In Search Of Small Gods

Harrison, one of America's most celebrated writers, is considered "a renegade genius" for his poetry.

Brutha, a simple man leading a quiet life tending his garden, finds his life irrevocably changed when his god, speaking to him through a tortoise, sends him on a mission of peace.

When days of peace approach their end… Without knowing the consequences, the royal siblings unwittingly put into motion an ancient plot destined to bring the return of the banished Small Gods. When Danya spoke the words on the long-forgotten scroll, the countdown began. And wounds inflicted are too deep to mend… A mysterious healer brought Teryk back from the brink of death, but at what cost? Could he still be the firstborn of the rightful king meant to prevent the fall of man? A Barren Mother… Rescued from a place she never imagined herself in, she still struggles to find her way without sight, without help. But worst of all, without faith. The Seed of Life… Hidden in a pouch at the princess’ hip, it speaks to her. But if she doesn’t understand what it says, how can she fulfill her part of destiny? Living statue… The ominous golem has found that for which it searched. The first ingredient for the return of Those Who Watch From the Sky is nearly complete and man’s time is drawing to its end. One must die to raise them all… The Evenstar’s patience grows thin, for soon the stars will fall, and then night will descend. Then he will rule again.

Evil courses through the land, seeking to choke the roots sprouting from the Seed of Life and destroy humanity’s last shred of hope. The Evenstar has returned, and with him comes the rise of the Small Gods. When armies amass at Ikkundana, the City of the Sick prepares for the final battle. But where is the firstborn child of the rightful king, the one prophesied to save humankind? Who will save the kingdom? A sailor. A child. A once great warrior now a shadow of himself. None can stand against the invincible statue, nor hope to turn the tide of a war waged against the gods.

Worshipping Small Gods is the follow-up to Richard Parks' World Fantasy Award finalist debut collection, The Ogre's Wife -- containing fourteen stories, three of which are original to this volume, and all created with the same philosophy- follow where the story leads, and face whatever comes. These destinations range from comic zen parables as in the title story, "Worshiping Small Gods," to the darkest depths of the human heart as in "Voices in an Empty Room." Whether dark fantasy, comedy, near future sf or wry contemporary fantasy, these stories all share that same insight and honesty...

The first general nonfiction title in thirty years from a giant of American letters, The Search for the Genuine is a sparkling, definitive collection of Jim Harrison's essays and journalism—some never before published New York Times–bestselling author Jim Harrison (1937–2016) was a writer with a poet’s economy of style and a trencherman’s appetites. Praised as a “national treasure” (Chicago Tribune) and published in twenty-seven languages, he was one of this country’s most beloved and critically acclaimed authors. Best known for his poetry and fiction such as Legends of the Fall, Dalva, and Returning to Earth, Harrison was also a prolific nonfiction writer, with columns running in Sports Illustrated and Esquire, and work in Outside, Field & Stream, and others. The first collection of Harrison’s general nonfiction in thirty years, The Search for the Genuine is a sparkling, definitive volume of essays and journalism—from the near-classic to the never-published. With his trademark ribald humor, compassion, and full-throated zest for life, The Search for the Genuine pays tribute to writers from Bukowski to Neruda to Peter Matthiessen, and examines the distance between literary reputation and the work itself; he attains something like satori in the field hunting grouse; he reports on Yellowstone for the park’s hundredth anniversary, when he was merely a tourist to the part of Montana he would eventually call home; he takes to the open sea in pursuit of roosterfish, marlin, tarpon, and, once, to observe a scientific mission tagging sharks; he delivers a heartbreaking essay on life—and, for those attempting to cross in the ever-more dangerous gaps, death—on the US-Mexico border. Always he comes back to the spirit and to connection with the natural world and the people who sustained him; throughout the book his feeling for the American landscape rings out. Lovingly introduced by acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist Luis Alberto Urrea, The Search for the Genuine is a feast that captures a lifetime of reading, writing, and living to the fullest, from a true “American original” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Teryk hated the boredom of being prince, sheltered and protected from the outside world. He yearned for action and adventure, like the heroes of yore, like his father, the king. When he stumbled on an ancient scroll inscribed with a prophecy, he got everything he craved, and so much more than he bargained for. The scroll speaks of non-sensical things--a barren mother, Small Gods, a Man From Across the Sea--all things that can't exist, or only do so in children's stories. All of it means nothing to the prince except one thing: the Firstborn Child of the Rightful King is prophesied to save them kingdom. He is King Errol's first born child. He sees this as his opportunity to show the king he is worthy to be his heir, to prove his worth to a father who never cared. Bolstered by the words written on the parchment, Teryk sets out to fulfil his destiny, never expecting his deeds are the catalyst to set the prophecy in motion. An ancient evil that has waited a thousand years for revenge awakens, summoning its followers to hasten its return. Only the unwitting prince stands between them and the end of the world.

Brutha is a simple lad. He can't read or write, but he's pretty good at growing melons, and his wants are few. He wants peace and justice and brotherly love, but most of all he wants his god, who's currently in the shape of a tortoise, to choose someone else.