The call of adventure awaits those bold enough to answer…Return to Mirstone and join these heroes as they embark on epic quests, searching for lost treasures and unlocking the secrets of forgotten lands.From the depths of dark forests to the highest peaks of mountains, these tales will transport you to a magical world filled with heroes, villains, and mythical creatures.Get ready to be swept away by adventures that will leave you on the edge of your...

Everyone needs a little magic.For some, that means seeking out a machine that can make you a god. For others, it’s about saving a floating isle from crashing into the sea.And then there are those who desire magic for darker purposes … like revenge.Seven authors bring you seven unique stories about magic and magical items in a fantastic world of imagination.Welcome back to Mirstone.

Six talented authors lend their voices to a tale of destruction, mistrust and ... hope.Two hundred years ago, the dwarven clans and the elvish houses of Mirstone were at peace. The king of the dwarves, in a selfish and greedy move, used his wizards to expand their mountain empire, raising new peaks from the forest floors of their elven neighbors. War and hatred ensue.The tales within offer a glimpse into the minds of the elves and dwarves who live in the aftermath. Come, jo...

More than 70 very short stories in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror! Why are 18 million spoons disappearing from Melbourne, Australia each year? How good is the magic of a discount wizard? What if superheroes were afraid to use their powers? These and other flash fiction challenges were put to the writers in the forum at Aphelion Webzine, one of the internet’s oldest and finest sources for fiction. The 17 authors in this book responded to those challenges with amazing tales that will t...

A deeply insightful approach to cultivating leaders of character centered on the arts and humanitiesWhat does it mean to lead? Whom do we consider to be leaders? And how might viewing leadership through the many lenses of the humanities expand our understanding of how it is imagined, represented, and enacted?Drawing on insights from eminent scholars in the classics, philosophy, religion, literature, history, art, music, and theater, The Arts of Leading

Stillbirth, defined as the death of an infant between 20 weeks' gestation and birth, is a tragedy repeated thirty thousand times every year in the United States. That means more than eighty mothers a day feel their babies slip silently from their bodies, the only sound in the delivery room their own sobs. Eighty stillborn babies a day means heartbroken families mourn the death of children who will never breathe, gurgle, learn to walk, or go to school.In 2006, Janel Atlas became one...

From parks and libraries to pubs and schools, social infrastructures are the everyday places that bring people together, support community life, and foster connection. As interest in the concept grows, this timely and accessible edited collection offers a comprehensive overview of social infrastructure—its origins, development, and practical impact.Packed with innovative case studies from the UK, Europe, Australia, and the US, it highlights how these shared spaces can shape urban l...

Over the past forty years, the health humanities, previously called the medical humanities, has emerged as one of the most exciting fields for interdisciplinary scholarship, advancing humanistic inquiry into bioethics, human rights, health care, and the uses of technology. It has also helped inspire medical practitioners to engage in deeper reflection about the human elements of their practice.In Health Humanities Reader, editors Therese Jones, Delese Wear, and Lester D. F...

Some forty scholars examine California's prehistory and archaeology, looking at marine and terrestrial palaeoenvironments, initial human colonization, linguistic prehistory, early forms of exchange, mitochondrial DNA studies, and rock art. This work is the most extensive study of California's prehistory undertaken in the past 20 years. An essential resource for any scholar of California prehistory and archaeology!

International efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)—including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons—rest upon foundations provided by global treaties such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Over time, however, states have created a number of other mechanisms for organizing international cooperation to promote nonproliferation. Examples range from regional efforts to various worldwide export-control regim...

This revised and updated third edition of Best New Horror showcases some of the very best short stories and novellas published in 1991. In this vilifying volume you will rediscover terrifying tales by, amongst many others, Ramsey Campbell, Robert McCammon, Dennis Etchison, Elizabeth Hand, Michael Marshall Smith, Charles L. Grant, Joel Lane and Thomas Tessier, along with an overview of the year in horror by the editors and a nightmare necrology of those who kicked off this mortal coil durin...

In 1968 a group of young people took over a derelict trouser factory in a rundown part of Leeds and set about producing programmes that were to define the British television world of the late 20th Century.These included the investigative documentary series First Tuesday, Darling Buds of May, Whickers World, Do'nt Ask Me and Heartbeat.At the same time they attracted, indeed often created, stars of international fame such as James Mason, Catherine Zeta Jones, Alan Whicker, Da...