Ord Cestus, a planet mostly barren and inhospitable to life, was first colonized as a prison world--until a handful of hardy pioneers discovered its rich ore deposits and managed to build up a successful droid-manufacturing industry. But when the Clone Wars erupted, bringing severe rationing of imported resources and a Republic ban on the production of battle droids, Ord Cestus was threatened with imminent economic collapse.
Enter the Confederacy of Independent Systems--the Separatists--with a life-saving offer to purchase a generous quantity of the planet's most lucrative export: bio-droids. Possessed of tactical capabilities that rival the fighting abilities of even the most advanced Jedi, these sophisticated, techno-organic hybrid units would prove a most formidable weapon if ever deployed for military use. And now the Confederacy's intention to invest in what amounts to an army of bio-droids has sent ripples of alarm through the highest echelons of the Republic government.
Determined to halt the bio-droid sale--but fearing a show of force will result in a political backlash--Supreme Chancellor Palpatine dispatches a team of envoys, led by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Their mission: persuade Ord Cestus's government to abandon its dealings with the Confederacy . . . while secretly stirring up revolution among the planet's struggling underclass. Diplomacy is paramount. But if all else fails, the Republic will not hesitate to launch a full-scale attack--and wipe out not only the means of bio-droid production, but countless lives as well, to demonstrate the consequences of disloyalty.
For Obi-Wan, the prospect of such wholesale slaughter only serves to fuel his growing suspicions about the sinister path the Republic seems to be taking. But the brash Jedi Master Kit Fisto and the detachment of clone soldiers assigned to the mission are ready and willing to do the Supreme Chancellor's bidding. As the leaders of Ord Cestus refuse to capitulate and Palpatine rapidly loses patience, Obi-Wan's hopes of a peaceful resolution are dwindling. Now, facing a crisis of conscience, Obi-Wan must find the wisdom and strength to prevent a bloodbath and safeguard the Republic-- while abiding by the ancient code to which he has pledged his life.

"From the Hardcover edition."

From award-winning authors Charles Johnson and Steven Barnes comes a graphic novel anthology of interconnected Afrofuturistic parables inspired by the teachings of Buddha—now in paperbackEight strangers—looking for enlightenment from an ancient spiritual teacher—are trapped in a cave high in the mountains on their way to his temple. One of his acolytes directs them to each tell a story that the group can learn from as they wait out the horrible snowstorm that rages outside the cave’s entrance.One by one, the travelers each share a story that, unbeknownst to them, is actually a morality tale representing one of the aspects of final enlightenment as taught in Buddhism. As the wind howls through the night, they tell symbolic stories of horror, dystopia, high adventure, cyberpunk, and urban fantasy. Each story is a spoke on the symbolic Dharma wheel, and each interlocking tale gets the travelers closer to their true destiny: unveiling the future of the entire human race. This remarkable collection borrows heavily from the traditions of pop culture morality anthology series such as The Twilight Zone,The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Lovecraft Country, and the publications of E.C. Comics. Strongly influenced by the science fiction pulps of the 1950s and 1960s, this brilliant collection remixes classic social narratives, such as Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, and The Arabian Nights, through an edgy, contemporary, yet spiritually centered lens. In The Eightfold Path, our destinies lie in heeding the lessons given in every one of these entrancing tales.

From award-winning authors Charles Johnson and Steven Barnes comes a graphic novel anthology of interconnected Afrofuturistic parables inspired by the teachings of BuddhaEight strangers looking for enlightenment from an ancient spiritual teacher are trapped in a cave high in the mountains on their way to his temple. One of his acolytes directs them to each tell a story that the group can learn from as they wait out the horrible snowstorm that rages outside the cave's entrance.One by one the travelers each share a story that, unbeknownst to them, is actually a morality tale representing one of the aspects of final enlightenment as taught in Buddhism. As the wind howls through the night, they tell symbolic stories of horror, dystopia, high adventure, cyberpunk, and urban fantasy. Each story is a spoke on the symbolic Dharma wheel, and each interlocking tale gets the travelers closer to their true destiny-unveiling the future of the entire human race. This remarkable collection borrows heavily from the traditions of pop-culture morality anthology series such as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Lovecraft Country, and the publications of E.C. Comics. Heavily influenced by the science fiction pulps of the 1950s and 1960s, this brilliant collection remixes classic social narratives such as Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, and The Arabian Nights, through an edgy, contemporary, yet spiritually centered lens. In The Eightfold Path, our destinies lie in heeding the lessons given in every one of these entrancing tales.

Learn more about how the central nervous system governs human behaviour with an industry-leading text. Biopsychology, Global Edition, 11th Edition by authors John Pinel and Steven Barnes presents a clear, engaging introduction to the topic offering a unique combination of biopsychological science and personal, reader-oriented discourse, ideal for students studying Physiological Psychology and Biopsychology courses. Well-known for its accessible and student-focused approach to the discipline, the book successfully interweaves the fundamentals of the field with clinical case studies, social issues, personal implications, useful metaphors, and memorable anecdotes. The plethora of themed features, and visual illustrations will challenge your critical thinking skills and support your understanding of the concepts introduced. The latest Edition also incorporates two new emerging themes ("Thinking About Epigenetics" and "Consciousness") and includes up-to-date coverage of the most recent developments in the field. With the engaging, inspiring voices coming from the authors directly to the student, this market-leading text is the ultimate introductory guide, equipping you with the tools and resources you need for a deeper understanding of one of the most rapidly progressing scientific fields. Organise your learning and improve your results with the Revel (R) Edition for this text. The interactive, digital, and mobile learning environment replaces the traditional printed text and empowers you to actively participate in learning. More than a digital textbook, Revel delivers an engaging blend of author content, media, and assessment. With Revel, you can read and practice in one continuous experience - anytime, anywhere, on any device. If you would like to purchase the Revel (R) version of this text, search for: 9781292351964 Revel for Biopsychology, Global Edition, Instant Access

A young Black girl finds herself trapped between desperation and her family's dark history in this horror graphic novelAisha has suffered a devastating loss. Her parents were killed in a car crash, and now she must move to decrepit and derelict Detroit to live with her ailing grandmother. However, shortly after moving in, Aisha's grandmother's health rapidly deteriorates. With her dying breath, she summons the dark spirit that has protected their family for generations to watch over Aisha.At first it seems that this spirit, whom Aisha refers to as the Keeper, is truly doing as her grandmother asked, caring for Aisha and keeping her safe; however, it soon becomes clear that this being can only sustain itself by stealing life from others. As the Keeper begins to prey on the apartment building's other residents, Aisha and her friends must come together to destroy it . . . or die trying. Written by masters of horror Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes and illustrated by Marco Finnegan, The Keeper reflects on the horror Black Americans face every day, while still staying true to the genre.

For courses in Physiological Psychology and Biopsychology Biopsychology presents a clear, engaging introduction to biopsychological theory and research through a unique combination of biopsychological science and personal, reader-oriented discourse. Original author John Pinel and new co-author Steven Barnes address students directly and interweave the fundamentals of the field with clinical case studies, useful metaphors, and memorable anecdotes that make course material personally and socially relevant to readers. In addition to expanded learning objectives that guide students through the course, the 10th Edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect this rapidly progressing scientific field.

THE BURNING MAIDEN
Where Literature and the Supernatural Meet
Sixteen new short stories from bestselling authors...
Joe R. Lansdale (Edge of Dark Water, Bullets and Fire)
Matthew Pearl (The Dante Club, The Technologists)
Louis Bayard (The School of Night, The Black Tower)
Lyndsay Faye (The Gods of Gotham, Dust and Shadow)
Charles Johnson (Middle Passage, Oxherding Tale)
AND MORE
Sixteen stories and poems that redefine the boundary between horror and literature
FROM THE INTRODUCTION BY ANTHOLOGY EDITOR, GREG KISHBAUGH:
THE BLURRED LINE
Publishers love categories, as do bookstores. They want a writer's work to fit neatly into a specific genre. The motivation for this, of course, lies in commerce, as well as questionable (and outdated) notions about the consumer mind.
But this can be an unfair burden, as writers are far less compartmentalized in their thinking. They strive to tell a story. To enlighten. To entertain. The genre in which the story falls is not nearly as important as the story itself. After all, how would one categorize "A Clockwork Orange"? Is it horror? Yes. Science Fiction? Yes. Literature? Yes. And yet I've never heard Anthony Burgess referred to as a "horror" writer or a "science fiction" writer.
How about Cormac McCarthy? No one would ever deem him a "horror" writer, but then how does one categorize "The Road"? Is Robert Louis Stevenson a "horror" writer because he wrote "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"? Is George Orwell either a "horror" or "science fiction" writer in light of his two most famous works, "1984" and "Animal Farm"?
Let's face it, many of the novels we consider classics today simply transcend genre, in no small part due to the fact that they manage to mash more than one together, producing works that resonate in our imaginations. "Slaughterhouse Five." "Lord of the Flies." "Fahrenheit 451." "Deliverance." These stories all contain skin-prickling elements of horror; yet none are categorized as "horror" novels. If such works can fit into the horror mold, then it begs the question: What is literature?
And to analyze the other side of the coin, what do we make of works that are unquestionably horror but clearly transcend the boundaries of genre? Is "Something Wicked This Way Comes" any less a piece of fine literature because it also happens to be a work of dread-inducing horror? How about "The Haunting of Hill House," "I Am Legend" or "The Shining." What of some of the masterfully macabre short stories of Harlan Ellison? Or the works of Poe and Lovecraft? Certainly anyone would categorize them as glorious works of literature, all of which happen to squarely fall into the genre of horror.
"The Burning Maiden" was born of this conundrum. When is horror simply "horror" and when does it cross over into "literature"? What happens when writers of unparalleled talents put their minds (and writing chops) to telling stories of the supernatural, of the darkness in the human soul, of the sadness and longing that sometimes supersedes the grave-all the while telling stories with the hearts and souls of poets?
Contributors to this anthology have been nominated for or awarded (to name a few) with the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Horror Critics Award, the Edgar Award, the Dagger Award, the Crime Writers' Association Award, the British Fantasy Society Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Asimov's Readers' Award, the Rhysling Award, the International Horror Guild Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
"The Burning Maiden" was created as a showcase for horror and suspense with a strong literary bent. Stories that focus on the glorious interplay of poetry and words set against the dark wonder that truly great speculative fiction can raise in us.
Greg Kishbaugh
Editor

* An infection has swept the world, bringing on an epidemic of mindless biting attacks from the infected that leave everyone ... changed. The survivors call the infected freaks, but they are much more than just mindless zombies, they are actually the result of an alien life form slowly colonising Earth.

"What happens when an unprecedented infection sweeps the world, leaving the earth on the brink of the Apocalypse?"
But this infection goes far beyond disease. Beyond even the nightmare images of walking dead or flesh-eating ghouls. The infected are turning into creatures unlike anything ever dreamed of . . . more complex, more mysterious, and more deadly.
Trapped in the northwestern United States as winter begins to fall, Terry and Kendra have only one choice: they and their friends must cross a thousand miles of no-man's-land in a rickety school bus, battling ravenous hordes, human raiders, and their own fears.
In the midst of apocalypse, they find something no one could have anticipated . . . love.

THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS OF "CASANEGRA "AND "IN THE NIGHT OF THE HEAT "TEAM UP FOR A THIRD TIME TO PRESENT "FROM CAPE TOWN WITH LOVE, "A TENNYSON HARDWICK NOVEL.
Actor-turned-detective Tennyson Hardwick has solved two high-profile deaths in Hollywood, but nothing has prepared him for a race to save a child's life.
Tennyson's past in the sex game cost him his new girlfriend, and he brings her to Cape Town, South Africa--a scenic film destination and playground for the rich--to try to win her back. There Tennyson is hired as a bodyguard by superstar Sofia Maitlin when she visits an orphanage to adopt an African child.
Months later, Maitlin offers Tennyson one of Hollywood's hottest tickets--a job as a bodyguard at adopted daughter Nandi's A-list celebrity birthday party.
But the party is over before it begins. When Nandi's birthday goes dreadfully wrong, it's up to a guilt-ridden Tennyson to save a child's life and reunite a Hollywood family.
But how? He can't go to the police, the FBI has threatened to arrest him, and Big Brother is monitoring his telephone calls.
To find Nandi, Tennyson will have to rely on tips from his father--a retired LAPD captain--and a mysterious woman from his past, Marsha, who has already proven she can't be trusted. His strongest lead is a deadly knife fighter known only as Spider.
When his search for the missing child crosses Marsha's covert investigation into a criminal gang with ties to South Africa, Tennyson knows that finding Nandi might cost him his freedom--or his life.
Watch exclusive scenes from "From Cape Town with Love" starring Blair Underwood by snapping the Microsoft tags found inside the book.

"The Barsoom Project" is the direct sequel to 1981's "Dream Park. "Eviane's first visit to the-state-of-art amusement arena Dream Park ended in disaster: the special effects had seemed more real than life... until the holograms she was shooting with live ammunition turned out to be solid flesh and blood... and very, very dead.
Haunted by the past, rebounding from a lengthy spell in a mental hospital, she has returned to Dream Park to exorcise a nightmare that has become reality. But in Dream Park, nothing is what it seems. The Inuit mythology controlling the images is part of a "Fat Ripper Special" designed to implant new behavioral memes. The players are struggling against the game master, one another, and their own demons. And there is a killer who wants to ensure Eviane never regains her memory...noo matter what it costs.

Blending together hard science fiction with topical RPG-like fantasy games, "The Barsoom Project" is SF at the cutting edge and a classic creation from two of the genre's most beloved writers.

The classic "virtual reality theme park" adventure is now back in print with brand new cover art. For 15 virtual reality gamers undertaking a four-day quest, the fantasy slaying of monsters is suddenly interrupted by murder. Reissue.

"Once upon a long, long time ago, our parents and grandparents left a place called Earth. They traveled across the stars in a ship called Geographic to find paradise." Camelot is an island paradise for some perhaps, but not for us. There dwell monsters. These huge hulking inhabitants, called Grendels, bring only death and destruction to humankind. That we survived those first battles at all is a miracle. That we came to prosper is, for those who endured those awful times, beyond comprehension. Amazingly enough, Camelot, for most, will come to be the paradise we dreamed of. But a new generation is growing up, ignorant of the Great Grendel Wars. Setting out for the mainland, these rebellious men and women are bent on exploration, ready to fight any Grendels that get in their way, indifferent to their parents' past. On the mainland called Avalon, however, there are monsters that dwarf the ones their parents fought, and as the young people will learn, monsters also dwell in the human heart. For Avalon does not give up her secrets easily, and some of those mysteries are wicked as sin, blacker than the grave.

Award-winning actor and author Blair Underwood rejoins forces with two popular writers to deliver the second installment--now in paperback--in their stunning and provocative Tennyson Hardwick chronicles.
For the first time since their breakout debut, Casanegra, the powerful trio of Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due, and Steven Barnes teams up to bring readers back into the sexy and entertaining world of struggling actor and gigolo-turned-sleuth Tennyson Hardwick. In the Night of the Heat picks up where Casanegra left off, after Tennyson has solved the murder of rapper Afrodite. His reputation brings football superstar T. D. Jackson to his door, asking for protection when he is threatened with death after acquittal for murder. Tennyson politely turns Jackson down to pursue his acting career and personal life. But when Jackson is found dead in his home, the victim of an apparent suicide, Tennyson can't resist prying into the football star's death-- especially if it means answering the question that divided a nation: Did T. D. Jackson really kill his wife?

Casanegra follows the adventures of Tennyson Hardwick, a gorgeous, sexy actor and former gigolo, living on the fringes of the good life in Hollywood. This story, which chronicles the redemption of a prodigal son, combines the glamour of Hollywood with the seedy hopelessness of the inner city. In this hot and steamy mystery, Tennyson struggles to hang on to his acting career and redeem his sex-for-pay history, which estranged him from his family -- especially his father, a decorated LAPD captain who raised Tennyson to call him "sir." Now, in the wake of his father's sudden stroke, Tennyson has to save himself from taking the fall for the first murder of a female rapper. In the process he discovers his hidden talents -- the hard way.