Castle of Dreams is a shojo anthology series. This one volume collects together two comics previously released on in Japan by Masami, "Castle of Dreams" and "The Room Where an Angel Lives." The first half, "Castle of Dreams," is a series of three stories with a fairytale theme, All of the stories, are linked by the introduction of a sorcerer who will grant a single wish, a wish that can be "a blessing or a curse, to help someone or hurt someone." Of course, wishes are never freely given, and magic always has its consequences. The next book, "The Room where Angels Live," has five stories along more typical themes of love and romance, of loss and redemption.

Meet former space engineer, Joe Ballen. These days, he's scraping a living flying cabs in flooded-out Baltimore, trying to avoid the clutches of his boss and the well-meaning advice of an old friend. When one of his passengers suffers a grisly death, Joe is dragged into a dangerous web of ruthless academic rivalry centered on a prototype spaceship. As the bodies pile up, Joe becomes suspect number one, and his enemies will stop at nothing to hide the truth. With the help of an enigmatic scientist, a senile survivalist, and the glamorous Ms Buntin, can Joe untangle the conspiracy and prove his innocence before it's too late? Mathematics Of Eternity: the first in an explosive SF thriller series by a fantastic new Canadian SF author. The future's about to get a lot more action-packed!

"A wonderful introduction the Japanese tradition of jisei, this volume is crammed with exquisite, spontaneous verse and pithy, often hilarious, descriptions of the eccentric and committed monastics who wrote the poems." --Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Although the consciousness of death is, in most cultures, very much a part of life, this is perhaps nowhere more true than in Japan, where the approach of death has given rise to a centuries-old tradition of writing jisei, or the "death poem." Such a poem is often written in the very last moments of the poet's life. Hundreds of Japanese death poems, many with a commentary describing the circumstances of the poet's death, have been translated into English here, the vast majority of them for the first time. Yoel Hoffmann explores the attitudes and customs surrounding death in historical and present-day Japan and gives examples of how these have been reflected in the nation's literature in general. The development of writing jisei is then examined--from the longing poems of the early nobility and the more "masculine" verses of the samurai to the satirical death poems of later centuries. Zen Buddhist ideas about death are also described as a preface to the collection of Chinese death poems by Zen monks that are also included. Finally, the last section contains three hundred twenty haiku, some of which have never been assembled before, in English translation and romanized in Japanese.

Edgar Ashenbert claims to be descended from the human ruler of the fairy kingdom, and he urgently needs Lydia’s help to find and claim his birthright, the legendary sword of the Blue Knight Earl. Things will never be the same for Lydia as she is pulled into a dangerous quest against dark forces! -- VIZ Media

The Zen temple Daitoku-ji is known as "The Temple of Great Virtue." It was founded in the early fourteenth century and its presitige allowed it to accumulate a treasury of Zen art. The daily practice of Zen goes on as it has since its beginning, with few concessions to modern living. This book looks at both aspects of the temple.

The Ring System, a structure constructed in space when Earth was abandoned as an environmental preserve, contains a society divided by money and status. Mitsu, a sixteen-year-old lower-level window washer whose father was killed when he fell from the surface of the Ring, struggles to define his role in this stifling and segregated civilization. Unsafe living conditions and unrest among the residents ravage the lower levels, but Mitsu and his colleagues also struggle with loneliness and thwarted ambitions. In the final volume of Saturn Apartments, Mitsu must decide whether he will descend to the surface of the earth in an experimental device and attempt to change the fate of the Ring System forever. -- VIZ Media

Anime/manga (Japanese animation and comics) have been increasing in popularity worldwide for decades. But despite being a global phenomenon, there’s been surprisingly little psychological research formally studying its devoted fanbase. In this book we aim to do just that with an overview of nearly a decade of research by fan psychologists. Otaku and cosplayers, genre preferences, hentai, parasocial connections, motivation, personality, fanship and fandom, stigma, and well-being – this book looks at all of these topics through a psychological lens. Many of these findings are being presented for the first time, without the jargon and messy statistical analyses, but in plain language so it’s accessible to all readers – fans and curious observers alike!