In the desultory realm known as the Wasteland, commonly known as Limbo, decisions have to be made. The stories contained herein reflect some of the dilemmas encountered when one looks into the Abyss.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A modern classic of true crime, set in a most beguiling Southern city—now in a 30th anniversary edition with a new afterword by the author “Elegant and wicked . . . might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime.”—The New York Times Book Review Shots rang out in Savannah’s grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. In this sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative, John Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case. It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman’s Card Club; the turbulent young gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the “soul of pampered self-absorption”; the uproariously funny drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young people dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a sublime and seductive reading experience.

Hailed as "a feast" (Washington Post) and "a modern-day bestiary" (The New Yorker), Stephen Asma's On Monsters is a wide-ranging cultural and conceptual history of monsters--how they have evolved over time, what functions they have served for us, and what shapes they are likely to take in the future. Beginning at the time of Alexander the Great, the monsters come fast and furious--Behemoth and Leviathan, Gog and Magog, Satan and his demons, Grendel and Frankenstein, circus freaks and headless children, right up to the serial killers and terrorists of today and the post-human cyborgs of tomorrow. Monsters embody our deepest anxieties and vulnerabilities, Asma argues, but they also symbolize the mysterious and incoherent territory beyond the safe enclosures of rational thought. Exploring sources as diverse as philosophical treatises, scientific notebooks, and novels, Asma unravels traditional monster stories for the clues they offer about the inner logic of an era's fears and fascinations. In doing so, he illuminates the many ways monsters have become repositories for those human qualities that must be repudiated, externalized, and defeated.

Eleven accessible tales explore the ethical motives of three real-life heroes.

Where is your solace when you have lived a life without religion or faith, only to find out nearing the hour of your death you have nothing to trust. Even a life of constant faith can end with fear of the damnation threatened by your minister. What if you are gay, or lesbian, locked away in prison, or hopelessly addicted to drugs or alcohol? When the fear of death occupies your mind, what can you turn to? Where is the truth? What happens when I die? Which church is the right one? Will there be rapture? Is God on our side? Can I really get into heaven for an adequate donation? Thousands are in prison, thousands are gay, and thousands have no religious affiliations at all. Yet in every heart lies the fear of damnation and the uncertainty of what may await us on the other side. Gays are called abominations by churches and good Christians; sentenced to exclusion and damned forever. Prisoners are for the most part condemned to hell for their crimes. The everyday average person does not go to church at all. I offer these untold thousands a new answer, a plausible alternative to sackcloth and ashes. I offer a faith in the absolute "understanding" that awaits us after death. I ask readers to look past the ranting and threats of all religions. You need to see that they are selling heaven. There is no Bible thumping or condemnation in chapter and verse. This is a religious, anti-religious book. I offer piece of mind, even hope for your personal end times. It is not deep nor psychologically steeped in conjecture. Free yourself from bondage and fear. Share the story. The End Times may be here! This book can help you prepare.