New Releases by Catherine Fisher

It''s been 140 years since the Wolf swallowed the Sun, so why are all the cats in the dark, fog-shrouded town of Starspill bothering Zac about it now? He just wants to stay warm, listen to stories, and work hard for his brother as an apprentice starsmith. But the cats have other ideas. They want Zac to steal one of the three legendary Embers of the Sun from the town museum for them, and they''ve taken his precious secret map to make sure he''ll agree!

After rescuing Tomas from enchantment, orphan Seren Rhys is enjoying her first summer at Plas-y-Fran. But as autumn arrives, it brings with it a mysterious new governess who seems intent on drawing Tomas away from Seren and his family. Dangerous figures from a bewitched toy carousel stalk the house and, fearing the worst, Seren calls on the clockwork crow to help her. But can he reach her in time, and will Tomas be able to escape the magical creatures threatening to ensnare him, led by the Velvet Fox?

A mysterious gothic Christmas tale set in a frostbound Victorian country mansion. When orphaned Seren Rees is given a mysterious package by a strange and frightened man on her way to her new home, she reluctantly takes it with her. But what is in the parcel?

Gripping stories of myth, folklore and magic: Two step-brothers share one nightmare; red gloves that reach for your throat; a changing room where a stranger asks to swap lives with you; and a ghost in the rain... An expert storyteller weaves nine spells. Fear mixed with wit, heart and magic

In 1954 Dame Enid Lyons, the first woman elected to the Australian House of Representatives, argued that radio had ‘created a bigger revolution in the life of a woman than anything that has happened any time’ as it brought the public sphere into the home and women into the public sphere. Taking this claim as its starting point, Sound Citizens examines how a cohort of professional women broadcasters, activists and politicians used radio to contribute to the public sphere and improve women’s status in Australia from the introduction of radio in 1923 until the introduction of television in 1956. This book reveals a much broader and more complex history of women’s contributions to Australian broadcasting than has been previously acknowledged. Using a rich archive of radio magazines, station archives, scripts, personal papers and surviving recordings, Sound Citizens traces how women broadcasters used radio as a tool for their advocacy; radio’s significance to the history of women’s advancement; and how broadcasting was used in the development of women’s citizenship in Australia. It argues that women broadcasters saw radio as a medium that had the potential to transform women’s lives and status in society, and that they worked to both claim their own voices in the public sphere and to encourage other women to become active citizens. Radio provided a platform for women to contribute to public discourse and normalised the presence of women’s voices in the public sphere, both literally and figuratively.

Includes an excerpt from the first book in the trilogy, Obsidian mirror.

Science fiction, myth, time travel and Shakespearean wit and playfulness combine in a stunning sequence of huge imaginative power - the Shakespeare Quartet ... The Speed of Darkness concludes the series which began with The Obsidian Mirror, then moved on through The Box of Red Brocade and The Door in the Moon. In this final volume, a great storm brews out at sea and batters the Devon coast, flooding vast swathes of land. At Wintercombe Abbey the preceding weeks have been spent in a ferment of experimentation, as Jake Wilde''s father, David and Maskelyne work furiously on Operation Leah. They have been practising changing tiny events in the past, in preparation for the rescue of Venn''s wife Leah from death, the culmination of their work with the Obsidian Mirror. But in the aftermath of the storm, the Abbey is a drowned house. Where is the Mirror? What has happened to the two halves of the Janus coin? Whose is the mysterious boat wrecked up on the nearby beach? And what plans of mischief and mayhem lay in store for Halloween - the day chosen for Leah''s return?

Sequel to At the World''s End. Caz and Will struggle to fit in at the Settlement where the genders are strictly separated. After the battle to arrive, it seems that they may be setting out into the frozen world once again. Gripping YA dystopia from the author of Incarceron.

"Jake, Sarah, and Oberon Venn continue their fight for control of the Obsidian Mirror, and whoever wins will either save a life, change the past, or rescue the future"--

Dramatic, dystopian adventure, from the bestselling Incarceron author.

The Chronotoptika is a dazzling new quartet blending myth, science and time travel. Journey into the Chronoptika with this free sampler of Door in the Moon, with the first three chapters of Door in the Moon and bonus material from the author. Jake''s father, David Wilde, has disappeared whilst working for the strange recluse, Oberon Venn. A once famous explorer and collector of antiquities, Venn has withdrawn from the world following the death of his wife. He is obsessed with the desire to re-enter time, travel back, change the past, and resurrect his wife. This is the project on which Jack''s father was working, and during which he disappeared. Venn fills his house with objects from his journeys into the past, and through his time-travel device, the Obsidian Mirror. Jake''s aim is to recover his father - no matter what - and he ventures into the periods when his father was reputedly last seen alive. Victorian London, then the Blitz of the Second World War. By Door in the Moon he is in 1798 Paris, on the eve of the French Revolution ...

The obsidian mirror. Its power is great and terrible. Men have been lost in it, the dead brought back to life through it, and the future annihilated by it. Or this is what will happen unless the mirror is destroyed. Three people seek the mirror: the first has been sent from the future to shatter its power; the second will protect the mirror at all costs, obsessed with its power; and the third needs the mirror to find a murdered father and save his life. But only one can succeed. The mirror can send you to the past, but it will not bring you back. With superb world-building that includes the real world, the faery world, and a dystopic future, this hauntingly astonishing adventure is the start of a new trilogy from the master of the sci-fi/fantasy genre, Catherine Fisher. Fans of Orson Scott Card, Shakespeare, Grimm, and Blade Runner won''t be disappointed.

This book reviews the disproportionate number of African American women making up the United States'' prison population, looking particularly at how the nation''s prison systems are ill-equipped to meet the basic needs of its ever-growing population. Topics covered include reasons why young African American women are first drawn into criminal behavior; trends connecting incarceration to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; the effects of incarceration on inmates'' families and children; and possible preventive measures or alternatives to imprisonment.

On a mission to recover his father lost in time, Jake finds himself in 1940s London. From the rubble of the Blitzed city, a clue leads him to an eccentric seer of ghosts, three sinister children and three strange prophesies. Two of them soon come to pass, but what is the Box of Red Brocade? Does it hold the secret of destroying the Obsidian Mirror? A talking bird, an invisible girl, a walking wood; the second volume of Catherine Fisher''s Chronoptika series is packed with mystery, magic and sinister intrigue. ''A new novel by Catherine Fisher, poet and prize-winning novelist is always worth looking out for. The Obsidian Mirror is both thriller and SF, and, being written in Fisher''s acid-etched prose, equally satisfying to fans of many genres. ''Amanda Craig, THE TIMES Children''s Book of the Week.

"After decades of research devoted to women''s health, a federal agency focused on women''s health, and millions of dollars allocated to address women''s health disparities, African American women are still the sickest American citizens. This book examines why. Written by an all-female, all-African American team of health experts that include nurse practitioners, registered nurses, educators, and psychologists, this book focuses on the diseases and related social issues that cause the greatest harm and pose the greatest threat to African American women today. Its chapters address topics as varied as heart disease, cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, domestic violence, cervical and breast cancers, obesity, depression, mental illness, dementia/Alzheimer''s, and incarcerated women''s health care. A chapter is dedicated to identifying the social, cultural, and environmental barriers that block African American women from experiencing the best possible lives. Providing comprehensive coverage of the topic from an Afrocentric perspective, this text will be of great interest to medical and psychological health professionals and professors; social workers, counselors, and students in these fields; as well as African American women seeking current and expert information on these health threats. Presents technical information that will be invaluable to professionals in the social science and health science fields within text that is easy-to-read and accessible for general readers; examines the challenges of rectifying the main source of health disparity among African American women: poor economic status; covers a wide range of health issues affecting African American women, including breast cancer, dementia, depression, domestic violence, HIV, obesity, and sickle cell anemia"--Publisher''s description

From the bestselling author of "Incarceron." Sixteen-year-old Sarah sells her soul to reclaim her family''s estate and is given 100 years to atone for their sins, but as the bargain nears its end, modern-day Tom, yearning to attend the private school that Darkwater Hall has become, gets caught up in the bargain.

Meurig, the fiddler, is a haunted man. Hafren, the evil spirit-woman of the Severn has captured his soul and now possesses the key to his life - a small candle stub. Hafren taunts and torments Meurig but with help from Conor and Sara, he CAN take back his life from her watery grasp - at the cost of flooding the land. Meurig must make his choice - his life or the village. . . . . .

THE SNOW WALKER''S SON is a book of intrigue; of banishment and sorcery; of an ice cold winter and an unseen evil eye. Jessa and Thorkil are banished by the evil witch Gudrun to the ice kingdom to the North. Here they will be incarcerated with Gudrun''s son Kari; about whom there are the most terrible tales. He is rumoured to be half-man, half-beast and is a figure of dread. After an endless journey, Thorkil and Jessa arrive and, at last meet Kari. He is not as they feared but is a slight winsome young man. His only terror is that he, too, has the power. But he is determined to use the magic wisely.

The fourth installment in the Relic Master quartet! Galen and Raffi''s quest has brought them to the Pits of Maar. There, below the surface of the world, in the deepest darkness, a most evil thing is waiting for them to come. Watch a Video

The third installment in the Relic Master quartet! The coronet, a potent ancient relic, might be the only way to defeat the power that is destroying Anara. But it has been lost for centuries, and only legend tells of its whereabouts. Will Galen and Raffi be able to find it before the Watch does? Watch a Video

The second installment in the Relic Master quartet! Even though Tasceron and its Emperor have fallen, there is a rumor that the heiress to the throne still lives. If so, her life is in grave danger, especially from the Watch. Galen and Raffi must race to find and protect her. Watch a Video

Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic''s power and will stop at nothing to get it. Watch a Video

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden''s daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . .

Each year the Lammas Fair draws musicians and story-tellers to the grounds of the 17th-century house where Mick''s father is manager. This year a woman comes to sell herbs and candles - and offer Mick help with his music. His flute-playing blossoms, yet he is consumed by it, fading as the music swells. Grotesque incidents mar the Fair. In horror, Mick''s friend Katie understands the woman is drawing Mick into the Otherworld, to cross the boundary for ever. A compelling evocation of ancient folklore: the luring of a young man by a faery woman, and the rites of the Corn King, nurtured to full growth, then cut down.

In the distant land of deserts and islands, the servants of the god rule the land, his wishes conveyed through the Oracle and interpreted by the High Priestess. Mirany is the new Bearer, afraid of her perilous duties for the god in the rituals of the Oracle, and fearful of her secret questioning ... Does the god truly exist? The priestess is corrupt and in secret partnership with the General, ruler, since the God-on-Earth, the Archon, has no real power - chosen as a child, his face always masked, never seen by outsiders. Should any national tragedy occur, he is also the sacrifice. When the old Archon dies, his spirit migrates into a child, and there are several candidates for succession. But Mirany begins to experience the real visions of the god, discovers which child is the rightful heir, and that the General and High Priestess intend to choose another child and seize power. With only a tomb-robbing scribe and a mad musician for allies, Mirany begins her quest - knowing that, if she is betrayed, her fate will be to be walled up alive in the Archon''s tomb ...

Breathtaking sequel to The Oracle, the Archon must face a journey of treachery and adventure across the pitiless desert in a bid to save his people ... The Archon vows to lead a pilgrimage to the Well of Songs to seek peace with the Rain Queen and save the land from the terrible drought. The Well is hidden in the mountains across the desert. But he is not the only one with his sight set on the mountains: Argelin, the tyrannical and power-hungry General, follows behind, an ever-present threat, with his heart set on the riches to be found. With only Oblek, Seth and two tomb-thieves known as the Jackal and the Fox for company, the Archon''s journey is treacherous and dangerous. They must face the Great Desolation and the monstrous animals outlined on the desert floor, animals with mythical powers, and they must survive without Mirany, bearer-of-the-god and true friend of the Archon, who has had to remain behind to face a threat much closer to home ...