The Ancient Curse

Valerio Massimo Manfredi's The Ancient Curse is a thrilling archaeological mystery with a supernatural twist. In the darkest hours of the night at the Museum of Volterra, young archaeologist Fabrizio Castellani is immersed in his work. He has discovered that the famous Etruscan statue known as the 'shade of twilight' contains a mysterious object, seemingly enclosed within the sculpture itself. He is suddenly interrupted by the phone ringing – on the other end of the line an icy female voice warns him to abandon his research at once. A series of gruesome killings follow. The victims, who have all been involved in the desecration of an unexplored tomb, seem to have been torn to pieces by a beast of unimaginable size. Meanwhile, as Fabrizio excavates the Etruscan tomb he discovers something extraordinary, and chilling . . . Will Fabrizio manage to unravel these secrets without being sucked into the spiral of violence himself?

Discusses different types of ancient curses, from the curse of King Tut's tomb to the curse of the billy goat.

In the ancient Greco-Roman world, it was common practice to curse or bind an enemy or rival by writing an incantation on a tablet and dedicating it to a god or spirit. These curses or binding spells, commonly called defixiones were intended to bring other people under the power and control of those who commissioned them. More than a thousand such texts, written between the 5th Century B.C.E. and the 5th Century C.E., have been discovered from North Africa to England, and from Syria to Spain. Extending into every aspect of ancient life--athletic and theatrical competitions, judicial proceedings, love affairs, business rivalries, and the recovery of stolen property--they shed light on a new dimension of classical study previously inaccessible. Here, for the first time, these texts have been translated into English with a substantial translator's introduction revealing the cultural, social, and historical context for the texts. This book will interest historians, classicists, scholars of religion, and those concerned with ancient magic.

Fix the past. Save the future. What is the secret history connecting the SQ to the Ancient Maya?Book includes an all-new, full-color Hystorian's Guide - your key to unlocking the fourth episode of the action-packed Infinity Ring game.

There are only two types of races which humans are divided to; The Sanctified, who enjoy the normal flow of life, and The Damned, who manifest special abilities the more unstable they are. In a society where being different is a sin, both races are deemed to live apart, one in the city and one in the outskirts, prohibited to meddle with each others' affairs. However, when Melanie, a young lady from a Sanctified family, manifested inhumane abilities, it caused a great disturbance in the norm and as a result, she was exiled to the outskirts where they think she belongs. Will this Sanctified-born girl perish in this downfall? Or will she survive and turn the tables in her favor? "Are you willing to risk your sanity in exchange for superpowers?" Disclaimer: If morbidity is your cup of tea, you got the right book for you. Read at your own risk.

"It's dark magic brings him back." Tori Burns and her family left D.C. for claustrophobic Chaptico, Maryland, after suddenly inheriting a house under mysterious circumstances. That inheritance puts her at odds with the entire town, especially Jesse Slaughter and his family—it's their generations-old land the Burns have "stolen." As the suspicious looks and muttered accusations of her neighbors build, so does the pressure inside her, and Tori returns to the pattern of self-harm that landed her in a hospital back in D.C. It all comes to a head one night when, to Tori's shock, she witnesses a young man claw his way out of a grave under the gnarled oak in her new backyard. Nathaniel Bishop may not understand what brought him back, but it's clear to Tori that he hates the Slaughters for what they did to him centuries ago. Wary yet drawn to him by a shared sense of loss, she gives him shelter. But in the wake of his arrival comes a string of troubling events—including the disappearance of Jesse Slaughter's cousin—that seem to point back to Nathaniel. As Tori digs for the truth—and slowly begins to fall for Nathaniel—she uncovers something much darker in the tangled branches of the Slaughter family tree. In order to break the curse that binds Nathaniel there and discover the true nature of her inheritance, Tori must unravel the Slaughter family's oldest and most guarded secrets. But the Slaughters want to keep them buried... at any cost.

The Curse of the Ancient Greeks is a contemporary novel based and inspired by real stories and current events. It is the story of a Greek newspaper columnist born in a magical and remote mountainous peninsular stretching out in the Mediterranean, hugged by glittering turquoise coasts and dramatic cliffs. At an early age, the boy loses his father at a tragic work-related accident, which influences the rest of his life. He is shortly after taken to Athens by his mother in search of a better life. As an adult, he finds himself in the midst of a social and economic crisis in a country facing drastic financial upheavals. His mundane struggle to stay afloat, trying to keep his job as a journalist, and his troubled family intact brings back memories of his mysterious birthplace and takes his thoughts back to the glorious age of philosophy and logic in ancient Greece. Whilst on a vain professional search to discover the source of his country’s recent financial misfortunes, he is forced to reevaluate his most intimate relations with his family and friends, taking him on a soul-searching and unexpected romantic and philosophical journey.

Solve It With Saxby, a new series aimed at unraveling the mystery of getting boys excited about reading. Saxby Smart is no ordinary ten-year-old. He's the best detective in the world, or at least the best one who also happens to be in elementary school. In this brand new series--with three cases in each book--the reader solves the mystery alongside Saxby, getting peeks at pages of his casebook as the crimes unfold, and searching for clues rather than letting the main character do all the work and have all the fun.