead of the curse his mother and his classmates regard it to be.Imagination floods the elementary school's hallways each year when the singers and storytellers who visit during the winter raise their incredible tent in the the center of the gymnasium. Few students can concentrate on their assigned vocabulary terms and mathematical word problems, and every teacher must realize they cannot expect their lesson plans to compete with the songs and the stories that accompany the tent's hurry-gurdy melody. The day when the tent rises in the gymnasium is especially challenging for Hudson Keel, whose imagination runs so wild that Hudson suspects that tent truly journeys between the stars. Hudson fears the tent travels to the places where monsters tread, where danger might claim him, where there are no guarantees that an elementary student will be returned home. So Hudson hides a weapon in his left sneaker on the day the tent returns to his school's gymnasium, and so attracts the attention of the singers and storytellers who control the tent's surprising magic.

Penance, noun: 1. Punishment for past actions. 2. An attempt to pay for what can’t be bought. 3. See also “exile.” Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her—including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net. Where do you go when you need to disappear into a crowd without worrying about attracting attention? An amusement park, of course. Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It’s one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire…but for Annie, it’s a place to hide. She’s just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she’s rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time. Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her—although their help, like everything else, comes with a price. No plan. Minimal backup. No way out. Annie’s about to get a crash course in the reality behind the pretty facade. If she’s lucky, she’ll survive the experience.

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