by Michael Krieger (1994)
In this captivating work of nonfiction, Mike Krieger succeeds brilliantly in his "attempt to capture the essence of this dying age, of this disappearing way of life and of the South Pacific's cultures, subcultures, and extraordinary people who all reflect an epoch on the verge of extinction." He takes readers on a wonderful fantasy-expedition from old tramp freighters to dugout canoes, over erupting volcanoes and through remote tropical rainforests to reach his isolated subjects. His openness as a traveller and journalistic skills combine to create a detailed collage of true stories, memorable for their vivid historical and natural contexts. Warmly accommodating a wide variety of island customs and mores, Krieger grounds every fact in vital human experience. He explores two Melanesian and two Polynesian countries where islanders still live according to old traditions. Krieger is the only living person to interview members of different cannibal tribes and to discuss with them the subject of cannibalism. He tells of a tribe whose name in translation means "I Will Kill You," and of a powerful ex-minister whose tyrannical control of a remote island evokes images from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. In beautifully clear prose, Krieger describes missionaries, cannibals, sorcerers, politicians, and princes - all with wonder and enthusiasm. With painterly discipline and design he chooses moments from his boat rides, jungle treks, and adventures with the people of the South Sea Islands, presenting a picture as intriguing in its particulars as in its overall effect.
Libba Bray
It has been a year since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Having bound the wild, dark magic of the realms to her, Gemma has forged unlikely friendships with Ann and Felicity and Kartik, the exotic young man whose companionship is forbidden. She has also come to an uneasy, tenuous truce with the fearsome creatures of the realms.
I.U. Tarchetti
"Giulia's corpse ... rests in her shroud as if wrapped in the veils of her virginal bed. Her beauty has lost none of its seductiveness. A white dress, light, almost diaphanous, covers her modest figure ... Her pure white hands lie at her sides with the gentle surrender of sleep, and only her feet, pointing upward and joined together, bear witness to the horrible rigidity of death." This passage from "Bouvard," a macabre evocation of obsessive love beyond the grave typifies the eerie narratives in Fantastic Tales. The first Gothic tales published in the Italian language, Tarchetti's strange stories recall and sometimes imitate those of Edgar Allan Poe, E.T.A. Hoffmann, and Mary Shelley. In "A Spirit in a Raspberry," a nobleman is possessed by the soul of a servant girl; "The Letter U" recounts a man's mysterious phobia about that letter; the unexpected gift of everlasting life becomes a dreaded, endless curse in "The Elixir of Immortality." William Weaver, translator of Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco, writes: "While current Italian literature in English translation is closely followed by publishers, critics, and readers, the Italian writers of the past ... are largely ignored. Lawrence Venuti now presents the nineteenth-century writer Iginio Ugo Tarchetti--a strange, romantic figure now almost forgotten even by Italian readers. But, as Venuti's probing introduction to this collection of tales indicates, Tarchetti is emblematic, the child of his times and their taste. These stories are enjoyable to read simply for themselves, but they also illustrate a literary culture of notable fascination. The translations flow, yet retain the flavor of their period and are true to the style and personality of their curious, gifted author." Mercury House is pleased to present the first English translation of Fantastic Tales, in a fine edition illustrated by San Francisco.
D.D. Everest
Archie's cousin, Thistle, is about to start his apprenticeship at the Museum of Magical Miscellany. But when it comes to his initiation, the firemark that burns into Thistle's hand is a strange one, and Archie and Bramble are given it too. The Golden Circle is the mark of an ancient alchemist's club and when Archie and his cousins learn about a curse that threatens their beloved museum, they have no choice but to start their own alchemist's club, and face the darkest kind of magic. Welcome to a wonderful, magical world where bookshelves are enchanted, librarians are sorcerers and spells come to life.
art by Makoto Haruno
Ken and his rival Kaoruko discover a crystal that seems to prover her father isn't crazy, but Leo has other plans for the crystal and desperately wants to get his hands on it. The duel for the crystal eventually releases the Golden Soul Figure, but it may not be enough to stop the forces of Darkness.