An enormous, mysterious box descends upon smalltown Minnesota, spelling trouble for the world, in this classic adventure from a Science Fiction Grand Master. Forestry student Jerry Conklin is fly-fishing when something huge lands on his car, crushing it into the earth. It looks like a big black box-about fifty feet high and two hundred feet long-and the object stirs up quite a commotion among the townspeople of Lone Pine, Minnesota. One of them...

A tornado whips the dry plains of New Mexico. It is the early 80s, and the ghastly boogeyman of nuclear war has long threatened America's nuclear families. An aging priest scared of death takes acid in the hopes that it will quell haunting visions brought on by war trauma. A mesmerizing, drug-addled waif confronts her own lack of identity and purpose. A conflicted mother wonders if her daughter's addiction to methamphetamines is her own fault. Two...

The American Chapters series presents short stories in vivid and easy-to-read 500-word chapters, perfect for English language learners internationally, and adult literacy learners in countries where English is commonly used. It's June 1933. The rest of the United States seems to be falling to pieces, but in Little Wellington, Texas, the farmers, ranchers, and townspeople just want it to rain. They're also concerned about some strange events, like...

After a strange looking candlestick is brought to the land of Esrom by Navan, they are paid a visit from the savage warlike Zulaqs, known for their dark arts. Could this be a coincidence or something more sinister? As a familiar ancient web of enchantment quickly engulfs the land, Can Bru and his gifted sister, Akiya save Esrom from the powerful dark lord? After an incredible revelation gives them new hope and determination, the two must now embark...

When her gangster boyfriend Tim is sent down, Susie Jones' life is thrown into turmoil. Left to run his criminal empire, Susie finds solace in new acquaintances made in Strangeways Visitors' Centre... with unforeseen consequences.

"With the smart suspense of Emma Donoghue's Room and the atmospheric claustrophobia of Grey Gardens, Catherine Burns's debut novel The Visitors explores the complex truths we are able to keep hidden from ourselves and the twisted realities that can lurk beneath even the most serene of surfaces. "Once you start Catherine Burns's dark, disturbing, and enthralling debut novel, it's hard to stop. The Visitors is bizarrely unsettling, yet compulsively...

Two time-travelling aliens, Bjorn and Zorn, witness the destruction of the Earth in 2052. They believe the Earth has been destroyed by religious zealots. Their investigation reveals one of their own is behind it. The intended goal was to hide the Earth from the universe. With Tasmania up for grabs, the chess game begins. They travel in time to collect a little band of misfits, to help them save humanity from its religious wars. The laid back Ptoni...