Mai ha tredici anni e non vuole più andare a scuola. La madre, preoccupata, decide di mandarla a stare dalla nonna per un po', in una bella casetta nella campagna giapponese sul limitare dei monti. La nonna è una signora inglese ormai vedova, arrivata in Giappone molti anni prima e rimasta lì per amore. Sia Mai che la madre si riferiscono a lei come la "Strega dell'Ovest", ma nel momento in cui la nonna le rivela di possedere realmente dei poteri magici, Mai rimane incredula e diffidente. Quando però le propone di affrontare il duro addestramento da strega, accetta senza esitazioni. Immerse nella natura incontaminata del Giappone più remoto, nonna e nipote passano insieme settimane meravigliose in raccoglimento, lontane dalla frenesia della vita di città, a lavorare nell'orto, raccogliere erbe selvatiche e cucinare, oltre a dedicarsi, naturalmente, a quelli che sono, secondo la nonna, i rudimenti di base per una giovane strega. A questa storia catartica e rivelatrice, negli anni, l'autrice ha voluto aggiungere tre brevi racconti che ne riprendono i personaggi e l'ambientazione e che proponiamo fedelmente nella presente edizione.

The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power. What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . . Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day. Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.

Após o término do Segundo Teste Bruxo, Beldarut, um dos três Sábios, conta o passado de Qifrey. Coco, que sobrepõe sua relação com a mãe com a busca pela magia por Qifrey, decide ir sozinha até a Torre de Livros. Será que ali ela encontrará a resposta que procura? Qifrey vai atrás de Coco após recobrar a consciência. Por sua vez, Coco começa a questionar o fato de ter se tornado uma bruxa. Preocupado com o amigo, Orugio guarda uma suspeita. Na torre do conhecimento vigiada por monstros mágicos, os laços entre amigo, professor e aluna serão testados.

El segundo examen de magia queda cancelado tras los graves acontecimientos que se producen durante su realización, motivados por el ataque de un sombrero de ala y el despertar de las estatuas de oro de la gruta de romonoon. Con qifrey herido de gravedad, orugio se encarga de Coco y sus compañeras, que Afortunadamente se encuentran sanas y salvas. Sin embargo, se les comunica el deber de acudir todos de inmediato al gran Auditorio para explicar lo sucedido. Allí las niñas conocen al gran sabio beldarut, ¡que las sorprende con una increíble propuesta...!

Di tengah pelaksanaan Ujian Kedua, Euinie yang bersama Agate dan Riche, diserang anggota Gerombolan Topi Bertepi yang mengubah tubuhnya menjadi serigala menggunakan sihir terlarang. Rupanya mereka mendekati para murid penyihir itu dengan tujuan tertentu.... Di sisi lain, Coco dan kawan-kawan yang pergi menemani ke lokasi ujian, dikepung oleh rakyat Lomonone yang mendendam pada penyihir. Apa yang sebaiknya Coco dan kawan-kawan lakukan sementara Qiflee yang menjadi tumpuan, malah terluka parah?

Coco, si "Tak Tahu" yang bercita-cita menjadi penyihir, memiliki teman satu atelier bernama Agate yang berambisi mengikuti "Ujian Kedua" agar mendapatkan izin menggunakan sihir di depan orang lain. Coco dan teman-temannya yang lain pun turut serta ke lokasi ujian diselenggarakan, tetapi mereka tidak sadar bahwa gerombolan "Topi Bertepi" yang menggunakan sihir terlarang juga hadir di sana! Dengan pikiran penuh pertanyaan tentang sihir yang “benar” itu seperti apa, para pengejar mimpi itu kini dihadapkan pada rasa tidak sabar dan konflik emosi yang tiada habis!

The time of reckoning has arrived. As a final genocidal Crusade threatens to enslave humanity forever, a new messiah has come of age. She is Aenea and she has undergone a strange apprenticeship to those known as the Others. Now her protector, Raul Endymion, one-time shepherd and convicted murderer, must help her deliver her startling message to her growing army of disciples. But first they must embark on a final spectacular mission to discover the underlying meaning of the universe itself. They have been followed on their journey by the mysterious Shrike--monster, angel, killing machine--who is about to reveal the long-held secret of its origin and purpose. And on the planet of Hyperion, where the story first began, the final revelation will be delivered--an apocalyptic message that unlocks the secrets of existence and the fate of humankind in the galaxy.

The multiple-award-winning SF master returns to the universe that is his greatest success--the world of Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion--to tell a story of love and memory, triumph and terror in a novel even more magnificent than its predecessors. Two hundred and seventy-four years after the fall of the WorldWeb in Fall of Hyperion, Raoul Endymion is sent on a quest. Retrieving Aenea from the Sphinx before the Church troops reach her is only the beginning. With help from a blue-skinned android named A. Bettik, Raoul and Aenea travel the river Tethys, pursued by Father Captain Frederico DeSoya, an influential warrior-priest and his troops. The shrike continues to make enigmatic appearances, and while many questions were raised in Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion, still more are raised here. Raoul's quest will continue.

In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come. Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose. To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be. The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate. When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.