Why is everyone so afraid of the castle on the hill & what dark secrets lurk inside its walls? When flashing lights are seen in a distant tower Philip Dinah Lucy-Ann & Jack decide to investigate -- & discover a very sinister plot concealed within its hidden rooms & gloomy underground passages. ...

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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No British statesman of the nineteenth century reached the same level of international fame as Lord Castlereagh or won as much respect from the great powers of Europe or America. Yet no British statesman has been so maligned by his contemporaries or hated by the public. His career took him from the brutal suppression of a bloody rebellion in Ireland to the splendour of Vienna & Paris. He imprisoned his former friends abolished the Irish parliament created the biggest British army in history & redrew the map of Europe. At a time when the West turns from idealism to realism in its foreign policy Castlereaghs reputation is being revived. Yet neither his detractors nor his defenders have truly understood this shy inarticulate but sometimes passionate man. In this book John Bew tells the story of Castlereagh from the French Revolution through the Irish rebellion the Napoleonic Wars the diplomatic power struggles of 1814-5 & the mental breakdown that ended his life. John Bew paints a magisterial portrait not only of his subject but the tumultuous times in which he acted. Rather than the tyrant of legend Castlereagh was a man whose mind captured the complexity of the European Enlightenment as much as any other. His mind was conservative & enlightened at the same time
- & no less the one for being the other.
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Orpahned & besieged Princess Alesandra knew that only hasty marriage to an Englishman could protect her from the turmoil in her own l&. To the amusement of her makeshift guardian Colin younger brother of the Marquess of Cainwood the bold raven-haired beauty instantly captivated London society. But when Alesandra was nearly abducted by her unscrupulous countrymen the fighting instincts that won Colin a knighthood for valor were kindled. Deceiving himself that he wanted only to protect her Colin swept her into a union meant to be a marriage in name alone... yet Alesandras tender first kiss & hesitant caress ignited a wildfire in his soul. As the lovely princess dashed headlong into unforseen dangers Colin would follow knowing he must claim her as his own forever. Now he would risk life itself before he would lose this sweet tempestuous angel. ...

Wales a small country is littered with the relics of war
- Iron Age forts Roman ruins medieval castles & the coastal forts of
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Castles in the Air is a beautifully written autobiographical story of rescuing an ancient mansion. Gwydir Castle was inhabited by ravers & rats until Judy Corbett & her husband Peter Welford found & acquired this 500-year-old house mouldering in the foothills of Snowdonia. Despite the toads strange smells & squatters they decided to mortgage themselves to the hilt to bring the castle back to life. This is an evocatively written & genuinely moving book & is infused with an extraordinary sense of place. The couples adventures in a gothic wonderland lead them through plots both supernatural & historical. In a museum storeroom in a Bronx warehouse they find a missing room in the castles Solar Tower the ghost of a young woman appears & from the far edges of the woods a silent man called Sven emerges to befriend the couple & their beloved castle. For everyone who has ever wanted to live in a glorious house or escape from the mundanity of life
- Castles in the Air is pure magic.
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To many medieval castles are the essence of Britain & Irelands fascinating past. Immersed in history & centuries old each one tells a story of Kings Queens & feuding lords; war & bloody conflict; treason revenge & murder. In Castles of Britain & Ireland Rodney Castleden weaves a fascinating & detailed narrative of 115 of the grandest & most historically significant castles in the British Isles including Balmoral in Scotland Bunratty in Ireland Caernarfon in Wales & St Michaels Mount in Engl&. As well as the details of the construction function & often the destruction of these magnificent buildings each chapter also tells the human stories behind these ancient walls with fascinating details of everyday life within. ...