Spell of Catastrophe


Book Description

The fantastical Dance of Gods series kicks off with “a huge blast of action . . . leaving the reader breathless but satisfied” (Kliatt). In a world of magic, where computers and nanotechnology are long gone, where thoughtless gods struggle for power with little regard for those below, one unlucky man must make some tough decisions . . . Maximillian the Vaguely Disreputable isn’t sure what’s going on in the village of Roosing Oolvaya. Someone—probably a god—has trapped Max’s friend, the Great Karlini, in a castle that keeps trying to move at the most inconvenient times, and naturally it’s up to Max to figure out how to spring him. But the gods throwing their weight around in Roosing Oolvaya are more than Max bargained for, and soon he’s caught between necromancers, working with a detective named the Creeping Sword, and even dancing with Death itself in a desperate attempt to save the city from catastrophe. “A generally humorous and entertaining piece.” —Science Fiction Chronicle “An enjoyable book. The characters have a sense of who they are and can laugh at their own foibles. The action moves swiftly.” —Locus “Another bit of good reading . . . Plenty of action, likeable characters, plot twists galore a light-hearted humorous style and some pretty good lines.” —Out of This World Tribune & Niekas




Catastrophe's Spell


Book Description

Only Maximillian the Vaguely Disreputable could track down the being who has kidnapped the Great Karlini in a bespelled castle. Soon Max finds himself caught up in a war between Death Gods, necromancers, and a sorcerer/detective.




Spell of Apocalypse


Book Description

“Plenty of adventure and a dollop of humor” spark the final fantasy in this “intriguing and delightfully funny series” by the author of Spell of Fate (Locus). When the Great Karlini’s laboratory catches on fire, Maximillian the Vaguely Disreputable knows it’s a sign of bad things to come. The last battle between gods and mortals is looming; before it does, certain answers must come to light. Just who is the Creeping Sword? Will Shaa free himself from the curse his brother inflicted upon him? And most important of all, who will be left standing? The Dance of Gods concludes in a fast-paced final movement. “This is a charming, lighthearted fantasy. The gods are so klutzy and the magic is so ill-fated that the reader smiles through dungeons, fire and death . . . The action is non-stop and always exciting. The final fight is a doozy . . . An amusing climax in which all story lines from the earlier volumes come to a conclusion.” —Voya “Zany, entertaining reading for anyone who enjoyed the first three books of the Dance of Gods series.” —Kliatt “Wild and woolly adventure abounding with inept sorcery, strange gods and downright funny fantasy.” —Rave Reviews Book Club




Spell of Intrigue


Book Description

Fantasy takes a “zany and very, very clever” turn in the second Dance of Gods adventure from the author of Spell of Catastrophe (Kliatt). The port town of Oolsmouth used to be a quiet, peaceful trading city. But with Maximillian the Vaguely Disreputable, Shaa, the Great Karlini, and the Creeping Sword all about to converge there, it seems unlikely to stay that way. The usual power struggles—gods vs. mortals vs. gods-know-who in the everlasting Dance of Gods—are brewing in Oolsmouth, and tension is building. But the ship carrying Shaa and the Great Karlini into town has been hijacked, the Creeping Sword has already missed the boat (literally), and Max has taken a detour to try to discover the secrets of a hopefully long-dead sorcerer. These delays have got everyone wondering: will they make it to Oolsmouth in time for the showdown? More importantly: do they want to? “A lot of confusion, mayhem, action and adventure—but better yet, a sense of the humorous that doesn’t rely on puns.” —Bakka Bookie Sheet “Brenner writes in a quick-paced style which perfectly matches his plot twists . . . A book rich in people, places and complications and one which is enjoyable either by itself or in tandem with the first in the series.” —Quantam




How To Spell Catastrophe


Book Description

'Funny, smart and perfectly paced, I adore this book.' - Nova Weetman Can catastrophe expert Nell McPherson foil her mum's awful plan to blend their family, keep her balance on the wobbly friendship tightrope, and successfully campaign for grade six to strike for climate action? What's the worst thing that could happen? SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHILDREN'S PEACE LITERATURE AWARD 2023 LONGLISTED FOR THE ABDA BOOK DESIGN AWARDS 2023 BEST DESIGNED CHILDREN'S FICTION COVER Praise for How to Spell Catastrophe 'This book sparkles with humour and heart. I absolutely LOVED it. Fiona Wood meets tweens and teens where they are. Her stories deserve a place on every tween bookshelf.' - Rebecca Sparrow




The Witch's Cat and The Cooking Catastrophe


Book Description

"One day, a witch's cat found a dusty old cookbook, and it gave him the most marvellous idea..." The witch has gone out and inspired by the old cookbook, the cat is determined to knock up a super-scrumptious surprise lunch for her. But unfortunately, his enthusiasm far exceeds his cooking abilities, and he carelessly overlooks some rather important information. But hey, what's the worst that could happen? Reviews: "A fabulously charming story with beautiful illustrations. I have a feeling we'll be reading this one again (and again, and again...)" Fran Grant"This is a super book - it's got everything! Magic, potions, a lovely witch, and of course a cheeky cat - and with such beautiful illustrations, it's one that my little ones ask for over and over." Rebecca C "I love this book because it is really funny and made me laugh out loud. I woke up the next day and made a play with my sister, I was the witch and she was the cat. I like how the cat ends up reading her own book about spells, she is a clever cat!". Words from my daughter who was captured by this delightful storybook that has clearly made an impact! Highly recommended read! Kirstie Watson is a gifted author and the illustrations are adorable." Mrs Sumudu Edirisinghe "We love the Witch's Cat - my nearly 3yr old granddaughter asks for it almost every day and knows what's going to happen on every page - she still laughs at each bit though!! This is a really well written and beautifully illustrated story which I thoroughly recommend." Kindle Customer




Spell of Fate


Book Description

The author of Spell of Catastrophe and Spell of Intrigue delivers “a winner . . . An off-the-wall kind of fantasy” in the third Dance of Gods adventure (Interzone). Trouble is converging on the imperial city of Peridol, and whatever dance the gods are planning, Maximillian the Vaguely Disreputable wants to stay out of it. No such luck, though—it’s up to Max and his friends the Great Karlini and the Creeping Sword to unseat the despotic gods, who treat the mortal realm like a giant chess board. But with the gods fighting amongst themselves, no one is going to win this battle anytime soon—until a long-forgotten player re-enters the dance . . . “I was utterly hooked . . . The nearest I can get to the general tenor is The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with magic rings instead of talking pens.” —Interzone “Like riding on a racing carousel.” —Kliatt




The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us from the Void


Book Description

Jackie Wang's magnetic and spellbinding debut collection of poetry that attempts to speak in the language of dreams.In The Sunflower, Wang follows the sunflower's many dream guises-its evolving symbolism in literature, society, and the author's own dream life using a mathopoetic technique to generate poems using the Fibonacci sequence (a pattern found in the seed spirals of sunflower). The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us from the Void embodies what Wang calls oneiric poetry: a poetry that attempts to speak in the language of dreams. Although dreams, in psychoanalytic discourse, have been conceptualized as a window into the unconscious, Wang's poetry emphasizes the social dimension of dreams, particularly the use of dreams to index historical trauma and social processes.




Field Notes from a Catastrophe


Book Description

A new edition of the book that launched Elizabeth Kolbert's career as an environmental writer--updated with three new chapters, making it, yet again, "irreplaceable" (Boston Globe). Elizabeth Kolbert's environmental classic Field Notes from a Catastrophe first developed out of a groundbreaking, National Magazine Award-winning three-part series in The New Yorker. She expanded it into a still-concise yet richly researched and damning book about climate change: a primer on the greatest challenge facing the world today. But in the years since, the story has continued to develop; the situation has become more dire, even as our understanding grows. Now, Kolbert returns to the defining book of her career. She has added a chapter bringing things up-to-date on the existing text, plus three new chapters--on ocean acidification, the tar sands, and a Danish town that's gone carbon neutral--making it, again, a must-read for our moment.




The Bride of Catastrophe


Book Description

The much anticipated and darkly comic first novel from a prize-winning storyteller "I grew up on a farm." The year is l974, the place Sweetwater College, and Beatrice Wolfe is telling the story of her life to the glamorous young professor Philippa Sayres. So begins the achingly funny, often heartbreaking story of Beatrice's double quest to find out who she might be, and to escape the gothic eccentricity of her family. Married in a misbegotten passion, her parents are totally unsuited to any kind of business. The four Wolfe children's lives are ruled by their mother whose larger-than-life demands and fears encircle them in a darkly comic web of contradictions. When their father's ping pong business collapses and he loses their "farm," Bea's family spirals out of control. Bea, under Philippa's romantic spell, joins a lesbian community and is so committed to her new gay identity that she barely notices she's falling in love with a man--a man just risen from the ashes of addiction, whose re-creation of himself she threatens to undo. In The Bride of Catastrophe, Heidi Jon Schmidt explores the magnetic effect of love in all its variations--its power to form and sometimes deform us, to make us who we are.