Product Description
Martin Meza’s story time three short stories Volume 1 is the first of five volumes of children’s books he has been working on. The stories in volume 1 are about three kids and their adventures. 1st a boy dreams of ice cream mountains and lollypop trees, 2nd a boy wishes he could fly, 3rd a little girl loves her mommy's cookies it is truly a wonderful book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

MY CHILDREN JUST LOVE IT
It is a great book my children love the stories and your kids will love them too ... Read more

Product Description
This wide-ranging introduction to the short story tradition in the United States of America traces the genre from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century with Irving, Hawthorne and Poe via Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner to O'Connor and Carver. The major writers in the genre are covered in depth with a general view of their work and detailed discussion of a number of examples of individual stories. The Cambridge Introduction to the American Short Story offersa comprehensive and accessibleguide to this rich literary tradition. It will be invaluable to students and readers looking for critical approaches to the short story and wishing to deepen their understanding of how authors have approached and developed this fascinating and challenging genre. Further reading suggestions are included to explore the subject in more depth. This is an invaluable overview for all students and readers of American fiction. ... Read more

Product Description
Little mad obsessions encased in precise prose make stories so startling you can t let go. Martin drags the psyche out of the dark cellars and closets into daylight. What happens is unsettling and weirdly beautiful in masochistic ways, like a gingerbread house with built-in gas ovens. Emotionally painful, iconoclastic, brilliant. Booklist ... Read more

Product Description
Fantasy fans, rejoice! Seven years after writer and editor Robert Silverberg made publishing history with Legends, his acclaimed anthology of original short novels by some of the greatest writers in fantasy fiction, the long-awaited second volume is here. Legends II picks up where its illustrious predecessor left off. All of the bestselling writers represented in Legends II return to the special universe of the imagination that its author has made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing stand-alones—perfect introductions to the work of their authors—and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based. Beyond any doubt, Legends II is the fantasy event of the season.

ROBIN HOBB returns to the Realm of the Elderlings with “Homecoming,” a powerful tale in which exiles sent to colonize the Cursed Shores find themselves sinking into an intoxicating but deadly dream . . . or is it a memory?
GEORGE R. R. MARTIN continues the adventures of Dunk, a young hedge knight, and his unusual squire, Egg, in “The Sworn Sword,” set a generation before the events in A Song of Ice and Fire.
ORSON SCOTT CARD tells a tale of Alvin Maker and the mighty Mississippi, featuring a couple of ne’er-do-wells named Jim Bowie and Abe Lincoln, in “The Yazoo Queen.”
DIANE GABALDON turns to an important character from her Outlander saga—Lord John Grey—in “Lord John and the Succubus,” a supernatural thriller set in the early days of the Seven Years War.
ROBERT SILVERBERG spins an enthralling tale of Majipoor’s early history—and remote future—as seen through the eyes of a dilettantish poet who discovers an unexpected destiny in “The Book of Changes.”
TAD WILLIAMS explores the strange afterlife of Orlando Gardiner, from his Otherland saga, in “The Happiest Dead Boy in the World.”
ANNE McCAFFREY shines a light into the most mysterious and wondrous of all places on Pern in the heartwarming “Beyond Between.”
RAYMOND E. FEIST turns from the great battles of the Riftwar to the story of one soldier, a young man about to embark on the ride of his life, in “The Messenger.”
ELIZABETH HAYDON tells of the destruction of Serendair and the fate of its last defenders in “Threshold,” set at the end of the Third Age of her Symphony of Ages series.
NEIL GAIMAN gives us a glimpse into what befalls the man called Shadow after the events of his Hugo Award–winning novel American Gods in “The Monarch of the Glen.”
TERRY BROOKS adds an exciting epilogue to The Wishsong of Shannara in “Indomitable,” the tale of Jair Ohmsford’s desperate quest to complete the destruction of the evil Ildatch . . . armed only with the magic of illusion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Good writers make good books
This is an excellent book of short novels by some of the best fantasy writers of their time.

If you're a fan of even one of the authors in this volume, you have to own this book.The stories are tied to many of their series and available nowhere else.

For me, the Terry Brooks story, which is a direct sequel to "Wishsong of Shannara," is the selling point, but all of them more than worth the price of the book.

This book was a sales trick.
I have been stuck in the mud with too many serial authors.I feel trapped by books with cliff hangers which require you to read the next book to have any closure.I was finally looking for a book of short fantasy stories when I bought this book and what I got was a book whose only intention was to sell you on even more serial authors.Without checking, I'm almost certain that every short story in this book is a glimpse at a larger serial universe, and only a couple of the stories were any good.For anyone not weighed down by the burder of undending sequential stories, this book will serve its purpose to sell you on a few really good authors.

Not Free SF Reader
The second Legends anthology isn't as good as the first, and doesn't have the one outstanding piece like Martin's Hedge Knight in the first book, but there is still a handful of good stories.

Another look at Orlando Gardiner from Otherworld was appreciated, and Gabaldon and Haydon were new - one ok, one bad, it seems.

Legends II : Homecoming [Elderlings] - Robin Hobb
Legends II : The Sworn Sword [Song of Ice and Fire] - George R. R. Martin
Legends II : The Yazoo Queen [Alvin Maker] - Orson Scott Card
Legends II : Lord John and the Succubus [Outworlder] - Diana Gabaldon
Legends II : The Book of Changes [Majipoor] - Robert Silverberg
Legends II : The Happiest Dead Boy in the World [Otherland] - Tad Williams
Legends II : Beyond Between [Pern] - Anne McCaffrey
Legends II : The Messenger [Riftwar] - Raymond E. Feist
Legends II : Threshold [Symphony] - Elizabeth Haydon
Legends II : The Monarch of the Glen [American Gods] - Neil Gaiman
Legends II : Indomitable [Shannara] - Terry Brooks


Rain Wild changes.

3 out of 5


Short people got no reason to slap me just for being a hick knight.

3.5 out of 5


Bowie knifeless.

2.5 out of 5


Opium seduction strategy.

3.5 out of 5


Historical poetry captive inspiration.

4 out of 5


Network reproduction strategy.

4 out of 5


Transporter accident haunting.

4 out of 5


Freezing cold, both ways, and people trying to kill you still gets little respect.

4 out of 5


Rescue ship.

2 out of 5


Huldersave.

3 out of 5


Missing page problem.

3 out of 5




3 out of 5

A great introduction to the masters of fantasy.
I originally bought this collection simply for G.R.R. Martin's story.I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed all of the stories included.Robin Hobb, whom I have not previously read was especially good.And the Raymond E. Feist story of the messenger was great.Basically, this collection does a great job of introducing the reader to a wide and varied number of fantasy authors.I found it at Barnes & Noble in the bargin section.It was a great deal!Get it if you can find it!

Going back for more
Both Legends I and II are must haves for any SF/Fantasy fan.I orginally purchased Legends I for Robert Jordan's and Tad William's short stories.I then promptly put it up on my shelf for a few years.I picked up Legends II for the Robin Hobb short.I then also filed it on my shelf.Somehow I have made it through tons of fantasy while dodging some of the most "advertised" names.I recently ran out of books to read.In my search for new authors, I scowered the net, and asked several friends for recommendations.One of my friends suggested I pick up Terry Pratchett, my net search said try George R.R. Martin... I had a fleeting thought that "hey they are popular, wonder if they are in Legends".Sure enough they are and then some.I pulled both Legends I and II off of my shelf and devoured several of the stories that I had previously ignored.It made a perfect way of deciding which authors I would like to read more of and which ones I could probably pass on.Both Legends I and II are treasures which should not be overlooked.I sincerly hope there is a Legends III. ... Read more

Product Description
LETTER OF MARTIN LUTHER TO POPE LEO X

Among those monstrous evils of this age with which I have now for three years been waging war, I am sometimes compelled to look to you and to call you to mind, most blessed father Leo. In truth, since you alone are everywhere considered as being the cause of my engaging in war, I cannot at any time fail to remember you; and although I have been compelled by the causeless raging of your impious flatterers against me to appeal from your seat to a future council--fearless of the futile decrees of your predecessors Pius and Julius, who in their foolish tyranny prohibited such an action--yet I have never been so alienated in feeling from your Blessedness as not to have sought with all my might, in diligent prayer and crying to God, all the best gifts for you and for your see. But those who have hitherto endeavoured to terrify me with the majesty of your name and authority, I have begun quite to despise and triumph over. One thing I see remaining which I cannot despise, and this has been the reason of my writing anew to your Blessedness: namely, that I find that blame is cast on me, and that it is imputed to me as a great offence, that in my rashness I am judged to have spared not even your person.

Now, to confess the truth openly, I am conscious that, whenever I have had to mention your person, I have said nothing of you but what was honourable and good. If I had done otherwise, I could by no means have approved my own conduct, but should have supported with all my power the judgment of those men concerning me, nor would anything have pleased me better, than to recant such rashness and impiety. I have called you Daniel in Babylon; and every reader thoroughly knows with what distinguished zeal I defended your conspicuous innocence against Silvester, who tried to stain it. Indeed, the published opinion of so many great men and the repute of your blameless life are too widely famed and too much reverenced throughout the world to be assailable by any man, of however great name, or by any arts. I am not so foolish as to attack one whom everybody praises; nay, it has been and always will be my desire not to attack even those whom public repute disgraces. I am not delighted at the faults of any man, since I am very conscious myself of the great beam in my own eye, nor can I be the first to cast a stone at the adulteress.

Download Concerning ChristianLibertyNow! ... Read more

Product Description
Written like a country song, in the vein of some of Johnny Cash's story-songs.

It's about a man in jail awaiting execution. He tells us his story about how he killed a man over a woman, and was tried by a jury of his -- anything but impartial -- peers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Short, but good.
It's a pithy story -- really it's a song -- but it tells a good narrative. The rhyming is different from other poems released by the author, but that's not a bad thing.

It's good. It won't blow you away, but there's nothing terribly wrong with it other than the length. ... Read more

Product Description
This work is textual study of Hardy's four volumes of short stories, "Wessex Tales", "A Group of Noble Dames", "Life's Little Ironies" and "A changed Man and other stories". It examines the history of the stories' composition and revision from manuscripts through serial publications, galleys, revisions and collected publications, all stages of which show significant alterations. The book focuses on the publication of the stories up to and including the "definitive" Wessex edition, later editions have not been described except where Hardy was already known to have introduced revisions. The findings of this study arise from collation of all the forms likely to have played a role in the development of the stories. ... Read more

Product Description
Collected for the first time in one volume, three ofnovelist Martin Millar's fast and funny explorations of riots, poets,fairies, and New York's Lower East Side. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

the collected martin millar
i bought this book because of the mohawk, the faeries and the neon green puke colour. by the time i was done with it i decided that martin millar is like the guy who stands in he corner at shows smoking cigarettes whileyou're slamming to the music. he's the person that you're just dying,wishing that would notice you. he's the only writer who is capable ofwriting something we might remember when we're old and grey.

Absolutely superb
Quite simply the best book I've read. Although I wasn't convinced by the second story, 'Ruby', 'the good fairies' and 'lux the poet' had me in stitches. Hilarious, disgusting, brutal, tender. Martin Millar is a punkauthor with an incredibly twisted yet perfectly coherent mind. Borrow, buyor steel yourself a copy now!

original, witty and very cinematic
Ok, so being a fan of Martin Millar I loved these books. But what is gonna make you want to read them?Well let me just say that these three novels are three very different stories which together and separately draw apicture of a wonderful world. Inhabited by a fascinating range of characterwho are at the same time self centered and hedonistic but incredibly kindand loyal. Ruby is a little depressing but the other two will place a smileon your face so wide it will probably hurt. Anyway I'm not getting paidhere so that's it. In my opinion this book is very worth it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Classic Sci-Fi Short Stories!
The Mammoth Book of "Vintage Science Fiction" is a collection of 10 short stories (i.e. around 50 pages each) from the 1950's.The authors contained in this volume include renowed sci-fi writers such as Asimov, Walter M. Miller (author of "Canticle for Lebowitz), Poul Anderson, Theodore Sturgeon, and Philip Jose Farmer; and it is edited by Asimov.

I recommend this collection for some one looking for a good or entertaining sci-fi read, or for some one looking for a "classic" sci-fi collection.The best stories include "Flight to Forever" by Poul Anderson (a captivating time-travelling tale that's on par with Time Machine), "The Oceans are Wide" by Frank M. Robinson (an interesting coming of age tale, on a ship on a long voyage into the unknown), "Dark Benediction" by Walter M. Miller (a story of a futuristic plague), and "Second Game" by Charles De Vet and Katherine MacLean.Other stories featured are "The Martian Way" by Asimov, "The Alley Man" by Farmer (reminiscent of something out of the "X-files"), and "Baby is Three" by Sturgeon, (which is a shorter version of his novel "More than Human").

The collection features some great sci-fi - some of which is nostalgic, but it in a good way - while other stories actually seem quite timeless.The "Mammoth" Sci books (by Carroll & Graf Sci-Fi) are actually a series of 6 volumes from the Classic sci-fi of the 1930's, through Modern Sci-fi of the 80's.Based on this volume, and some of the titles in the 60's volume, it'stoo bad these volumes are out of circulation and somewhat difficult to find.This is a great collection of page-turning stories, and would make a good gift for Sci-Fi fans, young and old!I recommend keeping an eye out for it in your local second-hand book store! ... Read more

Product Description
From award-winning editor Bill Pronzini comes The Mammoth Book of Short Spy Novels—a classic book updated for spymasters. Thirteen outstanding spy and espionage novellas, complete and unabridged, are gathered here in one terrific volume. They represent a specially chosen collection from the most accomplished writers in the field, including W. Somerset Maugham on Ashenden, his operative in World War I and Ian Fleming on 007 in the Caribbean, as well as Leslie Charteris, Erle Stanley Gardner, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and John Jakes, among others. These works span more than seventy-five years of espionage writing in the United States and England, and feature secret agents, counterspies, and double agents in settings from Japan to the former Eastern Bloc, and from World War I onward. ... Read more

Product Description
This study analyzes an innovative rhetorical strategy employed in certain of the most challenging and misunderstood stories of American Renaissance, including "Young Goodman Brown", "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "Benito Cereno". In these stories the reader is forced to take the view of a character who is self-deluded and implicated in crime, yet whose nature is never explicitly revealed, except through the works latent symbolic structure. The study seeks to offer original readings of these stories, identifying them as a significant sub-genre of the modern short story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not Free SF Reader
Earth Invaded is a short anthology designed for kids.There are large, painted type style it almost seems illustrations for each short tale.However, the stories weren't written specifically for kids, being taken from places like Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, etc.So, a reasonable product from that point of view in not insulting the young person's intelligence.

Earth Invaded : Home Team Advantage - Jack C. Haldeman
Earth Invaded : Three Times Around - Jane Roberts
Earth Invaded : In the Arena - Brian Aldiss
Earth Invaded : Pattern - Fredric Brown

Baseball win hard to swallow.

3.5 out of 5


Laundry skin.

2.5 out of 5


Man-woman team plan.

3 out of 5


Bug spray.

3.5 out of 5 ... Read more

Product Description
Focuses on six masterpieces of short fiction: "The Shadow in the Rose Garden," "Odor of Chrysanthemums," "Daughters of the Vicar," "The Prussian Officer," "The Horse Dealer's Daughter," and "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Chapters on each story follow a similar format, detailing publication history and ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent guide to Lawrence's short fiction.
This guide is designed for those who would be knowledgeable readers of major short stories by D.H. Lawrence when the store of scholarship, investigation, and appraisal is far too vast for all but the expert. A thorough examination of what has been written about these short stories, each chapter deals with a different short story and consists of five distinct sections: (1)the complete publication history, including all revisions and variants; (2)an inclusive examination of recognized and hitherto unrecognized sources, as well as the influences at work on Lawrence in the creation ot the story; (3)the story's relationship to Lawrence's other writings; (4)acknowledgement and summary of all extant critical studies; and (5)a bibliography of works cited. ... Read more