Bøger udgivet af Astra Publishing House

Keturah, renowned for her storytelling, follows a legendary hart deep into the forest, where she becomes hopelessly lost. Her strength diminishes until, finally, she realizes that death is near—and learns then that death is a young lord, melancholy and stern. She is able to charm Lord Death with a story and gain a reprieve, but he grants her only a day, and within that day she must find true love. A mesmerizing love story, interweaving elements of classic fantasy and high romance.

"Originally published as Emergency by Fitzcarraldo Editions in Great Britain, 2022"--Title page verso.

Some of today's top science fiction writers explore the futures that might have been, including original stories from Julie E. Czerneda and other great names in the genre.

It has been four years since Darian saw his village sacked and burned by barbarians. Taking refuge with the Hawkbrothers, he soon finds his life's calling--as a Healing Adept. But even as he learns the mystical ways of this ancient race, Darian cannot escape the dangers threatening his future. Another tribe of barbarians is approaching. The time has come...to stand up and fight.

The long-awaited ninth book in the Demon series returns to the adventures of Kara Gillian and the supernatural threats that surround herKara's drastic ceasefire deal with the formidable demon Imperator Dekkak slowed the attacks on Earth to a trickle, but her troubles are far from over. The god-like demahnk are desperate to return to their own kind, but unless they can stabilize the demon realm, they'll be forever exiled-and they've subjugated Kara's beloved Mzatal to further their hellacious cause. One faction of demonic lords and demahnk has a plan to fix their world, yet their salvation would come at the expense of Earth. Meanwhile, Kara is wrestling with government bureaucracy, backstabbing allies, enemy lords, as well as the powerful young demonic lord Ashava, who's packing the drama, angst, and rebellion of the terrible teen years into just a few months. Kara's in a race to stop an apocalypse, but in order to prevail she'll have to make a terrible sacrifice or risk losing everything she holds dear.

When you were a kid, did you long to put on your cowboy boots, belt on your guns, saddle up, and ride off to find adventures? Did you sit glued to the TV watching The Lone Ranger, Maverick, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, The Adventures of Brsico County Jr., and Firefly? And were you caught up in movies like Outlands, Time Bandits, Serenity, or Back to the Future Part III? If so, Westward Weird is the book for you. Thirteen original stories included here ride a very broad range between science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal-and all of them are told from a Wild West perspective. Get ready for some good old-fashioned adventure, as:-The Old Gods cross paths in the Old West.-Two theives are given a job they can't refuse, but no one told them there'd be aliens.-A mining family never expected their claim to be jumped from parallel universes. -A Mars colony may be about to find out exactly how the West was won. -Cowboys will be hard-pressed to ride the herd on the living dead. Featuring stories from: Jay Lake - Larry D. Sweazy - Anton Strout - Brenda Cooper - Seanan McGuire - Christopher McKitterick - Steven Saus Dean Wesley Smith - Jennifer Brozek - Kristine Kathryn Rusch - J. Steven York - Jeff Mariotte - Jody Lynn Nye

His name is Lavan Firestorm, a young man blessed—and cursed—with a special talent for firestarting. His legend has haunted the darkest corners of Valdemar, yet the truth has never been told. Here, at last, is his story.

Groundbreaking epic fantasy series in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar universe • Lambda-Award winning novels with heartfelt high adventure and magic Valdemar-the once-peaceful kingdom protected by the magic of its Herald-Mages-is now besieged on all fronts. The king lies near death, the neighboring land of Karse wages a relentless war against Valdemar, and the forces led by a master of dark forbidden magic are massing to strike the final devastating blow against the kingdom. And Vanyel, the most powerful Herald-Mage Valdemar has even known, has become the primary target of the evil which is reaching out to poison all the land. With all his fellow mages slain, Vanyel alone remains to defend his people against the dark master's army. Yet a dream vision has revealed to Vayel the fate which awaits should he and his Companion Yfandes take up the dark master's challenge. And if either Vanyel or Yfandes falters, the dream will become a horrifying reality in which both Valdemar and its last Herald-Mage must pay the ultimate price.

Mercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series recasts familiar fairy tales in a richly-imagined alternate Victorian worldKatie Langford had been part of her family's acrobatic troupe working in a small traveling circus-until a terrible fire killed her parents. Years later, still with the circus but stuck in an abusive marriage, Katie fled from her increasingly dangerous husband to Brighton. As a seaside resort town, Brighton's music halls meant no circus needed to visit. It was as safe a place as she could find. Lionel Hawkins was a professional magician who had a permanent job at the Palace Music Hall in Brighton. His shows never failed to enchant the ever-changing crowds, for his magic was more than just tricks. Lionel was an Air Magician, and he wasn't the only one at the Palace who had magical abilities. Jack Prescott, the Palace doorman who had lost a leg in the Boer Wars, had preternatural awareness of all flame, which had saved the Palace from burning on more than one occasion. When Katie answered the Palace's call for a new assistant with stage experience, it seemed like all her problems were solved. But it soon became clear that Katie was a Fire Magician like Jack and that something had blocked Katie's access to her own abilities-a dangerous situation for everyone around her. Fire, the most volatile of all the elements, was a power that could easily turn deadly when fueled by strong emotion. And Lionel and Jack could tell that Katie was hiding something. Something that frightened her. Something that could set their whole world ablaze if they couldn't help her master her Element in time.

The eleventh novel in Cherryh's Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences… The civil war among the alien Atevi has ended. Tabini-aiji, powerful ruler of the Western Association, along with Cajeiri, his son and heir, has returned to the Bujavid, his seat of power. But factions that remain loyal to the opposition are still present, and the danger these rebels pose is far from over.Bren Cameron, the brilliant human diplomat allied with Tabini, has graciously chosen to visit Najida, his country estate on the west coast. He feels that the political tensions in the capital might ease if he is not present, and after two years in space, he relishes the peace and tranquility his lovely coastal home affords. But peace and tranquility are not in the cards for Bren. Desperate for freedom and adventure, disregarding the obvious danger, Cajieri, Tabini's young son, escapes the tightly guarded capital with his bodyguards and arrives to surprise Bren in the country. But he is not the only surprise guest, for Ilisidi, the aiji-dowager, Tabini's wily and powerful grandmother, has been dispatched to secure her great-grandson's safety. However, Najida, formerly a safe haven, is no longer the sanctuary it once was. For a neighbor's estate-the ancestral home of Lord Geigi, a close associate of Bren's-has been left without strong leadership. Lord Geigi now resides on and runs the atevi space station, and in his absence, rebel clans have infiltrated his home. When these rebels attack Bren, Cajieri, and the dowager, they have no choice but to recall Geigi from space. With Lord Geigi, Ilisidi, Bren, and Cajieri all under one roof, they pose an irresistible target for the enemy. And Bren's pastoral retreat, now swarming with bodyguards, becomes a locked-down and armed fortress. These four individuals-three of the most powerful politicians on the planet, and the heir to the aiji-are not without their own resources. But can they overcome their adversaries and end this guerilla war that is the last vestige of revolution?

Twenty-three poems capture the joys of reading.From that thrilling moment when a child first learns to decipher words, to the excitement that follows in reading everything from road signs to field guides to internet articles to stories, these poems celebrate reading. They also explore what reading does -- how it opens minds, can make you kind, and allows you to explore the whole world. Ryan O'Rourke's rich artwork beautifully captures the imagination and playfulness in these poems by noted author Amy Ludwig VanDerwater.

The classic poem in a newly illustrated edition. Paul Revere and his famous ride were immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in a poem published in 1861, more than eighty years after the even. Longfellow wrote the poem at the time of the Civil War. He hoped that his story of an ordinary citizen who comes to the aid of his country would stir patriotic feelings and support for the Union. He was right. In face, if it hadn't been for Longfellow, Paul Revere may have remained a local legend. The poem fired the imaginations of Americans and a national hero was born. This illustrated edition of the classic poem features vivid oil paintings by Monica Vachula, whose research into period and place can be seen in the smallest detail. A concluding note by historian Jayne Triber, author of A True Republican: The Life of Paul Revere, explores the poem and Paul Revere's place in American history.

Human civilization didn't just fall. It was pushed. The Krakau came to Earth in the year 2104. By 2105, humanity had been reduced to shambling, feral monsters. In the Krakau's defense, it was an accident, and a century later, they did come back and try to fix us. Sort of. It's been four months since Marion "Mops" Adamopoulos learned the truth of that accident. Four months since she and her team of hygiene and sanitation specialists stole the EMCS Pufferfish and stopped a bioterrorism attack against the Krakau homeworld. Four months since she set out to find proof of what really happened on Earth all those years ago. Between trying to protect their secrets and fighting the xenocidal Prodryans, who've been escalating their war against everyone who isn't Prodryan, the Krakau have their tentacles full. Mops' mission changes when she learns of a secret Krakau laboratory on Earth. A small group under command of Fleet Admiral Belle-Bonne Sage is working to create a new weapon, one that could bring victory over the Prodryans … or drown the galaxy in chaos. To discover the truth, Mops and her rogue cleaning crew will have to do the one thing she fears most: return to Earth, a world overrun by feral apes, wild dogs, savage humans, and worse. (After all, the planet hasn't been cleaned in a century and a half!) What Mops finds in the filthy ruins of humanity could change everything, assuming she survives long enough to share it. Perhaps humanity isn't as dead as the galaxy thought.

New York Times-bestselling October Daye series • Hugo Award-winning author Seanan McGuire • "Top of my urban-paranormal series list!" -Felicia Day October "Toby" Daye, changeling knight in the service of Duke Sylvester Torquill, finds the delicate balance of her life shattered when she learns that an old friend is in dire trouble. Lily, Lady of the Tea Gardens, has been struck down by a mysterious, seemingly impossible illness, leaving her fiefdom undefended. Struggling to find a way to save Lily and her subjects, Toby must confront her own past as an enemy she thought was gone forever raises her head once more: Oleander de Merelands, one of the two people responsible for her fourteen-year exile. Time is growing short and the stakes are getting higher, for the Queen of the Mists has her own agenda. With everything on the line, Toby will have to take the ultimate risk to save herself and the people she loves most-because if she can't find the missing pieces of the puzzle in time, Toby will be forced to make the one choice she never thought she'd have to face again...