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.

“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.

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.

Trolldom, the folk magic of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, has been practiced for more than 500 years. Now, after extensive research, Johannes Björn Gårdbäck presents the fascinating occult art of Norse trolldom to an English-speaking audience.This detailed account of traditional Scandinavian folk magic offers in-depth historical background, divination methods, and descriptions of practical spell-craft, and includes hundreds of collected Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish trolldom workings for love, money, protection, healing, and cursing.

"This ... resource for both trackers wildlife professionals features more than 650 color photos, line drawings, and range maps to illustrate and describe the tracks and sign left by North American amphibians and reptiles..."--Back cover.

Tracks and Shadows is both an absorbing autobiography of a celebrated field biologist and a celebration of beauty in nature. Harry W. Greene, award-winning author of Snakes, delves into the poetry of field biology, showing how nature eases our existential quandaries. More than a memoir, the book is about the wonder of snakes, the beauty of studying and understanding natural history, and the importance of sharing the love of nature with humanity. Illustrations.

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.

Intellectually rich, intensely personal, and beautifully written, Tracks and Shadows is both an absorbing autobiography of a celebrated field biologist and a celebration of beauty in nature. Harry W. Greene, award-winning author of Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature, delves into the poetry of field biology, showing how nature eases our existential quandaries. More than a memoir, the book is about the wonder of snakes, the beauty of studying and understanding natural history, and the importance of sharing the love of nature with humanity. Greene begins with his youthful curiosity about the natural world and moves to his stints as a mortician's assistant, ambulance driver, and army medic. In detailing his academic career, he describes how his work led him to believe that nature’s most profound lessons lurk in hard-won details. He discusses the nuts and bolts of field research and teaching, contrasts the emotional impact of hot dry habitats with hot wet ones, imparts the basics of snake biology, and introduces the great explorers Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. He reflects on friendship and happiness, tackles notions like anthropomorphism and wilderness, and argues that organisms remain the core of biology, science plays key roles in conservation, and natural history offers an enlightened form of contentment.