New Fiction Titles

 

 



Ford County Stories by John Grisham
In his first collection of short stories, John Grisham takes us back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill. Inez and her two older sons take a road trip to visit the youngest brother, who's locked away on death row. Mack, a low-grossing divorce lawyer, gets a phone call with an offer to settle some old cases for more money than he has ever seen. Sidney, a data collector for an insurance company, perfects his blackjack skills in hopes of bringing down the casino empire of Clanton's most ambitious hustler. Three good ol' boys from rural Ford County journey to the big city of Memphis to give blood to an injured friend. The Quiet Haven Retirement Home is a place with little controversy, until Gilbert arrives. Stanley Wade bumps into an old adversary, a man with a long memory, and the encounter becomes a violent ordeal.

Frankenstein (Graphic Novel, Original Text) by Mary Shelley
The story begins with the journey of an adventurer, Robert Walton, who saves the life of a man at the North Pole. That man, Victor Frankenstein, tells Walton about his experiments with the creation of life and how he ended up at the North Pole. Through this simple plot device, Shelley was able to deal with serious real-world issues like acceptance, tolerance, and understanding, as well as the universal human need for companionship and love. This version, though slightly abridged, retains much of the original dialogue and remains true to Shelley's brilliant vision.

The Hobbit (Graphic Novel) by J.R.R. Tolkien, Illustrated by David Wenzel, Adapted by Charles Dixon
When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim stolen treasure from the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, a quiet and contented hobbit. Along the way, the company faces trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and worse. But in the end it is Bilbo alone who must face the most dreaded dragon in all Middle-earth—and a destiny that waits in the dark caverns beneath the Misty Mountains, where a twisted creature known as Gollum jealously guards a precious magic ring.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Graphic Novel) by Mark Twian, Illustrated by Penko Gelev, Retold by Tom Ratliff
Young Huckleberry Finn and his friend Jim, an escaped slave, drift down the Mississippi River on a raft, trying to keep out of trouble. Will they be able to stay out of the clutches of the various cheats, thieves, con men, and killers they meet on the way? And will Jim the slave ever be a free man? Mark Twain’s unforgettable tale is vividly and faithfully retold in graphic novel format.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Graphic Novel) adapted by Lloyd S. Wagner, Illustrated by Naresh Kumar
Man has long had the power to take life, but what will happen when he learns to give it? Intrigued by this question, young Victor Frankenstein--a devoted student of science--becomes obsessed with the idea of conjuring life out of 'lifeless matter.' Using his formidable skills in chemistry and other sciences, Victor begins to assemble a being from scavenged and stolen body parts. Once he has fathered a son created by his own science, Victor rejects the hideous creature he has brought to life. Eventually, the creature mounts a campaign of revenge against his creator, struggling to be recognized as a thinking, feeling being.

The Scarlet Letter (Graphic Novel) by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Adapted by P. Craig Russell & Jill Thompson
Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. The book is peopled with characters who are meant to be the embodiment of moral traits, rather than realistic living figures.

Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin
Nothing is as it seems in this darkly romantic tale of infatuation and possession, inspired by Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Becca was the perfect girlfriend: smart, gorgeous, and loved by everyone at New England's premier boarding school, Thorn Abbey. But Becca's dead. And her boyfriend, Max, can’t get over his loss. Then Tess transfers to Thorn Abbey. She’s shy, insecure, and ordinary—everything that Becca wasn't. And despite her roommate's warnings, she falls for brooding Max. Now Max finally has a reason to move on, except it won't be easy. Becca may be gone, but she's not quite ready to let him go.

Under the Dome by Stephen King
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens — town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing — even murder — to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. However, their main adversary is the Dome itself because time is running out.