Year Of The Demon

Detective Sergeant Mariko Oshiro has been promoted to Japan’s elite Narcotics unit—and with this promotion comes a new partner, a new case, and new danger. The underboss of a powerful yakuza crime syndicate has put a price on her head, and he’ll lift the bounty only if she retrieves an ancient iron demon mask that was stolen from him in a daring raid. However, Mariko has no idea of the tumultuous past carried within the mask—or of its deadly link with the famed Inazuma blade she wields. The secret of this mask originated hundreds of years before Mariko was born, and over time the mask’s power has evolved to bend its owner toward destruction, stopping at nothing to obtain Inazuma steel. Mariko’s fallen sensei knew much of the mask’s hypnotic power and of its mysterious link to a murderous cult. Now Mariko must use his notes to find the mask before the cult can bring Tokyo to its knees—and before the underboss decides her time is up....

'A gripping new drama in science ... if you want to understand how the concept of life is changing, read this' Professor Andrew Briggs, University of Oxford When Darwin set out to explain the origin of species, he made no attempt to answer the deeper question: what is life? For generations, scientists have struggled to make sense of this fundamental question. Life really does look like magic: even a humble bacterium accomplishes things so dazzling that no human engineer can match it. And yet, huge advances in molecular biology over the past few decades have served only to deepen the mystery. So can life be explained by known physics and chemistry, or do we need something fundamentally new? In this penetrating and wide-ranging new analysis, world-renowned physicist and science communicator Paul Davies searches for answers in a field so new and fast-moving that it lacks a name, a domain where computing, chemistry, quantum physics and nanotechnology intersect. At the heart of these diverse fields, Davies explains, is the concept of information: a quantity with the power to unify biology with physics, transform technology and medicine, and even to illuminate the age-old question of whether we are alone in the universe. From life's murky origins to the microscopic engines that run the cells of our bodies, The Demon in the Machine is a breath-taking journey across the landscape of physics, biology, logic and computing. Weaving together cancer and consciousness, two-headed worms and bird navigation, Davies reveals how biological organisms garner and process information to conjure order out of chaos, opening a window on the secret of life itself.

This rift is known as the Worldwound, and through it, the demon horde has infested an entire region. While the demon armies have been held in check by barbarians and crusaders alike, the region within that was once Sarkoris is now ruled by fiends. Worse, the Worldwound itself is slowly growing -- if something isn't done to halt this blight, it and the demons it spawns may one day swallow all of Golarion! This Pathfinder sourcebook explores the demon-blighted land of the Worldwound (site of the new Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path) in great detail. Ruined cities (such as the shattered capital city of Iz, the frozen city of Dyinglight, and the river city of Undarin), key historical sites (like the Circle of the Hierophants -- birthplace of the druidic sect known as the Green Faith), and more are presented, along with an exhaustive examination of the strange and otherworldly hazards of the region. The book also includes several adventure sites ready for exploration, along with a few locations like the holdout town of Gundrun, which can serve heroes as (relatively) safe harbor in a deadly land. Finally, an extensive bestiary presents more than a dozen new monsters and demons and enemy NPCs along with two new monster templates, ensuring your PCs will never lack for foes in this devastated realm.

A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace “A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought.”—Los Angeles Times How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. Praise for The Demon-Haunted World “Powerful . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing.”—The Washington Post Book World “Compelling.”—USA Today “A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity.”—The Sciences “Passionate.”—San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

The Six Realms. Three Thousand Worlds. The gates of hell were opened, and the Underworld suffered an endless calamity. The eighteen levels of hell were all destroyed, and countless ghosts and deities perished. In the Underworld, a mysterious red light and an ordinary person without a trace clashed. During this life-and-death calamity, they were accidentally drawn into the Pool of Samsara. As soon as he woke up, Wu Hen reincarnated into the Martial Spirit World of the Divine Continent. From then on, the trash martial spirit came to attack, working with the Eternal Demon Sovereign! In the Six Realms' Reincarnation and the Three Thousand Worlds, there was a scene that could make one cry — the legend of the Demon Sovereign ... Close]

ANCIENT POWER As the only female detective in Tokyo’s most elite police unit, Mariko Oshiro has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. But when he gives her the least promising case possible—the attempted theft of an old samurai sword—it proves more dangerous than anyone on the force could have imagined. The owner of the sword, Professor Yasuo Yamada, says it was crafted by the legendary Master Inazuma, a sword smith whose blades are rumored to have magical qualities. The man trying to steal it already owns another Inazuma—one whose deadly power eventually comes to control all who wield it. Mariko’s investigation has put her on a collision course with a curse centuries old and as bloodthirsty as ever. She is only the latest in a long line of warriors and soldiers to confront this power, and even the sword she learns to wield could turn against her.

Two men brave the unforgiving frontier in this western in Ralph Compton's Sundown Riders series. Parker Stanley’s family had a dream: to start a new life in the Far West. But en route, a Cheyenne band slaughters his parents and abducts his sister, leaving him for dead. Then a cowboy named Clay Springer rides to the rescue—and comes up with an idea. He’s got a team ready to deliver goods to the Mormons in Utah, but he’s short on funds for supplies. He knows that Parker managed to hold on to his family’s savings, so he suggests a fifty-fifty partnership. With a three-wagon, seven-man team, Parker and Clay will traverse the barren land to find a secret mountain pass that will save them three hundred miles on their journey. But out in the wilderness, Parker’s sister needs saving—and he has vowed to find her. More Than Eight Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!

The murder of a world-famous physicist raises fears that the Illuminati are operating again after centuries of silence, and religion professor Robert Langdon is called in to assist with the case.