The King Must Die

Author: Mary Renault
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1480432881
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 500

Book Description
New York Times Bestseller: This retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus, king of Athens, is “one of the truly fine historical novels of modern times” (The New York Times). In myth, Theseus was the slayer of the child-devouring Minotaur in Crete. What the founder-hero might have been in real life is another question, brilliantly explored in The King Must Die. Drawing on modern scholarship and archaeological findings at Knossos, Mary Renault’s Theseus is an utterly lifelike figure—a king of immense charisma, whose boundless strivings flow from strength and weakness—but also one steered by implacable prophecy. The story follows Theseus’s adventures from Troizen to Eleusis, where the death in the book’s title is to take place, and from Athens to Crete, where he learns to jump bulls and is named king of the victims. Richly imbued with the spirit of its time, this is a page-turner as well as a daring act of imagination. Renault’s story of Theseus continues with the sequel The Bull from the Sea. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary Renault including rare images of the author.

The End of Oz

Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062423797
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 185

Book Description
In this dark, action-packed fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Amy Gumm travels from Oz to the twisted land of Ev, where she fights to free Oz from evil once and for all. My name is Amy Gumm. You might remember me as the other girl from Kansas. When a tornado swept me away to the magical land of Oz, I was given a mission: Dorothy must die. That’s right, everyone’s favorite Wicked-Witch-slayer had let the magic of Oz corrupt her. She turned evil. So I killed her. But just when we thought it was safe to start rebuilding the damaged land of Oz, we were betrayed. Now I’m following the Road of Yellow Brick as it helps me escape toward the mysterious land of Ev, where the Nome King rules a bleak and angry world. And what I’m about to find is shocking: My original mission may not have been successful. I thought my job was over, but it’s only just beginning. And it’s up to me to foil Dorothy’s plans for revenge—and finally save the land I’ve come to love.

Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062280694
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Book Description
The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark series that reimagines the Oz saga, from debut author Danielle Paige. Start at the beginning and discover your new series to binge! My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman's heart. Steal the Scarecrow's brain. Take the Lion's courage. And—Dorothy must die. I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a road of yellow brick—but even that's crumbling. What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

Oedipus the King

Author: Sophocles
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781700021755
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 106

Book Description
At the outset of the play, Oedipus is the beloved ruler of the city of Thebes, whose citizens have been stricken by a plague. Consulting the Delphic oracle, Oedipus is told that the plague will cease only when the murderer of Queen Jocasta's first husband, King Laius, has been found and punished for his deed. Oedipus resolves to find Laius's killer. His investigation turns into an obsessive reconstruction of his own hidden past when he discovers that the old man he killed when he first approached Thebes as a youth was none other than Laius. At the end, Jocasta hangs herself in shame, and the guilt-stricken Oedipus blinds himself.

The Persian Boy

Author: Mary Renault
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1480432377
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 818

Book Description
A New York Times–bestselling novel of the ancient king of Macedon and his lover by the author Hilary Mantel calls “a shining light.” The Persian Boy centers on the most tempestuous years of Alexander the Great’s life, as seen through the eyes of his lover and most faithful attendant, Bagoas. When Bagoas is very young, his father is murdered and he is sold as a slave to King Darius of Persia. Then, when Alexander conquers the land, he is given Bagoas as a gift, and the boy is besotted. This passion comes at a time when much is at stake—Alexander has two wives, conflicts are ablaze, and plots on the Macedon king’s life abound. The result is a riveting account of a great conqueror’s years of triumph and, ultimately, heartbreak. The Persian Boy is the second volume of the Novels of Alexander the Great trilogy, which also includes Fire from Heaven and Funeral Games. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary Renault including rare images of the author. “Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us.” —Hilary Mantel

Mary Renault

Author: David Sweetman
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN:
Category : Authors, English
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
In her novels The Last of the Wine, The Bull from the Sea and The Persian Boy, Mary Renault wrote so frankly about homosexuality that some readers thought she must be a man. In fact Renault was the pseudonym for Mary Challans, a remarkable and private woman. Born in London, she spent most of her life in South Africa.

The King Must Die

Author: Mary Renault
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780450046032
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description

The Winter King

Author: Bernard Cornwell
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141952121
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 492

Book Description
FROM THE NO. 1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WAR LORD COMES AN EPIC RETELLING OF THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND 'THE BEST King Arthur adaptation I've ever read' 5***** Reader Review 'An absolute winner from the master of historical fiction' 5***** Reader Review 'Outstanding. The best take on the iconic Arthur story I've read or watched' 5***** Reader Review In the Dark Ages, a legendary warrior arises to unite a divided land . . . _________ Uther, the High King of Britain, is dead. His only heir is the infant Mordred. Yet each of the country's lesser kings seek to claim the crown for themselves. While they squabble and spoil for war, a host of Saxon armies gather, preparing for invasion. But no one has counted on the fearsome warlord Arthur. Handed power by Merlin and pursuing a doomed romance with the beautiful Guinevere, Arthur knows he will struggle to unite the country - let alone hold back the Saxon enemy at the gates. Yet destiny awaits him . . . From the epic and bestselling author who has gripped millions. _________ PRAISE FOR BERNARD CORNWELL: 'Strong narrative, vigourous action and striking characterisation, Cornwell remains king of the territory he has staked out as his own' SUNDAY TIMES 'Like Game of Thrones, but real' OBSERVER 'Blood, divided loyalties and thundering battles' THE TIMES 'The best battle scenes of any writer I've ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive' GEORGE R.R. MARTIN 'He's called a master storyteller. Really he's cleverer than that' TELEGRAPH 'A reminder of just how good a writer he is' SUNDAY TIMES 'Nobody in the world does this better than Cornwell' LEE CHILD

The Stand

Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0307743683
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1474

Book Description
A monumentally devastating plague leaves only a few survivors who, while experiencing dreams of a battle between good and evil, move toward an actual confrontation as they migrate to Boulder, Colorado.

Funeral Games

Author: Mary Renault
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 140552622X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 349

Book Description
'The Alexander Trilogy contains some of Renault's finest writing. Lyrical, wise, compelling: the novels are a wonderful imaginative feat' SARAH WATERS In the final novel of her stunning trilogy, Mary Renault vividly imagines the life of Alexander the Great, the charismatic leader whose drive and ambition created a legend. Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India. After Alexander's death in 323 B.C. his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt. For no one possessed the leadership to keep the great empire from crumbling. But Alexander's legend endured to spread into worlds he had seen only in dreams. 'Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us' - HILARY MANTEL 'The Alexander Trilogy stands as one of the most important works of fiction in the 20th century . . . it represents the pinnacle of [Renault's] career . . . Renault's skill is in immersing us in their world, drawing us into its strangeness, its violence and beauty. It's a literary conjuring trick like all historical fiction - it can only ever be an approximation of the truth. But in Renault's hands, the trick is so convincing and passionately conjured' Antonia Senior, The Times