Collection: Adult

The second book in the enthralling and lyrical Sumerians trilogy, retelling the Epic of Gigamesh, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, Lucy Holland and Jennifer Saint.

Now is the time for the gods of war

Gilgamesh, soon to be crowned King of Uruk, travels north to find his homelands in flames and his family on the run. A blood-red moon brings warnings of a new kind of war, and in the far north, the enemies of Sumer are massing.

Inanna and Ninshubar sail south to take their revenge upon Enki, the king of the water gods. Armed with the master mee and struggling to understand its true nature, Inanna will face impossible demons in her quest to fully comprehend the power she has inherited.

Meanwhile Ereshkigal, queen of the underworld, has a mysterious visitor. This dark stranger brings with him the threat of dangers far more terrible than Enki, or even Sumer's warlike neighbours. Because a long time ago, in a realm faraway, a little girl was taken from her family. Now, a vengeance, long prophesied, is about to unfold.

As the forces of chaos rise across the riverlands, Gilgamesh must face overwhelming odds in his battle to save the city he loves, and the Anunnaki will soon discover that no one can escape the sins of the past. Not even the gods.

Trapped in the past and hunting a serial killer? Of course Zatanna's birthday got magically messed up.

Continuing from the Webtoons tale--when Zatanna is attacked and bested by a powerful sorceress, her father casts a spell to protect her and send her away from the chaos she's caught in the middle of.

Zatanna arrives in Whitechapel, London, in the year 1888. She soon discovers a serial killer plaguing the streets of the city, Jack the Ripper. Unable to return home and certain that the supernatural killer has answers, Zatanna sets out in pursuit of the Ripper alongside the denizens of Whitechapel and one John Constantine.

Fratino's expressive style combines painting's rich history with a sensibility that is unique to the present moment

Since his critically acclaimed 2019 solo exhibition in New York, American painter Louis Fratino (born 1993) has been at the forefront of figurative painting's international resurgence. This is the first major monograph for the artist, gathering more than 50 of his most important works to date. Although he has spoken of his admiration for modernist painters including Picasso and Marsden Hartley, Fratino's approach to the medium is highly personal, reconstructed from memories of his own fleeting perceptions. His figures radiate desire; whether poised in a moment of tranquility or entwined in a coital knot, he depicts them with a frankness that speaks to the intimacy of the artist's tender gaze. For this publication, Fratino's work is presented in a generously sized folio format inspired by 1930s avant-garde publications such as Minotaure and Verve, and its dust jacket features a new artwork by the artist.

Three generations of fiercely strong and stubborn Mexican American women face grief head-on as they attempt to shed generational trauma and discover the true meaning of home in this lyrical novel that features magical realism in the tradition of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and The House of the Spirits.

For generations, the Olivares women have sought to control their daughters' destinies, starting with their names. In life, Olvido constantly clashed with her carefree daughter. Then teenage Angustias discovered she was pregnant and left her mother's home in search of her own. Ten years later, Felicitas finally meets her estranged grandmother and is terribly disappointed when Olvido is nothing like a grandmother should be. She is strict, cold, and...dead.

Now, Olvido is convinced the only way her spirit will cross over is if she resolves her unfinished business--to make sure Angustias is in a better place regarding family, job, husband, and God, but maybe not in that order--and Felicitas is the only person who can see or hear her. Heartbroken about her mother's passing and desperate to put Olvido's tiny Texas home in her rearview mirror as quickly as possible, Angustias doesn't understand why suddenly everyone in town seems to be conspiring to set her up with every eligible bachelor in town, offer her jobs, and invite her and Felicitas to church every Sunday.

As Olvido attempts to puppeteer her granddaughter to "fix" Angustias's life from beyond the grave, Angustias tries desperately to find a better place for Felicitas, and Felicitas struggles to keep her ability to see the dead a secret from Angustias, all three Olivares girls are forced to learn how to actually listen to one another, to work to overcome generations' worth of well-intentioned mistakes and learn the true definition of home.

The fascinating story of a British army chaplain's buggery trial in 1774 reveals surprising truths about early America.

On the eve of the American Revolution, the British army considered the case of a chaplain, Robert Newburgh, who had been accused of having sex with a man. Newburgh's enemies cited his flamboyant appearance, defiance of military authority, and seduction of soldiers as proof of his low character. Consumed by fears that the British Empire would soon be torn asunder, his opponents claimed that these supposed crimes against nature translated to crimes against the king.

In Vicious and Immoral, historian John McCurdy tells this compelling story of male intimacy and provides an unparalleled glimpse inside eighteenth-century perceptions of queerness. By demanding to have his case heard, Newburgh invoked Enlightenment ideals of equality, arguing passionately that his style of dress and manner should not affect his place in the army or society. His accusers equated queer behavior with rebellion, and his defenders would go on to join the American cause. Newburgh's trial offers some clues to understanding a peculiarity of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century: while gay acts were prohibited by law in much of the British empire, the newly formed United States was comparatively uninterested in legislating against same-sex intimacy.

McCurdy imagines what life was like for a gay man in early America and captures the voices of those who loved and hated Newburgh, revealing how sexuality and revolution informed one another. Vicious and Immoral is the first book to place homosexuality in conversation with the American Revolution, and it dares us to rethink the place of LGBTQ people in the founding of the nation.

For fans of Piranesi and The Midnight Library, a stunning historical fantasy novel set on a grand express train, about a group of passengers on a dangerous journey across a magical landscape

"Breathtaking...Abounding with mysteries and marvels." --Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.

There is only one way to travel across the Wastelands: on the Trans-Siberian Express, a train as famous for its luxury as for its danger. The train is never short of passengers, eager to catch sight of Wastelands creatures more miraculous and terrifying than anything they could imagine. But on the train's last journey, something went horribly wrong, though no one seems to remember what exactly happened. Not even Zhang Weiwei, who has spent her life onboard and thought she knew all of the train's secrets.

Now, the train is about to embark again, with a new set of passengers. Among them are Marya Petrovna, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist looking for redemption; and Elena, a beguiling stowaway with a powerful connection to the Wastelands itself. Weiwei knows she should report Elena, but she can't help but be drawn to her. As the girls begin a forbidden friendship, there are warning signs that the rules of the Wastelands are changing and the train might once again be imperiled. Can the passengers trust each other, as the wildness outside threatens to consume them all?

The author of sales sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story about a ragtag group of night shift workers who meet in the local cemetery to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.

Every night, in the college's ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn't there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks--and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.

Atmospheric and eerie, with the ensemble cast her fans love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M. L. Rio's inimitable style.

A story full of passion and revenge, following one family living on the Texas Mexico border and a curse that reverberates across generations--"Fuentes has achieved something rare and indelible with this story of complex women." (Erika L. Sánchez)

In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguierre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family.

More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father's moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town.

Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu's family's past. As the quinceañera looms--and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices--one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future.

Rich with cinematic details--from dusty rodeos to the excitement of a Selena concert and the comfort of conjunto ballads played at family gatherings--this memorable debut is a love letter to the Tejano culture and community that sustain both of these women as they discover what family means.

"Hobb's fans won't be disappointed with this latest installment. Fool's Errand lives up to the legacy of the Farseer trilogy."--Monroe News-Star

Fitz and the Fool are reunited in the first book in the Tawny Man Trilogy--"a stay-up-until-2:00 a.m.-to-finish type of book" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

For fifteen years, FitzChivalry Farseer has lived in self-imposed exile, assumed to be dead by almost all who once cared about him. But now, into his isolated life, visitors begin to arrive: Fitz's mentor from his assassin days; a hedge-witch who foresees the return of a long-lost love; and the Fool, the former White Prophet, who beckons Fitz to fulfill his destiny.

Then comes the summons he cannot ignore. Prince Dutiful, the young heir to the Farseer throne, has vanished. Fitz, possessed of magical skills both royal and profane, is the only one who can retrieve him in time for his betrothal ceremony, thus sparing the Six Duchies profound political embarrassment . . . or worse. But even Fitz does not suspect the web of treachery that awaits him--or how his loyalties will be tested to the breaking point.

"Complex . . . an atmosphere-filled adventure . . . with a fair quota of surprises . . . a winning combination of strong characters and colorful societies."--Kirkus Reviews

In the final book in the Tawny Man Trilogy, Fitz and the Fool are tested more severely than ever in a book the Monroe News-Star calls "a breathtaking ride from beginning to end."

FitzChivalry Farseer has become firmly ensconced in the queen's court. Along with his mentor, Chade, and the simpleminded yet strongly skilled Thick, Fitz strives to aid Prince Dutiful on a quest that could secure peace with the Out Islands--and win Dutiful the hand of the Narcheska Elliania.

The Narcheska has set the prince an unfathomable task: to behead a dragon trapped in ice on the isle of Aslevjal. Yet not all the clans of the Out Islands support their effort. Are there darker forces at work behind Elliania's demand? Knowing that the Fool has foretold he will die on the island of ice, Fitz plots to leave his dearest friend behind. But fate cannot so easily be defied.

"As good as gold . . . Golden Fool proves again that Hobb is one of the best in the business."--Monroe News-Star

Fitz and the Fool continue their quest as new challenges beset their land and threaten the ruling family in this "page-turning treat" (Romantic Times, four stars).

Prince Dutiful has been rescued from his Piebald kidnappers and the court has resumed its normal rhythms. There, FitzChivalry Farseer, gutted by the loss of his wolf bondmate, must take up residence at Buckkeep as a journeyman assassin.

Posing as a bodyguard, Fitz becomes the eyes and ears behind the walls, guiding a kingdom straying closer to civil strife each day. Amid a multitude of problems, Fitz must ensure that no one betrays the Prince's secret: that he, like Fitz, possesses the dread "Beast Magic." Only Fitz's friendship with the Fool brings him solace. But even that is shattered when devastating revelations from the Fool's past are exposed. Bereft of support and adrift in intrigue, Fitz finds that his biggest challenge may be simply to survive.

Following Spain: The Monocle Handbook is the third title in premium series of country-focused guides. France: The Monocle Handbook presents Monocle's favorite spots across this sunny nation, from Paris and Marseille to Basque Country and Corsica.

Discover innovative retailers and charming hotels, as well as leading museums and galleries--and, of course, a vineyard or two. The book also introduces the smartest areas to move to, plus advice from the plucky entrepreneurs who've already set up shop. It's time to see this varied country afresh.

Part true crime story, part religious and literary history, an
investigation into the nature of evil and the figure of the Devil by acclaimed
journalist Randall SullivanHow we explain the evils of the world - and the darkest parts of ourselves - has preoccupied humans throughout history. A sweeping and comprehensive search for the origins of belief in a Satanic figure across the centuries, The Devil's Best Trick is a keen investigation into the inescapable reality of evil and the myriad ways we attempt to understand it. Instructive, riveting, and unnerving, this is a profound rumination on crime, violence, and the darkness in all of us.
In The Devil's Best Trick, Randall Sullivan travels to Catemaco, Mexico, to participate in the "Hour of the Witches" -- an annual ceremony in which hundreds of people congregate in the jungle south of Vera Cruz to negotiate terms with El Diablo. He takes us through the most famous and best-documented exorcism in American history, which lasted four months. And, woven throughout, he delivers original reporting on the shocking story of a small town in Texas that, one summer in 1988, unraveled into paranoia and panic after a seventeen-year-old boy was found hanging from the branch of a horse apple tree and rumors about Satanic worship and cults spread throughout the wider community. Sullivan also brilliantly melds historical, religious, and cultural conceptions of evil: from the Book of Job to the New Testament to the witch hunts in Europe in the 15th through 17th centuries to the history of the devil-worshipping "Black Mass" ceremony and its depictions in 19th-century French literature. He brings us through to the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s and the story of one brutal serial killer, pondering the psychology of evil. He weaves in writings by John Milton, William Blake, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, and many more, among them Charles Baudelaire, from whose work Sullivan took the title of the book.Nimble
and expertly researched, The Devil's Best Trick brilliantly melds cultural
and historical commentary and a suspenseful true-crime narrative. Randall
Sullivan, whose reportage and narrative skill has been called "extraordinary"
and "enthralling" by Rolling Stone, takes on a bold task in
this book that is both biography of the Devil and a look at how evil manifests
in the world.

Take an enthralling and richly illustrated trip through the official real-world story of the Barbie(TM) doll--from groundbreaking toy to beacon of female empowerment.

Created in partnership with Mattel to celebrate Barbie doll's 65th anniversary and featuring rare images from their archives, Barbie: Her Inspiration, History, and Legacy is a stunning tribute to the beloved pop culture icon that has echoed the taste, style, and events of every decade she has experienced.

Recall the joy of opening a brand-new Barbie box with this sumptuously designed book chronicling every step in the beloved doll's journey, from entrepreneurial pioneer Ruth Handler's creation of Barbie in 1959 to the record-breaking film in 2023, and beyond, including:

• The Birth of Barbie - Learn how Ruth Handler came up with the idea of a doll that allowed little girls to play at being women, then overcame a parade of challenges--including disbelief from her male colleagues that mothers would buy their daughters an adult doll with full-grown breasts--and persevered to create the wildly successful Barbie doll and prove her doubters wrong.
• Breaking Boundaries - Follow the path that Barbie took from teenage fashion model to over 200 different careers, including trailblazing roles like astronaut in 1965, beating the first American woman, Sally Ride, into space by nearly 20 years, to surgeon in 1973, at a time when the total number of women physicians in the US was around 5 percent, to other male-dominated roles like Marine Corps sergeant, a business executive, and President of the United States.
• Reflecting Diversity - See how a doll that started with a choice of either blonde or brunette hair now boasts 35 skin tones, 97 hair styles, and 9 body types, with those numbers growing each year.
• Barbie in Fashion and Art - Explore how the fashion and art worlds have influenced and been influenced by Barbie, from limited edition Barbie fashions from premiere designers like Christian Dior and Michael Kors to a portrait of Barbie by Andy Warhol.
• Barbie in Pop Culture - Discover all the ways that Barbie has influenced pop culture, from Barbie bloggers and collectors to how her movie smashed records as the highest-grossing domestic release in history, granting its female director, Greta Gerwig, the prize for the highest-grossing film directed by a woman.

Barbie: Her Inspiration, History, and Legacy reveals how Barbie is more than a toy--she is an ideal that lives forever, encouraging girls to persist through to become whatever they dream to be.