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From the Author

Review

'One of the most original, radical and stylish fiction writers of the twentieth century' Independent She belonged at the centre of the literature of her time -- Salman Rushdie New York Times

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"Penguin Decades" bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling. Angela Carter's "The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman" was published in 1972, and is a magical, satirical adventure. Desiderio is stricken with love for Albertina, a woman he sees only in his dreams. He must also battle against Doctor Hoffman and his mysterious machines, as they bend time and space to turn Desiderio's city into a nightmare of lust, insanity and crime. But the evil Doctor is also Albertina's father...

From Publishers Weekly

In Paradise Lost, Milton set out to "justifie the wayes of God to men." In this novel, British author Duncan (Hope; Love Remains) attempts to justify the ways of Satan to the hip. God gives his evil subaltern a month in a human body, with an option to own, thus permanently casting off his pain-racked cosmological being. The grim alternative for Lucifer is to subsist in eternal nothingness. The vacant body belongs to Declan Gunn, a writer on the brink of suicide. Lucifer narrates his romps through escort service dates, cocaine-laced nights and, mostly, the thrills of the wondrous human sensorium. Lucifer options his life story-from his starring role with Adam and Eve to his struggles with an autocratic God-to a film producer and torments Declan's lover, Viola, with the promise of a juicy part in the upcoming movie. But for all his jauntiness, Lucifer must unexpectedly wrestle with Gunn's conscience, including Gunn's memories of Penelope, his alternately loathed and longed-for ex. When Lucifer makes the disastrous decision to see Penelope and forgive her for dumping him, he confronts the goodness of mercy, a battle that leaves him sick with nausea and cognitive disorientation. Lucifer tosses wisecracks around as if they were hand grenades. On the wickedness of a rival of Gunn's, he quips, "There's no murder in him, and only a very predictable dribble of lust. His soul, and billions like it, provide the cosmos with its muzak." Alas, Lucifer's wit doesn't often rise to this sharply satiric level: it's more like a series of outtakes from Bedazzled. This is the archetypal promising novel-the author's talent with words eclipses the substance of his story.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Duncan's last novel, Hope (1998), was about pornography addiction. Since then, he's apparently found God, or rather, the Devil. His latest novel features the Prince of Darkness incarnate in the body of down-and-out writer Declan Gunn (anagram, anyone?), just about to slit his wrists. The apocalypse looms, and God has offered fallen angel Lucifer a second chance at redemption by enticing him with a month of earthly embodiment--an offer he can't refuse, given his taste for cocaine, sexual mischief, and other evil earthly pleasures. In between acts of debauchery, however, Lucifer/Gunn resurrects his literary career and revels childlike in the Earth's simple offerings: tastes, smells, sunsets, London. He muses theological, contemplating free will and the Fall and thinks about--just maybe--getting back on God's good side. Seduced by our diabolical narrator's wicked humor and Duncan's clever conceit, the novel's Christian redemption moral may catch some readers off guard (wasn't this book supposed to be about evil pleasures?), but they likely won't want to put it down. Duncan's witty and perverse, yet somehow life-affirming, Lucifer is powerful indeed. Brendan Driscoll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Follow Alberto Gimaldi, code-cracker and bibliophile, as he unravels the mystery of an infinite library and discovers the treachery of the librarian Castellemare. What is the hidden plot of the library, and how will this impossible place set into motion a catastrophic narrative by the artful textual manipulation of unwitting agents in the real world? What is the buried and secret connection between all text and all life? A novel of dark mystery, infinity, and a compelling story for all those who love books and book-related enigmas. Codes, ciphers, and the sinister await those who would set foot inside the Infinite Library.

About the Author

Kane X. Faucher is the author of several novels and has been a regular contributor to a few international magazines. His works are a mix of the absurd, the comical, and the critical, generally involving themes of language, media, contemporary art, and libraries. His prose style is slightly elevated and satirically snide. He is also known for his expertise in rhetoric and propaganda studies, and publishes articles on Borges, Deleuze, social media, and Celine. He is an assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario.

Product Description

If you fear one thing in life, fear the djinn. This groundbreaking book presents the findings of Rosemary Ellen Guiley and Philip J. Imbrogno’s investigation into the powerful and mysterious interdimensional beings known as djinn or genies. It reveals what the djinn are, where they can be found—and their hidden agenda against the human race.

Working with material compiled from a variety of sources—including their own case files, Middle Eastern lore, the Qur’an, teachings of Islamic scholars, and the latest theories in quantum physics—the authors explore the relationship between the djinn, demons, fairies, shadow people, and extraterrestrials. They discuss the military’s interest in these clandestine beings, offer eyewitness accounts of modern human encounters with the djinn, and reveal the location of interdimensional entry points in North America.

From the Author

From Rosemary Ellen Guiley:  The Djinn have intrigued me since the late 1980s, when I began long-term research of demons, angels, magic and related topics. I was already involved in paranormal investigations, and over the course of time, I encountered cases that fit certain patterns.  Some of them were problem "hauntings" that resisted  explanation and resolution.  Something else began to emerge from that: the hidden presence of the Djinn.  This hidden presence came more into focus as my research expanded into shadow people, ultraterrestrials, fairies, aliens, cryptids and other entities.  The Djinn are little known in the West, but that does not mean they are not present.  The Djinn, as well as any entity, can be anywhere -- and they are.  We may not recognize them because they are unfamiliar to us, or they have taken on disguises. This book takes the Djinn out of the realm of folk tales and into the present, in our paranormal encounters that happen every day and anywhere.  The Djinn are among us, and have been interacting with us throughout human history.  What are they doing, and why?

Product Description

This labyrinthine and extraordinary book, first published more than fifty years ago, was the outcome of Graves's vast reading and curious research into strange territories of folklore, mythology, religion and magic. Erudite and impassioned, it is a scholar-poet's quest for the meaning of European myths, a polemic about the relations between man and woman, and also an intensely personal document in which Graves explored the sources of his own inspiration and, as he believed, all true poetry.This new edition has been prepared by Grevel Lindop, who has written an illuminating introduction. The text of the book incorporates all Graves's final revisions, as well as his replies totwo of the original reviewers, and a long essay in which he describes the months of inspiration in which The White Goddess was written.

Wikipedia Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Goddess

Originally published in 1948

From Publishers Weekly

Though dense with research, readers interested in religious conspiracies, particularly those for which Christianity is held responsible, will find Picknett's redemption of Lucifer as "Light-bringer" and "enlightener" fascinating. Picknett, author of many conspiracy-oriented books about topics like the Turin shroud, the Templars and most recently Mary Magdalene, sets out to correct misconceptions about Lucifer, who she claims is not synonymous with the devil or Satan. Lucifer, she writes, "is emphatically not the Evil One, but the spirit of human progress, the fight to learn and grow, to be independent and proud." Divided into two parts, the first is dedicated to Lucifer's relationship with the feminine and his subsequent "fall" from morning star to bringer of hell as a result of his feminization, while the second traces Lucifer's emergence in history as Satan. Filled with ironic undertones, Picknett's exploration of Lucifer's association with womanhood is the more interesting of the two sections, offering well-researched interpretations of the Judeo-Christian creation myth, ancient goddess traditions, and pagan rituals. Picknett's depth and range of knowledge is impressive and if readers can forgive the annoying and repeated self-references to her many other works, they will encounter a thick, interesting and alternative view of an intriguing topic. *(Aug.) *
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"'A thought-provoking book that considers many issues, not least the role and image of women in Christianity.' Good Book Guide 'Lynn Picknett... presents the Magdalene in a fresh and disconcerting way.' Washington Post Book World 'Picknett's book... puts Mary Magdalene back on top of her pedestal.' Nexus"

Review

"A gleefully mad collision between self-referential movie script and gumshoe noir/alien-abduction parody . . . Inspired lunacy that will be relished by anyone with a taste for humor in the bawdy, irreverent, smart-alecky, wisecracking British style."  —_Kirkus Reviews_

"What you're getting is vintage Rankin. Booze sodden private dick private Eddie Bear is a marvellous creation."  —_Starburst_

"Wacky and slightly peverse. If the title makes you smile, play spot-the-film references."  —_Times_

"_The Toyminator_ has enough running jokes, crazy footnotes, and toilet humor to keep even the hardcore fans happy—and keep the new reader chuckling with delight too. It's mad, but wonderfully funny. A typically entertaining, rude, and quite bizarre Robert Rankin novel."  —_SFX_

Product Description

Somewhere over the rainbow and just off the Yellow Brick Road stands Toy City, formerly known as Toy Town. And things are not going well for the city's inhabitants. There have been outbreaks of STC - Spontaneous Toy Combustion - and there are strange signs and portents in the Heavens. Preachers of Toy City's many religions are predicting that the End Times are approaching and that a Toy City Apocalypse will soon come to pass. But can this possibly be true, or is there a simple explanation - an alien invasion, for instance. With the body count rising and the forces of law and order baffled, it is the time for a hero to step forward and attempt to save the day. Well, two heroes actually, Eddie Bear, Toy City Private Eye and his loyal sidekick, Jack: our courageous twosome are about to face their biggest challenge yet, to save not only toykind, but the world of mankind too. Which should keep them out of the pub for a while.