Like its companion volume, "The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction", this massive reference of 4,000 entries covers all aspects of fantasy, from literature to art.

Cath Barton's melancholic novella Between The Virgin and the Sea is set in an unnamed city which has fallen off the map of the world, and is accessible now only by sea. Violence has broken out in the city and the people, fearing that the church is involved, pray instead at roadside shrines. The story tells the events of a day at the end of which the white statue of the Virgin which stands on a hill overlooking the city may ― or may not ― come to life to restore peace to its people. Central to the story and living in the barrios is a boy called Tag, the things of which he dreams and the maps he draws. Set in a surreal and changing city, in which pizza delivery is carried out by donkey, and nothing may be what it seems, Between the Virgin and the Sea explores themes of childhood and coming of age. A captivating blend of magical realism, tender comedy, and literary experimentation, Between the Virgin and the Sea is a captivating portrait of urban life quite unlike any other.

Saul didn't have so many friends that he would give one up without a fight. So when Matt disappeared, Saul started a search that led through Matt's kitchen window -- straight into a world of magic and desperate danger! Saul discovered that in this world, his love of verse made him a wizard. But his newfound magic earned him a dreadful foe: Queen Suettay, a false monarch without peer for wickedness and corruption. A fearsome sorceress herself, with armies steeped in evil ready to obey her every sinful command, she determined to break Saul's growing power -- or win his soul for Satan. Fortunately, Saul earned some stalwart friends, as well: Gruesome the troll and young Squire Gilbert; Saul's own guardian angel, and the beautiful -- if unsubstantial -- Angelique. But he'd need the help of the mysterious Spider King to spin a web strong enough to trap this tyrant!

An absorbing account of the descendants of the ancient Aztecs and of the survival of their culture into the twentieth century in the Valley of Mexico is presented in this fascinating volume. Focusing on San Francisco Tecospa—a village of some eight hundred Indians who still spoke Nahuatl, whose lives were dominated by supernaturalism, and who observed with only slight modification much of their Aztec heritage—this story bears out the anthropological principle that innovations are most likely to be accepted when they are useful, communicable, and compatible with established tradition. Nowhere is the Indian genius for combining the old and the new better exemplified than in the story of how the Virgin of Guadalupe came to fulfill the role formerly played by the pagan goddess Tonantzin and of how Christian saints replaced the Aztec gods. At the time of this study, the Tecospans still called the Catholic Virgin Tonantzin, but their concept of the mother goddess had changed profoundly since Aztec times. Tonantzin the Pagan, a hideous goddess with claws on her hands and feet and with snakes entwining her face, wore a necklace of hearts, hands, and skulls to represent her insatiable appetite for corpses. Tonantzin the Catholic—also called Guadalupe—is a beautiful and benevolent mother deity who repeatedly stays God’s anger against her Mexican children and answers the prayers of the poorest Indian, with no thought of return. In Tecospa the road to social recognition lay in the performance of religious works, and the neglect of ritual obligation subjected both the individual and the community to the anger of supernaturals who punished with illness or other misfortune. Religion was inextricably a part of every phase of life, and it is the whole life of the Aztecan that is recorded here: fiesta, clothing, food, agricultural practices, courtship, marriage, pregnancy and childbirth, death, witchcraft and its cures, medical practices and attitudes, houses and home life, ethics, and the hot-cold complex that classifies everything in the Tecospan universe from God to Bromo-Seltzer. With a marked simplicity of style and language William Madsen has produced a profoundly significant anthropological study that is delightful reading from the first sentence to the last. The drawings, the work of a ten-year-old Tecospan lad, are remarkable for their penetrating insight into the culture.

Born to Rule is the autobiography of an African-president monarch who does not want to pass away without leaving anything in writing to future generations. The book is more than just the autobiography of a president in that it has responded to all the key issues that most people have been asking about the development and underdevelopment of Africa. It is a seminal contribution to the world's collective knowledge of African and world history. At times it is compellingly incisive, satiric, and tongue-in-cheek and, in some places, trenchantly hard-hitting and humorous in its brutal portrayal of the way Mandzah and, by extension, the African continent, is managed and mismanaged.

Are you finding it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep for the required number of hours or do you find yourself waking up at night and having a hard time going back to sleep and find it hard to relax, even when you are tired? And are you looking for soothing and relaxing bedtime stories for adults that will effectively help your mind stop its incessant worrying and active thinking that makes it hard for you to fall asleep? If you've answered YES, keep reading... You've Just Discovered A Collection Of The Most Soothing And Relaxing, Adult Bedtime Stories That Will Get You To Sleep Without Feeling Like You Are Trying Too Hard And Getting Anxious About It! After a long day being busy, whether at work, at home, school or even traveling, nothing feels better than relaxing and getting a good night's rest. However, due to stress and other issues that arise, falling asleep and staying asleep may seem to take forever, as we toss and turn in bed, checking the clock and getting anxious with every passing minute that we can't fall asleep! The only way you can relax and unwind is if you can escape the ordinary and find something good that calms your anxious nerves, soothes and relaxes you as you drift off to sleep. Nothing beats bedtime stories at that! Yes, bedtime stories are not just for children – adults also need bedtime stories to wind down and take their minds off thoughts of the many things they wish to do or they haven't done! By virtue that you are here, it is clear you don't need more convincing to start reading bedtime stories for adults but are possibly wondering... What sort of stories will help you relax and wind down? Will I not get back to worrying after reading or will the stories be so soothing that you will fall asleep while at it? How are the stories optimized for getting you to sleep? Does the book have a variety of stories that you can choose from and cycle through for several days or even weeks? If you have these and other related questions, you will love this book! Here is what to expect in this book: A collection of captivating short stories that will calm you down and make you somewhat 'disconnect' from your worries and thoughts so you can calm down and sleep easily The stories are written with a nice flow such that you'll find yourself lost in them The stories allow you to shift from the real world to a fantasy world where you forget your problems and just relax Each story is well crafted and entertaining such that when you start reading, you cannot stop something that will keep off your worries and get you to sleep effortlessly And much more! As much as it is hard to forget your problems, it is particularly important that you try your best to engulf yourself in these stories. They will help you reduce stress, fall asleep faster, keep off anxiety, as well to ensure you get a good night's rest! And with the stories in this book, you are in for a treat! Even if you've never been the kind of person to use bedtime stories, these ones are sure to ensure you fall asleep fast, without trying too hard! Scroll up and click Buy Now With 1-Click or Buy Now to get started!