MONGOLIA: THE LAND OF GODS, MEN… AND BEASTS. The legend lives: that a reincarnated Buddhist leader would once again drag the peoples of Mongolia to their feet, those once and future conquerors of the world. Ja Lama is, for some, the answer and savior – a reincarnation from the revered lineage of Genghis Khan. Born into a group of exiled Mongols in southern Russia in the 19th century, his parents whisk him back toward the homeland for formal training as a Buddhist monk. His boyhood dreams are of a strong and united Mongolia… and reaching the promised land, the golden subterranean city of Agharti. But death dogs his every step, from the Tibetan monastery to battles with the hated Russians and the Chinese. He collects followers like the crusty sidekick Jimbe and thousands of other hardened nomadic peoples on the wide-open steppes. Ja Lama seizes the reins of power across the widest expanses of wildest western Mongolia, using his powers of will and a superhuman ability to survive the wounds of war. The strong and hopeful of Asia alike rally to the side of the monk with Colt revolvers under his robes. The world closes in. There are too many enemies, and too many empires teetering close to collapse all around him as the evils of the 20th century marshal their forces. Can the feared and revered “Lama with a Gun” overcome the wounds of soul and body to unite his peoples for one last drive across Asia?

Contributions by Sandra Bartlett Atwood, Nathan E. Bender, London Brickley, Eric A. Eliason, Noah D. Eliason, Tim Frandy, Robert Glenn Howard, Jay Mechling, Annamarie O'Brien Morel, Raymond Summerville, Tok Thompson, and Megan L. Zahay Guns are a ubiquitous part of life in the United States. Arguably more pervasive than physical guns is “gunlore,” which refers to the many folklore genres related to firearms. Gunlore: Firearms, Folkways, and Communities is the first book to engage with the many narratives, rituals, folk-speech, customs, art, and handicraft encompassed by gunlore. Like most expressive cultures, gunlore emerges from specific communities. Groups with a shared interest around firearms may form for many reasons—self-protection, hunting, crime, work, political or social identity signaling, the desire to creatively modify guns, and even the resolve to oppose gun use and ownership. This collection explores a range of gunlore genres and the “gunfolk” groups that give rise to them. Contributors examine topics that include the fetishization of firearms, “Moms Who Carry,” online discussion boards, alternative history cosplay, survivalist communities, gunsmiths and gun craft, and more. Gun owners and gun enthusiasts, in all their varieties, are one of the largest avocational groups in America. The essays in Gunlore seek to expand our understanding of these communities by looking at the various roles firearms play, have played, and can play in our world. Gunlore, for better or worse, is a powerful and pervasive method of self-expression. In examining the folklore around these controversial and politically charged tools, weapons, and symbols, we can begin to understand aspects of American culture that will remain prominent for the foreseeable future.

Dan Baum is a gun fanatic. He is also Jewish Democrat who grew up in suburban New Jersey. In Gun Guys, he takes us on a guided tour of gun stores and gun shows, shooting ranges and festivals, contests and auctions, trying to figure out what draws so many of us to guns in the first place. Is it just part of being American? Introducing a wide cast of characters, Baum shows both sides of the gun culture in America, bringing an entire world vividly to life, and in doing so helping to find a middle ground in the gun debate, where actual conversation can take place.

A NOVEL BASED ON AN ALBUM IS A BOOK WITH A KILLER SOUNDTRACK A musician with a bad case of writer’s block and a secret past he can’t discuss… A silent neighbor with a hidden agenda… A roommate and a girlfriend with single-letter names… A fairy-tale middle straight from the heart… For fans of Say Anything, Slow Century, Quantum Leap, Being John Malkovich, The Fearless Freaks, Lovers & Other Strangers… With appearances by Paul Simon, David Letterman, James Bond, Carlos Santana, Jan-Michael Vincent, Bogo the Clown, the Dalai Lama, Benji Hughes and more… Exotic locales including Jamaica, Hawaii, France, Dairy Queen, Didicur’s Hardware Store, the Circus, and Inner/Outer Space… Taking place in the vicinity of Halloween, Xmas, April 17th, the past, and the future… Buddy comedy, love story, epic fairy tale, album-oriented fan fiction... All this and more. It gets a little extreme... L EXTREME: An original novel by JL Civi, based on the songs of Benji Hughes