The second enthralling installment in the highly praised Conclave of Shadows series—an epic saga of adventure, danger, magic, and intrigue from the New York Times bestselling master Rescued, recruited, and trained by the mysterious Conclave of Shadows, Tal Hawkins, hero of Talon of the Silver Hawk has become one of their most effective operatives. But to destroy the nemesis who annihilated his people, the evil Duke of Olasko, Tad must sell his soul. Masquerading as a noble from the far western territory of the Kingdom of the Isles, he must insinuate himself into the duke’s confidence and carry out his most heinous and dangerous commands—even though it means betraying his own moral code. Driven to the brink, Tal eventually defies the duke—and is imprisoned and left to die in the Fortress of Despair. But the determined young man will not be beaten. Alone, armed only with his courage and wits, Tal makes a daring escape. Returning to Olasko, he will finally brings revenge on his hated enemy.

When Hector Fox and his friends receive a plea for help from the Guardians of the Stone Tower, they race off to save them from the dreaded Raven's Revenge. Will they make it in time?

Use the free app to experience a new dimension in visual storytelling through our INKMOTION Peek, Pop and Go features. Watch, listen and read along as the pages spring to life."I wish fairy tales were real," sighed little Lucy. And that is all it takes for Hector and his band of merry friends to set off in search of the truth. There was a rumor that a shadowy creature was living in the Forbidden Marsh beyond the forest and it might be a fairy-tale giant. With twists and turns and a capsized boat, the brave friends venture far from home and make a surprising discovery...a giant discovery!THE GIANT QUEST is the first in a series of HECTOR FOX books. These imaginative tales, reminiscent of The Wind in the Willows, follow the delightful adventures of Hector and his charming pack of friends--Mo Marten, Charlie Chipmunk, Jeremiah Rabbit, and Lucy Skunk--as they seek adventure, hunt giants, solve mysteries, and build friendships.

The fiction of Xu works across boundaries, fusing Daoist traditions with the pessimism of Western nihilism.

On a fishing trip with his best friend, Mike, Sam Gunther witnesses a brutal crime at the hands of the infamous Stangler Brothers. Scared, he and Mike try to sneak away, but Mike is caught and murdered. When Sam returns to the scene with the police, all evidence has vanished, and the officers appear unwilling to investigate further. Sam makes plans to avenge his friend’s death, but when his act of revenge turns tragic, he must flee to protect his family from retribution. Hiding in a cave in the Arbuckle Mountains, Sam struggles to survive with the skills learned from his Green Beret father. Desperate to find justice for his friend and return home, Sam eventually discovers he's not the only one seeking vengeance on the Stanglers. He's soon pulled into an all-out war and is plunged into as much danger from his allies as from his enemies.

"Revised and expanded, this second edition of The Book of Yōkai features an all new yōkai picture gallery-with dozens of stunning color images-tracing the visual history of yōkai across centuries. With additional entries and fifty new illustrations, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of an even larger cast of yōkai, interpreting their varied meanings and introducing people who have pursued them through the ages. Monsters, spirits, fantastic beings, and supernatural creatures haunt the folklore and popular culture of Japan. Broadly labeled yōkai, they appear in many forms, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water sprites, to shape-shifting kitsune foxes and long-tongued ceiling-lickers. Popular today in anime, manga, film, and video games, many yōkai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories. The Book of Yōkai invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them"--

A lively excursion into Japanese folklore and its ever-expanding influence on global popular culture through the concept of yokai. Monsters, ghosts, fantastic beings, and supernatural phenomena of all sorts haunt the folklore and popular culture of Japan. Broadly labeled yokai, these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shape-shifting foxes and long-tongued ceiling-lickers. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories. Drawing on years of research in Japan, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of yokai, tracing their roots, interpreting their meanings, and introducing people who have hunted them through the ages. In this delightful and accessible narrative, readers will explore the roles played by these mysterious beings within Japanese culture and will also learn of their abundance and variety through detailed entries, some with original illustrations, on more than fifty individual creatures. The Book of Yokai invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. By exploring yokai as a concept, we can better understand broader processes of tradition, innovation, storytelling, and individual and communal creativity.