Amazon.com: Kathe Koja: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

The Cipher 13 Jul, 2012

₹ 273.29 ₹ 300.00
You Save: ₹ 26.71(9%)

Kathe Koja's classic, award-winning horror novel is finally available as an ebook.

Nicholas, a would-be poet, and Nakota, his feral lover, discover a strange hole in the storage room floor down the hall - "Black. Pure black and the sense of pulsation, especially when you look at it too closely, the sense of something not living but alive." It begins with curiosity, a joke - the Funhole down the hall. But then the experiments begin. "Wouldn't it be wild to go down there?" says Nakota. Nicholas says "We're not." But they're not in control, not from the first moment, as those experiments lead to obsession, violence, and a very final transformation for everyone who gets too close to the Funhole.

THE CIPHER was the winner of the 1991 Bram Stoker Award, and was recently named one of io9.com's Top 10 Debut Science Fiction Novels That Took the World By Storm. Long out-of-print and much sought-after, it is finally available as an ebook, with a new foreword by the author.

"An ethereal rollercoaster ride from start to finish." - The Detroit Free Press

"Combines intensely poetic language and lavish grotesqueries." - BoingBoing

"Kathe Koja is a poet ... [T]he kind that prefers to read in seedy bars instead of universities, but a poet." - The New York Review of Science Fiction

"Her 20-something characters are poverty-gagged 'artists' who exist in that demimonde of shitty jobs, squalid art galleries, and thrift stores; her settings are run-down studios, flat-beer bars, and dingy urban streets [a] long way from Castle Rock, Dunwich, or Stepford, that's for sure." - Too Much Horror Fiction

"This powerful first novel is as thought-provoking as it is horrifying." - Publishers Weekly

"Unforgettable ... [THE CIPHER] takes you into the lives of the dark dreamers that crawl on the underbelly of art and culture. Seldom has language been so visceral and so right." - Locus

"[THE CIPHER] is a book that makes you sit up, pay attention, and jettison your moldy preconceptions about the genre ... Utterly original ... [An} imaginative debut." - Fangoria

"Not so much about the vast and wonderful strangeness of the universe as it is about the horrific and glorious potential of the human spirit." - Short Form

From Publishers Weekly:

Down-and-out Nicholas and his friend Nakota one day discover a black hole in the floor of an abandoned storage room in his apartment building, which they quickly christen the "Funhole." The two set out to see what happens when they drop various items into the hole, whetting its appetite with insects, a mouse and a human hand, which all come back violently rearranged. Next, they lower a camcorder into the hole to record the action within. The videotape they retrieve is spellbinding, but there's a catch: what Nicholas sees is different from everyone else's vision. To Nakota the hole means change, because whatever is dropped into the Funhole emerges transformed-- if it ever emerges. Mesmerized by the Funhole, she claims that Nicholas is the only one who can make things happen around it. For Nicholas himself, the hole is a phenomenon that forces him to face his miserable, aimless life. Koja has created credible characters who are desperate for both entertainment and salvation. Inaugurating Dell's new Abyss Books series, this powerful first novel is as thought-provoking as it is horrifying.

Other Formats: Paperback

inclusive of all taxes

Voices in the Darkness (Crossroad Press Ladies of Horror) 13 Apr, 2021

by Kathe Koja, Nadia Bulkin, Elizabeth Massie, Cassandra Khaw, Nick Mamatas, Brian A. Hopkins, David Niall Wilson

( 6 )

₹ 218.00

Sometimes the world is a very dark place. You know the magic is still out there, but it feels distant, or displaced. Voices in the Darkness is an attempt to create a link, to bring some of those voices together in a single work of art. Six award-winning authors lent their talent to this work. The stories are unique, and dark, filled with wonder and emotion.

Included are:

Nadia Bulkin's "Vide Cor Meum (See My Heart)" is a unique twist on true crime as fiction.

Kathe Koja's "Pursuivant Island" will resonate differently with every reader, has meaning on different levels, and touches on an actual artistic event.

Elizabeth Massie's "Baggie" explores the horror of losing control of one's life, self, everything to another.

Cassandra Khaw takes you on a journey through the pain of bad relationships, while reminding her readers of their own self worth.

Nick Mamatas takes on the historical character behind the old, old song "Mack the Knife," in his tale, titled appropriately "Ba boo Dop doo Dop boo ree."

Brian A. Hopkins' novella "La Belle Époque," explores history, Winchester rifles, and addiction of a very personal persuasion.

We all hear voices in the darkness; in the pages of this book you will hear six of them very clearly.

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

inclusive of all taxes

Velocities: Stories 21 Apr, 2020

by Kathe Koja

( 40 )

₹ 680.95

From the award-winning author of The Cipher and Buddha Boy, comes Velocities, Kathe Koja's second electrifying collection of short fiction. Thirteen stories, two never before published, all flying at the speed of strange.

Other Formats: Paperback

inclusive of all taxes

Kissing the Bee/Headlong: Two Novels by Kathe Koja 7 Oct, 2018

by Kathe Koja

( 1 )

₹ 294.00

Two complete young adults novels from Kathe Koja.

KISSING THE BEE

Senior year is flying by, the prom is approaching, and Dana, her best friend, Avra, and Avra's boyfriend, Emil, are about to encounter the pains and pleasures of that intricate beehive called adult life. While Dana plans on college, Avra plots escape once school is over―and plans to take Emil along for the ride. What does Emil want? He's not saying. Dana studies bees for a biology project, fascinated by their habits and their mythological imagery – but in real life, emotions can sting, and while two's company, these three may just become a crowd. As Dana reminds us, in every hive there is only one queen bee.

A 2008 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

“Poetic, realistic, and filled with memorable characters, this spare novel captures first love’s exquisite, earth-shattering joy and the struggle and thrill that comes with claiming one’s own life.”
―STARRED/Booklist

“Koja incorporates facts and folklore about bees as a metaphor in this spare and haunting novel…Her understated, tightly focused language evokes vivid scenes and heady emotions…each line of dialogue, each interaction illuminating struggles that readers face as well.”
―STARRED/Publishers Weekly

“Koja takes the typical teen love triangle and spins it into a layered, intricate, emotional read. This story is thick like honey, humming with beautiful imagery and dialogue. The characters are multifaceted and interesting…A short but rich psychological exploration of the intense complexities of friendship and love in the teen world.”
―School Library Journal

“Teens who have suffered their own stings will appreciate Koja's honest and hopeful rendering.”
―Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

“A beautiful novel about relationships.”
―Publishers Weekly, ShelfTalker

“Readers will find it hard to pry themselves away from this brilliantly written story...A must read for young romantics.”
―IRA

HEADLONG

The Vaughn School. Home of domed ceilings, gleaming checkerboard floors, and the Vaughn Virgins: the upper stratum of girls who have perfect grades, perfect lives, and perfect friends. Lily Noble is a lifer – she knows all the rules. Then sophomore year, Hazel Tobias arrives as a scholarship student, with her model’s looks and unconventional family, and shows Lily everything she’s been missing. Can you ever fit in someplace you don’t want to be? As Lily befriends Hazel, both girls discover what it means to dive deep beneath the surface – of friendship, of commitment – and to live life with all their hearts, with all they are, headlong.

“The book takes place at an élite prep school, a haven for the children of the rich, but there the similarity to Gossip Girl ends; Headlong is a closely observed tale of a privileged girl beginning to perceive the constraints of her background, who channels her restlessness into a friendship with an emotionally elusive free spirit.”
—The New Yorker's Book Bench Blog

“Besides reliably recreating the dynamics of teen-girl friendship, Koja relays this story with her usual insight and, through her lightning-fast characterizations, an ability to project multiple perspectives simultaneously.”
—STARRED/Publishers Weekly

“This lovely story portrays friendship—what it is and what it is not. Many teen girls will wish themselves into this book.

inclusive of all taxes

Straydog/The Blue Mirror: Two Novels by Kathe Koja 9 Mar, 2018

by Kathe Koja

( 8 )

₹ 260.00

Two complete young adult novels by Kathe Koja, including Straydog, winner of the ASPCA's Henry Bergh Award and the Humane Societies KIND Children's Book Award, and the lush, dark fantasy, The Blue Mirror

STRAYDOG

Rachel is happiest when she's volunteering at the animal shelter, especially after she meets the feral collie she names Grrl; they're both angry and alone. When a teacher encourages her to write about it, Rachel finds another outlet for her pain and frustration. But writing about Grrl is much easier than teaching Grrl to trust her. And when Griffin, the new boy in school, devises a plan to spring Grrl from the shelter and bring her home, Rachel finds that the dog isn't the only one who must learn to trust.

"Compelling and sympathetic…Koja plumbs not only Rachel's dark and darkly funny psyche, but also what it means to be human and to make connections of love and trust." - Publishers Weekly

"Rachel's emotional intensity, conveyed both in her fierce narrative and in long passages from her story, is compelling enough to draw readers along…Fans of tales about teen writers, or stories with animal themes, will pant after this." - Kirkus Reviews

"The strong characters, rich detail, and well-articulated emotions, interspersed with Rachel's startling writing, make a powerful story that will resonate with many teens." - Booklist

THE BLUE MIRROR

Sixteen-year-old Maggy's life consists of trying to be invisible at school, taking care of her alcoholic mother, and spending all the time she can at the Blue Mirror, a downtown café. She can lose herself there for hours with a cappuccino and her sketchbook, in which she creates a paper world she calls "The Blue Mirror." But everything changes when she meets Cole, a charismatic runaway. Maggy is intrigued by Cole's risky life on the streets and by the girls who follow him, childlike Jouly and strange Marianne. And when Cole says that he loves her, Maggy comes alive. As Maggy becomes more entwined with Cole and she looks at him with all her heart, she sees something far more dangerous than she may be capable of handling.

* "Psychologically gripping . . . Teems with characters that possess the same kind of edgy, dangerous magic as Francesca Lia Block's creations, and, like Block, Koja explores the confusion between infatuation and real love-in all its cruelty and its redemptive powers." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A richly embroidered tale of abuse and control highlighted with shiny threads of magic and redemption." - Kirkus Reviews

"Fans of…outsider themes will appreciate the gritty urban scenes and rhythmic language that give the book an almost surreal ambience." - School Library Journal

"Koja writes with great artistry-her words sometimes work as brushes creating paintings; her prose is close to poetry . . . This is a brief and powerful story." - KLIATT

inclusive of all taxes

Buddha Boy 30 Oct, 2017

by Kathe Koja

( 46 )

₹ 260.00

AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS

The kids at Edward Rucher High School call Jinsen "Buddha Boy" - he wears oversize tie-dyed dragon t-shirts, shaves his head and always seems to be smiling. Jinsen certainly doesn't help matters when he starts begging for lunch money in the cafeteria. Then Justin is paired with him for a class project. All Justin wants to do is get it over with and go back to hanging out with his friends...until he discovers Jinsen's incredible artistic talent. And the more he gets to know Jinsen, the more Justin questions his own beliefs. But being friends with Buddha Boy isn't simple, especially when Justin realizes he's going to have to take sides. What matters more: the high school social order or getting to know someone extraordinary?

Kathe Koja's classic novel of bullying introduces an unforgettable young man who reminds us of the true meaning of friendship and shows us how to draw strength from the little gods inside each of us.

"Koja accomplishes quite a feat with this novel...A compelling introduction to Buddhism and a credible portrait of how true friendship brings out the best in people."
- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"By combining the elements of art and the tenets of Buddhism, Koja takes readers past the stereotypes of the picked-on kid, the relenetless bully, and the rescuing friend...A compelling tale of friendship and finding one's own inner strength."
- VOYA

"Quickly paced, inviting, and eye-opening, this is a marvelous addition to YA literature."
- School Library Journal

inclusive of all taxes

Under the Poppy 22 Sep, 2016

by Kathe Koja

( 18 )

₹ 410.00

"Koja can pack a lot Dickensian humor into a sentence."—The Plain Dealer

Under the Poppy is a brothel owned by Decca and Rupert. Decca is in love with Rupert but he in turn is in love with her brother, Istvan. When Istvan comes back to town, louche puppet troupe in tow, the lines of their age-old desires intersect against a backdrop of approaching war.

Hearts are broken when old betrayals and new alliances—not just their own—take shape, as the townsmen seek refuge from the onslaught of history by watching the girls of the Poppy cavort onstage with Istvan’s naughty puppets.

When the war gets too close, Istvan and Rupert abandon the Poppy and find a place in high society where they try to avoid becoming more than puppets themselves in the hands of those they have helped before and who now want to use them again.

From its explosive beginning to the final climax, Under the Poppy is a vivid, sexy, behind-the-scenes historical novel as delicious and intoxicating as the best guilty pleasure.

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

inclusive of all taxes

The Bastards' Paradise 12 Nov, 2015

by Kathe Koja

( 6 )

₹ 410.00

How many lives they have lived, if only for a night!

Puppets and peril, lonely streets and glittering salons—Rupert and Istvan have played
through it all, and sought to make the road their lasting home. But that road winds
through the past—including the brothel called the Rose and Poppy—while threats and
invitations abound: a scheming social climber, a lovesick exile, the Mercury Theatre
closed . . . or is it? Old friends from afar join comrades in the here-and-now, as power,
love, and fate combine to play out the final chapter of the story of a lifetime.

The curtains rose with UNDER THE POPPY, the passionate play continued in THE
MERCURY WALTZ. Now Kathe Koja brings the POPPY trilogy to a stunning and
masterful conclusion in THE BASTARDS’ PARADISE.

“The final act in a grand epic: I loved this book. It broke my heart and made me cry,
but it also made me grin, and shake my head, and turn the pages faster . . . Koja is a
phenomenal writer.” - Cat Hellisen, author of BEASTKEEPER

Kathe Koja’s books include Under the Poppy, The Cipher and Skin; her young adult novels include Buddha Boy, Talk and Kissing the Bee. Her work has been honored by the ALA, the ASPCA and with the Bram Stoker Award. Her books have been published in seven languages and optioned for film. She’s a Detroit native and lives in the area with her husband, artist Rick Lieder. She also runs Loudermilk Productions, creating site-specific immersive events including performances of Faustus and her own adaptation of Under the Poppy.

inclusive of all taxes

Strange Angels 11 May, 2015

by Kathe Koja

( 17 )

₹ 300.90

Grant, an ambitious photographer, is possessed by a young mental patient's strange drawings and becomes the disturbed young artist's confidant and guardian in a relationship that pushes Grant's own sanity to the edge.

Kathe Koja’s books include The Mercury Waltz, Under the Poppy, The Cipher and Skin; her young adult novels include Buddha Boy, Talk and Kissing the Bee. Her work has been honored by the ALA, the ASPCA and with the Bram Stoker Award. Her books have been published in seven languages and optioned for film. She’s a Detroit native and lives in the area with her husband, artist Rick Lieder. She also runs Loudermilk Productions, creating site-specific immersive events including performances of Wuthering Heights, Alice in Wonderland, Faustus and her own adaptation of Under the Poppy.

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

inclusive of all taxes

Bad Brains 11 May, 2015

by Kathe Koja

( 18 )

₹ 300.90

Still reeling from his divorce, would-be painter Austen takes a fall in a 7-Eleven parking lot that leaves him with brain damage and strange visions, a madness that sends him on a cross-country odyssey of debauchery and pain.

Kathe Koja’s books include The Mercury Waltz, Under the Poppy, The Cipher and Skin; her young adult novels include Buddha Boy, Talk and Kissing the Bee. Her work has been honored by the ALA, the ASPCA and with the Bram Stoker Award. Her books have been published in seven languages and optioned for film. She’s a Detroit native and lives in the area with her husband, artist Rick Lieder. She also runs Loudermilk Productions, creating site-specific immersive events including performances of Wuthering Heights, Alice in Wonderland, Faustus and her own adaptation of Under the Poppy.

Other Formats: Paperback

inclusive of all taxes

The Mercury Waltz 13 Jan, 2014

by Kathe Koja

( 11 )

₹ 410.00

"We’re pursued by no one, now."

Having fled their comfortably dangerous brothel-and-theater known as the Poppy, Rupert and Istvan have traveled far to land in a city of sepia and silver, where they make new allies and settle old grudges. Ancient families clash with municipal thugs outside and inside the doors of the Mercury Theatre: the home Rupert has always longed for, with a stage created for Istvan’s wildest tales.

Kathe Koja’s compelling sequel to Under the Poppy continues the timeless love and passionate play of its heroes, who can never truly escape their past. As their lives intertwine with a young blue-eyed fortuneteller, a foxy street sharpster, and a poet from the provinces come to this city on the brink of combustion, the promise of the Poppy is played out to the tune of The Mercury Waltz.

Kathe Koja’s books include Under the Poppy, The Cipher and Skin; her young adult novels include Buddha Boy, Talk and Kissing the Bee. Her work has been honored by the ALA, the ASPCA and with the Bram Stoker Award. Her books have been published in seven languages and optioned for film. She’s a Detroit native and lives in the area with her husband, artist Rick Lieder. She also runs Loudermilk Productions, creating site-specific immersive events including performances of Faustus and her own adaptation of Under the Poppy.

inclusive of all taxes

Skin 17 Sep, 2013

by Kathe Koja

( 37 )

₹ 299.00

Tess welds metal. Bibi molds flesh. Together, they make art that moves,
dances, burns, and bleeds, and the Surgeons of the Demolition become the
hottest ticket in town. But Bibi wants more, always more, no matter who gets
hurt. And Tess needs to burn, no matter what.

Thirty years ago, SKIN changed the landscape of dark fiction forever. And now the girls are back in town.

"A dark and frightening work by a major talent whose prose reads like a
collaboration between Clive Barker and William S. Burroughs. Highly
recommended." - Library Journal

"[H]umorless novel about art punks in an unnamed present-day city...the
novel, like the art of the characters it portrays, is a sustained exercise
in style over substance." - Publishers Weekly

"The language Koja employs is fresh and astonishing, harsh yet beautiful." -
Washington Post Book World

"The biggest flaw in this novel is the writing. Koja often abandons grammar,
sentence structure, and, as a result, clarity. Many of her incomplete
sentences are simply unintelligible." - The Tech

"Unexpectedly poignant ... Sentences as sharp and to the point as a scrotal
stud." - SPIN

"[W]ill leave many fighting off its overload." - Kirkus Reviews

"Not an easy read, but perversely beautiful." - Vector

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

inclusive of all taxes

AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services	Audible Download Audio Books	DPReview Digital Photography	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Prime Now 2-Hour Delivery on Everyday Items	Amazon Prime Music 90 million songs, ad-free Over 15 million podcast episodes

Kathe Koja

Similar authors to follow

About Kathe Koja

Customers Also Bought Items By

Author Updates

Books By Kathe Koja