Rhys Hughes is a prolific short story writer with an eclectic mix of influences. Much of his work is of a humorously eccentric bent, often parodies and pastiches with surreal and absurdist overtones, although he is by no means limited to any of these forms and has proven to be extremely versatile.

Madonna Park is a collection of six sublime stories from a true master of words. Rhys Hughes is Wales’ best kept literary secret. Championed by the likes of Michael Moorcock, his unique fantastical fictions have already achieved the level of cult-status. His fiction is both intellectual and hilarious with plenty of puns and satirical side-swipes to keep the reader constantly amused.

It's an offer you can't refuse. Who would not to wish to be the man in charge of Ankh-Morpork's Royal Mint and the bank next door? It's a job for life. But, as former con-man Moist von Lipwig is learning, the life is not necessarily for long. The Chief Cashier is almost certainly a vampire. There's something nameless in the cellar (and the cellar itself is pretty nameless), it turns out that the Royal Mintruns at a loss. A 300 year old wizard is after his girlfriend, he's about to be exposed as a fraud, but the Assassins Guild might get him first. In fact lot of people want him dead Oh. And every day he has to take the Chairman for walkies. Everywhere he looks he's making enemies. What he should be doing is ...Making Money!

‘Whoever said you can’t fool an honest man wasn’t one.’

The banks are facing a crisis, and this time it’s too serious even for the old boys’ club to sort it out — this time, they’ve sunk to government intervention. But opening the vaults to public scrutiny brings a whole host of problems for those at the top: people want to know where the money’s gone, they want loans, reasonable interest rates and much much worse — accountability. The fortress of high finance is crumbling, and it may be time for a change of management — before it’s too late.

Jacket design and illustrations by Scott McKowan.

‘Whoever said you can’t fool an honest man wasn’t one.’

The banks are facing a crisis, and this time it’s too serious even for the old boys’ club to sort it out — this time, they’ve sunk to government intervention. But opening the vaults to public scrutiny brings a whole host of problems for those at the top: people want to know where the money’s gone, they want loans, reasonable interest rates and much much worse — accountability. The fortress of high finance is crumbling, and it may be time for a change of management — before it’s too late.

Jacket design and illustrations by Scott McKowan.

It’s 1964, and a billion Martians suddenly ’kwimmed’ to Earth. There’s one Martian for every three people on the planet. They’re annoying but your fist goes straight through them, since they’re essentially projections that can talk. And the most annoying about them is that they always tell the truth.

‘I thought: opera, how hard can it be? Songs. Pretty girls dancing. Nice scenery. Lots of people handing over cash. Got to be better than the cut-throat world of yoghurt, I thought. Now everwhere I go there’s…’

Death, to be precise. And plenty of it. In unpleasant variations. This isn’t real life. This isn’t even cheesemongering. It’s opera. Where the music matters and where an opera house is being terrorised by a man in evening dress with a white mask, lurking in the shadows, occasionally killing people, and most worryingly, sending little notes, writing maniacal laughter with five exclamation marks. Opera can do that to a man. In such circumstances, life has obviously reached that desperate point where the wrong thing to do has to be the right thing to do…

Annotations collected and edited by Leo Breebaart. http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/maskerade.html

‘What’s so hard about pulling a sword out of a stone? The real work’s already been done. You ought to make yourself useful and find the man who put the sword in the stone in the stone in the first place.’

Fate is a word that springs to the lips when to call something coincidence seems mealy mouthed. Destiny is another such. But the problem with destiny is, of course, that she is not always careful where she points her finger. One minute you might be minding your own business on a normal if not spectacular career path, the next you might be in the frame for the big job, like saving the world…

Annotations collected and edited by Leo Breebaart. http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/men-at-arms.html

Totally delightful account of the wild results of outlandish experiments of a scientist lured into joining the staff of an incredible institution where the most intensive research is done to harness the power of black magic, wizardry, the secrets of super-science and paranormal talents.

Sasha, a young computer programmer from Leningrad, is driving north to meet some friends for a nature vacation. He picks up a couple of hitchhikers, who persuade him to take a job at the National Institute for the Technology of Witchcraft and Thaumaturgy. The adventures Sasha has in the largely dysfunctional institute involve all sorts of magical beings—a wish-granting fish, a tree mermaid, a cat who can remember only the beginnings of stories, a dream-interpreting sofa, a motorcycle that can zoom into the imagined future, a lazy dog-size mosquito—along with a variety of wizards (including Merlin), vampires, and officers.

First published in Russia in 1965, Monday Starts on Saturday has become the most popular Strugatsky novel in their homeland. Like the works of Gogol and Kafka, it tackles the nature of institutions—here focusing on one devoted to discovering and perfecting human happiness. By turns wildly imaginative, hilarious, and disturbing, Monday Starts on Saturday is a comic masterpiece by two of the world's greatest science-fiction writers.

In this Discworld installment, Death comes to Mort with an offer he can't refuse — especially since being, well, dead isn't compulsory. As Death's apprentice, he'll have free board and lodging, use of the company horse, and he won't need time off for family funerals. The position is everything Mort thought he'd ever wanted, until he discovers that this perfect job can be a killer on his love life.

Annotations collected and edited by Leo Breebaart. http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/mort.html

In this Discworld installment, Death comes to Mort with an offer he can't refuse – especially since being, well, dead isn't compulsory. As Death's apprentice, he'll have free board and lodging, use of the company horse, and he won't need time off for family funerals. The position is everything Mort thought he'd ever wanted, until he discovers that this perfect job can be a killer on his love life.

The fifth and final volume in the humorous SF series that began with THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is somewhat darker than its predecessors. The Earthman Arthur Dent spends years selling genetic material in exchange for travel to various parallel universes in search of somewhere vaguely resembling his home planet. When he finally settles (actually, crash lands) on a backwater planet, his pleasant new career as tribal sandwich-maker is interrupted by the arrival of his daughter, Random–the result of those many, many sales of his DNA. Meanwhile, Arthur's friend Ford Prefect discovers that the happy-go-lucky executives of his employer, the publishers of THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, have been replaced by a frighteningly grim and worryingly familiar new management team. His plot to disturb their business plan puts him once again into Arthur's path...with devastating results.

Комедийное бредовое повествование о изрядно преувеличенной войне с мышами в маленьком ЗАО «ОПТИК».

Cameras roll - which means the imps inside have to paint really fast - in the fantastic Discworld when the alchemists discover the magic of the silver screen.

But what is the dark secret of Holy Wood hill?

As the alien clich's of Tinsel Town pour into the world, it's up to the Disc's first film stars to find out...

THRILL as Victor Tugelbend ("Can't sing. Can't dance. Can handle a sword a little") and Theda Withel ("I come from a little town you've probably never even heard of") battle the forces of evil and cinema advertising...

SCREAM as Gaspode the Wonder Dog nearly saves the day...

EAT POPCORN as you watch the filming of "Blown Away", the oddest Civil War picture ever made...

A Passionate Saga Set Against the Background of a World Gone Mad!

This Will Amaze You!

With a Thousand Elephants!

("And afterwards, why not dine at Harga's House of Ribs, for the best in international cuisine; only two minutes from this book...")

‘Holy Wood is a different sort of place. People act differently here. Everywhere else the most important things are gods or money or cattle. Here, the most important thing is to be important.’

People might say that reality is a quality that things possess in the same way that they possess weight. Sadly alchemists never really held with such a quaint notion.They think that they can change reality, shape it to their own purpose. Imagine then the damage that could be wrought if they get their hands on the ultimate alchemy: the invention of motion pictures, the greatest making of illusions. It may be a triumph of universe-shaking proportions. It’s either that or they’re about to unlock the dark terrible secret of the Holy Wood hills — by mistake…

Annotations collected and edited by Leo Breebaart. http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/moving-pictures.html

Cameras roll - which means the imps inside have to paint really fast - in the fantastic Discworld when the alchemists discover the magic of the silver screen.

But what is the dark secret of Holy Wood hill?

As the alien clich's of Tinsel Town pour into the world, it's up to the Disc's first film stars to find out...

THRILL as Victor Tugelbend ("Can't sing. Can't dance. Can handle a sword a little") and Theda Withel ("I come from a little town you've probably never even heard of") battle the forces of evil and cinema advertising...

SCREAM as Gaspode the Wonder Dog nearly saves the day...

EAT POPCORN as you watch the filming of "Blown Away", the oddest Civil War picture ever made...

A Passionate Saga Set Against the Background of a World Gone Mad!

This Will Amaze You!

With a Thousand Elephants!

("And afterwards, why not dine at Harga's House of Ribs, for the best in international cuisine; only two minutes from this book...")