Books published by arima publishing

Within the Hall, the community quivers in terror. At the door the winds moan as retribution seeks admittance. How will the Sorceress protect her people from the anger she has provoked? Having exiled Daro for his obsession with the ancient mages of their secret past, life is still far from peaceful in Selesh. The aging Sorceress has found no relief from troublesome children, for she has given refuge to Jalni. The girl, hotly pursued into the heart of the community, has an intriguing (though erratic) command of power. Admitted as a novice, Jalni commits a catalogue of crimes, and is on probation when Daro returns to challenge his foster-mother's long held beliefs. Determined to ignore the personal price he has paid for power, the Opal Sandsinger takes Jalni as his guide, and sets out to save the children of Scartel. Encountering Myst-cats, Wanderers, Storm horses and a mysterious mentor, Daro must also find his feet in a strange new world, while he seeks "Another Shade of Mystery", in the hope it will help him understand "The Song of Sorcery", that seems to guide his destiny.

This is a story of a man's journey through normal life, then surviving an almost fatal accident, and the trauma of recovery from that over a period of eleven years - a testament of human endurance and determination. The first part is about the background of this ordinary working class chap, who strives hard to build up a business, caring for his family along the way like any other person. He has, however, had a passion for motorbikes for most of his life and, finally he achieved his dream of travelling through Alaska, keeping a diary of his experiences and adventures. The second part of the story finds him back to everyday life after his fantastic trip, when he suffers a horrendous accident whilst at work. He nearly dies. Somehow he survives and then begins a long road to recovery which is to take nearly ten years before he finally emerges from his demons and lost world to gain full health and fitness. This part of the story has been written at various times during his long recovery, giving insight into his lonely world, and encouragement to anyone else who may have suffered a similar trauma.

Reading Dolour is like looking into the most private depths of Holan's soul. Some of his poems are so simple that they are almost child-like; some are cruel and harsh, while others border on pornography. One can easily call him a wordsmith - he uses words as thoughts to convey his every written nuance. Sometimes, he purposefully chooses archaic and totally obsolete Czech words, which are virtually untranslatable.He was obsessed with women and sex, as well as his belief in God, Satan, Hell and Heaven. Both his sensuality and spirituality appear in most of his works and his intensity of emotion is almost tangible. Yet, he was so sentimental that he saw romance in every situation - even a glimpse of a woman's face in a passing train or encountering a woman in an elevator, or wondering what book that girl in a tram was reading.When the Communist Party took over Czechoslovakia, Holan was utterly devastated by their totalitarian regime, but his polemic was but a grain of sand in the oyster of hope.Reading Dolour is an experience you will never forget!