It is significant that the only character in Hindu mythology, a king at that, to be given the title of ekam-patni-vrata, devoted to a single wife, is associated with the most unjust act of abandoning her in the forest to protect family reputation. This seems a deliberate souring of the narrative, made even more complex by Ram’s refusal to remarry despite the pressure on royalty to produce an heir. The intention seems to be to provoke thought on notions of fidelity, property and self-image.
And so mythologist and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik narrates the Ramayan, drawing attention to the many oral, visual and written retellings composed in different times by different poets, each one trying to solve the puzzle in their own unique way.
This book approaches Ram by speculating on Sita—her childhood with her father, Janak, who hosted sages mentioned in the Upanishads; her stay in the forest with her husband who had to be a celibate ascetic while she was in the prime of her youth; her interactions with the women of Lanka, recipes she exchanged, emotions they shared; her connection with the earth, her mother; her role as the Goddess, the untamed Kali as well as the demure Gauri, in transforming the stoic prince of Ayodhya into God. Views: 768
Can she, a lonely girl, a gifted writer, taking care of her brilliant father, ever find a way to be a regular girl, fit in with the other girls, find love and, above all experience the elusive joy of sex? Or, will sadness and loss overwhelm her completely? It seems the sorrow might win out until the entrance of the wonderful blue hat.A demonic entity will return at Midnight on All Hallows Eve to claim the lives of a child from each family. A young woman scoffs at the legend and invokes the monster's rage. She must face the truth, that he is real, and stand up to him alone to save her village.Luwynda is the only person brave enough to laugh in the face of the legendary monster who arrives to collect kids instead of candy one Halloween night. Defying prophecy, the brash girl finds herself confronting Horrendus in a hopeless effort to thwart his wicked toll. She knows a thing or two about bullies. But can she end the curse or is her village damned? From THE MACABRE MIND OF LORI R. LOPEZ, a collection of thirteen chillers. Views: 766
Six stories from the Eclective, six accounts of Celtic things. There's more than one way to go Green.Six stories from the Eclective, six accounts of Celtic things. There's more than one way to go Green.Irish Kiss by Shéa MacLeodMorgan Bailey, vampire Hunter, thought finding a Leprechaun's missing pot of gold would be easy. She couldn't have been more wrong.The Luck of the Irish Brigade by M. Edward McNallyThe Irish are fighting themselves, only because there are no other worthy opponents.Song of the Banshee by Heather Marie AdkinsBelinda has a job to do, but a dying man’s grandson may be a big problem. It’s a hard world for a lonely banshee.The Red Veil of Vengeance by Jack WallenVlad Kurvail is back and, as usual, he's pissed. This time his cold vengeance is served up to the Irish. Will their luck hold out?Zombies Eat Leprechauns by P.J. JonesWhen a zombie curse infects the Fairytale Kingdom, Lucky the Leprechaun needs the help of an idiot dragon slayer and a cross-dressing dragon to escape. Can he make it out with his pot of gold, or will Lucky's luck run out?Five Shamrocks by Alan NayesAfter her husband dies on St. Patrick's Day, life goes on for Mattie O'Malley. Views: 763
The war was over and at a Big Band dance in 1945, Emma made a crucial choice, defining the course of her life forever. Now tonight, destiny draws her back to the old Starlite Ballroom, as worn and aged as she is. Emma's given a chance to relive that fateful night and choose between two vastly different men once again. Can she make a different choice this time? Will she even dare?Many a couple met and fell in love in a Big Band ballroom. World War II was finally over, the GIs were back home, and only their futures lay before them. If only you could return to that magical time. This short story is about the age old wish of 'what if.' What if we were given a chance to go back and do things differently. Would our choices be the same, or would we take a more daring path? Views: 759
75,000 years ago, a specific group of undesireable immortals launched from Earth, sent into deep space to colonize a nearby planet. Advancements in technology since has let Earth build entire civilizations on that planet in the meantime. Now, 75,000 years later, the original ship approaches: do they allow the craft to land, or blow it out of the sky?Joey's world turned upside down after witnessing the executions of his lifelong friends. Then things start to get chaotic when someone from his childhood returns and causes more tension and forces him to remember painful memories from his past, while, at the same time, he tries to stay strong and remain intact for his friends. But after he gets shot from the same guy who killed his team, Joey wakes up to find that Ryan has been elected Mayor, and that Kyle is right there helping him. Will Joey make it out alive to be the one to save his city and friends? Or will he scream and crumble internally as he takes a bullet to his head? Views: 753
Jet-packs, Dragons, Barbarians, Dinosaurs, Magic, Space-Ships, Chainsaws and Beards. This epic tale of hilarity, emotion and adventure is the true story of Grigor: The Destructionator!The five pieces of awesome are objects scattered around the universe that grant the wielder near ultimate power. If the Evil Lord gets them first then the Universe will be thrust into a nightmareish hell, if Grigor gets them first, there's a slim chance he can save everyone. But the pieces already have owners, will Grigor and his rag tag group of comrades (including an immortal legendary pirate and a man with chainsaws for arms) get the pieces first and save the world? Or will the Evil Lord plunge the universe into indomitable darkness forever?Before Grigor even realises that he's on an amazing adventure he has to face his day job as a Viking Bank Financier. This has it's own challenges, like Evil Zombie Ninjas and even worse, a visit from the Aduit Team.A hilariously ironic slant on the space opera and fantasy epic style. Un-like anything you will ever read. Views: 752
DS Catrin Price receives a series of cryptic messages from an old school friend. When Cat visits him at his isolated house in the depths of the Brecon Beacons she discovers that his beloved daughter is missing. But she’s not the only one. Other girls in the area have been disappearing, and when one of them is found dead in an abandoned mine shaft, Cat fears the worst.
Ignoring instructions to leave the case well alone, she embarks on a desperate hunt that will take her to one of London’s most notorious drug gangs and into the darkest corners of her mind. Cat will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, but there are people who will do anything to keep it hidden – and they are watching her every move. Views: 751
(13+ Warning contains violence, horror, and mature humour) Life in the Dark Cities is harsh. Brutal serfdom is enforced with the lash and the threat of becoming dinner for a ravenous demon. For Kasus, knowledge is the power to free himself from this hellpit. However, the price could be a heavy one. Will it cost him his humanity?Magic was the province of the wealthy and well connected, or in the case of necromancy, the insane. He was not sufficiently rich or high born to train as an artiphicer or unifier. A house slave from a Dark City estate could not hope to gather the resources to become any of these, let alone access the ley-nexus locations needed to gather arcane energy. His would have to be a less orthodox route. His access to arcane knowledge, fuelled by his tremendous desire to escape would lead Kasus down a shadowed path few would dare consider. Views: 750
From the hood of Chicago, Ronnie knew ever since he was young that he was different, and that he wanted to be fabulous when he grew up, becoming one of the most talented drag queens, and meets with a entertainment manager named Lucky and moves to New Orleans to pursue his dreams! But when bad experiences leave Ronnie traumatized, he starts to rethink his dream.....It had been ages…well…years since Eddy Tall had visited his cottage on Lake Of Mists…Too long in fact…Not since Sarah died…oh some six or so years earlier. When Eddy awoke from a night’s sleep that morning he decided the time was perfect to drive up to the cottage once more. Maybe he would get a sense of his beloved wife there because the cottage was where they were the most happy during their 55 years as Mr. and Mrs. Tall. It had been their hide-away from the world of business, family and a crowd of friends that were more interested in…well…That didn’t matter anymore. Eddy had locked all that out when none of those friends took the time to see Sarah off into the nether reaches of the afterlife….where-ever that was. Views: 749
After Charley Ashe is attacked is attacked by a large black dog, his life is forever changed. And when his parents start acting weirder and weirder, he has to investigate. Luckily, with the help of a dubious magician, a hero from another time, and a few friends, Charley might have a chance of surviving Undermire and the Ancients who inhabit it.Charley Ashe is a normal enough boy, or so he thinks. After he is attacked by a large, black dog, his world is flipped upside down. With his parents acting weird and odd things happening all around him, Charley is skeptical. So, along with his three best friends, he is determined to find out what exactly is going on. This leads to a meeting with a dubious Sorcerer and a hero from a different time. When he finally unravels what is going on, and that not only he but his closest friends must travel to Undermire, a world very different from their own. He is tasked with saving Undermire from the Wilting and also from a dark force that is always on the verge of finding him. What is most chilling of all, though, is the dark prophecy saying that he will become the very thing that he must try to save Undermire from. 'In the land mired in misery and hate, The one of two will be born who may slay the eldest one. Descended of ash, he will deal in fate. To cut away the ancient sickness, Ash will battle Bone. Can the hero save his light or be doomed to fall to darkness?' Views: 747
What to do when there's something happening out there, in the world, with mysterious apparitions and a new disease that threatens the entire city?There's something outside, over the street corner, inside the hospital... And it is using people, devouring them, invading society like a parasite...Dusk has fallen, Hildur is asleep, when granny arrives, for dinner. And she isn't a vegetarian.Caution: This is no lovey-dovey modern version of vampires. You are warned. It's also possibly the darkest of all stories in the series. Won't say more, because it'll be a spoiler.--Matilda Mathildis is a series of stories about Matilda, and about others who impact on her life.Each story is different, however they all come under the general umbrella of realistic fantasy: that is fantasy that could theoretically exist in the real world (sorry, no witches on broomsticks).Many of the stories are free. Those ebooks which aren’t have a free sample read, so kindly enjoy. Views: 744
An up-and-coming professor of mystery religions and the occult performs a Tarot divination on himself at the urging of his students -- and finds he will be murdered within the next three days.Nikolai is a young, up-and-coming professor of the occult and mystery religions at a prestigious Midwestern university. He has it all: a half-dozen books on the way, a beautiful and intelligent fiancee, and a classroom full of students who idolize him as a minor deity.All that changes, however, when he is urged by his students to perform a Tarot divination on himself, and finds that something catastrophic will happen... in the next three days.Cultic is the (short) story of one man's frantic search for his possible killer, a race against time as he desperately fights off both paranoid delusions and his own internal demons. Views: 742
Office politics and sex make for uneasy bedfellows as Jennifer, a twelve year veteran, is about to find out. It’s an age old story, a powerful man exchanging position and prominence for sexual favors. Same old, same old... Unless, Jennifer can turn the tide and change the story?Just a little…Haunting – These tomes of terror will stay with you long after you put your book down and go to bed for the evening. They’ve been known to burrow themselves into a reader’s imagination and are capable of warping dreams into twisted, unspeakable nightmares.Just a little…Unique – These aren’t your standard horror stories. Don’t think this collection will include tales of haunted mansions, or blood sucking vampires. Expect one-of-a-kind takes on every gothic ghoul and hideous monster you read about in this book.Just a little…Frightening – Prepare yourself for some of the most chilling flash fiction ever penned. The mad genius, Vincent V. Cava, has done it again with the latest entry in his creepy catalogue. Do yourself a favor and leave the lights on when you read it.Just A Little…Terrible Views: 739
Monsters are abundant in Arlynd. Hunters defend their hometowns against them so that everyone else may go about their lives. But something has the beasts riled up. Gimey, a longtime hunter and resident of Quarry Town sees this and when a pair of mysterious visitors come to town he is thrust into a journey that takes him far from home in search of the true threat to Quarry and all of Arlynd.Monsters are everywhere in Arlynd. They steal crops and livestock from farmers, and occasionally attack people. They’re a nuisance in every town and village. It’s always been this way. Hunters defend their hometowns against monsters so that everyone else may go about their lives. Over the generations people have learned to cope with monsters. But something is changing that. The monsters are growing in number. They are attacking more ferociously and strategically. If things continue this way, monsters threaten to overrun all of Arlynd.But what is behind this change in behavior? Grimey, a longtime hunter from the small town of Quarry, wants to figure this out. When a pair or mysterious visitors come to Quarry, Grimey finds himself thrust into a journey that takes him far from home to discover the true threat to Quarry and all of Arlynd. Views: 735
On this cursed night each year, The Goddess’s powerful magic lingers in the air. The moon and seas turn red, stirring violence in all those creatures dark of soul. Lady Dessi Quinn has vowed not to leave the castle on such a dangerous night. Instead, she longs to explore the strange connection between Lord Smit Croswell and herself, even as she tries to deny it."The Goddess of the Sea no longer cares just for sacrifices; she’ll punish all those tainted by blood on The Feast of Darkness."On this cursed night each year, The Goddess’s powerful magic lingers in the air. The moon and seas turn red, stirring violence in all those creatures dark of soul. Lady Dessi Quinn has vowed not to leave the castle on such a dangerous night. Instead, she longs to explore the strange connection between Lord Smit Croswell and herself, even as she tries to deny it.But as the night progresses, events outside of her control force her to make an impossible choice. A choice that will throw her into danger and change the course of her life forever.If she can survive it.Note: “The Goddess of the Sea” takes place in the world of Tarak, but readers can either enjoy this short story before or after "To Kill a Wizard." Views: 734
