New Releases by Jonathan Carroll

The first historical look at what happened during the Somalia intervention; what went wrong and what lessons we should learn from it. The story of Black Hawk Down is a familiar one. On 3 October 1993 two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, and in the ensuing Battle of Mogadishu eighteen Americans and hundreds of Somalis were killed. But very few appreciate that this was just one day in a two-and-a-half-year operation; the most ambitious attempt in history to rebuild a nation. The United States sought to show the world that the UN could rebuild a country, but in a dire foreshadowing of the failed efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan a decade later, the intervention in Somalia was plagued with political infighting, policy mismatch, confusion, and fatal assumptions. In 1992 Somalia saw the largest ever deployment of American troops to the continent of Africa, and 1993 brought the first UN-led peace enforcement mission and the most ambitious experiment in nation-building. In Beyond Black Hawk Down, Jonathan Carroll provides the first scholarly military history of the entire intervention, from its early and largely successful humanitarian phase in 1992 through to the ultimate withdrawal of UN forces in 1995. Carroll dispels the myths and misunderstandings surrounding one of the most infamous episodes of the 1990s to present a new interpretation of events, most notably by including the Somali perspective, to argue what went so wrong in Somalia, and more importantly, why. Understanding the intervention in Somalia, its successes and the roots of its failures, is invaluable to contemporary debates on concepts of nation-building and counterinsurgency. Moreover, the increasing regularity of inter-state and intra-state conflicts across the world means the international community will continue to be called upon to intervene in other failed or failing states in the future. Beyond Black Hawk Down is an important new history that will inform the shape and nature of future military interventions.

The famous novelist Samuel Bayer is stuck in the middle of the first writer''s block he has ever known. Hoping to be inspired, he returns to his hometown for the first time in years to investigate the mystery of a seemingly unsolved murder of a young woman, Pauline Ostrova, whose boyfriend was convicted of the crime and later died in prison. But the further he looks into the crime, Bayer begins to question the validity of the conviction. As he navigates his childhood memories and the eerie atmosphere of his hometown, he becomes increasingly involved in unraveling the truth behind Pauline''s death. Digging deeper into the past, he encounters various characters that shape his understanding of the events surrounding the murder, ultimately leading to a reflection on the nature of truth and the impact of unresolved histories on personal identity. Praise for Kissing the Beehive: "Carroll''s book is strung like a piano wire whose surprising final note only sounds on the last page. Stephen King has aptly compared Carroll to Alfred Hitchcock. This novel is sure to find a wide audience and will be in demand by Carroll''s rabid fans. Recommended." — Library Journal "Carroll blends all these elements beautifully, and brings the novel to a smashing and surprising climax. If this be Carroll''s attempt to enter the commercial mainstream, more power to him. With this terrifically entertaining tale, he has improved the quality of the water." — Kirkus

The Crow''s Dinner weaves a tapestry of tales, spotlighting striking, poignant moments of raw human emotion and fleeting connections, keenly and compassionately observed by Carroll. This collection is a nocturnal journey through intimate encounters in cafes, episodes of beautiful youth without shelter, and the subtle unraveling of personal facades. As one critic wrote "It captures a magic akin to the invisible, compassionate observers in Wim Wenders'' Wings of Desire, who peer into the soul of Berlin, absorbing the silent stories and hidden pains of its inhabitants. With narratives that are concise yet profound, often spanning just a page or two, each piece centers around a pivotal experience or theme, unraveling layers of meaning and insight. Carroll''s work is reminiscent of a Zen koan, each story a path to deeper understanding, inviting readers into a reflective journey."

We all know a Tony Areal: Nice guy, inoffensive, semi-invisible, living a mostly gray day to day. As the old saying goes, throw a stick on a busy city street and you''ll hit at least three men just like him. We don''t know the Tony Areal who dreams at night about a stampeding pack of rhinoceros and bull terrier dogs, Cro Magnon men who just happen to have been Tony in an earlier incarnation and want to have a chat now, and a beautiful alluring woman who keeps reappearing night after night with secrets to tell. And what about those extraordinary gifts that keep appearing in Day—Tony''s life, no strings attached—could they be gifts from his night self? Are we the same people in our days and our nights? Tony Areal is about to find out and the answer is wholly unexpected.

★美國科奇幻出版龍頭Tor出版社列為「永不絕版」的經典 ——華文世界首度出版單行本！ 這個小鎮是世界上獨一無二的「樂土」， 但是想進入這裡，你必須相信文字的力量…… 恐怖懸疑超越《逃出絕命鎮》＋顫慄世界觀更勝《全面啟動》 ◎全球銷量突破 2,000,000 冊！翻譯成十餘種語言！ ◎文壇大師 史蒂芬．金、尼爾．蓋曼、強納森・列瑟 私心最愛的作者 ◎曾獲世界奇幻獎、英倫奇幻獎、史鐸克獎、法國的幻想文學大獎！ 吳定謙（演員、導演）、臥斧、葉芸（貓先生與朋友們Mr.Cat&Friends主理插畫家）、蔣雅妮（作家）、盧建彰（作家）、u00ad譚光磊（版權代理）──好評推薦 「強納森・卡洛在書中創造了一個世界，他打開一扇窗、一扇門或魔法窗扉，向你展示那個地方。……他會把他的眼睛借給你，從此以後，你再也不會像從前那樣看待世界了。」——尼爾・蓋曼（當代奇幻大師） 魔幻寫實的畫面， 懸疑翻轉的節奏， 存在主義的叩問…… 離經叛道的意外結局！ 湯瑪士是一個平凡的英文老師，長期活在電影巨星父親的陰影下。某天湯瑪士決定休個長假寫書，寫自己最愛的童書作家馬修・法蘭斯的傳記。那是他自小以來心靈的寄託與歸宿。但法蘭斯行蹤隱密，關於他的生平大家知之甚少，而作家過世多年以來，想為之立傳的人，都被他女兒安娜轟出門外。但湯瑪士不死心，和同樣喜歡法蘭斯的新女友千里迢迢前往密蘇里州的鄉下小鎮，那裡正是作家的故鄉。 然而，當他們風塵僕僕抵達，卻發現一切都和想像的不一樣…… 鎮民熱烈歡迎，安娜居然也親切接待，甚至對湯瑪士寫傳記一事興致勃勃，帶他到處走訪父親生前最愛的地點。不過，兩人在鎮上住下後，逐漸發現這裡有些不對勁……墓園裡的名字都是法蘭斯筆下人物，養的狗都是他喜歡的牛頭㹴，這個小鎮彷彿是作家的靈感來源。當安娜終於答應授權湯瑪士寫傳記後，鎮上卻接二連三發生怪事，他開始在鎮民臉上看見小說角色的面孔，有天還聽見了狗在說話…… 在這個每個人都友善又快樂的神祕小鎮裡，鎮民到底在隱瞞些什麼？事實的真相令人毛骨悚然…… 【本書特色】 （1）【深度的設定與筆法，令當代奇幻大師著迷不已】 《歡笑國度》不是一般的奇幻小說，書中探討許多經典永恆的主題：讀者對書與作者的痴迷、父親與子女間的情感角力、有形與無形的「創作」力量。後設筆法、魔幻寫實、奇幻與恐怖元素、小鎮疑雲和文學謎團都在這本完美交融。 （2）【存在主義的哲學叩問，眼見不見得為憑】 「眼前的一切是否就是真實？」 「我們真的能推斷與感知什麼是真實嗎？」 閱讀故事時，作者企圖不斷讓讀者思考這些問題，於是書中主角之一的安娜總是拿著齊克果、沙特、卡夫卡的存在主義小說；平靜純樸的小鎮看起來像插畫家筆下和樂幸福的畫作，但卻又處處透著詭異。作者營造的世界、書裡的作家營造的世界與讀者所見的世界，成為彼此關連又虛實交錯的存在。 （3）【中文版封面致敬插畫大師，完美重現書中重要場景】 本封面以乍看日常的場景，看起來像小豬一樣的微笑牛頭㹴，暗示寫作的復古打字機，搭配有奇異笑容的風箏，窗內隱約的手印……呈現平靜祥和表面下詭異奇幻的感覺。 書中提到主角心儀作家所住的小鎮，宛若20世紀藝術大師諾曼．洛克威爾（Norman Rockwell）畫作。洛克威爾是美國著名插畫家，其作品中常反映美國理想中的文化和生活，然而批評家多半覺得他的作品虛假偽善，替政府製造美好的幻影。 中文版封面企圖以相近風格向大師致敬，也呼應作者特地用洛克威爾畫作當成情節重點暗示。 【各界好評推薦】 ＊讀者一生必看推薦！這本書不讓人睡啊！（緊緊拿著書） ●神奇、有趣，我無法放下這本書！ ●極為出色的故事！能擁有這本書實在太好了！ ●這絕對不是一般炫技的奇幻文學。尤其是結尾，讓人久久無法忘懷！ ●故事情節令人敬佩。一開始你可能會覺得節奏緩慢，但隨著故事發展你會漸漸屈服！ ●對書迷來說這是一本非常重要的書。因為故事也是始於一位書籍收藏家。非常卓越！ ＊重量媒體入魔好評！這本書的手法太邪惡啦！（讚嘆） ●遇到困難時，如果你相信自己最愛的書會是個避難所，這本《歡笑國度》正適合你！――當代奇幻大師尼爾．蓋曼（Neil Gaiman） ●卡洛那些引人入勝、不可思議的小說，就如同奧斯卡最佳導演法蘭克・卡普拉（Frank Capra）的電影，一幕幕地揭開菲利普・狄克（Philip K. Dick）和阿根廷作家科塔薩（Julio Cortázar）的故事結構核心。――小說家強納森．列瑟（Jonathan Lethem），《布魯克林孤兒》作者 ●卡洛即將成為受人熱烈追捧膜拜的偶像。――美國暢銷小說家派特．康洛伊（Pat Conroy） ●卡洛的作品相當與眾不同。當你開始閱讀他的小說時，你的每一個直覺都會引導你到一個錯誤的方向――反正啊，他的小說遲早會把你的腦筋搞糊塗，並且讓你喘不過氣。」――美國恐怖小說家彼得．史超（Peter Straub） ●我超愛卡洛的小說。它的故事像是可愛的羅威納小狗，令人感到驚喜和愉悅，同時也會反咬你一口。――美國作家奧黛麗．尼芬格（Audrey Niffenegger），《時空旅人之妻》作者 ●我羨慕那些還沒看過性感迷人、詭異、令人上癮的卡洛小說的人。這本故事猶如一道美味的佳餚，但內餡有著惡魔般的詭計。――《華盛頓郵報》 ●獻給所有曾經珍視某位作家及其作品的人。如果你曾經著了魔想透過手中的鏡子或其他可以穿越時空的方式，去到《魔戒》的中土世界或是《綠野仙蹤》的奧茲國，你將會非常喜愛這本書。――《洛杉磯時報》 ●卡洛非常擅長整合富有情感的現實主義與不同程度的奇幻點子。沒有作家跟卡洛一樣，他的小說能夠帶給讀者最難得的閱讀體驗：貨真價實的驚喜、充滿想像力，輕易改變你看待世界的角度。他的小說關鍵特點是，你會在故事中體驗到強烈的同理心。――《國家郵報》（National Post） ●我很少讀到能如此優雅地融合荒誕古怪和令人發寒的書。――知名編輯絲隆（Michelle Slung），《美國國家公共廣播電臺》 ●讓人欲罷不能、讀到半夜……這個故事的力量精準地達成它的目的。――《克利夫蘭誠懇家日報》

From one of the great modern masters of the fantastic, “A beautiful, brilliant, meditation on art, love, inspiration and what makes life worthwhile."-- Neil Gaiman "[Carroll''s] prose is spare, polished and quick-moving, sometimes lightly comic, always immensely engaging... Mr. Breakfast is pure pleasure to read. It will surprise you, make you laugh and scare you — and then, just when you think it’s over, add several extra twists." - Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Graham Patterson’s life has hit a dead end. His career as a comedian is failing. The love of his life recently broke up with him and he literally has no idea what to do next. With nothing to lose, he buys a new car and hits the road, planning to drive across country and hopefully figure out his next moves before reaching California. But along the way Patterson does something his old self would never have even considered: he gets tattooed by a brilliant tattoo artist in North Carolina. The decision sets off a series of extraordinary events that changes his life forever in ways he never could have imagined. Among other things, Patterson is gifted with the ability to see in real time three different lives that are available to him. The choice is his: The life he is leading right now, or two very different ones. In all of them there is love or fame and of course danger because once he has chosen, there is no telling what will happen next. Mr. Breakfast is a dazzling, absorbing and deeply moving novel about the choices that we have to confront and face, confirming Jonathan Carroll’s status as one of our greatest and most imaginative storytellers.

In Jonathan Carrol''s new Tor.com original short story, "Porgee''s Bear," an artist''s work attracts the eye of Andrey Porgee, a notorious gangster, who becomes her best customer. But when he commissions a painting based on a childhood photograph, the artist lives in fear of his reaction to the final product. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This “toothy follow-up to Datlow’s first-rate Blood Is Not Enough” offers “admirably inventive variations on vampirism” (Kirkus Reviews). Featuring stories by Jonathan Carroll, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Robert Silverberg, A Whisper of Blood is a “consistently engrossing anthology” from award-winning editor Ellen Datlow (Publishers Weekly). Continuing to expand the boundaries of the concept of vampirism—as she did in her first collection, Blood Is Not Enough—Datlow has assembled eighteen fascinating stories that range from tales of literal vampires to what she calls “metaphorical bloodsuckers,” who can drain another’s life force without ever sinking their teeth into necks. In “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” by Suzy McKee Charnas, an elderly Jewish woman who’s taken her own life has second thoughts and makes a deal to become a vampire to stay immortal, the only condition being she has to drink blood by request only. An amnesiac operative tries to sort out if a secret government agency is trying to help him regain his memory or is wiping it clean in Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Kafkaesque “Do I Dare to Eat a Peach?” And in Jonathan Carroll’s “The Moose Church,” a tourist in Sardinia is literally scarred by asking questions of death in his dreams . . . A Whisper of Blood includes contributions by Suzy McKee Charnas, Karl Edward Wagner, Robert Silverberg, Kathe Koja, Elizabeth Massie, Barry N. Malzberg, Rick Wilber, Jonathan Carroll, Thomas Ligotti, Melissa Mia Hall, David J. Schow, Jack Womack, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Thomas Tessier, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, K. W. Jeter, Pat Cadigan, and Robert Holdstock and Garry Kilworth.

She was the first to fall. As she walked the dog one night, it saw something off to the side and bolted. A couple is concerned when their dog behaves increasingly bizarrely: first to their chagrin, and, eventually, to their alarm. . . in Jonathan Carroll''s Mama Bruise, a Tor.com Original short story. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

"This project was undertaken by a team of fisheries biologists, statisticians, modellers and oceanographers from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Aquatic Sciences. Findings have been used to refine the application of the daily egg production method (DEPM) to Australia''s largest fishery, the South Australian Sardine Fishery (SASF), and the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF)" -- from Executive Summary.

"The Loud Table" by Jonathan Carroll is an sf-fantasy about four elderly men who regularly hang out. One of the men is worried that he’s getting Alzheimer’s, but the truth might be even more discomforting. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

«Jonathan Carroll fa paura come Hitchcock quando non fa ridere come Jim Carrey». Stephen King Il mondo dei morti è costruito sui sogni – e sugli incubi – dei vivi. Le piovre guidano gli autobus. Dio è un orso polare. E un’autostrada intasata porta letteralmente dritto all’inferno. Già una volta Vincent Ettrich e la sua ragazza Isabelle Neukor hanno compiuto un viaggio di andata e ritorno verso la morte. Ora Isabelle porta in grembo un bambino molto speciale, che un giorno potrebbe riordinare quel mosaico in continuo cambiamento che è la nostra realtà. A meno che gli agenti del Caos non riescano a riportarla nuovamente indietro nel mondo dei morti e lasciarla lì una volta per tutte. Zuppa di vetro è un romanzo visionario e appassionante e insieme una grande storia d’amore. Ancora una volta Jonathan Carroll ci regala un libro magico e sorprendente dove niente è davvero quello che appare e nulla è veramente impossibile, e conferma, una volta di più, di essere uno scrittore che occupa una categoria a parte, e unica, nella letteratura contemporanea.

Contiene: El mar de madera, El museo del perro y Los dientes de los ángeles.

Un hombre cae en la nieve, se golpea la cabeza contra un bordillo de piedra y muere; sin embargo, sucede algo extraño: el hombre no está realmente muerto, y el fantasma que ha sido enviado para llevarse su alma a la otra vida queda estupefacto. Tras acudir de inmediato a su jefe, el fantasma le pregunta qué debe hacer, a lo que el jefe le responde que no sabe cómo ha sucedido, pero que están trabajando en ello. Mientras tanto, desea que permanezca junto al hombre para que puedan averiguar lo que está ocurriendo. El fantasma acepta de mala gana; es un espectro y no una niñera, sin embargo sucede algo inesperado: se enamora locamente de la novia del hombre y las cosas, obviamente, se complican bastante.

El reino de los muertos se construye a partir de los sueños (y pesadillas) de los vivos. Los pulpos conducen autobuses. Dios es un oso polar. Y una autopista atestada de vehículos con-duce literalmente al Infierno. Vincent Ettrich y su amada, Isabelle Neukor, cruzaron una vez la frontera que separa la vida de la muerte y regresaron de allí. Ahora, Isabelle lleva en su vientre a un niño muy especial, que podría restaurar algún día el inestable mosaico de la realidad. A menos que los agentes del Caos consigan atraerla de vuelta a la tierra de los muertos… y retenerla allí para siempre.

Vincent Ettrich, un gran mujeriego, descubre que ha muerto y que ha vuelto a la vida, pero no tiene ni idea de por qué ni de cómo ha sido la experiencia. Empujado y animado por extraños augurios y aún más extrañas personas, averigua que ha vuelto junto a su único amor verdadero, Isabelle, porque esta va a tener un hijo suyo. Un niño que tendrá un papel crucial en la salvación del universo. Pero para que cumpla con su destino, el niño debe conocer lo que Vincent ha aprendido en el otro lado, si es que este pudiese recordarlo… El futuro de todo lo que existe puede depender del amor y de la lucha de un padre. A veces estrafalario y a veces romántico, fantástico e irresistible, Manzanas blancas es un cuento de amor, paternidad, vida y muerte, que le hará ver el mundo con otros ojos.

In Jonathan Carroll''s surreal masterpiece, Bathing the Lion, five people who live in the same New England town go to sleep one night and all share the same hyper-realistic dream. Some of these people know each other; some don''t. When they wake the next day all of them know what has happened. All five were at one time "mechanics," a kind of cosmic repairman whose job is to keep order in the universe and clean up the messes made both by sentient beings and the utterly fearsome yet inevitable Chaos that periodically rolls through, wreaking mayhem wherever it touches down—a kind of infinitely powerful, merciless tornado. Because the job of a mechanic is grueling and exhausting, after a certain period all of them are retired and sent to different parts of the cosmos to live out their days as "civilians." Their memories are wiped clean and new identities are created for them that fit the places they go to live out their natural lives to the end. For the first time all retired mechanics are being brought back to duty: Chaos has a new plan, and it''s not looking good for mankind...

A collection of interviews with masters of fantasy and science fiction, including: Terry Bisson, Marion Zimmer Bradley, John Brunner, Jonathan Carroll, Robert Holdstock, Ellen Kushner, Ursula K. Le Guin, Fritz Leiber, Ray Faraday Nelson, Frederik Pohl, Dan Simmons, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and Jack Williamson. All interviews conducted by Darrell Schweitzer.

Crane''s View es un pequeño y agradable pueblo situado junto a un río, un lugar donde nunca sucede nada fuera de lo ordinario, al menos, para un observador casual. Porque desde el momento en que un perro de tres patas entra en la confortable vida del jefe de policía Frannie McCabe, muere a sus pies, y vuelve a la vida, McCabe se encuentra a sí mismo lanzado a un nuevo mundo de inenarrables y perturbadoras maravillas. Una pluma multicolor, misteriosos dibujos y un Frannie McCabe de diecisiete años se aparecen para insinuarle la verdad sobre su pasado, su presente y su futuro: él está en el centro de una conspiración, y lo que haga en los próximos días puede tener consecuencias para el mundo entero.

"The collected short stories of Jonathan Carroll"--Jacket.

Have you ever loved a magical book above all others? Have you ever wished the magic were real? Welcome to The Land of Laughs. A novel about how terrifying that would be. Schoolteacher Thomas Abbey, unsure son of a film star, doesn''t know who he is or what he wants--in life, in love, or in his relationship with the strange and intense Saxony Gardner. What he knows is that in his whole life nothing has touched him so deeply as the novels of Marshall France, a reclusive author of fabulous children''s tales who died at forty-four. Now Thomas and Saxony have come to France''s hometown, the dreamy Midwestern town of Galen, Missouri, to write France''s biography. Warned in advance that France''s family may oppose them, they''re surprised to find France''s daughter warmly welcoming instead. But slowly they begin to see that something fantastic and horrible is happening. The magic of Marshall France has extended far beyond the printed page...leaving them with a terrifying task to undertake. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Cullen James is a young woman whose life dictates her dreams-and whose dreams control her life. In her first dream, she found the perfect man-and the same thing promptly happened in life. Now, she has begun to dream dreams set in Rondua, a fantasy world of high adventure, full of tests of her courage and strength. Slowly and quietly, her dream world is spilling over into her New York City reality and beginning to threaten everything she loves in life. Her friends are gathered to help her-but even her newfound courage may not be enough. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.