The Familiar is a standalone historical fantasy novel by Leigh Bardugo, published in 2024, set in 17th-century Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. It follows Luzia Cotado, a scullion with hidden magical abilities, who is forced to use her 'little miracles' to navigate the dangerous world of the royal court, political intrigue, and the looming threat of the Inquisition, all while hiding her...

The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men. The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed. The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of strategy, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive. But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his...

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son goodnight and departs to work the night shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying facedown on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks—or the perpetrator’s.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer-naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie. But just when she’s...

Love is as diverse as life and as strong as death. This anthology contains works about love. About madness and passion, tenderness and care, about erotic attraction, friendly affection, responsible partnership, carefree play, painful obsession, about sacrifice and about selfishness. 22 authors will tell you about love in Ukrainian in 24 texts: from Kvitka-Osnovyanenko to our 20s - from...

At first glance, the stories in The New Adventures of Helen seems simple, even child-like, but a deep reading reveals satire and darkness manifested through classic fairy tale tropes characteristically upended by Petrushevskaya. These 'adult fairy tales' ask deep questions about gender, love, history, memory, and the future, taking place in times between history and the now. These stories,...

Сергей Довлатов - один из наиболее популярных и читаемых русских писателей конца ХХ - начала XXI века. Его повести, рассказы и записные книжки переведены на множество языков, экранизированы, изучаются в школе и вузах. «Заповедник», «Зона», «Иностранка», «Наши», «Чемодан» - эти и другие удивительно смешные и пронзительно печальные довлатовские вещи давно стали классикой. «Отморозил пальцы ног...

Guzel Yakhina is the brightest debutante in the history of modern Russian literature, laureate of the Big Book and Yasnaya Polyana prizes, author of the bestselling books Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes and My Children. Her new book Echelon to Samarkand is a travel novel and a kind of 'red eastern'. 1923 year. Echelon chief Deev and commissar Belaya evacuate five hundred street children from Kazan to...

Since its release in 1969, The Godfather has made an indelible mark on American crime fiction. From the mind of master storyteller Mario Puzo, it traces the Corleone family, whose brilliant and brutal portrayal illuminated the violent and seductive allure of power in American society. A tale of family and loyalty, law and order, obedience and rebellion, it has stood the test of time as the...

The last summer before the end of World War II, Walter Proska is posted to a small unit tasked with ensuring the safety of a railway line deep in the forest on the border with Ukraine and Byelorussia. In this swampy region, a handful of men-stunned by the heat, attacked by mosquitoes, and abandoned by their own troops in the face of the resistance-must also submit to the increasingly absurd and...

The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will gather to cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. They are holy men. But they are not immune to the human temptations of power and glory. And they are not above the tribalism and factionalism that consumes humanity. When all is said and done, one...