On A Hot Summer Day In 1942, Sitting Outside Her Shoe Shop In Bentinck Street, A Mother Fixes Her Six-Year-Old Daughter&Rsquo;S Marriage To Her Neighbour&Rsquo;S Son. A Widow Converts A Part Of Her House To A Temple So That She Can Support Her Family With The Donations. During A Border Skirmish In The North-East, Chinese Mothers Prepare Packages For Life In Concentration Camps Giving Special Instructions To The Children, Lest They Get Separated. A Gentle Bookseller And His Daughter Disappear In The Middle Of The Night When They Are Deported To China For His Political Sympathies. And In The Delightful Story &Lsquo;Uncle Worry&Rsquo;, Uncle Chien Worries When His Daughter Pi Moi Forgets To Call Him: He Worries That She And Her Husband, Mohamed, Have Had A Falling Out. He Worries When Pi Moi Does Call, For She Must Be Fighting With Mohamed, Otherwise Why Would She Call? From Crumbling Shops In Chinatown To Decaying Tanneries In Tangra, Kwai-Yun Li&Rsquo;S The Last Dragon Dance: Chinatown Stories, Exposes Us To The Life Of The Little-Known Chinese Community In Calcutta. While The Arrival Of The Chinese In India Abounds In Legends, The Mass Exodus Of This Dwindling Community Is Not As Romantic: Political And Economic Upheavals Have Forced Them To Abandon Their Home. Even Though Theirs Is So Much A Story Of Assimilation And Syncretism&Mdash;Growing Up In 1950S&Rsquo; Calcutta One Never Paid Much Attention To Which Customs Were Indian Or Chinese&Mdash;The Chinese Have Often Felt The Brunt Of Their Foreignness. The Rift Between Mao And Chiang Kai Shek Led To The Deportment And Imprisonment Of Hundreds Of Maoist Sympathizers. This Collection Gives Voice To Such Concerns Without Being Overtly Sentimental Or Sensational; Li Never Fails To See The Humour In The Idiosyncrasies Of Her Community. These Inspired-From-Life Stories Wonderfully Capture The Mood Of The Time With Unassuming Grace.

Taimak, The Last Dragon is an intimate look at the life and career of Taimak as he faced the challenges of racism, child abuse, a broken home life and low self-worth to become a man who captured the "glow."

Inspired by Chinese myths of ancient dragon gods and threads of fate, Katrina Kwan’s dazzling fantasy debut is a propulsive adventure perfect for fans of Sue Lynn Tan and Hannah Whitten. At the spry young age of twenty-five, Sai has led a quiet life, keeping the family teahouse up and running—even if that means ignoring the past-due notices—and taking care of his ailing mother. But he has a not-so-secret gift that he’s parlayed into a side career: he was born with the ability to see the red threads of fate between soulmates, which lends itself nicely to matchmaking. Sai has thus far been content not to follow his own thread, the only one he’s ever seen that’s gray and fraying. But Sai’s ordinary existence is about to be turned upside-down by a pair of shining dragon scales. When his mother’s doctor sells them to him, claiming them as a miracle cure, Sai is pretty sure he’s being scammed. When the medicine actually works—and the terrifying, ruthless emperor catches wind—Sai is thrust into the search for a dragon long thought extinct that will lead him into the throes of a brewing war and deep into foreign lands, facing down challenges both magical and mortal on an unexpected adventure. And for the very first time, as his own thread of fate begins to move, he may be able to solve the mystery of his Fated One at the other end of the line.

In this fantastical finale to the Last Dragon Charmer series, a young prince from a fantasy realm finds himself trapped in the seemingly normal world of Asheville, North Carolina—and must defeat unexpected evil in order to find his way home. Asheville goes by another name in Prince Caden’s homeland of Razzon: the Land of Shadow, a place where the most vile villains are sent to live out their days disguised as ordinary middle school teachers. But the villains are no longer content to stay trapped in Asheville. They are plotting to go home, overthrow Caden’s father the King, and take over. Caden will do anything to protect his homeland and his family. But preventing the villains from completing a mysterious four-part spell and breaking the barrier between realms is no small task. He will need the help of his brave friends—and his special gift to charm a ravenous Elderdragon. And if Caden and his friends can save his home, he might finally be able to return to it. With its perfect blend of wit, action and heart, Laurie McKay’s The Last Dragon Charmer will remind readers young and old what it truly means to be a hero, and is perfect for fans of Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil and Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin’s ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY LOS ANGELES TIMES AND BUZZFEED These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits. Featuring more than 160 all-new illustrations by Gary Gianni, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a must-have collection that proves chivalry isn’t dead—yet. Praise for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms “Readers who already love Martin and his ability to bring visceral human drama out of any story will be thrilled to find this trilogy brought together and injected with extra life.”—Booklist “The real reason to check out this collection is that it’s simply great storytelling. Martin crafts a living, breathing world in a way few authors can. . . . [Gianni’s illustrations] really bring the events of the novellas to life in beautiful fashion.”—Tech Times “Stirring . . . As Tolkien has his Silmarillion, so [George R. R.] Martin has this trilogy of foundational tales. They succeed on their own, but in addition, they succeed in making fans want more.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Pure fantasy adventure, with two of the most likable protagonists George R. R. Martin has ever penned.”—Bustle “A must-read for Martin’s legion of fans . . . a rousing prelude to [his] bestselling Song of Ice and Fire saga . . . rich in human drama and the colorful worldbuilding that distinguishes other books in the series.”—Publishers Weekly

Dragon Blade It all started when a lowly computer programmer discovered he had been hypnotized with a false identity. He was somebody. Better than that, he was a hero in another world that direly needed him back. Jim Foley inadvertently dragged his company's best secretary, Summer Quinn, along with him for the trip back to his magical home of Calladrin as their romance was just budding. Home, Jim learned of his true name and heroic persona, Jalen Bloom, and that he was needed to destroy an evil plaguing the land called Black Death. Once creating the magic talisman, Dragon Blade, Jim defeated Black Death, his army, destroyed the talisman in the process, and brought Summer home, making her Mrs. Foley. Dragon Flute After quitting his programming job, Jim Foley started Dragonsoft, the family-owned laptop business that ran successfully for fifteen years. All was right in the world until Gillius, a dwarven ghost from Jim's old life, came to call him back home again. This time, Ralius, Jim's spitting image fifteen-yearold son, and Riel, Ralius's best elf friend, would come along as they hunted for the lost Dragon Flute. After a harrowing journey across a prehistoric sea with an intrepid crew aboard the giant royal ship dubbed the Tempest, the fabled object was finally obtained. Delbin, a powerful trickster demon who had threatened the subversion of Calladrin's kingdom under King Joel, as well as all the multiverses, was finally destroyed by the Dragon Flute, wielded by a fifteen-year-old. The land was restored to normal then, and the Blooms came back to Los Angeles in order to resume their normal lives with Ralius becoming the captain of the soccer team and discovering his love of writing. Dragon Dance Things have largely settled in the magical land of Calladrin over the last fifteen years. The various kingdoms, factions, and tribes have retreated to their strongholds to live their separate lives, and the super continent is at peace. King Jalen and Queen Summer Bloom have ruled their people fairly through this entire prosperous period. Prince Ralius, having returned to Los Angeles to study English, has become a professor of literature at the lovely beach side Pepperdine University. All seems right with life while Ralius, going as Dr. Foley now, teaches his classes and lives his happy yet somewhat lonely life with Ramses, his cat. His days are full of sunshine and the never-ending work of a university professor until, one day during lecture, the past comes back to haunt Dr.F. Being in the middle of a lecture about the Red Death, Dr. F is surprised by an old foe returning to settles cores. Like any good teacher, Dr. F's priority is to his students--TJ or Telemachus Jones, the athlete; Amy, the pacifist; Akim, the clown; and Bianca, a foreign exchange student and former model. Caught up in the struggle for supremacy over Calladrin, Dr. F has no choice but to take his university students with him back to Calladrin in order to keep them safe and to check on Mom and Dad. What follows is the final adventure in a series of mystical discoveries and epic battles as we greet familiar friends and make new ones, culminating in the third and final installment of the thrilling Dragon Talisman Trilogy.

[Siren Classic ManLove: Erotic Romance, Alternative, Paranormal, Contemporary, Suspense, Shape-shifter, werewolves, MM, HEA] Scarred Wings- Lured back home to bury his father and take care of the family business, the last thing Cole Draken expects is a mental call from his fated mate. Cole’s wrestled the dangerous and monstrous bronze beast inside of him his entire life, but his control breaks the moment he hears Ben’s voice. Cole’s not built for love. Dragons aren’t like other shifters and Cole’s resigned himself to a lonely existence, but one submissive werewolf might just change his mind. All the dragons of Draken Mountain are dead, or least that’s what Ben assumed until an enormous and scary bronze dragon saves him and takes him captive. He soon finds out that there’s more to Cole than meets the eye. Underneath the scales of the scarred dragon beats a protective heart. With an entire werewolf pack after them, will Ben and Cole survive to see their future as mates? Battle of the Beasts- Will’s life in a mess. He’s lost his job and just found out his boyfriend's cheating on him. He returns to his childhood home and resumes his role as the gardener for the last dragon shifters. Will hopes to see Jax, a dragon shifter and his childhood friend. Jax broke his heart ten years ago and left without an explanation and Will’s back to get some answers. Falling in love all over again for the lethal black dragon had never been part of the plan. Jax Draken left home ten years ago after an uncontrolled shift. He’s never been able to tame the black dragon and wolf he was born with. Jax’s a nomad, moving from place to place, but he might just put down roots for Will. There are many fences to mend. Will’s defiant and stubborn as hell, but Jax won’t stop until he claims his human mate.

Edwin Morgan's restless imagination moved easily between multiple worlds, voices and identities. His own life story, told here for the first time, also reveals a range of identities - as academic, cultural activist, radical writer, international traveller, gay man and national poet. These identities were sometimes in conflict, or kept hidden and apart. Beyond the Last Dragon, written with his full support, explores hitherto unknown archive resources and creative work. It recounts an amazing and sometimes troubled career, using the poet's own letters, poems and plays from the 1930s to the present day to uncover the origins of his remarkable - and life-long - inventiveness and flair. All this is set against Edwin Morgan's moving struggle against 'the last dragon' of cancer, and to remain creatively alive in the face of suffering in the final years of his life. This prize-winning biography was published just days after the poet's death. James McGonigal now adds a new chapter to describe subsequent events.

A Tale of Hope and Courage in Ancient Japan