Its a terrible world we live in I would sooner eat my children than raise them in a place like this. So much senseless death and destruction! Theres no purpose in it! Thanks to the words of a mad god, Brookhaven, Alabama, is collapsing into a state of anarchy. Each day, more residents find themselves with no choice but to obey the voices. As a cook suffers the violent consequences of telling his boss to shove it, a small man attempts to become larger than life with the help of a hunting rifle. When a local priest is brutally slain, police officer Marcus Dodd sets off to find a ruthless killer who leaves no trail. As the body count rises, Officer Dodd is pushed beyond the brink of insanity into a world of demons and lunatic gods. In his search for justice, Dodd is unwittingly immersed in an unforgettable battle between good and evil. In this gripping tale, one man must confront a city gone mad without succumbing to his own insanity. But only one is laughing as the darkness threatens to consume them all.

Grab your plasma rifles, spell components, and jetpacks! Name your game; Fate Core is the foundation that can make it happen. Fate Core is a flexible system that can support whatever worlds you dream up. Have you always wanted to play a post-apocalyptic spaghetti western with tentacle monsters? Swords and sorcery in space? Wish there was a game based on your favorite series of books, film, or television, but it never happened? Fate Core is your answer. Fate Core is a tabletop roleplaying game about proactive, capable people who lead dramatic lives. The type of drama they experience is up to you. But wherever they go, you can expect a fun storytelling experience full of twists...of fate. GAME INFORMATION Number of players: 3-6 Age of players: 12+ Length: 2-8 hours Type of Game: Roleplaying Game Languages Available: English Suggested Retail: $25.00 Game Designers: Leonard Balsera, Brian Engard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson

Life as I knew it ended the day I accepted my fate. In its place is an existence even the wildest imagination could never fathom. Strange creatures walk among us, plotting our demise, and I’ve come to find that the fate of our world rests squarely on my shoulders. We’re all in danger and I’m trying to figure out how to make it through each day. The key to my survival is a man I can’t figure out. As dangerous as the darkest fae, I have no choice but to work with him to stop the prophecy that’s foretold to be the ruination of mankind. Carrick Byrne continues to be my only source of information, but he doles it out as he sees fit. He intrigues and scares me in equal measure, yet I can’t help but be attracted to him. And the more I discover about him, the more it becomes clear he feels the same. As we travel to Faere in search of answers, we find that every piece of information leads to more questions, that every question leads to a new piece of the puzzle, and that, most importantly, no one can be trusted. The more secrets we uncover, one thing is certain— if we have any chance of saving the world, we have to do it together. A Discovery of Secrets and Fate is book two of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series and is best enjoyed if read in series order.

The Spider-Man 2 Dream Machine—from original idea to final cut— unmasking the creative genius at work in the blockbuster movie The epic adventure of one of the greatest superheroes of all time explodes on the silver screen as never before. Now, in this captivating journey behind the scenes and into the imagination, fans can discover how the myth and magic became real in Spider-Man 2, as they plunge deeper into Spider-Man’s world to meet the characters, explore the environments, and follow the storyline in a stunning visual journey. Packed with hundreds of amazing production illustrations, prepared by many of the most talented illustrators in Hollywood, Caught in the Web features • Original sketches, artwork, and doodles that became the inspirations for characters, sets, and computer–generated imagery • Climactic scenes from the movie as they first appeared in conceptual art • Design work used to develop costumes and visual effects—as well as blueprints and architectural drafts used in the construction of both physical and virtual environments • Unique insights into the genesis of Doc Ock—revealing how he evolved from his comic-book origins • An intimate behind-the-scenes look at the full creative process for Spider-Man 2 Enter the amazing realm where dreams come true and discover how the epic adventure was created as you immerse yourself in the action and atmosphere of Spider-Man 2, from the first rough sketches to the final on-screen adventure.

Unpacking of the dynamics of conflict under conditions of nuclear monopoly, Paul C. Avey argues in Tempting Fate that the costs and benefits of using nuclear weapons create openings that weak nonnuclear actors can exploit. Avey uses four case studies to show the key strategies available to nonnuclear states: Iraqi decision-making under Saddam Hussein in confrontations with the United States; Egyptian leaders' thinking about the Israeli nuclear arsenal during wars in 1969–70 and 1973; Chinese confrontations with the United States in 1950, 1954, and 1958; and a dispute that never escalated to war, the Soviet-United States tensions between 1946 and 1948 that culminated in the Berlin Blockade. Strategies employed include limiting the scope of the conflict, holding chemical and biological weapons in reserve, seeking outside support, and leveraging international non-use norms. Avey demonstrates clearly that nuclear weapons cast a definite but limited shadow, and while the world continues to face various nuclear challenges, understanding conflict in nuclear monopoly will remain a pressing concern for analysts and policymakers. Thanks to generous funding from Virginia Tech and its participation in TOME, the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes, available from Cornell Open (cornellpress.cornell.edu/cornell-open) and other repositories.

From Greek Chronos and Hindu MahaKala to the feminine mysteries of Fate - from the Moirae to the Hoerae - this mythic HirStory (a union of history and herstory) explores the far reaches of time & its warp in the Web of Wyrd.