Shortlisted for the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize Based on the German composer's own correspondence, this inventive, counterfactual work of historical fiction imagines Beethoven traveling to America to write an oratorio based on the Book of Job. It is a matter of historical record that in 1823 the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston (active to this day) sought to commission Beethoven to write an oratorio. The premise of Paul Griffiths’s ingenious novel is that Beethoven accepted the commission and traveled to the United States to oversee its first performance. Griffiths grants the composer a few extra years of life and, starting with his voyage across the Atlantic and entry into Boston Harbor, chronicles his adventures and misadventures in a new world in which, great man though he is, he finds himself a new man. Relying entirely on historically attested possibilities to develop the plot, Griffiths shows Beethoven learning a form of sign language, struggling to rein in the uncertain inspiration of Reverend Ballou (his designated librettist), and finding a kindred spirit in the widowed Mrs. Hill, all the while keeping his hosts guessing as to whether he will come through with his promised composition. (And just what, the reader also wonders, will this new piece by Beethoven turn out to be?) The book that emerges is an improvisation, as virtuosic as it is delicate, on a historical theme.

This book employs a biographical approach to comprehensively study a set of Tang era-tomb guardian figurines, known as the Four Gods (Sishen), comprising a pair of warriors (Dangkuang and Dangye) and a pair of hybrid beasts (Zuming and Dizhou). These objects were exclusively used by officials until 841 AD and were mainly found in capitals then. They disappeared in the 9th century AD. The book is divided into three sections. Part one focuses on their symbolism through names, images, burial contexts, associated ritual regulations, and the interplay of all of these, revealing their dual significance – apotropaic and political, tied to ritual propriety, nuo exorcism, yin-yang divination, and more. Part two explores their connection to other supernatural tomb figurines in the early and middle Tang periods, challenging previous theories and highlighting regional standardization. Additionally, this part delves into the Four Gods’ regulated production, government oversight, and role in funerary processions. Part three examines their disappearance due to shifting views on the afterlife and diminishing national power. It also explores changes in the usage of related tomb objects after the Tang era, focusing on protective functions and spatial concepts.

Banned from the Valley of the Kings, Amelia Peabody and her distinguished husband have returned to England with their 19-year-old son Ramses and their foster daughter, Nefret. Ramses is secretly in love with Nefret and plans to flee to Germany to avoid temptation. Then a mysterious visitor changes the plan for the whole family. Set in the Sudan, this is another exciting adventure which follows the Peabody family as they confront all the forces against them armed only with a crumbling map and an important letter...

A gripping, action-packed new adventure series. Arky Steele is a not your average 12-year-old: his mother is an adventurer and his father is an archaeologist. With them, he travels the world hunting for ancient treasures and trying to stay one step ahead of their nemesis, evil billionaire Goran Rulec. In Guardian of the Tomb, Arky accompanies his dad on a mission to Mongolia to find the lost treasure of one of the world?s most infamous despots, Genghis Khan. But they are not alone: a band of criminals is determined to thwart Arky at every turn. E. Coombe?s fast-paced writing in the Arky Steele Adventures is full of twists and turns, blending danger, suspense and humour. Arky's story continues in THE CURSED CITY, also now available.

A librarian. A spell book. And a terrorist organization set on controlling the world. Librarian Jayne Thorne enjoys her quiet life of tea and books. That is, until she finds a spell book in the Vanderbilt archives that accidentally gives her access to a magical dimension. Now she's hunted by a magic-wielding terrorist group called the Kingdom, and the only way for her to survive is to team up with a secret branch of the CIA. Her first mission: Go undercover at Trinity College Library in Dublin to discover the identity of a Kingdom member and determine if the Book of Leinster is actually a magical necromantic grimoire. With the help of a handsome Irish kickboxer, Jayne uncovers the truth of her unexpected spell book: The Irish manuscript is one of five grimoires that can raise five dead, master magicians, and secure their totems of power. With these totems comes the power to control the world.But the spell book isn't the only thing with secrets in Jayne's new life. Danger lurks in every corner and Jayne must rise to meet her fated role... or perish alongside the rest of the world.

Collects Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) #1-12, Guardians of the Galaxy Annual (2019) #1. Donny Cates’ complete Guardians saga in one stellar collection! Hundreds of worlds are at war. More than ever, the galaxy needs the Guardians — but in the aftermath of the Infinity Wars, who is left to answer the call? Thanos is dead, but the search for his successor has just begun. Who will it be? And who are the Dark Guardians? Cosmic chaos commences when the new Guardians take on Thanos’ Black Order — but could the Mad Titan be fighting his way back from the grave?! Plus: The Universal Church of Truth returns at the worst possible time — because Rocket Raccoon is dying! He’s still got some fight left in him, but his allies are few and the odds are slim. Can Rocket hold on long enough to make a difference?