Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Rebecca Buchanan

Alternate history. Apocalyptic. Biopunk. Cyberpunk. Dystopia. Ecological. Far future. Feminist. Gaslight. Lost world. Marxist. Military. Parallel world. Planetary romance. Space opera. Space western. Steampunk. Superhero. Time travel. Utopia. As a genre, science fiction is difficult to define. So, perhaps the best definition is also the broadest: science fiction as a genre deals with imaginary, but plausible and logically constructed, worlds in which the implications and consequences of cultural, environmental, and scientific change and innovation are explored. With its limitless potential for world-building -- and real world influence -- science fiction is also a genre rich in possibility for Pagan authors and readers alike, but one which has been sadly neglected. With The Shining Cities, we add one more to that short list of works. In these pages you will find tales that run the gamut from humorous to ecological to anthropological to time travel to space fantasy to space opera to steampunk. It is our hope that The Shining Cities will be only the most recent addition to an ever-growing catalogue of Pagan science fiction. Enjoy!

An Anthology of Pagan Science Fiction

The Shining Cities

Davide Mana

Stewart Sternberg

All New Malevolent Mysteries and Perplexing Puzzles where Sherlock Holmes works with Classic and New Occult DetectivesAs Carnacki the Ghost Finder, the famous literary occult detective, once said: "I view all reported 'hauntings' as unproven until I have examined into them, and I am bound to admit that ninety-nine cases out of a hundred turn out to be sheer bosh and fancy."In these pages, a range of contemporary authors explore 'what happens next' when the Great Detective confronts mysteries which question reason. A summons from Irene Adler's daughter; a chance encounter with one of Houdini's fraud investigators; the enigma of Dr John Silence. Mysterious events at Mary Morstan's old school, and a threat to Queen Victoria. The return of the German agent Von Bork, somewhat changed, and a desperate hunt for a killer through the alleys of London with none other than Professor Van Helsing.Join us in the first volume of this two volume anthology as Holmes finds himself working with psychic investigators old and new in pursuit of answers, and must confront his own scepticism. Tales in the traditional style - but with a twist. Can Holmes's logic work alongside the occult detectives' willingness to embrace another set of rules entirely? Paranormal - or poppycock?

Sherlock Holmes and the Occult Detectives Volume One

Melitta Benu

Demeter. Ancient and modern devotees alike know Demeter to be a complex Goddess. As demonstrated by the poetry, essays, short fiction, and artwork collected in this anthology, she is a Goddess of many guises. Some devotees see her as an aspect of the Great Goddess, the source of all creation. For others, She is part of a fluid trinity, encompassing the phases of a woman's life and the cycles of the year. Some experience Demeter as identical to the Roman Ceres, while still others consider them distinct entities. Some honor her as the Mistress of Good Green Growing Things, Lady of Herbs and Fruit, Queen of Flowers and Bees, She Who Bears the Golden Scythe, The Great Sow who taught us the use and preservation of seeds and who continues to bless our farms and gardens. Others experience her as the Law-Giver, whose gifts not only allowed humans to gather and thrive, but also necessitated the creation of customs and laws to ensure right behavior and the survival of civilization. For still other devotees, She is The Great Mother, The Destroyer, The Black Mare, Dark with Rage, Bringer of the Fallow Season, Mother of the Maiden who holds the world hostage until her daughter is returned. And for still others She is the Giver of the Mysteries, Overseer of Initiations, The Purifying One whose rites reveal secret truths and promise a blessed afterlife. She is all of these, and so much more. She is Demeter, Goddess most worthy of our devotion.

A Devotional Anthology in Honor of Demeter

Potnia

The world's oldest literature is pagan. For thousands of years before the monotheistic traditions rose to dominance in the West, pagans told stories about the loves and miseries and adventures of Gods and Goddesses, heroes and witches and warriors. The Pagans of the contemporary world, in addition to rediscovering the Gods and heroes of old, are also writing for those Gods and heroes. "Alexander's Heart" is a science fiction tale set in a distant future ruled by the descendants of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. "Devourer" finds the Egyptian Goddess Bast in modern-day Louisiana, while "The Flower in the Dark" addresses political oppression and liberty. "Footprints" follows the Olympian Queen of the Gods to contemporary Florida, while "Orion: An EcoFable" explores the nature of environmental responsibility and the consequences of human arrogance. Finally, "A Witch Among Wolves" centers around a Lithuanian ragana, a devotee of the Horned Lord of the Underworld.

A Witch Among Wolves

Fairy Tale: a wonder tale or magic tale that typically features dwarfs, dragons, elves, fairies, mermaids, talking animals, trolls, unicorns, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. Myth: a sacred story of the gods; a religious account of the beginning of the world; the deeds of Gods and heroes; as a result of which the world, nature, and culture were created and given order. The Fox and the Rose combines the best of both of these traditions, literary and spiritual, magical and mystical. Most of the tales in this collection follow the recognizable fairy tale scheme: once, in such-and-such a land, there lived .... There are tests to pass and promises to keep and, if the hero proves worthy, a happily ever after is won. Sometimes, though, the endings are bittersweet or justly tragic, particularly when promises are broken, pride overrules compassion, and respect is denied.

The Fox and the Rose: And Other Pagan Faerie Tales

Death. As mortals we long for those who have been separated from us by the veil of death. We venerate ancestors, known and unknown; we grieve for love ones lost; we ready ourselves for death, or fear it deeply as the ultimate unknown. In Hellenic tradition, the god who rules beyond the veil is called many things. Most often, He is referred to as Hades, a name also given to His realm. He is a somber god, for the most part, one too aware of the responsibilities He bears. But He has a queen by His side to share the burden, His beloved Persephone; and a host of attendants, such as the Ferryman, the Lord of Dreams, the Lord of Sleep, Mother Night, and His great three-headed guard dog.In this volume, you will find poems and short stories, essays and rites which honor the God Below, the Lord of Riches, the Bearer of the Helm of Invisibility. For to fail to honor Him, to fail to recognize His inescapability, is to court disaster; even madness. For there is no avoiding death, and someday we shall all find ourselves His subjects.Xaire, Haides and your host of many! May our inevitable knowledge of you not come too swiftly, or be delayed overlong past when mercy is preferable.

Hades and His Retinue

Host of Many

Born of two Human Mortal parents, Alick Sterling never knew of the prophecy that spoke of his birth and destiny. What then was he to believe when a beautiful temptress, claiming to be of another time, began spouting wild stories about him being an Immortal Human who possessed extraordinary powers? A powerful Vampire no less, with enormous responsibilities toward a supernatural race...a race that cannot possibly exist.After being ripped from her own time, Psyche Fatima, a Twenty-first Century vampire, finds herself stranded in Eighteenth Century New Salem with a darkly exotic man who believes her to be a witch. Psyche quickly learns that her fate, and that of the Vamprý Nation, all depends on this one incredibly superstitious and infuriating man. Their time is growing short, and Psyche fears that if she fails to convince Alick to embrace his true nature, the man that she is destined to spend eternity with, the man who has stolen her heart, will forever be lost. The darkness that seeks to enslave his soul will consume him, right along with the proud Nation he was meant to protect...

Rebecca Buchanan

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