Showing results by author "Katherine Arden" in All Categories

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden, read by Kathleen Gati. For a young woman in medieval Russia, the choices are stark: marriage or a life in a convent. Vasya will choose a third way: magic.... The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power struggles and rumours of unrest. Meanwhile, bandits roam the countryside, burning the villages and kidnapping its daughters.

After suffering a tragic loss, 11-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think—she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man", a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price.

Moscow is in flames, leaving its people searching for answers - and someone to blame. Vasilisa, a girl with extraordinary gifts, must flee for her life, pursued by those who blame their misfortune on her magic. Then a vengeful demon returns, stronger than ever. Determined to engulf the world in chaos, he finds allies among men and spirits. Mankind and magical creatures alike find their fates resting on Vasya's shoulders. But she may not be able to save them all.

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of Northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, the father hides the gift away, and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.

Take a trip to a terrifying carnival and uncover the secrets within, solve a mysterious puzzle box and await your reward, join a travelling circus and witness the strangest ventriloquist act you've ever seen. In this follow-up to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology, you'll unearth curses old and new. From a very different take on Snow White, to a new interpretation of The Red Shoes, the best in fantasy spin straw into gold, and invite you into the labyrinth.

January 1918. Laura Iven has been discharged from her duties as a nurse and sent back to Halifax, Canada, leaving behind a brother still fighting in the trenches of the First World War. Now home, she receives word of Freddie's death in action along with his uniform -but something doesn't quite make sense. November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped under an overturned pillbox with an enemy soldier, a German, each of them badly wounded. Against all odds, the two men form a bond and succeed in clawing their way out.

It’s been three months since Ollie made a daring deal with the smiling man to save those she loved, and then vanished without a trace. The smiling man promised Coco, Brian and Phil, that they’d have a chance to save her, but as time goes by, they begin to worry that the smiling man has lied to them and Ollie is gone forever. But finally, a clue surfaces. A boy who went missing at a nearby traveling carnival appears at the town swimming hole, terrified and rambling. He tells anyone who'll listen about the mysterious man who took him.

Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian's family's inn and a boom sounds at the door, there's just one visitor it could be. Only, there's no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as - S.

Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire. Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening.

Daisy’s favorite month is October. She loves the woodsmoke, pumpkins, cider, and most importantly, the fair. This year, after winning a carnival game, she’s given a fish to take home as her prize.

In einem Dorf am Rande der Wildnis, weit im Norden Russlands, wo der Wind kalt bläst und der Schnee viele Monate des Jahres fällt, erzählt die alte Dienerin Dunja den Kindern des Grundbesitzers Pjotr Wladimirowitch Geschichten über Zauberei, Folklore und den Winterkönig mit den frostblauen Augen - verbotene Geschichten über eine uralte Magie. Doch für die junge, wilde Wasja sind dies weit mehr als Märchen. Sie allein kann die Geister sehen, die ihr Zuhause beschützen. Und sie allein spürt, dass sich in den Wäldern eine dunkle Magie erhebt...

Au plus froid de l'hiver, Vassia adore par-dessus tout écouter, avec ses frères et sa sœur, les contes de Dounia, la vieille servante. Et plus particulièrement celui de Gel, ou Morozko, le démon aux yeux bleus, le roi de l'hiver. Mais, pour Vassia, ces histoires sont bien plus que cela. En effet, elle est la seule de la fratrie à voir les esprits protecteurs de la maison, à entendre l'appel insistant des sombres forces nichées au plus profond de la forêt.

Un incendie vient de ravager la ville de Moscou. Le grand prince est fou de rage et les habitants exigent des explications. Tous cherchent un bouc émissaire et Vassia, dotée d'étranges pouvoirs, fait une coupable idéale. Le père Konstantin aiguillonne la vindicte populaire pendant que Vassia cherche à réconcilier le monde des humains et celui des créatures magiques.

La cour du grand-prince, à Moscou, est gangrenée par les luttes de pouvoir. Pendant ce temps, dans les campagnes, d'invisibles bandits incendient les villages, tuent les paysans et kidnappent les fillettes. Le prince Dimitri Ivanovitch n'a donc d'autre choix que de partir à leur recherche s'il ne veut pas que son peuple finisse par se rebeller. En chemin, sa troupe croise un mystérieux jeune homme chevauchant un cheval digne d'un noble seigneur. Le seul à reconnaître le garçon est un prêtre, Sacha.

Mosca è in preda alle fiamme, e per salvarsi Vasja deve fuggire via, inseguita da tutti coloro che la accusano di morte e distruzione. Raggiunge così il regno della Mezzanotte, una terra magica fatta di ogni mezzanotte passata, presente e futura. Ma rimanere lì sarebbe una condanna a morte per tutta la sua famiglia e per le sue terre... Intanto il Gran Principe di Mosca è in preda alla rabbia e alla frustrazione, e sceglie alleati che lo condurranno su un percorso di guerra e rovina.

Orfana e sola, costretta ad abbandonare il suo villaggio, Vasja dovrà rassegnarsi a trascorrere la vita in un convento o a permettere alla sorella maggiore di darla in sposa a un principe moscovita. Entrambe le strade la condannano a una vita in una torre, tagliata fuori dal vasto mondo che invece desidera esplorare. Così sceglie una terza via: travestendosi da ragazzo cavalca attraverso il bosco per sfuggire a un destino che altri hanno scritto per lei. A Mosca, intanto, la corte imperiale è scossa da lotte di potere e tumulti.

In uno sperduto villaggio ai confini della tundra russa, l'inverno dura la maggior parte dell'anno e i cumuli di neve crescono più alti delle case. Ma a Vasilisa e ai suoi fratelli non importa, perché adorano trascorrere le notti riuniti accanto al fuoco, ascoltando le fiabe della loro balia. Vasya ama soprattutto la storia di Frost, il demone invernale dagli occhi blu, che appare nelle notti gelide per reclamare le anime incaute. Per questa ragione i saggi russi lo temono e onorano gli spiriti affinché proteggano le loro case dal male.