As Commissioner Alberto Ruggeri stands in the rain, flashes of lightning and a floodlight show a murdered man on a merry-go-round. Someone shot the victim, identified as a Romanian mason, once to the temple. A three-story building and a wooded area flank the playground that is now a crime scene. Now, Ruggeri must try to find out who the laborer is, why he was killed and who is to blame. His investigation leads him to the building nearby and its odd cast of characters. By picking apart statements from witnesses, Ruggeri discovers that the victim was killed in the woods and that a dog chased the killer. One witness even says she saw someone leave the body in the playground. But even these details do little to reveal why the laborer was killed and by whom. As Ruggeri continues to investigate, he comes upon mysteries within mysteries, including another murder victim. Join Ruggeri in a mystery full of quirky characters and unexpected twists. Another person just might turn up dead if the detective is unable to follow The Serpent's Tracks.

In the previous book, The Celtic Serpent, after a diagnosis of cancer and the death of her grandmother, Angi Talismann found herself on an incredible journey. Shackled to an unstable piece of ancient technology in the form of a medallion, she and her colleagues were forced to locate lost medallion gemstones which had been scattered to different countries in the seventeenth century. Close on their heels was a resolute killer bent on acquiring the medallion. Tracking down the descendants of old Irish and Scottish families assigned to protect this ancient treasure proved a daunting task. Eventually, locating the gemstones, the initial stage of their venture ended with twelve individuals stepping through a golden, serpent gate on the Hill of Tara in Ireland propelling them into another world. While stating they would return in three months, its assurance was uncertain. The journey continues in this book. Angi and her companions quickly adapt to their new environment on Tir na nOg, the land of the Tuatha de Danann, deemed to be the ancient gods of the Irish. Here they learn that their escort, Sirona, is a distinguished member of the kingdom and her ancestor, Myttrwn, is a gifted scientist and magician, supposedly centuries old in Earth terms. Under Myttrwn’s guidance the twelve discover a different perspective of the universe, learn the healing and destructive powers of light and sound, and gain some insight into their future role while Angi takes her first steps in mastering the complexities of her medallion. Yet, with all the goodwill, a powerful individual, Zolar, is displeased with their presence in Tir na nOg and Angi’s possession of such advanced technology. He sets out to rectify this matter in his own treacherous way. The journey to Tir na nOg for the twelve travellers would create an indelible imprint on their lives.

These are the true-life adventures of a woman who ranges over four continents, endeavoring to go beyond the limits of ordinary life. Recovering from an accident, she goes to Glastonbury, where she finds energy portrayed in ancient earthworks as a snake coiled in concentric circles around a hill. To walk this spiral is called threading the maze, which means both to ascend and to go deep within. This becomes a guiding emblem of her pilgrimages to sites of female spiritual and temporal power, from the Irish countryside to the Amazon jungle to the high mountain cultures of Nepal. Janine Pommy Vega, Beat Generation writer, performer, and musician, is the author of twelve books. For many years she has worked with Poets in the Schools, and she is a member of PEN's Prison Writing Committee.

To an experienced thief like Krunzle the Quick, the merchant nation of Druma is full of treasures just waiting to be liberated. Yet when the fast-talking scoundrel gets caught stealing from one of the most powerful prophets of Kalistrade, the only option is to undertake a dangerous mission to recover the merchantlord''s runaway daughter - and the magical artifact she took with her. Armed with an arsenal of decidedly unhelpful magical items and chaperoned by an intelligent snake necklace happy to choke him into submission, Krunzle must venture far from the cities of the merchant utopia and into a series of adventures that will make him a rich man - or a corpse! At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

“We travel the world,” writes Gregory McNamee, “and wherever we go there are snake stories to entertain us.” Here are some fifty diverse and unusual accounts of serpents from cultures across time and around the globe: snakes that talk, jump, and dance; snakes that transform into other creatures; snakes that just . . . watch. Many selections are drawn from the rich oral traditions of peoples in every clime that supports reptiles, from the Akimel O’odham of North America to the Mensa Bet-Abrahe of Africa to the Mungkjan of Australia. Included as well are such writings as prayers from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, a poem by Emily Dickinson, and a journal entry by Charles Darwin. What we read about snakes in The Serpent’s Tale is just as fascinating for what it says about us, for there always will be something primordial about our connection to them. That bond is evident in these stories: in how we associate snakes with nature’s elemental forces, how we attribute special qualities to their eyes and skin, and how they preside over all phases of our existence, from creation to death to resurrection.

Set in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico, this novel is both social commentary on the lives of Black folk, as well as examination of the lives of five Black boys during the summer of 1954. The adult Black folk in Riverville are keenly aware of family histories which have developed under segregation, but which are inter-related to the white community. The diversity, resilience, and faults of these characters do not hinder their progress towards equality.

A massive, full-color digital book chronicling the quintessential toys of He-Man, She-Ra, and the other Masters of the Universe! In the 1980s, the Masters of the Universe toy lines shook the world of children's entertainment to its foundations. Now, YouTube influencer "Pixel Dan" Eardley and He-Man historian Val Staples have worked with fans worldwide to cultivate this incredible volume that contains in-depth overviews of every item in several complete toy lines, including: 1982's Masters of the Universe, 1985's Princess of Power, 1989's He-Man, 2002's Masters of the Universe relaunch, and 2008's Masters of the Universe Classics! In addition to expertly-researched documentation of the toys' development and unique variants, each entry also includes photographic reference of the heroic figures and playsets from decades of development. This phenomenal tome also features never-before-seen interviews and designer commentary from the toys' creators, offering keen insights into the genesis of a product that inspired millions of young imaginations. With over 300 pages of lovingly assembled content, this compendium is the perfect addition to any Masters of the Universe fan's collection. By the power of Grayskull, you have the power! This book is so epic the digital version had to be split into two parts! This is part one of two.

The Greek Historia Monachorum in Aegypto was one of the most widely read and disseminated Greek hagiographic texts during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. To this day it remains, alongside Athanasius' Life of Antony, one of the core primary sources for fourth-century Egyptian monasticism as well as one of the most fascinating, yet perplexing, pieces of monastic hagiography to survive from the entire patristic period. However, until now it has not received the intensive and sustained scholarly analysis that a monograph affords. In this study, Andrew Cain incorporates insights from source criticism, stylistic and rhetorical analysis, literary criticism, and historical, geographical, and theological studies in an attempt to break new ground and revise current scholarly orthodoxy about a broad range of interpretive issues and problems.