Song Of The Dryad

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Barclay has to face her fears in order to save her mom from the fairies that kidnapped her.

The best short fiction of legendary author Glen Cook (The Black Company, the Dread Empire) is collected into a new volume. For over forty years, Glen Cook has been among the most well-known, influential, and widely respected authors in science fiction and fantasy. Through classic series such as The Black Company, Garrett P.I., the Dread Empire, Starfishers, Darkwar, and more, his gritty, down-to-earth style left an indelible impression on his readers around the world, forever shifting the genre landscape and carving out his place as a pioneering icon. The Best of Glen Cook collects eighteen of his greatest stories—as chosen and introduced by the author himself—including a new, never-before-published Black Company novelette. With works set in all of his most famous series, these tales of science fiction and fantasy offer both the perfect way for longtime fans to trace Cook’s history and for new readers to become familiar with one of the finest genre authors of the twentieth century.

Old songs can bring new life. A beleaguered dryad in search of safe harbor in a land ravaged by an invasive fungus finds herself at odds with a young dryad who wields the blasphemous magic of men. The two of them must find a way to work together before a vicious sorcerer hunts them down and puts an end to them both.

Imagination has long been regarded as central to C. S. Lewis's life and to his creative and critical works, but this is the first study to provide a thorough analysis of his theory of imagination, including the different ways he used the word and how those uses relate to each other. Peter Schakel begins by concentrating on the way reading or engaging with the other arts is an imaginative activity. He focuses on three books in which imagination is the central theme--Surprised by Joy, An Experiment in Criticism, and The Discarded Image--and shows the important role of imagination in Lewis's theory of education. He then examines imagination and reading in Lewis's fiction, concentrating specifically on the Chronicles of Narnia, the most imaginative of his works. He looks at how the imaginative experience of reading the Chronicles is affected by the physical texture of the books, the illustrations, revisions of the texts, the order in which the books are read, and their narrative "voice," the "storyteller" who becomes almost a character in the stories. Imagination and the Arts in C. S. Lewis also explores Lewis's ideas about imagination in the nonliterary arts. Although Lewis regarded engagement with the arts as essential to a well- rounded and satisfying life, critics of his work and even biographers have given little attention to this aspect of his life. Schakel reviews the place of music, dance, art, and architecture in Lewis's life, the ways in which he uses them as content in his poems and stories, and how he develops some of the deepest, most significant themes of his stories through them. Schakel concludes by analyzing the uses and abuses of imagination. He looks first at "moral imagination." Although Lewis did not use this term, Schakel shows how Lewis developed the concept in That Hideous Strength and The Abolition of Man long before it became popularized in the 1980s and 1990s. While readers often concentrate on the Christian dimension of Lewis's works, equally or more important to him was their moral dimension. Imagination and the Arts in C. S. Lewis will appeal to students and teachers of both children's literature and twentieth-century British writers. It will also be of value to readers who wish to compare Lewis's creations with more recent imaginative works such as the Harry Potter series.

Over the course of six critically acclaimed books—including a compelling meditation on Moby-Dick—Dan Beachy-Quick has established himself as “one of America’s most significant young poets” (Lyn Hejinian). In Wonderful Investigations, Beachy-Quick broaches “a hazy line, a faulty boundary” between our daily world and one rich with wonder; a magical world in which, through his work as a writer, Beachy-Quick participates with a singular combination of critical intelligence and lyricism. Touching on the works of Emerson, Thoreau, Proust, and Plato, among others, Beachy-Quick outlines the problem of duality in modern thought—the separation of the mind and body, word and referent, intelligence and mystery, human and natural—and makes the case for a fuller kind of nature poetry, one that strives to overcome this false separation, and to celebrate the notion that “wonder is the fact that the world has never ceased to be real.”

Have you ever had moments when you saw something from the corner of your eye, but there was nothing to be found? You may want to look again. Logan has always wanted more adventure in his life. All it takes is an old book in his great-grandmother's house to set him on that journey. The further he delves into the strange myths chronicled in the book, the more those myths come alive before his eyes. Secrets hidden in the town theatre, centaurs in the woods, and a powerful threat at his back send him racing through the forest, running from danger, and searching for truth. For what are myths but things that have yet to be discovered? Now the myths have been found again. These are their tales.

Enchant Your Life through the Friendship of Tree Spirits Revel in the beauty of nature and rediscover your sense of wonder as you build a profound magical relationship with a dryad—the spirit or life force of a tree. Through meditations, exercises, writing prompts, and art projects, Penny Billington shows how to connect with some of the greatest teachers and healers of the natural world. Anyone, regardless of background or belief system, can discover how to sense a tree's aura, breathe with the landscape, and explore the secrets of exchanging gifts. Filled with whimsical drawings by Meraylah Allwood, this delightful guide also provides options for people with outdoor or mobility restrictions. Whether you want to live a more enchanted life or learn from the resilience of our wise companions, Nine Ways to Charm a Dryad will help you manifest the energy of the trees from roots to crown.

Original publication and copyright date: 2006.