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Murder by Magic is an anthology of short fantasy style stories made to be mysteries. It was published in 2004 by Aspect, a division of Warner Books, and was edited by Rosemary Edghill. [1] It has a total of twenty stories, with the book broken down in five sections. Each story has a small bit of information on the author before the story itself.
Piece of Mind by Jennifer Roberson: A divorced cop turned private detective gets a new neighbor with some dogs. He learns that she has the power to communicate with animals and asks her to help him on the case that he had been obsessed with that led to his divorce and leaving the police force.
Special Surprise Guest Appearance By... from Carole Nelson Douglas: [2] When a former assistant shows up as a new stage magician named Majicka, a Las Vegas magician wonders about her newest trick. He offers to pay the sum of one million dollars to see how it worked. Enough money to have saved her son if he were still alive from the disease. Turns out the trick is not ALL mirrors.
Dopplegangster by Laura Resnik: [3] Mobsters are being killed and turning up dead in strange ways. Shot in the chest through bulletproof vest and in rooms with one entrance that no one passed through. The strangest part of all, each of the victims see themselves shortly before they're killed.
Mixed Marriages Can Be Murder by Will Graham: Mr. and Mrs. Steele are a pair of private investigators hired to prevent a new program from being stolen before it can reach production. If someone is not careful, they may just find out that the loving couple are not always as sweet and charming as they always seem.
The Case of The Headless Corpse by Josepha Sherman: When the Randolph Dexter, head of Dexter Arcane Industries, is found dead with his head missing, it is up to agents Wren and Coyote of the Magical Bureau of Investigation to solve the case. When the killer turns out to be a monster from another dimension that is unaffected by magic, it's up to the agents to figure out how to send it home before it kills again.
A Death in the Working by Debra Doyle: Set in an alternate reality and written as though it were a historical story from that realm. Inquestor-Principal Jerre syn-Casleyin is assigned to investigate the death of a mage whose brother believes did not die of natural causes as claimed, but was murdered for his money. (Additional note: Debra Doyle helped Rosemary Edghill come up with the idea for the book)
Cold Case by Diane Duane: Detective Sergeant Rob DeFalco has the ability to speak to ghosts and works on cases for the police where he speaks to the victims of the murder to solve the cases which have been put on hold for a while. He is assigned to discover the killer of Tamara Eldridge, but there's another death to be figured out.
Snake in the Grass by Susan R. Matthews: When Austin is killed by a Kinsey snake supposedly when performing the Taber rite, Galen is asked to catch the snake responsible. The god known as King Snake, however, wants Galen back, and hints that Austin was not responsible as it seemed.
Double Jeopardy by M.J. Hamilton: When Isadore is killed, and her amulet is stolen, it is up to her sister Lillith to keep reclaim the lost amulet so it's with her own, keep both of them from her cousin Morgan, and take the two amulets to a new set of twins so as to keep balance and harmony in the universe.
Witch Sight by Roberta Gellis: A young girl named Brenda is the only witch in town and in a school for girls. When the only girl who was her friend is killed, everyone is ready to blame her. Brenda has to convince the officers she is innocent and help figure out who is responsible for the murder.
Overrush by Laura Ann Gilman: An investigation of an insurance scam takes an unfortunate turn when a dead body is found. The body is of a wizard who is supposed to have gone insane. Stranger still is that the cause of death seems to be that he could not release the magic. The situation is made worse when another shows up with the same problem, unfortunately, he was not dead at the time.
Captured in Silver by Teresa Edgerton: [4] First Minister Prosper de Rouille is killed and Lord High Constable Gabriel-Louis-Constant Jauscourt is sent to investigate. The problem, who was someone able to get into a locked room and kill the Minister without anyone see them come in or go out?
A Night at the Opera by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: When a man by the name of Wolheim is found dead, Lord Nicholas Charles is asked to investigate. Lord Charles finds that someone has managed to cast a transformation spell on Wolheim a total of Eighty-five times. The strangest detail of all is that as he analyzes the spell, he finds nothing that gives a hint of who cast it on him.
A Tremble in the Air by James D. Macdonald: Mrs. Roger Collins believes she has seen a ghost. Mr. Orville Nesbit is sent for to investigate and help find out about the ghost. Unfortunately, no one believes Mrs. Collins since she has been sick. Things are made harder by Mr. Roger Collins who adamantly does not like Nesbit and wants him gone as soon as possible.
Murder Entailed by Susan Krinard: When Lord Roderick Featherstonehaugh is murdered during a party thrown by Lady Olivia Dowling. Olivia does not want to get the police involved and does not know why anyone would want to kill Lord Featherstonehaugh. It turns out though, that the lord was not as good as he seemed. Also, there's still the question of who did it and how they suffocated him.
Dropping Hints by Lawrence Watt-Evans: When an unexpected event leads to a new Duke of Croy who was not ready for it, he decides to go to the wizard Rasec who is his neighbor and tries to make sure things will stay peaceful between them. While there, the wizard is killed by a homoculus, that happens to be one of five. The problem is that all five of them look exactly alike.
Au Purr by Esther Friesner: Alisande gets a note saying her sister Magda is dead. When she tells this to her demon servant Scalini, he vows on the left hoof of Vadryn the Venomous to take revenge. The problem is he declare revenge on Magda's husband and kids. Alisande goes to visit her niece and nephew, then disguises herself as a cat to try to stop Scalini and discover the real killer.
Getting the Chair by Keith R.A. DeCandido: Lieutenant Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione are called to Unicorn Precinct to investigate a death. The case turns out to be the murder of a wizard. the magic test proves ineffective, but there are three witnesses. The strange thing is one is a lamp, one a chair and one a couch, all of which have been enchanted to talk. (Note: This story is set just before Dragon Precinct with the same characters)
The Necromancer's Apprentice by Lillian Stewart Carl: When Amy Robsart Dudley dies, rumor spreads that her husband, Robert Dudley Master of the Queen's Horses, killed her, causing him to be banished from the Queen Elizabeth's court. Robert is forced to have Erasmus Pilbeam attempt to conjure Amy's spirit and help prove who is truly responsible. Things go awry, however, when Erasmus's apprentice breaks the circle and lets the ghost escape before she could be put to rest.
Grey Eminence by Mercedes Lackey: Nan Killian and Sarah Jane are both students at a girl's boarding school in England. Both of the girls have magical abilities with Sarah owning a pet African Grey parrot. The two are occasionally sent out to help in certain things where their special abilities would be of use. Nan manages to get a Raven on the way, but cannot communicate with it as well. One night they are summoned, but something is after them, that is quite dangerous.
Lord Voldemort is a character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter novels. The character first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was published in 1997, and returned either in person or in flashbacks in each book and its film adaptation in the series except the third, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in which he is only mentioned.
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad. The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy, children's literature and popular culture.
Magical creatures are an aspect of the fictional Wizarding World contained in the Harry Potter series and connected media originally created by British author J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven main books of the series, Harry and his friends encounter many of these creatures on their adventures in Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, or other locations throughout the Wizarding World. In addition, students learn to take care of creatures such as hippogriffs and unicorns in the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Rowling has also written Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a guide to the magical beasts found in the series, and based on the fictional textbook of the same name written by Newt Scamander and used by students at Hogwarts.
Jiraiya, originally known as Ogata Shuma Hiroyuki (尾形周馬寛行), is the toad-riding protagonist of the Japanese folk tale Katakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari. The tale was originally a Yomihon that was published in 1806–1807, and was adapted into a serialized novel that was written by different authors and published in 43 installments from 1839 to 1868; one of its illustrators was woodblock artist Kunisada. Kawatake Mokuami then wrote a kabuki drama based on the first ten parts of the novel, which premiered in Edo in 1852, starring Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII in the leading role. Since then the story has been adapted into, several films, video games, and manga and has also influenced various other works.
Lord of Illusions is a 1995 American neo-noir supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his own short story "The Last Illusion" published in 1985 in the anthology Books of Blood Volume 6. The same story introduced Barker's occult detective Harry D'Amour, who later appeared in several prose stories and comic books. Lord of Illusions is D'Amour's first onscreen appearance, with the character portrayed by actor Scott Bakula. Other actors appearing in the film include Kevin J. O'Connor, Famke Janssen and Daniel von Bargen. The story features D'Amour, who has had several experiences with the supernatural, embarking on an investigation involving a stage illusionist named Swann and a cult led by a sorcerer named Nix.
Harry D'Amour is a fictional occult detective created by author, filmmaker, and artist Clive Barker. He originally appeared in the short story "The Last Illusion" in Books of Blood Volume 6, an anthology written by Barker and published in 1985. D'Amour has appeared in other Clive Barker prose stories, as well as comic books published by Boom! Studios, and the 1995 film Lord of Illusions wherein the character is portrayed by actor Scott Bakula. Following this, the comic book adaptation of Barker's novel The Great and Secret Show depicts D'Amour as resembling Bakula. In 2012, the cover for Hellraiser #18 used actor Thomas Jane as the model for D'Amour. In multiple stories, D'Amour is depicted as living in the same reality as Barker's popular creations the Cenobites and the Hell Priest.
Books of Blood is a series of six horror fiction anthologies collecting original stories written by British author, playwright, and filmmaker Clive Barker in 1984 and 1985. Known primarily for writing stage plays beforehand, Barker gained a wider audience and fanbase through this anthology series, leading to a successful career as a novelist. Originally presented as six volumes, the anthologies were subsequently re-published in two omnibus editions containing three volumes each. Each volume contains four, five or six stories. The Volume 1–3 omnibus contained a foreword by Barker's fellow Liverpudlian horror writer Ramsey Campbell. Author Stephen King praised Books of Blood, leading to a quote from him appearing on the first US edition of the book: "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker."
The Burning City is a fantasy novel of social and political allegory by American writers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It is set in an analogue of Southern California in an imaginary past shortly after the sinking of Atlantis about 14,000 years ago in the twilight of a civilization then struggling and now vanished for lack of a crucial natural, and essentially non-renewable resource upon which almost all of its economy and technology depended. The vanishing resource is not oil but mana, something vital to the technology of magic and the metabolism of the supernatural. As mana becomes scarce gods sleep and finally die, unicorns get smaller and finally turn into hornless ponies, and magic becomes less and less effective and finally vanishes.
Brazilian mythology is the subset of Brazilian folklore with cultural elements of diverse origin found in Brazil, comprising folk tales, traditions, characters and beliefs regarding places, people, and entities. The category was originally restricted to indigenous elements, but has been extended to include:
The Dresden Files, a contemporary fantasy/mystery novel series written by American author Jim Butcher, features a wide cast of characters. The book series was also made into a live-action television series which ran in 2007.
Enforcer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Sree Krishna Parunthu is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by A. Vincent and written by P. V. Thampi based on his novel Krishna Parunthu. The film stars Mohanlal, Balan K. Nair, Jagathy Sreekumar, Pavithra, and Bindu. The story is about Kumaran, a complete rogue, who turns out to be a pious saint and the temptations he has to suffer. The music for the film was composed by K. Raghavan. The film was a major commercial success of that year at Mollywood box office.
Marcia Overstrand is a fictional character in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. She is a powerful ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Septimus is her apprentice.
Fell is a novel, written by David Clement-Davies as a follow-up to The Sight. The book was published in 2007 by Amulet Books. It follows the story of Fell, a wolf who left his pack after the events of The Sight.
The Wizard of Oz is a musical commissioned by The Muny based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, using the film's songs by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. The book of the musical is by Frank Gabrielson, who would later write an adaptation of The Marvelous Land of Oz (1960) for Shirley Temple (1960).
The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, Storm Front—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books.
Pizza is an Indian Hindi-language horror film directed by Akshay Akkineni. The film stars Akshay Oberoi, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Dipannita Sharma in the lead roles, while Arunoday Singh, Rajesh Sharma, Omkar Das Manikpuri and Sonali Sachdev play supporting roles. The film is a remake of 2012 Tamil film, Pizza, directed by Karthik Subbaraj and was released on 18 July 2014.. Produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Bejoy Nambiar, the film is the last production from UTV Spotboy.
The koan kroach is an esoteric Khmer amulet made from mummified fetuses "obtained from the forced removal of the fetus from a wife in her first pregnancy".
One Hundred Ghost Stories is a series of ukiyo-e woodblock prints made by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) in the Yūrei-zu genre circa 1830. He created this series around the same time he was creating his most famous works, the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series. There are only five prints in this series, though as its title suggests, the publisher, Tsuruya Kiemon, and Hokusai wanted to make a series of one hundred prints. Hokusai was in his seventies when he worked on this series, and though his most famous impressions are landscape and wild-life works, he was attuned to the superstitions of the Edo period. This culminated in him creating these yokai prints of popular ghost stories being told at the time. The prints show scenes from such stories, that could be recited during the game of Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.