Mars, the far future. War droids created for a conflict that ended centuries ago, the A.B.C. Warriors are resistant to atomic, bacterian & chemical warfare. Recruited to bring peace to the civil war-ravaged frontier colonies on the Red Planet, the Meknificent Seven are reminiscing over their years spent fighting in the Volgan War.

Futuristic war droids the ABC Warriors reminisce over their years spent fighting in the Volgan War.

Mythic discourses in the present day show how vernacular heritage continues to function and be valuable through emergent interpretations and revaluations. At the same time, continuities in mythic images, motifs, myths and genres reveal the longue durée of mythologies and their transformations. The eighteen articles of Mythic Discourses address the many facets of myth in Uralic cultures, from the Finnish and Karelian world-creation to Nenets shamans, offering multidisciplinary perspectives from twenty eastern and western scholars. The mythologies of Uralic peoples differ so considerably that mythology is approached here in a broad sense, including myths proper, religious beliefs and associated rituals. Traditions are addressed individually, typologically, and in historical perspective. The range and breadth of the articles, presenting diverse living mythologies, their histories and relationships to traditions of other cultures such as Germanic and Slavic, all come together to offer a far richer and more developed perspective on Uralic traditions than any one article could do alone.

The Volgan war has raged for years, spreading off Earth and on to Mars. Now an Earth general has assembled a team of advanced robots capable of withstanding atomic, bacterial or chemical attack, to finally conquer the devil planet. They are Hammerstein, a war-droid whose chest puffs with pride when he hears the national anthem; Joe Pineapples, a secretive, ice-cool sniper; Blackblood, so evil he drinks the oil of fallen robots; Mongrol, a mindless killing machine; Happy Shrapnel, a sharp-shooting old-timer; Steelhorn, the self-styled greatest robot ever created; and Deadlock, the mysterious Khaos-worshipper and wielder of the mystical Ace of Swords. They are the A.B.C. Warriors and they've come to tame a planet. Spread the word!

Early Iranians believed evil had to have a source outside of God, which led to the concept of an entity as powerful and utterly evil as God is potent and good. These two forces, good and evil, which have always vied for superiority, needed helpers in this struggle. According to the Zoroastrians, every entity had to take sides, from the cosmic level to the microcosmic self. One of the results of this battle was that certain humans were thought to side with evil. Who were these allies of that great Evil Spirit? Women were inordinately singled out. Male healers were forbidden to deal with female health disorders because of the fear of the polluting power of feminine blood. Female healers, midwives, and shamans were among those who were accused of collaborating with the Evil Spirit, because they healed women. Men who worked to prepare the dead were also suspected of secret evil. Evil even showed up as animals such as frogs, snakes, and bugs of all sorts, which scuttled to the command of their wicked masters. This first comprehensive study of the concept of evil in early Iran uncovers details of the Iranian struggle against witchcraft, sorcery, and other "evils," beginning with their earliest texts.

Mars, the far future. Tasked with increasing the peace on the war-ravaged Red Planet, the A.B.C. Warriors are reunited with one of their oldest number - the mechanic known as Tubal Caine AKA Happy Shrapnel. As Happy explains how he died and was subse­quently resurrected by Medusa (the planetary consciousness). Happy's story exposes the identity of the villain responsible for most of the trouble on Mars - 'the father of all A.B.C. Warriors' needs to be executed, and the Warriors are going to need the help of another old ally to carry out the mission...

The boundaries between artificial intelligence and human intelligence are explored and the history of how the atomic, bacterial and chemical robots are initiated into the service of the Khaos agency, and tested on subsequent missions.

Some thirty-two experts from fifteen countries join three of the world's leading authorities on the design, manufacture, performance and history of brass musical instruments in this first major encyclopedia on the subject. It includes over one hundred illustrations, and gives attention to every brass instrument which has been regularly used, with information about the way they are played, the uses to which they have been put, and the importance they have had in classical music, sacred rituals, popular music, jazz, brass bands and the bands of the military. There are specialist entries covering every inhabited region of the globe and essays on the methods that experts have used to study and understand brass instruments. The encyclopedia spans the entire period from antiquity to modern times, with new and unfamiliar material that takes advantage of the latest research. From Abblasen to Zorsi Trombetta da Modon, this is the definitive guide for students, academics, musicians and music lovers.

Britain 1999 AD - a nation under the heel of the brutal Volgan republic. But one man ain't beaten: London lorry driver Bill Savage. Armed only with his trusty 'shooter', Savage fights on - a one-man army versus the might of the Volgan war machine.