The demand for oil to light and lubricate the industrial world changed the face of much of the planet. Newfoundland was part of this widespread transformation, as migratory cod fishermen settled here in the early 1800s in order to hunt seals in late winter and early spring. The seal fishery brought prosperity and growth and shaped this new society, but seal hunters and their families paid a heavy human cost in the lives lost and suffering experienced. The traditional oil industries were doomed with the discovery of mineral oils and the harnessing of electricity, and Newfoundland -- along with...

Have you ever wondered if your boss is evil? David Graves is having a bad life. A bill collector is threatening him with grievous bodily harm. His girlfriend thinks he's an incompetent loser. His human resources manager, a creature of nightmare, is sexually harassing him. And when he finally meets a girl he likes, she seems more interested in rebuilding engines and committing random acts of violence. Still, David thinks he is doing all right--until he discovers his bosses are Satanists and his employment contract dooms him to an eternity of telemarketing and damnation... Minion of Evil is...

Shannon Ryan was bo and received his early education in Riverhead, Harbor Grace. He has studied at Memorial University of Newfoundland (BA (Ed.), BA, MA), the University of London (Ph.D.) and the University of Oslo. He worked for some time as a schoolteac