DECISIONS, DECISIONS The nation of Japan is connected via wormhole to a place called the Holy Eldant Empire in a parallel fantasy world. It had been Japan’s little (or big) secret, but after an aircraft carrier got caught in the time slip, the Americans know about it, too. The Americans have an extralegal idea for how to get their hands on the extraordinary technology of the Eldant Empire—and their target is Petralka! Can Shinichi and his friends stand against the modern world’s most powerful military force? What waits beyond this final battle? Welcome to the final installment of Outbreak Company!

The year is 20XX, and Shinichi Kanou is a pretty typical otaku: he loves anime, manga, games, and light novels, but his devotion to the two-dimensional hasn't always made him the most popular guy around. What he doesn't know is that Japan has discovered a portal to another world in the vicinity of Mount Fuji. The people of the Eldant Empire, though, only have eyes for one of Japan's traditional exports: pop culture. Enter Amutech, a purveyor of "general entertainment" that's secretly run by the Japanese government. Shinichi lands a job as the company's general manager. Now he finally has a chance to put his nerd know-how to good use spreading the otaku gospel in the Eldant Empire. And wait... he has to work with a half-elf maid, an empress, AND a female soldier to get the job done?

IS THAT REALLY A SPY?! It's already been a few months since Shinichi came to Eldant, where dragons are commonplace and magic is real. His job is simple: spread otaku culture to the masses of this other world. But of course, things aren't that easy (are they ever?). Eldant is in a state of war, and war includes espionage... so how will Shinichi and company deal with a spy in their midst? Add that to his growing suspicions about his own government's motives, and Shinichi definitely has his hands full. Heavy is the head that wears the otaku crown...

THE NEW GIRL IN TOWN On the far side of a mysterious wormhole somewhere in Japan is a fantasy world, and in it, a country called the Holy Eldant Empire. Amutech is a company established to bring otaku culture to the people there (or maybe foist it on them), and now it’s getting a new staff member: Hikaru, who comes in as assistant to the general manager, Kanou Shinichi. She’s also strikingly beautiful, a heckuva communicator, and almost immediately a big hit at both the palace and the school. Eldant will only get even more otaku on her watch, but the beloved cultural export starts to show a dark side, too. At the same time, something is happening in the Eldant Empire, and Shinichi may be in danger (again). What can he do? Anything?!

So you’ve got the Eldant Empire, a fantasy world somehow connected to Japan by a mysterious “hole.” And you’ve got Kanou Shinichi, general manager of Amutech, a company whose whole purpose is to promote cultural exchange with this new land—using otaku stuff! Shinichi’s father is a master at churning out popular light novels, but then word reaches Shinichi that his dad’s series has been put on indefinite hiatus. Shinichi may have kept his family at arm’s length in his days as a shut-in, but he can’t ignore this, and makes plans for a visit home. His Eldant friends, worried that this is another ploy on the part of the Japanese government, convince the JSDF to let them send Myusel and Elvia along as bodyguards. Call it the first Eldant embassy to Japan—and they have a lot to learn. An unexpected interloper, a series of accidents, and more international [interdimensional?] intrigue are waiting in the wings for Shinichi and his friends!

CAN YOU GO HOME AGAIN? So you’ve got the Eldant Empire, a fantasy world somehow connected to Japan by a mysterious “hole.” And you’ve got Kanou Shinichi, general manager of Amutech, a company whose whole purpose is to promote cultural exchange with this new land—using otaku stuff! Shinichi’s father is a master at churning out popular light novels, but when something happens to him, Shinichi rushes home. His Eldant friends, worried this is another ploy by the Japanese government, send Myusel and Elvia with him—and the Empress Petralka sneaks along for good measure. The Big Three—America, China, and Russia—know something’s up in Japan. That’s why the kids’ sightseeing jaunt to Akihabara turns into a war zone. That’s how Minori gets captured by the Russians. And that’s why Shinichi’s house is surrounded by a mysterious armed squadron. Can Shinichi and his friends rescue Minori and get back to Eldant, or does their journey end here?!

 HOW DO YOU FIGURE? To everyone’s surprise, Japan turns out to be connected to a fantasy world called the Holy Eldant Empire via a mysterious warp hole. The Japanese government sets up a company called Amutech to facilitate cultural exchange with their new neighbors by creating a fresh market for otaku culture. Lately, magically-animated figures have been all the rage in the empire. Combined with some incredible stuff he sees at a dwarven workshop, Shinichi resolves to develop a brand-new, uber-otaku technology the likes of which Eldant has never seen, all for the Empress, Petralka. Meanwhile, the world’s elves and dwarves must confront a new danger!

THE ARMOR THEY FALL... On the other side of a wormhole connected to Japan is a fantasy world called the Holy Eldant Empire. Shinichi, your average otaku, is General Manager of Amutech, a company established to foster cultural exchange (otaku culture, that is!) with said fantasy world. The whole setup seems pretty sweet, until Shinichi finds himself caught up in the Eldant Empire’s plan to develop a new weapon! In order to resist the mind-control magic the Kingdom of Zwelberich is so good at, the knight Garius digs deep in the forgotten chambers of Eldant Castle and brings forth something that hasn’t been seen in ages: the Forbidden Armor. He takes it to Shinichi’s mansion to get his opinion, but wouldn’t you know it? Myusel, Elvia, and Petralka all manage to get in trouble with the armor and call down the very worst of curses! Shinichi has seen a lot of craziness in his time in Eldant, but never anything quite like this! Can he possibly cope—let alone make things right? And hold on a second… Doesn’t that Forbidden Armor look strangely familiar?

The year before he died, in what was one of the most difficult yet prolific periods of his life, Paul Klee created some of his most surprising and innovative works. In 1939, the year before his death from a long illness and against a backdrop of sociopolitical turmoil and the outbreak of World War II, Klee worked with a vigor and inventiveness that rivaled even the most productive periods of his youth. This book illuminates the artist’s response to his personal difficulties and the era’s broader realities through imagery that is tirelessly inventive—by turns political, solemn, playful, humorous, and poetic. The works featured testify to Klee’s restless drive to experiment with form and material. His use of adhesive, grease, oil, chalk, and watercolor, among other media, resulted in surfaces that are not only visually striking, but also highly tactile and original. Not unlike a diary, the drawings are often meditative reflections on the pains and pleasures of life—their titles, among them Monsters in readiness and Struggles with himself, signal Klee’s frame of mind. Renowned art historian Dawn Ades looks at this group of paintings and drawings in the context of their time and as indicative of a pivotal moment in art history. Moved by this late period of Klee’s oeuvre, American artist Richard Tuttle responds to specific works in the form of dialogical poems. This stunning publication highlights the novelty and ingenuity of Klee’s late works, which deeply affected the generation of artists—including Anni Albers, Jean Dubuffet, Mark Tobey, and Zao Wou-Ki—that emerged after World War II and continues to captivate artists and viewers alike today

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ Booklist NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A stunner.”—Justin Cronin “It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change. On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world. “Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan’s Emerald City.”—The Denver Post “Pure magnificence.”—Nathan Englander “Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance.”—Curtis Sittenfeld “Riveting, heartbreaking, profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.