Boy Of Fire And Earth

Wahid’s father was a textile merchant in Karachi. His mother, however, is a djinn. Growing up in a city rife with corrupt cops and religious extremists can be challenging, and it gets downright dangerous once the djinns start hunting Wahid. To survive beings made of smokeless fire, women with feet turned the wrong way, and a violent terrorist sent to kill him, Wahid has to turn to the devil himself for help. But can Iblis be trusted? What starts as a quest to save the soul of the girl he loves, ends up on the road to the dark heart of Pakistan’s nuclear fears, and the coming of the Islamic apocalypse. Islamic mythology blended with South Asian urban horror, Sami Shah’s epic novel is filled with vivid insights into life in Pakistan, and a whole new pantheon of mythical creatures. Boy of Fire and Earth brings together Sami Shah’s Fire Boy and Earth Boy into one unputdownable volume. Praise for Sami Shah ‘His characters — human and otherwise — are skilfully drawn, and the vibrant streets of Karachi are vividly brought to life.’ —Maxine Beneba Clarke ‘Captivating. Sami Shah’s imagination is a place of wonder and terror.’ —Kamila Shamsie ‘Bold, compelling fantasy with a truly original setting.’ —Saladin Ahmed ‘I was enchanted by his lyrical and atmospheric prose — he brings the streets of Karachi to life with a deft hand, ancient folklore colliding with the modern internet age.’ —Kylie Chan

A darkly melancholic tale that combines Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Camus’s The Fall set in Tokyo—Nakamura’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel, one of Japan’s most prestigious literary awards, is the here translated into English for the first time and marks another high-water mark in this important writer’s career. The Akutagawa Prize-Winning Novel As an unnamed Tokyo taxi driver works a night shift, picking up fares that offer him glimpses into the lives of ordinary people, he can’t escape his own nihilistic thoughts. Almost without meaning to, he puts himself in harm’s way; he can’t stop daydreaming of suicide, envisioning himself returning to the earth in obsessive fantasies that soon become terrifying blackout episodes. The truth is, his long-estranged father has tried to reach out to him, triggering a cascade of traumatic memories. As the cab driver wrestles with the truth about his past and the history of violence in his childhood, he must also confront his present, which is no less complicated or grim. A precursor to Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist The Thief, The Boy in the Earth is a closely told character study that poses a difficult question: Are some lives so damaged they are beyond redemption? Is every child worth trying to save? A poignant and thought-provoking tour de force by one of Japan’s leading literary voices.

When a young boy in search of joy asks the Earth where he can find happiness, the Earth responds and agrees to show him the way. The boy rushes excitedly through the landscapes that make the Earth most proud--the ocean, the cliffs, the forest, the desert, the mountains, and the top of the world. But the boy soon realizes happiness is much harder to find than he expected.

Meet Merlin. He's Lucy's bright, beautiful son – who just happens to be autistic. Since Merlin's father left them in the lurch, Lucy has made Merlin the centre of her world. Struggling with the joys and tribulations of raising her adorable yet challenging child (if only Merlin came with operating instructions), Lucy doesn't have room for any other man in her life. By the time Merlin turns ten, Lucy is seriously worried that the Pope might start ringing her up for tips on celibacy, so resolves to dip a toe back into the world of dating. Thanks to Merlin's candour and quirkiness, things don't go quite to plan... Then, just when Lucy's resigned to singledom once more, Archie – the most imperfectly perfect man for her and her son – lands on her doorstep. But then, so does Merlin's father, begging for a second chance. Does Lucy need a real father for Merlin – or a real partner for herself? Praise for Kathy Lette: 'Fabulous, fast-paced, funny & unapologetically female. Nobody does it better.' DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE, THE GUILTY FEMINIST 'Deliciously rude and darkly funny, but with compassion and humanity at its heart. Read with relish.' NICOLE KIDMAN 'Kathy Lette can turn from raunchy farce to the most tender emotion in a trice.' STEPHEN FRY

Journeying to the world of djinns was never going to be easy; Wahid just didn't know it would be this hard. Is his travelling companion - the Devil called Iblis - a worthy friend, or a sinister enemy? And what manner of underworld beast will assault them next as they look for the soul of Maheen? Whatever the answers are, Wahid sure isn't in Karachi anymore. And if he fails, we will all fall to the coming of ... Dajjal. Earth Boy takes the fast pace of Fire Boy up a notch, delivering a stunning climax but also a meditation on what it means to grow up.

A novel of extraordinary power from a writer to watch. In a small flat in London, a young man is turning to gold. But before he dies, before his skin and eyes and tongue harden into a golden death mask, he wants to share the amazing story of his life. Born and raised on the barren Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, his childhood is a brutal one, devoid of tenderness. It is a miracle when he meets Tracy, falls in love, and discovers his true gift: the merest touch of him is enough to induce visions of angels and orchids. The physical heights he is able to reach-and to which he can bring others-go far beyond any normal sensual pleasure. Armed with this inexplicable talent, he makes his way to London, where he falls in with a group of teens forced to make a living on the street. Luke Sutherland's modern-day myth about the power of love veers from stratosphere to gutter, from visions of heaven to the all-too-mortal yearning for even one glimpse of it. With Venus as a Boy Sutherland has written a moving, poetic novel that manages to imbue the harsh realities of life on the street with a mesmerizing and ethereal beauty.

The ultimate tale of New Zealand's forgotten war -- Malaya 1948 -- and two men's linked destinies, foretold by horoscope and forged in battle. the conflict in Malaysia during and after World War two, as seen from the perspectives of a Kiwi soldier (Peter) and a Chinese Malay freedom fighter (Ng). Against a background of culture clash and political and individual conflicts, two young men are drawn inexorably together as victims and products of the Malay conflict. Will events or their deeper selves guide them when their backs are against the wall? An action-packed, compelling, and ultimately moving book about a war that in which New Zealand participated, but which has not been written about.

Continues the adventures of Kamandi as he makes his way across the wastelands of Earth, where man has turned savage and animals are the masters.