Autumn S Light

Springs and Autumns is a compelling novel that chronicles, through the voices of several family members, the intriguing history of an extended Majorcan family. The novel is set in Orlandis (a fictional version of Porcel's hometown) on the island of Majorca. Even though the novel rises from this specific, exotic island setting, Springs and Autumns ultimately appeals to universal human emotions. Although the entire novel takes place as the family gathers at Taltavull Hall for a Christmas Eve dinner, the reader is conveyed to places as far away as South America and Asia, learning along the way about murder, love, rape, incest, travel, discovery, regret, and forgiveness.

By the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas | Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize In 2007, Time magazine named him one of the most influential novelists in the world. He has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. The New York Times Book Review called him simply “a genius.” Now David Mitchell lends fresh credence to The Guardian’s claim that “each of his books seems entirely different from that which preceded it.” The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a stunning departure for this brilliant, restless, and wildly ambitious author, a giant leap forward by even his own high standards. A bold and epic novel of a rarely visited point in history, it is a work as exquisitely rendered as it is irresistibly readable. The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the “high-walled, fan-shaped artificial island” that is the Japanese Empire’s single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay; the farthest outpost of the war-ravaged Dutch East Indies Company; and a de facto prison for the dozen foreigners permitted to live and work there. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, costly courtesans, earthquakes, and typhoons comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout and resourceful young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland. But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured daughter of a samurai doctor and midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken. The consequences will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings. As one cynical colleague asks, “Who ain’t a gambler in the glorious Orient, with his very life?” A magnificent mix of luminous writing, prodigious research, and heedless imagination, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is the most impressive achievement of its eminent author. Praise for The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet “A page-turner . . . [David] Mitchell’s masterpiece; and also, I am convinced, a masterpiece of our time.”—Richard Eder, The Boston Globe “An achingly romantic story of forbidden love . . . Mitchell’s incredible prose is on stunning display. . . . A novel of ideas, of longing, of good and evil and those who fall somewhere in between [that] confirms Mitchell as one of the more fascinating and fearless writers alive.”—Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review “The novelist who’s been showing us the future of fiction has published a classic, old-fashioned tale . . . an epic of sacrificial love, clashing civilizations and enemies who won’t rest until whole family lines have been snuffed out.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post “By any standards, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a formidable marvel.”—James Wood, The New Yorker “A beautiful novel, full of life and authenticity, atmosphere and characters that breathe.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

Despite the sting of Yan Wushi's betrayal fresh on his heart, Shen Qiao rushes to save him from certain death only to arrive a moment too late--or so it seems. As rumor of Yan Wushi's demise spreads far and wide, the winds of change stir across the land. Meanwhile, Shen Qiao seeks to heal Yan Wushi's grave injuries, and realizes that his understanding of the Demon Lord runs only skin-deep. Yet fate does not allow the pair to remain idle for long. When an old friend reveals his true nature, Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi have no choice but to aid him on a perilous mission. Only this time, humans aren't the only monsters to fear.

Having saved Yuwen Song from war-torn Chang'an, Shen Qiao helps him start a new life training at Bixia Sect. Yet everyone's got their demons, and it's not long before Shen Qiao's own mischievous Demon Lord, Yan Wushi, appears. Meanwhile, Bixia Sect buzzes with news of a chance to gain honor, prestige, and a swelling in ranks at the upcoming Sword Trial Conference. Yet not all who gather hold noble desires. Under the cover of night, Shen Qiao is warned of rising tensions that threaten to turn the Conference into a bloodbath! Will Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao make it out unscathed? A fateful battle awaits!

Yan Wushi, leader of the demonic Huanyue sect, is a master cultivator, a brilliant strategist, and an incurable cynic. In his philosophy, every human heart is ruled by cruelty and selfishness. Anyone who believes otherwise is either a liar or a fool. Enter the humble Shen Qiao, leader of the Daoist sect at Xuandu Mountain. He is both gracious and charitable, and exactly the type of do-gooder that Yan Wushi despises. When Shen Qiao suffers a shocking loss in a duel and is left for dead, Yan Wushi happens upon him and concocts a plan to teach him about the wretchedness of humanity. He'll take Shen Qiao under his wing, test the limits of his faith, and lure him into demonic cultivation. After all, it is easy to remain righteous atop a mountain peak that touches the heavens. But a thousand autumns toiling on the blood-soaked earth will break any man.