Horror and the supernatural have fascinated people for centuries, and many of the most central figures appear over and over again. These figures have gained iconic status and continue to hold sway over popular culture and the modern imagination. This book offers extended entries on 24 of the most enduring and significant figures of horror and the supernatural, including The Sea Creature, The Witch, The Alien, The Vampire, The Werewolf, The Sorcerer, The Ghost, The Siren, The Mummy, The Devil, and The Zombie. Each entry is written by a leading authority on the subject and discusses the topic's essential features and lasting influence, from the classical epics of Homer to the novels of Stephen King. Entries cite sources for further reading, and the Encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography. Entries include illustrations, sidebars of interesting information, and excerpts from key texts. Horror and the supernatural have fascinated people for centuries, with many of the most central figures appearing over and over again across time and cultures. These figures have starred in the world's most widely read literary works, most popular films, and most captivating television series. Because of their popularity and influence, they have attained iconic status and a special place in the popular imagination. This book overviews 24 of the most significant icons of horror and the supernatural.

Part 1 Supernatural Agency Layla Firestar starts an agency that fights the supernatural beings that threaten her existence. When she comes upon a demonic creature that isn’t from her world she has to make a choice. If she consumes him then she will upset the balance of good and evil, but if she allows him to continue he will end her. She doesn’t allow anything harm her family in anyway, but it could be her downfall when she comes into a new form of existence. She has to learn how to maintain and train herself to transform into her new form when it’s needed or else she will end worlds. Knowing she needs help she recruits Harley Calix to help her and meets a new powerful being. Introduced to her by the leader of the Death Realm Salina Sinclare proves herself a valuable member of the team. Part 2 Killer Contract Agency Salina Sinclare was born and raised in Crystal Crest, but gains her power from a family heirloom. It looks like a fashionable piece of jewelry, but it possesses the ability to do so much more. When she’s recruited from the Death Realm to run her family’s legacy known as the Killer Contract Agency she proves her power is valuable. When she goes on her first case she runs into Darrel Crichton who’s the evilest demon in the Angel Witch Utopia Realm. He’s contracted by a leader possessed by another demon to end Layla and Harley’s existence. Salina, however, runs into her rival from a past life and shows her strength with the flick of her wrist. Part 3 Demon Agency Harley Calix continues her demon anthology and runs the Demon Agency for Layla Firestar. When she gets the shock of a lifetime she transforms into something bigger than she ever thought possible. She learns that her heritage is connected in more ways than one to Layla Firestar. Finding out that she herself has the grace of an angel proves that she can shift into her new form and then back into her human form with ease. The glow she cast off is enchanting and invites her enemies in only to disintegrate them with the same power. She learns exactly who and what she is by simply reading and listening. Follow these three as they find their way into a new way of life and family.

What I love, what I need, first in Helen Garner’s writing is a particular kind of closeness to self – the good, greedy, mistaken, emotional, fierce, sceptical, changing and disrupting self … But I also love that she’s always fighting to come back, enough, as well: find enough of a law, a rule, a family, a home. In a brilliantly argued and very personal essay, Sean O’Beirne looks at the whole of Helen Garner’s writing life so far – from Monkey Grip to the recently published Diaries – while trying to come to terms with the demands, and the rewards, of Garner’s extraordinary, radical individualism and honesty. In the Writers on Writers series, leading authors reflect on another Australian writer who has inspired and fascinated them. Provocative and crisp, these books start a fresh conversation between past and present, shed new light on the craft of writing, and introduce some intriguing and talented authors and their work. Published by Black Inc. in association with the University of Melbourne and State Library Victoria.

The Supernatural Love Stories in the Absurd Series has a little something for all paranormal readers… - 4000-year-old curses – CHECK - Lock Ness monster shifters – CHECK - Wendingos - CHECK - Ghosts and haunted mansions – CHECK & CHECK Combine all these with strong sexy women, terrible choices, weird dreams, and paying for past sins and you have a binge read. Fall into the world of Parched, Cursed, Spirited, and Loched. Each of these stand-alone stories can be read in any order, and each unique story offers you spell-binding paranormal romance. ***** The ingenious storyline - BRILLIANT! Sexy. Complex. Funny. Heart warming. – Review of LOCHED “Payne has a unique and funny voice that has allowed her to create a supernatural playground full of rich characters and a well thought out storyline. This book is a fast, flat out funny read. I found myself laughing out loud more than once. I also enjoyed how Payne took some well known mythology (supernatural, Greek) and put her own twist on it. This writer is smart, creative, fun, and hilarious. I look forward to more love stories in the absurd.” - Review of PARCHED

With excerpts from interviews and reviews, an exploration of the historical documents and slave narrative traditions on which Morrison drew, and an insightful juxtaposition of psychoanalytic and postcolonial approaches to the novel, this guide places Beloved in the contexts of Morrison's oeuvre and other works of African American literature. Chapters focus on the supernatural elements of the work, as well as the author's treatment of the physical self.

Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize An extraordinary, “playful, moving, and wholly remarkable” (The Guardian) coming-of-age novel filled with myth and magic from one of England's greatest living writers. An introspective young boy, Joseph Coppock is trying to make sense of the world. Living alone in an old house, he spends his time reading comic books, collecting birds’ eggs, and playing with marbles. When one day a rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker appears on a horse and cart, offering a cure-all medicine, a mysterious friendship develops and the young boy is introduced to a world beyond his wildest imagination. Luminous, evocative, and sparely told, Treacle Walker is a stunning fusion of myth, folklore, and the stories we tell ourselves.

Winner of the 2019 Broken Frontier Award for Best Book on Comics Today fans still remember and love the British girls’ comic Misty for its bold visuals and narrative complexities. Yet its unique history has drawn little critical attention. Bridging this scholarly gap, Julia Round presents a comprehensive cultural history and detailed discussion of the comic, preserving both the inception and development of this important publication as well as its stories. Misty ran for 101 issues as a stand-alone publication between 1978 and 1980 and then four more years as part of Tammy. It was a hugely successful anthology comic containing one-shot and serialized stories of supernatural horror and fantasy aimed at girls and young women and featuring work by writers and artists who dominated British comics such as Pat Mills, Malcolm Shaw, and John Armstrong, as well as celebrated European artists. To this day, Misty remains notable for its daring and sophisticated stories, strong female characters, innovative page layouts, and big visuals. In the first book on this topic, Round closely analyzes Misty’s content, including its creation and production, its cultural and historical context, key influences, and the comic itself. Largely based on Round’s own archival research, the study also draws on interviews with many of the key creators involved in this comic, including Pat Mills, Wilf Prigmore, and its art editorial team Jack Cunningham and Ted Andrews, who have never previously spoken about their work. Richly illustrated with previously unpublished photos, scripts, and letters, this book uses Misty as a lens to explore the use of Gothic themes and symbols in girls’ comics and other media. It surveys existing work on childhood and Gothic and offers a working definition of Gothic for Girls, a subgenre which challenges and instructs readers in a number of ways.