New Releases (May 2017)
The End of Atlantis
by Jean Carrere - adapted by Brian Stableford - cover by Mike Hoffman. READ AN EXCERPT - 308 p. - US$ 23.95
The End of Atlantis (1926) extends a rich tradition of French literary fantasies redeploying the myth of Atlantis; it is a historical melodrama, an adventure story and a heroic fantasy depicting the fall of the great and marvelous Empire of Atlantis. The novel is more sophisticated than most Atlantean fantasies. Its account of the fall of Atlantis echoes that of the Roman Empire, and contains an elaborate criticism of contemporary European society, whose own crisis of degeneration is supposedly reflected therein. Because of this, the book has not lost its relevance to the world of the 21st century..
The Human Paradise
by Nicolas Segur - adapted by Brian Stableford - cover by Mike Hoffman. READ AN EXCERPT - 240 p. - US$ 21.95
The Human Paradise (1930) is a scathingly sarcastic satire in which God offers to grant wishes expressed unanimously by the entirety of humankind. The wishes voiced are carefully extrapolated in such a way as to suggest that, however effective individuals might be at screwing up their wishes, a committee composed of the whole human race could do a far more comprehensive job. An Isle of Amour (1921) is interesting addition to a sequence of French utopian novels that attempted to get to grips with the thorny question of how best to organize sexual relations in a utopia, and what the social consequences would be of instituting a system of “free love.”
Two Crimes
by Fortuné du Boisgobey - adapted by Nina Cooper - cover by Daniele Serra. READ AN EXCERPT - 404 p. - US$ 32.95
The Omnibus Murder (1881): A young Parisian artist, returning to his studio by the midnight omnibus, witnesses the death of a young girl. He at first thinks she’s been murdered, but dismisses the idea. Fortunately, his friend solicits the aid of the mysterious Piédouche to bring the killer to justice.
The Ferry Murder (1882): The Vignemal family perishes when their small ferry boat capsizes in a freak storm. Who inherits depends on who died first, the husband, or the wife. Will officials believe the young man who attempted a rescue? Or is he a killer in league with one of the many potential inheritors of the Vignemals’ large estate?.