J. M. Lee

Watanabe Yuichi, a young guard with a passion for reading, is ordered to investigate. The victim, Sugiyama, also a guard, was feared and despised throughout the prison and inquiries have barely begun when a powerful inmate confesses. But Watanbe is unconvinced; and as he interrogates both the suspect and Yun Dong-ju, a talented Korean poet, he starts to realize that the fearsome guard was not all he appeared to be...As Watanbe unravels Sugiyama's final months, he begins to discover what is really going on inside this dark and violent institution, which few inmates survive: a man who will stop at nothing to dig his way to freedom; a governor whose greed knows no bounds; a little girl whose kite finds an unlikely friend. And Yun Dong-ju—the poet whose works hold such beauty the can break the hardest of hearts. As the war moves towards its devastating close and bombs rain down upon the prison, Watanbe realizes that he must find a way to protect Yun Dong-ju, no matter what it takes. As he digs further and further in to his investigation, the young guard discovers a devastating truth.At once a captivating mystery and an epic lament for lost freedom and humanity, The Investigation, inspired by a true story, is a sweeping and gripping tale by an international literary star.

The Investigation

Before you watch the upcoming Netflix series (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), read these original novels from J. M. Lee that tie into the events of the series. Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal #4 is the fourth book in a series of original young adult novels set in the world of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal.

Flames of the Dark Crystal #4

Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal- Tide of the Dark Crystal is the third book in a series of original young adult novels set in the world of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal. As the Skeksis turn on the Gelfling, Amri must learn what it means to be a leader before the Gelfling clans--and his friends--become fragmented beyond repair.

Tide of the Dark Crystal

In antebellum America, two teens bury their secrets and join the historic Pony Express, and soon discover the mortal world is not the only one on the brink of war. Young, poor, and orphaned in rural Missouri, Jessamine Murphy frets over her very pregnant sister, not at all sure how to feed their family until the baby is born, let alone after. When Jessamine comes across a recruitment poster reading "Pony Express Special Assignment: St. Joseph, Missouri to California. Two riders wanted. Orphans preferred," her tomboy heart skips a beat: not only for the ample risk wage, but for the adventure and the chance to track down their wayward father in California. Jessamine cuts her hair, dons a pair of pants, and steps into the world as Jesse. At the Pony Express station, Jesse meets Ben Foley, a quiet but determined boy, so secretive about his origin story there is little doubt it must be turbulent, and they become partners. They are an odd pair—one excitedly navigating the world as a boy for the first time, the other a mixed-race young man trying to defend his freedom—yet their esteem for each other grows as they head west across the United States. As they encounter mysterious portals that carry them miles in an eyeblink and unusual creatures with uncanny glowing eyes, it becomes clear that this is no normal mission. A second, magical realm exists just below the surface of the mortal one, intertwined since the beginning of time—but the divisive violence of colonization and war are tearing the two worlds apart. As Ben and Jesse struggle to find themselves, they discover their unlikely alliance may be the only thing that will save them . . . and the creatures and environment of two struggling worlds.

The Nightland Express

An astonishing story of the mysteries dividing truth and deception that follows the odyssey of Ahn Gilmo, a young autistic math genius, as he escapes from the most isolated country in the world and searches for the only family he has left."

The Boy Who Escaped Paradise

When you're not adventuring with the Gelflings when watching Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix, take to the page and explore this visual character guide to the fantastical world of Thra. Meet the extraordinary cast of creatures from Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. This exclusive character guide, featuring stunning full-color photos from the show, will have you feeling as knowledgeable about the world of Thra and its inhabitants as the wise and all-knowing Aughra.

A Guide to the Characters of the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

Heroes of the Resistance

Before you watch the upcoming Netflix series, read the original novels from J. M. Lee (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) that intertwine with the events of the series. Kylan of Sami Thicket is a skilled song teller, but singing the tales of long-gone heroes won’t help his friends as they journey into dangerous, unknown lands. After uncovering the betrayal of the Skeksis Lords, he and his friend Naia are on the run, pursued by the Skeksis’s underlings and outcast even among their fellow Gelfling. But Kylan knows the truth must be told, no matter how difficult the telling. Maybe there’s use for a song teller after all . . . Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal is one of the most beloved and enduring fantasy stories of the past thirty years. This series of young adult novels will both please the diehard fans and bring new fans in to the world of The Dark Crystal.

Song of the Dark Crystal #2

Fans of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will treasure moments spent with the all-knowing Aughra in this magical gift book illustrated by Cory Godbey. Doesn't everyone get their advice from a feisty three-and-a-half-foot creature with ram horns, a detachable eye, and unlocked secrets to an entire fantasy universe? Allow Aughra to guide you with wisdom beyond this realm and advice only she can give.

Aughra's Wisdom of Thra

Before you watch the upcoming Netflix series (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), read these original novels from J. M. Lee that tie into the events of the series. Following the defeat of skekLi in the Grottan Sanctuary, the cave-dwelling Amri joins with fellow Gelfling Naia and Kylan on their quest to warn the All-Maudra of the Skeksis' plot. However, alarming news from Ha'rar sends the Gelfling rebels to the Silver Sea to seek aid from the Sifa maudra, Ethri. Their hope is for her clan to light a fire of resistance against the Skeksis. Along the way, Amri struggles to find his place in the daylighter world--and discovers that the corruption has spread much further than he thought. Time is running out for Thra--can the Gelfling clans unite in time to save it?

Tides of the Dark Crystal #3

A Guide to the Characters of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

An astonishing story of the mysteries, truths, and deceptions that follow the odyssey of Ahn Gil­mo, a young math savant, as he escapes from the most isolated country in the world and searches for the only family he has left An unidentified body is discovered in New York City, with numbers and symbols are written in blood near the corpse. Gil­mo, a North Korean national who interprets the world through numbers, formulas, and mathematical theories, is arrested on the spot. Angela, a CIA operative, is assigned to gain his trust and access his unique thought-process. The enigmatic Gil­mo used to have a quiet life back in Pyongyang. But when his father, a preeminent doctor is discovered to be a secret Christian, he is subsequently incarcerated along with Gilmo, in a political prison overseen by a harsh, cruel warden. There, Gilmo meets the spirited Yeong-ae, who becomes his only friend. When Yeong-­ae manages to escape, Gil­mo flees to track her down. He uses his peculiar gifts to navigate betrayal and the criminal underworld of east Asia—a world wholly alien to everything he's ever known. In The Boy Who Escaped Paradise, celebrated author J. M. Lee delves into a hidden world filled with vivid characters trapped by ideology, greed, and despair. Gil­mo's saga forces the reader to question the line between good and evil, truth and falsehood, captivity and freedom.

The Boy Who Escaped Paradise: A Novel

Pamela J. Fisher

The parish of Castle Donington in north-west Leicestershire lies on the south bank of the river Trent, 20 miles north-west of Leicester and 8 miles south-east of Derby. A nucleated village developed on the present site more than 1,000 years ago. A castle was built in the 1150s, and several features of a town soon developed, including a market, fair and hospital. Secondary settlements grew up alongside the Trent, by the King's Mills and at Cavendish Bridge, the site of an important medieval ferry. Donington Park, which originated in the early 13th century as a hunting park, became a separate estate of the earls of Huntingdon in the late 16th century. Later history has been shaped by strong religious nonconformity and the growth and then decline of traditional industries in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since then, modern transport links, including East Midlands Airport in the south of the parish, have delivered new employment opportunities. Castle Donington in the early 21st century is thriving. Many people travel in daily to work, and thousands more visit the motor-racing circuit at Donington Park and other leisure attractions each year, yet few know of the parish's rich history. This book, the first in the Leicestershire VCH series since 1964, examines the changing patterns of landscape, landownership, working lives, social structure and religious worship in Castle Donington across many centuries, and includes the settlements at King's Mills and Cavendish Bridge. It will be of interest to local residents, visitors, family and local historians.

Castle Donington

The Victoria History of Leicestershire

A Smithsonian Best Book of the Year Fukuoka Prison, 1944. Beyond the prison walls, the war rages. Inside, a man is found brutally murdered. What follows is a searing portrait of Korea before their civil war, and a testimony to the redemptive power of poetry. Watanbe Yuichi, a young guard with a passion for reading, is ordered to investigate a murder. The victim, Sugiyama, also a guard, was feared and despised throughout the prison and inquiries have barely begun when a powerful inmate confesses. But Watanbe is unconvinced; and as he interrogates both the suspect and Yun Dong-ju, a talented Korean poet, he starts to realize that the fearsome guard was not all he appeared to be... As Watanbe unravels Sugiyama's final months, he begins to discover what is really going on inside this dark and violent institution, which few inmates survive: a man who will stop at nothing to dig his way to freedom; a governor whose greed knows no bounds; a little girl whose kite finds an unlikely friend. And Yun Dong-ju—the poet whose works hold such beauty the can break the hardest of hearts. As the war moves towards its devastating close and bombs rain down upon the prison, Watanbe realizes that he must find a way to protect Yun Dong-ju, no matter what it takes. As he digs further and further in to his investigation, the young guard discovers a devastating truth. At once a captivating mystery and an epic lament for lost freedom and humanity, The Investigation, inspired by a true story, is a sweeping and gripping tale by an international literary star.

The Investigation: A Novel

Uncover the secrets of the seven Gelfling clans with an inside look into the world of Thra from Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, streaming on Netflix. Many trine ago, a song teller sought to explore the world of Thra and uncover the secrets of the Gelfling throughout the seven clans. Venture back in time with photos, sketches, and art from Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance in this exclusive, collectible book for Dark Crystal fans everywhere.

Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans

Nancy Gray

Vinnie Chiappini

Esther Palmer

Greg Coles

More than 30 years after Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal first appeared on screens, the Jim Henson Company hosted an author quest to find the new author of The Dark Crystal prequel fiction. The competition spanned three months and nearly 500 entries, the top five of which are presented in this e-book only special. Through the eyes of Gelfling and telling tales of Skesis, these 5 stories are a taste of what is to come in the world of Thra.

a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap

Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Author Quest

Praise for Shadows of the Dark Crystal: “With deft nods to the original Dark Crystal movie and a passionate attention to detail, the author has fashioned an impressive prequel. Fans (who will instantly recognize certain elements) and newcomers alike will find themselves immersed in a new narrative, with new protagonists and dangers to face. Readers who crave otherworld fantasy such as Jaleigh Johnson’s The Mark of the Dragonfly and Paul Durham’s The Luck Uglies will enjoy discovering this new series.” —School Library Journal “While young readers probably won’t have seen the film, the books might lead them to it; even if they don’t have that point of reference, Henson’s world is richly imagined here, and it will be well worth the projected four books to explore the landscape, characters, and storylines.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “Characters and situations are compelling, and this first of a planned four-volume series aptly sets the stage and the conflict and tugs strongly on the heartstrings, setting readers up for more great adventures” —Booklist Before you watch the upcoming Netflix series, read the original novels from J. M. Lee (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) that intertwine with the events of the series. Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Shadows of the Dark Crystal is set years before the events of the classic film and follows the journey of a young Gelfling woman who leaves her secluded home to uncover the truth surrounding the disappearance of her brother who has been accused of treason by the sinister Skeksis Lords.

J. M. Lee

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