A pregnant mother moved to the city with her soon to be born son Robert Benjamin Tate Nathiam. He was a good boy growing up, but people started to notice some similarities to some pyschopaths. He was basically a walking death trap, and no one really knew why. He did learn to stop killing after a good while. The family always had strange occurances, but nobody really knew why 'The Giant Toad' did all those things, and sabotaged an innocent family the way he had done all those crazy things to them.

The beginning of the 21st century was a time of unprecedented events in American society: Y2K, 9/11 and the wars that followed, partisan changes in government and the rapid advancements of the Internet and mass consumerism. In the two decades since, popular culture--particularly film--has manifested the underlying anxieties of the American psyche. This collection of new essays examines dozens of movies released 1998-2020 and how they drew upon and spoke to mass cultural fears. Contributors analyze examples across a range of genres--horror, teen rom-coms, military flicks, slow-burns, and animated children's films--covering topics including gender and sexuality, environmental politics, technophobia, xenophobia, and class and racial inequality.

Orphans can't be choosy. So, Jem spent most of his early life picking pockets for wily old Sarah Pickles - until she betrayed him.

Guillermo del Toro's cult masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth (2006), won a total of 76 awards and is one of the most commercially successful Spanish-language films ever made. Blending the world of monstrous fairytales with the actual horrors of post-Civil War Spain, the film's commingling of real and fantasy worlds speaks profoundly to our times. Immersing herself in the nightmarish world that del Toro has so minutely orchestrated, Mar Diestro-Dópido explores the cultural and historical contexts surrounding the film. Examining del Toro's ground-breaking use of mythology, and how the film addresses ideas of memory and forgetting, she highlights the techniques, themes and cultural references that combine in Pan's Labyrinth to spawn an uncontainable plurality of meanings, which only multiply on contact with the viewer. This special edition features an exclusive interview with del Toro and original cover artwork by Santiago Caruso.

Archetypal symbols in ancient myths as well as the folktales, nursery stories, and fairytales of the Middle Ages are the blueprints of modern fantasy literature. This book explores the modern dreamscape of present-day fantasy, using the ancient myths and traditional fairytales as guides and shining the light of psychological insight onto every symbolic figure and theme encountered. Chapters are dedicated to all of the significant archetypes: heroes and princesses, fairy godmothers and evil witches, wizards and dark lords, magic, and magical beasts are all explored. The analyses and interpretations are informed by classic psychoanalytic studies; the works of fantasy literature examined in this book include the most popular and influential in the genre.

“Want it all? Read Ann Major.” –New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts “Ann Major’s name on the cover instantly identifies the book as a good read.” –New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown Old flames steam up the bayou in another sultry romance from USA Today Bestselling Ann Major. Garret Cagan is a son of the bayou, raised on the water, with adoring, headstrong Noelle Martin at his adolescent heels. But when the youthful Noelle couldn't reconcile their passion with the wishes of her wealthy New Orleans family, Garret slammed the door on love. Now he lives his life with an unyielding honor that suits the badge he wears. But his Southern home is broken, his son mute and living with a grandmother. The only thing Garret has left is his pride … until Noelle returns and the shell of ice around his heart is cracked, maybe melted for good. Can he ever love again? Noelle Martin bowed to the wishes of her powerful family when she hid her affair with Garret. And when secrecy led to heartbreak, she fled to Australia in a desperate attempt to find peace. Now she's back home in New Orleans, and back in his domain. She'll do anything to gain Garret's forgiveness, and even more to help his son. But will her words be enough to make them a family again … or is she too late? Reviews of her TEXAS: CHILDREN OF DESTINY series PASSION’S CHILD (book 1) Ann Major begins a high intensity trilogy with PASSION’S CHILD (4-), the dramatic tale of an estranged couple brought back together by the critical illness of their young son. Ms. Major creates a mesmerizing emotional ambiance and strong plot development… RT Reviews 1988 DESTINY’S CHILD (book 2) DESTINY’S CHILD (4) is the impressive second book in Ann Major’s CHILDREN OF DESTINY trilogy. A powerful rancher and his feisty private pilot lock horns over his methods of acquiring her family’s holdings. The sensual flames burn very brightly indeed while this explosive couple battles toward a highly satisfying resolution. Romantic Times 1988 This excellent story is intense and emotionally involving. —Rendezvous, September 1988 NIGHT CHILD (book 3) A powerful story that is as equally compelling, intense and emotional as the first two. The entire trilogy offers a wonderful reading experience. —KW Rendezvous NIGHT CHILD (book 3) Ann Major’s stunning conclusion to her Children of Destiny series, NIGHT CHILD (4+) powerfully blends romance and danger…. The fiery romance will win a reserved spot on many a bookshelf. — RT Reviews WILDERNESS CHILD (book 4) What a terrific story! The dialogue is fast-paced and snappy, the storyline is exciting, the characterization is great and the love scenes singe the pages. — KW Rendezvous

A powerful story about race, class, and the clash of generations as two Londoners from utterly different worlds find themselves under the same roof. Flashbacks to the colonial brutality of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. Edith, an elderly widow with a large house in an Islington garden square, needs a carer. Lauren, a nail technician born in the East End, needs somewhere to live. A rent-free room in lieu of pay seems the obvious solution, even though the pair have nothing in common. Or do they? Why is Lauren so fascinated by Edith's childhood in colonial Kenya? Is Paul, the handsome lodger in the basement, the honest broker he appears? And how does Charity, a Kenyan girl brutally tortured during the Mau Mau rebellion, fit into the equation? Capturing the spirited interplay between two women divided by class, generation, and a deeper gulf from the past, and offering vivid flashbacks to 1950s East Africa, Madeline Dewhurst's captivating debut spins a web of secrets and deceit&–where it's not always obvious who is the spider and who is the fly.