A team of superhuman covert operatives emerges from the ashes of World War II in a Cold War-era paranormal espionage thriller from acclaimed genre-bender Michael J. Martinez. It is a new world, stunned by the horrors that linger in the aftermath of total war. The United States and Soviet Union are squaring off in a different kind of conflict, one that’s fought in the shadows, where there are whispers of strange and mysterious developments. . . Normal people across the United States have inexplicably gained paranormal abilities. A factory worker can heal the sick and injured. A schoolteacher bends emotions to her will. A car salesman alters matter with a simple touch. A former soldier speaks to the dying and gains their memories as they pass on. They are the Variants, controlled by a secret government program called MAJESTIC-12 to open a new front in the Cold War. From the deserts of Nevada to the palaces of Istanbul, the halls of power in Washington to the dark, oppressive streets of Prague, the Variants are thrown into a deadly game of shifting alliances. Amidst the seedy underbelly of nations, these once-ordinary Americans dropped in extraordinary circumstances will struggle to come to terms with their abilities as they fight to carve out a place for themselves in a world that may ultimately turn against them. And as the MAJESTIC-12 program will soon discover, there are others out there like them, some with far more malevolent goals. . . Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

A team of superhuman covert operatives emerges from the ashes of World War II in a Cold War era paranormal espionage thriller from acclaimed genre-bender Michael J. Martinez. It is a new world, stunned by the horrors that linger in the aftermath of total war. The United States and Soviet Union are squaring off in a different kind of conflict, one that’s fought in the shadows, where there are whispers of strange and mysterious developments. Normal people across the United States have inexplicably gained paranormal abilities. A factory worker can heal the sick and injured. A schoolteacher bends emotions to her will. A car salesman alters matter with a simple touch. A former soldier speaks to the dying and gains their memories as they pass on. They are the Variants, controlled by a secret government program called MAJESTIC-12 to open a new front in the Cold War. From the deserts of Nevada to the palaces of Istanbul, the halls of power in Washington to the dark, oppressive streets of Prague, the Variants are thrown into a deadly game of shifting alliances. Amidst the seedy underbelly of nations, these once-ordinary Americans dropped in extraordinary circumstances will struggle to come to terms with their abilities as they fight to carve out a place for themselves in a world that may ultimately turn against them. And as the MAJESTIC-12 program will soon discover, there are others out there like them, some with far more malevolent goals.

Josef Stalin is dead. In the aftermath, the Soviet Union is thrown into crisis, giving former secret police chief Laverentiy Beria exactly the opening he needs. Beria's plan is to secretly place his country's Variants-ordinary people mysteriously embued with strange, superhuman powers-into the very highest levels of leadership, where he can use them to stage a government coup and seize control of the USSR. America's response comes from its intelligence communities, including the American Variants recruited for the top-secret MAJESTIC-12 program, who are suddenly thrown into their most dangerous and important assignment yet. From the halls of the Kremlin to the battlefields of Korea, superpowered covert agents face off to determine the future of the planet-a future their very existence may ultimately threaten.

For half a century, Michael Jackson’s music has been an indelible part of our cultural consciousness. Landmark albums such as Off the Wall and Thriller shattered records, broke racial barriers, amassed awards, and set a new standard for popular music. While his songs continue to be played in nearly every corner of the world, however, they have rarely been given serious critical attention. The first book dedicated solely to exploring his creative work, Man in the Music guides us through an unparalleled analysis of Jackson’s recordings, album by album, from his trailblazing work with Quincy Jones to his later collaborations with Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Rodney Jerkins. Drawing on rare archival material and on dozens of original interviews with the collaborators, engineers, producers, and songwriters who helped bring the artist’s music into the world, Jackson expert and acclaimed cultural critic Joseph Vogel reveals the inspirations, demos, studio sessions, technological advances, setbacks and breakthroughs, failures and triumphs, that gave rise to an immortal body of work.

When a double murder takes place in a Norwegian village high school, a teenager finds himself subject to trial by social media ... and in the dock. Bestselling, highly emotive and award-winning Nordic Noir... 'One of the finest writers of the Nordic Noir genre' Ragnar Jnasson 'Satisfyingly tense and dark' Sunday Times 'Spine-chilling and utterly unputdownable' Yrsa SigurardttirBRBRBRBRWhat turns a boy into a killer?/BBRBRWhen the high school in the small Norwegian village of Fredheim becomes a murder scene, the finger is soon pointed at seventeen-year-old Even. As the investigation closes in, social media is ablaze with accusations, rumours and even threats, and Even finds himself the subject of an online trial as well as being in the dock ... for murder?BRBREven pores over his memories of the months leading up to the crime, and it becomes clear that more than one villager was acting suspiciously ... and secrets are simmering beneath the calm surface of this close-knit community. As events from the past play tag with the present, he's forced to question everything he thought he knew. Was the death of his father in a car crash a decade earlier really accidental? Has a relationship stirred up something that someone is prepared to kill to protect?BRBRIt seems that there may be no one that Even can trust. But can we trust him?BRBRA taut, moving and chilling thriller, IInborn You loved Quicksand and We Need to Talk about Kevin, now read Inborn 'A pithy, twisty, challenging tale with a cracking concept ... The ending caught in my throat, piercing, then shattering my crime-sleuthing thoughts. Inborn is so very readable, it also provoked and sliced at my feelings, made me stop, made me think, it really is very clever indeed' LoveReading 'If you like your crime smart, dark and morally compelling then you'll absolutely love this book' 17 Degrees Magazine 'Clever plotting and thought-provoking premise. Another feather in Thomas Enger's cap' Crime by the Book 'Thomas Enger's novels are intelligent and emotionally aware and Inborn is no exception ... an exciting and thought-provoking novel' New Books Magazine 'One of the most unusual and intense talents in the field' Barry Forshaw, Independent 'MUST HAVE' Sunday Express S Magazine 'Intriguing' Guardian 'Sophisticated and suspenseful' Literary Review 'Full of suspense and heart' Crime Monthly 'Inborn is a small-town murder mystery and courtroom drama with multi-faceted characters and compelling twists that will keep you guessing until the very end' Culture Fly 'A tightly plotted mix of thrillers and courtroom drama ... compelling, twisty and full of emotion' Off-the-Shelf Books

Published to commemorate the influential band's twentieth anniversary, an illustrated portrait covers their achievements while sharing reproductions of rare archival memorabilia, personal photos, and tour notes.

Final Fantasy is one of the most iconic and beloved videogame series in the world. Since its inception, its titles have adopted names, themes and stories from across global mythology, including the beliefs of the Vikings.This book embarks on a detailed exploration of how Norse lore in particular influenced the writing and design of Final Fantasy VII - arguably the most critically-acclaimed of the franchise - and its wider compilation.Why is Midgar the political centre of the Planet, and Nibelheim the home of Cloud Strife?How are the Odin Materia, the Rune Blade and Vincent Valentine connected?What are the parallels between Ragnarok and the fall of the Shinra Corporation?These questions and many more will be examined and answered by award-winning community author M. J. Gallagher. Suitable for newcomers and enthusiasts alike.This work is presented as a tribute to the metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy(R) VII. The author proposes that the speculative comparisons between Norse mythology and the Compilation of Final Fantasy(R) VII are unique, and use original thinking and analysis to interpret the inspirations, context, and content of the metaseries.The book has not been approved, licensed, or sponsored by any entity or person involved in creating or producing Final Fantasy(R), the videogames, films, or publications.