Science Fiction And Fantasy Literature

Provides descriptions of hundreds of famous and well-regarded works of science fiction and fantasy, summarizing plots and analyzing the works in terms of their contributions to literature.

The collection of essays titled Environmentalism in the Realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature discusses the environmental and ecocritical themes found in works of science-fiction and fantasy literature. It focuses on an analysis of important literary works in these genres to yield an understanding of how they address the environmental issues we are facing today. Organized into four sections titled “Industrial Dilemmas,” “The Natural World, Community, and the Self,” “Materialism, Capitalism, and Environmentalism,” and “Dystopian Futures,” the essays included also investigate the solutions that these works present to ensure the sustainability of our natural world and, in turn, the sustainability of humanity. This collection will appeal to a broad range of scholars, including those who focus their studies on one of, or all of, the following fields: Ecocriticism, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, and Environmentalism in Literature. The essays investigate the myriad ways that science fiction and fantasy literature address environmental concerns, with a focus on the detrimental effects – on humanity, on society – of environmental destruction. With topics ranging from the dangers of industrial progress to the connection between environmental degradation and the destruction of the individual, to environmental dangers posed by capitalistic societies to ignored warnings of ecological crises, the essays each tactfully analyze the relationship between the environmental themes in literature and how readers and scholars can learn from the irresponsible treatment of the environment, while also considering solutions to this crisis that are found in science fiction and fantasy literature.

Soon to be an HBO original series, Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from award-winning author Alan Moore, presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history--the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect. Considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium, the Hugo Award-winning story chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is dissected as an unknown assassin stalks the erstwhile heroes. This edition of Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from Alan Moore, the award-winning writer of V For Vendetta and Batman: The Killing Joke, and features art from industry legend Dave Gibbons, with high-quality, recolored pages found in Watchmen: Abslolute Edtion.

Reissued in a special commemorative edition to mark its 25th anniversary, a classic tale of pirates, evil princes, sorcerers and true love. With a new introduction and the first chapter of the novel's sequel, BUTTERCUP'S BABY. From the author of MARATHON MAN and ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE.

Return to a magical alternate London as Deborah Hewitt continues the Nightjar series with The Rookery. After discovering her magical ability to see people's souls, Alice Wyndham only wants three things: to return to the Rookery, join the House Mielikki and master her magic, and find out who she really is. But when the secrets of Alice's past threaten her plans, and the Rookery begins to crumble around her, she must decide how far she's willing to go to save the city and people she loves. "Superb, darkly charming.... It's a delight to explore the Rookery..." --Publishers Weekly starred review At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A space engineer is sucked through a wormhole to a distant galaxy, where magic is common, and technology is viewed as alien spells.

Self-help: To millions of Americans it seems like a godsend. To many others it seems like a joke. But as investigative reporter Steve Salerno reveals in this groundbreaking book, it’s neither—in fact it’s much worse than a joke. Going deep inside the Self-Help and Actualization Movement (fittingly, the words form the acronym SHAM), Salerno offers the first serious exposé of this multibillion-dollar industry and the real damage it is doing—not just to its paying customers, but to all of American society. Based on the author’s extensive reporting—and the inside look at the industry he got while working at a leading “lifestyle” publisher—SHAM shows how thinly credentialed “experts” now dispense advice on everything from mental health to relationships to diet to personal finance to business strategy. Americans spend upward of $8 billion every year on self-help programs and products. And those staggering financial costs are actually the least of our worries. SHAM demonstrates how the self-help movement’s core philosophies have infected virtually every aspect of American life—the home, the workplace, the schools, and more. And Salerno exposes the downside of being uplifted, showing how the “empowering” message that dominates self-help today proves just as damaging as the blame-shifting rhetoric of self-help’s “Recovery” movement. SHAM also reveals: • How self-help gurus conduct extensive market research to reach the same customers over and over—without ever helping them • The inside story on the most notorious gurus—from Dr. Phil to Dr. Laura, from Tony Robbins to John Gray • How your company might be wasting money on motivational speakers, “executive coaches,” and other quick fixes that often hurt quality, productivity, and morale • How the Recovery movement has eradicated notions of personal responsibility by labeling just about anything—from drug abuse to “sex addiction” to shoplifting—a dysfunction or disease • How Americans blindly accept that twelve-step programs offer the only hope of treating addiction, when in fact these programs can do more harm than good • How the self-help movement inspired the disastrous emphasis on self-esteem in our schools • How self-help rhetoric has pushed people away from proven medical treatments by persuading them that they can cure themselves through sheer application of will As Salerno shows, to describe self-help as a waste of time and money vastly understates its collateral damage. And with SHAM, the self-help industry has finally been called to account for the damage it has done. Also available as an eBook