The aftermath of war & the slow dawning of a new era of freedom & opportunity shape the destinies of the Cazalets in the final volume of this magnificent family saga. Polly Clary & Louise now grown up are ready to discover the truth about the adult world. While Rupert Hugh & Edward must make the choices that will decide their own -- & the family's -- future. For the Cazalets & all those close to them one end is another beginning.. . Casting off is the fourth & final volume of The Cazalet Chronicle. Read from the beginning of the series: The Light Years Marking Time & Confusion. ...

Flynn is making every effort to stay in control of his hot temper while River feels more content than she's ever been. Together the two of them make big plans for the future but powerful secrets lurk in the shadows ready to threaten their happiness. ...

Kafkas final novel was written during 1922 when the tuberculosis that was to kill him was already at an advanced stage. Fragmentary & unfinished it perhaps never could have been finished; perhaps the tensions between K. the Castle & the village K.s struggle for acceptance or recognition by the mysterious Castle authorities or by the people of the village never will & never can be resolved. Like much of Kafkas work The Castle is enigmatic & polyvalent. Is it an allegory of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian Empire as it disintegrates into modern nation states or a quasi-feudal system giving way to a new freedom for the subject? Is it the search by a central European Jew for acceptance & integration into a dominant culture? Is it a spiritual quest for grace or salvation or an individuals struggle between his sense of independence & his need for approval? Is K. is an opportunist a victim or an outsider battling against an elusive authority? Is the Castle a benign source of authority or a whimsical system of control? Like K. the reader is presented with conflicting perspectives that rehearse the existential dilemmas & uncertainties of literary modernity. ...

Beginning with their introduction in the eleventh century & ending with their widespread abandonment in the seventeenth Marc Morris explores many of the country's most famous castles as well as some spectacular lesser-known examples. At times this is an epic tale driven by characters like William the Conqueror King John & Edward I full of sieges & conquest on an awesome scale. But it is also by turns an intimate story of less eminent individuals whose adventures struggles & ambitions were reflected in the fortified residences they constructed. Be it ever so grand or ever so humble a castle was first & foremost a home. To understand castles
- who built them who lived in them & why
- is to understand the forces that shaped medieval Britain.

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A magical Arabian Nights tale from the captivating creator of fantasy Diana Wynne Jones. The dazzling sequel to Howls Moving Castle now a major animated film. Far to the south in the Land of Ingary lives a young carpet merchant called Abdullah. In his dreams he is the long-lost son of a great prince. This dream is a complete castle in the air...or is it? Abdullahs day-dreams suddenly start to come true when he meets the exquisite Flower-in-the-Night daughter of the ferocious Sultan of Zanzib. Fate has destined them for each other but a bad-tempered genie a hideous djinn & various villanous bandits have their own ideas. When Flower-in-the-Night is carried off Abdullah is determined to rescue her
- if he can find her.
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A group of travellers chance to meet first in a castle then a tavern. Their powers of speech are magically taken from them & instead they have only tarot cards with which to tell their stories. What follows is an exquisite interlinking of narratives & a fantastic surreal & chaotic history of all human consciousness. ...

On the day of his wedding Conrad heir to the house of Otranto is killed in mysterious circumstances. His calculating father Manfred fears that his dynasty will now come to an end & determines to marry his sons bride himself despite the fact he is already married. But a series of terrifying supernatural omens soon threaten this unlawful union as the curse placed on Manfreds ancestor who usurped the lawful Prince of Otranto begins to unfold. First published pseudonymously in 1764 purporting to be an ancient Italian text from the time of the crusades The Castle of Otranto is a founding work of Gothic fiction. With its compelling blend of sinister portents tempestuous passions & ghostly visitations it spawned an entire literary tradition & influenced such writers as Ann Radcliffe & Bram Stoker. ...

No clue about why the Queen vanished had ever been found. Until now..." The day Charlie discovers a scrap of paper that could solve the dark mystery of her mothers disappearance her world changes. Forever. Charlie & her friend Toby must race against time on a dangerous mission to uncover the sinister truth. But in this shadowy world of secrets & lies there is more to fear than they can possibly imagine..." ...

BOOK 4 OF THE BELGARIAD the worldwide bestselling fantasy series by master storyteller David Eddings. Discover the epic story that inspired thousands
- from Raymond Feist's The Riftwar Cycle series to George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. Fate gives no choice... Slay or be slain... The Orb is regained the quest near its end. Garion & his companions have only to reach Riva & return the Orb to allow peace to reign once more. But fate still has a card to play for Garion. & it is his life that must be gambled...
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During the 1790s with Ireland in political crisis Maria Edgeworth made a surprisingly rebellious choice: in Castle Rackrent her first novel she adopted an Irish Catholic voice to narrate the decline of a family from her own Anglo-Irish class. Castle Rackrent's narrator Thady Quirk gives us four generations of Rackrent heirs
- Sir Patrick the dissipated spendthrift; Sir Murtagh the litigating fiend; Sir Kit the brutal husband & gambling absentee; & Sir Condy the lovable & improvident dupe of Thady's own son Jason. With this satire on Anglo-Irish landlords Edgeworth pioneered the regional novel & inspired Sir Walter Scott's Waverly (1814). She also changed the focus of conflict in Ireland from religion to class & boldly predicted the rise of the Irish Catholic Bourgeoisie. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more.
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