New Releases by Catherine Fisher

An interpretation of a medieval Welsh tale by Catherine Fisher, recently appointed Wales'' first Young Person''s Laureate.

It starts when Cal gets off the train at the wrong stop in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. He''s stranded. Following a muddy path leads him to a castle that appears to be deserted. But inside is Corbenic, a magnificent hotel filled with rich people preparing for a banquet—and Cal is their guest of honor. During the meal, he experiences a disturbing vision, but when he is asked to talk about what he has seen, he denies it. What if he''s becoming crazy, like his mother? When Cal wakes the next morning, the elegant castle turns out to be nothing more than an abandoned ruin. But something inside him has changed—he now knows he needs to right the wrongs in his life. It will be a difficult journey, and if Cal achieves his goal, it will not be without cost. The first step—he must return to Corbenic.

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. . . . . .

Jamie was at the library looking for a book that was different, one he could get lost in. But he didn''t mean it literally. The Book with his own name in it leads Jamie and his sister Jenny into the Summer Country - a world of magic and danger, where even time behaves strangely; where Fintan''s Tower has held its prisoner since the days of Camelot, and will keep Jamie and Jenny, too, unless Jamie can read the book right . . .

Alick is fascinated by Luke Ferris - the Conjuror! Where does he get his strange powers of healing? Why has he got six fingers? What is his connection with the sinister goings-on at the Mere in Halcombe Great Wood? Then Alick follows the Conjuror to the secret chamber under the hillside. There he discovers the ancient game of Fidchell and accidentally removes a key piece in the game - unleashing dark and terrifying forces on to the world.

A creature moves down out of the uttermost North. It''s a sending summoned by Gudrun to cause destruction in the kingdom of Wulfgar, and as it travels down towards the Jarlshold it leaves a trail of devastation in its wake. Kari Ragnarrson tells his friends of old that he knows why the creature is coming: it has been sent by Gudrun as a test for him, a test of the powers which he has inherited from her. Ultimately, Kari must come to terms with the full strength of his powers in order to win his struggle and defeat the curse of Gudrun. It is a battle of the spirit which Kari knows he must win.

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.

Galen has spent the winter in Sarres, building a power-base round the symbolic leadership of the Interrex. But as Relic Master, he knows that to face the mysterious Margrave he needs to seek out the Coronet of Flain to complete his powers. Also, Galen and Raffi rescue two men from execution by the Watch: a keeper and a sceptic. These new men severely test Galen''s and Raffi''s belief in the Order''s ultimate success. Meanwhile, Carys continues to struggle to leave the Watch and its way behind as she gradually accepts the help given to her by the Sekoi.

Having tapped into the Crow, the Order''s legendary powerhouse, Galen is charged with a force beyond anything he, or his apprentice, Raffi have ever known. And when, during the ritual ceremony on the night of Flainsdeath, Galen receives a message from the makers urging him to find the Interrex - the child of the last great Emperor - Galen knows that the Keepers are tantalisingly close to the brink of a revolution. Meanwhile, Gary is struggling to come to terms with her past, her identity and the mystery of how she became a member of the Watch.

Huw is supposed to be the lucky one. He survived. But when he tries to start a new life - after tragedy has ripped his old one apart - he finds he can''t shake off the past. Strange dreams and weird visions seep into his waking moments until real life becomes a living nightmare, and Huw knows he has no choice but to come face to face with the mysterious myth of Belin''s Hill and bury its legacy for good.

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.

Sixteen-year-old Raffi and Master Galen continue to evade the Watch as they seek the Coronet, a potent ancient relic that could be their only hope for defeating the power that is destroying Anara.

Finn ha escapado de la terrible vida que tenía en Incarceron, pero sus recuerdos le atromentan, porque su hermano Keiro está todavía preso en su interior. Fuera, Claudia insiste en que se convierta en rey, pero Finn duda hasta de su propia identidad. ¿Es realmente él el príncipe perdido Giles? ?O son sus recuerdos sólo otra trampa de Incarceron? ¿Se puede ser realmente libre si tus amigos están cautivos? ¿Se puede ser libre en un mundo congelado en el tiempo? ¿Habrá encontrado Keiro el auténtico Guante de Sáfico? Si Keiro consigue el guante...¿podría conllevar la destrucción del mundo?

Their quest to find a secret relic with great power leads Master Galen and his 16-year-old apprentice Raffi into the Pit of Maar and the deep evil world at the heart of the Watch.

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 ...

The final story in the Oracle sequence. We are again in the distand land of deserts and islands ruled by one god whose wishes are conveyed through the Oracle. The Archon, child god-on-earth, returns from his journey across the desert to the Well of Songs, to find the tyrannical General Argelin has siezed control and his reign of madness is oppressing the Two Lands. He has publicly denounced the gods, and established a reign of terror. Mirany is in hiding, and the Nine are scattered. Will Argelin''s obsession bring the Rain Queen''s wrath down on them all? And whose is the sinister new power hidden in the sign of the Scarab? In the descent into anarchy, Mirany and the Archon must attempt the final, impossible journey of the soul. Through the Nine Gateways into death. And back.

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 ...

Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don''t even know who you are Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique.

In an absorbing mystery thriller, a teenage girl with a past arrives in a city: new name, new identity, new foster family. She has chosen the city herself, and is fascinated by its harmony and beauty, but is clearly in fear of discovery. She is nursing a secret from her early childhood, a secret that produces new terrors for her the moment she fears her identity has been spotted. A parallel narrative tells of a young architect''s apprentice, Zak, in 1750 - working with Jonathan Forrest, a man obsessed with past Druidic mysteries and a new architectural vision for the city. He plans to create the world''s first circular terraced street, the King''s Circus - a plan greeted with scorn and derision. Zac soon realises there''s more than just obsession with an architectural vision; there is some secret associated with building a hidden chamber in the centre of the Circus. But Zac himself has his own confused and highly destructive agenda ... These narratives are framed by the voice of Bladud - mythical first builder of the city, destined to die in trying to fly. And ultimately his narrative brings all together in a clever and brilliantly intriguing climax.

This dissertation examines the moment in the late Middle Ages when, for the first time in history, women began to gain access to literacy in comparatively large numbers. Because these women had little or no access to the long scholarly tradition in Latin upon which male authors were trained and relied for their authority, these female authors needed another way to authorize their writing, their experience. This dissertation is an exploration of the genesis of experience as an authoritative epistemology: how it came about and was articulated in writing as well as the legacy of this epistemology.