The life of Hephaestus, god of fire, abounded with intrigue, mystery, and excitement. Who was Hephaestus’ father? Why does Hera refuse to reveal his name? Why doesn’t Hephaestus reveal the recipient of his special gift, the bronze net? Hephaestus’ life as portrayed in Greek and Roman myths was filled with rejection and deception. Yet this god did not let the negative experiences of life stop him from seeking love and companionship. Hephaestus is shown as a god of pride, hope, and compassion. Though he sometimes struggles to make the right decision, he manages, like most of us, to find the right answer within himself.

Gifted with metahuman powers in a world full of capes and villains, Tori Rivas kept away from the limelight, preferring to work as a thief in the shadows. But when she's captured trying to rob a vault that belongs to a secret guild of villains, she's offered a hard choice: prove she has what it takes to join them or be eliminated. Apprenticed to one of the world's most powerful (and supposedly dead) villains, she is thrust into a strange world where the lines that divide superheroes and criminals are more complex than they seem. The education of a villain is not an easy one, and Tori will have to learn quickly if she wants to survive. On top of the peril she faces from her own teacher, there are also the capes and fellow apprentices to worry about, to say nothing of having to keep up a civilian cover. Most dangerous of all, though, are those who loathe the guild's very existence. Old grudges mean some are willing to go to any length to see the guild turned to ash, along with each one of its members. Even the lowly apprentices.

Young readers are introduced to some of the most exciting figures in Greek mythology in this vibrant new series. Each title describes the responsibilities and characteristics of a featured god or goddess. A detailed mythological family tree also provides useful background information. The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece series is sure to inspire a fascination for mythology and a love of reading. Each Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece title features easy-to-read text, stunning visuals, and a challenging educational activity. Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece is a series of AV2 media enhanced books. A unique book code printed on page 2 unlocks multimedia content. These books come alive with video, audio, weblinks, slide shows, activities, hands-on experiments, and much more.

When Jim Martin, an outcast chemist at Hamilton Pharmaceuticals, finds his true love in the arms of another man, his mind cracks, bringing forth Hephaestus, the Greek God of fire. Like Jim, Hephaestus once found his Aphrodite in the arms of Ares. Enraged, Jim surrenders to Hephaestus, the only one who truly understands him. Through Jim's creations Hephaestus punishes those that violated them, bringing death and destruction to those who get in their way. Jason Roberts is the lead detective in the Hephaestus murders, some of the most brutal murders that have ever occurred in River Valley. A small smith's hammer branded on the only remaining skin of the victims is the only clue Jason has to go on, and time is running out. With the Hephaestus murders multiplying, Jason is becoming increasingly overwhelmed, and could meet his own sticky end before this brutal psychotic is stopped. Cindi Sullivan has been dating Jason for years now, but lately he has been strangely distant. When she meets a nice man at a party she decides to keep her options open, despite the strange behavior of her suitor. He seems fascinated with her looks, and obsessed with Greek mythology. Will Jason be able to catch the Hephaestus killer and keep Cindi from becoming a mortal Aphrodite? Will Jim be able to come to grips with reality? And how many more will have to die to satisfy the vengeance of Hephaestus?

"Will you write about us, too?" she said after a while. "Will you write about how happy we were when we stood here together?" "I'll try to," I said. "It's a hard thing to write about. Nobody wants to read about two people who are happy. People like stories much better where everyone is unhappy and nothing works out." - from Hephaestus Thomas Tull's vivid debut chronicles a romantic relationship from beginning to end. James and Katherine meet in college, date, get married, honeymoon, grow old. The life they lived on the world's center stage - as the young and promising married couple - fades into unremarkable middle age. James' work doesn't interest him, and he drinks too much; Katherine lives a life separate but contained within their shared life. Hephaestus is a stark, poetic, and unflinching look at the slow and unprotested ebbing of youth and all of its promise. Written by Thomas Tull Cover design by Tom Maven

Each of the contributions in this book addresses - through its own peculiar perspective, method and experimental style - a new way to approach the role of transcendence in socio-cultural life.In the Occidental history of ideas, the notion of transcendence has received at least three canonical articulations that are challenged by this book: religious (Judeo-Christian traditions), philosophical (Platonic-intellectual universality of ideas), and scientific (the objective and technological turn of knowledge). Nonetheless, it is with the rise of cybernetics, with its digital and virtual modalities of systems, networks, and knowledge, that our human environment emerges as a source of knowledge in itself --.