Hope’s Sehani powers have finally grown strong enough to risk returning to Earth. Gods willing, she’ll find a way to rid her daughter of the soul-eater that possesses her, and convince Romana to return with her to Dayamaria. Romana is captivated by the prospect of becoming a powerful Sehan like her mother. But her dreams are shattered when everything she’d hoped for is bestowed upon someone who couldn’t care less about wielding Sehani magic. Romana craves power with every fiber of her being… and when she finds a way to take what she wants the cost is devastating for gods and humankind alike. Paranormal romance; 106,000 words The Seer Trilogy: Seer's Hope (Book 1) Seer's Promise (Book 2) Seer's Choice (Book 3) The Seer Trilogy Bundle (Books 1-3)

As the ruthless rulers of the Malwa Empire dominate sixth-century India, assisted by an abomination from the future, peacemakers from the future send a crystal, Aide, to stop their advance, with the help of Count Belisarius of Byzantium.

Curiouser and curiouser . . . Hard times force sixteen-year-old Olli and her brother to move to sleepy Horizon Creek, and Olli’s biggest worry is that she, once again, won’t fit in. And she doesn’t. But when a mysterious shadow lurking in the woods draws out a strange power within her, she fears she’s losing her mind. Add to that tall, dark, and smoldering Brend, who can only speak in riddles, and she’s sure she's gone completely bonkers. Day by day, Olli pieces together the truth. And what she finds changes everything she thought she knew--about the town, her family, even her own reflection. So when the shadow emerges, taking one life and threatening to take more, all Olli needs to do to save the mad boy she loves is to step through the looking glass and become the girl she sees on the other side . . . And believe in a few impossible things. Keywords: YA, teen, magic, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, romance, teen fantasy series, ya book series, free, free books, free romance books, free ya books, free ya romance books, free ya fantasy books, free young adults books, free young adults fantasy books, free young adults romance books, free young adults paranormal, free teenage books, free teenage romance books, free teenage romance books for girls, free books to read

An ordinary monk discovers that he has mysteriously become the Chosen Initiate, one who is bestowed with superhuman powers. He is enrolled in the Aryavarts School of Yog – the Magical School – where he must now learn how to harness that divine force, which alone can render him a keeper and master of those ancient-powers. But those ancient powers are now hidden behind a mysterious Veil that runs across the Seven Worlds, separating all of humanity from a hidden kingdom that lies beyond. It now falls on the monk to go beyond the Veil, to secure the secret knowledge of the Seers, which alone can dispel the darkness of the coming Age of Chaos. Two other prentice monks join him in this supernatural adventure, which unfolds in incredible encounters with kings, sages, demons, giants, warriors and gods. Will the Chosen Initiate fulfill that great destiny, which will lift the Veil of Shakti, to reveal to him what lies beyond?

I will speak to you of war, battles, love, hatred, heroism, self-denial and betrayal, of a dead man who will save a living man. Of a weapon, a gift from the gods, a shield, of a narrow pass and a plain where the fate of the world will be judged. This is the prophecy revealed to the seer Megistias from Zeus. It will be fulfilled by the brave and noble Spartan, Teleutias, the genial and faint-hearted Athenian, Nausinous whose friends example will lead him to unparalleled heroism the Persian commander-in-chief Mardonius, the beautiful Spartan woman Helen and the slave from Miletus, Dianeira, who will fight for her freedom and whose heart is torn between two Greeks. You will run with Teleutias in Olympia, you will attend the brilliant symposia of Mardonius and the sensual dance of Dianeira, you will hear Leonidas and Themistocles deliver speeches at the council of the Isthmus of Corinth, you will travel with the royal trireme of Xerxes to Tempe, you will sail with Nausinous and the Athenian fleet. You will feel the fear and horror of battle with the weight of the shield in the left hand and the spear, slippery with perspiration and blood, in the right. You will fight in the phalanx at the battles of Thermopylae and Plataea, where the assault is a faceless beast with hundreds of heads but only one soul, where the earth trembles at its steps, where the sun shines on the bronze breastplates and helmets and the colourful crests made of horses manes and tails quiver, where the painted shields approach united and the well-polished metal tips of the spears are Death itself. The Shield brings together the magic of the novel and a profound historical knowledge, making the reader feel what it meant to be a Greek during antiquity. It is a moving epic, but also a very human story, where the grandeur of the spirit freely chooses the ultimate sacrifice and clashes with hatred, passion, intrigue and betrayal.

By applying aspects of cognitive psychology to a study of three key tragic props, this book examines the importance of visual imagery in ancient Greek tragedy. The shield, the urn and the mask are props which serve as controls for investigating the connection between visual imagery and the spectators' intellectual experience of tragic drama. As vehicles for conceptual change the props point to a function of imagery in problem solving. Connections between the visual and the cognitive in tragedy, particularly through image shape and its potential for various meanings, add a new perspective to scholarship on the role of the visual in ancient performance. These connections also add weight to the importance of imagery in contemporary problem solving and creative thought.

Covering material as diverse as curse tablets, coins, tattoos, and legal decrees, Deborah Steiner explores the reception of writing in archaic and classical Greece. She moves beyond questions concerning ancient literacy and the origins of the Greek alphabet to examine representations of writing in the myths and imaginative literature of the period. Maintaining that the Greek alphabet was not seen purely as a means of transcribing and preserving the spoken word, the author investigates parallels between writing and other signifiers, such as omens, tokens, and talismans; the role of inscription in religious rites, including cursing, oath-taking, and dedication; and perceptions of how writing functioned both in autocracies and democracies. Particularly innovative is the suggestion that fifth-century Greek historians and dramatists portrayed writing as an essential tool of tyrants, who not only issue written decrees but also "inscribe" human bodies with brands and cut up land with compasses and rules. The despotic overtones associated with writing inform discussion of its function in democracies. Although writing could promote equal justice, ancient sources also linked this activity with historical and mythical figures who opposed the populist regime. By examining this highly nuanced portrayal of writing, Steiner offers a new perspective on ancient views of written law and its role in fifth-century Athenian democracy. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.