The launch of a towering new fantasy series introduces an elaborate new world, a strange and dark system of magic, and a cast of compelling characters and monsters.

The God of the Old Testament can shock readers of the Bible: he drowns his creation in the flood, requires Abraham to sacrifice his son, destroys the first-born of the Egyptians the night before the exodus, and ruthlessly eliminates the Israelites who were devoted to the worship of the golden calf. Throughout the centuries, many Christians and philosophers have rejected all or part of the Old Testament because of these divine characteristics that violently contrast with the image of the good and kind God of the New Testament. So can we believe in a God who is macho, cruel, despotic, or who even indulges in ethnic cleansing? Thomas Römer puts forward a reinterpretation of these difficult passages in the light of the most recent research into the Old Testament. For the author, the characteristics that God appears to have, and that at first seem repulsive, are aimed at preserving the faith from dogmatic complacency by instilling in mankind the unexpected vision of a God who is engaged with the real life of humanity. This work is a widely revised and augmented reissue of the older version that was published in 1996. It includes a new chapter: Is God sanctimonious and are human beings sinners? Book jacket.

A forthright but compassionate work that examines the problem of doubt thoroughly, in a way that will respond to people's questions, settle their fears and strengthen their faith.

Graduate student Jeremy Freirs and Aspiring dancer Carol Conklin, summering in the New Jersey village of Gilead, are trapped in a nightmare of terror, with an evil force emanating from a place once called Maquineanok, the Place of Burning.

Ever since Marvel comics retooled and relaunched it's Asgardian super hero Thor a year and a half ago, the Norse God of Thunder's adventures have been one of the best selling comic books in the industry. And no story better typifies the style of action and drama that is taking readers by storm than this one. Upon his return from an adventure in an alternate universe, Thor had discovered Asgard in ruins and his fellow gods missing, perhaps dead. On top of that, a brush with death forced the Thunder God to merge with a mortal, emergency medical technician Jake Olson. Now, Thor faces his greatest challenge yet as he must confront the mysterious Dark Gods who destroyed his homeland, and free his people from the chains of repression. Equal parts Wagnerian splendor and Shakespearian tragedy, this tale unfolds with powerful visuals that reimagine the legends of Norse mythology and merge them seamlessly with the technological sensibilities of today.