Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicle of Imaginarium Geographica #1)

An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica—an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.

Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead listeners to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.

An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.

Publishers Weekly

Owen's (the Mythworld series) clever story construction which essentially starts with a twist ending and works backwards allows for a lively hodgepodge of myth, legend and adventure story. On March 15 ( la Julius Caesar), 1917, a London professor is killed with a Roman spear, "of a make and composition that hasn't been forged in over a thousand years." His dying effort is to dispatch an arcane book to John, his student. The book turns out to be the Imaginarium Geographica, containing "all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale." John and two companions, Jack and Charles, must flee from a group of cannibal beasts who will stop at nothing to obtain it, and end up aboard the 16th-century ship of the diminutive and mysterious Bert, who knew the professor and knows even more about the book. Their travels lead them through Arthurian legend, pre-Biblical flood tales, dragon lore and the works of Jules Verne to name just a few with hints of Narnia along the way. Their mission to defeat the Winter King is linked to the real-world events of the Great War. The conclusion which may not come as much of a surprise to attentive readers reveals the true identity of the three main characters, whose future books are populated with the things they've seen on their journey. Like some of M. Night Shyamalan's films, this book might be seen more as a parlor trick than as literature, but it certainly has its pleasures. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

Synopsis

Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . ." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness -- sexual pleasure for its own sake -- or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

The Washington Post

Sacred sex. A paradoxical, utopian impossibility or a life- sustaining, attainable goal? This is the major question that underpins Paulo Coelho's new novel, Eleven Minutes, the tale of Maria, a naive young woman from Brazil who becomes a high-class prostitute in Switzerland. (The title of the book refers to the hypothetical average duration for an act of coitus.) And while Coelho comes down firmly in the end for the reality of a holy carnality, the path he takes to that affirmation acknowledges completely the snares and labyrinths awaiting any explorer of the fusion of body and soul. — Paul Di Filippo

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The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

Synopsis

Set in Paris and in the enchanting landscape of central Asia, this new novel by the author of the international bestsellers The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes follows the journey of a man obsessed with finding the wife who left him without an explanation.

The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges that money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who, despite her professional success and freedom from the conventional constraints of marriage, is facing an existential crisis. When she disappears along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover, the authorities question the narrator. Was Esther kidnapped, killed, or did she simply abandon a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers but he has plenty of questions of his own.

Then one day Mikhail, the man with whom Esther was last seen, finds the narrator and promises to take him to his wife. In his attempt to recapture a love lost, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.

A haunting and redemptive story about the dark side of obsession, The Zahir explores its potential to both fulfill our dreams and to destroy them. It is also a thoughtful meditation on faith, celebrity, marriage -- and their relationships to freedom and creativity.

This book has what so many novels have lacked in so many ways. Being an avid reader and in search for books that not only tell a great story but leaves me feeling I have gained in a way, my own self...The Zahir was so fulfilling. I've read several other books by Mr. Coelho including his prized The Alchemist, and I must say this book ranked right up there with it all. Reading this book, I felt such intense sadness--unexplainable...hollow...emptiness...loss--as I have also felt the reward of finally beginning to SEE the problems around us, the change and taking a life that is ours in our own hands. I loved it. And I would recommend everyone to experience what life is like when we've reached the end of one chapter in life...and finding the courage to start a new one.

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The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Synopsis

Grades 7 - 12. The action follows 11-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua, accompanied by her daemon, from her home at Oxford University to the frozen wastes of the North, on a quest to save kidnapped children from the evil 'Gobblers,' who are using them as part of a sinister experiment. Lyra also must rescue her father from the Panserbjorne, a race of talking, armored, mercenary polar bears holding him captive. Joining Lyra are a vagabond troop of gyptians (gypsies), witches, an outcast bear, and a Texan in a hot air balloon.

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Tehanu by Ursula Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle #4)

Synopsis

Years before, they had escaped together from the sinister Tombs of Atuan -- she, an isolated young priestess, he, a powerful wizard. Now she is a farmer's widow, having chosen for herself the simple pleasures of an ordinary life. And he is a broken old man, mourning the powers lost to him not by choice.

A lifetime ago, they helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Now they must join forces again, to help another -- the physically and emotionally scarred child whose own destiny remains to be revealed.

Publishers Weekly

The publication of Tehanu will give lovers of LeGuin's enchanted realm of Earthsea cause for celebration. In Tehanu , LeGuin spins a bittersweet tale of Tenar and Ged, familiar characters from the classic Earthsea trilogy. Tenar, now a widow facing obscurity and loneliness, rescues a badly burned girl from her abusive parents. The girl, it turns out, will be an important power in the new age dawning on Earthsea. Ged, now broken, is learning how to live with the great loss he suffered at the end of the trilogy. Tenar's struggle to protect and nurture a defenseless child and Ged's slow recovery make painful but thrilling reading. Sharply defined characterizations give rich resonance to Tehanu 's themes of aging, feminism and child abuse as well as its emotional chords of grief and loss. Tehanu is a heartbreaking farewell to a world that is passing, and is full of tantalizing hints of the new world to come. Fans of the Earthsea trilogy will be deeply moved.

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Richard Stevenson

Richard Lipez (born November 30, 1938 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania) is an American journalist and mystery author. Richard currently resides in Massachusetts. He is most known for his Donald Strachey mysteries, which were originally published under the pen name Richard Stevenson. Lipez is openly gay.


Death Trick:

When the sensational murder of a gay man hits the headlines in Albany, New York, the prime suspect turns out to be a young gay activist who has disappeared. His socially prominent parents call in Don Strachey, a low-key but cocky detective known for getting results when the police can't and known for his connections in the gay community - his community.

On the Other Hand:

When the giant Millpond Company finds its plans for a mega-shopping mall stymied by the refusal of an elderly lesbian couple to sell their home, the ladies are subjected to ugly vandalism and frightening death threats. The powerful director of Millpond in turn hires Don Strachey, Albany's only gay detective, to protect the ladies, find the culprits, and clear the corporate name. Strachey accepts with misgivings that deepen rapidly as kidnapping, extortion, and murder darken the lives of Albany's gay community. Fast-paced, deftly plotted, and superbly written, this is one of the best Strachey novels yet.

Ice Blues:

An icy Albany winter—and unwelcome surprises of one frozen corpse, numerous ominous threats, and a couple million dollars!

The toughest gay private investigator in mystery literature is back—with a frozen corpse in his back seat and an urgent need to find out who put it there. Ice Blues: a Donald Strachey Mystery brings back the popular wisecracking detective in a fast-paced, suspenseful, and flat-out enjoyable suspense mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. Strachey soon finds himself in possession of two and a half million dollars—and becomes the target of criminals who will stop at nothing to get it. To unravel the puzzle, he has to confront a political machine, civic corruption, and family tragedy.

Third Man Out:

Which powerful mystery man killed the gay activist for outing him? After an attempt is made on his life, Queer Nation activist John Rutka asks tough-as-nails gay private detective Don Strachey to provide him with protection. Why does someone want to kill him? The activist's efforts at outing closeted gay homophobes have earned him a multitude of enraged enemies who would just as soon see him dead. After Strachey refuses to help, the man's body is found savagely murdered in apparent retribution for his deeds. Now, because of this, the reluctant Strachey feels obligated to investigate. Third Man Out brings back one of the most popular gay heroes in mystery fiction, Don Strachey, a private investigator as hard-boiled as they come, along with his lover, Tim Callahan, in a topical and very entertaining mystery dealing with the ethical issues of outing.

Shock to the System:

Donald Strachey is asked to investigate the suspicious death of Paul Haig by three different people-Haig's homophobic mother, his ex-lover, and the psychiatrist hired to "cure" him of his homosexuality. Just as he gets started, however, all three remove him from the case, leaving Strachey with a brutal murderer that now everyone wants left alone.

Washington Post

Believe me, it's a lot of fun and much of it is very wicked fun indeed. . . . Don't think for a minute that Stevenson's writing just for gays. (Washington Post)

Chain of Fools:

Private Investigator Donald Strachey is asked to look into the events surrounding the months-old murder of Eric Osborne. His death, originally believed to be a random attack, takes on new significance when Janet Osborne, Eric's sister, survives an attempt on her life. Skeeter, Eric's lover, believed both attacks were meant to silence them before the sale of their family's newspaper. drawn into a complex family feud, Strachey must unravel the secret behind the attacks before he tries again...

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The Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

The Amulet of Samarkand:

Bartimeus Trilogy Jonathan Stroud The first book in a thrilling new trilogy about an apprentice magician and the powerful djinni he summons.

Nathaniel is a young magician with only one thing on his mind: revenge.

As an apprentice to the great magician Underwood, Nathaniel is gradually being schooled in the traditional art of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a rising, star magician. When Simon brutally humiliates Nathaniel in front of everyone he knows, Nathaniel decides to speed up his magical education, teaching himself spells way beyond his years. Eventually, he masters one of the most difficult spells of all: summoning the all-powerful djinni, Bartimeus.

But summoning Bartimeus and controlling him are two very different things--and Nathaniel may be in way over his head.JONATHAN STROUD is a former editor who has already published several children's books in England, where he lives.

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The Golem's Eye:

It answered a lot of unanswered questions from the first book. It explained who Kitty and the Resistance was. It has a lot of fantasy, mystery, and action. It’s a hard book to put down, and it always wants you wanting more. Some parts are very confusing if you don’t read the first of the trilogy, The Amulet of Samarkand. I really liked how Stroud added another point of view, Kitty. With her telling some of the story it answered a lot of my questions about the resistance and what they do. Kitty’s points of view were a lot better then I thought. I still have questions about this book and I hope that they’ll be answered in the next of the trilogy. It was a lot better then the first. It has a great story line which tempts you too keep reading. It has a great story line which tempts you too keep reading. I highly recommend this to anybody that likes fiction.

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Ptolemy's Gate:

Three years have passed since the magician Nathaniel helped prevent a cataclysmic attack on London. Now an established member of the British Government, he faces unprecedented problems: foreign wars are going badly; Britain’s enemies are mounting attacks close to London; and rebellion is fomentingamong the commoners. Increasingly imperious and distracted, Nathaniel is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever. The longsuffering djinni is growing weak and vulnerable from too much time in this world and is nearing the end of his patience.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel’s longtime rival Kitty has been stealthily completing her research on magic, demons, and Bartimaeus’s past. She has a daring plan that she hopes will break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans. But will anyone listen to what she has to say?

In this glorious conclusion to the Bartimaeus trilogy, the destinies of Bartimaeus, Nathaniel, and Kitty converge once more. Together the threesome faces treacherous magicians, a complex conspiracy, and a rebellious faction of demons. To survive, they must test the limits of this world and question the deepest parts of themselves. And most difficult of all–they will have to learn to trust one another.

Jonathan Stroud is the author of the New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus Trilogy; The Last Siege; The Leap; and Buried Fire. He lives in England with his family.

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