New Releases by Michael Cadnum

Kingdom brings together for the first time the animal poems of Michael Cadnum. Cats, ants, whales-even the stubborn, lowly louse-here are thirty astonishing celebrations of the most intriguing and often overlooked creatures of the animal kingdom.Even the familiar creatures, like the Eagle and the Elephant, get new life in Cadnum''s unusual book.As Rosemary Deen, the poetry editor of Commonweal Magazine, assures us in her introduction, "Paradoxically, the better the animals are seen, the more they are transformed."The Raccoon makes an appearance, and the Peacock, and the Giraffe. So do the Jack Rabbit and the covertly assertive Roe Deer. Thirty poems in all celebrate the open secrets of the lives around us.Rosemary Deen says "Anyone who really wants to see the world will read and reread these animal poems: Kingdom."

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.

Richard Stirling is a successful lawyer who specializes in defending the rights of the underprivileged. He falls in love with the pianist Rebecca Pennant, and as their romance develops, a tragic event takes Rebecca out of his life. In the wake of this dramatic misfortune, Richard re-encounters an heirloom, an astonishing mirror. This is a vampire story unlike any other, a tale of this contemporary world reflected from that other land where the dead are more alive than any dreamer.

The king is killed on a shadowy summer day—and his servant becomes an outlaw On an August day in 1100, King William II of England goes hunting. At the side of the notorious monarch is his loyal servant, Walter Tyrrell, who is ranked among the finest archers in the kingdom. Riding through the New Forest, the king is separated from his party. Tyrrell lets loose a shot at what he thinks is a passing stag, but his arrow buries itself in the king''s chest instead. When he realizes what he has done, Tyrrell escapes from the forest—and into the twilight of English legend. For nearly 1,000 years, scholars have debated whether or not Tyrrell intended to kill the king. In this rollicking novelization of that ancient tragedy, author Michael Cadnum imagines what might have happened to cause that fatal shot—and where the fugitive archer ran to next.

A young warrior sets out to rescue a Viking princess On the frosty coast of Scandinavia, the greatest warriors are the berserkers—men chosen by the god Odin to perform superhuman feats of strength, obliterating their enemies with the frenzied passion of a wild bear. More than anything, Gauk wishes to join their ranks. On a hunting trip in the blighted North, his best friend is slain by a bear, and Gauk is forced to kill the great animal. As he dons the pelt of his victim, Gauk fills with Odin''s spirit, and knows that he is on his way to becoming a legend. When the most beautiful princess in a Norwegian village is kidnapped by a pack of bloodthirsty Danes, Gauk knows it is his destiny to rescue her—and neither ice nor ocean nor an enemy''s steel blade can keep a Viking from his destiny.

A poet journeys into the underworld to rescue his bride His name is Orpheus, and he is the greatest poet on Earth. With his lyre, he can make music so beautiful it causes the gods to weep, but they are not who he wants to impress. Orpheus has been in love with Eurydice ever since the first time he heard her voice, and to win her love he sings the most beautiful songs in history. On the day of their wedding, when Orpheus feels happiness just within his grasp, Eurydice is bitten by a snake and dies. The groom is heartbroken, but undaunted. He will rescue his beloved—even if he must battle death itself. Orpheus''s path is fraught with untold dangers, but he presses on—and a tragic yet beautiful love story emerges from this radical reworking of an ancient tale.

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 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.

A champion diver fights to conquer her fears and get back on the board Bonnie is doing a reverse 2-and-a-half somersault when her forehead hits the diving board. She sinks into the pool, unconscious, sucking water into her lungs. When her teammates pull her up, they think she''s dead. Bonnie''s coach pumps her chest, breathing air into her lungs until Bonnie''s eyes open, and she can breathe by herself. Her head is bloody, her face a bruised mess. She''s felt pain before, but now there''s something new: For the first time in her life, Bonnie is afraid. Diving has always helped Bonnie escape the pressures of an unhappy family. But even after she recovers from her concussion, she finds it impossible to get back on the board. When her father is indicted for fraud, she needs the freedom of diving more than ever. But before she can fly, she must learn to leap without fear.

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 teenage boxer learns how to fight dirty—in and out of the ring As soon as the bell chimes, Steven knows he''s in trouble. Del Toro is stronger, faster, and in better shape; he''s by far the better boxer. But Steven has been learning to fight dirty. He steps on Del Toro''s toes, whips his head into the bigger man''s chin, and throws a straight right just wide enough to send his elbow crashing into his nose. It isn''t pretty, and it isn''t honest, but it works. In the boxing ring, and in life, Steven is never afraid to cheat. Invited to San Diego for a prestigious Golden Gloves West Coast tournament, Steven needs $600 to make the trip. A friend convinces him to get the money the easy way—by robbing a liquor store, and Steven soon learns there are fights where throwing in the towel means death.

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.

It is the summer of 1588 and a pair of unlikely shipmates is traveling on the Vixen, a privateer that will soon be drafted to join a flotilla of English ships bound for a fiery clash with the Spanish Armada. Seventeen-year-old Sherwin is aboard to repay a debt he owes the ship''s roguish captain, Brandon Fletcher. Sixteen-year-old Katharine is sailing with them in a desperate bid to save her noble family''s fortune. The fight will be harrowing and bloody, and the unfolding tumult will challenge the character of both Sherwin and Katharine, who are about to discover the deeper meaning of strife and of honor. This fascinating tale affords an unusual view of one of the most important naval encounters in history, as a kindling romance between two young people takes place amidst a reluctant race to battle.

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.

A National Book Award nominee! Returning to the same era of his "In a Dark Wood", Cadnum''s majestic novel--part mystery, part history--chronicles the pageantry and brutality of the Crusades under King Richard. Edmund, a young apprentice, is awaiting punishment as a counterfeiter when a knight intervenes on his behalf--and compels Edmund to join Richard Lionheart''s forces in the Holy Land. There, amidst the savagery of the twelfth-century Crusades, Edmund learns both courage and compassion, and discovers that cruelty is sometimes considered the will of Heaven. Set in medieval England and the war-torn shores of the Middle East, Cadnum''s tale weaves together a rich tapestry of storms at sea, the brutality of hand-to-hand combat, and one of the classic horse and lance battles in recorded history--the Battle of Arsuf.

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.

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.

Red Patterson, an evangelical television psychiatrist torn between his desires to heal and control, comes between artist Curtis Newns, who is devastated over the loss of his painting, and Curtis''s wife Margaret.

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.