Ravana O'Brien is confronted by her past in more ways than one. Secret agent Kedesh is back on the scene, seeking help for a mission to Alpha Centauri. Artorius, the young boy taken by Que Qiao agents after fleeing the Dhusarian Church, has been traced to a shadowy American base on the moon of Avalon. A second alien portal has been found, a mysterious ancient machine that can twist space and time. Avalon is no ordinary world. The moon hosts epic holovid events, not least the vicious celebrity show Gods of Avalon, a game based on the legends of King Arthur where players fight to survive against cyberclone beasts. Infiltrating the secret base means getting past the game arenas, but Ravana cannot trust the slippery Kedesh and has enemies old and new out to see her fail. The rejuvenated Priest Taranis, now with the might of the new Terran Federation of Worlds at his disposal, is pulling the strings. He has a new chosen one, a man called The Raven who seeks Ravana's doom. A rumour of hidden gold is sowing confusion. Artorius is the key to those who want the alien portal open. Watchers are playing the ultimate game.

Milwaukee-native Chris Multerer wrestled for more than a decade, starting in 1978, on professional circuits around the United States. As a “job man,” Multerer made the superstars of wrestling, such as Mad Dog Vachon and Hulk Hogan, shine. In cities around the country, thousands of screaming fans cheered when their favorite wrestlers pinned and punished Multerer in a variety of painful ways. In Job Man, Multerer, along with his friend Larry Widen, shows what life was like for wrestlers outside the spotlight. Long nights on the road, thoughtful takes on some the biggest personalities in the business, and, perhaps most of all, a love for the sport, are as much a part of Multerer’s revealing and remarkable story as his time in the ring.

Never before has so much popular culture been produced about what it means to be a girl in today's society. From the first appearance of Nancy Drew in 1930, to Seventeen magazine in 1944 to the emergence of Bratz dolls in 2001, girl culture has been increasingly linked to popular culture and an escalating of commodities directed towards girls of all ages. Editors Claudia A. Mitchell and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh investigate the increasingly complex relationships, struggles, obsessions, and idols of American tween and teen girls who are growing up faster today than ever before. From pre-school to high school and beyond, Girl Culture tackles numerous hot-button issues, including the recent barrage of advertising geared toward very young girls emphasizing sexuality and extreme thinness. Nothing is off-limits: body image, peer pressure, cliques, gangs, and plastic surgery are among the over 250 in-depth entries highlighted. Comprehensive in its coverage of the twenty and twenty-first century trendsetters, fashion, literature, film, in-group rituals and hot-button issues that shape—and are shaped by—girl culture, this two-volume resource offers a wealth of information to help students, educators, and interested readers better understand the ongoing interplay between girls and mainstream culture.

When a glamorous socialite is found dead at her breakfast table, police detective Freya Winterglass is delighted to be assigned the case, even if it’s only because of her personal connection to the Gentry. But when the chief suspect turns out to be a svartalf, simmering tensions between the light and dark elves begin to boil over. Unless Freya can prove him innocent, more lives could be lost and her beloved city plunged into civil war. Gentleman jewel thief Lucian Thorne has been lying low for a while, but he cannot stay away from the charming detective inspector forever, even if she knows far too much about him for comfort. While she is distracted by the murder case, he and his friends plan to steal a solid gold statuette of a griffin, currently on display at the city museum—but they’re not the only thieves with their eyes on this particular prize. Neither Freya nor Lucian is prepared for the tangle of family secrets, ancient feuds and long-forgotten crimes that their activities will uncover, but a shared problem can only bring them closer together. Can’t it?