A distinguished novelist and critic inspires readers and writers with this inside look at how the professionals read—and write

Long before there were creative writing workshops and degrees, how did aspiring writers learn to write? By reading the work of their predecessors and contemporaries, says Francine Prose.

As she takes us on a guided tour of the tools and the tricks of the masters—Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, Kafka, Austen,

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After the warrior cat Clans settle into their new homes, the harmony they once had disappears as the clans start fighting each other, until the day their common enemy--the badger--invades their territory.

When defense attorney Amanda Jaffe, representing a derelict charged with a brutal killing, takes a close-up look at the case, which involves overwhelming forensic evidence, she discovers that the evidence may not be what it seems.

T'Telir, capital of Hallandren, is a colorful city by the sea where gaily dressed crowds bustle through sunny streets and worship heroes who have been reborn as gods. Ruled by the silent, mysterious God King, the pantheon is nourished by offerings of "breath", the life force that keeps them alive and youthful. Exiled in Idris, the former royal family reluctantly betrothed a princess to the God King. Arriving in T'Telir, she finds both the city and...

Carbon dioxide is out of control on Earth, and the fate of humankind rests in the paws of four experimental, untested Animal Astronauts (AlphaWolf, SmartHawk, LaserShark, and StinkBug) who are seeking another habitable planet; first destination is the Plant Planet which at first looks perfect, except that the abundant plant life can think for itself--and it thinks that it really does not like the AstroNuts.

So far the AstroNuts have failed to find a suitable planet, but NNASA has come up with a new plan: send the the four animal astronauts back through time on Earth where they are to contact early homo sapiens and somehow set them on a path to a sustainable future--trouble is, humans seem inferior to many of the other species (especially the wolves), so the AstroNuts come up with a Survival of the Fittest Olympics, hoping that with a little help the...

"I'd thought the threat from Seattle was finished. That we showed up in time and took care of business. I hate being wrong. It really ruins my day. When Roger, the alpha of the North American pack, shows up at my door with the news that a demon has made it to the Underworld with knowledge of me, some hard decisions have to be made. Do I stay above ground, with all my magical friends, and wait for the battle to come to me? Or do I seek the demon out,...

"A new series set in the world of the Riyria Chronicles. In the land of the Rhune, trees can tell the future and the gods are beyond reproach. But when Raithe's father is slain, he does the unthinkable--he kills a god. From this act, rises the legend of the God Killer, the seeds of a rebellion, and the question of whether the gods are really immortal after all"--

Arriving in the kingdom of Arelon to enter a marriage of state, princess Sarene discovers that her intended has died and that she is considered his widow, leaving her a lone force against the imperial ambitions of a religious fanatic.

"Age of Swords continues the epic story of the war between humankind and the elves--and of ordinary people becoming legendary heroes. It introduces a set of new characters: the dwarves, whose magical weaponcraft could decide the war. It's up to our heroes to win over the dwarves to the side of humankind...or else lose the war forever"-- Raithe, the God Killer, started the rebellion by killing a Fhrey. But even if the clans can join forces, how will...