Though the Olmecs (1250-200 bc) were the first civilization in Mexico, the Aztecs (1325-1521) -Mesoamerica's last imperial civilization and the most significant of the militaristic post-Classic period - are probably who first come to mind when we think of great empires of that region. Like other Mesoamerican cultures, Aztec gods and myths reflected a natural philosophy where ideas concerning life and death were linked symbolically to the earth, sky and sea in a grand cosmic scheme. Their religion was dominated by the tribal war god Huitzilopochtli, the rain/fertility god Tlaloc and the supreme deity Tezcatlipoca, the Lord of the Smoking Mirror. This fascinating collection explores the history, culture, gods, calendar, myths and tales of this people, from migration legends to the origin myth of the Five Suns. FLAME TREE 451: From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and myth, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

VAGABONDS! is a tumultuous and unexpectedly joyous novel of oppression and defiance among the people and spirits of Lagos. 'You don't read this novel. You swan dive into it, then gasp in wonder' Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings 'Electrifying. A fierce, compulsively engaging and striking debut' Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch Lagos is a city for all . . . you share this place with flesh and not-flesh, and it's just as much their city as it is yours. Eko, the spirit of Lagos, and his loyal minion Tatafo weave trouble through the streets of Lagos and through the lives of the 'vagabonds' powering modern Nigeria: the queer, the displaced and the footloose. With Tatafo as our guide we meet these people in the shadows. Among them are a driver for a debauched politician; a lesbian couple whose tender relationship sheds unexpected light on their experience with underground sex work; a mother who attends a secret spiritual gathering that shifts her reality. As their lives begin to intertwine-in markets and underground clubs, in churches and hotel rooms-the vagabonds are seized and challenged by the spirits who command the city. A force is drawing them all together, but for what purpose? In her debut novel VAGABONDS! Eloghosa Osunde tackles the insidious nature of Nigerian capitalism, corruption and oppression, and offers a defiant, joyous and inventive tribute to all those for whom life itself is a form of resistance. 'Every year promises the birth of the next literary superstar... and 2022 is no different. Coming with early acclaim from Marlon James, Eloghosa Osunde's VAGABONDS! is an exceptional debut, taking on queerness, capitalism and the societal vagabonds of Lagos' streets' i-D

In a world molded into a veritable Utopia, life seems incapable of mismanagement. World interest in space activity has withered back into seeming indifference. But for Kronide Soter, whose family has played such prominent roles in the conquest of space, the lure of the heavens is inborn.

Tonino is a young, curious cricket boy, living with his family in Boston. Life is good for young Tonino, but he suspects there's more to the world than his own backyard. He wants to learn about foreign cultures, but mostly he wants to learn about his own family roots. He heads to Italy, where he is surprised to meet the famous Blue Fairy, who was friends with Tonino's ancestor-the cricket guide to Pinocchio. Whereas Tonino's ancestor was put in charge of young Pinocchio's conscience, Tonino is given a much more universal conscience. He is charged with the conscience of the world and the well-being of its environment, a big change to his personal journey. No longer is he looking after the story of his family; now he looks after the story of Mother Earth Suddenly, he is transported on a worldwide adventure ... He heads to Puerto Rico and meets the Ta no people. He visits a monarch in Mexico and cricket warriors in China. In the American Southwest, he learns about the spirit of the cricket "katsina"; in Hawaii, he encounters Pele's rage. It's a lot to take in for the young cricket boy, but ultimately he discovers that seeking his roots is only the beginning in the wide world of biodiversity, cultural diversity, and conservation of both.

"The world is broken... A dark Goddess rises. A mortal maiden must stop her."

COBWEB FOREST (Cobweb Bride Trilogy, Book Three) is the third and final book of the intricate epic fantasy flavored by Renaissance history and the romantic myth of Persephone, about death's ultimatum to the world.

Percy Ayren, ordinary girl from the small village of Oarclaven, and now Death's Champion, has delivered the Cobweb Bride to Lord Death--or so she thinks

But nothing is ever as easy as it seems. Percy and Beltain Chidair, the valiant and honorable Black Knight, discover that even more is at stake than anyone could have imagined, when ancient gods enter the fray.

It is now a season of winter darkness. Gods rise and walk the earth in unrelieved desire, and the Longest Night is without end...

Meanwhile, landmarks continue to disappear throughout the realm. The cruel Sovereign's dead armies of the Trovadii clad in the colors of pomegranate and blood march north... As the mad Duke Hoarfrost continues to lay siege to the city of Letheburg, it is up to Claere Liguon, the Emperor's dead daughter and the passionate Vlau Fiomarre who killed her, to take a stand against the enemy.

But Percy still has a difficult task to do, the greatest task of all... For in the end the Cobweb Bride awaits, together with the final answer.

At last all the occult mysteries are revealed in this stunning conclusion to the Cobweb Bride trilogy.

Renowned today for his contribution to the rise of the modern European fairy tale, Giovan Francesco Straparola (c. 1480-c. 1557) is particularly known for his dazzling anthology The Pleasant Nights. Originally published in Venice in 1550 and 1553, this collection features seventy-three folk stories, fables, jests, and pseudo-histories, including nine tales we might now designate for 'mature readers' and seventeen proto-fairy tales. Nearly all of these stories, including classics such as 'Puss in Boots,' made their first ever appearance in this collection; together, the tales comprise one of the most varied and engaging Renaissance miscellanies ever produced. Its appeal sustained it through twenty-six editions in the first sixty years. This full critical edition of The Pleasant Nights presents these stories in English for the first time in over a century. The text takes its inspiration from the celebrated Waters translation, which is entirely revised here to render it both more faithful to the original and more sparkishly idiomatic than ever before. The stories are accompanied by a rich sampling of illustrations, including originals from nineteenth-century English and French versions of the text. As a comprehensive critical and historical edition, these volumes contain far more information on the stories than can be found in any existing studies, literary histories, or Italian editions of the work. Donald Beecher provides a lengthy introduction discussing Straparola as an author, the nature of fairy tales and their passage through oral culture, and how this phenomenon provides a new reservoir of stories for literary adaptation. Moreover, the stories all feature extensive commentaries analysing not only their themes but also their fascinating provenances, drawing on thousands of analogue tales going back to ancient Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic stories. Immensely entertaining and readable, The Pleasant Nights will appeal to anyone interested in fairy tales, ancient stories, and folk creations. Such readers will also enjoy Beecher's academically solid and erudite commentaries, which unfold in a manner as light and amusing as the stories themselves.