This collection of short stories takes its title from one of the stories contained in it: The Protectors. All stories are basically romantic in nature, but they are not simple love stories. Their themes have all the colours, and their myriad shades, to afford you a panoramic view of the world we live in. The first story, for example, is that of a boy whose rebellious nature, not accepting the norms of a corrupt society, struggles to achieve a job on the basis of his qualification, and not on the recommendation of a friend. Another story deals in defence of the motherland from the vicious attack of a rival force. Then there is a story which gives a graphic picture of a poverty-stricken housing scheme where women, forgetting about their self-respect, stoop so low as to adopt a life style, both execrable and pitiable but there are women and there are women! In brief, the book touches on unemployment, indignity of a religious family, and inheritance inciting to murder. A story each describes the horrendous custom of doing away with female foetuses, the ugly face of feudalism, and foundering efforts of a courtesan to escape to a righteous life. Last but not least is the story of educated youth, who for want of any reasonable job, resort to robbery. The book takes you along on a journey which unravels a picture of unspeakable misery some people are subjected to. One would feel the milk of human kindness is drying up fast! One could read these stories with a view to killing time, but if they pause and think well, that is exactly what these stories are aimed at.

Winner of the 2021 Caldecott Medal #1 New York Times Bestseller Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption—a bold and lyrical picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and vibrantly illustrated by Michaela Goade. Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all . . . When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth And poison her people’s water, one young water protector Takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource.

From distant stars to a Cocoa Beach Hooters, Derwin Mak's short fiction takes readers through tales of mystery, wonder, and horror. Ethnic traditions meld with fantastic visions in these twelve stories about memory fabric, eldritch gods during the Salem witch trials, and of course, Mecha-Jesus, Japan's very own android kami.

Singularity gathers award-winning writer Melanie Tem’s most important short fiction, highlighting her diversity and mastery of her art. The sixty stories collected here range from "Sitting with the Driver," a western with a dark woman at its center, to "Little Shit," a contemporary tale of a woman who uses her deceptive appearance and psychic power to trap those who prey on the helpless. The child in "Corn teeth" longs not only to become a part of an alien family, but also to become an alien. And in the title tale, a man studies singularities and strin theory to both understand and blind himself to the truth about the woman he loves. Although the story is not science fiction, its exploration of physics is as rigorous as that found in the best sf. Here you will find no triumphant warriors, no powerful and beautiful protagonists, no monsters from beyond the dark cold void or madmen bent on conquest. Tem's characters are mothers and siblings, orphans and lonely seniors. Her stories are often about family, and always about relationships. Even though Kelly is the only character in "Iced in," the bitter truth that lies at the story's heart is that she is doomed by her failure to maintain relationships. Melanie Tem's stories are often haunted by ghosts and monsters, ghosts and monsters revealed as all too human. In Singularity, she explores the love and terror that lie deep within all of us.

A collection of 20 short stories from prize winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine. Included you will find a fight to save Martian microbes, a Taoist community under attack, an America under seige, and just about every subject in between.

Devlin Bane: Born a Paladin, he is a member of an ancient band of warriors locked in a centuries-old war against evil. His destiny: To die over and over again to protect mankind from the Others, only to be revived each time by his mortal Handler. But his fierce strength and courage cannot save him from gradually becoming one of the monsters he was born to destroy. Dr. Laurel Young, who has spent years training to become a Handler, must remain detached from her patients. But each time she revives the darkly compelling Devlin Bane, he claims a little more of her soul and incites in her desires that grow wilder and wilder -- even as he inches closer to losing his humanity. As the war against the Others grows more desperate, Laurel and Devlin can't help but give in to the fierce hunger that's sizzled between them for so long. Now they'll face the ultimate battle together -- to save a dark, passionate love that goes against every rule as they join forces to fight an enemy who is closer than they ever imagined....

Premchand is India . . . If you haven’t read Premchand, you have missed out on a lot’ —The Hindu Considered one of the greatest fiction writers in Hindi, Munshi Premchand (1880–1936) wrote over three hundred short stories, a dozen novels and two plays over a prolific career spanning three decades. Though best known for his stories exposing the horrors of poverty and social injustice, he wrote on a variety of themes with equal facility—romance, satire, social dramas, nationalist tales, and yarns steeped in folklore. The Co-wife and Other Stories brings together twenty classic tales of Premchand which provide a glimpse of the author’s extraordinary range and diversity. While some cast a harrowing look at poverty, reflecting Premchand’s sympathy with the underdog, others expose human foibles without being judgmental and tackle gender politics in a humorous and ironic manner. This collection also includes an imaginative foray into historical fiction, a nostalgic look at childhood, a comic exploration of the theme of women’s autonomy, and stories that reveal the writer’s profound empathy with animals. Ruth Vanita’s sensitive translation captures the power and beauty of Premchand’s language, conveying the nuances of the original and bringing to life the author’s inherent humanism.