An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors

Download An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Tor Books
ISBN 13 : 0765389614
Total Pages : 417 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (653 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by : Curtis Craddock

Download or read book An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors written by Curtis Craddock and published by Tor Books. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors is Curtis Craddock's delightful and engrossing fantasy debut featuring a genius heroine and her guardian, a royal musketeer, which Brandon Sanderson calls, "A great read!" Born with a physical disability, no magical talent, and a precocious intellect, Princess Isabelle des Zephyrs has lived her life being underestimated by her family and her kingdom. The only person who appreciates her true self is Jean-Claude, the fatherly musketeer who had guarded her since birth. All shall change, however, when an unlikely marriage proposal is offered, to the second son of a dying king in an empire collapsing into civil war. But the last two women betrothed to this prince were murdered, and a sorcerer-assassin is bent on making Isabelle the third. Isabelle and Jean-Claude plunge into a great maze of prophecy, intrigue, and betrayal, where everyone wears masks of glamour and lies. Step by dangerous step, Isabelle must unravel the lies of her enemies and discovers a truth more perilous than any deception. “A setting fabulous and strange, heroes to cheer for, villains to detest, a twisty, tricky plot — I love this novel!” —Lawrence Watt Evans “A thrilling adventure full of palace intrigue, mysterious ancient mechanisms, and aerial sailing ships!” —David D. Levine At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors

Download An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Tor Books
ISBN 13 : 0765389592
Total Pages : 417 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (653 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by : Curtis Craddock

Download or read book An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors written by Curtis Craddock and published by Tor Books. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Believing her arranged marriage will stave off a disastrous conflict, Princess Isabelle des Zephyrs, finds herself targeted by an assassin, but with the aid of her loyal musketeer, she begins to unravel the lies of her enemies and discover a dangerous truth.

A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery

Download A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Tor Books
ISBN 13 : 0765389622
Total Pages : 417 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (653 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery by : Curtis Craddock

Download or read book A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery written by Curtis Craddock and published by Tor Books. This book was released on 2019-01-22 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery is the masterful second novel in Curtis Craddock's critically-acclaimed high fantasy Risen Kingdoms series, continuing the engrossing tale of courtly intrigue and breathtaking magic, and starring our fiercely intelligent heroine Isabelle des Zephyrs with her loyal musketeer Jean-Claude. Isabelle des Zephyrs has always been underestimated throughout her life, but after discovering the well of hidden magic within her, unveiling a centuries-long conspiracy, and stopping a war between rival nations, she has gained a newfound respect amongst the cutthroat court. All that is quickly taken away when Isabelle is unfairly convicted of breaking the treaty she helped write and has her political rank and status taken away. Now bereft, she nevertheless finds herself drawn into mystery when her faithful musketeer Jean-Claude uncovers a series of gruesome murders by someone calling themselves the Harvest King. As panic swells, the capital descends into chaos, when the emperor is usurped from the throne by a rival noble. Betrayed by their allies and hunted by assassins, Isabelle and Jean-Claude alone must thwart the coup, but not before it changes l’Empire forever. “A gripping tale of a woman who refuses to be defined by her physical and magical limitations, thwarting both assassins and all who see her as a pawn. A great read!”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, on An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors The Risen Kingdom series #1 An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors #2 A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery

The Last Uncharted Sky

Download The Last Uncharted Sky PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Macmillan + ORM
ISBN 13 : 0765389673
Total Pages : 453 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (653 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Last Uncharted Sky by : Curtis Craddock

Download or read book The Last Uncharted Sky written by Curtis Craddock and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An airship captain battles spies, disturbing visions, and more as she races to find treasure in this swashbuckling high fantasy series conclusion. When a legendary craton is discovered, newly appointed airship captain Isabelle desZephyrs and her trusted musketeer Jean-Claude travel on a perilous mission to recover its fabled treasure for l’Empire Céleste. Bust Isabelle’s leadership quickly becomes jeopardized. The dark, magical abilities she inherited give her increasingly disturbing and disruptive hallucinations. Disasters are compounded when a spy sabotages the ship, and Jean-Claude is lost to the expedition. Separated, Isabelle and Jean-Claude must each overcome a growing number of enemies—from the past, from the court, and from their own minds—and gather trustworthy friends before a rival expedition unlocks an ancient secret for their own nefarious ends. Praise for the Risen Kingdoms series “A gripping tale of a woman who refuses to be defined by her physical and magical limitations, thwarting both assassins and all who see her as a pawn. A great read!” —Brandon Sanderson, #1 New York Times–bestselling author, on An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors “A fun, complicated tale, filled with adventure and intrigue.” —Booklist on A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery

Into the Labyrinth

Download Into the Labyrinth PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Mage Errant
ISBN 13 : 9781731550941
Total Pages : 214 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (59 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Into the Labyrinth by : John Bierce

Download or read book Into the Labyrinth written by John Bierce and published by Mage Errant. This book was released on 2018-10-09 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hugh of Emblin is, so far as he's concerned, the worst student that the Academy at Skyhold has ever seen. He can barely cast any spells at all, and those he does cast tend to fail explosively. If that wasn't bad enough, he's also managed to attract the ire of the most promising student of his year- who also happens to be the nephew of a king. Hugh has no friends, no talent, and definitely doesn't expect a mage to choose him as an apprentice at all during the upcoming Choosing. When a very unexpected mage does choose him as apprentice, however, his life starts to take a sharp turn for the better. Now all he has to worry about is the final test for the first years- being sent into the terrifying labyrinth below Skyhold.

People We Meet on Vacation

Download People We Meet on Vacation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1984806750
Total Pages : 401 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (848 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis People We Meet on Vacation by : Emily Henry

Download or read book People We Meet on Vacation written by Emily Henry and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers and Beach Read comes a sparkling novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations. Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love. Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven't spoken since. Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees. Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong? Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Newsweek ∙ Oprah Magazine ∙ The Skimm ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Parade ∙ The Wall Street Journal ∙ Chicago Tribune ∙ PopSugar ∙ BookPage ∙ BookBub ∙ Betches ∙ SheReads ∙ Good Housekeeping ∙ BuzzFeed ∙ Business Insider ∙ Real Simple ∙ Frolic ∙ and more!

The Mask of Mirrors

Download The Mask of Mirrors PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Hachette UK
ISBN 13 : 0316539694
Total Pages : 688 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (165 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Mask of Mirrors by : M. A. Carrick

Download or read book The Mask of Mirrors written by M. A. Carrick and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2021-01-19 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Lush, engrossing, and full of mystery and dark magic," The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dazzling fantasy adventure by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, writing together as M. A. Carrick. (BookPage) FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD. MAGIC FAVORS THE LIARS. Ren is a liar and a thief, a pattern-reader and a daughter of no clan. Raised in the slums of Nadežra, she fled that world to save her sister. Now, she has returned with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future. But in the city of dreams, her masquerade is just one of many. Enigmatic crime lord Derossi Vargo, stony captain of the guard Grey Serrado, dashing heir Leato Traementis, and the legendary vigilante known as the Rook all have secrets that could unravel her own. And as corrupt nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the city of dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled—with Ren at their heart. Praise for the Rook & Rose trilogy: "Immersive…a feast to savor slowly." —BuzzFeed "For those who like their revenge plots served with the intrigue of The Goblin Emperor, the colonial conflict of The City of Brass, the panache of Swordspoint, and the richly detailed settings of Guy Gavriel Kay."—Booklist (starred review) "Utterly captivating." —Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass "This novel will catch hold of your dreams and keep you from sleeping." —Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Calculating Stars "Wonderfully immersive—I was unable to put it down." —Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter "Exactly the fantasy adventure novel you're craving." —Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

Luxury Arts of the Renaissance

Download Luxury Arts of the Renaissance PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Getty Publications
ISBN 13 : 0892367857
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (923 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Luxury Arts of the Renaissance by : Marina Belozerskaya

Download or read book Luxury Arts of the Renaissance written by Marina Belozerskaya and published by Getty Publications. This book was released on 2005-10-01 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today we associate the Renaissance with painting, sculpture, and architecture—the “major” arts. Yet contemporaries often held the “minor” arts—gem-studded goldwork, richly embellished armor, splendid tapestries and embroideries, music, and ephemeral multi-media spectacles—in much higher esteem. Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua, was typical of the Italian nobility: she bequeathed to her children precious stone vases mounted in gold, engraved gems, ivories, and antique bronzes and marbles; her favorite ladies-in-waiting, by contrast, received mere paintings. Renaissance patrons and observers extolled finely wrought luxury artifacts for their exquisite craftsmanship and the symbolic capital of their components; paintings and sculptures in modest materials, although discussed by some literati, were of lesser consequence. This book endeavors to return to the mainstream material long marginalized as a result of historical and ideological biases of the intervening centuries. The author analyzes how luxury arts went from being lofty markers of ascendancy and discernment in the Renaissance to being dismissed as “decorative” or “minor” arts—extravagant trinkets of the rich unworthy of the status of Art. Then, by re-examining the objects themselves and their uses in their day, she shows how sumptuous creations constructed the world and taste of Renaissance women and men.

The Black God's Drums

Download The Black God's Drums PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Tordotcom
ISBN 13 : 1250294703
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (52 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Black God's Drums by : P. Djèlí Clark

Download or read book The Black God's Drums written by P. Djèlí Clark and published by Tordotcom. This book was released on 2018-08-21 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rising science fiction and fantasy star P. Djèlí Clark brings an alternate New Orleans of orisha, airships, and adventure to life in his immersive debut novella The Black God's Drums. Alex Award Winner! In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air--in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums. But Creeper also has a secret herself: Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations. Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans. “A sinewy mosaic of Haitian sky pirates, wily street urchins, and orisha magic. Beguiling and bombastic!”—New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Devil Darling Spy

Download Devil Darling Spy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0451479262
Total Pages : 482 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (514 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Devil Darling Spy by : Matt Killeen

Download or read book Devil Darling Spy written by Matt Killeen and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-01-21 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this utterly gripping thriller, Sarah, the fearless heroine of indie bestseller Orphan Monster Spy, hunts a rogue German doctor in Central Africa who might be a serial murderer. It's 1940, and Sarah Goldstein is hiding in plain sight as Ursula Haller, the Shirley Temple of Nazi high society. She helps the resistance by spying on Nazi generals at cocktail parties in Berlin, but she yearns to do more. Then the spy she works for, the Captain, gets word of a German doctor who's gone rogue in Central Africa. Rumors say the doctor is experimenting with a weapon of germ warfare so deadly it could wipe out entire cities. It's up to the Captain and Sarah to reach the doctor and seize this weapon--known as "the Bleeding"--before the Nazis can use it to murder thousands. Joining them on their journey, in of the guise of a servant, is Clementine, a half-German, half-Senegalese girl, whose wit and ferocity are a perfect match for Sarah's. As they travel through the areas now known as the Republic of the Congo and Gabon, Clementine's astute observations force Sarah to face a hard truth: that mass extermination didn't start with the Nazis. This unbearably high-stakes thriller pushes Sarah to face the worst that humanity is capable of--and challenges her to find reasons to keep fighting.

Sparrow's Flight

Download Sparrow's Flight PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Write Way Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781885173850
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (738 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sparrow's Flight by : Curtis Craddock

Download or read book Sparrow's Flight written by Curtis Craddock and published by Write Way Publishing. This book was released on 2000-07 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Erupting from the depths of a madman's nightmare, a foul tide of twisted magical abominations sweeps across the kingdom of Neffrom, devouring everything in its path. Behind this mighty vanguard marches the unstoppable host of the immortal Hezra-Thrall spreading his terrible, soul-corrupting curse like plague across the land.Desperate HopeIn the frigid depths of winter, hope burns small, its feeble flicker sheltered in the hearts of two young nobles, the disinherited lordling, Sparrow of Blackaker, and the blind swordswoman, Kisha. Bound together by a damning prophecy, this wretched pair must survive Thrall's legions, confront their own most horrible fears, and stand together against a god in battle wherein the ultimate sacrifice becomes the ultimate weapon.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015

Download The Haunting of Tram Car 015 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Tordotcom
ISBN 13 : 1250294789
Total Pages : 109 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (52 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by : P. Djèlí Clark

Download or read book The Haunting of Tram Car 015 written by P. Djèlí Clark and published by Tordotcom. This book was released on 2019-02-19 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: P. Djèlí Clark returns to the historical fantasy universe of "A Dead Djinn in Cairo", with the otherworldly adventure novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award Finalist for the 2020 Nebula Award Finalist for the 2020 Locus Award Cairo, 1912: The case started as a simple one for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities — handling a possessed tram car. Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef are exposed to a new side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons in a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger that crosses the line between the magical and the mundane. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Howling Dark

Download Howling Dark PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0756413036
Total Pages : 690 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (564 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Howling Dark by : Christopher Ruocchio

Download or read book Howling Dark written by Christopher Ruocchio and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-07-16 with total page 690 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Hadrian Marlowe is lost. For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded, and for years has wandered among the barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries. Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly four hundred years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind. If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails ... the galaxy will burn"--

Of Sea and Shadow

Download Of Sea and Shadow PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780999851159
Total Pages : 428 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (511 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Of Sea and Shadow by : Will Wight

Download or read book Of Sea and Shadow written by Will Wight and published by . This book was released on 2020-02-02 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Guild of Navigators has ruled the Aion Sea for centuries, using their fleet of mystical ships to collect trade for the Aurelian Empire.Now the Emperor is dead.For Calder Marten, Captain of The Testament, the Emperor's death is not an end, but an opportunity. He and his crew seek the legendary Heart of Nakothi, an artifact that could raise a second Emperor...and earn Calder a fortune.But they're not the only ones who want the Heart.The Consultant's Guild, an ancient order of spies and assassins, will stop at nothing to keep the world in chaos. They seek to destroy the Heart, and prevent the world from uniting under a single Emperor ever again.On the seas, a man works to restore the dying Empire.In the shadows, a woman seeks to destroy it.Will you explore the seas here with Calder? Or will you walk the shadows with Shera, in the parallel novel "Of Shadow and Sea"?

Masks of the Illuminati

Download Masks of the Illuminati PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Dell
ISBN 13 : 0307573648
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (75 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Masks of the Illuminati by : Robert A. Wilson

Download or read book Masks of the Illuminati written by Robert A. Wilson and published by Dell. This book was released on 2009-10-21 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This American underground classic is a rollicking cosmic mystery featuring Albert Einstein and James Joyce as the ultimate space/time detectives. One fateful evening in a suitably dark, beer-soaked Swiss rathskeller, a wild and obscure Irishman named James Joyce would become the drinking partner of an unknown physics professor called Albert Einstein. And on that same momentous night, Sir John Babcock, a terror-stricken young Englishman, would rush through the tavern door bringing a mystery that only the two most brilliant minds of the century could solve . . . or perhaps bringing only a figment of his imagination born of the paranoia of our times. An outrageous, raunchy ride through the twists and turns of mind and space, Masks of the Illuminati runs amok with all our fondest conspiracy theories to show us the truth behind the laughter . . . and the laughter in the truth. Praise for Masks of the Illuminati “I was astonished and delighted . . . Robert Anton Wilson managed to reverse every mental polarity in me, as if I had been pulled through infinity.”—Philip K. Dick “[Wilson is] erudite, witty, and genuinely scary.”—Publishers Weekly “A dazzling barker hawking tickets to the most thrilling tilt-a-whirls and daring loop-o-planes on the midway to a higher consciousness.”—Tom Robbins “Wilson is one of the most profound, important, scientific philosophers of this century—scholarly, witty, hip, and hopeful.”—Timothy Leary

The Violence of Modernity

Download The Violence of Modernity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421429292
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Violence of Modernity by : Debarati Sanyal

Download or read book The Violence of Modernity written by Debarati Sanyal and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2020-03-03 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Violence of Modernity turns to Charles Baudelaire, one of the most canonical figures of literary modernism, in order to reclaim an aesthetic legacy for ethical inquiry and historical critique. Works of modern literature are commonly theorized as symptomatic responses to the trauma of history. In a climate that tends to privilege crisis over critique, Debarati Sanyal argues that it is urgent to rethink literary experience in terms that recall its contestatory potential. Examining Baudelaire's poems afresh, she shifts the focus of critical attention toward an account of modernism as an active engagement with violence, specifically the violence of history in nineteenth-century France. Sanyal analyzes a literary current that uses the traditional hallmarks of modernism—irony, intertextuality, self-reflexivity, and formalism—to challenge the historical violence of modernity. Baudelaire and the committed ironists writing in his wake teach us how to read and resist the violence of history, and thereby to challenge the melancholy tenor of our contemporary "wound culture." In a series of provocative readings, Sanyal presents Baudelaire's poetry as an aesthetic form that contests historical violence through rhetorical strategies of complicity, counterviolence, and critique. The book develops a new account of Baudelaire's significance as a modernist by dislodging him both from his traditional status as a practitioner of "art for art's sake" and from his more recent incarnation as the poet of trauma. Following her extended analysis of Baudelaire's poetry, Sanyal in later chapters considers a number of authors influenced by his strategies—including Rachilde, Virginie Despentes, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre—to examine the relevance of their interventions for our current climate of trauma and terror. The result is a study that underscores how Baudelaire's legacy continues to energize literary engagements with the violence of modernity.

Renaissance Fun

Download Renaissance Fun PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : UCL Press
ISBN 13 : 1787359158
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (873 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Renaissance Fun by : Philip Steadman

Download or read book Renaissance Fun written by Philip Steadman and published by UCL Press. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Renaissance Fun is about the technology of Renaissance entertainments in stage machinery and theatrical special effects; in gardens and fountains; and in the automata and self-playing musical instruments that were installed in garden grottoes. How did the machines behind these shows work? How exactly were chariots filled with singers let down onto the stage? How were flaming dragons made to fly across the sky? How were seas created on stage? How did mechanical birds imitate real birdsong? What was ‘artificial music’, three centuries before Edison and the phonograph? How could pipe organs be driven and made to play themselves by waterpower alone? And who were the architects, engineers, and craftsmen who created these wonders? All these questions are answered. At the end of the book we visit the lost ‘garden of marvels’ at Pratolino with its many grottoes, automata and water jokes; and we attend the performance of Mercury and Mars in Parma in 1628, with its spectacular stage effects and its music by Claudio Monteverdi – one of the places where opera was born. Renaissance Fun is offered as an entertainment in itself. But behind the show is a more serious scholarly argument, centred on the enormous influence of two ancient writers on these subjects, Vitruvius and Hero. Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture were widely studied by Renaissance theatre designers. Hero of Alexandria wrote the Pneumatics, a collection of designs for surprising and entertaining devices that were the models for sixteenth and seventeenth century automata. A second book by Hero On Automata-Making – much less well known, then and now – describes two miniature theatres that presented plays without human intervention. One of these, it is argued, provided the model for the type of proscenium theatre introduced from the mid-sixteenth century, the generic design which is still built today. As the influence of Vitruvius waned, the influence of Hero grew.