Old Kingdom (book series)

The Old Kingdom, or Abhorsen in North America, is a fantasy fiction series by Australian author Garth Nix. It originated in 1995 with the novel Sabriel and has continued in novels Lirael (2001) and Abhorsen (2003), novella The Creature in the Case (2005), and other short fiction. In Australia the omnibus edition comprising three novels and one novella was titled The Old Kingdom Chronicles (2009, Allen & Unwin (Australia)). U.S. omnibus editions have been titled The Abhorsen Trilogy (2003) and The Abhorsen Chronicles (2009). ISFDB catalogues the entire continuing series as "The Old Kingdom / Abhorsen". The series continued with the prequel novel Clariel (2014).

Nix has announced another Old Kingdom book, a "sequel of sorts to Abhorsen" (below).

Series

Sabriel

Protagonist Sabriel is in her final few days at her school in Ancelstierre (an alternate history of 1910s England), when she is visited by a spirit summoned by her father (the Abhorsen), who is trapped in Death, and departs to rescue him. Accompanied by her father's assistant Mogget, she discovers Touchstone; and with him, continues to Belisaere (the capital of the Old Kingdom). In a sacred site under the city, Sabriel briefly frees her father, who diverts the antagonist Kerrigor while the others escape.

Magic

Magic usually refers to:

Magic or Magick may also refer to:

Aviation

Computing

Film and television

Free

Media

Arts and philosophy

Computing

Mathematics

Friendship Games

The Friendship Games, or Friendship-84 (Russian: Дружба-84, Druzhba-84), was an international multi-sport event held between 2 July and 16 September 1984 in the Soviet Union and eight other socialist states which boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Although Friendship Games officials denied that the Games were to be a counter-Olympic event to avoid conflicts with the International Olympic Committee, the competition was often dubbed the Eastern Bloc's "alternative Olympics". Some fifty states took part in the competition. While the boycotting countries were represented by their strongest athletes, other states sent their reserve teams, consisting of athletes who failed to qualify for Los Angeles.

Background

On 8 May 1984, less than three months before the 1984 Summer Olympics were scheduled to begin, the Soviet Union announced its decision to boycott the Games, citing lack of security for Soviet athletes in Los Angeles. The TASS news agency further accused the United States of trying to "exploit the Games for its political purposes" stating that the "arrogant, hegemonic course of the Washington administration in international relations is at odds with the noble ideals of the Olympic movement". In an article published by the London Evening Standard several hours before the official announcement, Victor Louis – a Soviet journalist writing for the Western press, thought to be used by the Kremlin as an unofficial means of leaking information to the West – first informed the world of the USSR's decision to boycott, adding that detailed plans for the "Soviet bloc's alternative games" had already been made. Louis claimed they would "probably be announced at the last minute to throw the American organization into chaos". The article named Bulgaria as the possible host country. On 10 May, Bulgaria became the first Soviet ally to join the boycott, soon followed by East Germany (also 10 May),Mongolia and Vietnam (both 11 May).

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls is a 2013 Canadian–American animated musical comedy film and a spin-off of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic animated television series. Written by Meghan McCarthy and directed by Jayson Thiessen, the film premiered across limited screens in the United States and Canada on June 16, 2013, with worldwide home media release that began on August 6, 2013, which was followed by broadcast on the Hub Network, a joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro, on September 1, 2013.

The film re-envisions the main characters of the series, normally ponies, as teenage human characters in a high school setting. Set between the show's third and fourth seasons, the film's plot involves the pony Twilight Sparkle pursuing her stolen crown into an alternate world where she transforms into a human, teenage girl. While learning how to behave as a human, Twilight encounters human counterparts of her pony friends, who help her in her search for her crown. The film's release is tied in with the expansion of the My Little Pony toy line to include teenage human versions of the main characters, and also commemorates the 30th anniversary of the launch of the original My Little Pony toy line.