For hundreds of years the people of Alderston have guarded a terrible secret. When Jamie's family receive a summons to do a mysterious job, they move into a house that looks over the graveyard. Soon Jamie begins to suspect that the great iron cages placed on top of the graves are not there to keep robbers out, but to keep the dead in...
Widely considered one of the leading experts on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Thomas Alan Shippey has informed and enlightened a generation of Tolkien scholars and fans. In this collection, friends and colleagues honor Shippey with 15 essays that reflect their mentor's research interests, methods of literary criticism and attention to Tolkien's shorter works. In a wide-ranging consideration of Tolkien's oeuvre, the contributors explore the influence of 19th and 20th century book illustrations on Tolkien's work; utopia and fantasy in Tolkien's Middle-earth; the Silmarils, the Arkenstone, and the One Ring as thematic vehicles; the pattern of decline in Middle-earth as reflected in the diminishing power of language; Tolkien's interest in medieval genres; the heroism of secondary characters; and numerous other topics. Also included are brief memoirs by Shippey's colleagues and friends in academia and fandom and a bibliography of Shippey's work.
Jonathan Starling's father is in an asylum and his home has been attacked when, while running away from kidnappers, he stumbles upon Darkside, a terrifying and hidden part of London ruled by the descendants of Jack the Ripper, where Jonathan is in mortal danger if he cannot find the way out.
The definitive guide to Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, and other man-primates from an established author and respected expert on the unexplained and paranormal. Does a hulking, hairy, 800-pound, nine-foot-tall, elusive primate roam the woods and forests throughout North America—and the world? What should we make of the grainy videos and photos and the thousands of eyewitness reports? Audio-recordings exist purporting to be the creatures’ eerie chatter and bone-chilling screaming. Whether called Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, or something else, bipedal primates appear in folklore, legends, and eyewitness accounts in every state of the union and many places around the world. The fascination with the man-beast is stronger than ever in today’s pop culture. Exploring the history, movies, and literature, the conspiracy theorizing, and the world of the supernatural, The Bigfoot Book: The Encyclopedia of Sasquatch, Yeti, and Cryptid Primates is a comprehensive resource to the man-beast. With nearly 200 entries and 120 photographs, drawings, and illustrations, it is the definitive guide to understanding, hunting, and avoiding the brute, as well as discovering the facts behind the sightings and horrifying tales. It covers 400 years of folklore, mythology, history, and pop culture, including Native American lore, the “wild men” reports in the pages of 19th century-era American newspapers, Florida's Myakka Skunk Ape, Australia's Yowie, China's Yeren, Himalayas’ Yeti, Russian expeditions, Harry and the Hendersons, Exists and the countless movies titled Bigfoot, as well as specials on the television shows Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel, scientific reports and findings, and much, much more. Various documentaries and reality television shows have all superficially tackled the subject, but Nick Redfern presents a truly complete and comprehensive look at cryptid primates. It is a richly researched reference, overflowing with fascinating information to make readers think—and reconsider their next camping trip.
Beware the Full Moon! Take a hair-raising tour of werewolf legends. Meet shape-shifters, dogmen, and all variety of human and lupine mixes in this blood curling story collection from two distinguished paranormal researchers! From today's lycanthropic creatures found in pop culture such as Dracula, Twilight and An American Werewolf in London to the earliest mentions in folklore of the shape-shifting legend, Werewolf Stories: Shape-Shifters, Lycanthropes, and Man-Beasts is an eye-opening tour through the ages of all things werewolf. Along the way, readers land at the doorstep of creatures like serial killer Fritz Haarmann, tiger people and their thirst for human blood, Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, shapeshifters of all kinds and sizes, and even a spell to repel werewolves. This fascinating tome provides 140,000 years of blood-pounding evidence of strange and obsessional behavior. It tells of stories of becoming a werewolf and the intricacies of slaying the beast. A true homage to the creature, it includes full moon of topics such as … Fenrir, the wolf child of the giantess Angrboda and the god Loki, from the Old Norse myth of Ragnarok Notorious serial killers, including Peter Stumpp and Michael Lupo, who thought themselves to be—and modeled their crimes on—werewolves Coyote people, tricksters, and were-animals of Navajo legend The Basque butchers of Louisiana and the loup-garou Diana, the goddess of the wilderness and the hunt, and her pack of hunting dogs, who once ruled all the dark forests of Europe Leopard creature-men and the deadly cult whose members expressed their were-leopard lust for human blood and flesh that has been in existence in West Africa for several hundred years The “werewolf of the Dordogne,” Francis Leroy, and his uncontrollable bloodlust during the full moon The secret terrorist group Organization Werewolf, established in 1923, and its possible allegiance to Adolf Hitler Ghouls from Arabic folklore, the demonic Djinns that hover near burial grounds and sustain themselves on human flesh stolen from graves Tasmania’s thylacine and sightings of the “probably extinct” creature and its remarkable—and frightening—jaw capacity Alaska’s Kushtaka and other stories of the Bigfoot man-beast Puerto Rico’s chupacabra and its powerful goat-like legs, three-clawed feet, and penchant for sucking blood The Doñas de Fuera of Sicily, small fairies who looked human, aside from their paw-like feet, and were cruel and dangerous when crossed Enkidu, perhaps our earliest written record of a man-beast that appears on a Babylonian fragment circa 2000 BCE and tells the story of King Gilgamesh and his werewolf-like friend in The Epic of Gilgamesh And many more stories and histories of werewolves, night-stalkers, lycanthropes, and man-beasts Noted cryptozoologists and paranormal researchers Nick Redfern and Brad Steiger share personal stories and encounters with werewolves in Werewolf Stories. They take a deep dive into the legends, the history, the pop-culture take on the man-beast. It's a wild and weird road-trip into the mystery-filled domain of the disturbingly real world of shape-shifters and werewolves!
Long before becoming a heroic legend with his destruction of Grendel, Beowulf is a young leader on the rise. Impulsive and eager to prove his noble nature, an inexperienced Beowulf receives an offer to rid the lands of the feared Dreygurs. In his quest to destroy the deadly monsters of Bernicia, the future hero learns pride and foolish bravado can be as lethal as the magical terrors they face.
Fantasy fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series will embrace this first novel in an adventure-filled, Viking-inspired series by a debut author. Meet Karn. He is destined to take over the family farm in Norrøngard. His only problem? He’d rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones. Enter Thianna. Half human, half frost giantess. She’s too tall to blend in with other humans but too short to be taken seriously as a giant. When family intrigues force Karn and Thianna to flee into the wilderness, they have to keep their sense of humor and their wits about them. But survival can be challenging when you’re being chased by a 1,500-year-old dragon, Helltoppr the undead warrior and his undead minions, an evil uncle, wyverns, and an assortment of trolls and giants. Readers will embark on a sweeping epic fantasy as they join Karn and Thianna on a voyage of discovery. Antics and hair-raising escapades abound in this fantasy adventure as the two forge a friendship and journey to unknown territory. Their plan: to save their families from harm. Debut novelist Lou Anders has created a rich world of over twenty-five countries inhabited by Karn, Thianna, and an array of fantastical creatures, as well as the Thrones and Bones board game. Praise for Frostborn: "Future fans of Tolkien and George R.R. Martin can happily cut their serial-fantasy teeth on this first book of an eventual series." -Kirkus Reviews "A fun, fast-paced, and highly enjoyable tale." -Garth Nix, bestselling author of the Abhorsen trilogy *"...a powerful, fast-paced tale... The setting is rich, the characters well-defined, and the danger ever-paramount." -Publishers Weekly, starred "...an excellent choice for readers new to the genre. The themes of staying true to oneself, teamwork, and individuality will resonate with readers." -School Library Journal "...this accessible fantasy brings together two very different children bound by common goals." -Booklist "The most delightful fantasy I have read in ages. . . . Put me on the waiting list for book 2!" -Amy Plum, international bestselling author of the Die For Me series
Njals saga, the greatest of the sagas of the Icelanders, was written around 1280. It tells the story of a complex feud that starts innocently enough--in a tiff over seating arrangement at a local feast--and expands over the course of 20 years to engulf half the country, in which both sides are effectively exterminated, Njal and his family burned to death in their farmhouse, the other faction picked off over the entire course of the feud. Law and feud feature centrally in the saga, Njal, its hero, being the greatest lawyer of his generation. No reading of the saga can do it justice unless it takes its law, its feuding strategies, as well as the author's stunning manipulation and saga conventions. In 'Why is Your Axe Bloody?' W.I. Miller offers a lively, entertaining, and completely orignal personal reading of this lengthy saga.
Collects Marvel Zombies 5 #1-5. MACHINE MAN IS BACK! Zombies of the multiverse, watch your rotting backs! To obtain a cure for the zombie virus for Morbius the Living Vampire, Aaron Stack, Agent of ARMOR, must traverse alternate realities hunting down the plague in all its myriad forms...with a most unusual (but somehow oddly appropriate) partner! First up: in the Alterniverse known as "The Territory," the Old West never died. But when the greatest gunslingers of Marveldom - Two-Gun Kid, Phantom Rider, Kid Colt, and many others - rise from their graves in Boot Hill, the stage is set for a High Noon showdown with flesh-eating outlaws the likes of which you've never seen! Also featuring a trip to Camelot to battle the original Black Knight!
A thrilling tale of magic and warfare in ancient Ireland. April 1014. Dubliner Elva watches helplessly as her sister comes under the control of an evil queen. Dara marches towards the city as part of Brian Boru's army, while Skari sails from the Orkneys to fight with King Sitric of Dublin. As the armies come ever closer to each other, no one knows what will happen when they meet to fight what has been called the last battle. Nor do the children realise that their fates are linked in ways they could never have imagined, ways which will test all their courage and loyalty.