As a little boy, Titus wanted nothing more than to play for the Camplay Stallions just like his father, Hobb. But as a young man, Titus now fights to break free from the shadow cast over him by Hobb, the greatest tocsinagon player the province of Norixis has ever seen. Tocsinagon: Follow The Footsteps vividly describes Titus's quest for the Game of Fire and tocsinagon immortality. It may be just a game, but for Titus and the Norian people tocsinagon is life.
Beyond the silver mountains, beyond the beautiful hills, my spirit and joy, my lovely one, has gone, and winds have been stilled. Douglas Wagner wrote this tender song of parting shortly after his mother's passing. Scored especially for smaller mixed ensembles, careful attention has been made to the voice leading in all parts. Teachable moments of phrasing, breath support, and tall vowels make this a strong selection for developing choirs.
A shadow broods over the world of Adarya as the dark lord Naurleth prepares to unleash his power. Everything seems hopeless for Ltheny, the leader of the Capprinces, a small people dwelling in southern Adarya. Naurleth's forces, led by his merciless captain, are moving closer to the Capprinces' homeland every day, and an attack is imminent. Ltheny's city is alone in its struggle - all of its allies are too far away to bring aid, and preoccupied with their own troubles. To make matters worse, the Niorians, a sea-faring people who have been on the brink of war with the Capprinces for decades, have been seen near the Capprinces' borders. Defeat seems certain, and Ltheny is forced to decide whether her people must abandon their home in order to survive. Everything changes, however, after a chance meeting with Anamer, the captain of the Niorians. Ltheny finds herself whisked away on an adventure aboard Anamer's ship, The Quest. All around her, legends spring to life as the ship strays into the Shadowy Seas, in the heart of Naurleth's territory. After various encounters with long-forgotten perils, and the discovery or a weapon that could rewrite Adarya's history, Ltheny and the other passengers aboard The Quest escape from the Shadowy Seas, only to find that things are not well at home. In order to warn the others of Naurleth's threat, they must overcome old prejudices, elude capture by Naurleth's agents, and delve deep into the secrets of Adarya's past. Amid the battle between good and evil, Ltheny finds a friendship with the Niorians that is constantly tested through the twists and turns of their adventure.
Unicorns, dragons, sprites, will-o’-the-wisps: the inhabitants of an enchanted world. And into this world – through the pages of an old book – ventures Bastian, a lonely boy of ten or twelve. But Fantastica is slowly decaying, its Childlike Empress dying. Only a real human being can set things right by giving the Empress a new name. Bastian takes up the challenge, and finds himself crossing the Swamps of Sadness and the Silver Mountains, meeting sorcerers and giants, bats and night-hobs, gnomes and racing snails, as he journeys bravely toward the Ivory Tower, Bastian’s quest is filled with all the wonders of myth and fairy tale. It is a fantasy adventure that will capture your heart – and recapture the magical dreams of childhood.
Famed naturalist John Muir (1838-1914) came to Wisconsin as a boy and studied at the University of Wisconsin. He first came to California in 1868 and devoted six years to the study of the Yosemite Valley. After work in Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, he returned to California in 1880 and made the state his home. One of the heroes of America's conservation movement, Muir deserves much of the credit for making the Yosemite Valley a protected national park and for alerting Americans to the need to protect this and other natural wonders. The mountains of California (1894) is his book length tribute to the beauties of the Sierras. He recounts not only his own journeys by foot through the mountains, glaciers, forests, and valleys, but also the geological and natural history of the region, ranging from the history of glaciers, the patterns of tree growth, and the daily life of animals and insects. While Yosemite naturally receives great attention, Muir also expounds on less well known beauty spots.
