Arguably (and who doesn’t like to argue?) the world’s bestselling cult author, Joe R. Lansdale is celebrated across several continents for his dark humor, his grimly gleeful horror, and his outlaw politics. Welcome to Texas. With hits like Bubba Ho-Tep and The Drive-In the Lansdale secret was always endangered, and the spectacular new Hap and Leonard Sundance TV series is busily blowing whatever cover Joe had left. Backwoods noir some call it; others call it redneck surrealism. Joe’s signature style is on display here in all its grit, grime, and glory, beginning with two (maybe three) previously unpublished Hap and Leonard tales revealing the roots of their unlikely partnership. Plus… A hatful and a half of Joe’s notorious Texas Observer pieces that helped catapult him from obscurity into controversy; and “Miracles Ain’t What They Used to Be,” Lansdale’s passionately personal take on the eternal tussles between God and Man, Texas and America, racism and reason—and religion and common sense. And Featuring: Our Outspoken Interview, in which piney woods dialect, Bible thumpery, martial arts, crime classics and Hollywood protocols are finally awarded the attention they deserve. Or don’t.

The title novella, “The Atheist in the Attic,” appearing here in book form for the first time, is a suspenseful and vivid historical narrative, recreating the top-secret meeting between the mathematical genius Leibniz and the philosopher Spinoza caught between the horrors of the cannibalistic Dutch Rampjaar and the brilliant “big bang” of the Enlightenment. Plus: equal parts history, confession, complaint, gossip, and personal triumph, Delany’s “Racism and Science Fiction” combines scholarly research and personal experience in the unique true story of the first major African American author in the genre. And featuring: a bibliography, an author biography, and our candid, uncompromising, and customary Outspoken Interview.

Wry, dark humor burnishes visionary SF in these often prophetic, sometimes troubling, but always fascinating tales that combine and masterfully conflate the disparate worlds of corporate tech and literary art. “After the Thaw” is a hi-tech take on an ancient idea: immortality. “Terrible Trudy on the Lam” based on actual events, is a modern fable about a zoo escape, a private eye, a vaudeville act and keeping your mouth shut. “Night Shift at NanoGobblers,” written for a NASA website, is about asteroid-altering AIs and their world-weary earthbound handlers. “Transitions” deals with jet lag when your flight is decades late. Gunn’s long-awaited third collection is rounded out by incisive and affectionate portraits of her SF colleagues, mentors, and friends, beginning with Ursula Le Guin. All illuminated of course by our artfully intimate interview.

"Danny Brock's Catholicity Ain't What It Used to Be is a rich experience in practical theology, a theology for everyone, because it is a deeply personal reflection on the faith journey, the story of his own soul as a Catholic in the post-Vatican II church and in a very challenging postmodern culture. As Brock outlines the challenges of the New Evangelization facing teens, the Catholic school, religious educators, parents, and the institutional church, he describes vividly the mess we sometimes find ourselves in, and at the same time he suggests ways of stepping through that mess by bringing to life the beauty and richness of our Catholic faith and the joy of serving Jesus as we journey with young people in our Christian community. Brock's reflections serve as a GPS to help us recalculate where we find ourselves as church and in our culture today as the evangelizing community of Jesus. His unique charism in finding hope in the young persons he serves becomes a great gift of hope for the pilgrim church today."--Father James Mulligan, CSC, nationally renowned Catholic educator and author of Catholic Education: the Future Is Now

For as long as the idea of "miracles" has been in the public sphere, the conversation about them has been shaped exclusively by religious apologists and Christian leaders. The definitions for what a miracles are have been forged by the same men who fought hard to promote their own beliefs as fitting under that umbrella. It's time for a change. Enter John W. Loftus, an atheist author who has earned three master's degrees from Lincoln Christian Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Loftus, a former student of noted Christian apologist William Lane Craig, got some of the biggest names in the field to contribute to this book, which represents a critical analysis of the very idea of miracles. Incorporating his own thoughts along with those of noted academics, philosophers, and theologians, Loftus is able to properly define "miracle" and then show why there's no reason to believe such a thing even exists. Addressing every single issue that touches on miracles in a thorough and academic manner, this compilation represents the most extensive look at the phenomenon ever displayed through the lens of an ardent nonbeliever. If you've ever wondered exactly what a miracle is, or doubted whether they exist, then this book is for you.

As a child John Kerrison was so obsessed with becoming a drummer that he made a snare drum from a biscuit tin and wallpaper. Tutored by the legendary Jim Marshall he turned professional at the age of thirteen. "I quit school at fifteen... The headmaster said choose academia or Rock & Roll... I chose Rock & Roll." John's drum kit survived being loaned to Keith Moon and he played on the same bill as The Rolling Stones. As a scooter riding Mod he experienced the swinging 1960s firsthand and contributed to the deafening arrival of Hard Rock, performing in bands alongside future Deep Purple legends Rod Evans, Nick Simper, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. In 1971 a traumatic spinal cord injury abruptly ended John's promising career as a drummer. Eventually he surfaced from the depths of despair and found an innovative way of regaining his ability to play a full drum kit.

A catch phrase is a well-known, frequently-used phrase or saying that has `caught on' or become popular over along period of time. It is often witty or philosophical and this Dictionary gathers together over 7,000 such phrases.

" Journalist Max Wainright gets an early morning call from his editor telling him that one of the most violent criminals in the city's history is dead. He was murdered, literally torn to pieces, and the cops have no leads. After his visit to the crime scene, Wainright is convinced a madman is on the loose. But as he digs deeper, he comes into contact with one of the most prolific killers ever. To a city with no name he has come to end the reign of terror being inflicted on the city's inhabitants by a shadowy criminal organization and a religious zealot bent on returning the citizenry to a new Eden. Some will live, others will not, but all will pay a price for their Cathedrals of Sin. "