The Last Chance Detectives are searching for a long-lost treasure, but they’re not the only ones. In book seven of the Last Chance Detectives series, readers learn that people aren’t always what they seem—and that some treasures are worth more than gold. Mike and his friends come across an ancient artifact that could unlock riches beyond their wildest dreams. Those dreams are threatened, however, by an unexpected break-in that has the local sheriff puzzled. When a mysterious stranger shows up in town, Mike, Winnie, Ben, and Spence wonder if they are in more danger than they realized. Their hunt for the treasure becomes a race against time as the Last Chance Detectives come face-to-face with perhaps their greatest foe ever! Quest for the King’s Crown is a story of heart-pounding action, age-old mysteries, and several unexpected twists. Does the gang have what it takes to meet this challenge? The Last Chance Detectives won’t stop until the mystery is solved!

It is days before Christmas, and something is very wrong. Darkness covers the skies, ash mixes with the snowy ground, and young Melissa lies sick and dying in a hospital bed. Season, a young golden dog desperate to save her from death, embarks on a dangerous and frightening journey through dark forests and fiery mountains to reveal a mystery beyond his comprehension. Battling vicious animals and dark magic, can he survive in order to reveal the strange mystery in the words of his own master? In this inspirational story, even the animals can discover the Christmas miracle. "A thrilling new twist on the heart-warming story of a dog's odyssey to reunite with his human family, Pollard creates a dark fantasy...with layered references to traditional folklore, Christian symbolism, and an apocalyptic setting... not the sweet and expected tale of a domestic dog alone in the wild...a fast-paced adventure." -Clarion Review "In smooth prose interwoven with the right amount of explication, the plot features dangerous wildlife and harsh natural elements until Season faces his final confrontation...mystical, divine forces at war...a sudden turn that infuses the novel with new life. The fitting conclusion should leave readers of all ages satisfied. Season hopefully has more quests in his future." -Kirkus Reviews

What Is Your Quest? examines the future of electronic literature in a world where tablets and e-readers are becoming as common as printed books and where fans are blurring the distinction between reader and author. The construction of new ways of storytelling is already underway: it is happening on the edges of the mainstream gaming industry and in the spaces between media, on the foundations set by classic games. Along these margins, convergent storytelling allows for playful reading and reading becomes a strategy of play. One of the earliest models for this new way of telling stories was the adventure game, the kind of game centered on quests in which the characters must overcome obstacles and puzzles. After they fell out of fashion in the 1990s, fans made strenuous efforts to keep them alive and to create new games in the genre. Such activities highlight both the convergence of game and story and the collapsing distinction between reader and author. Continually defying the forces of obsolescence, fans return abandoned games to a playable state and treat stories as ever-evolving narratives. Similarly, players of massive multiplayer games become co-creators of the game experience, building characters and creating social networks that recombine a reading and gaming community. The interactions between storytellers and readers, between programmers and creators, and among fans turned world-builders are essential to the development of innovative ways of telling stories. And at the same time that fan activities foster the convergence of digital gaming and storytelling, new and increasingly accessible tools and models for interactive narrative empower a broadening range of storytellers. It is precisely this interactivity among a range of users surrounding these new platforms that is radically reshaping both e-books and games and those who read and play with them.

The Damietta Crusade, which is often referred to as the 'Fifth Crusade', was the first of the numbered crusades to be targeted against Egypt. Rather than directly targeting Jerusalem, its architects believed that by threatening the economic hub of Cairo the Ayyubid sultan would gladly give up Jerusalem in exchange. Here Laurence Marvin offers the first book-length treatment of the Damietta Crusade in almost 40 years. Written in accessible language and driven by a narrative and analysis firmly grounded in the primary sources in multiple languages, Marvin emphasizes what made this campaign unique, from its planning, choice of target, "brown-water" or amphibious nature, course, and result. He presents a multi-sided perspective by amply describing and analyzing the Egyptians and other groups in the eastern Mediterranean who played an important role in mounting a successful defense against Latin Christian forces. Marvin contends that the crusade in Egypt failed not because it derived from an unachievable or flawed grand strategy, but because of shifting operational goals, leadership issues, the social dynamics within the army, arrivals and departures of participants, and the effective defense led by Egypt's sultan, al-Kamil. This detailed analysis of an understudied event of thirteenth century history brings the latest methodologies of military history to bear on a wide range of primary sources, raising important questions about the complex nature of warfare and crusade in the medieval Mediterranean.

A full-color, oversized, hardcover tome that faithfully adapts the original Japanese material, detailing the creation of the most recent entry in the Final Fantasy saga! Final Fantasy XV's world of Eos is filled with wonderous scenery, larger-than-life creatures, diverse cultures, and treacherous foes. Experience hundreds of pieces of detailed design work composed lovingly for fans of the unique sci-fi fantasy world. This volume collects complex lore, insightful commentary, comprehensive data, and dazzling concept art, all beautifully bound in this richly detailed hardcover! Square Enix and Dark Horse Books present a superbly curated collection of Final Fantasy XV content that any fan will cherish.

A full-color, oversized, hardcover tome that faithfully adapts the original Japanese material, detailing the creation of the most recent entry in the Final Fantasy saga! Final Fantasy XV's world of Eos is filled with wonderous scenery, larger-than-life creatures, diverse cultures, and treacherous foes. Experience hundreds of pieces of detailed design work composed lovingly for fans of the unique sci-fi fantasy world. This volume collects complex lore, insightful commentary, comprehensive data, and dazzling concept art, all beautifully bound in a richly detailed hardcover! Additionally, this Limited Edition is housed in a meticulously designed case, with a special acrylic art display, as well as a journal just like the Lover's Notebook used by Noctis and Luna! Square Enix and Dark Horse Books present a superbly curated collection of Final Fantasy XV content that any fan will cherish.