Author:Emma Mieko Candon
A mysterious former Sith wanders the galaxy in this stunning Star Wars tale. An original novel inspired by the world of The Duel from the Star Wars Visions animated anthology.
The Jedi are the most loyal servants of the Empire.
Two decades ago, Jedi clans clashed in service to feuding lords. Sickened by this endless cycle, a sect of Jedi rebelled, seeking to control their own destiny and claim power in service of no master. They called themselves Sith.
The Sith rebellion failed, succumbing to infighting and betrayal, and the once rival lords unified to create an Empire . . . but even an Empire at peace is not free from violence.
Far on the edge of the Outer Rim, one former Sith wanders, accompanied only by a faithful droid and the ghost of a less civilized age. He carries a lightsaber, but claims lineage to no Jedi clan, and pledges allegiance to no lord. Little is known about him, including his name, for he never speaks of his past, nor his regrets. His history is as guarded as the red blade of destruction he carries sheathed at his side.
As the galaxy's perpetual cycle of violence continues to interrupt his self-imposed exile, and he is forced to duel an enigmatic bandit claiming the title of Sith, it becomes clear that no amount of wandering will ever let him outpace the specters of his former life.
With gentle humour, and surprising twists and turns, this is just the book we need in these difficult times. I didn't want it to end.
—— Katie FfordeCharming, witty and warm, Small Miracles is a gentle gem of a novel, a cheery balm in troubling times
—— AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs BirdHeart-warming and quirky, with a cast of lovable characters...Just wonderful. I loved it.
—— Jill MansellCharming, witty and intricately plotted...celebrates the uplifting power of love
—— The TabletWhat a joy! Small Miracles is warm, compassionate, and sees the good in everyone. I loved it, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to be reminded of what a kind place the world can be.
—— Stephanie ButlandI want to be in the kitchen with Sister Bridget cooking up a storm! We should all learn to follow our hearts and find what we love, and be thankful for those we love. This book is a joyful celebration of love.
—— Jo ThomasA warm hug of a book: gently funny, compassionate and kind. Exactly what we're all craving right now.
—— Shelley HarrisI didn't want this book to end. Full of small everyday miracles and big love.
—— Jenny BaylissWith her sun-bleached Hollywood setting, Kaplan transports us to another world - one which is achingly familiar. A novel which makes us examine our own complicity, while also weaving in threads of tenderness, drive and office-based humour which at times feels delightfully absurd . . . I inhaled this book - and came up for air still reeling
—— Katie Hale, author of My Name is MonsterAmbition bites back in Isabel Kaplan's Not Safe For Work, a novel that hits close to a few recent news events . . . So visceral is the narrator's voice that every time I opened the book felt like sliding into uncomfortable heels. Brave
—— New York TimesAn intoxicating exploration of male-dominated workplaces . . . NSFW is gripping, with a lot to unpack, making it excellent book-club fodder
—— TIME, Best Books of July 2022An energetic page-turner with plenty of delicious insights into Hollywood . . . and countless witty, wry passages
—— Jewish ChronicleFrank, funny and unputdownable, Isabel Kaplan's NSFW takes you on an ambitious young woman's wild ride through Hollywood. Her mother's a famous feminist lawyer, and she's a rising executive star, mistress of her destiny. But behind the glitter and the justice, everyone is tarnished and compromised - including even our narrator. Kaplan, with her sharp and nuanced eye, sees it all, and tells it brilliantly.
—— Claire Messud , -A frank account of the inherent filthiness of leaning in. A study of the psychological, and at times literal, gymnastics that are required of striving women.
—— Raven Leilaini , -I read this steely investigation of workplace ambition and patriarchal complicity in one sitting, my alliances shifting with every page. Funny, insightful, and enraging in all the best ways, NSFW is a fiercely smart debut that turns its gaze back on the reader, forcing you to ask just how far you'd go - and who you'd throw under the bus - for a seat at the table.
—— Julie Buntin , -A stunning portrayal of intergenerational family love and the complications of the human condition. I was swept up in the world of the Aylward women: in their power and pain and mostly, in their fierce resilience. A novel full of compassion and honesty, where love triumphs. The prose is pitch perfect.
—— ELAINE FEENEYHymn to the warp and woof of life; celebration of the flip-flop way of family; soaring testimony to the endurance of the human spirit. And all delivered with his trademark compassion, empathy, humour and brio. A gift of a book.
—— ALAN McMONAGLEA compelling read
—— SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINEBig-hearted, generous and brimful of emotion, this is a gorgeous, life-enhancing novel.
—— Mail on SundayRyan's writing is like poetry and he has a real gift for creating characters who live in full technicolour. Highly recommend
—— Good HousekeepingIn Ryan's hands the mundane and the everyday is transformed into a thing of beauty, thrumming with significance.
—— REFINERY 29Tender with comic observation ... a topsy-turvy emotional rollercoaster
—— DAILY MAILMagical
—— OBSERVERExquisitely rendered. It reads like musical sounds, full of light and lilting melody...it's funny and sad, and sparks with the most tremendous, tart, wit.
—— INewsThe characters are compelling and vividly drawn, the dialogue is profane and frequently hilarious; the prose drips like honey off a spoon.
—— SUNDAY TIMESA jewel of a novel that will surely become a classic... enthralling and unmissable
—— DAILY EXPRESS, 'Fiction Highlights of 2022'A celebration of love and loyalty among women.
—— IRISH INDEPENDENTBig-hearted, generous and brimful of emotion, this a gorgeous, life-enhancing read
—— IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAYIt is a beaut. It's a celebration of women and of womanhood. I see my mother in this, I see my sister ... This book is a joy.
—— RYAN TUBRIDYIf language - lyric, lovely and funny, steeped in County Tipperary - and women (men come and go, rarely center a chapter and are often useless, sometimes cruel) are of no interest to you, The Queen of Dirt Island is not your next read. Ryan's book is a celebration, in an embroidered, unrestrained, joyful, aphoristic and sometimes profane style, of both ... The Queen of Dirt Island gives the women their due, and the reader is rewarded.
—— NEW YORK TIMESDonal Ryan's The Queen of Dirt Island is a little Irish miracle ... there's as much implicit wisdom in these pages about how to live as how to write ... Ryan has his own emotional range and a way of capturing the largeness of what look like tiny lives but aren't
—— WASHINGTON POSTAmbitious, unsettling and funny, this book is full of desire and mischief with surprising results.
—— Platinum, *Summer Reads of 2022*