From Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri: a deceptively simple modern fable with an ancient origin. A young man finds himself living among invisible beings who have built a utopia based on one principle: that we must repeat or suffer every experience until we experience it properly and fully for the first time. 'The hero of this novel finds what he did not seek, and goes where he did not intend to go. As I did in writing it.' BEN OKRI.

Funny, moving and sharply observed, these stories are confirmation of Boyd's status os one of English fiction's finest writers. Here are twenty-two gripping tales told in bold, distinct voices from Brazil to Africa and from Nice to Hollywood. The eclectic omnibus, previously published as the collections On the Yankee Station and The Destiny of Nathalie 'X', is a must read for any lover of the short story. Killing lizards -- Not yet, Jayette -- Bizarre situations -- Hardly ever -- The care and attention of swimming pools -- Next boat from Douala -- Gifts -- My girl in skin-tight jeans -- Histoire vache -- On the Yankee Station -- Bat-girl! -- Love hurts -- Extracts from the journal of Flying Officer J. -- The coup -- Long story short -- The destiny of Nathalie 'X' -- Transfigured night -- Hotel des Voyageurs -- Never saw Brazil -- The dream lover -- Alpes Maritimes -- N is for N -- The persistence of vision -- Cork.

When it was published in 1995, Mary Karr's The Liars' Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, as well as bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr's comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger's--a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all. Now with a new introduction that discusses her memoir's impact on her family, this unsentimental and profoundly moving account of an apocalyptic childhood is as "funny, lively, and un-put-downable" (USA Today) today as it ever was

From Publishers WeeklyA "spooker," as explained in this absorbing new thriller from Ing, is a getaway kit prepared by a spy, to be used in the event he must disappear, even from his employers. The well-equipped spooker may contain jewels, cash, false ID and other kinds of treasure. When a spy and his spooker disappear, the assumption is that he has opted out-but maybe he's dead, a victim of a very specialized robber. When Gary Landis of the Drug Enforcement Agency becomes the target of a particularly malevolent team of criminals, his mentor, Swede Halvorsen, who's a retired LAPD cop, and Swede's granddaughter Janelle jump into the fray to set things right. Ing's earlier novels (Butcher Bird, etc.) imaginatively described the special world of experimental aircraft and weaponry. Here he enters new territory, both geographically (California's Central Valley from Bakersfield to Fresno, detailed with accurate local color) and thematically, proving that he is a master of ground-based spy novels as well as of high-in-the-sky techno-thrillers. The high-tech touches that do appear, including an intriguing ultra-light aircraft, are pure Ing, who seems to have relished creating the peculiar world of his two monstrous villains. Tinged with a sense that life is bittersweet, this is a welcome offering from an always entertaining author. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalDean (Butcher Bird, LJ 11/1/93) offers a fast-paced thriller about the murder of an undercover agent. In the intelligence community, we are told, an agent always maintains a well-hidden kit that contains false identification, money, and necessary papers in the event that he or she has to disappear quickly and without a trace. Is it possible that agents are being murdered by those who covet these kits, or "spookers"? When Gary Landis is murdered and no clues are forthcoming, the government agency for which Landis worked moves into high gear seeking a solution. Ing employs tautly written prose while keeping the pace flowing swiftly, smoothly, and with a maximum of suspense. His book is not for the squeamish, since there is much violence and depravity. However, if one perseveres, there is a well thoughtout story and conclusion. Recommended, with slight reservations, for larger fiction collections.-?Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at BinghamtonCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

DOMESDAY IS COMINGIn 1086, England's mighty king, William the Conqueror, sends out surveyors and census takers to record the resources of his land and its people. Some welcome these inquisitive royal agents and their day of judgment. Others hate them. But wherever the king's men go they bring excitement; *and sometimes murder. . . .Calamity smolders on the Welsh-English frontier, where three powerful men squabble over the same rich tract of land. When King William's clever agents; soldier Ralph Delchard and lawyer Gervase Bret; arrive to settle the dispute, one of the claimants has been brutally burned alive, and the king's men are saddled with a formidable murder investigation. Before the frightful truth shines clear, everyone will be scorched by the flames of violence. . . ."Marston is a marvel at re-creating the atmosphere of the times while constructing a fascinating murder case".; *Anniston Star"[An] outstanding medieval mystery brimming with intrigue, suspense, and authentic historical detail".; *Booklist

Karen rescues a sad, old pony from an "everything must go" estate sale, then has to find a solution for how to keep him.

Young doctor Gina Panzella has known her boss, plastic surgeon Dr. Duncan Lathram, almost her entire life, and respects him deeply. Charming and brilliant, Duncan has invented a dissolving implant that allows incisions to heal without scarring. Duncan's artistry in the operation room is the salvationof Washington's biggest power players whenever they need touch-ups for C-Span. But there are a few things about Duncan that Gina can't quite figure out. Why did he trade vascular surgery for the more profitable but less vital plastic surgery, and why won't he accept his patients' medical insurance? What caused his daughter's death and the breakup of his marriage? Why do his tirades agains the new congressional medical ethics committee have such a bitter personal sting? And what is his connection to two committee members who died in accidents not long after Duncan operated on them? Soon Gina's curiosity about Duncanis replaced by suspicion and fear. With the help of Gerry Canney, a high school classmate now working for the FBI, Gina determines to find out what ruined Duncan's personal life and aroused his wrath against the congressmen. She find a man much more complex and mysterious than the sharp-tongued but kindhearted physician she though she knew. Then two more congressmen fall ill after Duncan's surgery. And Gina discovers another kind of implant in Duncan's arsenal. . . .

A tantalizing tale of a legendary knight and a headstrong lady whose daring quest for a mysterious crystal will draw them into a whirlwind of treachery–and desire. When the fearsome knight called Hugh the Relentless swept into Lingwood Manor like a storm, everyone cowered–except Lady Alice. Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, the flame haired beauty believed Sir Hugh was not someone to dread but the answer to her dreams. She knew he had come for the dazzling green crystal, knew he would be displeased to find that it was no longer in her possession. Yet Alice had a proposition for the dark and forbidding knight: In return for a dowry that would free Alice and her brother from their uncle's grasp, she would lend her powers of detection to his warrior's skills and together they would recover his treasured stone. But even as Hugh accepted her terms, he added a condition of his own: Lady Alice must agree to a temporary betrothal–one that would soon draw her deep into Hugh's great stone fortress, and into a battle that could threaten their lives...and their only chance at love. From the Paperback edition.

Mitch Peatwick is a private detective who's about to go out of business if he doesn't land a new client. He's ready to quit, when Mae Sullivan strolls into his office. The gorgeous, smart-mouthed woman has a family straight out of Goodfellas -- and a case he can't afford to turn down. Mae wants Mitch to find her uncle's killer, his diary and the missing family fortune. He accepts the case, but soon finds himself involved with Mae in more ways than just the investigation.

Treated like an outcast in a genetically engineered world, human throwback Gray Bridger hopes to escape Testament and the powerful Bridger matriarchy that plots to use Gray for its own devices. **From Booklist In her second novel, Freireich returns to the deftly imagined human-colonized worlds that helped make Becoming Human a success. In the Polite Harmony of Worlds, Testament is a small planet isolated by a quarantine of its genetically modified Altereds, each of whom embodies the memories and personalities of significant ancestors of one or another of Testament's clans. Desperate to explore the other Harmony worlds, non-Altered human Gray Bridger discovers that his politically connected grandmother has bound him to the quarantine's rules by arranging his marriage to an Altered, a beautiful woman with no identity apart from those of the predecessors she embodies. Abandoning his initial plan simply to kill her, Gray is increasingly attracted to her dominant personality, who agrees to help him escape Testament. Freireich's command of characterization and her masterfully rich portrayal of the Polite Harmony's complex mixture of cultures already make her small body of work an important contribution to contemporary science fiction. Carl Hays

The bestselling author of the acclaimed Merlin Trilogy returns to the magical world of King Arthur and Camelot--to tell a story of daring adventure, unexpected love, and unsurpassed enchantment. . . .ALEXANDER THE FATHERLESS Eager, burning, and young, Alexander has come of age to take vengeance on the treacherous King of Cornwall who murdered his father. He sets off toward Camelot to seek justice from King Arthur, only to be diverted by the beautiful and sensual Morgan le Fay, Arthur's sister. Using her wiles and her enchantments, Morgan persuades the young prince to attempt a theft of the Holy Grail. He is unaware her motives are of the darkest nature. . . . ALICE THE PRETTY PILGRIM Motherless daughter of a royal duke, Alice has lived a life of lively adventure, accompanying her father on his yearly pilgrimages. Now, on her father's final visit to Jerusalem, she comes under the protection of a young prince whose brothers were murdered, a prince who is in possession of an enchanted silver cup believed to be the mysterious Holy Grail itself. Thus the stage is set for two young seekers to meet--and to find not what they are searching for but, instead, the greatest treasure of all . . . love. "A wonderful love story set in the magical times of King Arthur and Camelot." --Oklahoman

He twisted away, but her hands were still there. Burning him. Whispering across his chest like wind over water. He shivered. He sweat. He gasped for air but inhaled only her scent. He reached for sanity and found his fingers entangled in short, satiny hair. He opened his eyes and found them captured by hers. Huge, dark, innocent. Imploring, hot, sexy eyes, staring down at him as he lay trembling with desire on his bed. And he knew he was lost. He lifted his arms, slid them around her small body to pull her down to his chest. Parted his lips to taste her succulent mouth. . .

Ice As the daughter of a Georgia senator, Holly Aimes is tired of living her life in the spotlight. After her movie star fiancé publicly dumps her for a sultry supermodel, the reserved security firm owner will do anything to keep from getting hurt again. When she is forced to deal with sexy late-night talk show host Michael Williams, sparks ignite. But are they hot enough to melt her icy reserve? Fire As the hunky host of a popular talk show, Michael Williams fought long and hard to become the king of late night. What the king wants is a queen. What Mike gets is Holly Aimes, a woman who makes his body burn even as she gives him major frostbite. But after a night in his bed, Mike knows she isn't the icy, aloof woman she pretends to be. Can he convince her to trust him with her heart?

For young Prince Harpirias, the journey into the frozen tundra of remote Majipoor might well have been a death sentence. His mission? To rescue a party of scientists kidnapped by an uncivilized race who dwell beyond Majipoor's borders. He faces blizzards, ice storms, strange beasts, and barbarism, not knowing whether he'll return a hero--or not return at all.