New Releases by Michael Cadnum

This collection of deftly rearranged myths and fairy tales, including six original stories, rekindles the excitement of adored childhood adventures. National Endowment for the Arts recipient Michael Cadnum creates twice-told narratives revealed through their supporting casts, from the protective giantess at the top of the beanstalk to an extremely bratty Gingerbread Man.

Michael Cadnum is the author of thirty-five books, both fiction and poetry, including Saint Peter''s Wolf and the National Book Award Finalist The Book of the Lion. This Early Dark presents micro-poetry and ultra-flash fiction written over a forty-year period, and brings to further life Cadnum''s fascination with desire and discovery.

A young Englishman embarks on history''s most daring naval assault Thomas Spyre wields his rapier like an expert, but his blade has never drawn blood. A surgeon''s apprentice in Elizabethan London, young Thomas spends his days learning the most modern medical techniques—from amputation to bloodletting—and by night he tries to keep his master from gambling away their earnings at bear fights. When a bad bet leaves their purse emptier than ever before, Thomas fears they are destined for the poorhouse. But a strange stroke of luck is about to whisk them away from England toward one of the greatest adventures of all time. Thomas and his master are called upon by Sir Francis Drake, the legendary swashbuckler, to accompany him on a daring raid of the Spanish port of Cadiz. As a surgeon aboard the ship, Thomas will have to learn the nature of manhood, medicine, battle, and espionage—all while the cannons fire.

A child of the sun seeks his father—and risks destruction for the thrill of speed In the grazing fields outside the village, a griffin swoops from the sky to attack a lamb. To save the innocent creature, a boy called Phaeton hurls rocks at the assailant, taunting it to come after him instead. As the mythical beast charges, Phaeton turns and runs. The griffin is quick, but it cannot catch Phaeton. He is the fastest boy in the world, and he believes there is nothing he cannot outrun. Phaeton is a child of Apollo, god of the sun. When he learns the nature of his birth, this proud young man embarks on an epic journey to challenge his father and claim his birthright. But even though his heritage is divine, Phaeton is only human. When he comes face-to-face with the might of the gods, he will learn that mortals are not meant to soar so high.

His sister''s disappearance threatens to tear a boy''s family apart Cray is the first to smell smoke. It''s his 1st week on the job, working alongside his father at the family plant, and he''s afraid of making a fool of himself. So he waits on the factory floor, the machines screaming and wood chips flying. But he''s finally certain: The roof is on fire, and if the blaze isn''t put out, the factory could explode. Cray calls the fire department and races through the building telling the workers to flee. He''s amazed by how calm they are. The fire is extinguished, and life slowly returns to normal. But the true crisis is just around the corner. When Cray''s sister disappears and the police search reveals no trace of her, he discovers fear affects everyone differently—and it''s not always smart to stay calm.

An Edgar Award Finalist: A troubled teen accidentally kills his best friend and tries to cover up his crime When the muggers come for Peter, he runs as fast as he can, cradling the 6 pack under his arm like it''s the most valuable thing in the world. He looks over his shoulder for his friend Mead and sees he isn''t running away. He''s dancing with the muggers, dodging their attacks until all the thugs can do is laugh. Mead has a spark of life in him that shines through the ugliness of the 2 boys'' lives. But Peter envies him, and each night, he numbs the pain with alcohol. It''s a hard life, and it''s about to get worse. When Mead smashes Peter''s prized bottle of cognac, Peter punches his friend in the face. Mead falls, hits his head, and dies. Unable to live with himself, Peter sinks deeper and deeper into an alcoholic haze as he tries to hide what he''s done—by impersonating the boy he killed.

A make-believe shoplifter is shocked to find herself actually stealing Anna loves everything about department stores: the smell, the clothes, the crowds. But her favorite things to watch are the detectives. She can spot a store detective a mile away, whether dressed as a tourist or pretending to be a cashier, and she knows just how to fool them: She lingers over an expensive sweater until she catches the detective''s eye. When she leaves the store, they stop her, expecting to find the sweater hidden in her purse. But she''s fooled them. Anna pretends to be a shoplifter, but she has never stolen anything at all. Until the day the scarf appears out of nowhere. She doesn''t remember stealing it, and yet, there it is. As more and more stolen objects begin to appear, Anna worries that her little game is about to push her over the brink.

On a pleasure cruise in the Pacific, 17-year-old Susannah, her parents, 17-year-old cousin Martin, and 18-year-old crew member Axel face off against 17-year-old Jeremy, a drug lord''s son, and hired killers Elwood and 15-year-old Shako.

A bungled bank robbery by two teen brothers unexpectedly intertwines the lives of four California kids and an Iraqi war vet over the course of one long, dangerous summer day. When two teenage brothers bungle a bank robbery, their attempt to hide the evidence is witnessed—aurally—by Terrence, a legally blind neighbor. Terrence tells his girlfriend, Nina, and her brother, who then disappears with a handgun. Nina is afraid of what he might do to the brothers. But she also has every reason to fear what the brothers will do to Terrence. Flash ingeniously interweaves the stories of two who are hellbent on a destructive path, two who stand in their way, and one whose actions may be the spark to set the whole thing off.

In England''s New Forest on the second day of August, 1100, eighteen-year-old Simon Foldre, delighted to be allowed to participate in a royal hunt as squire to the Anglo-Norman nobleman Walter Tirel, finds his future irrevocably altered when, during the hunt, he witnesses the possible murder of King William II.

The rush to the gold fields of California is on in the lawless year of 1849. But Will Dwinelle is not in search of gold in California. He''s out to find and bring home the man who betrayed the honor of a girl back home.

Seventeen-year-old Hallegerd, daughter of a Norwegian village leader, is kidnapped by a group of Danes, and when she escapes, she avenges her kidnapping by setting fire to the town and stealing a small rowboat, after which she meets Gauk, a young hunter, who has come to rescue her.

On his first Viking raid, seventeen-year-old Lidsmod sails on the ship Raven, joining his comrades as they destroy and plunder villages in medieval England and take an Anglo-Saxon boy as captive.

Since he cannot depend on his father, Stephen feels as though his only chance to make it to the big boxing tournament is to go along with the dangerous plan of a local tough guy to whom he has been introduced by a thrill-seeking friend.

Zachary, living with his divorced mother in California, finds violence gradually invading his life and making significant changes in his day-to-day existence.

As a game, sixteen-year-old Jennifer pretends that she has been attacked by a serial rapist, but then she finds herself getting more attention than she wanted, from the police and her parents.

Zachary, living with his divorced mother in California, finds violence gradually invading his life and making significant changes in his day-to-day existence.

A teenaged diving champion must deal with the aftermath of a diving accident and her attorney father''s remarriage and subsequent arrest for fraud.

On orders from the King, the Sheriff of Nottingham seeks to capture the outlaw Robin Hood, but he finds him to be a tricky and elusive foe.

Stanley feels as if his life is out of control. So he joins Jared in a dangerous game of breaking and entering, because the fear excites him. Stanley knows how it will end but he can''t stop. Then he meets the beautiful Sky who offers a link to a more normal life. But Stanley and Jared are fast approaching the edge - and it''s a very long fall!

Stratton Fields leads a seemingly happy life, but he is plagued by occupational jealousy, the madness of his mother, and the gambling debts of his brother. By the author of Saint Peter''s Wolf. 20,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.

In a modern werewolf tale, a wealthy art collector realizes his dreams of running at night are more than dreams and mark his transformation into a new, remarkable creature

Renowned archeologist Davis Lowry nearly dies during his most recent sleepwalking incident, a situation only made worse when an eighth-century bog man--Skeldergate Man--appears nightly walking the countryside near the site in York where he was unearthed