{"title":"The Gabbro Head Press","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"the-eunuch","title":"The Eunuch","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhy would a eunuch want to write a secret history of life in the court of ancient Babylon's most famous king? To get back at his brother: that's why. Abducted as young boys by soldiers during the conquest of Nineveh, the brothers Uruk and Nergal receive very different fates in the ancient kingdom of Babylon. Uruk enjoys favors and climbs the Ziggurat of power to become a trusted advisor and the chief propaganda minister of King Nebuchadnezzar II, while Nergal is castrated and assigned to keep records of the daily life of the King's harem. While Uruk's cushioned prosperity is enviable, his real life is anxious because the King is viewed as the Divine Plowman who must seed the land and bring forth a bountiful harvest -- in other words, make whoopie in the harem and father many children because as the King's virility goes, so goes the harvest -- but the King is both crazy and chronically impotent, and a severe drought has withered the grain fields of the kingdom, so Uruk works nervously to spin propaganda into the official court records to hide the real state of affairs. Mostly out of contempt for his brother and his brother's official history, but also partly because of a deep respect for truth, Nergal the eunuch decides to write his his own secret, eye-witness, tell-all account of the real life inside the court of King Nebuchadnezzar, in all of its hilarious and embarrassing unseemliness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll goes well until, at a crucial moment during a high festival orgy, the King calls for Nergal to assist him in performing a mating ritual with a harem concubine chosen to be the symbolic holy bride of Babylon. Eager to please the King his master, Nergal unexpectedly receives a caressing touch from the concubine, Siduri of Megiddo, and he nearly swoons with love for her. The moment turns Nergal's life upside down and tosses him in a nearly treasonous bind of mixed loyalties. Although he does not know it at the time, the moment changes not only Nergal's life but also everyone else's, because it is the first of a series of events that result in the collapse of the kingdom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo \u003cem\u003eThe Eunuch\u003c\/em\u003e is a laugh-out-loud funny narrative that begins as an effort to extirpate the lies of the hagiographic official history of Babylon, becomes a story of a very peculiar love triangle between a King with mental health issues, an alluring and manipulative concubine, and an obsessive eunuch slave-scribe, and then ends by describing the fall of an empire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharles H. Fischer\u003c\/strong\u003e was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota. He earned a B.A. at St. Olaf College, an M.T.S. at Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in English at the University of Washington. He lives and writes in Seattle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Gabbro Head Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42285557842070,"sku":"9781732579941","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0477\/8731\/1254\/products\/9781732579941ita.jpg?v=1667407936"},{"product_id":"the-dream-rangers-book-one-the-new-cadets","title":"The Dream Rangers - Book One: The New Cadets","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe New Cadets\u003c\/em\u003e is the first novel in what will be a multi-volume series entitled \u003cem\u003eThe Dream Rangers\u003c\/em\u003e because it features a group of dogs that have been specially trained to be Dream Rangers: spirit guardians who enter the dreams of children afflicted with nightmares and protect the children from harm. A warm-hearted novel written for dog lovers from eight to eighty, \u003cem\u003eThe New Cadets\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of nine young dogs and their first days of training: how they are found as toy dogs by secret agents from the Bureau of Dreams, how they are brought to the mysterious and hidden Academy, how they are magically transformed into real dogs, and how they begin their formal training in the Academy. As the nine toy dogs learn to use their real bodies and grow into their roles as new first-year Academy cadets, they learn the importance of friendship, loyalty, devotion, service, selflessness, perseverance, dedication, and courage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarjorie Burns\u003c\/strong\u003e was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She earned a PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, with a dissertation on fantasy and children's literature in 19th century England. Burns taught at Portland State University for more than thirty years. She is now retired from teaching and lives and writes in the Cascade Mountains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIllustrator \u003cstrong\u003eCarolyn Wilhelm\u003c\/strong\u003e lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she teaches classes in figure painting and portraiture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A magical tale in which stuffed animals become real and work to protect vulnerable children from nightmares, Marjorie Burns' \u003cem\u003eThe New Cadets\u003c\/em\u003e is a tender and warm-hearted story that should engage both youngsters and those who read to\/with them. Full of loveable and amusing doggy characters, as well as a fair bit of action and adventure, it would make for an entertaining and reassuring bedtime story.\" - \u003cstrong\u003eErin Britton\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Fun, creative, and original, \u003cem\u003eThe New Cadets\u003c\/em\u003e by Marjorie Burns was a delight to read. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this children's book. Very imaginative, I think Burns wrote an excellent story, one that would entertain many children as well as their parents. I also loved the added illustrations from Wilhelm. A great complement, these beautiful drawings helped with breaking up passages, making them easier to understand for young readers, as well as adding a wonderful visual aid. Ending on quite a cliff-hanger, I am interested to see what she has in store for her next novel, and learning more about the life of a Dream Ranger!\" - \u003cstrong\u003eTheresa Kadair\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Marjorie Burns has created an out-of-this-world series that will draw in both adults and young readers in \u003cem\u003eThe New Cadets\u003c\/em\u003e, a series of chapter books that follows the adventures of the Dream Rangers. As a dog-lover, I was curious about the premise of toy dogs helping children living tough lives who must deal with tearful and terrifying dreams. It has been a while since I read a book about dogs written for children. I could not put it down; I was emotionally invested from the start. Burns excels in world-building, offering vivid descriptions of locales such as the Outer Station and the Variable Sea. With the delightful artwork of Carolyn Wilhelm, the first installation of \u003cem\u003eThe New Cadets\u003c\/em\u003e brings the lovable recruits to life.\" - \u003cstrong\u003eMaileen Hamto\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Author Marjorie Burns has put a lot of careful thought into her imaginative book for children. She has created fun, unique characters and an interesting storyline, and she carries a great sense of humor throughout the book. She cleverly anticipates young readers' questions and has made sure to nail down the specifics of how the stuffed animals come to interact in the real world. Overall, Burns' first book in the \u003cem\u003eDream Ranger\u003c\/em\u003e series is an excellent story for elementary-age children, promising an engaging tale. It is great for dog-obsessed kids or a useful aid for those who may be struggling with nightmares and sleep anxiety. Moreover, the narrative is written in a way that makes it an entertaining read for parents to read as well.\" - \u003cstrong\u003eMichaela Gordoni\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Gabbro Head Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48265129165117,"sku":"9781732579958","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0477\/8731\/1254\/files\/9781732579958ita_1.jpg?v=1712342281"},{"product_id":"spiderweb-alley-book-one-of-the-elverie-road","title":"Spiderweb Alley:  Book One of The Elverie Road","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this psychological thriller that touches upon the dark, fantastic realm of Celtic myth, two young lovers find their lives, and their love, torn apart by the power of fairy tales. Mick, a young professor with expertise in folklore, wants to make a name for himself in the academic world, so when he learns of a remote seacoast community in the British Isles which maintains an ancient tradition of storytelling, he brings his new girlfriend, Kath, on a working vacation to visit the isolated village. While listening to Lame Elly, the matriarchal storyteller in the community, Kath is gripped by visions that she and Mick are participants in the story, and later these visions grow in intensity, become nightmarish, and affect Kath so much that she collapses and needs to be hospitalized. When Mick, for whom stories are just stories, starts to question Kath's sanity, he precipitates a crisis in their relationship, which deepens when Kath insists that her experiences are real and not just hallucinations. Also, the more Kath and Mick are drawn into the community, the more the reader realizes that some of the local people may be more than just the country villagers that they appear: some characters may in fact be visitors from \"Elverie,\" a local term for Fairyland or Elfland, or the Land of the Dead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVerlyn Flieger\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor Emerita in the Department of English at the University of Maryland, where for 36 years she taught courses in J. R. R. Tolkien, medieval literature, and comparative mythology. She is the author of five critical books on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien— \u003cem\u003eSplintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World; A Question of Time: J. R. R. Tolkien's Road to Faërie\u003c\/em\u003e (winner of the 1998 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies); Interrupted Music: the Making of Tolkien's Mythology; Green Suns and Faerie: Essays on J. R. R. Tolkien; and \u003cem\u003eThere Would Always Be a Fairy Tale: More Essays on Tolkien\u003c\/em\u003e (winner of the 2019 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies). Her fiction includes \u003cem\u003eA Waiter Made of Glass: Poems and Stories\u003c\/em\u003e, and a modern reimagining of the King Arthur legend in \u003cem\u003eArthurian Voices\u003c\/em\u003e. Her most recent book, \u003cem\u003eSpiderweb Alley\u003c\/em\u003e, is the first volume in a series of connected novels called The Elverie Road.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"This beguiling story, inspired by fairy tales and some of the darker aspects of Celtic myth, is charming and terrifying by turns. A masterful work by a writer long-steeped in the traditions of folklore and fairy tales.\" - \u003cstrong\u003eAlan Shapiro\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"The Gabbro Head Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48883667894589,"sku":"9781732579965","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0477\/8731\/1254\/files\/9781732579965ita.jpg?v=1717440127"}],"url":"https:\/\/itascabooks.com\/collections\/the-gabbro-head-press.oembed","provider":"Itasca Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}