Original stories written by women fantasists.

From Faust (1926) to The Babadook (2014), books have been featured in horror films as warnings, gateways, prisons and manifestations of the monstrous. Ancient grimoires such as the Necronomicon serve as timeless vessels of knowledge beyond human comprehension, while runes, summoning diaries, and spell books offer their readers access to the powers of the supernatural--but at what cost? This collection of new essays examines nearly a century of genre horror in which on-screen texts drive and shape their narratives, sometimes unnoticed. The contributors explore American films like The Evil Dead (1981), The Prophecy (1995) and It Follows (2014), as well as such international films as Eric Valette's Malefique (2002), Paco Cabeza's The Appeared (2007) and Lucio Fulci's The Beyond (1981).

While pre-modern Europe is often seen as having an 'enchanted' or 'magical' worldview, the full implications of such labels remain inconsistently explored. Witchcraft, demonology, and debates over pious practices have provided the main avenues for treating those themes, but integrating them with other activities and ideas seen as forming an enchanted Europe has proven to be a much more difficult task. This collection offers one method of demystifying this world of everyday magic. Integrating case studies and more theoretical responses to the magical and preternatural, the authors here demonstrate that what we think of as extraordinary was often accepted as legitimate, if unusual, occurrences or practices. In their treatment of and attitudes towards spirit-assisted treasure-hunting, magical recipes, trials for sanctity, and visits by guardian angels, early modern Europeans showed more acceptance of and comfort with the extraordinary than modern scholars frequently acknowledge. Even witchcraft could be more pervasive and less threatening than many modern interpretations suggest. Magic was both mundane and mysterious in early modern Europe, and the witches who practiced it could in many ways be quite ordinary members of their communities. The vivid cases described in this volume should make the reader question how to distinguish the ordinary and extraordinary and the extent to which those terms need to be redefined for an early modern context. They should also make more immediate a world in which magic was an everyday occurrence.

Throughout the Villains series, the Odd Sisters have meddled in the lives of the Wicked Queen, The Beast, Ursula, Maleficent, and Mother Gothel, changing the course of fate for the greatest villains ever known. Now, it's time for their reckoning. This latest novel by the author of the wildly popular Villains series goes deeper into the lives of the twisted, diabolical Odd Sisters, finally revealing the dark truth about who they are and where they're from . The Odd Sisters will appeal to fans who can't get enough of the mischievous sisters, as well as draw new readers to Serena Valentino's darkly fascinating take on the Disney Villains.

From award-winning author S. Usher Evans comes a limited-edition, five-book box set that includes the first full-length book in five of her bestselling YA/NA fantasy and science fiction series. From the streets of Forcadel to the farthest reaches of the universe, these five stories will sweep readers away in magic, mystery, politics, and a dash of romance. Included in this Box Set: • The City of Veils - Winner of the 2019 Florida Author Project YA Book of the Year, and a finalist for the 2019 National Indie Author Project award, The City of Veils has delighted and dazzled readers around the world. Eighteen-year-old Brynna has been protecting her city as a masked vigilante for the past three years, until one night she's captured by the king's guards. Her father and brother have been murdered, and this runaway princess must put aside her vigilante mission to assume the throne. But not before she takes care of some unfinished business. (YA Fantasy, 15+) • Spells and Sorcery - On her fifteenth birthday, Lexie Carrigan finds out she's magical - and that might be the least weird thing about her. Faced with an uncontrollable power that her family doesn't seem to understand, she jumps at the chance to train with the mysterious Gavon, an older magical who shows up just at the right time. But is his appearance coincidence or is there something more her family isn't telling her? (YA Fantasy, 13+) • Empath - When a mysterious voice promises an easy out to all her problems, a heartbroken Lauren Dailey jumps at the chance and wakes up in a fantasy land with the powers of an empath. But now, she has a bigger, dragon-shaped problem: The Anghenfil, a fire-breathing monster, lives in the mountains nearby, and some say he's got a taste for empaths. And he might just be that mysterious voice, tempting her deeper into her own darkness. (NA Fantasy, 15+) • The Island - Prince Galian was forced to put aside medical degree to fight in a war he doesn't believe in. Captain Theo just wants to see her country freed from the oppressive regime across the ocean - and survive the bloody fifty-year war. But when an air skirmish goes wrong, they both end up marooned on a deserted island and must put aside their differences to survive. (NA Fantasy, 18+) • Double Life - Lyssa is living double lives as a planet-discovering scientist and a space pirate bounty hunter. Neither life is going so hot, however. As the pirate, she's the least wanted person in the universe, and as the scientist, she's just been saddled with an intern who is definitely spying on her for her slimy boss. But when that intern is mistaken for her hostage by the Universal Police, Lyssa's life gets a whole lot more complicated. (NA Science Fiction, 15+)

Return to the Five Queendoms in the sequel to Scorpica, a sweeping epic fantasy that Rebecca Roanhorse called “ambitious and engaging,” in which a centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born. The Drought of Girls has ended, but the rift it broke open between the Queendoms is not so easily healed. Political tensions roil the senate of Paxim, where Queen Heliane vows to make her son Paulus the nation’s first ruling King or die trying. Scorpican troops amass on the border of Arca, ready to attack. And within Arca itself, its young, unready queen finds her court a nest of vipers and her dreams besieged by a mysterious figure with unknown intentions. As iron and magic clash on the battlefield and powerful women scheme behind the scenes, danger and violence abound. Can anyone stop the chaos from ripping the Queendoms apart?

Follow Nicholas and his parents through their long journey, filled with magic, dragons, knights, war, and much more. If you have been looking for a new magical story, you just found it. Young Nicholas, a thirteen-year-old boy, will have to grow up fast, while learning the harsh reality about war. The world must come together to fight the first dark magician. This is book one of three.

A lost princess. A mysterious puppet master. And a race against time—before all is lost. Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive. When these two lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical. A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds, and to save their home, thief and princess must work together. Or watch it all fall into ruin. Deadly magic, hidden temples, and dark prophecies: Sisters of the Snake is an action-packed, immersive fantasy that will thrill fans of The Wrath & the Dawn and The Tiger at Midnight.

In 1998, the series "Charmed", the story created by Constance M. Burge of three sisters who discover that they are powerful witches, first aired on the WB network. The series ran for eight series and into top-rating DVDs, and has established a continuing presence as cult TV. The world of "Charmed" is distinctively one of female solidarity, with sisters Piper, Prudence, Phoebe and, with the death of Pru, half-sister Paige making up the 'power of three'. In their crusade against the demonic population of their home city of San Francisco, the Halliwell sisters have also inherited their powers and "The Book of Shadows" through the female line. The expert contributors to "Investigating 'Charmed'", all of them fans of the show, explore its nature as ground breaking TV. They debate the status of "Charmed" as third wave feminist narrative, as well as its upturning of notions of sexuality, and its creation of alternative forms of family life. The San Francisco setting is explored as is "Charmed's" brand of witchcraft and fantasy, its mythological antecedents and female heroes. Looking also at the fans' relationship to the show, as well as its novelizations, fan fiction and blogs, the book on this fantastic magical show concludes with a complete Episode Guide.

Princess Anna, Queen Elsa, Olaf the snowman, and all the stars from Disney Frozen are back in an all-new magical chapter book series. After years apart, Anna and Elsa are finally getting to know each other as sisters. But Anna still wishes she could remember the magical times they had together when they were younger--skating and making snowmen, even in the middle of summer! An eager young troll claims he can restore the memories that Pabbie removed, but Elsa's not so sure. Maybe it's time to make new memories!