During our brief and perilous journey ex irritum ad irritum, how are we to find, what the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (Sein und Zeit) would call, the true approach to being? How do we answer the question posed by the Apostle Thomas when he asked how can we know the way (Jn. 14:5)? In other words, how should we fill that parenthesis of infinitesimal brevity, which James Joyce (Ulysses) maintained, demarcates each of our lives? The Bible has often been put forth as a supposedly infallible guidebook charting the correct path to an authentic existence (e.g. 2 Tim. 3:16-17). According to its proponents, Scripture is an absolutely dependable life-manual because it is the word of God (Summa Theologica, First Part, Q. 1, Art. 10). However, close inspection of the Bible calls into question its divine authorship; and, thus, its reliability as an accurate roadmap for the soul. In fact, under close examination it proves to be nothing more than a mundane and cobbled together collection of archaic superstitions beginning with the outlandish speculations of Moses concerning the creation of the world and ending with the maniacal ravings of John regarding its destruction. Exposing the true nature of Holy Writ was the main purpose for writing Unholy Writ. The modus operandi for this expos involved a thoroughgoing critical analysis of Scripture. The results from such a careful consideration of its contents clearly demonstrated that any claim that the Bible is some sort of sacrosanct ethical vade mecum is completely invalid. Specifically, the multiple contradictions and absurdities contained in the Bible confer an unreliability upon it that undermines its function as a guide for anything, let alone as some sort of moral map for the journey through life. Furthermore, many of the ideas that are promoted in Holy Writ are actually spiritually harmful. In addition, unless the condoned misogyny, violence, intolerance, injustice, and cruelty can be removed, then it is difficult to view the Scriptures as anything like an unwavering celestial beacon that clearly lights the way through the moral fog that at times engulfs our lives. Moreover, the many errors that it contains, including those about the natural world, undermine the pivotal claim that the Bible is divinely inspired.

Zelda Rising tells the story of an empathetic young woman named Crystine who runs afoul of a perverse male stranger as she works to create a cozy refuge for booklovers in a Chicago space she calls Zelda Rising Books, in honor of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife. The novel Zelda Rising revolves around this world of books that mean much more than reading, for very lives end up depending on them. It offers up a range of colorful characters from Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood who are drawn into the center of Crystine's bookstore, for better or worse, and must face their own unfulfilled dreams and mortality after she is gaslighted and dies tragically. Mystery pervades Zelda Rising until violence becomes the only solution. Definitely an engrossing, succinct read.

The wizards of Unseen University are again called upon to defend their creation, Roundworld, this time in a courtroom—where its very existence hangs in the balance. The Omnians fervently believe that the world is round, not flat, and view the discovery of Roundworld as a vindication of their faith. To leave this artifact in the hands of the wizards would be unacceptable. Not only do the academics hold that Discworld is flat, but by creating the Roundworld universe, they have elevated themselves to the level of gods. Ankh-Morpork’s venerable tyrant Lord Vetinari agrees to a tribunal, where the wizards Ridcully, Rincewind, and Ponder Stibbons can present their case—with key assistance from a Roundworld librarian named Marjorie Daw. JUDGMENT DAY weaves together explorations of such Earthly topics as big science, creation, subatomic particles, the existence of dark matter, and the psychology of belief--a treat for Discworld fans and readers of popular science alike.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3: 16). According to this verse, the bible is a divinely inspired moral guide. However, the critical analysis of Scripture that comprises the contents of this book clearly demonstrates that this claim is invalid for a number of reasons. For example, the multiple contradictions and absurdities contained in the bible confer an unreliability upon it that undermines its function as a guide for anything, let alone moral decision making. Furthermore, many of the ideas it promotes are actually spiritually harmful. And unless the misogyny, violence, intolerance, injustice and cruelty can be removed, then it is difficult to view the Scriptures as even remotely resembling an unassailable divine guide to ethical conduct. Moreover, the many errors that it contains, including those about the natural world, obviates the claim that the bible is divinely inspired. In the course of using the verses themselves in discussing such topics as biblical errancy, bible-based morality, the nature of the biblical god, the nature of a religion based on the bible, and the bible's stance on science, nature and truth, it will be shown that any belief that it is either divinely inspired or a trustworthy guide to right living is both misguided and delusional. In addition, the insights of such thinkers as Nietzsche, Feuerbach, Spinoza, Shakespeare, Euripides, Dostoyevsky, Camus, Sartre, Maugham, Augustine, Aquinas, Twain, Chaucer, Einstein, Freud, Ingersoll, Mencken, and others will be used to illuminate the true character of the bible, that it is a far more profane thansacred book.

A bibliography of various mystery novels published between November 1976 and Fall 1992.

A half-human, half-vampire hunts the bloodsucker who bit her in this “compelling” Bram Stoker Award-winning debut (Publishers Weekly). One spring night in London, heiress Denise Thorne disappears while partying at a nightclub, never to be seen again. That very same night, Sonja Blue, a tough-as-nails punk vampire/vampire-slayer, conceived in terror and blood, is borne from the city’s gutters. Saved by modern medicine before she could die, she is a living vampire who still possesses a soul and is determined to fight for what remains of her humanity. In the years since her bizarre resurrection, Sonja Blue travels the globe, hunting down and disposing of those creatures that prey on the innocent while searching for the vampire Noble who created her. But when she investigates a sleazy televangelist named Catherine Wheele, who is exploiting Denise Thorne’s parents, Sonja finds herself up against a powerful inhuman adversary. But as dangerous as Catherine Wheele proves to be, Sonja’s greatest foe remains the Other, the demonic personality with whom she is locked in a constant battle for control of their shared body. Can Sonja Blue overcome her inner demon in time to rescue an innocent man from Catherine Wheele’s unholy clutches? Acknowledged as one of the first Urban Fantasy novels, Sunglasses After Dark burst onto the fantasy/horror scene in 1989, garnering widespread critical praise and winning the Horror Writers Association’s coveted Bram Stoker Award, as well as the British Fantasy Society’s Icarus Award. New edition: Revised and edited by the author.

Contains over 600 entries describing novels that have theatrical settings or in which characters work in the theatre.

How much do economists really know? In most cases, they claim to have profound knowledge but in fact understand little and obscure almost everything. Most people are convinced that economics should be left to the ‘experts’, when they themselves are perfectly capable of understanding it. This book explains that mainstream economics serves the interests of the rich through its logical inconsistency and unabashedly reactionary conclusions. John F. Weeks exposes the myths of mainstream economics and explains in straightforward language why current policies fail to serve the vast majority of people in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Their failure to serve the interests of the many results from their devoted service to the few.

Unquestionably, The Word Factory is the perfect guide to better English Grammar and effortless writing. According to one newspaper report, universities in England had begun to penalise students who employed incorrect grammar in their essays. In South Africa, the analysis of seventy-four thousand short stories found that written work of children was littered with SMS language, American slang, exclamation marks, and references to celebrities. All through my formative years, I had to contend with five different languagesEnglish, Afrikaans, and two other dialects, which for the most part, accounted for my inability to translate thought into words effortlessly and inhibited my willingness to participate in lively social discussions especially in the course of my high school years. However, possessed of determination, I had vowed to overcome that infirmity. My need to succeed at all costs precipitated the memorisation of the entire Pocket Oxford Dictionary, an accomplishment that spanned ten long years, following which a further ten years were spent in acquainting myself with most English phrases, idiomatic expressions, and collecting the data and fully researching it. I decided to name the compilation The Word Factory. The fruits of my efforts, but more specifically the extensive employment of The Word Factory, not only marked my rise onto the podiums as master of ceremonies and public speaker, but had also enabled me to write approximately twenty-five articles to the Cape Argus, Cape Towns pre-eminent newspaper, within the space of two years, with 100 per cent publication rate.