Many centuries ago, before Robin, before King Richard and Prince John, before even Herne the Hunter, there was Sherwood Forest. And at the heart of it, mystical paths were drawn together to protect the future. But something or someone in Robin’s time has chosen now to make a stand and destroy the past, the present and the future; with the help of the dragons, the ancient beasts of legend. And it will take a true hero to stop them. Alone and bewildered, Robin must put right a blood-debt he had no idea had even been raised. And who will fight at his side? Should he fail, Sherwood will merely be the first loss that England will face - and not the last… Here Be Dragons is the fourteenth book in Spiteful Puppet’s Robin of Sherwood collection, based in the Robin Hood universe of the classic ITV series.

Why do we find polar bears only in the Arctic and penguins only in the Antarctic? Why do oceanic islands often have many types of birds but no large native mammals? As Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace travelled across distant lands studying the wildlife they both noticed that the distribution of plants and animals formed striking patterns - patterns that held strong clues to the past of the planet. The study of the spatial distribution of living things is known as biogeography. It is a field that could be said to have begun with Darwin and Wallace. In this lively book, Denis McCarthy tells the story of biogeography, from the 19th century to its growth into a major field of interdisciplinary research in the present day. It is a story that encompasses two great, insightful theories that were to provide the explanations to the strange patterns of life across the world - evolution, and plate tectonics. We find animals and plants where we do because, over time, the continents have moved, separating and coalescing in a long, slow dance; because sea levels have risen, cutting off one bit of land from another, and fallen, creating land bridges; because new and barren volcanic islands have risen up from the sea; and because animals and plants vary greatly in their ability to travel, and separation has caused the formation of new species. The story of biogeography is the story of how life has responded and has in turn altered the ever changing Earth. It is a narrative that includes many fascinating tales - of pygmy mammoths and elephant birds; of changing landscapes; of radical ideas by bold young scientists first dismissed and later, with vastly growing evidence, widely accepted. The story is not yet done: there are still questions to be answered and biogeography is a lively area of research and debate. But our view of the planet has been changed profoundly by biogeography and its related fields: the emerging understanding is of a deeply interconnected system in which life and physical forces interact dynamically in space and time.

Children will love this funny, witty and hugely enjoyable book about a very silly knight who goes in search of a dragon! This book is about a knight on a mission: to find and slay a dragon. The other knights have told him that there's no such thing as dragons, but he doesn't care. For he has a map, and the map says: "HERE BE DRAGONS!" He travels right to the spot marked "X" ... past treasure, suspicious bones, and many signs telling him to turn back. He wanders up and down a huge, spiky hill (the dragon's back) shouts into a burrow (the dragon's nose) and eventually walks into a cave (the dragon's mouth)... Will the hapless knight see the dragon before it's too late?! Young readers will love spotting the dragon in the background in this laugh-out-loud story. Beautiful and comedic illustrations with hidden clues hinting at the dragon's whereabouts accompany funny and lively text, which young readers and their parents alike will love to read aloud!

First in-depth study of the use of landscape in fantasy literature

The 21st century will most likely see even more revolutionary changes than the 20th, due to advances in science, technology and medicine. Particular areas where extraordinary and perhaps disruptive advances can be expected include biotechnology, nanotechnology, and machine intelligence. We may also expect various ways to enhance human cognitive and other abilities using, e.g., pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering or machine-brain interfaces - perhaps to the extent of changing human nature beyond what we currently think of as human. The potential benefits of all these technologies are enormous, but so are the risks, including the possibility of human extinction.

The year is 1917. Following the sudden death of his Professor, a young man and his two companions are approached by a strange man who gives them a book to safeguard. This book, the Imaginarium Geographica, is the reason the Professor was killed, and now, they too are in mortal danger. Chased by the ferocious Wendigo, half-man half-werewolf creatures, the three companions seek refuge on a ship - a ship that leads them to the extraordinary lands of myth and legend mapped in the precious book they carry. As their adventure unfolds we learn that the friends are in fact C.S Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien and Charles Williams - and as they discover that events in the known world mirror those in the imaginary realm, they come to realise the importance of the Imaginarium Geographica , and if not protected, there will be no peace from the war that rages in our world.

"Here Be Dragons is a wonderful little gem of a book. It's clever, it's funny, and it's just so heart-breakingly wholesome." The Fantasy Inn A mid-life crisis, a castle gardener, an unfaithful steed, a dastardly hero, a merciless king, and a dragon that needs saving. With heroes this bad who needs villains... When Orus graduated from the Cromalot School for Heroes he was ready for a life of glory and adventure. But after being seduced by his first damsel in distress, he quickly learns the heroing life doesn't bring in the steady income required to raise a family. Twenty years later, with his son all grown up and his waistband all grown out, a favour for a friend gives Orus one last shot at the life he always wanted. But any old hero can slay a dragon, this old hero has to save one. Perfect for fans of authors such as Sir Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, Here Be Dragons is an action packed, comic fantasy full of unexpected heroes, dastardly villains, chases, escapes, questionable employment practises, ill-fitting trousers and an ill-tempered donkey (as if there was any other kind).