AEM Library - Publishers

The Sound of Thunder

The year is 1899. The British Empire is at the height of its power. But in South Africa, proud Dutch colonists defy the Queen and her army--and a lush, wild world is torn apart by guns, spears, and swords.

Sean Courtney had been tragically separated from his family, but the Boer War has brought him back to his homeland--and into the sights of his enemy's guns. It has also returned him to Ruth Friedman, the only woman Sean can love, even though he shouldn't. As Sean's loyalties--to nation, man, and blood--are tested, a saga of duty and betrayal unfolds....

Review

Praise for *The Sound of Thunder*

"A violent saga-type story set on Boer War South Africa and told with vigour and enthusiasm, the author of When the Lion Feeds spins a fine tale."– Evening Standard

"A highly readable novel of history and adventure ... Wilbur Smith has a sense of character too." – Books and Bookmen

"An extravagant and vigorous novel ... its many pages provide constantly changing incidents and a gallery of memorable portraits." – Liverpool Daily Post

"The pace would do credit to a Porsche, and the invention is as bright and explosive as a fireworks display." – Sunday Telegraph

Praise for Wilbur Smith

“Smith is a master.” —Publishers Weekly

“One of the world’s most popular adventure writers.” —The Washington Post Book World

“A rare author who wields a razor-sharp sword of craftsmanship.” —Tulsa World

“Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.” —The Times (UK)

"Best Historical Novelist--I say Wilbur Smith, with his swashbuckling novels of Africa. The bodices of rip and the blood flows. You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August."--Stephen King

"Action is Wilur Smith's game, and he is a master."--The Washington Post Book World

“The world’s leading adventure writer.” —Daily Express (UK)

"Wilbur Smith rarely misses a trick."--Sunday Times

“Smith is a captivating storyteller.” —The Orlando Sentinel

“No one does adventure quite like Smith.” —Daily Mirror (UK)

"A thundering good’ read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith’s books.” —The Irish Times

From the Publisher

12 1.5-hour cassettes

A Sparrow Falls

Wilbur Smith

Mark Anders grew up on eight thousand acres of African land that bore his family name. Then he fought in Europe's Great War and, upon returning to his ancestral home, he saw savagery unlike any other….

In Africa, Mark's family estate has been despoiled. His grandfather has died under mysterious circumstances. And he has inherited a murderous enemy--the rogue scion of the powerful Courtney clan--in an altogether new kind of war.

Now, Mark will make a fateful choice between two women. Journey into the wilderness to uncover his grandfather's fate. Find his way through battles raging between fathers and sons, generals and politicians, and nature and man. In an age of violent conflict, Mark Anders will live or die for justice--and his fight will echo across a country he always loved….

Review

Praise for *Sparrow Falls*

"Wilbur Smith is an adept at thrilling and harrowing scenes, researches his facts, gets it all too horribly spot-on. Terribly competent ..." – The Sunday Times

Praise for Wilbur Smith

“Smith is a master.” *—Publishers Weekly

“One of the world’s most popular adventure writers.” —The Washington Post Book World

“A rare author who wields a razor-sharp sword of craftsmanship.” —Tulsa World*

“Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.” —The Times (UK)
"Best Historical Novelist--I say Wilbur Smith, with his swashbuckling novels of Africa. The bodices of rip and the blood flows. You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August."--Stephen King

"Action is Wilur Smith's game, and he is a master."--The Washington Post Book World

“The world’s leading adventure writer.” —Daily Express (UK)

"Wilbur Smith rarely misses a trick."--Sunday Times

“Smith is a captivating storyteller.” —The Orlando Sentinel

“No one does adventure quite like Smith.” —Daily Mirror (UK)

"A thundering good’ read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith’s books.” —*The Irish Times

*

From the Publisher

These audiobooks from Macmillan UK offer abridged readings of some of the world¹s most popular authors. Handsomely packaged, they feature readings by eminent actors of the stage and screen, including James Fox, Martin Shaw, Tim Pigott-Smith, and David Rintoul.

Fear

Michael Grant

It's been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they've built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost.

Fear, Michael Grant's fifth book in the bestselling dystopian Gone series, will thrill readers . . . even as it terrifies them.

Review

"* '... exciting, high-tension story told in a driving, torrential narrative that never lets up. This is great fiction. I love this book.' (Stephen King, bestselling author) 'A tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless' (Booklist) 'If Stephen King had written Lord of the Flies, it might have been a little like this' (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)) 'I love these books' (Stephen King, bestselling author)"

About the Author

Michael Grant has spent much of his life on the move. Raised in a military family, he attended ten schools in five states, as well as three schools in France. Even as an adult he kept moving, and in fact he became a writer in part because it was one of the few jobs that wouldn't tie him down. His fondest dream is to spend a year circumnavigating the globe and visiting every continent. Yes, even Antarctica. He lives in California with his wife, Katherine Applegate, and their two children.

Plague

Michael Grant

It's been eight months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

They've survived hunger. They've survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don't just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they'll escape—or even survive—life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

Plague, Michael Grant's fourth book in the bestselling Gone series, will satisfy dystopian fans of all ages.

From Booklist

Though the desperate, dirty, starving teens of the Gone series look decreasingly like the clean-cut hotties on the book jackets, Grant’s sf-fantasy thrillers continue to be the very definition of page-turner. Nearly out of water and beset with two types of plagues (one like a flu, the other a horde of flesh-eating bugs), the FAYZ community of superfriends and superenemies must once again band together and fight. Being dumped into this populous soap opera, with all its powers and vendettas, will doom newcomers. But who’d be crazy enough to start here? Great fun for fans. Grades 7-10. --Daniel Kraus

Review

Praise for PLAGUE“The very definition of a page-turner.”—ALA Booklist“The characters’ interior struggles are almost as vivid as the action. Fans will be satisfied—for now.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review) )

Lies

Michael Grant

It's been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

It happens in one night: a girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach, and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead—or so they thought.

Perdido Beach burns and battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. But are the kids of Perdido Beach desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

From Booklist

Shortly after the world-changing events of Gone (2008) and Hunger (2009), the young residents of the FAYZ face ominous new threats, including a death-obsessed cult leader and the resurrection of a buried girl. And remember Drake the Whip Hand? Yeah, he might be back, too. Grant continues to hurtle through an endlessly fascinating (and increasingly grim) story line; his chief achievement, though, is how the X-Men–style powers of his cast never overwhelm the mournful realization that their world is slowly degenerating into brutality. The vast array of characters will challenge newcomers; fans, though, will go bonkers. Grades 6-9. --Daniel Kraus

Review

"'... exciting, high-tension story told in a driving, torrential narrative that never lets up. This is great fiction. I love this book.' Stephen King, bestselling author. 'A tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless' Booklist; 'If Stephen King had written Lord of the Flies, it might have been a little like this' Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review) 'I Love this book' - Stephen King, bestselling author"

Light

Michael Grant

It's been over a year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

In the time since everyperson over the age of fourteen disap-peared from the town of Perdido Beach, California, countless battles have been fought: battles against hunger and lies and plague, and epic battles of good against evil. And now, the gaiaphage has been reborn as Diana's malicious mutant daughter, Gaia. Gaia is endlessly hungry for destruction. She yearns to conquer her Nemesis, Little Pete, and then bend the entire world to her warped will. As long-standing enemies become allies, secrets are revealed and unexpected sacrifices are made. Will their attempts to save themselves and one another matter in the end, or will the kids of Perdido Beach perish in this final power struggle?

Light, the sixth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Gone series by Michael Grant, creates a masterful, arresting conclusion to life in the FAYZ.

Review

“The Gone books have been one of the most dependable YA series inrecent history. Readers dying for this series ender will be rewarded by Grant’s characteristicnonstop action. He keeps readers where he’s always had them—on the edge of their seats—until the very end.” (ALA Booklist )

About the Author

Michael Grant has spent much of his life on the move. Raised in a military family, he attended ten schools in five states, as well as three schools in France. Even as an adult he kept moving, and in fact he became a writer in part because it was one of the few jobs that wouldn't tie him down. His fondest dream is to spend a year circumnavigating the globe and visiting every continent. Yes, even Antarctica. He lives in California with his wife, Katherine Applegate, and their two children.

Gone

Michael Grant

Packed with mystery, action, and a touch of fantasy, the Gone series is perfect for fans of dark dystopian novels, such as Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games and Veronica Roth's Divergent, as well as classic survival stories like Lord of the Flies. As Stephen King says, "This is great fiction. I love these books."

In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.

Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and television. There is no way to get help. Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks.

And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers that grow stronger by the day.

In the postapocalyptic town of Perdido Beach, California, sides are being chosen; a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Powerful against powerless. It's a terrifying new world.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—"One minute the teacher was talking about the Civil War. And the next minute he was gone." Just vanished—along with everyone else over the age of 13 in a 20-mile radius around Perdido Beach, CA. The children left behind find themselves battling hunger, fear, and one another in a novel strongly reminiscent of William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Things go from bad to worse when some of the children begin exhibiting strange powers, animals show signs of freakish mutations, and people disappear as soon as they turn 14. Though an excellent premise for a novel, Gone suffers from a couple of problems. First, it is just too long. After opening with a bang, the initial 200 or so pages limp along before the action begins to really pick up. Secondly, based on the themes of violence, death, and implied sexual intimidation, this is clearly written for an older teen audience who may not appreciate the fact that no one in the book is older than 13. In spite of its faults, Gone is a gripping and gritty read with enough creepy gruesomeness to satisfy readers who have a taste for the macabre. Give this one to the readers who aren't quite ready for Stephen King or Dean Koontz.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Starred Review It’s a scenario that every kid has dreamed about: adults suddenly disappear, and kids have free reign. In this case, though, it’s everyone 14 and older who disappears, and the harsh reality of such unreal circumstances isn’t a joyride after all. A girl driving with her grandfather plunges into a horrific car wreck; gas burners left on ignite a home with a young child trapped inside; food and medical supplies dwindle; and malicious youths take over as the remaining children attempt to set up some form of workable society. Even stranger than the disappearance of much of humanity, though, are the bizarre, sometimes terrifying powers that some of the kids are developing, not to mention the rapidly mutating animals or the impenetrable wall 20 miles in diameter that encircles them. This intense, marvelously plotted, paced, and characterized story will immediately garner comparisons to Lord of the Flies, or even the long-playing world shifts of Stephen King, with just a dash of X-Men for good measure. A potent mix of action and thoughtfulness—centered around good and evil, courage and cowardice—renders this a tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless. Grant’s novel is presumably the first in a series, and while many will want to scream when they find out the end is not the end, they’ll be glad there’s more in store. Grades 6-9. --Ian Chipman

Hunger

Michael Grant

It's been three months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

food ran out weeks ago and starvation is imminent. Meanwhile, the normal teens have grown resentful of the kids with powers. And when an unthinkable tragedy occurs, chaos descends upon the town. There is no longer right and wrong. Each kid is out for himself and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–In the second in a planned six-book series, the children of Perdito Beach, CA, have survived without adults for three months following the FAYZ, a nuclear event that caused everyone over the age of 14 to vanish and an impenetrable barrier to rise for 20 miles around the town. Now their food is almost gone, and in their desperation and fear, the young people are beginning to sort themselves into factions; those without special powers opposing those who have them. To add to the suspense, a terrifying presence that calls itself the Gaiaphage, a being of overwhelming hunger, is insinuating itself into the minds of the susceptible. Like Gone (HarperTeen, 2008), this novel is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Nonstop action and recurring scenes of graphic violence, death, and torture will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they race toward the climactic cliff-hanger ending. Give this to teens who liked Stephen King's The Stand (Doubleday, 1990) or William Golding's Lord of the Flies (Penguin, 1959).–Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"* '... exciting, high-tension story told in a driving, torrential narrative that never lets up. This is great fiction. I love this book.' Stephen King, bestselling author. 'A tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless' Booklist; 'If Stephen King had written Lord of the Flies, it might have been a little like this' Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review) 'I Love this book' - Stephen King, bestselling author"

Hell

Jeffrey Archer

'The sun is shining through the bars of my window on what must be a glorious summer day. I've been incarcerated in a cell five paces by three for twelve and a half hours, and will not be let out again until midday; eighteen and a half hours of solitary confinement. There is a child of seventeen in the cell below me who has been charged with shoplifting - his first offence, not even convicted - and he is being locked up for eighteen and a half hours, unable to speak to anyone. This is Great Britain in the twenty-first century, not Turkey, not Nigeria, not Kosovo, but Britain.' On Thursday 19 July 2001, after a perjury trial lasting seven weeks, Jeffrey Archer was sentenced to four years in jail. He was to spend the first twenty-two days and fourteen hours in HMP Belmarsh, a double A-Category high-security prison in South London, which houses some of Britain's most violent criminals. This is the author's daily record of the time he spent there.

Review

"They've now supplied me with a Bic razor...I consider cutting my throat, but the thought of failure and having to return to that awful hospital wing is enough to put anyone off."

Worth Dying For

Lee Child

And Thereby Hangs a Tale

Jeffrey Archer

International bestselling author Jeffrey Archer has spent the last five years gathering spellbinding stories from around the globe. These fifteen brand-new tales showcase Archer’s talent for capturing an unforgettable moment in time, whether tragic, comic, or outrageous.

In India, Jamwal and Nisha fall in love while waiting for a traffic light to turn green on the streets of Delhi.

From Germany comes “A Good Eye,” the tale of a priceless oil painting that has remained in the same family for over two hundred years, until...

To the Channel Islands and “Members Only,” where a golf ball falls out of a Christmas cracker, and a young man’s life will never be the same...

To Italy and “No Room at the Inn,” where a young man who is trying to book a room at a hotel ends up in bed with the receptionist, unaware that she...

To England, where, in “High Heels,” a woman has to explain to her husband why a pair of designer shoes couldn’t have gone up in flames...

Some of these stories will make you laugh while others will bring you to tears but, once again, every one of them will demand that you keep turning the page until you finally discover what happens to this remarkable cast of characters.

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Archer assembles 15 more of the clever stories for which he is known. They are split between tales of trickery, as with "Stuck on You," where an eager young man is played by a diamond thief, and decidedly sentimental stories, such as "Members Only," about a man who wants nothing more than to join a private country club. Archer marks with an asterisk stories that are based on true incidents (10 in this collection), and whether it is the weight of credibility these stories' genesis lends or if the author works better with some starting material, the entirely imagined stories are also the weakest. "Politically Correct" never gets out of the shallows in its attempt to be provocative, and "Better the Devil You Know," with its evil executive making a deal with the devil (aka Mr. De Ath), is silly even for this author, who usually writes with a winningly light touch. Still, Archer's writing exudes a certain charm and is mostly satisfying. His trademark twists--sometimes a surprise to the reader, sometimes not--and genial tone will endear these mostly cozy stories to his many fans.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Like Cat O’ Nine Tales (2007), Archer‘s latest collection of short fiction features stories based (sometimes rather loosely, we suspect) on true incidents or people. Of the 15 stories, 10, we’re told, are based on “known incidents,” which means, for example, that something similar to the very clever method of stealing jewelry described in “Stuck on You” might actually have been tried. Or that someone like Benny, the too-clever-for-his-own-good prison stoolie, might really have sentenced himself to a life of looking over his shoulder. Aside from the fact that they’re marked with an asterisk, it’s hard to tell the true(-ish) stories from the outright fictional ones: in all of them, Archer creates engaging characters and puts them into situations that range from tragic to comic to, well . . . a little strange. Once again we have ample proof that Archer is as proficient with short stories as he is with novels. --David Pitt

The War of Two Queens

Jennifer L. Armentrout

From the desperation of golden crowns…

Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.

And born of mortal flesh…

Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.

A great primal power rises…

Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.

As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.

1873 Press

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