Three timely one-act plays, showing the brutal and bloody impact of the current Middle Eastern crisis on ordinary people.

Occult scholars explore how H. P. Lovecraft’s fictional book of magic became a cultural phenomenon and real-life legend in this revised and expanded volume. What if a book existed that revealed the answers to all of life’s mysteries? For those who believe in it, The Necronomicon is exactly that—an eighth-century occult text of immense power. In. fact, The Necronomicon is a creation of science fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, who referred to the work in a number of stories and gave weight to its legend by inventing its own elaborate history. In The Necronomicon Files two occult authorities explore all aspects of The Necronomicon, from its first appearance in Lovecraft’s fiction to its ongoing pervasive appearance in cult and occult circles. The authors show how Lovecraft’s literary circle added to the book’s legend by referring to it in their own writing. As people became convinced of the book’s existence, references to it in literature and film continue to grow. This revised and expanded edition also examines the lengths people have undergone to find the Necronomicon, and the cottage industry that has arisen in response to the continuing demand for a book that does not exist. The Necronomicon Files illuminates the transformations of a modern myth, exposing a literary hoax while celebrating the romance of Necronomicon lore.

For more than 50 years John Clute has been reviewing science fiction and fantasy. Look at the Evidence is a collection of reviews from a wide variety of sources - including Interzone, the New York Review of Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Weekly - about the most significant literatures of the twenty-first century: science fiction, fantasy and horror: the literatures Clute argues should be recognized as the central modes of fantastika in our times. It covers the period between 1987 and 1992.

Describes origins of commercial wargames as well as how to play and design them.

Listen! Would you be interested in reading a few pages from a diary of a terrorist? Seriously! That is if you, like many others, believe that anyone who is from the Middle East is a potential terrorist. On the contrary I found that the Middle East is a wonderful place where laughter is in abundance. You just got to explode, I mean explore by traveling through various countries of the Middle East. Not only an exhilarating life experience, you will also discover mystery, adventure and plenty of humour. No time, no problem! I have done it for you. The last few years have been difficult for the Arab nations. The world seemed to have latched on to its stereotypical image without understanding Arab's fascinating culture. Arabia is truly a fun place. It's a secret that needs to be let out: Arabs have a deep-rooted sense of humour and it exists in their daily life. Let me explain. I know there are millions of people who can't possibly believe what I'm telling them: that Arabs both have and appreciate a sense of humour. I know that the press has convinced you otherwise. And they will. That is their job and it helps them to sell newspapers. The only way to bring in a balanced perspective is to look closely at their humour. A good and clean sense of humour to enjoy and not rude or offensive to be upsetting! Come on, don't be so serious, and smile. Did you know that humour in the Arab society is not recent or out of necessity? It has been in existence for centuries as an integral part of their culture. Way back in the Middle Ages, Mullah Nasruddin was one of the great humorists of Arab history. He has thousands of tales, my favourite is: When a ruler said to Nasruddin, "Mullah, all the great rulers of the past had honorific titles with the name of God in them. There was, for instance, 'God-Gifted', and 'God-Accepted', and so on. How about some such name for me?" Nasruddin thought only for a moment and said, "God Forbid." See what I mean: subtle. I believe that the funniest humour is the one that you experience for yourself. So I packed my bags and travelled all through Arabia. I liked it so much that I stayed there for several years. Why? Because I wanted more to get past: A priest, a rabbi and a mullah walk into a bar. The barman says - "What is this, a joke?" I needed something fresh, original and personal. Did I get it? Well, I'd let you be the judge of that. Come along on an adventurous journey with me to the fascinating world of Arabia and experience a unique brand of humour that you would not find on the Internet. Not that I don't trust the God Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (Google). Through these short, humorous stories I invite you on a journey of humour, mystery and adventure to the amazing Middle East.

Canary Fever is a collection of reviews about the most significant literatures of the twenty-first century: science fiction, fantasy and horror: the literatures Clute argues should be recognized as the central modes of fantastika in our times. The title refers to the canary in the coal mine, who whiffs gas and dies to save miners; reviewers of fantastika can find themselves in a similar position, though words can only hurt us.

When Americans read in today's news that Qatar is funding rebel groups across the Middle East, few of us have any idea what Qatar is or how it is run. A nation of perhaps 250,000 locals served by 1.35 million foreign workers, the emirate is burning its gas and oil revenue at a break-neck pace in an effort to build a position on the global stage. Is Qatar actually a suitable ally or a legitimate partner for the United States? Under Qatari labor law, foreign workers are actually owned, for all practical purposes, by their Qatari sponsors in a system akin to slavery. This book chronicles the experience of an American executive working in Qatar and delves into Qatar's feudal work-sponsorship system, showing that an economic great leap forward is not necessarily accompanied by modernization, despite superficial emblems; that prosperity and democracy need not go hand in hand; and that being a US ally may be totally unrelated to any notion of human rights or personal liberties. There are other Western expats still trapped in Qatar. Yet American workers, students and others blithely interact with Qatar as if it were a 'normal' (i.e., Westernized) nation where one may navigate with confidence. It is nothing of the sort. In the meantime Qatar, under the leadership of an emir who overthrew his own father, is fostering international unrest across the entire Arab world, while racing to build a modern-looking city from scratch. Some of the economic, environmental and demographic assumptions underlying these plans are worthy of another 1000 tales from Arabia. American businessman Nasser Beydoun found out for himself how quickly the Qataris are moving when he embarked on an exciting new career path, leaving his hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, to move to Qatar to manage the opening of several chain restaurants as part of the sudden economic boom there. It didn't take long for the deal to turn sour, but Beydoun didn't realize the extent of his problem until he tried to leave the country — and was stopped at the border. In this book he paints a general picture of life in this fantastical realm while relaying his personal struggle to escape a legal runaround worthy of Kafka's novels.