**A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection **Recommended by the New York Public Library among its list of '50 Best New Comics for Adults' in 2023 What happens when the living risk their lives to save the souls of the dead? Every summer, in an isolated Japanese village, a celebration known as the Festival of Shadows takes place. The villagers are entrusted to assist the troubled souls or "shadows" of those who died tragically, and to help them come to terms with their deaths and find eternal peace. Naoko, a young girl born in the village, is given a year to save the soul of a mysterious young man. She develops strong feelings for her shadow—a handsome young man, an artist—but he seems haunted by a terrible secret. She has a year to find out what happened to him, to help him come to terms with his past, and if she fails, his soul will be lost forever… As the year goes by, Naoko finds herself teetering between the worlds of the living and the dead. What is the terrible secret that seems to be haunting her shadow? And could she be risking her own life to help someone who has already lost his? Naoko puts her own life on the line to save the soul of this man she loves, in an exciting, moving and beautifully drawn story that takes the reader on a journey from the beautiful Japanese countryside to glamorous Tokyo art world.

Teddy bears, quirky humor, sword & sorcery, dark fantasy, contemporary fantasy, thriller, action-adventure, paranormal, magic, dragons, toys, ghosts

This study builds upon recent scholarship exploring the significance of the Old Testament covenant metaphor in the Johannine writings. By examining the Gospel of John as a whole through a narrative lens and focusing on several key dialogues, the author sheds light on the dialogical nature of the revelatory process and the central role of covenant for the Fourth Evangelist. Also incorporating recent scholarship that suggests the evangelist understood himself to be writing Scripture based upon fulfillment language present in summary statements across the Gospel, and demonstrating a relationship between the Fourth Gospel and ancient drama that renders speech as action, this work attempts to construct a new paradigm for reading John against the background of the Old Testament covenant metaphor. The claim is twofold: the Johannine story of Jesus Christ is a carefully crafted literary treatise theologically underpinned by discourse on covenant and Scripture, and the Fourth Evangelist provides catechesis to a believing community on the nature of its faith in the God of Israel's ongoing covenant with the created order. By grasping the theological fabric of the evangelist, the richness of the dialogue and imagery of his Gospel is allowed to have its full voice in terms of covenant fulfillment and the ongoing commitment of God to a believing people.

First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Something dark stirs within the peaceful walls of the prosperous town of Graywall, something only the mysterious vigilante known as The Shadow can overcome. Torn between a sense of justice and a desire for revenge, The Shadow is the nobleman Sir Calan, who must use his skills to assist the Lord of Graywall. When Sir Calan is sent to hunt down smugglers who have run rampant after the levying of a harsh tax by King Edward, he learns of a plot against the just ruler of the town, Lord Shaufton. To thwart this plot, Calan enters a pseudo courtship with Shaufton's daughter under the guise of Sir Calan, even as he wrestles with emotions stirred by the lovely Elsbeth, Lord Shaufton's niece. Elsbeth may be the only person who can heal Calan's troubled soul, but she has secrets of her own. Rife with deceit, greed, and betrayal, Shadow of Valor is a timeless tale of honor, love, and redemption.