New World Fiction

Sometimes you find trouble, and sometimes trouble finds you. The mischief continues in the second book of a trouble-loving middle grade series! It’s Seamus Hinkle’s second semester at Kilter Academy, where he’s quickly become an ace troublemaking student. In fact, the headmistress has even entrusted him with a special assignment - one he’s forbidden to share with any of his friends. But Seamus has also come up with his own mission, and it’s a doozy.

The 19th addition of this annual anthology exhibits a collection of short fiction from award-winning Southern authors and rising stars including Edward P. Jones and Silas House. Each story’s derivation is explained in an illuminating note from the author following the rich and entertaining tales.

Sixteen-year-old Eliza Miller has never made a phone call, never tried on a pair of jeans, never sat in a darkened theater waiting for a movie to start. She’s never even talked to someone her age who isn’t Amish, like her. When she leaves her close-knit family to spend the summer as a nanny in suburban Chicago, a part of her can’t wait to leave behind everything she knows. She can’t imagine the secrets she will uncover, the friends she will make, the surprises and temptations of a way of life so different from her own.

Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread the undead curse. It then relates the epic battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

There was a place far worse than Changi - Singapore's Outram Road Gaol. Deprivation here was so extreme that there really was a fate worse than death. Stubborn Buggers is the story of 12 Australian POWs who fought and survived the battle for Malaya, then captivity and slave labour, followed by the unimaginable hardships of Outram Road Gaol.

It is a story of how they dealt with the brutality of the Japanese military police, the feared Kempeitai.

Hatcher and his band of survivors want more than to simply survive. They abandon their industrial shelter and set out to begin rebuilding their lives in an attempt to salvage their humanity. The Marauders have been broken, but Simon refuses to surrender. Gathering a handful of his enforcers, he sets about getting his revenge...and he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the turmoil. The Ragers are starving...and evolving. They don’t care who wins the war between the Survivors and the Marauders, they just want to pick their teeth with the bones of the losers.

It is February 1983, and Berlin is a divided city with a miles-long barricade separating east from west. But the city isn't the only thing that is divided. Ada lives among the rebels, punkers, and immigrants of Kreuzberg in West Berlin. Stefan lives in East Berlin, in a faceless apartment bunker of Friedrichshain. Bound by love and separated by circumstance, their only chance for a life together lies in a high-risk escape. But will Stefan find the courage to leap? Or will forces beyond his control stand in his way?

It's the 22nd century, and human cloning has become a reality. In three days, the first replicant will be made at Phoenvartis, a Swiss pharma-tech company. As the head of the development team, Rollie must decide which genetic samples to use to produce the replicant. He has been directed by his boss to use the samples provided by the World Council, which governs Earth and colony planets.

From master anthologist Ellen Datlow comes an all-original of weird tales inspired by the strangeness of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, Alice has been enjoyed and savored by every generation since its publication. Datlow asked 18 of the most brilliant and acclaimed writers working today to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland.

Imagine a world with no countries, no religion, and no democracy. Imagine the fall of the Great Western Empire. Historically, most Empires created by man have risen and fallen during a period of around 500 years. The Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, the Moors, and the Ottomans all, in their turn, reigned supreme until apathy, arrogance, and laziness led to their downfall. However, mankind would never become extinct as new societies inevitably replace existing social structures sooner or later.

Because Yumi Ruíz-Hirsch has grandparents from Japan, Cuba, and Brooklyn, her mother calls her a poster child for the 21st century. Yumi would laugh if only her life wasn't getting as complicated as her heritage. All of a sudden she's starting eighth grade with a girl who collects tinfoil and a boy who dresses like a squid.

A dazzling debut about family, home, and grief, The Floating World takes listeners into the heart of Hurricane Katrina with the story of the Boisdores, whose roots stretch back nearly to the foundation of New Orleans. Though the storm is fast approaching the Louisiana coast, Cora, the family's fragile elder daughter, refuses to leave the city, forcing her parents, Joe Boisdore, an artist descended from a freed slave, and his white "uptown" wife, Dr. Tess Eshleman, to evacuate without her, setting off a chain of events that leaves their marriage in shambles and Cora catatonic.

Finn may be dragon prince from a distant planet, but he’s blending in well on Earth. His future looks bright, but life takes a sudden turn when his ex tells him she’s having his baby, and unless he takes full custody, the shifter child will be put up for adoption. He never expected to be a single dad to adorable little Phoenix. Nor did he think he’d ever find a mate willing to raise another woman’s baby. Until he met Aurora.

A portal ripped open, thrusting me into a strange new world. And then, I met her. I must return to my guard post at once, but she ignites a fire in me strong enough to threaten the sacred vow I've made to protect the Crown.

Lucas and Margo are fed up. Margo is a brilliant programmer tired of being talked over as the company’s sole black employee, and while Lucas is one of many Asians at the firm, he’s nearly invisible as a low-paid customer service rep. Together, they decide to steal their tech startup’s user database in an attempt at revenge. The heist takes a sudden turn when Margo dies in a car accident, and Lucas is left reeling, wondering what to do with their secret—and wondering whether her death really was an accident.

Spanish is the fourth most popular language. Therefore, it’s a great new language to learn giving you the most opportunity. Whether you’re planning on traveling to Spain or just want to learn another language, this book guides you towards learning a basic to intermediate level of Spanish.

Elliot is eager to pass the bar exam and embark on the path he’s laid out for his future—one that’s far from the life he would’ve had on his home planet as a dragon prince. With a schedule as busy as his, the last thing on his mind is finding his mate. But when his dragon cousins force him to blow off some steam with them at a club, fate throws a massive curve ball at Elliot. The powerful, unyielding attraction he feels toward a certain mysterious beauty has his dragon reeling to claim what’s his.

In this captivating collection from the Shaanxi region, considered the cradle of Chinese civilization, twenty disparate and unique voices come together to show a China caught between new-world advancements and old-world traditions. From the homeland of China’s first dynasty and the world-famous terra-cotta warriors, these tales show rugged rural life colliding with fast-paced city life; hollow arranged marriages juxtaposed with torrid forbidden love affairs; and the vanity of newly minted millionaires clashing with the desperation of the poor.

Many people feel anxious about today’s barrage of alarming events (COVID, economy, inflation, supply chain risk, cultural, political, climate disruption, resource scarcities, war, etc.). Older people are wondering what world they are leaving behind for their (grand) children. While younger folks are anxious and worried about the future and diminishing possibilities to live a full life on a vibrant planet.

Good-natured and garrulous, Švejk becomes the Austro-Hungarian army's most loyal Czech soldier when he is called up on the outbreak of the First World War - although his bumbling attempts to get to the front serve only to prevent him from reaching it. This story of a "little man" caught in a vast bureaucratic machine combines dazzling wordplay and piercing satire to create a hilariously subversive depiction of the futility of war. Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.