Old Myths

ANTEROS is the story of John Donnelly, a painter who at the age of eighty has been brought to Cannes by an arts foundation in Monaco to finalize arrangements for the endowment of his life's work in a permanent collection. Why he should have been chosen for such a privilege, after a life without fame and when his painting days are over, he cannot imagine and, as it is, Cannes is a place he would rather avoid. Not only was it there that as a young man he twice suffered the violent termination of a love relationship but more recently it was where his wife and son were staying when they died in...

A young school teacher learns about strange lights in a foreboding marsh; a nurse in a remote outport visits the baby she delivered weeks before to find a devastating change; a woman meets a mysterious funeral procession late one evening; a musician falls thrall to a group of strange little people and can’t stop playing. The stories in Spirited Away are populated by the fairy-led, by changelings, by people who stray onto fairy turf and experience unnerving events.

The three companion books to the Wrath of the Old Gods series (Pagan Apocalypse, The Fomorians, Eye of Balor), now available in one volume! The Fomorians are a mythical race of giants and monsters. Long thought to be merely legends, the modern day British Isles falls to the might of their supernatural magic in a matter of days. In this maelstrom of chaos and destruction, a hero rises: his name is Steve, and he is thirteen years old. Can he overcome tremendous odds and save the world? Join Steve in his adventures across multiple worlds as he battles forgotten gods and monsters in this ...

The story of a faithful old dog told by the Brothers Grimm. One day Sultan's master decides that the dog has grown too old to be useful and decides to get rid of him. Fortunately, Sultan has a friend, the wolf, who has a plan to help him out.

Twelve-year old Lia Park just wants to fit in. Her parents work with a mysterious organization that makes them ridiculously overprotective. Lia’s every move has been scrutinized since she was born, and she’d love to have the option of doing something exciting for once. So when she gets invited to the biggest birthday party of the year—and her parents say she can’t go—Lia sneaks out. But her first act of rebellion not only breaks her parents’ rules, but also an ancient protection spell, allowing an evil diviner spirit to kidnap and ransom her parents for a powerful jewel.

Have you ever wondered whether the strange and ancient law just quoted to you by someone is correct? Does it exist, did it exist, and even more interesting, is it still in statute? Surprisingly, there are quite a few ancient laws still in use and also some which are known but no longer law. In the same light, do you know which modern laws you could be inadvertently breaking? This fun and lighthearted book is a nod to the laws of the past, both obscure and sometimes daft.

A man whose hands shook with the tremors of old age could not eat neatly and often spilled his soup, so his son and daughter-in-law barred him from their table and made him eat by the stove. When he broke the fine stoneware bowl from which he had been eating, they bought him a wooden bowl that could not break.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ROCHESTER MANSION! Sergeant Steve Ballard never thought... ...he'd be the proud owner of a spunky little Jinn! With years of extensive specialty military training, Steve's biggest use to his unit was his experience as a plumber before he enlisted. Now, fresh off the debacle with the hot, California-blonde MILF succubus, Steve's got bigger fish to fry. The succubus is hot on Cinder's trail and the nerdy girls have to team up once Steve goes missing! What is magic anyway, and how far does its influence stretch? Steve has a lot to learn, but his tutor, a sweet ...

Now I'm going to tell you a story that I heard when I was a little fellow and that I like better and better the more I think of it. For it's the same with stories as with many people; the older they grow, the nicer they grow, and that is delightful.

A man whose hands shook with the tremors of old age could not eat neatly and often spilled his soup, so his son and daughter-in-law barred him from their table and made him eat by the stove. When he broke the fine stoneware bowl from which he had been eating, they bought him a wooden bowl that could not break.

Embark on a magical journey in "Uncle Rico's Rhyming Fables," where 160 enchanting stories await, skillfully written in rhyme to resonate with the rhythms of our modern era. These fables mark a departure from the past, where strength dictated right and instead focus on the beauty of cooperation and partnership that defines our interconnected world.

Marjorie is a grouchy fairy. She doesn't like to see people have fun. She wants to break Gigi's valentines. Who will help Gigi? Will Gigi be happy on Valentine's Day? Let's follow what will happen next in this cute book.

Somewhere in the street stood an old old house; it was almost three hundred years old, as you could tell from the date cut into the great beam. Tulips and hopbines and also whole verses of poetry were carved into the wood as people used to do in those days, and over every window a mocking face was cut into the beam. The second story hung way out over the ground floor, and right under the eaves was a leaden spout with a dragon's head. Rain water was supposed to run out of the dragon's mouth, but it came from his belly instead, for there was a hole in it.

There is a street in Copenhagen with a very strange name. It is called "Hysken" street. Where the name came from, and what it means is very uncertain. It is said to be German, but this is unjust to the Germans, for it would then be called "Hauschen," and not "Hysken." "Hauschen," means a little house; and for many years it consisted only of a few small houses, which were scarcely larger than the wooden booths we see in the market places at a fair time.

Have you ever heard the story of the old Street Lamp? It's really not very amusing, but you might listen to it for once. - It was such an honest lamp, which had done its duty for many, many years and which was now going to be discarded. It was the last evening it hung on its post and gave light to the street beneath it. The Lamp felt like an old ballet dancer who is performing for the last time and who knows that tomorrow she will be in a cold garret.

A new look at dark fairytales. Akin to the Brothers Grimm, none of these storybook characters are innocent. Cinder Ellah forgets who earned her the crown and pays a hefty price. Kaede’s new love interest weighs heavily on his soul. Olivia won’t give up her firstborn without a fight. The old woman living in a shoe bites off more than she can chew. Lere planned revenge, but contracted love sickness instead. These five stories will have you on the edge of your seat craving a sequel. Stories by Deborah Brown, Jo Niederhoff, Victor Nandi, Jarrett Mazza, and Thea Watson.

Dive into the mythic in Jonah’s Map of the Whale and Other Poems, a daring and dazzling collection from Anthony Doyle (author of Hibernaculum). In the submerged world of Flounder— part everyman, part flatfish—shipwrecked longing, philosophical wit, and lyrical precision converge. Doyle’s sea-born metaphors shimmer with heartbreak, absurdity, and revelation across the tide pools of memory and myth. From underwater boathouses to data-streamed cubicles, Doyle threads ancient voices through postmodern pulses. Featuring Flounder, Blundra, Alex Iden Gray, and more, this collection drifts ...

This story is excerpted from The Emperor's New Clothes: And Other Stories by Geoffrey Thomas. These short stories are brimming with the big-heartedness, warmth, and homespun humor that the author is known for.

One husband. One wife. One trusting relationship. A fable from master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Did they participate in a con, or is it possible that these two old folks simply came to the place where love and trust could help her say, "What the old man does is always right"?

In the street, up there, was an old, a very old house - it was almost three hundred years old, for that might be known by reading the great beam on which the date of the year was carved: together with tulips and hop-binds there were whole verses spelled as in former times, and over every window was a distorted face cut out in the beam. The one story stood forward a great way over the other; and directly under the eaves was a leaden spout with a dragon's head; the rain-water should have run out of the mouth, but it ran out of the belly, for there was a hole in the spout.