The power of steam drives conflict and adventure around the world, pitting fantastic retro technologies on the field of battle in the name of ambition and heroism. Thrill to breathtaking feats of derring-do in the age of steampunk saviors and beyond. Pirates, pipers, pilots, and cowboys will whisk you into whirlwinds of excitement in other eras, too, and will keep you on the edge of your seat for every heart-pounding page. Experience one spectacular exploit after another in the unforgettable words of USA Today bestselling author Robert Jeschonek, a scifi champion with a Star Trek and Doctor Who pedigree.

Manga and anime inspire a wide range of creative activities for fans: blogging and contributing to databases, making elaborate cosplay costumes, producing dôjinshi (amateur) manga and scanlations, and engaging in fansubbing and DIY animation. Indeed, fans can no longer be considered passive consumers of popular culture easily duped by corporations and their industrial-capitalist ideologies. They are now more accurately described as users, in whose hands cultural commodities can provide instant gratification but also need to be understood as creative spaces that can be inhabited, modified, and enhanced. User Enhanced, the sixth volume of the Mechademia series, examines the implications of this transformation from consumer to creator. Why do manga characters lend themselves so readily to user enhancement? What are the limitations on fan creativity? Are fans simply adding value to corporate properties with their enhancements? And can the productivity and creativity of user activities be transformed into genuine cultural enrichment and social engagement? Through explorations of the vitality of manga characters, the formal and structural open-endedness of manga, the role of sexuality and desire in manga and anime fandom, the evolution of the Lolita fashion subculture, the contemporary social critique embodied in manga like Helpman! and Ikigami, and gamer behavior within computer games, User Enhanced suggests that commodity enhancement may lead as easily to disengagement and isolation as to interaction, connection, and empowerment. Contributors: Brian Bergstrom; Lisa Blauersouth; Aden Evens, Dartmouth College; Andrea Horbinski; Itô Gô, Tokyo Polytechnic U; Paul Jackson; Yuka Kanno; Shion Kono, Sophia U, Tokyo; Thomas Lamarre, McGill U; Christine L. Marran, U of Minnesota; Miyadai Shinji, Tokyo Metropolitan U; Miyamoto Hirohito, Meiji U; Livia Monnet, U of Montreal; Miri Nakamura, Wesleyan U; Matthew Penney, Concordia U, Montreal; Emily Raine; Brian Ruh; Kumiko Saito, Bowling Green State U; Rio Saitô, College of Visual Arts, St. Paul; Cathy Sell; James Welker, U of British Columbia; Yoshikuni Igarashi, Vanderbilt U.

From selling "attack jelly" on the streets of New York to opening an exclusive disco in Denver, eleven-year-old Artie Geller's wacky money-making ideas have everyone except the FBI thinking that he is a genius.

The classic story of Jane Eyre reset in a steampunk world, complete with zephyr-ships, clockwork, and automatons in addition to the original romance and mystery! As a child, Jane Eyre lives with her cold aunt and cruel cousins in the levitating manor Gateshead Hall, but is soon sent to Lowood Institution, the austere boarding school for orphans across continents in India. Jane eventually journeys back to England, to take the job of governess at Thornfield Hall, a mysterious manor that floats in the air above a lake and harbors a dark and shrouded secret. This retelling retains all of the original passion and intrigue but winds it up to something much more. Written by Charlotte Brontë and originally published in 1847, these steampunk additions were imagined and added by R.A. Harding almost one hundred and seventy-five years later. This speaks to the enduring quality of the book and the unmitigated moxie of one of its fans.

Brand new from Bradt is Okinawa and Japan’s Southwest Islands, the sole travel guidebook dedicated to the archipelago stretching from the southern tip of mainland Japan to Taiwan, whose landscapes include award-winning beaches, coral reefs, tropical jungles and ancient forests. This guide contains all the detailed information that travellers need to get the most out of their visit, from accommodation and restaurants to transport and sights. Japan expert Jo Davey complements this with rich context and entertaining insights to help readers understand this fascinating region, covering culture, recipes, architectural highlights, historical episodes and traditional folktales. Japan’s Southwest Islands are a remote but rewarding and geographically diverse area that comprises the Satsunan Islands (formed of the Osumi and Amami islands) and the Ryukyu Islands (consisting of the Okinawa, Kerama, Miyako and Yaeyama islands). The capital city of Naha on Okinawa-honto is a bright and busy hub of history, art, karate and food. Thanks to its many US military bases and post-war occupation by the US, Naha is a fusion of Japanese and American culture. In contrast, the more remote islands preserve traditional Ryukyuan life with festivals, architecture, traditional accommodation and religious sites. Depending where you travel, you can dive with manta rays off Iriomote or kayak along its jungle rivers, hike through Yakushima’s ancient forest, search for star sand on Taketomi, pay tribute to the fallen of World War II at museums and monuments on Okinawa-honto, cycle between Miyako’s award-winning beaches, take home a chunk of rope from the world’s largest tug-of-war (in Naha) or go whale watching off the Kerama Islands. Wherever you go, the islands’ amazing food – known for being the world’s healthiest cuisine – can be found throughout the archipelago. As well as dedicated chapters covering each island group, the book also provides a glimpse into the ‘gateway cities’ of Tokyo and Kagoshima, with coverage that highlights little-known areas, activities, accommodation and restaurants. Throughout, extensive practical information includes transport, seasonality, itineraries, visas and budgeting. Whether you come for culture or cuisine, karate or nature, diving or trekking, let Bradt’s Okinawa and Japan’s Southwest Islands be your guide.

I am the weapon. Eskara is free of the Pit, but far from safe. She is beset by the ghosts of those she has killed, and plagued by the ancient horror that possesses her. Enemies dog her heels, determined to see the last Orran Sourcerer dead. Worse still, there is new player in the game, one far more dangerous than anything she has faced before. But there is one place that might offer her both the safety she needs to survive, and the power she needs to strike back; Ro'shan, the flying home of a God. Eska will soon learn that all power comes with a cost, and some prices are too high. The thrilling continuation of The War Eternal trilogy raises the stakes and pits Eska against more dangerous enemies. Perfect for fans of Patrick Rothfuss and Mark Lawrence.

After the events of the first book, Freya has joined the Institute - an organization created to help Espers control their powers, and she thought she'd finally found peace. That is, until Anti-Esper weapons find their way into the hands of The Coalition, a radical group who is determined to kill anyone with powers. At the same time, the Sky Cult has arisen, claiming that Espers have the right to rule over lowly humans. The timing couldn't be worse, as all of this happens three days before Esper Day, the first holiday designed to show that humans and Espers can coexist. Now Nathan, Freya and the team have to fight both organizations in a race against time before one of the radical groups tips the scales, and plunges the entire world into their own version of Armageddon.