Cole

Meet Cole, our new store manager!

Cole gravitates toward the weird, gothic, liminal, melancholic, and mythical books with a smattering of fantasy or sci-fi mixed in. He's also got a soft spot for pulpy monster novels, especially sea monsters! 

 

 

 

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The Buried Giant (Vintage International) By Kazuo Ishiguro Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780307455796
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Vintage - January 5th, 2016

A mysterious, reflective Arturian fable about the power of time and memory, and what happens when we lose both.

Everything that Kazuo Ishiguro has written is worth reading, but this is a standout to me. A slowly burning, emotional spin on the old knight's tale where the details are doled out bit-by-bit to keep you curious at every step.

At its core, this book is a sad adult fairytale. 


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Elder Race By Adrian Tchaikovsky Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9781250768728
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Tordotcom - November 16th, 2021

Short and wonderful.

This book sits just over 200 pages, but has more story-per-chapter than books thrice it's size. A dual POV story that flips entertainingly between hard sci-fi, and hard fantasy is a hard thing to accomplish for any author, made more impressive by it's single sitting size. It tackles themes of depression, loss of community, and the challenges of communication, all without straying from the story.

Tchaikovsky has several novellas, and this is a great entry into his shorter works. 


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Bunny: A Novel By Mona Awad Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780525559757
Availability: Available - On our shelves now
Published: Penguin Books - June 9th, 2020

Bubblegum pink horror. Cuddly, soft bunnies with dead eyes and sharp fangs. Too long group hugs, too much pink tulle, too much hate tucked behind every word of affirmation. Every character in this novel is too much; is extra. 

I loved it!


Titus Groan By Mervyn Peake, Anthony Burgess (Introduction by) Cover Image
By Mervyn Peake, Anthony Burgess (Introduction by)
$16.95
ISBN: 9781585679072
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: The Overlook Press - June 26th, 2007

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The Forgotten Beasts of Eld By Patricia A. McKillip, Gail Carriger (Preface by) Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9781616962777
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Tachyon Publications - September 19th, 2017

Such a special book.

A classic in the genre, this book tells the story of Sybel, the daughter of a powerful mage who grows up alongside a menagerie of mythical beasts. We've got all the classics: a golden-eyed black swan, a boar who knows "all riddles but one," an ancient lion, a treasure-loving dragon, a panther that practices witchcraft, a wise old falcon, and... a black mist with five floating eyes described as the incarnation of the fear men die of??? Like I said, the classics.

Aside from the beasts, this is one of the greatest pure fantasy books of all time. It's rich, comforting, and full of descriptions reminiscent of an old tapestry in the firelight. You catch glimpses of the story through the flash of the fire as shadows dance across the pages. 


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This Is How You Lose the Time War By Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9781534430990
Availability: Available - On our shelves now
Published: Gallery / Saga Press - March 17th, 2020

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Vintage International) By Patrick Suskind Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780375725845
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Vintage - February 13th, 2001

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Between Two Fires By Christopher Buehlman Cover Image
$18.95
ISBN: 9798662731349
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Independently Published - October 2nd, 2012

Maybe the best fantasy I have read, ever. Biblically accurate and horrifying depictions of Heaven, Hell, and everything in between. 

A medieval, darkly religious, creepy, demon-haunted world with grungy, flawed characters. The story employs some well-worn archetypes: the disgraced knight, the drunken priest, and the savior child. Though the tropes are worn, they are worn smooth and fit comfortably among the jagged backdrop of a plague-battered 14th century. 

A bleak and harrowing journey with a deeply satisfying ending, punctuated with some really unnerving scenes that will sit with me forever. 


The Fisherman By John Langan Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781939905215
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Word Horde - June 30th, 2016

The Library at Mount Char: A Novel By Scott Hawkins Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780553418620
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Crown - March 15th, 2016

People from My Neighborhood: Stories By Hiromi Kawakami, Ted Goossen (Translated by) Cover Image
By Hiromi Kawakami, Ted Goossen (Translated by)
$15.95
ISBN: 9781593767112
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Soft Skull - November 30th, 2021

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Piranesi By Susanna Clarke Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781635577808
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - September 28th, 2021

Cyclettes By Tree Abraham Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9781951213626
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Unnamed Press - November 1st, 2022

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Labyrinths By Jorge Luis Borges, Donald A. Yates (Editor), James E. Irby (Editor), William Gibson (Introduction by), André Maurois Cover Image
By Jorge Luis Borges, Donald A. Yates (Editor), James E. Irby (Editor), William Gibson (Introduction by), André Maurois
$15.95
ISBN: 9780811216999
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: New Directions - May 17th, 2007

A legendary collection from one of the titans of the genre.

"The Library of Babel" in this collection inspired two of my other favorite books of all time: "Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke and "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco. 


Mrs. Caliban By Rachel Ingalls, Rivka Galchen (Introduction by) Cover Image
By Rachel Ingalls, Rivka Galchen (Introduction by)
$13.95
ISBN: 9780811226691
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: New Directions - November 28th, 2017

Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #1) By Dan Simmons Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780399178610
Availability: Available to order - Usually arrives at our store in 1-5 days
Published: Del Rey - August 15th, 2017

Stories of Your Life and Others By Ted Chiang Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781101972120
Availability: Available - On our shelves now
Published: Vintage - June 14th, 2016