Covens. Cauldrons. And Curses.The witch is a complex figure. Hero? Villain? Victim? Practitioner of a nearly-forgotten faith or just misunderstood? An elder who should be respected but is instead reviled? Or the member of an oppressed ethnic or sexual minority?Witches of every sort appear in this anthology, and its companion volume, Witches Save the World: Hags, Harridans, and Hexes Gone Right. In some tales and poems, the witch embodies the primal forces of balance ...

Heroes. Villains. And everything in between -- and they're here to save the night!.Across the centuries and across the globe, the vampire appears in our myths, folktales, dreams, and nightmares. In some tales, the vampire is a ferocious and much-feared predator, in others a harbinger of death and decay. Elsewhere, the vampire is lonely and long-suffering. In many modern tales, the vampire is a lover whose promises of an eternal happily-ever-after end sometimes in tragedy and someti...