Narcissus and Goldmund is the story of a young man, Goldmund, who wanders around aimlessly throughout Medieval Germany after leaving a Catholic monastery school in search of what could be described as "the meaning of life", or rather, meaning for his life. Narcissus, a gifted young teacher at the cloister school, quickly makes friends with Goldmund, as they are only a few years apart, and Goldmund is naturally bright. Goldmund looks up to Narcissus, and Narcissus has much fondness for him in return. After straying too far in the fields one day, on an errand gathering herbs, Goldmund comes across a beautiful Gypsy woman, who kisses him and invites him to make love. This encounter becomes his epiphany; he now knows he was never meant to be a monk. With Narcissus'' help, he leaves the monastery and embarks on a wandering existence. Goldmund finds he is very attractive to women, and has numerous love affairs. After seeing a particularly beautiful carved Madonna in a church, he feels his own artistic talent awakening and seeks out the master carver, with whom he studies for several years. However, in the end Goldmund refuses an offer of guild membership, preferring the freedom of the road. When the Black Death devastates the region, Goldmund encounters human existence at its ugliest. Finally he is reunited with his friend Narcissus, now an abbot, and the two reflect upon the different paths their lives have taken, contrasting the artist with the thinker. The timeline and geography of the narrative is left somewhat vague, as the tale is largely metaphorical and makes little attempt at historical accuracy. For example, some of Narcissus and Goldmund''s discussions of philosophy and science sound too modern to have taken place during medieval times.

Narcissus and Goldmund

Following on from the events in The Awakening, the story follows Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori as they live in the Safe House, formally owned by an ex-employee of the Edison Group, with Simon and Derek''s father''s friend Andrew. Amongst other visiting supernaturals, the four find themselves racing to try and persuade the renegade group of supernaturals to save Chloe''s Aunt, who may possibly be dead, and Rae, a former member of Lyle house. The Reckoning is the final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy. Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori have made it to safety from the Edison group.. or so they think. After being on the run and having to rely on themselves in life threatening scenarios, our supernatural gang is back under the ruling of adults. Adjusting back to the way of a childhood seems to be easier said than done. Chloe and her group of souped up supernatural buddies are still finding their way as their extraordinary powers keep on developing and surpassing all the adult supernaturals around them. With so much power at their hands, this seems to scare even the best of people. Not before long does safety fly out the window and let in a whole new hot mess of problems. Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori find themselves in all kinds of mishaps that seem be too much to blame on just pure bad luck. This leads them to think there''s an Edison Group spy amongst them just waiting to help bring them back to their crazy scientist lab to poke and prod at them, and maybe even worse, to kill them. All the supernatural drama doesn''t stop the mounting attraction between Chloe, Derek and Simon love triangle. The chemistry between Derek and Chloe is obvious to everyone but them - they''re both inexplicably still blind to it. Simon is still in love with Chloe, whom he eventually shows his feelings for. In the end, they go on a "date" which turns out rather poorly. Simon, having never been hurt by a girl before, is unsure how to react and Chloe feels bad for all of this. But when Chloe, Simon, and Tori are handed over to the Edison group by one of the supernatural adults, it proves their suspicions of an Edison spy that killed Andrew and Gwen. Simon and Derek''s Father comes on time with Derek to save them. During the fight Prof. and Tori''s mother are killed and the building of the Edison Group was destroyed. Still on the run, they are able to reconcile with each other including the aunt of Chloe and excluding Rae who ''disappeared'' before Chloe, Simon, and Tori were handed over.In the end, Chloe and Derek kiss.

The Reckoning

CIA analyst Jack Ryan attends a diplomatic conference in Moscow as part of an American delegation to the Soviet Union. He learns that the CIA’s most highly-placed agent, codenamed "CARDINAL", is none other than Colonel Mikhail Semyonovich Filitov, the personal aide to the Soviet Minister of Defense and a national war hero. Filitov was recruited by GRU colonel and British agent Oleg Penkovskiy, and offered his services to the CIA after the deaths of his wife and two sons; the latter two were killed during their service in the Red Army. As a result, Filitov has been passing political, technical, and military intelligence to the CIA for the past thirty years. The U.S. discovers through "National Technical Means" that the Soviets were working on an ABM defense system based at Dushanbe in Tajikistan. Emilio Ortiz, a CIA liaison, is sent to aid Mujaheddin rebels in the region. One rebel leader, a man known only as "The Archer," is questioned after unwittingly witnessing a test of the Soviets'' ABM system. The Archer determines that the Soviet installation is a threat to him and his people, and tasks his group with attacking and pillaging the facility. In the end, the guerrillas destroy a large amount of Soviet equipment. However, the rebels suffer horrendous losses, including the death of The Archer. Ryan travels to New Mexico to meet with a young SDI researcher, Major Alan Gregory, whom he brings to Washington, D.C., to brief the president. Gregory lives with another scientist, Candi Long, who is working on adaptive optics for use in the development of laser weaponry. A lesbian KGB agent, Bea Taussig&mdash;who has unluckily fallen in love with Long&mdash;describes Gregory and his work to her KGB handler, Tanya Bisyarina. The KGB launches a plan to kidnap and debrief Gregory. Filitov is arrested after his work for the CIA is discovered. However, Ryan concocts a plan to both secure the return of Filitov and arrange the defection of the sitting KGB chairman, Nikolay Borissovich Gerasimov. Gerasimov is angling to take over as General Secretary in the wake of Filitov''s arrest, something Ryan is determined to prevent because of his unyielding anti-American ideology. Ryan schemes to go public with the prior capture of Soviet submarine Red October, banking on the political instability of the Soviet Politburo. He plans for Filitov and Gerasimov to be exfiltrated on the American delegation''s aircraft, while Gerasimov''s family is extracted from Estonia by John Clark onto the submarine USS Dallas. Meanwhile, in New Mexico, three KGB officers kidnap Gregory on Gerasimov''s orders and hold him in a shabby desert safe house, planning to send him to Moscow for debriefing. Their plans are foiled when the FBI sends in the Hostage Rescue Team to retrieve Gregory and return him to Long. Among those killed is Bisyarina. Ryan informs Gerasimov of the failed operation, forcing the enraged chairman to accept Ryan''s defection offer. The flipped Gerasimov fetches Filitov from his confinement. The three make their way to Sheremetyevo Airport, awaiting the departure of the American delegation. Unfortunately, two KGB officers, Klementi Vladimirovich Vatutin and Sergey Nikolayevch Golovko, become aware of their planned departure. As Gerasimov and Filitov escape, Ryan allows himself to be captured by Golovko, banking on his diplomatic status to protect him from harm. Golovko then escorts Ryan to the private dacha of General Secretary Narmonov, where the two men discuss the CIA''s interest in his political position and the CIA''s interference in their internal security. Ryan returns to the United States, where he and several others attend the funeral of Filitov, who had died of heart disease in the months following his CIA debriefing period. Filitov is buried at Camp David, within twenty miles of the Antietam battlefield. A Soviet military attaché attending the funeral questions why Filitov would be buried so close to American soldiers. Ryan, always working to keep the peace, explains to him, "One way or another, we all fight for what we believe in. Doesn''t that give us some common ground?"

The Cardinal of the Kremlin

Odd is a young lame Norseman whose father, a woodcutter, drowned during a Viking raid. His Scottish mother marries a fat widower who neglects him in favour of his own children, and when soon after the winter drags on unnaturally long, Odd leaves his village for the forest. There he meets a fox, an eagle and a bear, the latter with its paw trapped in a tree. Odd aids the bear, and learns that these are not normal animals, but the gods Loki, Odin and Thor. The gods have been transformed and cast out of Asgard by a Frost Giant who tricked Loki into giving him Thor''s hammer, granting him rule over Asgard and causing the endless winter. Deciding to help the stranded gods, Odd travels with them to Asgard. There, Thor leads him to Mimir''s Well, and he receives wisdom and a vision of his parents in their youth. He eventually speaks with and outwits the Giant, convincing him to return home. In return, the goddess Freya heals his leg, though she cannot mend it completely, and Odin gives him a staff. He returns to Midgard, somewhat bigger than when he left, and as the winter ends he reunites with his mother.

Odd and the Frost Giants

The world is controlled by the US/UN, a sort of semi-benign meta-dictatorship which doesn''t rule directly so much as enforce a series of basic laws on a vast number of microstates. Many of the microstates are in a near-constant state of low-intensity warfare. Among the laws enforced on them is a prohibition on certain directions of research, such as intelligence augmentation or artificial intelligence; precisely what is prohibited is of course secret, and as violation of the prohibitions will result in the swift and efficient death of everyone directly involved, scientific research is a dangerous proposition at best. The main characters - a trotskyist mercenary, a libertarian teenager from a fundamentalist microstate, and an idealistic scientist - find themselves caught up at the center of a global revolution against the US/UN. The revolution was planned, and partially automated using financial software, in order to break out when a certain set of conditions were reached. The stakes are raised at the end of the book, when it is revealed that the autonomous financial software has evolved into an intelligent form, which might cause the paranoid US/UN to make a ''clean break'' with the earth, knocking the planet back to the stone age with the orbital defense lasers.

The Star Fraction

The novel provides a detailed, episodic record of the two branches of the wealthy and aristocratic Jia (賈) clan — the Rongguo House (榮國府) and the Ningguo House (寧國府) — who reside in two large, adjacent family compounds in the capital. Their ancestors were made Dukes and given imperial titles, and as the novel begins the two houses are among the most illustrious families in the city. One of the clan’s offspring was made an Imperial Consort, and a lush landscaped garden was built to receive her visit. The novel describes the Jias’ wealth and influence in great naturalistic detail, and charts the Jias’ fall from the height of their prestige, following some thirty main characters and over four hundred minor ones. Eventually the Jia clan falls into disfavor with the Emperor, and their mansions are raided and confiscated. In the novel''s frame story, a sentient Stone, abandoned by the goddess Nüwa when she mended the heavens aeons ago, begs a Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk to bring it with them to see the world. The Stone, accompanied by a character named Divine Attendant-in-Waiting (神瑛侍者) (while in Cheng-Gao versions they are merged into the same character), was given a chance to learn from the human existence, and enters the mortal realm. The main character of the novel is the carefree adolescent male heir of the family Jia Baoyu. He was born with a magical piece of "jade" in his mouth. In this life he has a special bond with his sickly cousin Lin Daiyu, who shares his love of music and poetry. Baoyu, however, is predestined to marry another cousin, Xue Baochai, whose grace and intelligence exemplifies an ideal woman, but with whom he lacks an emotional connection. The romantic rivalry and friendship among the three characters against the backdrop of the family''s declining fortunes forms the main story in the novel.

Dream of the Red Chamber

Giovanni is a boy from a poor family, working hard to feed his sick mother (who has contracted an unnamed disease). Because of this, he never has any free time and is ridiculed by his peers, leaving him as somewhat of a social outcast. His kindly friend, Campanella, is the only one (apart from his mother and his sister, both of whom are never actually seen) who cares for him. At school, in a science class, the teacher asks Giovanni what the Milky Way really is. Giovanni knows that they are stars, but cannot answer. The teacher asks Campanella, but he intentionally does not answer to save Giovanni from even more ridicule from his peers. During class, the local bully, Zanelli, says that Giovanni has been so absent-minded because his father has yet to come back from an expedition to the far north. Zanelli claims that Giovanni''s father was arrested (because the trip was supposedly "illegal"), which angers Giovanni. Before he can give Zanelli a good punch, the bell rings, marking the end of the class. The teacher, after encouraging the students to attend the star festival occurring that night, lets everyone leave. Giovanni, however, stays behind to chat with the teacher. After class, the teacher (another of Giovanni''s friends) and Giovanni marvel at the fossils that Giovanni''s father brought back from his expeditions. The teacher asks Giovanni if his father is back yet (this question is asked repeatedly throughout the story). Giovanni responds no, and heads home to begin another long, lonely night of work at the local paper. On that night (which marks a large festival), Giovanni runs into Zanelli. He makes fun of Giovanni, mocking him about an otter fur coat his father would give him when he comes back, and runs away to the festival. Giovanni can not go to the festival, because he has to take care of his mother, and do the chores that his sister did not. Tired after a hard day''s work, Giovanni lies down on top of a hill. He hears a strange sound, and finds himself in the path of a train. Luckily, the train stops. He gets on board, as does Campanella. Giovanni notices that Campanella is all wet. Giovanni asks why, and Campanella says he''s not sure, but a flashback that shows him drowning suggests otherwise. The train travels through the Northern Cross and other stars in the Milky Way. Along the way, the two see fantastic sights and meet various people: for example, scholars excavating a fossil from white sands of crystal and a man who catches herons to make candies from them. Children who were on a ship that crashed into an iceberg (possibly Titanic) get on the train at Aquila, suggesting that the train is transporting its passengers to their afterlife. The train arrives at the Southern Cross and all the other passengers get off the train, leaving only Giovanni and Campanella in the train. Giovanni promises Campanella to go on forever, together. But as the train approaches the Coalsack, Campanella disappears, leaving Giovanni behind. Giovanni wakes up on top of the hill. He heads to the town, and finds out that Zanelli fell into the river from a boat. He was saved by Campanella who went into the water, but Campanella had not come up since then and is missing. Worried, Giovanni heads toward the river, in fear of what he already knows. His worries prove true, because Campanella has been under the water for a long duration of time, meaning he is dead. On the verge of tears, Giovanni tries to stay strong. Campanella''s father (who didn''t notice Giovanni at first) asks Giovanni to have his classmates come over to his home, after school tomorrow (for reasons unknown, though it seems likely that they are being called in for a formal funeral). Giovanni then makes a promise to stay strong throughout life, claiming that, no matter where he is, he and Campanella will always be together. He then heads home, to deliver milk to his mother.

Night on the Galactic Railroad

Campbell explores the theory that important myths from around the world which have survived for thousands of years all share a fundamental structure, which Campbell called the monomyth. In a well-known quote from the introduction to The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell summarized the monomyth: : In laying out the monomyth, Campbell describes a number of stages or steps along this journey. The hero starts in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unusual world of strange powers and events (a call to adventure). If the hero accepts the call to enter this strange world, the hero must face tasks and trials (a road of trials), and may have to face these trials alone, or may have assistance. At its most intense, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help earned along the journey. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift (the goal or "boon"), which often results in the discovery of important self-knowledge. The hero must then decide whether to return with this boon (the return to the ordinary world), often facing challenges on the return journey. If the hero is successful in returning, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world (the application of the boon). Very few myths contain all of these stages—some myths contain many of the stages, while others contain only a few; some myths may have as a focus only one of the stages, while other myths may deal with the stages in a somewhat different order. These stages may be organized in a number of ways, including division into three sections: Departure (sometimes called Separation), Initiation and Return. "Departure" deals with the hero venturing forth on the quest, "Initiation" deals with the hero''s various adventures along the way, and "Return" deals with the hero''s return home with knowledge and powers acquired on the journey. The classic examples of the monomyth relied upon by Campbell and other scholars include the stories of Osiris, Prometheus, the Buddha, Moses, and Christ, although Campbell cites many other classic myths from many cultures which rely upon this basic structure. While Campbell offers a discussion of the hero''s journey by using the Freudian concepts popular in the 1940s and 1950s, the monomythic structure is not tied to these concepts. Similarly, Campbell uses a mixture of Jungian archetypes, unconscious forces, and Arnold van Gennep''s structuring of rites of passage rituals to provide some illumination. However, this pattern of the hero''s journey influences artists and intellectuals worldwide, suggesting a basic usefulness for Campbell''s insights not tied to academic categories and mid-20th century forms of analysis.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Ruth is an abnormally tall and ugly housewife whose loveless husband, Bobbo, considers their relationship an open marriage based on convenience alone. Bobbo only truly loves his mistress, a famous, wealthy romance novelist named Mary Fisher. When Ruth at last passionately indicates her disapproval for Bobbo’s extramarital affair, he calls her a “she-devil”, causing her to reassess her life. She resolves to behave in accordance with the label he has given her. Bobbo promptly leaves Ruth and their two children: he goes to live with Mary Fisher, to whom he soon proposes. Ruth plots her revenge on them, beginning by burning down her own house, therefore forcing the children to live with their father at Mary Fisher’s mansion. Ruth proceeds to engage in a string of meaningless sexual relationships in order to emotionally detach herself from sex. In the meantime, she works at the retirement home that houses Mary’s mother, Pearl, her actions there causing Pearl to be expelled from the home; thus she inconveniences Mary and Bobbo who must now care for her. At the same time, Bobbo believes that Ruth has inexplicably disappeared and may be dead, as she has completely abandoned him and their children. Ruth now finds work at a psychiatric hospital while taking classes in accounting and bookkeeping. She uses this knowledge to discreetly steal money from Bobbo’s corporate clientele in a way that will incriminate Bobbo later on. Ruth then begins her own employment agency for female secretaries, under the alias of “Vista Rose”. Through her agency, she sends a secretary to Bobbo’s office who begins another affair with him. When the police arrive to arrest Bobbo, Ruth has made it appear as though he and the secretary were going to take the stolen finances and leave the country, though Ruth is in possession of the money herself, becoming rich as a result. Under a new alias, Ruth works as a nanny for the children of the judge who presides over Bobbo’s trial, sleeping with him and successfully persuading him to extend Bobbo’s prison sentence if he is convicted. Bobbo is found guilty and imprisoned. While a desperate Mary Fisher turns toward religion for guidance, Ruth manipulates the entire situation and continues to recreate herself with a variety of aliases and love affairs. Ruth uses her money to change her lifestyle and appearance, particularly undergoing a series of surgeries to completely restructure her body. Mary continues to love Bobbo and wastes away, developing cancer and ultimately dying, with her house purchased quickly by Ruth. Ruth now lives a life of wealth, extravagance, and control, claiming that she will sexually dominate Bobbo once she secures his release from prison, causing him the misery that he once caused her.

The Life and Loves of a She-Devil

The story examines religion through the eyes of Alex, a Christian political activist who is corrupted by Margrethe, a Danish Norse cruise ship hostess &mdash; and who loves every minute of it. Enduring a shipwreck, an earthquake, and a series of world-changes brought about by Loki (with Jehovah''s permission), Alex and Marga work their way from Mexico back to Kansas as dishwasher and waitress. Whenever they manage to make some stake, an inconveniently timed change into a new alternate reality throws them off their stride (once, the money they earned is left behind in another reality; in another case, the paper money earned in a Mexico which is an empire is worthless in another Mexico which is a republic). These repeated misfortunes, clearly effected by some malevolent entity, make the hero identify with the Biblical Job. On the way they unknowingly enjoy the Texas hospitality of Satan himself, but as they near their destination they are separated by the Rapture &mdash; Margrethe worships Odin, and pagans do not go to Heaven. Finding that the reward for his faith, eternity as promised in the Revelation, is worthless without her, Alex''s journey through timeless space in search of his lost lady takes him to Hell and beyond. Heinlein''s vivid depiction of a Heaven ruled by snotty angels and a Hell where everyone has a wonderful, or at least productive, time &mdash; with Mary Magdalene shuttling breezily between both places &mdash; is a satire on American evangelical Christianity. It owes much to Mark Twain''s Captain Stormfield''s Visit to Heaven. The novel is linked to Heinlein''s short story, "They", by the term, "the Glaroon", and to his earlier novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by referring to the Moon colonies "Luna City" and "Tycho Under".

Job: A Comedy of Justice

The novel is set in the small town of Friendly, West Virginia,Nicknamed the "Mountain State", West Virginia abounds in mountains and rivers. For hundreds of years, the state has been home to hunters of deer, bears, beavers, and other animals. Before 1600, Native American tribes of the Iroquois, the Cherokee, and the Shawnee hunted for food. In the contemporary day, people hunt despite most of the large animals'' having disappeared. Numerous laws in West Virginia determine "when, where, how, and what animals may be hunted". In the rural hill setting, neighbors because of local customs rarely meddle with each other''s business. Respect of elders and a commitment to honesty are expected of children. where an eleven-year-old boy named Marty Preston finds a stray beagle wandering in the hills near his house. The dog follows him home, and Marty names him Shiloh, a tribute to a neighborhood schoolhouse. Shiloh''s real owner is Judd Travers, who owns several hunting dogs. Fearing for the dog''s safety because Judd drinks and treats his hunting dogs poorly, Marty does not want to return Shiloh. His father insists Shiloh be returned to his owner and they take the dog to Judd Travers. Shiloh returns to Marty who hides him from his family. Concealing Shiloh in the woods in a wire pen he builds, Marty smuggles some of his dinner to the dog each evening. After his mother discovers Marty feeding the dog, he persuades her not to reveal the secret. That night, Shiloh is attacked by a German Shepherd Dog while in his makeshift cage and his family discovers Marty has been lying and hiding the dog. After taking the dog to the town doctor, the family must return Shiloh to his rightful owner. Before doing so, Marty travels up to Travers'' house to try to convince Travers to allow him to keep Shiloh. Judd does not see Marty approaching, and shoots a doe out of season, which would mean a stiff fine Judd cannot afford. Marty lets Judd know he knows, and attempts to blackmail him out of Shiloh. Judd and Marty eventually negotiate a deal in which Marty will earn Shiloh for 40 dollars, paid with 20 hours of working for Judd. At the end of the first week, Judd says that he will not keep his end of the deal because the evidence of the dead doe has with the passage of time disappeared. Second, the contract that Marty had him sign is worthless in the state of West Virginia without the signature of a witness. Despite Judd''s pointed disapproval of his work, Marty continues to work for him. They begin discussing dogs and Judd''s father who began physically abusing Judd when he was four years old. In the end, Judd warms to Marty, relents, and lets him keep Shiloh.

Shiloh

An Australian family, struggling with the recent recession are finding it hard with money. While spending one evening watching television, their youngest oand speaks to a doctor who refuses to help, which discourages Colin. He walks out to the lobby where he meets a Welsh man named Ted crying, claiming that his friend also has cancer. Colin attempts to cheer him up, so in appreciation, Ted requests Colin that they meet up again so Ted can introduce Colin to one of the world''s leading cancer experts. Colin meets Ted and Doctor Graham the next day, where Doctor Graham tells Colin that she called up Luke''s doctors in Sydney. She then informs Colin that Luke''s cancer is terminal and incurable. Colin storms back to his Aunt''s house distraught, where Alistair gives Colin the idea that South America may provide an unknown cure for Luke''s cancer. Colin convinces Alistair to join him to stowaway on a cargo ship to South America the next day, until Colin tells Alistair that he used his pocket-knife to slash a group of doctors cars and that Ted caught him. Alistair tells Colin that Ted will be blamed for this, so Colin decides to delay their trip to South America, so he can go see Ted the next day. Colin goes to visit Ted at his home and finds that he has been moderately injured. Ted tells him that he was beaten by people in the street who disliked him because he is a homosexual. He then tells Colin that his friend dying of cancer is instead his lover, Griff, who is dying of AIDS. Ted is unable to walk, so Colin promises to visit Griff for him. Colin goes to the hospital and meets Griff, bringing him a letter from Ted and Griff''s favourite food, tangarines. After enjoying a conversation with Colin, Griff requests Colin that he come to visit him again. After Griff is taken back to his ward by a nurse, Colin finds a spare wheelchair in the hospital which he takes back to Ted''s house. Colin then takes Ted to the hospital to see Griff using the wheelchair and the couple thank Colin greatly for reuniting them. A while later, when Ted can walk again, Colin goes to visit the couple in the hospital, but upon arrival, finds that Griff has died. When Colin arrives home, Aunt Iris tells Colin that she found out everything from Alistair. They are both sentenced to having only cold baked beans for dinner, and the house is made much harder to sneak out of. Colin gives up on his South America plan and decides to accept Luke''s fate. He requests to Aunt Iris that he go back to his family, but she forbids it, telling him that breaking out will not help either, because they will not allow him on the plane with his return ticket unless he is seen off by an adult guardian. The next morning, with much difficulty, Colin sneaks out of the house and meets Ted at the airport. Ted signs Colin''s forms and they say their goodbyes. After Ted leaves, Colin is about to board the plane until Aunt Iris, Uncle Bob and Alistair show up. Iris and Bob try to take him back home, but Alistair shouts up, convincing them to let Colin go back to Australia. They see him off, and Colin travels back to Sydney to see Luke. The story ends with Luke waking up, happily seeing Colin.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

Read - Listen - Learn

Narcissus and Goldmund

By Hermann Hesse

The Reckoning

By Kelley Armstrong

The Cardinal of the Kremlin

By Tom Clancy

Odd and the Frost Giants

By Neil Gaiman

The Star Fraction

By Ken MacLeod

Dream of the Red Chamber

By Tsao Hsueh-Chin

Night on the Galactic Railroad

By Kenji Miyazawa

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

By Joseph Campbell

The Life and Loves of a She-Devil

By Fay Weldon

Job: A Comedy of Justice

By Robert A. Heinlein

Shiloh

By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Two Weeks with the Queen

By Morris Gleitzman