Robots are in. Humans are out. Can one teenager steal her way to a better future? Pen Davis just lost her internship to a robot. As supercomputers take over all the jobs in the world, the lonely teen doesn’t see a future. Desperate to escape the coming robo-pocalpyse, she devises a plot to steal millions from her former boss. It’s payback for laying her off, and the only way Pen can see how to scrape together enough cash to survive. But her plan takes a crazy turn when she fumbles the hijacking of a self-driving truck and accidentally sets it free. Stuck with a semi who practically wants to be her little sister, Pen tries to make the best of it. She uses the semi to rescue quiet James, who is interested enough in her that he’s willing to join her crew, even though he’d prefer not to do anything actually illegal. When she convinces James and the truck to help her, the plan fails spectacularly and her mismatched team is torn apart. Will Pen claim the riches of her dreams, or will a unique friendship give her something money can’t buy? Semi/Human is an action-packed science fiction adventure. If you like quirky characters, hilarious road trips, and awesome high-tech heists, then you’ll love Erik Hanberg’s fast-paced caper.

Harper Hall finally has everything she ever wanted. Thriving paranormal PI business? Check. At least some control over her psychic ability? Check. Smokin’ hot ex-slayer fiancé? Check. But Harper’s plans to grab the first ordained Elvis impersonator she can find and marry Noah Riddick on the Vegas strip—sans drama—are shot to hell when her old business partner shows up and makes her an offer she can’t refuse. And if she tries? Well, let’s just say she might not live long enough to regret it. In the course of their elopement from hell, Harper and Riddick find themselves entangled with the paranormal mafia, dodging the, uh, affections of creepy vampires, and participating in the supernatural equivalent of Fight Club. First rule of paranormal Fight Club? There are no rules. And, oh yeah, don’t die. Seriously, what’s a girl gotta do to get her happily ever after? Semi-Human can be read as a standalone, but works best if read as part of the Harper Hall Investigations series (Book 1: Semi-Charmed). This book is not intended for anyone who doesn’t enjoy smart, snarky heroines and protective, brooding heroes, and who doesn’t appreciate a plethora of nerdy pop culture references. For the rest of you: happy reading! supernatural romance, paranormal romance, heroine with powers romance, light hilarious romance, adult paranormal romance, paranormal romance series, paranormal romance books for adults, grumpy protective hero paranormal romance, strong heroine romance, snarky romance, paranormal romance comedy humor, slow burn romance, vampire hunter romance, vampire slayer romance, psychic romance, female detective romance, urban fantasy romance, urban fantasy romance strong female, romantic comedy

Robots are in. Humans are out. Can one teenager steal her way to a better future? Pen Davis just lost her internship to a robot. As supercomputers take over all the jobs in the world, the lonely teen doesn't see a future. Desperate to escape the coming robo-pocalpyse, she devises a plot to steal millions from her former boss. It's payback for laying her off, and the only way Pen can see how to scrape together enough cash to survive. But her plan takes a crazy turn when she fumbles the hijacking of a self-driving truck and accidentally sets it free. Stuck with a semi who practically wants to be her little sister, Pen tries to make the best of it. She uses the semi to rescue quiet James, who is interested enough in her that he's willing to join her crew, even though he'd prefer not to do anything actually illegal. When she convinces James and the truck to help her, the plan fails spectacularly and her mismatched team is torn apart. Will Pen claim the riches of her dreams, or will a unique friendship give her something money can't buy? Semi/Human is an action-packed science fiction adventure. If you like quirky characters, hilarious road trips, and awesome high-tech heists, then you'll love Erik Hanberg's fast-paced caper. Buy Semi/Human to pull off the perfect crime today!

Metamorphic Imagery in Ancient Chinese Art and Religion demonstrates that the concept of metamorphism was central to ancient Chinese religious belief and practices from at least the late Neolithic period through the Warring States Period of the Zhou dynasty. Central to the authors' argument is the ubiquitous motif in early Chinese figurative art, the metamorphic power mask. While the motif underwent stylistic variation over time, its formal properties remained stable, underscoring the image’s ongoing religious centrality. It symbolized the metamorphosis, through the phenomenon of death, of royal personages from living humans to deceased ancestors who required worship and sacrificial offerings. Treated with deference and respect, the royal ancestors lent support to their living descendants, ratifying and upholding their rule; neglected, they became dangerous, even malevolent. Employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates archaeologically recovered objects with literary evidence from oracle bone and bronze inscriptions to canonical texts, all situated in the appropriate historical context, the study presents detailed analyses of form and style, and of change over time, observing the importance of relationality and the dynamic between imagery, materials, and affects. This book is a significant publication in the field of early China studies, presenting an integrated conception of ancient art and religion that surpasses any other work now available.

Praise for the first edition: "...a brave and fascinating exploration of an area that has so far been rather neglected by both historical and literary critics. The Beast Within provides extremely valuable information on the legal and cultural background of the human-animal relationship..." -- Studies in the Age of Chaucer This important book offers a unique exploration of the use of and attitude towards animals from the 4th to the 14th centuries. The Beast Within explores the varying roles of animals as property, food and sexual objects, and the complex relationship that this created with the people and world around them. Joyce E. Salisbury takes an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, weaving a historical narrative that includes economic, legal, theological, literary and artistic sources. The book shows how by the end of the Middle Ages the lines between humans and animals had blurred completely, making us recognise the beast that lay within us all. This new edition has been brought right up to date with current scholarship, and includes a brand new chapter on animals on trial and animals as human companions, as well as expanded and updated discussions on fables and saints, and a new section on ‘bestial humans’. This important and provocative book remains a key work on the historical study of animals, as well as in the field of environmental history more generally, and also provides crucial context to ongoing debates on animal rights and the environment.

A delightfully illustrated cult novel, literary satire and epic adventure. 'Within the first 15 pages I was carried away by the sheer craziness of it all. Some Minipirates find a baby bear with blue fur inside a walnut shell floating on the ocean towards a giant whirlpool. They rescue him and teach him about knots and waves, and that a good white lie is often considerably more exciting than the truth. Then, when he outgrows their ship to such an extent that he is in danger of sinking it, they abandon him on an island with a bottle of seaweed juice and a loaf of seaweed bread. Thus Bluebear comes to the end of his first life and embarks on his second. By the end of the book, he has expended exactly half of his 27 lives. Again and again, Moers confounds our expectations as the narrative twists and turns, travels backwards and forwards in time. Part science fiction, part fairy tale, part myth, part epic, the book is a satire on all these genres and so constantly satirises itself. Very amusing' - Daily Telegraph

The Art and Archaeology of Bodily Adornment examines the significance of adornment to the shaping of identity in mortuary contexts within Central and East Asia and brings these perspectives into dialogue with current scholarship in other worldwide regions. Adornment and dress are well-established fields of study for the ancient world, particularly with regard to Europe and the Americas. Often left out of this growing discourse are contributions from scholars of Central and East Asia. The mortuary contexts of focus in this volume represent unique sites and events where identity was visualized, and often manipulated and negotiated, through material objects and their placement on and about the deceased body. The authors examine ornaments, jewelry, clothing, and hairstyles to address questions of identity construction regarding dimensions such as gender and social and political status, and transcultural exchange from burials of prehistoric and early historical archaeological sites in Central Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. In both breadth and depth, this book will be of interest to students and scholars interested in the archaeology, art, and history of Central and East Asia, as well as anyone interested in the general study of dress and adornment.

Though he made his fortune pioneering practical uses for electricity, Frederick Lawson was also an active and vocal adherent of New Thought philosophies, early "New Age" thinking that promoted the belief in "mind over matter" and in the concept that godly powers could be found within us all. This classic book-first published in 1912 and the textbook of the organization Lawson founded, the Society for Spreading the Knowledge of True Prayer-explores the new realms of human experience New Thought thinking was uncovering, including: . Unaccounted-for human capacity and animal wonders . Hell as an individual state of human consciousness . New truths "hateful to the sluggard" . Proof of our knowledge of Heaven . Constant conscious communion with God . The value of prophecy . Instantaneous healing . The collective force of foolish beliefs . And much, much more. British engineer, businessman, and author FREDERICK LAWRENCE RAWSON (1859-1923) also wrote How to Bring About Permanent Peace (1916), Secret of Divine Protection (1918) and Nature of True Prayer (1920).

A Galaxy of Things explores the ways in which all puppets, masks, makeup-prosthetic figures are "material characters," using iconic Star Wars characters like Yoda and R2-D2 to illustrate what makes them so compelling. As an epic franchise, Star Wars has been defined by creatures, droids, and masked figures since the original 1977 movie. Author Colette Searls, a theatre director and expert in puppetry studies, uncovers how non-humans like Chewbacca, semi-humans like Darth Maul, and even concealed humans like Boba Fett tell meaningful stories that conventional human characters cannot. Searls defines three powers that puppets, masked figures, and other material characters wield—distance, distillation, and duality—and analyzes Star Wars’ most iconic robots and aliens to demonstrate how they work across nearly a half-century of live-action films. Yoda and "Baby Yoda"—two of popular culture’s greatest puppets—use these qualities to transform their human companions. Similarly, Darth Vader’s mask functions as a performing object driving mystery and suspense across three film trilogies. The power of material characters has also been wielded in problematic ways, such as stereotypes in the representation of service droids and controversial creatures like Jar Jar Binks. Bringing readers forward into the first Star Wars live-action streaming series, the book also explores how the early 2020s stories centered material characters in particularly meaningful, often redemptive ways. A Galaxy of Things is an accessible guide to puppets, masks, and other material characters for students and scholars of theatre, film, puppetry, and popular culture studies. It also offers useful perspectives on non-human representation for researchers in object-oriented ontology, posthumanism, ethnic studies, and material culture.

In the mid-1950s, to combat declining theater attendance, film distributors began releasing pre-packaged genre double-bills--including many horror and science fiction double features. Though many of these films were low-budget and low-end, others, such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Horror of Dracula and The Fly, became bona fide classics. Beginning with Universal-International's 1955 pairing of Revenge of the Creature and Cult of the Cobra, 147 officially sanctioned horror and sci-fi double-bills were released over a 20-year period. This book presents these double features year-by-year, and includes production details, historical notes, and critical commentary for each film.