Wilde's only novel, first published in 1890, is a brilliantly designed puzzle, intended to tease conventional minds with its exploration of the myriad interrelationships between art, life, and consequence. From its provocative Preface, challenging the reader to believe in 'art for art's sake', to its sensational conclusion, the story self-consciously experiments with the notion of sin as an element of design. Yet Wilde himself underestimated the consequences of his experiment, and its capacity to outrage the Victorian establishment. Its words returned to haunt him in his court appearances in 1895, and he later recalled the 'note of doom' which runs like 'a purple thread' through its carefully crafted prose.

The blockbuster danmei/Boys' Love novels from China that inspired the animated Scumbag System series streaming in English! This hilarious story of a man reborn as a villain in a fantasy novel series who ends up romancing the male protagonist is now in English, for the very first time. Half-demon Luo Binghe rose from humble beginnings and a tortured past to become unrivaled in strength and beauty. With his harem of over three hundred wives, and dominion over both the human and demonic realms, he is truly the most powerful protagonist-in a trashy web novel series! At least, that's what Shen Yuan, online alias "Peerless Cucumber," believes as he finishes reading the final chapter in Proud Immortal Demon Way. But when a combination of rage and a poor meal choice leads to his death, Shen Yuan finds himself reborn into the world of the web novel, in the body of Shen Qingqiu-the beautiful but cruel teacher to a young Luo Binghe. Although as Shen Qingqiu, he now has incredible power and abilities as a cultivator, he's destined to be horrifically punished for crimes against the protagonist, so this new Shen Qingqiu has only one course of action: get into Luo Binghe's good graces before the young man's rise to power. That's the only way he'll escape the awful fate of a true scum villain! This Chinese fantasy (xianxia) comedy built around the romanticized love between two men (danmei) has been translated into numerous languages and inspired the animated series Scumbag System, which amassed millions of streaming views--including the English version on YouTube through Tencent Video. As the first novel series by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu to spur a global multimedia franchise, this incredibly fun tale led the way to her future blockbusters in the danmei genre: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and Heaven Official's Blessing. The Seven Seas English-language edition will include exclusive, all-new covers and interior illustrations from Xiao Tong Kong (Velinxi) and feature a translation by Faelicy (faelicy) & Lily (lily_ocho).

The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation. Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi's greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who decides to step out of his comfort zone in order to help her achieve her goal of making 100 friends. Komi and her classmates are in the Big Apple, and Manbagi sees it as a chance to make a Big Confession. But as much as she wants to tell Tadano that she likes him, can she go through with it if it means changing her friendship with him (and Komi!) forever?

Variety is truly the spice of life throughout, thanks to the inspired imagination of the author of this collection. Via his vision you can experience the hardship of poverty-stricken nineteenth-century England in "When God Looked Down to Help a Child", or futuristic space journeys in "Just One Chance", and the thrill of time travel in "Ahead of His Time". The reader should keep one thing in mind: in the great short story tradition of Vonnegut and Carver, the stories may start off as the ordinary run of the mill kind, but expect the unexpected and the far-from-ordinary.

From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

Harry Gilmore has no idea of the terrible danger he faces when he meets a beautiful girl in a local student bar. Drugged and abducted, Harry wakes up in a secure wooden compound deep in the Welsh countryside, where he is groomed by the leaders of a manipulative cult, run by the self-proclaimed new messiah known as The Master. When the true nature of the cult becomes apparent, Harry looks for any opportunity to escape. But as time passes, he questions if The Master's extreme behavior and teachings are the one true religion. With Harry's life hanging by a thread, a team of officers, led by Detective Inspector Laura Kesey, investigate his disappearance. But will they find him before it's too late? *Previously published as The Girl in White*

So was Pemberley all peace, calm and pleasure after Elizabeth Bennet married the sternly handsome Fitzwilliam Darcy? The delightful short story from which this book takes its title tells us in faithful detail how Lizzy fared and how her faithful sister-in-law Georgiana rose Venus-like as a woman with her own will and talents - and made an excellent match into the bargain. In 'Trina', we visit Tsarist Russia and the Tolstoyan setting of St Petersburg, where a headstrong young girl falls for a man who can work on her mind - and her fondness for rubies. Against the backdrop of an era closer to our own, 'Friends and Relations' explores the impact of World War I and a friendly American giant on the tidy lives of a group of middle-class Britons. A keen eye for social differences, a wonderful sense of time and place, and occasional elegiac notes set these stories apart, guaranteeing the reader rich and continuing rewards.

In Laataandbiegstories en sulke dinge word die leser meegevoer deur onvergeetlike stories wat om die kampvuur lewe kry.

Soms is dit humoristies, soms deernisvol, soms skerp ironies, maar altyd boeiend. Daar word vertel van die nag van die donkie, van Tante wat sag word, van Pollie van die populiere en van die intrinsieke waarde van Victor, die lelike skaaphondkruising.

In Jan Nel se kortverhale herken die leser homself onomwonde; dis juis hoekom mens lag. Die mens, met al sy swakhede, bly tog maar mens, en om te lag is soveel makliker as om jouself te kasty.

Nothing can surpass the terror of the human psyche. Mine has been a life of much shame. I can't even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being. Plagued by a maddening anxiety, the terrible disconnect between his own concept of happiness and the joy of the rest of the world, Yozo Oba plays the clown in his dissolute life, holding up a mask for those around him as he spirals ever downward, locked arm-in-arm with death. Osamu Dazai's immortal and supposedly autobiographical work of Japanese literature, is perfectly adapted here into a manga by Junji Ito. The imagery wrenches open the text of the novel one line at a time to sublimate Yozo's mental landscape into something even more delicate and grotesque. This is the ultimate in art by Ito, proof that nothing can surpass the terror of the human psyche.

OLD books get NEW doodles - it's the classics as you've never seen them before! A hilarious new series that brings the classics to life with illustrations by Jack Noel. Perfect for 7-9 year olds and fans of Tom Gates, Wimpy Kid and Dav Pilkey. And PIRATES. Get your HOOKS into the one and only original pirate adventure! Jim Hawkins spends his life helping out at his mum's boring old inn by the sea, wishing he could sail away and have adventures. But when an old sea captain turns up with a secret, it's the start of a bigger adventure than Jim could ever have imagined - soon he's on a ship on the trail of buried treasure, accompanied by a suspicious sailor named Long John Silver ... Will Jim escape the pirates? Or will he walk the plank? Climb aboard with Jim, a chatty parrot and a bunch of crazy pirates for a hilarious adventure across the seven seas. Look out for more COMIC CLASSICS: GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Join Pip in a rip-roaring story of family secrets, scary grannies and a REALLY annoying big sister. Get on the trail of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES Solve the case with Holmes and Watson in a thrilling tale of mystery, murder and things that go woof in the night. Praise for GREAT EXPECTATIONS: A funny, thought-provoking treat, it's the ideal way into [Dickens] (Imogen Russell Williams Guardian) Buy a copy of Jack Noel's retelling of Great Expectations before I set the dogs on you. Now, begone! (Philip Ardagh, Roald Dahl Funny Prize-winning author) It is BRILLIANT! (Jenny Pearson, author of The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates) Jack Noel's brilliantly witty art perfectly complements Dickens' Great Expectations, making this a fab KS2 text to sit alongside the classic. Brilliant for dyslexic kids who may struggle with Dickens' prose ... this book could bring a generation of kids to the classics (Abi Elphinstone, author of Rumblestar, Sky Song and the Dreamsnatcher trilogy) Jack Noel is a Jack of three trades: author, illustrator, designer, who works mainly on children's books and is a co-host on the Down the Rabbit Hole children's books podcast. Once upon a time Jack sent this tweet, and rest is history (history with doodles): https://twitter.com/jackdraws/status/965492074157166592 https://jacknoelillustration.tumblr.com

Pride and Prejudice, which opens with one of the most famous sentences in English Literature, is an ironic novel of manners.

In it the garrulous and empty-headed Mrs Bennet has only one aim – that of finding a good match for each of her five daughters. In this she is mocked by her cynical and indolent husband.

With its wit, its social precision and, above all, its irresistible heroine, Pride and Prejudice has proved one of the most enduringly popular novels in the English language.