Popular Fantasy

Final Fantasy is one of the most iconic and beloved video game series in the world. Since its inception, its titles have adopted names, themes, and stories from across global mythology, including the beliefs of the Vikings. This book embarks on a detailed exploration of how Norse lore in particular influenced the writing and design of Final Fantasy VII - arguably the most critically acclaimed of the franchise - and its wider Compilation. This work is presented as a tribute to the metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated.

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days. When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.

The ice is coming. It was the last thing we expected, but the world is freezing. A new ice age has dawned. Billions have fled the glaciers. A cataclysmic war is coming. In orbit, a group of scientists are running the Winter Experiments, a last-ditch attempt to understand why the planet is cooling. None of the climate models they build make sense. But then they discover an anomaly, an unexplained variation in solar radiation...and something else. Close to the burning edge of the sun, they catch a fleeting glimpse of something that shouldn’t be there....

This is George Dasent's classic collection of Scandinavian folklore. This is not about Norse mythology per se; so if you are looking for tales of Odin, Loki, and Freya etc., you will have to look elsewhere. Rather, this is an anthology of folk tales, similar to the Grimm Brothers', or Campbell's Popular Tales of the West Highlands. All of the usual suspects are in place, including giants, trolls, witches, evil step-siblings, magical boons and tasks, and anthropomorphic animals.

Este audiolibro recoge los siguientes cuentos populares: “La cruz del diablo”, “El aguinaldo”, "El alfiletero de la Anjana”, “El hombre del saco”, “El laud maravilloso”, “ El príncipe Tomás”, “El puente de San Martín”, “El río Zapardiel”, “El vado del moro”, “ Hernando el halconero”, “Juan bobo”, “La brecha de Roldán”, “La campana Beneta”....

Earth faces an unprecedented threat - an alien ship headed straight for the planet. Connor Connolly holds a secret that could determine the fate of humankind. Connor has discovered that the supposed "refugee" aliens promising to share advanced technology with Earth are hiding their true intentions. As the alien ship nears, Connor must act fast to uncover the truth behind Volaris and their mysterious connection to metaband technology. The problem? Connor's own meta powers are gone. His only hope lies in a stolen alien nanosuit that grants him new abilities. Partnering with his allies ...

Comic book superheroines bend steel, travel across time and space, and wield awesome forces. These mighty females do everything that male superheroes do. But they have to work their wonders in skirts and high heels. The Supergirls asks whether their world of fantasy is that different from our own. Are the stories of Wonder Woman’s search for an identity, Batwoman and Power Girl’s battle for equality, and Manhunter’s juggling of a crime fighting career and motherhood also an alternative saga of modern American women?

There is nothing more terrifying than a girl with nothing to lose. In the Skarrian Empire, societal class is determined by one factor, a factor which no one, neither emperors nor servants, can control: the Marks on their skin. Ayla Helero is a Markless orphan who refuses to accept her dismal fate of oppression and servitude. Voices whisper to her in the night, promising a chance at a better tomorrow, if only she would listen. Will she bow down and capitulate to the evil hands that bind her, or will she listen to the voices, risking everything for a chance to be free? Ayla listens. She hears...

Fifty years after the sexual revolution, we are told that we live in a time of unprecedented sexual freedom: that if anything, we are too free now. But beneath the veneer of glossy hedonism, millennial journalist Rachel Hills argues, we are controlled by a new brand of sexual convention: one that influences all of us - woman or man, straight or gay, liberal or conservative.

Intriguing events happen in the bayou when Hollywood comes to town. Lauren’s gap year is supposed to be about making extra money and figuring out what to do with the next phase of her life. Realistically, it’s a break between taking care of her alcoholic brother and certified insane mother. She deserves to have some fun, and to find trouble. However, trouble follows Lauren, with its wicked sense of humor, and thought it would be fun to gift her two love interests, who happen to be rivals. Her first gift is Latin heartthrob Jackson Cruz. Along with his notorious reputation, he is a cocky...

GIVE US FREEDOM, OR GIVE US DEATH. After 15 long years at war, veteran Wyn Rinkar lives in peace on his Tenbridge farm with daughter Silvia. Until, that is, the tax collectors come calling. Not believing that Silvia is 15, under the age for tax, they perform an examination of maidenhood. Witnessing his daughter being violated, Wyn kills the tax collectors, and suddenly finds himself an outlaw. Thinking there is no other choice, he determines to flee, return to Salia, to fight as a mercenary. But members of his village have other ideas. Servants and thralls rally around him, and he quickly ...

"Magic and other races really add to the magnificent story!" –Auburn, Vine Voice "Great dark fantasy!" -Vine Voice "If you love Tolkien, as I do, you will love this book." -Veronica Richards "Fantasy done right!" -Kindle Reviewer Ancient evil crawls from the dark. The great river of magic threatened. An epic struggle to prevail. Wielding the strongest magic ever known to Astura, Crystalyn faces the hooded man’s ruthless determination to annihilate a peaceful race dwelling within the vibrant beauty of an ancient vale. Ultimately, she faces a desperate choice: hunt down a former dear ...

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren't just any royals. They're American.

The Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG) genre is one that is known for bold, unforgettable characters; rich stories; and some of the most iconic and beloved games in the industry. Inspired by early Western RPGs and introducing technology and artistic styles that pushed the boundaries of what video games could be, this genre is responsible for creating some of the most complex, bold, and beloved games in history. In Fight, Magic, Items, Aidan Moher guides listeners through the history of JRPGs.

In an epic tale of power struggles, betrayals, and unrequited love, the fight for Skarria’s future continues in The Strength of the Nameless: Heart of Dragons Book 2. As the dust settles in the aftermath of The Rise of the Markless, shaky alliances prop up an empire on the verge of collapse. The fragile peace hangs by a thread as old wounds threaten to tear Skarria apart from within. When a letter from Hucari brings threats of revenge for Sylvar’s stolen dragon, the freedom the Markless gave everything to achieve is no longer guaranteed. Amidst the chaos, friendships are tested, ...

A Thrilling Middle-Grade Fantasy Adventure for Fans of Mythology and Magic! 🔹 Perfect for readers who love Percy Jackson, The School for Good and Evil, and Harry Potter! On her 14th birthday, Lilith Fletcher’s life should have ended. Instead, she awakened something terrifying inside her. A near-fatal accident unlocks a deadly power she never asked for—the ability to steal life itself. Before she can understand it, she’s whisked away to a secret academy founded by Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, where magic is real, and the gods still pull the strings. But being chosen by the Fates feels...

Upon becoming a new mother, Vanessa Angélica Villarreal was called to Mexico to reconnect with her ancestors and recover her grandmother’s story, only to return to the sudden loss of her marriage, home, and reality. In Magical/Realism, Villarreal crosses into the erasure of memory and self, fragmented by migration, borders, and colonial and intimate violence, reconstructing her story with pieces of American pop culture, and the music, video games, and fantasy that have helped her make sense of it all.

Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture, and 2014 marks the intriguing role-playing phenomenon’s 40th anniversary. Released decades before the Internet and social media, Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures and is still revered by more than 30 million fans. Now, the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player.

A witty, wide-ranging, and surprisingly profound cultural history of the world’s most obsessed-over muscle group: the abs. From the gleaming marble torsos of ancient Greece to the sweat-soaked montages of Hollywood action heroes and the endless scroll of Instagram #fitspo, the human midsection has always commanded attention. But why do abs matter so much? What do they really say about us? And how did a patch of muscle become the world’s favorite shorthand for sex, strength, discipline, and desire? In Washboard Dreams: The Strange, Sexy, and Serious Story of Abs in Art, Faith, Fitness, ...