Ante up for the game of a lifetime! Billy Fox, a small-time gambler on a losing streak, has more than enough problems on his hands, owing too much money to some very impatient people. But when he rescues a blinded stranger from a swarm of bloodthirsty fairies, Billy’s life gets a lot more complicated. . . . Seems the stranger is actually a powerful local god who is involved in a high-stakes Florida poker tournament against various supernatural challengers. And with his eyes currently missing, he needs somebody to take his place at the gaming table. Before Billy knows it, he finds himself playing against the likes of an ancient Egyptian mummy, an unbearably seductive succubus, a mechanical man, an insect queen, and a cannibalistic beast-man. And not just cards are in play; magic, bloodshed, and cheating are not only expected, they’re encouraged. Everybody, including a sexy satyr-girl with her own cards up her sleeve, thinks that Billy is in way over his head. But Billy is a born gambler and, when the chips are down, he might just change his luck for good! Blind God's Bluff is an outrageously addictive urban fantasy that will keep you flipping pages until the very last hand.

A most unlikely hero, the man born blind in John 9 champions Jesus' cause and triumphs against overwhelming odds. Single-handedly he disputes with the Pharisees and the Jews, first as Jesus' witness and then as his surrogate disputant. Throughout the process the man navigates much like the proverbial blindfolded player in the children's game Blindman's Bluff by which he deepens in spiritual perception into Jesus' true identity. Set in the dramatic backdrop of a two-party juridical controversy between Jesus and his Jewish accusers, the man's journey to full faith lights the often treacherous path for us modern readers to traverse as our vision of Jesus clarifies. This story offers us hope that no one is too blind to be ennobled and reveal God working in our lives.

The bold investigators of Arkham Horror are humanity’s best hope against monstrous terrors from beyond the void, in this second collection of extraordinary eldritch novellas To Fight the Black Wind by Jennifer Brozek – psychologist Carolyn Fern’s treatment of a patient’s terrifying nightmares tears open a doorway into the Dreamlands and the Elder Gods. The Blood of Baalshandor by Richard Lee Byers – the arcane tomes of Miskatonic University are an irresistible lure for stage magician, Dexter Drake and his assistant Molly Maxwell, where they soon fall prey to dark forces. Dark Revelations by Amanda Downum – when author Gloria Goldberg visits Arkham to complete the unfinished novel of her fellow author, its words escape the page and transform Arkham. Also featuring the essential Investigator Origins stories, drawn from deep in the Arkham Horror archives.

The young Heimdall must undertake a mighty quest to save Odin – and all of Asgard – in the first heroic fantasy novel set in Marvel’s incredible Legends of Asgard It is a dark time for Asgard. The All-Father is trapped in a bewitched Odinsleep, inspiring an all-out assault from the Frost Giants. They evade the gods’ defenses with uncommon ease, as if guided by augury. Heimdall, a quick-witted young warrior still finding his place amongst Asgard’s defenders, believes it no coincidence that Odin lies enchanted and that the Giants are so well-informed. Sneaking into Odin’s inner chambers, he discovers that the severed head of Mimir, a great source of wisdom, is missing. Accompanied by his sister, Lady Sif, Heimdall must quest across the Nine Realms to retrieve it, lest mighty Asgard fall.

Growing up in Port Sorrow, a lawless city home to smugglers, slavers, and pirates, Sarth Copperhorn expects to spend his days as a fisherman like his family and neighbors. But when the gang that controls the docks “taxes” the fishermen beyond bearing, the latter rise up against them. Their defiance provokes savage retaliation that leaves Sarth’s mother and father dead and the youth running for his life. Sarth takes refuge in a ruined castle and there encounters the ghost of Qelnan Immur, in life both an aristocrat and a sorcerer. And Qelnan makes him an offer. If Sarth will simply grant the phantom a place in his mind, Qelnan will do more than help him survive. He’ll show the fisherman’s son how to exact vengeance. The Shadow Guide is a tale of swordplay and intrigue, of strange magic, bizarre creatures, and revenge. It’s also the first volume in the new sword-and-sorcery series The Rise of the House of Immur. “A twisted tale of revenge that will keep you guessing until the very last page.” — Chris A. Jackson, author of the award-winning Scimitar Seas novels

Jesus was so marred and unbeautiful that those who were like him were drawn to him, and he changed their lives forever. There was something about the blemished visage and form of Jesus that compelled these people to identify with him. Carlyle Stewart suggests that the common depiction of Jesus as handsome and attractive is mistaken, and that first century Christians knew Jesus to be plain, even ugly. Yet our "marred but magnificent messiah" is the source of hope, power, physical healing, and spiritual renewal. Stewart brings his keen intellect and perceptive eye for contemporary life to 17 messages based on Revised Common Lectionary readings from the Old Testament and the book of Acts. The sermons of this gifted preacher celebrate the sacrifices, suffering, and triumph of Christ that we commemorate during the seasons of Lent and Easter. Titles include: - Not Your Leftovers But Your First Fruits -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 - A Blood That Passes Over -- Exodus 12:1-4, 5-10, 11-14 - Blind Man's Bluff -- Acts 9:1-6(7-20) - You Shall Receive Power -- Acts 1:1-11 - Twelve O'Clock Rock: When The Jailhouse Is Rocked -- Acts 16:16-34 ... and more! A fourth-generation Methodist preacher, Carlyle Fielding Stewart III is a graduate of Wilberforce University (B.A.), the University of Chicago (M.A.), Chicago Theological Seminary (M.Div. and D.Min.), and Northwestern University (Ph.D.). He is the pastor of Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield, Michigan, which has been consistently recognized for church growth and community outreach. Stewart has received numerous honors, including the prestigious Circuit Rider Award (1993) and the Harry A. Denman Award for Evangelism (1996) from the United Methodist Church. Dr. Stewart is also the author of numerous articles and ten books, including Joy Songs, Trumpet Blasts, and Hallelujah Shouts: Sermons In The African-American Preaching Tradition (CSS).