In the hidden village of Senri, a people exist for the sole purpose of protecting the Armoon Empire as they have for centuries. In Senri, when one reaches five-years-old, they are either destined to walk the path of the sun under the God Crimson and learn the ways of the sword, or they walk the path of the moon, under the Goddess Lunaria and learn magic. Senri has survived by raising warriors and mages in such a matter but the balance is breaking and the two factions grow further apart by the day. Kilik, a young mage about to go on his coming of age journey, wishes nothing more than to learn the sword like his father, but such an idea of mixing the arts is blasphemy and worthy of expulsion from the village forever. When given the choice by a mysterious and powerful stranger, will Kilik bow down to his destiny and become a mage or will he decide his own fate and walk the precarious path of both sword and magic?

Rising Moon: Book of Lunaria: In the village of Senri, people exist for protecting the Armoon Empire. In Senri, when one reaches five-years-old, they are either destined to learn the ways of the sword, or they learn magic. Kilik, a young mage, wishes nothing more than to learn the sword like his father, but such an idea is blasphemy. When given the choice by a mysterious stranger, will Kilik bow down to his destiny and become a mage or will he decide his own fate and walk the precarious path of both sword and magic? Falling Sun: Book of Crimson: Kilik seeks to help Empress Luna and her troops in the cities of Emerald, Night, and Chaka. But his journey is not without its dangers. The Sky Hawks are spreading ill will and the people are without hope. Kilik's mind falls deeper into an abyss as a dark entity strives to control the power of the warrior and mage that flows through his veins. How long can Kilik keep his sanity? Or will Shiana be forced to watch him become the Harbinger of Death?

In his latest and perhaps most adventuresome book, Robert Kastenbaum offers a fresh view of the quest for perpetual youth. The focus is on the "pretty monster" that Oscar Wilde created a century ago in "The Picture of Dorian Gray". We see Dorian first within the frame of his own times, responding to the pressures of modernization by attempting to escape the natural progression of time. Next we enter Dorian, the Opera, a re-imagining of his quest in the postmodern world of interactive computers. Finally, we observe Dorian's obsession and plight in our own graying society. This insightful analysis of the dangers inherent in becoming "terminally young" also provides a set of propositions worth consideration by gerontologists, educators, philosophers, media mavens, and policy-makers.

Covers topics relevant to women's lives: education, work, child care, health, well-being, fertility, sexuality and relationships, divorce and custody, the retirement years, politics, safety and violence, activism.

Two opposing views of the future in the Middle Ages dominate recent historical scholarship. According to one opinion, medieval societies were expecting the near end of the world and therefore had no concept of the future. According to the other opinion, the expectation of the near end created a drive to change the world for the better and thus for innovation. Close inspection of the history of prognostication reveals the continuous attempts and multifold methods to recognize and interpret God’s will, the prodigies of nature, and the patterns of time. That proves, on the one hand, the constant human uncertainty facing the contingencies of the future. On the other hand, it demonstrates the firm believe during the Middle Ages in a future which could be shaped and even manipulated. The handbook provides the first overview of current historical research on medieval prognostication. It considers the entangled influences and transmissions between Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and non-monotheistic societies during the period from a wide range of perspectives. An international team of 63 renowned authors from about a dozen different academic disciplines contributed to this comprehensive overview.