This collection of essays expands the focus of Enlightenment studies to include countries outside the core nations of France, Germany and Britain. Notions of sociability and cosmopolitanism are explored as ways in which people sought to improve society.

This collection of essays expands the focus of Enlightenment studies to include countries outside the core nations of France, Germany and Britain. Notions of sociability and cosmopolitanism are explored as ways in which people sought to improve society.

Fictioning in art is an open-ended, experimental practice that involves performing, diagramming or assembling to create or anticipate new modes of existence. In this extensively illustrated book containing over 80 diagrams and images of artworks, David Burrows and Simon O'Sullivan explore the technics of fictioning through three focal points: mythopoesis, myth-science and mythotechnesis. These relate to three specific modes of fictioning: performance fictioning, science fictioning and machine fictioning. In this way, Burrows and O'Sullivan explore how fictioning can offer us alternatives to the dominant fictions that construct our reality in an age of `post-truth' and `perception management'. Through fictioning, they look forward to the new kinds of human, part-human and non-human bodies and societies to come.

Omnibus version. All three books in one version. Vastra is a man possessed. He seeks an Eldric talisman, ensnaring two men to aid him. Fate guides his hand and, unwittingly, he chooses Kaplyn, who is seeking to escape his own destiny and Lars, shipwrecked and friendless, an outcast on the Allund shore. An unlikely trio, they form a fragile alliance but, recklessly ambitious, Vastra will betray them in a heartbeat. Their actions have repercussions for future generations, and a collision of powers will allow the shade of a dead emperor to cross the divide between the worlds, bringing with him the threat of dragons. Astalus, the Thracian court wizard is in a quandary. Allund, their ancient ally, is marching against them when shocking news arrives. A spy, arrested brazenly entering the city, claims to be a prince from an extinct royal household, a household that was overthrown, the family members murdered over sixty years ago. Intriguingly, the spy's claim to be from Allund is more than a coincidence, for the army marching against them is also from Allund. Who to trust? The stranger brings with him news of an army from Trosgarth, which can only mean one thing. Drachar's shade has been summoned and the Prophecy is coming to pass. Astalus, normally so certain and confident, is suddenly plummeted into his worst nightmare, for soon Thrace could be threatened by demons and, against them, there is no salvation. In a land fraught with betrayal, fear and death, the shadows are deepening.

Drachar, banished by his own people, forges an unholy alliance with the demons by offering them ten thousand souls, but the demons demand one hundred thousand and without quibbling Drachar accepts. War threatens. A war like no other.

Second Edition: Drachar is a ruthless and ambitious sorcerer who will stop at nothing to wreak revenge against those who betray him. From a lowly although arrogant Eldric lord to commander of the most deadly army the land has ever seen, he pitches relentless hordes of powerful soul devouring demons against his own people, the Eldric. Fierce battle is to commence and all in its path must fight or risk their soul being sent screaming from their twitching corpses. Madness tears at Drachar, a constant reminder of what should happen if he fails in his bloody pact; delivering one hundred thousand souls to the demons in exchange for the greatest of power. The Eldric must learn to summon demons of their own to stand any chance against Drachar's deadly arsenal of krell, demons and grakyn. Magic and swords clash together in a war of such catastrophic proportions that the world will be forever stricken. Join Drachar the outcast as he rises to omnipotence. The die are cast and events are set in motion that look set to destroy the world. The race is on for war threatens; a war like no other for sorcerer will battle sorcerer and demon set against demon.

Omnibus version. Soon men, dragons and demons will wage horrific war. A time is fast approaching when the fabric separating these worlds will thin sufficiently for demons to cross the divide, but the people are largely ignorant of this, preferring forgetfulness rather than confronting their fears. The Eldric, saviours of previous wars, have mysteriously disappeared from the world, leaving behind crumbling ruins. A sorcerer, Vastra, recklessly ambitious and driven by greed for power, seeks an Eldric talisman and recruits Kaplyn and Lars to help. Together they unravel an ancient secret that could doom them all. The evil that is Trosgarth is spreading across the land, monarchs are slain to deny the Prophecy from coming to pass, Priests of Ryoch are trained to communicate via their Shaols (their guardian spirits), while grakyn and krell gather in the remote regions of the world. As yet the drums of war beat quietly but all too soon they will call for all out war and who then will be ready?

Armies are gathering but Astalus, the Thracian court wizard, is in a quandary. Shocking news has arrived from an unlikely source. A spy, arrested brazenly entering the city, claims to be a prince from a royal household that was overthrown, the family members murdered over sixty years ago. Intriguingly, the spy's claim to be from Allund is more than a coincidence, for the army marching against them is also from Allund. Who indeed to trust? The stranger brings with him news of an army from Trosgarth, which can only mean one thing. Drachar's shade has been summoned and the Prophecy is coming to pass. Old alliances are broken and many monarchs slain. No sign yet exists of the king predicted by the Prophecy, who will save them all. Astalus, normally so certain and confident, is suddenly plummeted into his worst nightmare, for soon Thrace could be threatened by demons and, against them, there is no salvation. In a land fraught with betrayal, fear and death, the shadows are deepening.

Vastra is a man possessed. Where other men require food to sustain them, his craving is for power. He seeks an Eldric talisman, ensnaring two men to aid him. Fate guides his hand and, unwittingly, he chooses Kaplyn, who is seeking to escape his own destiny and Lars, shipwrecked and friendless, an outcast on the Allund shore. An unlikely trio, they form a fragile alliance but, recklessly ambitious, Vastra will betray them in a heartbeat. Throughout their journey, there are clear signs that demons are active, stealing souls to slake their hunger. Their journey takes them to a mysterious tower, beset by traps, where Kaplyn triggers a chain of events unleashing the full power of a prophecy that could doom them all. Deep in the heart of a mountain lays a power that not even Vastra has the audacity to envision. But who really is guiding Vastra's destiny? Kaplyn has the talisman and, for all of Vastra's threats, he is unwilling to part with it.

Astalus has returned. He has found an Eldric spell book and, in particular, a spell to summon dragons. The allies march north to confront the Trosgarth's growing might. Warrior priests can now communicate across the battlefield using their shaol, death knights have been resurrected, and in the air grakyn are supported by a new threat - a demon/dragon hybrid. To make matters worse, Astalus discovers that the power that Kaplyn recovered so long ago can open a permanent gateway to the demon world. Drachar is finally free and his minions will march from the very depths of hell. Astalus knows all of this through a demon that has possessed him. The army marches to its fate, unaware of the trap awaiting them. Prince Fiad leads them. Will he be the army's salvation or damnation? The men mutter, uncomfortable in the knowledge that, at the final battle, a king will not lead them against the tides of evil. Drachar is poised, his death knights ready to tear the army apart.

Can you hear the child's voice? The Court of Appeal have commented that the family courts are 'still feeling their way forward in order to determine how best to 'hear the voice of a child'. In this new title David Burrows looks at the jurisprudence surrounding this remark, relates it to European and UN Convention rights and looks at the most recent children case law. It concentrates on: Children in court proceedings, particularly in family proceedings Contrasting the way courts hear children's views with the way their evidence is heard Any rights to which a child is entitled (common law; European Convention 1950; UN Conventions; and EU Directives), such as to confidentiality and to take part (or be heard) in proceedings. The meaning and effect of a child's 'understanding' in court proceedings, and the way that term varies according to a child's age and the issue before the court. Legislation and case law covered and analysed includes: Children Act 1989 and applicable Family Procedure Rules 2010 Human Rights Act 1998 and European Convention 1950 Civil Procedure Rules 1998 LASPO Act 2012 Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 Re D (A Child) (International Recognition) - child's right to be heard Re W (A Child)- rules for child representation in hearings P v A Local Authority (Fam) - legal aid and statutory damages Re W (Children) (Abuse: Oral Evidence) - child's evidence R (D (a minor)) v Camberwell Green Youth Court - safeguards in criminal law for children Protocol and Good Practice Model Disclosure of information in cases of alleged child abuse and linked criminal and care directions hearings - October 2013 Achieving Best Evidence: Guidance on interviewing children March 2011