Bantam Elf tried to do every job at the North Pole shoe factory, but everything he tried ended in disaster. The other elves called him "the bottom shelf elf" because the only job he could do was stack shoeboxes on the bottom shelf of the ware house. But Bantam knew he was meant to do something greater, and one day he set out to find it. What he ended up finding was a horse, a couple of wise men, a very important baby, and the greatest gift you could ever give. Bantam may have once been called the bottom shelf elf, but on one special day in December, he became the greatest elf in history...

The elves are dying. An energetic, peaceful, agrarian people, their idyllic existence is threatened now by the spectre of extinction. Their birth-rate has plummeted and their numbers are dwindling. In less than three centuries they will have died out completely. Inspired by the ancient legends of her people, Arabella-the free-thinking daughter of a simple goatherd-sets out to find the kind of magic that might save her race. The only problem is that magic exists in only one place-the world which they had fled over two thousand years ago to escape persecution and genocide. The world of man. Joe Brennan left Pittsburgh to assume the position of a small-town police chief. It promises peace and quiet and an escape from the fear and stress of the cruel city streets. But just as he's getting settled in, he discovers that there is something creeping around the small town of Kirbyville-something no one has encountered in over two millennia.

'Powerful' Guardian 'Haunting' Independent How close can you get to the truth...before you become the target? Jerry Morner lives quietly in a cabin by the old quarry, hurting no one. Or that’s what he wants people to believe. It takes one spark and a can of petrol to expose the truth. The fire is deadly. Not for Jerry, but for the two strangers found burnt to death inside. His son starts to search for answers. But he soon realises that some secrets are better left to the dead.

WHERE NOBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME… Things don’t rise to gutters, they fall there. Same with back alleys and dumpsters. Same with graves. Running the shadows comes with ups and downs, but you never know where those rises and falls will take you. What someone else might call rock bottom…you might call Tuesday. Collected here for the first time, read Russell Zimmerman’s Shadowrun tales of winners, losers, and edge cases constantly somewhere in between. No longer just scattered across sourcebooks and decades, here you can find every short story and intro fiction featuring everyone’s favorite shadow legends rubbing elbows with wannabes and not-shadowrunners-at-all-just-ask-them. But it’s not all yesterday’s news, chummers. More than just a collection of previously published fiction, between these covers you’ll find a handful of brand-new stories, including a classic, pre-On the Rocks Jimmy Kincaid yarn. Also, each one comes with brand new commentary by the author, written expressly for this volume. Enjoy short stories about hearts and souls, elves and trolls, and rock and roll? Then join us here, and explore these dark streets…

Time marches on... Santas and Elves come and go at the North Pole complex. For some the reasons they choose to leave are personal, for others it's a dismissal. Santa's annual Mission must never fail despite how each passing year adds complexity amidst a world plagued by endless wars and upheavals. The denizens of the North are not secluded from the human world's problems. The complex is not the utopia it was intended to be. Those who call this place home must come to terms with the turbulence of history and not allow personal issues to disrupt their commitments. Long before Mistletoe Green came along there was another, far sinister elf who used the marvels of the North Pole for her own agenda at the peril of both Santa and elf. Anna, Tetsu, and Hilda will each face challenges that threaten their legacies and centuries old friendships. About the series: The Magi Charter For over two thousand years the legend of Santa Claus has endured. His is a Mission of peace as outlined in the Magi Charter, given to the first Santa by the Child. From humble beginnings, following that First Christmas, the Santa lineage has been passed down through the ages. This epic adventure tells the story of those Santas from the founding of the North Pole and the origin of the ancient elves, to our modern times where the world's problems affect even those in the secluded complex of the North, and concluding in the distant future which finds Santa and the elves committed to their mission on a galactic scale where Christmas traditions are barely recognizable. In every era, those committed to the Mission must find a way to deliver that which is needed most to those most deserving.

Catlorian By R. L. Pool “Wanted: Persons of skill and daring to undertake, for gain and adventure, a quest for knowledge.” So comes the summons from within Catlorian. From all around the call is answered, each adventurer with a unique motivation to seek treasure, revenge, and—above all—truth. Coincidence brought them together—or was it the Fates? Now, they must depend on each other for their success, for their survival, and for the good of the worlds around them. Nothing is ever as it seems in Catlorian, and nothing is ever simple. And, as the strangely mixed group begins to find out, everyone has their own secret.

As libraries strive to maintain collections with limited space, many have turned to high-efficiency, off-site shelving facilities. This work addresses virtually all major issues in planning, building, and operating high-density storage. Using the Harvard Depository model, but applying the issues and activities to other models as well, a host of contributors cover such issues as governance and cost, design and construction, preservation, selection, pre-shelving preparation, systems, access and management, services, and transportation. An essential guide to anyone considering or involved in high efficiency shelving, this book is also a valuable reference.

Twelve strangers from all walks of life unite by their determination to risk it all to pursue their dreams and uplift their people. While a prophecy preoccupies the two powers that be – a benevolent Empire tangled up in bureaucracy versus the resentful reactionaries festering in the Empire’s shadows – the twelve heroes find themselves embroiled in a fight to overthrow a corrupt Queen and demand democracy for a revolting working class that has had enough!

Ten-year-old Eglantine's visit to Cornwall is an enchanted experience, as she bounds head first into an encounter with tiny elemental beings: magical elves that bestow the gift of communication with animals, and she is caught up in a race against time to return them safely to their own realm. Drawing from folklore and the ancient fairy traditions, the story focuses on the places in nature where such supernatural spirit entities can be found. This children's fantasy is also suitable for older readers of all ages, and features color illustrations by the author.