The first volume of a visionary historical trilogy from the secret diaries of Captain John Smith, which tells also the life of Sir Francis Drake. The entire trilogy, titled IN THE LAND OF WHISPERS, concerns the first generation of Englishmen in the New World, dating from 1565-1631, and chronicles how the English came to the American shore to found a Utopia, but founded a slave state instead. THE WEIGHT OF SMOKE is published in advance of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The two subsequent volumes will be published in 2007 and 2008.

The Dragons of the Storm continues onward from The Weight of Smoke, the first volume of the In the Land of Whispers trilogy. While the old alchemist and mariner, Jonas Profit, relates the tales of Queen Elizabeth's pirate, Francis Drake -- whose circumnavigation of the world, and sinki ng of the Spanish Armada, enabled the English to envision a colonial empire -- John Smith dedicates the year of his presidency toward form ing a new society with the surviving colonists, until his authority is stripped from him by his enemies, and he is forced to confront the legacies of Drake, Powhatan, and Roanoke.

Triple bill of Disney animated features following a naive and curious lion cub as he struggles to find his place in nature's great 'circle of life'. In 'The Lion King' (1994) Simba (voice of Jonathan Taylor Thomas/Matthew Broderick) is excited about being king of the pride but is forced into exile by his evil and greedy uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons), who wants to claim the throne for himself. Away from his family, Simba meets a meerkat named Timon (Nathan Lane) and a warthog named Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). With the help of his new friends he overcomes great fear and adversity to defeat Scar and take his rightful place as ruler of the Pride Lands. In 'The Lion King 2 - Simba's Pride' (1998) Simba's wilful daughter, Kiara (Neve Campbell), escapes her inept babysitters, Timon and Pumbaa, and goes in search of adventure. She wanders into the forbidden Outlands, where she encounters Kovu (Jason Marsden), a young cub who is following in the evil Scar's pawprints. However, Simba is forced to make difficult decisions when Kiara and Kovu fall in love. In 'The Lion King 3 - Hakuna Matata' (2004) the original story is told from Timon and Pumbaa's perspective. When Timon decides to explore the world, it's not long before his path crosses with that of Pumbaa and they become good friends. But their plan to find a new home is forgotten when they come across a young cub called Simba and help him save the Serengeti..

"The Leaves of Fate" is the third and final volume of an epic fictional chronicle, "In the Land of Whispers." The three books present the extraordinary histories of the hero of Jamestown, Captain John Smith, and the great Elizabethan explorer before him, Sir Francis Drake. Smith's journals record the events of his own life, and reprise the tales told him around the campfires at Jamestown by Jonas Profit, an alchemist who accompanied Drake on his voyages.

Real-estate agent Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is given the task of shifting Gracey Manor, a delapidated old house in New Orleans, and decides to visit it with his family.

When they arrive, however, they come face-to-face with 999 grim, grinning ghosts who are not too keen on sharing their space with mortals.

With the help of supernatural psychic Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly), the family must battle to break the mansion's curse before the clock strikes 13.