From the best-selling author of the novels Gods of Aberdeen and Losing Graceland comes this new collection of short fiction. The characters in these nine stories share a common thread as they come to terms with their misfortunes-a Jewish screenwriter is hired to write a blockbuster Holocaust romance in “The Mensch”-or their misdeeds-a husband and father returns to his family after leaving them in the care of a mere copy of himself in “Simulacrum.” This eclectic collection culminates in the epic, Kill Bill-esque “Jack the Bastard,” with its samurai and spaghetti western references. Illustrations by famed comic book artists Phil Noto, Tradd Moore, Russ Nicholson, and Michael Allred complement Nathan’s compelling prose.

When your fairy godmother threatens to enslave you with a curse - when a malevolent piper solves your rat problem but steals your children - when you seek revenge on the prince who turned you into a frog - who can you turn to in your hour of need? The band of scoundrels known far and wide as the Bastard Champions - the swashbuckling trio who travel a world of legend, seeking adventure and righting wrongs - as long as there's enough gold to be earned. They are Jack, the seemingly unkillable leader whose ever-present grin belies a dark past; Marie, who fights with fury but battles more fiercely to control the beast within; and Frank, the master of logistics, whose cloak hides horrific scars that are far more than skin-deep. As they slash and scheme through kingdom and village alike, the Bastard Champions uncover tantalizing clues to their ultimate quarry: the powerful Blue Fairy, who has made each of their lives a living hell.Second Hand Curses adds a dash of sly wit and a heaping portion of action to the fairy tales you thought you knew.

The story of the hell-mine of Kinkaseki ranks with the "Bridge over the River Kwai" as one of the most appalling episodes of the war in the Far East. Yet until now it has been known only to a few. At Kinkaseki, on the island of Taiwan, Allied POWs were forced by the Japanese to slave underground, year after year, in conditions of extreme danger, subjected to savage floggings if weakness or illness prevented them from digging their required quota of copper ore. Starved, tortured, ravaged by dysentery, they died in hundreds. Written by one of the men who survived, who has since fought ceaselessly for compensation, "Banzai, You Bastards!" describes with moving simplicity the indomitable spirit of men who refused to be beaten into submission. An important first-hand document of history, it publishes for the first time a copy of the secret order from the Japanese High Command to massacre all POWs and 'leave no traces'. This order, known only to a select, secret committee of prisoners, which included the author, hung over them for nearly a year before the A Bombs and until they were released by the US Marines, after the surrender of the Japanese in September 1945. [This book] records one of the most terrible aspects of warfare. Its closing words "None of us should forget" have been choses for use on six War Memorials to date in Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand and Yeovilton, England. -- Back jacket cover

The hilariously candid story of an unbelievably dysfunctional and disintegrating relationship.

Jack Hart, master writing coach and former managing editor of the Oregonian, has guided several Pulitzer Prize–winning narratives to publication. Since its publication in 2011, his book Storycraft has become the definitive guide to crafting narrative nonfiction. This is the book to read to learn the art of storytelling as embodied in the work of writers such as David Grann, Mary Roach, Tracy Kidder, and John McPhee. In this new edition, Hart has expanded the book’s range to delve into podcasting and has incorporated new insights from recent research into storytelling and the brain. He has also added dozens of new examples that illustrate effective narrative nonfiction. This edition of Storycraft is also paired with Wordcraft, a new incarnation of Hart’s earlier book A Writer’s Coach, now also available from Chicago.

A varied collection of short stories of war, love, mystery hatred and revenge. written to appeal to a variety of tastes