Kaile lives in Zombay, an astonishing city where goblins walk the streets and witches work their charms and curses. Kaile wants to be a musician and is delighted when a goblin gives her a flute carved out of bone. But the flute’s single, mournful song has a dangerous consequence: it separates Kaile and her shadow. Anyone without a shadow is considered dead, and despite Kaile’s protests that she’s alive and breathing, her family forces her to leave so she can’t haunt their home. Kaile and her shadow soon learn that the troublesome flute is tied to a terrifying ghoul made from the bones of those who drowned in the Zombay River. With the ghoul chasing her and the river threatening to flood, Kaile has an important role to play in keeping Zombay safe. Will Kaile and her shadow be able to learn the right tune in time?

Rownie is the youngest in a hodgepodge household of stray children collected by Graba the witch. His older brother, Rowan, has vanished after performing in a secret play, and Rownie feels lost without him. Acting is illegal in the city of Zombay. No one may wear a mask and pretend to be someone else. Only goblins may legally perform, for they are the Changed—neither human nor other, belonging nowhere.  Rownie meets a traveling troupe of goblins who promise to teach him the secrets of mask-craft and entice him with the hope of finding Rowan. But Graba does not give up her own easily and hunts for them both. As Rownie searches for his brother, the true power of the masks--and those who wear them—is revealed. Are the goblins what they seem to be? What fateful magic lies hidden in the heart of Zombay? Mystery and adventure are woven through with charm and humor in this beguiling exploration of family, love, identity, and the power of words to shape what is real

What if you could not only travel any location in the world, but to any possible world? We can all imagine such “other worlds”—be they worlds just slightly different than our own or worlds full of magic and wonder—but it is only in fiction that we can travel to them. From The Wizard of Oz to The Dark Tower, from Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass to C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, there is a rich tradition of this kind of fiction, but never before have the best parallel world stories and portal fantasies been collected in a single volume—until now. “Anthologist Adams presents readers with a wide variety of alternate Earths, some only slightly askew and others completely unfamiliar. […] Adams’s selections are mirrors reflecting one other with the best images of alternate realities. Readers will greatly enjoy this exploration of our world's foremost and ascendant speculative authors.” “Reminds longtime readers of fantasy and sci-fi what we love about the genre, while also and aptly demonstrating to newcomers that these stories are about so much more than dragons and multitentacled monsters. It comes highly recommended to both and all.”

Что ждет человечество в будущем — падение под давлением природной эволюции или расцвет под влиянием внутреннего развития каждого человека? Мыслями на этот вопрос с вами поделятся лучшие фантасты конца двадцатых годов прошлого столетия. Космические полеты, романтика будущего, шаг в неизвестное — все это есть в новом сборнике!

В городке Зомбей в домике на заводных курьих ножках живет ведьма Граба, очень похожая на Бабу-Ягу. Граба держит при себе беспризорных детей, а Роуни — самый младший в ее доме. Единственный родственник Роуни — старший брат, актер Роуэн. Театр в городе Зомбей запрещен, Роуэн пропал без вести. Отчаявшись найти его, Роуни присоединяется к труппе гоблинов, которые обходят закон и ставят спектакли. Но их пьесы не просто развлечение, и маски они используют не только для грима… Гоблины тоже ищут Роуэна, потому что он тот единственный человек, кто спасет город от потопа. Это простая, прозрачная книга создает волшебную атмосферу и в быстро развивающемся действии деликатно рассказывает о любви, потерях и семье. (С www.amazon.com)