Book picks similar to
Mad Magic: Mystifying Magicians and Spellbinding Sorcerers by Clare Oliver
folklore-myths
history-tidbits
living-room-shelf
magic-history
Legends of the Outer Banks and Tar Heel Tidewater
Charles Harry Whedbee - 1966
Inlanders may be skeptical regarding the sometimes miraculous, often horror-filled tales that make up coastal folklore, but Outer Bankers accept the incredible as fact.The phenomena of the Outer Banks range from phosphorescent lights appearing and disappearing over Pamlico Sound to the strange fate of a crewless ship marooned on deadly Diamond Shoals. Legendary heroes such as Captain Jim Baum Gaskill are often truly heroic.. or they may be scurrilous, like Old Quork and Blackbeard. But they all loom larger than life, with deeds and personalities unique to coastal Carolina. But this book is more than a collection of coastal legends. It is an affectionate portrait of the people who daily pull a living out of the treacherous waters of the Atlantic... and a tribute to the hardiness and courage that has made the Banker a rare breed... a breed whose true stories are, indeed, stranger than fiction.
Root Magic
Eden Royce - 2021
Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven—and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going train them in rootwork.Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of her family for generations—especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs...and not a moment too soon. Because when evil both natural and supernatural comes to show itself in town, it’s going to take every bit of the magic she has inside her to see her through.
Torpedo Run
Robb White - 1962
Navy PT boat, the Slewfoot, is off the coast of New Guinea during World War II. The new captain can only operate "by the book" which causes deep resentment and even mutiny, resulting in a test of wills.
The Shape of Fire
D.K. Holmberg - 2020
Serving as the Master of Spirit leaves Tolan with little time for anything beyond teaching. There’s no time for the research he enjoys, no time to explore ancient ruins, and no time to search for strange elementals in the land beyond the bleak waste where no magic can exist. During a Selection of new students, Tolan uncovers a strange village where the elementals are worshipped, along with power he didn’t believe possible within his homeland. When a threat all thought long ago defeated returns, Tolan finds his service to the Academy will require more than a Master of Spirit. Stopping this threat will need a master of all the elements—and the elementals, but can he still be that person?
Chanters of Tremaris Trilogy
Kate Constable - 2011
A captivating saga of adventure, fantasy and magic set in an extraordinary world.THE SINGER OF ALL SONGS: Magic is fading away in Tremaris. From the ice Wall of Antaris to the hostile streets of Mithates, to the forests of Spiridrell and beyond, it's a land divided. Calwyn lives quietly tending the bees and learning the chantment of ice-call. But then comes Darrow with terrible stories of fear and hatred in the Outlands, where chanters are persecuted and magic is a dying art.THE WATERLESS SEA: Calwyn and her friends travel to the desolate desert lands of Merithuros in search of a group of kidnapped children who have the gift of chantment. THE TENTH POWER: Calwyn has lost her powers of chantment and flees back to Antaris. But instead of sanctuary she finds the community ravaged by a mysterious snow-sickness and torn apart by tyranny. When she learns that Darrow, too, has been infected, Calwyn begins a desperate race through the frozen forests. But will she find the answers in time to heal him? And will she have the courage to embrace the dark magic and save Tremaris?
Angels Rising
Harriet Carlton - 2017
When he arrives, he notices odd things: gates that lock at night, staff that refuse to give straight answers and most disturbing of all, a spectral creature that seems to be haunting him. Before long, Imorean finds himself caught up in a sinister plan – one created seventeen years ago – that threatens to destroy the life he knew and expose the secret truth of who he really is.
Bacchanal
Veronica Henry - 2021
But the carnival’s newest act, a peculiar young woman with latent magical powers, may hold the key to defeating it. Her time has come.Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It’s a gift for communicating with animals. To some, she’s a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, she’s a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza’s ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And she’s met her match in Eliza, who’s only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have found her destiny.
Diary of a Harry Potter Addict
Kerin Morataya - 2011
Part diary, part clinical narrative, the book spans several years in the character's life, from the moment they first pick up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone through their exploration of ways in which to manage - and eventually make the most of - their chronic Harry Potter addiction. Utilizing diary entries, original artwork and interviews with members of the International Quidditch Association and the Harry Potter Alliance, the book offers alternative ways to ease the pain of saying good-bye to old friends and goes great with a swig of Butterbeer. "An essential part of any respectable Harry Potter collection... A national treasure." –Antiques Roadshow "Not good. BRILLIANT!" -Rupert Grint (as Ron Weasley) "A very interesting literary approach to the subject of Harry Potter Series End Disorder (HPSED)... These women are dangerous." –Dr. Juana Fuchenstein, DFA "I laughed... I found it a loving tribute to the fanbase and the running dialogue is great. I need to mention that the cover is awesome!" -Josh Guerrero, ETS "I do have high hopes and fired imagination that DIARY OF A POTTER ADDICT will serve as the second and last stepping stone between amusing proposals and compensated publications." –Michael Murphy, literary agent, tour guide, & putt-putt impresario
Elemental Alpha: An Illustrated LitRPG Military Fantasy Adventure (Nonstandard Progression Book 1)
Liam Lawson - 2021
Give them elemental powers. Save the world.Jerrell Hawkins has a plan. He’s going to marry Nadine Hartwell, study magic at University, and serve his kingdom in the ongoing war in the prestigious Orichalcum Company led by the hero of the realm. To do this, he needs to obtain a Class. When his plan to create a new, powerful spellcasting class fails, he fears all is lost. Then an enemy sleeper agent burns down his world and Nadine is infected with lycanthropy.But Jerrell’s pursuit of a new Class leaves him with strange, controversial abilities. He can create and bond lycanthropes. What’s more, he’s learning to use elemental magic. Along with Nadine, now his bonded companion, he enlists in the military to enact vengeance for the destruction of their home.Their enemies are numerous, their abilities make their allies uncomfortable, and nothing is simple. Not even the fate of the world, which just might rest on Jerrell Hawkins’ shoulders.
Blade of Ghosts
Julian Gyll - 2022
Only a brave few still stand against the darkness.Jason dreams of joining the glorious Shadowfront and battling the enemy known only as the Void. But as a lowly Pastfinder, he is denied that path and forced to serve as little more than a glorified scavenger.It is only when he chances upon the ruins of a long dead civilization that his fortunes change. Jason discovers a forgotten form of cultivation, one fueled by the ghosts of centuries-lost history and powerful, forbidden knowledge.For the first time in his life, Jason has the strength to join the fight against the shadows.But if his fellow tribesmen learn of his new power's cursed origins, the Void will be the least of his concerns...Inspired by the worlds of Xianxia and Wuxia, Julian Gyll brings a fresh, western fantasy take on the burgeoning cultivation genre.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic
British LibraryOwen Davies - 2017
Rowling and the brilliant curators of the British Library. It promises to take readers on a fascinating journey through the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – from Alchemy and Potions classes through to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.Each chapter showcases a treasure trove of artefacts from the British Library and other collections around the world, beside exclusive manuscripts, sketches and illustrations from the Harry Potter archive. There's also a specially commissioned essay for each subject area by an expert, writer or cultural commentator, inspired by the contents of the exhibition – absorbing, insightful and unexpected contributions from Steve Backshall, the Reverend Richard Coles, Owen Davies, Julia Eccleshare, Roger Highfield, Steve Kloves, Lucy Mangan, Anna Pavord and Tim Peake, who offer a personal perspective on their magical theme.Readers will be able to pore over ancient spell books, amazing illuminated scrolls that reveal the secret of the Elixir of Life, vials of dragon's blood, mandrake roots, painted centaurs and a genuine witch's broomstick, in a book that shows J.K. Rowling's magical inventions alongside their cultural and historical forebears.This is the ultimate gift for Harry Potter fans, curious minds, big imaginations, bibliophiles and readers around the world who missed out on the chance to see the exhibition in person.
New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology
Félix Guirand - 1959
from pre-biblical Egypt and pre-Homeric Greece to the farthest researches of Africa, the Orient, the Pacific and the Americas.. all gathered into one mammoth volume of unprecedented scope and beauty, and illustrated with an incomparable scope and beauty, and illustrated with an incomparable assemblage of authentic paintings, sculpture, symbols, idols, ritual and sacrificial objects, many rarely seen by modern Western eyes. This monumental work is the first complete encyclopedia of world anthology. Originally published in France by the famous house of Larousse, it contains of course all the well-loved myths of Classical Antiquity. But more than half the book is devoted to the strange and unfamiliar mythologies of civilizations...from Peru to Persia, from Tahiti to Togoland. Nearly 600 Illustrations.
The Promise of Light: A Novel
Paul Watkins - 1992
Determined to learn the truth about his family's cloudy past, he sets sail for Ireland, and quickly becomes involved in a struggle between soldiers of the newly formed Irish Republican Army and the brutal British troops. Amidst the lush and rugged Irish countryside, and the horrible violence unfolding across it, Ben must search for the truth of his identity, and the ties of his family's blood.
Ancient Egyptian Magic
Bob Brier - 1980
Based on fascinating archaeological discoveries, it includes everything from how to write your name in hieroglyphs to the proper way to bury a king, as well as:Tools and training of magiciansInterpreting dreamsAncient remedies for headaches, cataracts, and indigestionWrapping a mummyRecipes for magic potions and beauty creamsExplanations of amulets and pyramid powerA spell to entice a loverA fortune-telling calendarThese subjects and many more will appeal to everyone interested in Egyptology, magic, parapsychology, and the occult; or ancient religions and mythology.