The fourth instalment of an epic urban fantasy series in the UK. A mixture of realism and minutely observed magickal fantasy, the story is set in Cornwall and mixes action, humour and well-realised characters.
In all religions, in the medieval West as in the East, ideas about the past, the present and the future were shaped by expectations related to the End. The volumes Cultures of Eschatology explore the many ways apocalyptic thought and visions of the end intersected with the development of pre-modern religio-political communities, with social changes and with the emergence of new intellectual and literary traditions. The two volumes present a wide variety of case studies from the early Christian communities of Antiquity, through the times of the Islamic invasion and the Crusades and up to modern receptions, from the Latin West to the Byzantine Empire, from South Yemen to the Hidden Lands of Tibetan Buddhism. Examining apocalypticism, messianism and eschatology in medieval Christian, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist communities, the contributions paint a multi-faceted picture of End-Time scenarios and provide their readers with a broad array of source material from different historical contexts. The first volume, Empires and Scriptural Authorities, examines the formation of literary and visual apocalyptic traditions, and the role they played as vehicles for defining a community’s religious and political enemies. The second volume, Time, Death and Afterlife, focuses on key topics of eschatology: death, judgment, afterlife and the perception of time and its end. It also analyses modern readings and interpretations of eschatological concepts.
In Eight Zulu Kings, well-respected and widely published historian John Laband examines the reigns of the eight Zulu kings from 1816 to the present. Starting with King Shaka, the renowned founder of the Zulu kingdom, he charts the lives of the kings Dingane, Mpande, Cetshwayo, Dinuzulu, Solomon and Cyprian, to today's King Goodwill Zwelithini whose role is little more than ceremonial. In the course of this investigation Laband places the Zulu monarchy in the context of African kingship and tracks and analyses the trajectory of the Zulu kings from independent and powerful pre-colonial African rulers to largely powerless traditionalist figures in post-apartheid South Africa.
What if the commonly held beliefs concerning the Antichrist are mistaken? The Antichrist and the Second Coming looks at the Antichrist and the Second Advent of Christ from a preterist (i.e., past fulfillment) perspective and provides a unified interpretation of the little horn, the prince to come, the king of the North, the man of lawlessness, and the beast. This is the second in a two volume set on the Antichrist; it focuses on the book of Revelation. This edition stands on its own and is recommended reading even if you have not read the first volume (which focuses on Daniel and 2 Thessalonians). McKenzie shows how the Antichrist was ultimately a spiritual ruler from the abyss (Rev. 11:7) that worked through Titus in his three-and-a-half-year destruction of the Jewish nation (AD 67-70; cf. Dan. 9:26). This spirit of Antichrist was about to come out of the abyss in the first century (Rev. 17:8 NASB) and was destroyed by the Second Advent of Jesus in AD 70 (a spiritual event). Continue reading to see how McKenzie convincingly makes the biblical case for this fascinating and controversial position, and what it means for us today. Dr. Duncan McKenzie is a licensed psychologist (Ph.D. in psychology) who lives in Los Angeles, California. He has been studying Bible prophecy for the past twenty-five years and has been researching and writing this two volume set for the last twelve years.
Thirteen entertaining chapters and more than 100 helpful illustrations show beginners how to make objects disappear, conjure something from nothing, levitate, and perform other illusions. Readers will learn to master three kinds of magic — close-up, club and parlor, and stage magic — with advice on misdirection, presentation, routining, and showmanship.
Cambridge School Shakespeare was developed from the work of Rex Gibson's Shakespeare and Schools Project and has gone on to become a bestselling series in schools around the world. Each play in the series has been carefully edited to enable students to inhabit Shakespeare's imaginative world in accessible and creative ways. This new larger-format edition of Cambridge School Shakespeare has been substantially revised, extended and presented in an attractive new design. It remains faithful to the series' active approach, which treats each play as a script to be acted, explored and enjoyed. As well as the complete scripts, you will find a running synopsis of the action, an explanation of unfamiliar words and a variety of classroom-tested activities to help turn the script into drama. This edition includes : a stunning full-colour design, richly illustrated with exciting photographs of performances from around the world ; -a wide variety of classroom activities, thematically organised in distinctive `Stagecraft', `Write about it', `Language in the play', `Characters' and `Themes' feature boxes ; expansive endnotes, including extensive essay-writing guidance ; glossary aligned with the play text for ease of reference.
The Norman Conquest was one of the most significant events in European history. Over forty years from 1066, England was traumatised and transformed. The Anglo-Saxon ruling class was eliminated, foreign elites took control of Church and State, and England's entire political, social and cultural orientation was changed. Out of the upheaval which followed the Battle of Hastings, a new kind of Englishness emerged and the priorities of England's new rulers set the kingdom on the political course it was to follow for the rest of the Middle Ages. However, the Norman Conquest was more than a purely English phenomenon, for Wales, Scotland and Normandy were all deeply affected by it too. This book's broad sweep successfully encompasses these wider British and French perspectives to offer a fresh, clear and concise introduction to the events which propelled the two nations into the Middle Ages and dramatically altered the course of history.