National bestselling author of the Mithgar novels Dennis L. McKiernan delivers the exhilarating conclusion to his celebrated seasonal fairytale cycle, pitting the heroic couples of the Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn Woods against the ultimate darkness… Once upon a dreadful time, the vile witch Hradian conceives of a plan to set free her master, the wizard Orbane, now trapped in the Castle of Shadows. But her scheme results in unforeseen consequences—threatening not only the world of Faery but that of mortals as well. Rising to challenge this threat, the heroes and heroines of Winterwood, Summerwood, Springwood, and Autumnwood rally humans and Fey alike to a cause that may be lost before it begins. Guided by the enigmatic words of the Fates, the alliance battles the dark forces in a desperate attempt to prevail, only to be driven back, for nothing, it seems, can stop the affliction. And though Time touches not this land of legend, Time itself is a hazard… “Exhibits the author’s unflinching charm and obvious mastery of his art.”—Library Journal

The acclaimed author of the Mithgar novels, Dennis L. McKiernan enchanted fans and critics alike with the bestselling Once Upon a Winter’s Night. Now, this gifted author presents us with a delightfully new version of an age-old tale that fires the imagination and touches the heart… Once upon a summer day, Prince Borel of the Winterwood falls asleep, and a beautiful, golden-haired maiden with a shadowy band across her eyes comes to him in his dreams and pleads for aid. She returns time after time, and the prince is certain that she is real and in deadly peril. Yet he knows not who she is…nor where she is imprisoned. Opposed by witches and trolls and goblins and beings even more dreadful, and aided by a field sprite, Borel begins a desperate quest through the wonders and hazards of Faery, seeking a mysterious masked demoiselle guarded by perilous blades. And though time touches not this land of legend, time is running out… “Superb…charming and magical…McKiernan escorts fantasy lovers into an enchanted place that deserves more tales.”—Midwest Book Review

Falling in love with Celeste, princess of Springwood, Roel finally has a chance at true happiness, until his sister is abducted by a horrific lord with the power to steal the souls he has taken, forcing Roel and his beloved to embark on a desperate odyssey to save his sister before the dark of the moon. Reprint.

Lena has a problem: she is a twelve-year-old giant child, but she is still only the size of a human: rejected by the giant king, she and her enormous talking cat, Rufus, go down to the human world seeking some magic that will restore her to her rightful status; Jin is a twelve-year-old genie, not yet allowed his full powers, and at the moment tied, for two more wishes, to the Golden King, an annoying, nasty tyrant who has sent him on a quest--and when these two children meet all the kingdoms may be changed forever.

The bestselling author of the Mithgar novels presents a new version of a fable that fires the imagination and touches the heart... Once upon a winter's night, a poor crofter trades his daughter Camille to wed Prince Alain of the Summerwood in exchange for a lifetime of riches. Though love blossoms between Camille and the prince, he is haunted by sadness and will not allow her to see his unmasked face. Believing she can lift whatever curse has been bestowed upon him, Camille acts on her own—with devastating results, as all she loves is swept away. Now, to regain what she has lost, she must embark on a desperate quest through the hinterlands of Faery, seeking a mysterious place lycing somewhere east of the sun and west of the moon...

Sweeping across two millennia and every literary genre, acclaimed scholar and biographer Jonathan Bate provides a dazzling introduction to English Literature. The focus is wide, shifting from the birth of the novel and the brilliance of English comedy to the deep Englishness of landscape poetry and the ethnic diversity of Britain's Nobel literature laureates. It goes on to provide a more in-depth analysis, with close readings from an extraordinary scene in King Lear to a war poem by Carol Ann Duffy, and a series of striking examples of how literary texts change as they are transmitted from writer to reader. The narrative embraces not only the major literary movements such as Romanticism and Modernism, together with the most influential authors including Chaucer, Donne, Johnson, Wordsworth, Austen, Dickens and Woolf, but also little-known stories such as the identity of the first English woman poet to be honoured with a collected edition of her works. Written with the flair and passion for which Jonathan Bate has become renowned, this book is the perfect Very Short Introduction for all readers and students of the incomparable literary heritage of these islands. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.