Peter Dickinson

In these collection, you will find stories that range from the mythic to contemporary fantasy to science fiction. You will find a troll, gryphons, a beloved dog, the Land of the Dead, an owl, a minotaur, and a very alien Cat. Earth and Air is the third and final book in a trilogy of shared collections connected by the four classical elements. It follows previous volumes Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits and Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits, written by both Peter Dickinson and Robin McKinley.Ridiki is Steff’s beloved dog, named after Eurydice, whom the poet Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead. When, like her namesake, Ridiki is bitten by a snake and dies, Steff decides that he too should journey to the Underworld to ask the King of the Land of the Dead for his dog back.Mari is the seventh child of a family in which troll blood still runs. When her husband goes missing in a Scottish loch, she must draw upon the power of her blood to rescue him. Sophie, a young girl, fashions a witch’s broomstick out of an ash sapling, and gets more than she bargained for. An escaped slave, Varro, must kill a gryphon, in order to survive. A boy named Yanni allies himself with an owl and a goddess in order to fight an ancient evil. A group of mind-bonded space travelers must face an unknown threat and solve the murder of a companion before time runs out.All of these stories are about, in one way or another, the contrary and magical pull of two elements, Earth and Air. Each story showcases the manifold talents of a master storyteller and craftsman who has twice won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award, as well as the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.A Junior Library Guild Selection"These unusual, memorable tales from a much-admired writer should appeal both to teens and Dickinson’s adult fans."—Publishers Weekly"Strange, sometimes beautiful tales."—Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Water: Tales of Elemental SpiritsWorld Fantasy Award finalist"There is plenty here to excite, enthrall, and move even the pickiest readers."—School Library Journal"... a collection of enchanting tales."—Publishers WeeklyPraise for Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits"This collection of beautifully crafted tales will find a warm welcome."—School Library Journal"Dickinson’s offerings are notable for their sophisticated magical thinking and subtlety of expression."—The Horn Book"Dickinson’s stories are told with a storyteller’s cadence."—Booklist“This collection ... offers something for every fantasy fan.”—Library Media ConnectionPraise for Peter Dickinson's children's books:"One of the real masters of children's literature."—Philip Pullman"Peter Dickinson is a national treasure."—The Guardian"Magnificent. Peter Dickinson is the past-master story-teller of our day."—The Times Literary SupplementPeter Dickinson is the author of over fifty books including Eva, Emma Tupper's Dairy, and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book The Ropemaker. He has twice received the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger as well as the Guardian Award and Whitbread Prize. He lives in England and is married to the novelist Robin McKinley.

THIRTEEN-YEAR OLD EVA wakes up in the hospital unable to remember anything since the picnic on the beach. Her mother leans over the bed and begins to explain. A traffic accident, a long coma . . . But there is something, Eva senses, that she’s not being told. There is a price she must pay to be alive at all. What have they done, with their amazing medical techniques, to save her?

It is two hundred thousand years ago. Suth and five other orphans are cut off from their Kin, the Moonhawks, and lost in the desert. When they are captured by the mysterious people of the Monkey Kin, it is up to Suth to find the courage to lead his friends to freedom.

Recreates the dragons of ancient myth and legend, showing how they flew, breathed fire, mated, hatched their young, hoarded gold and precious stones, and defended themselves

Four children embark on a quest for a new land at the dawn of human history Africa, two hundred thousand years ago: Suth and Noli were orphaned the night the murderous strangers came, speaking an unfamiliar language and bringing violence to the peaceful Moonhawk tribe. Determined not to die in the desert, Suth and Noli slip away with Ko and Mana. Suth, the eldest, leads them; Noli’s dreams of the future guide them. Ko gives them courage; Mana gives them peace. Their search for a new Good Place, one of food and safety, will take them across the valleys and plains of prehistoric Africa and bring them together as a tribe and as a family.

In this gripping novel by CWA Gold Dagger winner Peter Dickinson, the survivor of a manor-house crime delves into the past to solve a mystery At the elegant English manor known as Snailwood, tourists come daily to hear decades-old gossip about the second wife of the sixth earl. Zena was a remarkable young woman whose scandalous reputation has been dimmed neither by time nor by her bizarre death. In the 1930s, Zena was the star of a notorious party set whose members included playwrights, politicians, and Nazi sympathizers. They passed wild weekends at Snailwood, arguing about politics and drinking until dawn. At the center of their parties was the manor s magnificent tower clock. The clock stopped long ago, but the darkness of its legacy continues to spread. When a workman offers to fix the clock for free, the only remaining survivor of the old days is forced to revisit her memories of Zena s last mad party, when death came to Snailwood and Britain changed forever. "

Melly and Melanie are mirror images of each other. Are they twins separated at birth? Or is something more sinister afoot? It's a race against time and destiny to discover the truth, for if the two meet before the allotted time, who knows what their fate might be? "Do you know what a doppelganger is? We did a play about one four years ago... the hero had this double who seemed to be some kind of fiend, who stalked him, and if ever they came face to face the hero was going to die ... I know it sounds stupid as soon as you say it, but..."

Tilja has grown up in the peaceful Valley, which is protected from the fearsome Empire by an enchanted forest. But the forest’s power has begun to fade and the Valley is in danger. Tilja is the youngest of four brave souls who venture into the Empire together to find the mysterious magician who can save the Valley. And much to her amazement, Tilja gradually learns that only she, an ordinary girl with no magical powers, has the ability to protect her group and their quest from the Empire’s sorcerers.From the Hardcover edition.

Thirty-six years after a man dies mysteriously at the famous Vereker mansion, Lucy, one of the Vereker sisters, calls her lover, Paul, to her deathbed and asks him to help her solve the long-ago mystery. Reprint.