Richard Parks

In an ancient Japan where the incursions of gods, ghosts, and demons into the living world is an everyday event, an impoverished nobleman named Yamada no Goji makes his living as a demon hunter for hire. With the occasional assistance of the reprobate exorcist Kenji, whatever the difficulty - ogres, demons, fox-spirits - for a price Yamada will do what needs to be done, even and especially if the solution to the problem isn't as simple as the edge of a sword. Yet, no matter how many monsters he has to face, or how powerful and terrible they may be, the demons Yamada fears the most are his own!

Demon Hunter

Yamada Monogatari

Empty Places

Lord Yamada is called away one last time from his newly restored estates in Kamakura to help Prince Kanemore ensure that Princess Teiko s son, Takahito, inherits the Chrysanthemum Throne. Unfortunately, assuming the throne proves to be the easy part. Yamada must then help Takahito renounce that throne in such a way as to hobble the power of the Fujiwara clan forever!"

Yamada Monogatari: The Emperor in Shadow

Collection of short stories appeared in various publications.

The Ogre's Wife - Fairy Tales for Grownups

Wesley Avila

The definitive word on tacos from native Angeleno Wes Avila, who draws on his Mexican heritage as well as his time in the kitchens of some of the world's best restaurants to create taco perfection. In a town overrun with taco trucks, Wes Avila's Guerrilla Tacos has managed to win almost every accolade there is, from being crowned Best Taco Truck by LA Weekly to being called one of the best things to eat in Los Angeles by legendary food critic Jonathan Gold. Avila's approach stands out in a crowded field because it's unique: the 50 base recipes in this book are grounded in authenticity but never tied down to tradition. Wes uses ingredients like kurobata sausage and sea urchin, but his bestselling taco is made from the humble sweet potato. From basic building blocks to how to balance flavor and texture, with comic-inspired illustrations and stories throughout, Guerrilla Tacos is the final word on tacos from the streets of L.A.

Recipes from the Streets of L.A.

Guerrilla Tacos

It's normal to fear a ghost. What's not normal is marrying one. Xu Jian is just a poor scholar. An official post in the north of the country is a great opportunity. It is also a great danger. The road north is infested with bandits, and worse, it winds through a land of spirits. Ghosts crave a human's life force like the thirsty are drawn to water. When he inadvertently trespasses on the tomb of the beautiful Lady Green Willow and her servants, he is doomed. Or, perhaps not. Lady Green Willow is a gentle spirit who does not want to harm Xu Jian, yet her nature as a ghost doesn't leave any option. Until he offers her one: marry him. Take his life force only in small doses which he can replenish, until the balance of her yin and yang energy is restored. In short, make her human again. A wild plan, but will it work? Even if it does, how will they survive the attention of a greedy king who wants the only possession Lady Green Willow retains from her past life, the one and only thing she cannot give up without being utterly destroyed? Perhaps a smart ghost and a smart human, together, might find a way. Maybe. Get this stirring novelette and see for yourself.

A Fairytale Adventure

In the Palace of the Jade Lion

"The difference between a Power and a God is mostly procedural. You worship a God. With a Power, you negotiate."-- Black Kath's Tally BookWhen Marta's sorceress mother dies suddenly, it is the young and almost completely unprepared Marta who must assume the debt her mother owed to the Power called Amaet. The debt is bond service, and can only be repaid by a magician powerful enough to perform a Great Work. With her mother's own magical servants in revolt and opportunistic enemies coveting what little power she has, matters go from bad to worse. Armed only with her knowledge of the First Law and her mother's tally book, Marta would count herself lucky to survive, never mind contend face to face with a Power. Yet contend she must, and with one last parting gift from her mother and her own hidden strengths, she just might do what her mother could not. Provided, of course, she can stay alive.Set five hundred years after the events in The Long Look, Black Kath's Daughter is the story of a different sort of magician in search of her own destiny, and the kind of life her mother never had.

Black Kath's Daughter

In an ancient Japan where the incursions of gods, ghosts, and demons into the living world is an everyday event, an impoverished nobleman named Yamada no Goji makes his living as a demon hunter for hire. With the occasional assistance of the reprobate exorcist Kenji, whatever the difficulty—ogres, demons, fox-spirits—for a price Yamada will do what needs to be done, even and especially if the solution to the problem isn’t as simple as the edge of a sword. Yet, no matter how many monsters he has to face, or how powerful and terrible they may be, the demons Yamada fears the most are his own.

Yamada Monogatori: Demon Hunter

The follow-up to The Ogre's wife, containing fourteen stories, three of them original, and all created with the same philosophy, follow where the story leads, and face whatever comes. This ranges from comic zen parables as in the title story, "Worshipping Small Gods," to the darkest depths of the human heart as in "Voices in an Empty Room."

Worshipping Small Gods

Worshipping Small Gods is the follow-up to Richard Parks' World Fantasy Award finalist debut collection, The Ogre's Wife -- containing fourteen stories, three of which are original to this volume, and all created with the same philosophy- follow where the story leads, and face whatever comes. These destinations range from comic zen parables as in the title story, "Worshiping Small Gods," to the darkest depths of the human heart as in "Voices in an Empty Room." Whether dark fantasy, comedy, near future sf or wry contemporary fantasy, these stories all share that same insight and honesty...

Neil Gaiman

Gene Wolfe

Peter S. Beagle

Theodora Goss

Matthew Hughes

Holly Phillips

The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the year's best fantasy stories, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by Rich Horton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines. In this volume you'll find stories Peter Beagle, Paul Di Filippo, Neil Gaiman, Theodora Goss, Kelly Link, Gene Wolfe and many more! Complete contents: PIP AND THE FAIRIES, by Theodora Goss COMBER, by Gene Wolfe THREE URBAN FOLK TALES, by Eric Schaller WAX, by Elizabeth Bear THE EMPEROR OF GONDWANALAND, by Paul Di Filippo COMMCOMM, by George Saunders FIVE WAYS JANE AUSTEN NEVER DIED, by Samantha Henderson FANCY BREAD, by Gregory Feeley SUNBIRD, by Neil Gaiman THE SECRET OF BROKEN TICKERS, by Joe Murphy ON THE BLINDSIDE, by Sonya Taaffe JANE, by Marc Laidlaw IS THERE LIFE AFTER REHAB? by Pat Cadigan TWO HEARTS, Peter S. Beagle SUPER-VILLAINS, Michael Canfield EMPTY PLACES, by Richard Parks INVISIBLE, by Steve Rasnic Tem BY THE LIGHT OF TOMORROW’S SUN, by Holly Phillips THE GIST HUNTER, by Matthew Hughes

2006 Edition

Fantasy: The Best of the Year

Michael Aylwin

Richard Parks has what must be one of contemporary sport's most extraordinary and inspirational stories. Soon after he turned thirty, the professional career in rugby that had been his life for over a decade was cut short by injury, leaving him faced with an uncertain future. But unlike many other young athletes, Richard decided to tackle his fears, anxiety and depression head on, taking inspiration from Ranulph Fiennes and a line from his grandmother's eulogy - "The horizon is only the limit of our sight" and setting out on challenges that have become part of his everyday life. Richard created history with his first endeavour - the 737 Challenge - by becoming the first person to conquer the highest mountain on each of the world's continents and venture to both the North and South Poles within seven months. Then in 2013 he tackled three hugely challenging events - an ultramarathon through the Peruvian jungle, the world's highest mountain bike race, and a double iron man triathlon in Snowdonia - in preparation for an even more extraordinary challenge: to record the fastest solo, unsupported and unassisted journey to the South Pole. These three challenges and the Antarctic speed record quest that saw Richard ski 11 hours a day enduring perishing conditions, broken skis and spending Christmas and New Year alone on the ice, were all filmed for a major four-part series to be broadcast on Channel 5 later this year. Beyond the Horizon is an amazing, inspiring, and exciting story for armchair adventurers, extreme sports and mountaineering fans alike.

Extreme Adventures at the Edge of the World

Beyond the Horizon

What's a horseman of the Apocalypse to do when the Earth has been picked bare, scoured clean, and burned black? Perhaps a spot of...gardening? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Richard Parks

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