Sea Fiction

First published in the US in 1988 and in the UK in 1990, The Wine-Dark Sea contains eight unsettling stories that explore protagonists' fears and desires, at once illogical and terrifying, and culminate in a disturbing and enigmatic ending. Aickman's "strange stories" (his preferred term for them) are a subtle exploration of psychological displacement and paranoia; his characters ordinary people that are gradually drawn into the darker recesses of their own minds. For fans of the horror genre, Robert Aickman is a must read.

When Averil saves a young man from a shipwreck, she thinks she feels the Soul Echo—the sign that the young human male is her one true mate. And the malevolent Sea Witch is all too happy to offer a deal that could make all her dreams come true. He wants her to win the prince's heart—even coaches her in the art of seduction. But what is the real price of the Sea Witch's help? Why is he more brutally beautiful—and charming—than Averil expected?

As their second year of high school draws to a close, Ryuuji wrestles with college plans, money troubles, and his secret discovery of Taiga's feelings for him. Minori and Ami's feud reaches a tipping point, and the return of Taiga's mother threatens everything. Can they all sort out their tangled feelings before it's too late--and will their friendships survive it, if they do?!

Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King's elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister. Scarred by grief, she's willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius.

With even more levels under his belt, S-rank adventurer Kisaragi Claire approaches Rin in hopes of recruiting him to the Yoizuki Guild. Now, with a new opportunity to keep leveling up in hand, Rin's back at it, dungeon diving and surpassing all expectations. However, horrors lurk in the dungeons! Will Rin's Dungeon Teleportation and skills be enough to unravel the mysteries within?

Her Majesty's ship Sutherland is a humdrum ship of the line. But in command is none other than the heroic Captain Hornblower and, with his crew from the Lydia, he looks set to take on commando raids, hurricanes at sea, and Napoleons's gun batteries.

In The Letter of Marque, Jack is once again aboard his beloved Surprise but stripped of his post captaincy for a crime he did not commit. Bought by Stephen, the Surprise has become a privateer. Sailing into French waters, the two concoct a desperate mission which, if successful, may redeem Aubrey from his state of disgrace.

Sea Siege: The nuclear war had come at last, and the research team on an island in the West Indies thought they had been lucky to survive. But survival was going to require more than luck, when they found themselves under attack by sea creatures out of darkest legend. Star Gate: Long ago, the Star Lords had come from a dying Earth to Gorth, where they helped the inhabitants build a civilization. Now some of the Lords have resumed wandering among the stars, but others have decided to travel through an interdimensional gate to another Gorth in a parallel universe.

A letter for Rudeus arrives out of the blue, bearing an invitation to enroll at the Ranoa University of Magic. The admissions exam is a cakewalk, but once Rudeus is accepted, a far less straightforward challenge awaits him—getting to know his eccentric new classmates!

I’ve known every kind of pain. Of the heart. Of the body. Of the soul. All I want now is the freedom that comes from making my art. The last thing I expected was Hollywood royalty to waltz into my gallery in a small town in the middle of nowhere and see me. A man like Boden Cavanaugh shouldn’t understand me. Shouldn’t be able to soothe my most ragged edges. Even worse, he makes me want the one thing I can’t have. Him.

Having awakened to a skill that allows him to level up faster than anyone in the world, Amane Rin challenges an untrodden dungeon called the Remote Magic Tower. There, he embarks on his most challenging quest yet, where he grows even stronger. Meanwhile, evil lurks toward his beloved sister Hana! What's Rin to do?

Crooked adventurer Dein and his band of bullies continue to be a thorn in Flum's side—especially when she rescues a strange, mutilated girl named Ink from some of Dein's goons. Sweet Ink quickly endears herself to Flum and her companions, but the girl with the sewn-shut eyes comes with her own dark baggage. Can Flum save her, or will her instinct to help another maiden in need lead to her own ruin this time?

An off-campus survival class puts Fran to the test when the students she's overseeing are swarmed by an unexpected wave of monsters. Can she and Teacher keep her charges safe and foil a certain evil alchemist's plans? Or will her instructor days be over before they even begin?

In late 1756, as the British government collapses in the aftermath of the loss of Minorca, and the country and navy are thrown into political chaos, a small force of ships is sent to the West Indies to reinforce the Leeward Islands Squadron. Captain Edward Carlisle and his first lieutenant George Holbrooke are fresh from the Mediterranean and their capture of a powerful French man-of-war. Their new frigate Medina has orders to join a squadron commanded by a terminally ill commodore. Their mission: a near-suicidal assault on a strong Caribbean island fortress.

Putting loss and grief behind them, Rudeus and his two wives are ready to settle into polygamous bliss--until an old flame arrives, stirring up old memories. Will the Greyrat family ever achieve the domesticity they hope for? Or are they doomed to be dogged by drama all their days?

The people of Hataka Village are on edge. Strange things are happening in the forest, and it's making even the friendliest of creatures act out in surprising—and dangerous—ways! Determined to get to the bottom of things, Ivy and her friends head into the forest to investigate. Encountering the tragedy within, they determine a summoning circle is putting a spell on humans and animals alike. While Sol and Sora do their best to break the spells, Ivy searches for the summoning circle and the truth about what happened at Hataka Village.

As news reports of the horrific December 2004 tsunami in Asia reached the rest of the world, commentators were quick to seize upon the disaster as proof of either God’s power or God’s nonexistence, asking over and over, How could a good and loving God - if such exists - allow such suffering? In The Doors of the Sea, David Bentley Hart speaks at once to those skeptical of Christian faith and to those who use their Christian faith to rationalize senseless human suffering.

Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin set sail aboard the Diane for the South China Sea, shepherding a diplomatic mission to prevent links between Bonaparte and the Malay princes. If their mission fails, English merchant shipping in the area will be threatened. At the barbaric court of Pulo Prabang, the stage is set for a duel of intelligence agents, pitting the savage cunning of Stephen Maturin against the French envoys, who are already entrenched in the Sultan's favor.

Ivy discovers a black slime in her bag, and immediately, wonders how to care for it, nevertheless how to carry it. Thankfully, she can send faxes to her friends to get the fantasy 411 on the care and keeping of a brand-new friend! And as the bitter, cold winter turns to a warm, welcoming spring, Ivy sets their eyes on new horizons and new places. Now, where will their adventures take them next?

In the tradition of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, here is a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war, set in the golden age of 14th-century Barcelona. Arnau Estanyol arrives in Barcelona and joins the powerful guild of stone-workers building...