Traveling to another world, either by accident, magic summoning, death, cruel twist of fate, on a research assignment, or just on vacation, means dealing with a whole lot of change all at once. In this compilation, the authors of the SAKKA KEIHAN writing circle explore the ins and outs of what to expect when you’ve been transported to another plane of existence. Six different short stories cover the authors’ ruminations on how to get by in these other worlds, whether you’re headed over voluntarily or finding yourself just trying to survive. You’ll probably want to bring a towel; things are going to get slimy. Don’t think it’ll save you from a fireball, however.

The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what. Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show. Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not. Includes part one of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.”

Tim and his friends find out the hard way that you shouldn't question the game master, and you shouldn't make fun of his cape. One minute, they're drinking away the dreariness of their lives, escaping into a fantasy game and laughing their asses off. The next minute, they're in a horse-drawn cart surrounded by soldiers pointing crossbows at them. Tim now has the voice and physique of a prepubescent girl. Dave finds that while he lost a foot or two in height, he somehow acquired a suit of armor and a badass beard. Julian's ears have grown ridiculously long and pointy. And Cooper... well Cooper has gotten himself a set of tusks, a pair of clawed hands, and a bad case of the shits. He also finds that he's carrying a bag with a human head in it - a head that he had chopped off when they were still just playing a game. Shit just got real, and if they want to survive, these four friends are going to have to tap into some baser instincts they didn't even know existed in their fast-food and pizza delivery world. It's fight, flight, or try to convince the people who are trying to kill them that they don't really exist. Meanwhile, a sadistic game master sits back in the real world eating their fried chicken.

The pro wrestling fanboy, the goofy ditz, the master of snark, the laid-back jokester, and the total girly-girl are now in their third and final year of high school... but don't worry, Fujishima's got a few things hidden up her sleeve to spice things up! Karate, poker, even a three-legged obstacle course — who will win the no-holds-barred Couples' Battle Royale?! But more importantly, can the second-years recruit enough members to keep the club going?! It's a "Kokoro Collection" of silly and poignant epilogue stories in the final volume of the hit ensemble dramedy light novel from award-winning author Sadanatsu Anda!

Get your feet wet in developing visual novels and take a guided tour through easy to follow tutorials using three of the most popular tools (Ren'Py, TyranoBuilder, and Twine). This book uses a two-pronged approach into the fine art of text-based games, showing you what makes for compelling writing as well as the programming logic and techniques needed to bring your visual novels to life. In this book, you will uncover the rich history of interactive fiction from the bare-bones 1970s games to the audiovisually rich modern output. You will take a detailed look at how to work with some of the most popular and exotic sub-genres and tropes of interactive fiction, such as nakige ("crying game"), dating sims, and horror. Once the stage is set, you will learn to use all-purpose programming logic and techniques in three mini tutorial games and also learn how to deploy your titles to both desktop and mobile platforms. Not solely relegated to the ancient historical period of the 1980s and 1990s, interactive fiction has again become appealing to developers as new tools became available. The visual novel is an increasingly popular and potentially lucrative genre of video game, being deployed for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and more. Game Development with Ren'Py reveals how multi-platform tools such as Ren'Py, TyranoBuilder, and Twine are becoming ever more plentiful for creating games in this genre. What You'll Learn Gain a working knowledge of Ren'Py, TyranoBuilder, and Twine Examine the basics of general programming logic Deploy to all available operating systems and platforms Review different approaches to fiction writing in the context of text-based games Who This Book Is For People with no programming experience who are interested in working in the genre of visual novels or interactive fiction.

Analyzes the feelings and problems involved in different types of human love, including familial affection, friendship, passion, and charity.

Katmai National Park: 7,000 square miles of rugged, isolated wilderness in southern Alaska. Vast stretches of frozen tundra, deep ancient forests, and impassable ravines ruled by the massive volcanic God, Devils Desk. Despite the vigorous protests of Michael, the Talbots and the Tynes head to the park for a much-needed vacation away from it all. The adventure begins with deluxe cabins, mind-blowing scenery, and a cast of suspiciously odd characters, including a few old friends they’ve never met. But the idyllic surroundings quickly devolve into a hellscape as a mutilated body is discovered, the earth breaks apart around them, the worst storm in history moves in….and a terrifying race of flesh devouring monsters hunts down the desperate, forsaken group. Yep. They should have gone to Vegas.

Cornelia Funke's masterful trilogy is now available in this lovely keepsake edition. Meggie and Mo's extraordinary adventure through the exhilarating and sometimes terrifying world of books that come to like is here in its entirety. Paperback editions of each of Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath are included, all at one great price. Relive the magic again and again! A perfect gift!

The New York Times bestselling author of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Assholes Finish First delivers a new collection of thirty 100% true, 100% exclusive stories of comically perverse excess. Another installment in Tucker Max's series of stories about his drunken debauchery and ridiculous antics. What began as a simple sentence on an obscure website, “My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole,” and developed into two infamously genre-defining books, I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell and Assholes Finish First, ends here. But as you should expect from Tucker by now, he is going out with a bang—literally and figuratively. In this book, you’ll learn: * How to live and work in Cancun, while still enrolled in Law School * Why Halloween is really awesome * How to subtly torture a highstrung roommate until he explodes with furious anger over a misplaced condiment * What really happened when a dirty pageant girl tried to sue Tucker because he told the truth * Why you should never accept a homemade treat from a hippie with a van As we've come to learn from Tucker, assholes do finish first...but everything comes with a price.

The eastern front is a place where soldiers never sleep and artillery guns howl without rest. This quagmire is where the Salamander Kampfgruppe has been hurled once again, just another cog in the grand war machine of their fatherland. Still, there’s only so much one unit can do. As the fighting ramps up with renewed enemy attacks and a brand-new weapon that pitches the Federation’s quantity against the Empire’s quality, Tanya faces one of her toughest battles yet, making a certain visitor’s arrival a sight for sore eyes...