Thomas Foolery is a man living in his own world, surrounded by fictional, televised tales, scripted worlds of crime and endless Hitchcock marathons. He's unfit, he smokes like a chimney and sees nothing wrong with his voluntary agoraphobia. He's living life on his own terms...and under the watchful eye of his therapist. Angie Earhardt is the only person Thomas truly trusts, even if there are ulterior motives to his dedication to therapy. When she tells him that there's more to life than selling online collectibles alone, Tom starts to open up. And when he sees a critical flaw in the rolling footage of a major crime breaking, he decides to take Angie's advice and journey out into the world and live out his fantasy...being at the center of an elaborate mystery. Adopting the alias...Matt MacGuffin and with his unending knowledge of fictional skills, he embarks on a dangerous journey into the real criminal underworld, where his life...and Angie's, will be pushed to their limits and hang in the balance. Matt and Angie learn quickly to trust no one, humidity sucks and you should never, ever vomit on a corpse. Will Matt survive in this world, where all of the players are cold and the cadavers are much, much colder? Find out in this darkly twisted, darkly comic crime novel!

Santa is in an institution. The good elves live on food rations in Old Town. The reindeer are mentally bent. The Herald Angels are powerless to bring corruption to the forefront in their newspaper. Can two humans save the North Pole and destroy the sinner's paradise that Jack Frost built? With melted snowmen on the take, a nutcracker-toy soldier army, ostracized elves and some reindeer bent on the North Pole's restoration, join the revolution to save Christmas. Reader discretion advised. This is a Christmas tale for adults. Bad language and sexual situations, not to mention the destruction of nearly every Christmas icon that we hold dear.

Re-issued for the 50th anniversary of the film of Chandler's novel 'The Big Sleep', this homage to film noir is a visionary journey across a landscape of darkened bungalows, decaying office blocks and sinister nightspots - an atmospheric tribute to both the writer and his city. Contains over 150 photographs and extracts from Chandler's classic detective fiction.

The History of Science Fiction traces the origin and development of science fiction from Ancient Greece up to the present day. The author is both an academic literary critic and acclaimed creative writer of the genre. Written in lively, accessible prose it is specifically designed to bridge the worlds of academic criticism and SF fandom.

Game designers today are expected to have an arsenal of multi-disciplinary skills at their disposal in the fields of art and design, computer programming, psychology, economics, composition, education, mythology—and the list goes on. How do you distill a vast universe down to a few salient points? Players Making Decisions brings together the wide range of topics that are most often taught in modern game design courses and focuses on the core concepts that will be useful for students for years to come. A common theme to many of these concepts is the art and craft of creating games in which players are engaged by making meaningful decisions. It is the decision to move right or left, to pass versus shoot, or to develop one’s own strategy that makes the game enjoyable to the player. As a game designer, you are never entirely certain of who your audience will be, but you can enter their world and offer a state of focus and concentration on a task that is intrinsically rewarding. This detailed and easy-to-follow guide to game design is for both digital and analog game designers alike and some of its features include: A clear introduction to the discipline of game design, how game development teams work, and the game development process Full details on prototyping and playtesting, from paper prototypes to intellectual property protection issues A detailed discussion of cognitive biases and human decision making as it pertains to games Thorough coverage of key game elements, with practical discussions of game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics Practical coverage of using simulation tools to decode the magic of game balance A full section on the game design business, and how to create a sustainable lifestyle within it

Read What You've Been Missing! This profusely illustrated video consumer guide is a must for all fans & collectors of Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy films on tape & disc. A companion to the popular VIDEO WATCHDOG Magazine, THE VIDEO WATCHDOG BOOK contains witty & informative descriptions of 100s of titles, including out-of-print rarities, alternate versions, foreign language & import releases, continuity errors... even detailed descriptions of missing (& censored) scenes! Written by video authority Tim Lucas, whose work has appeared in numerous books & magazines in the United States & Europe. Also includes an indispensible list of more than 650 retitled videos, a book index, plus a complete index to the first 12 issues of VIDEO WATCHDOG Magazine! Features a Foreword by cult Director Joe Dante (GREMLINS, THE HOWLING), a striking full-color cover by Stephen R. Bissette (SWAMP THING), & spot illustrations by Brian Thomas (TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES). Here's what the experts say about VIDEO WATCHDOG: "Fascinating... the best effort of its kind I've seen!"--Vincent Price. "A thorough, accurate, & knowledgeable source that's as good as anything I've read!"--Christopher Lee. "Intriguing, thought-provoking, & marvelously obsessive!--USA TODAY.

What secrets lie at the heart of America? Discover the hidden reality behind Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol . . . and America itself. Just as there is only one Dan Brown, there is also only one secrets team that has achieved worldwide bestselling success by exposing the truth beneath Brown’s bestselling novels. Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer have gathered together world-class authorities—from scientist Richard Dawkins, noetics expert Lynne McTaggart, and religious scholar Karen Armstrong to journalist Jeff Sharlet (author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power), mathematician and science historian Amir Aczel, FBI consultant Michael Barkun, 33° Freemason Arturo de Hoyos, and a host of renowned philosophers, symbologists, code breakers, art historians, writers, thinkers, and experts on the occult—to give readers the essential tools to understand the conspiracies, codes, cutting-edge science, cultural controversies, and suppressed history at the center of The Lost Symbol . . . and the very founding of the United States of America. Which Founding Fathers were members of secret societies? What is the true background of the Ancient Mysteries? Does The Lost Symbol have a hidden religious agenda? What is the actual role of Freemasons in American history? What do the hidden codes embedded in the novel tell us?