From USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. You may think you know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three 'saints' who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruellest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.

Girl. Warrior. Heretic. Saint? A stunning secular reimagining of the epic life of Joan of Arc, in the bold tradition of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall 1412. France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is in hiding. From this chaos emerges a teenage girl who will turn the tide of battle and lead the French to victory, an unlikely hero whose name will echo across the centuries. In Katherine J. Chen's hands, the myth and legend of Joan of Arc is transformed into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. This deeply researched novel is a sweeping narrative of her life, from a childhood steeped in both joy and violence to her meteoric rise to fame at the head of the French army, where she navigates both the perils of the battlefield and the equally treacherous politics of the royal court. Many are threatened by a woman who leads, and Joan draws wrath and suspicion from all corners, even as her first taste of fame and glory leave her vulnerable to her own powerful ambition. With unforgettably vivid characters, transporting settings, and action-packed storytelling, Joan is a thrilling epic, a triumph of historical fiction, as well as a feminist celebration of one remarkable—and remarkably real—woman who left an indelible mark on history.

The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff? On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature. All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nell’s door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew. Beautifully written, prescient and eerily haunting, Sinéad Gleeson’s fiction debut takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. A novel from one of our most beloved literary voices, this is perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss.

This satirical novel tells the story of the surgical transformation of a dog into a man, and is an obvious criticism of Soviet society, especially the new rich that arose after the Bolshevik revolution.

»Behindertsein ist schön!«, »Lieber lebendig als normal!« oder »Nichts über uns – ohne uns!« – diese Ausrufe sind kennzeichnend für ein starkes Selbstbewusstsein behinderter Menschen. Doch der Aufbruch vom dankbaren Objekt der Fürsorge zum Ziel der Autonomie und Selbstbestimmung erforderte Kämpfe, die in Vergessenheit zu geraten drohen. Die übliche Perspektive der »Sonderkarriere« von der Sonderschule bis zum Sonderfriedhof zu durchbrechen, erforderte Mut und einen langen Atem. Denn festgefügte Strukturen der Aussonderung, vielfältige Diskriminierungen und alltägliche Entrechtung gehörten zur unhinterfragten Tradition im Umgang mit behinderten Menschen. »Frech und frei« erzählt vom Widerstand einer sich entwickelnden Selbstbestimmt-Leben-Bewegung seit der Mitte der 1970er-Jahre. Es berichtet von der permanenten Auseinandersetzung mit gängigen Normen, Werten und Körperidealen, die noch oft die Prägungen der nationalsozialistischen Vergangenheit aufwiesen. Es erinnert an Demonstrationen gegen behindertenfeindliche Gerichtsurteile und an Bühnen- und Rathausbesetzungen. Es dokumentiert Proteste für die barrierefreie Nutzung von Bus und Bahn und zeichnet die Gegenwehr gegen neue »Euthanasie«-Forderungen und die Selektion durch humangenetische Techniken nach. Es skizziert den steinigen Weg, bis die Behindertenrechte Eingang in das Grundgesetz fanden, und warnt vor einem drohenden Rollback durch das Erstarken rechtsradikaler Denkweisen. Das mit Plakaten, Flugblättern und Zeitungsartikeln bebilderte Buch unterstreicht die Erkenntnis: Ohne die bewusste Verletzung von Regeln und Gesetzen wären die Erfolge der emanzipatorischen Behindertenbewegung undenkbar gewesen.

The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff? On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature. All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nell’s door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew. Beautifully written, prescient and eerily haunting, Sinéad Gleeson’s fiction debut takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. A novel from one of our most beloved literary voices, this is perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss.