A MEGABYTE BLOW-OUT IN 21ST CENTURY BOSTON... He awoke in a body bag, his brain fried, a black hole where his memory should be. If not for the cool carbon-fiber blade concealed in his arm, he would've been dead for sure. But Michael Bishop—a.k.a. Babel, messiah of the Matrix—is back in the game. Renraku Computer Systems has defied the accords of the Corporate Court. Now they must decipher the secrets of the otaku—and Babel is the technoshaman reborn for the job. But netwalking in the shadows of the electron jungle means an initiation into deadly megacorporate intrigue—and discovering more about Babel's own team than he fears he should know. As allies become adversaries, Babel breaks through the dreaded black ice security to find a doorway to the future—and signs of a corp war looming on the horizon—one that could destroy the technoworld and beyond...forever.

Presents annotated lists of fantasy titles, grouped by subgenre, with interest levels, and award indicators; and includes a discussion of fantasy, providing a historical overview and working definition of the genre.

A rare look at the role of special effects in creating fictional worlds and transmedia franchises From comic book universes crowded with soaring superheroes and shattering skyscrapers to cosmic empires set in far-off galaxies, today’s fantasy blockbusters depend on visual effects. Bringing science fiction from the studio to your screen, through film, television, or video games, these special effects power our entertainment industry. More Than Meets the Eye delves into the world of fantastic media franchises to trace the ways in which special effects over the last 50 years have become central not just to transmedia storytelling but to worldbuilding, performance, and genre in contemporary blockbuster entertainment. More Than Meets the Eye maps the ways in which special effects build consistent storyworlds and transform genres while traveling from one media platform to the next. Examining high-profile franchises in which special effects have played a constitutive role such as Star Trek, Star Wars, The Matrix, and The Lord of the Rings, as well as more contemporary franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter, Bob Rehak analyzes the ways in which production practices developed alongside the cultural work of industry professionals. By studying social and cultural factors such as fan interaction, this book provides a context for understanding just how much multiplatform storytelling has come to define these megahit franchises. More Than Meets the Eye explores the larger history of how physical and optical effects in postwar Hollywood laid the foundation for modern transmedia franchises and argues that special effects are not simply an adjunct to blockbuster filmmaking, but central agents of an entire mode of production.

From the pages of Electronic Musician magazine come these words of wisdom from Scott Wilkinson. He bridges the information gap between beginner and high-end user as he demystifies the decibel, explains SCSI secrets, and makes sense of MIDI. Other topics include the principles of digital audio, effects processors, microphones and more. You'll also get two glossaries: one general and the other packed with Internet terms.