Gareth Hinds

In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

It is true that I am nervous. But why will you say that I am mad? In stories and poems written well over a century ago, Edgar Allan Poe established himself as the original American master of gothic horror. Now, acclaimed artist-adapter Gareth Hinds translates Poe's dark genius into the graphic novel format for Poe fans new and old. Blood, bones, and flickering firelight set the mood for Hinds's vision of Poe's macabre and tragic worlds. In "The Cask of Amontillado," a man takes a terrifying revenge on a friend who has insulted him. In "The Masque of the Red Death," a prince hosts a party in his abbey stronghold while plague spreads outside. A prisoner finds himself in the sadistic clutches of the Spanish Inquisition in "The Pit and the Pendulum," and in "The Telltale Heart," a single milky eye incites madness and murder. Alongside the tales are visual interpretations of three iconic poems: "The Raven," "The Bells," and Poe's poignant elegy to lost love, "Annabel Lee." Taken together, these seven concise graphic narratives both amplify and honor a timeless legacy. - Jacket flap.

Named one of the 10 best graphic novels of 2008 for youth by Booklist. This adaptation features loose, flowing page layouts, often without panel borders, and the setting is a melange of historical periods and styles. The text is mainly based on the 1608 Quarto, and is condensed to about half the original material. When an old king tries to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, he unleashes a power struggle that will tear his family and the kingdom apart. With a raging storm as a backdrop, Shakespeare explores themes of truth, loyalty, anger, madness, ambition, justice, and rebellion in this, one of his greatest tragedies.