Books with author John Kelley

La moria grandissima began its terrible journey across the European and Asian continents in 1347, leaving unimaginable devastation in its wake. Five years later, twenty-five million people were dead, felled by the scourge that would come to be called the Black Death. The Great Mortality is the extraordinary epic account of the worst natural disaster in European history -- a drama of courage, cowardice, misery, madness, and sacrifice that brilliantly illuminates humankind's darkest days when an old world ended and a new world was born.

A magisterial account of one of the worst disasters to strike humankind--the Great Irish Potato Famine--conveyed as lyrical narrative history from the acclaimed author of The Great MortalityIn this masterful, comprehensive account of the Irish Potato Famine, delivered with novelistic flair, Kelly gives us not only the startling facts of this disaster--one of the worst to strike mankind, killing twice as many lives as the American Civil War--but examines the intersection of political greed, bacterial infection, religious intolerance, and racism that made it possible. Kelly brings new material to his analysis of relevant political factors during the years leading up to the famine, and the extent to which Britain's nation-building policies exacerbated the mounting crisis. Despite the shocking, infuriating implications of his findings, The Graves Are Walking is ultimately a story of triumph--of one people's ability to remake themselves in a new land in the face of the unthinkable.

Bane is a Warrior of the first age of man. After battling beasts in his homeland he is thrown into a battle against an evil Necromancer and his invading armies. Bane, the Warrior, overcomes human and sorcery driven enemies to free the country of his friends, Elfmed, Ialone and Aftrag. After his heroic and epic feats he is tricked by the Necromancer Amon Ra into becoming a Vampire. He follows the Necromancer through the ages seeking to destroy him for what he has done to Bane-the stripping away of his humanity. On his journey he makes friends and enemies that are other than human. Many are Immortal Weres that are good and bad.

WARNING! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. There's been a major Q-T incident reported in Cringetown – we need the monster doctor, stat!Q-Ts are highly dangerous to all monsters – they have huge eyes, tiny noses, squeaky high-pitched voices and are covered in a disgustingly soft fur-like material. Physical contact with these revolting creatures is to be avoided AT ALL COSTS! Ozzy is an ordinary human – an unusual trait for a monster doctor in training! – and he can't understand why monsters are so scared of these Q-Ts. So when the doctor receives a desperate phone call reporting a Q-T sighting, she and Ozzy race to save the horrible creature before the abominable Inspector Pincher arrives . . .Monster Doctor: Revolting Rescue is the second in a howlingly hilarious series of monster adventures from John Kelly that will have you laughing your head off . . . literally.

Mark and his wife own a small Marina on the Delaware Bay. Everything is just the way it should be until one day he comes home to find that his ancient enemies have found him. His immortal sense of smell gives him all the information he needs. He tracks them through southern New Jersey to Camden and finds that athough these enemies are not the same as his old ones they are just as bad. They are some type of Were-hybrid; but he can't let that stay his hand-the survival of his family depended on it. During the ensuing battles he meets friends that include a Mayan wiseman who knows the enemy and their history and Lorenzo a Viet Nam vet. Together they battle the enemy to the bitter end.

Marcus-Mark is an ancient immortal who has exsisted in nebulous form since the begining of time with the ability to shapeshift. He first adopts the shape of an ancient now extinct bear. While in bear form he encounters a human. The human attacks him and he destroys the human. In an instant he is transformed. The emotions and understanding of the human floods his very being, and from this moment on he is trapped in one of the two forms. He can change at will into a human or bearlike human. He leads the rest of his people to the village from which the human came. His people, all linked together through their minds, felt the sorrow of what had happened and followed Marcus to the village. Within minutes they had all mind locked into the same situation that Marcus found himself in. There were suddenly two of every villager. They remained with the humans forming one clan. They travel south fighting different aggressors until they meet and battle the Necromancer Amon Ra and his Werewolf army. They flee further south into Africa where they are saved by Bane the Vampire and then travel to the new world only to run into their ancient enemies again.

A magisterial account of one of the worst disasters to strike humankind--the Great Irish Potato Famine--conveyed as lyrical narrative history from the acclaimed author of The Great MortalityDeeply researched, compelling in its details, and startling in its conclusions about the appalling decisions behind a tragedy of epic proportions, John Kelly's retelling of the awful story of Ireland's great hunger will resonate today as history that speaks to our own times.It started in 1845 and before it was over more than one million men, women, and children would die and another two million would flee the country. Measured in terms of mortality, the Great Irish Potato Famine was the worst disaster in the nineteenth century--it claimed twice as many lives as the American Civil War. A perfect storm of bacterial infection, political greed, and religious intolerance sparked this catastrophe. But even more extraordinary than its scope were its political underpinnings, and The Graves Are Walking provides fresh material and analysis on the role that Britain's nation-building policies played in exacerbating the devastation by attempting to use the famine to reshape Irish society and character. Religious dogma, anti-relief sentiment, and racial and political ideology combined to result in an almost inconceivable disaster of human suffering. This is ultimately a story of triumph over perceived destiny: for fifty million Americans of Irish heritage, the saga of a broken people fleeing crushing starvation and remaking themselves in a new land is an inspiring story of revival. Based on extensive research and written with novelistic flair, The Graves Are Walking draws a portrait that is both intimate and panoramic, that captures the drama of individual lives caught up in an unimaginable tragedy, while imparting a new understanding of the famine's causes and consequences.

Ivy Pocket is a twelve-year-old maid of no importance, with a very lofty opinion of herself. Dumped in Paris by the Countess Carbunkle, who would rather run away to South America than continue in Ivy's companionship, our young heroine (of sorts) finds herself with no money and no home to go to ... until she is summoned to the bedside of the dying Duchess of Trinity. For the princely sum of £500 (enough to buy a carriage, and possibly a monkey), Ivy agrees to courier the Duchess's most precious possession – the Clock Diamond – to England, and to put it around the neck of the revolting Matilda Butterfield on her twelfth birthday. It's not long before Ivy finds herself at the heart of a conspiracy involving mischief, mayhem and murder.Illustrated in humorous gothic detail by John Kelly, Anyone But Ivy Pocket is just the beginning of one girl's deadly comic journey to discover who she really is ...

The pig lives all alone in a house on top of a hill. He's very happy with his quiet life. He has his books, his tidy tidy house and a lovely view. Until one morning he opens the curtains to find a duck has taken up residence on the tiny pinnacle of rock outside his window. Much to the pigs annoyance the excessively friendly duck likes the spot and decides to build a house there. With a swimming pool. And a garden and patio. The duck tries to be friendly. He's very confident and outgoing. It seems he's been everywhere (unlike the pig), done everything; skiing, mountain climbing, parachuting, scuba-diving, even brain surgery. The pig just wants to be left alone. Eventually, after a particularly loud party, the pig shouts at the duck, and the next morning finds a note pinned to the duck's front door. It reads: GONE AWAY. At first the pig is pleased. But gradually realises that his life without the duck is quiet and slightly dull. He comes to miss the duck and regrets rejecting him. One day there is a knock on the door and the pig opens it to find the duck wearing a som- brero and carrying a pinata. He'd only been on holiday in the South. He does it every year. Maybe next year the pig will join him.

At thirteen years old Tom and Emily Man had long since given up believing their Grandfathers stories of the magical land of Amaranth. If you were to ask them if they believed in witches, wizards and friendly trolls they'd both say "no”. They definitely wouldn’t believe in the most terrible and horrifying of all demons, even if he was mentioned in ancient manuscripts in their own world. And if you were to then throw kidnapping, stolen paintings, bloody battles and even a spot of big green romance into the mix and tell them they’d be involved in it all, they’d begin to think you an idiot, and Emily might even tell you as much. Ironically, as thirteen was the age of magical maturity, it was when they’d finally get to visit Amaranth - but they didn't believe. Luckily, getting to Amaranth involves being flung over the edge of a very high and very steep waterfall and believing has absolutely nothing to do with it. You can’t help but believe when you’re there. When you see it for yourself you believe everything. Amaranth is a 75,000 word story of adventure, mystery and friendship. It describes how events in this world have reverberations in another, and addresses the emotions and feelings that children experience wherever they may be. Primarily a young adult novel it is aimed at anyone else who doesn’t believe…