A superb collection of science fiction and fantasy stories, The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories is a book that transcends all genre definitions. The stories within are mined with depth charges, explosions of meaning and illumination that will keep you thinking and feeling long after you have finished reading. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

These early works by Guy de Maupassant were originally published in the 1880's. As a collection of short stories, this represents Maupassant's tales involving the subject of death, and includes 'Old Judas', 'The Beggar', 'The Moribund', 'Two Little Soldiers', and many other titles. Guy de Maupassant was born in 1850 at the Château de Miromesnil, near Dieppe, France. He came from a prosperous family, but when Maupassant was eleven, his mother risked social disgrace by trying to secure a legal separation from her husband. After the split, Maupassant lived with his mother till he was thirteen, and inherited her love of classical literature. In 1880, Maupassant published his first - and, according to many, his best - short story, entitled 'Boule de Suif' ('Ball of Fat'). It was an instant success. He went on to be extremely prolific during the 1880s, working methodically to produce up to four volumes of short fiction every year. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions.

Until a recent “boom,” Shimao Toshio, writer of short fiction, critic, and essayist, was not widely known, even in Japan. He has never won the Akutagawa or the Naoki Prize, and none of his works had previously appeared in English translation. He is less well known than other writers (Yasuoka Shotaro, Kojima Nobuo, and Shono Junzo) with whom he has associated and whose works have been liberally translated into English. Yet, there are those who consider him to be one of the best contemporary writers in Japan. This volume by no means exhausts the scope of Shimao's fiction. There are no stories here, for instance, about childhood or student life, and none of his many travel stories. Some of his most famous stories-- "When we Never Left Port," for example--have not been included. But the stories presented here do offer a considerable variety of style, from the pristine storybook language of "The Farthest Edge of the Islands," to the young intellectual's jargon of "Everyday Life in a Dream," to the visionary, hysterical, occasionally ritualistic prose of the "sick wife" stories, to the sober, difficult, almost ponderous narration of "This Time That Summer." Shimao's approach to his material varies as well. "Everyday Life in a Dream" is the only representative here of a large number of stories usually called surrealistic by the critics, stories whose plots progress by the logic of dreams. The individual experience of real life are lived through a combination of conscious and unconscious perception. These stories are the least approachable and the least charming to the casual reader, but they serve, among other things, to highlight patterns in the more realistic fiction. "The Farthest Edge of the Islands" is a symbolic heightening of reality in another way, a romantic fairy tale beginning at the extremity of experience, at the farthest edge of the world. The other stories are presented as precise, close chronicles of reality by a participant in that reality whose attention never waivers and who never allows himself to avert his eyes from a world that he sees as his responsibility and in a sense his fault. All but the first story, "The Farthest Edge of the Islands," which is in third-person narration, are told in the first person by the character who plays Shimao's role in the life that inspired the fiction.

1815 AD, East India Company is fast encroaching upon monarchies and domains. The kingdom of Chhatargarh however stands strong under the rule of Raja Prithviratan Singh. His leadership and farsightedness have kept the Kingdom protected until one day when he suddenly dies in a freak accident. All hell breaks loose as Chhatargarh spirals into depths of peril. Can its ministers help save the now headless dominion from falling into the hands of the British or being plundered by the Pindaris?A mysterious occurrence catapults Ajit and Anu into an uncharted territory of horrors. With each of them and their young child separated, they have nowhere to go. Can they find their way back or will they perish in their new found phobias?A ruthless criminal murders an old man for money. Little does he know what shall fall upon him due to this heinous crime. Can his conscience break the profanity or will he be entangled in it for life?September 1947, the Indian subcontinent has just been liberated and partitioned, the new situation has proved to be an unimaginable catastrophe for the common people. A family travels from Lahore to Delhi aboard the Frontier Mail experiencing extreme horrors enroute. Will they be able to realise their dream of reaching newfound land or will the perils of partition be too extreme upon them to survive?Six Petite Tales:I. A shopkeeper seeks blessings from a beggar, gets double of what he seeks.II. It’s late and Deepika finds no transport with shadows lurking all around.III. Ayan and Seema alight at a railway station late in the night.IV. Sarla wants her brother to evacuate their ancestral house.V. Like, comment and share...is this all that a social media post generates?VI. Ankur’s father is on life support, a critical medicine is required to keep him alive.“Your Mind is a Quiver, tongue a bow and words are arrows, use them wisely

From breathtaking stop-action animation to bittersweet modern fairy tales, filmmaker Tim Burton has become known for his unique visual brilliance -- witty and macabre at once. Now he gives birth to a cast of gruesomely sympathetic children -- misunderstood outcasts who struggle to find love and belonging in their cruel, cruel worlds. His lovingly lurid illustrations evoke both the sweetness and the tragedy of these dark yet simple beings -- hopeful, hapless heroes who appeal to the ugly outsider in all of us, and let us laugh at a world we have long left behind (mostly anyway).

Winner of the 2017 J. Anthony Lukas PrizeShortlisted for the 2017 Hurston/Wright Foundation AwardFinalist for the 2017 Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in JournalismLonglisted for the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Non Fiction On an average day in America, seven children and teens will be shot dead. In Another Day in the Death of America, award-winning journalist Gary Younge tells the stories of the lives lost during one such day. It could have been any day, but he chose November 23, 2013. Black, white, and Latino, aged nine to nineteen, they fell at sleepovers, on street corners, in stairwells, and on their own doorsteps. From the rural Midwest to the barrios of Texas, the narrative crisscrosses the country over a period of twenty-four hours to reveal the full human stories behind the gun-violence statistics and the brief mentions in local papers of lives lost. This powerful and moving work puts a human face-a child's face-on the "collateral damage" of gun deaths across the country. This is not a book about gun control, but about what happens in a country where it does not exist. What emerges in these pages is a searing and urgent portrait of youth, family, and firearms in America today.

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann: Death in Venice is a haunting novella by Thomas Mann that explores the themes of beauty, desire, and the pursuit of perfection. Set in the early 20th century, the story follows Gustav von Aschenbach, a renowned writer, as he becomes captivated by the allure of a young boy he encounters in the city of Venice, ultimately leading to his spiritual and physical decline. Key Points: Mann's novella delves into the complexities of desire and the destructive power of obsession, as Aschenbach's infatuation with the boy becomes an all-consuming force that disrupts his moral compass and challenges his notions of art and beauty. Death in Venice examines themes of decay, mortality, and the juxtaposition of artistic ideals with the realities of human existence, offering a profound exploration of the tension between the pursuit of aesthetic perfection and the inevitable imperfections of life. The novella showcases Mann's masterful prose and psychological insight, delving into the inner turmoil and psychological disintegration of the protagonist, while also providing a poignant commentary on the limitations and consequences of unbridled desire.

When a dog and a rat find a flat rabbit, they decide to move her off the road. But where can they take her? After much thought and consideration, they decide to give the rabbit a proper send off. They say goodbye and give the rabbit a beautiful gift - seeing the world from a new perspective.

Have you ever wanted to finish off a life really badly, whether be it your own, or someone you hate, or worse still, someone you love dearly? Have you ever been to a funeral and wondered what it must feel like to be the centre of attraction just like the deceased, if such a thing were possible? Have you ever been excited by listening to the thrilling lives of people whose death is imminent, be they famous criminals, adventure-seekers, or people living close to the edge? What would excite you more—their upcoming death or the roller-coaster of their lives? Have you ever felt that you are actually dead but no one has buried you yet? Has the drudgery of life overpowered you so much that the alternative seemed better at one point? Are you lost with today's technological advances that you feel someone else or something controls your life and maybe, just maybe, you are actually dead? Do you feel something similar to being trapped in the Matrix? If your answer to any of the above questions is YES, then this collection of short stories might be for you!