Dwarves craft their marvelous treasures in cavern forges, dragons slumber on piles of stolen treasure, wizards plot revenge with their terrible powers, and giant monsters threaten all that is good-this is not Lord of the Rings. It is Norse mythology In this book you will discover the rich mythology that has inspired everything from Beowulf to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien to the Thor superhero series. In this textbook 13 script-stories re-tell the most popular Norse myths-tales of might Thor, wise Odin, and wily Loki. Also included is the Saga of the Volsungs, often called the Iliad of the Norsemen. Supplemental materials include a Ragnarok end-of-the-world battle game for up to thirty players, a Valhalla Find-It picture puzzle, a glossary of important characters, and a name pronunciation guide. The Reaching Olympus series uses classroom-tested Reader's Theater script-stories specifically designed for 6th-12th grade students to retell the great myths and legends of world mythology. Reader's Theater is an innovative and powerful teaching tool that allows students to break away from silent reading and share in an "acting-out" experience where words and myth come to life Each script is prefaced by a teacher guide providing a synopsis of the myth, relevant background information and commentary on the myth, anticipatory questions for pre-play discussion, essential questions to help analyze the "big ideas" behind each myth, recall questions to check reading comprehension, and instructions for teaching commonly-tested terms and literary devices using each story.

From Jay Bonansinga, author of The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury and The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, comes a collection of short stories and novellas that span a number of genres. Included in this collection of tales of horror, dark fantasy, crime/noir, and dark erotica: ANIMAL RITES BLACK CELEBRATION STEAGAL'S BARBER SHOP AND SMOKE EMPORIUM THE PANIC SWITCH DEAL MEMO MOLE NECROTICA BIG BUST AT HERBERT HOOVER HIGH STASH THE BEAUMONT PROPHECY OBITUARY MAMBO DUE DATE MAMA SOMEBODY DOWN HERE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU GLORY HAND IN THE SOFT CITY THE BUTCHER'S KINGDOM THE MINIATURIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

What does love demand of us, and who must pay the price? High school sweethearts, Sarah and Warren, have grand plans for an adventurous future together, but when a misunderstanding causes them to part ways, they end up marrying other people. When they meet again at sixty, their lives have been carved into very different shapes. Sarah lives outside New York; Warren lives in Boston. Sarah is divorced, Warren still married, and both have grown up children. When they reconnect, they feel the rekindled spark of love and desire - a spark that has been dead for so long. But are they willing to risk destroying all that they have built separately for the chance of a future together?

For fans of James Rollins and Matthew Reilly comes a heart-stopping, globe-spanning adventure in Andy McDermott’s explosive series featuring American archaeologist Nina Wilde and ex-SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase. MYSTERIOUS RUNESTONES. AN ANCIENT VIKING MYTH. AND A PROPHECY OF LIFE OR DEATH. In a Stockholm museum, thieves steal an enormous Norse runestone, but not before killing a security guard. When Nina Wilde, head of the International Heritage Agency (IHA), and her husband, ex-mercenary Eddie Chase, arrive to investigate, they are told a chilling story: A scholar has discovered that the stone may be one of two keys to finding the mythological site of Valhalla, where the Vikings predicted the world’s final battle would begin. The second stone lies at the bottom of a Norwegian lake. But when Nina and Eddie race to the scene, they’re hit with a shocking surprise. Covert agents from around the world, including a ruthless mole in the IHA, are drawn into a lethal game, . Then a disturbing secret surfaces from Eddie’s past, involving a mission in Vietnam and a woman he tried to save. Suddenly suspicious of her own husband, Nina cannot afford to stop the perilous search for the artifact. For somewhere in a remote wilderness, two forces are about to converge: one that could save the world . . . and one that could destroy it. Praise for the novels of Andy McDermott “Raises the bar to please adventure junkies who prefer to mainline their action.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review), on The Hunt for Atlantis “A fun, action-filled James Bond/Indiana Jones-esque story.”—Geek Speak Magazine, on Return to Atlantis “Adventure stories don’t get much more epic than this.”—Daily Mirror (U.K.)

Based on Norse mythology, the third installment of the Renshai saga concludes the tale of three brothers caught in a dangerous magical confrontation, against which humans and elves must band together to preserve their worlds. After a cataclysmic magical confrontation that shakes the very roots of Midgard, elves and humans alike struggle to put the pieces of their lives back together. But with many among them cast out of their own world and stranded in the Outworlds, the chances of rescuing all those "lost" souls seems very slim. While elves can find those of their own race, they cannot track humans in the same way. Perhaps, if the powers of the elves, the human mages of Myrcidë, and the one surviving Kjempemagiska, the sorcerer Kentt, can be combined, they can bring back most of those lost in chaos. Saviar, Subikahn, and Calistin, the three Renshai brothers, must all face their own personal demons, as they attempt to find their destinies in this radically changed world. Even the royal family of Béarn will find everything they value placed at risk. Only if the brothers, their friends, family, allies, and former enemies can find a way to work together will they have any hope of healing Midgard and carving out the path to a better future for all.

Discover the epic tale of legendary viking Geirmund Hel-hide in this new novel set in the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla Mid-9th Century CE. The Viking attacks and invasions are shattering England’s kingdoms. Born into a royal lineage of Norwegian kings, Geirmund Hel-hide sets out for adventure to prove his worth as a Viking and a warrior. A perilous journey across the sea brings him into contact with a being out of myth and grants him a mysterious ring that promises both great power and bitter betrayal. As Geirmund rises in the ranks of King Guthrum’s legendary army, he will have to use all his cunning to face the many dangers of a land ravaged by war. Fighting alongside his band of loyal warriors, his path will soon lead him into a conflict as old as the Gods themselves.

Scholar and diplomat Brian L. Evans gives us the first English-language biography of Chester A. Ronning (1894-1984): diplomat, politician, educator, and one of Canada's major public figures. This fascinating story depicts Ronning, the man who received many honours, and deepens readers' knowledge of Canada's post-World War II diplomacy and Canada-China relations. Ronning was an extraordinary Canadian who combined Chinese sensibility with Norwegian calm practicality and American drive. His life journey was entwined with the history of China over many decades. Based on written materials, historical documents, and many hours of interviews with Ronning, his friends, and fellow politicians, The Remarkable Chester Ronning offers both a thorough and entertaining biography and a lens through which to view international politics.

The reporters said it was a sexy story—church, money, greed, adultery, blood, a defenseless child with profound disabilities, and a good man who never saw it coming, all the elements that garnered column inches and high ratings. The main players on the stage included a talented journalist who played the organ at church, a cunning narcissist who hid behind a pretty face and a sweet demeanor, and a respected businessman and father. The plan, her plan, unfolded in the early morning hours of June 8, 1994, when a flyspeck of a man dressed in black, covetous and possessed by passion, clutched a large knife in his gloved hands and stood above his sleeping prey. He could not know, as the blade arced toward its target, how many lives would be forever changed by their crimes.