Here is a world where demons and gods grant wonders and wreak havoc. The Upperearth, where the gods live; the Underearth, the realm of nightmarish demons; the Innerearth, the domain of the dead; and the Flat Earth itself, home of mortals. Supreme amongst all is the demon god Azhrarn, Night's Master, whose deadly whims could change the lives of those in the Flat Earth. And Azhrarn is the keeper of a mystery which could alter the very existence of the Flat Earth for ever . . .

This volume provides an integrative theory firmly grounded in current psychology of the self, and offers a fresh, compelling account of one of psychology's most enigmatic behavior patterns. Professor Baumeister provides comprehensive coverage of historical and cross-cultural theories and empirical data on masochism and presents recent, original data drawn from a large data set of anonymous masochistic scripts of fantasies and favorite experiences. Drawn from the latest social psychological research and theories, Professor Baumeister returns the emphasis to the original and proto-typical form of masochism -- sexual masochism - - and explains these phenomena as a means of releasing the individual from the burden of self-awareness. It is the first volume to present a psychological theory compatible with the mounting evidence that most masochists are not mentally ill nor does masochism derives from sadism. Instead, Professor Baumeister finds that masochism emerges as an escapist response to the problematic nature of selfhood and he attempts to foster an understanding of sexual masochism that emphasizes both "escape from self" and "construction of meaning" hypotheses. The book is directed at all those interested in the self and identity in paradoxical behavior patterns and in the construction of meaning, presenting specific clinical recommendations.

Yui Nuir was reincarnated into a noble family of tailors in another world, retaining her memories of her previous life in Japan. Her miserable childhood had just one source of the fairies she befriended by mending their clothes with her magic. Unfortunately, Yui’s relative lack of skill in blessweaving—the art of enchanting fabric through needlework—ultimately results in her being disowned by her family. But when she is taken in by a nobleman named Rodin Calostira, the first person to recognize her innate talents, her luck begins to turn around... 

Some places are too good to be true. Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map. In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things. After a couple years of hard traveling, ex-cop Mona Bright inherits her long-dead mother's home in Wink, New Mexico. And the closer Mona gets to her mother's past, the more she understands that the people of Wink are very, very different ... From one of our most talented and original new literary voices comes the next great American supernatural novel: a work that explores the dark dimensions of the hometowns and the neighbors we thought we knew.

Mercenary Samantha Redwyne has seen too much blood spilled by her sword. She travels to the frigid north to get away from her ghosts, but doesn't find peace for long. The job: help deliver a wagon of wolf skins to a nearby village. The complication: a band of cutthroats on the hunt for a missing wagon with a priceless package hidden within. Pursued by ruthless men who believe her a thief, Samantha finds herself double-crossed, wounded and alone in a deadly forest. Armed with just her wits in a fight for survival, she discovers that some bloody habits are hard to break. But it's the longest night of the year, and man isn't the only thing chasing Samantha. The woods are lovely, dark and deep—the place folktales come from, where monsters dwell—and before the night is over, Samantha will have to confront not only death, but the unknown lurking just beyond the safety and sanity of the civilized world.

Rife with concepts of original sin, fallen angels, demonology, resurrection, and the last judgment, The Book of Enoch is a vital document to the origins of Christianity.  Today, it remains a written remnant of the Apocalypse — an ardent testament to hope and the triumph of good over evil in the dawning of a world to come.  R. H. Charles provides a definitive translation of one of the most noted apocalyptic works still in existence. Often described as "the lost book" of the Bible ,  The Book of Enoch  seems to have been written in Palestine by several different authors in the first and second centuries B.C. For hundreds of years it was accepted as scriptural canon by the early church fathers, but it was rejected by the council of Laodicea in A.D. 364 and is mostly excluded from Christian biblical canons. It is comprised of various monumental works : The Book of Enoch , which tells the story of fallen angels (the Watchers) taking human wives and breeding giants (Nephilim); The Book of Parables , which describes Enoch's journey through heaven and hell and the destiny of the fallen angels and kings of the earth; The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries (The Astronomical Book) , which explains the movement of heavenly bodies and predicts future events; The Dream Visions, The Concluding Section (The Epistle of Enoch) ; Enoch’s advice to his sons urging repentance and warns against sin ,  and  The Noah Fragments . This edition provides a well-researched introduction placing The Book of Enoch in its historical context, highlighting its importance for scholars of religious history and early Christianity. With Charles's authoritative translation and insightful annotations, this edition sheds light on one of history's most enigmatic writings.  

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good... and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission... and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair... and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear. Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.

Countless students, professors and general readers alike have relied upon The New Oxford Annotated Bible for essential scholarship and guidance to the world of the Bible. Now the Augmented Third Edition adds to the established reputation of this premier academic resource. A wealth of new maps, charts, and diagrams further clarify information found in the scripture pages. In addition, section introductions have been expanded and the book introductions have been made more uniform in order to enhance their utility. Of course, the Augmented Third Edition retains the features prized by students, including single column annotations at the foot of the pages, in-text background essays, charts, and maps, a page number-keyed index of all the study materials in the volume, and Oxford's renowned Bible maps. This timely edition maintains and extends the excellence the Annotated's users have come to expect, bringing still more insights, information, and approaches to bear upon the understanding of the biblical text.

On the series, The The Order is an epic journey, one that carries Ken, Brad, and their military brothers to places never imagined within themselves, the world, the spiritual realm, and even beyond the Pale. Finding themselves pitted against an ancient evil, they must become warriors of an ancient Brotherhood capable of saving mankind. Through their trials, they discover abilities, places, hidden truths about reality, and creatures that have remained hidden for eons. However, before they can grow into the saviors of humanity, they must first face the reality of seeing inside each other and discover the unconditional love that will be the root of their strength.On Vitruvian Man: Ten men, five couples, best friends and brothers in arms. Genetically modified by Dr. Aaron Thomas, they became the most successful SEAL Team the US Government ever had at its disposal. Forced to fake their own deaths in 1992, the men have lived new lives for over eighteen years. Ken, their Captain, on the day he discovers a new ability related to his genetic enhancements, is kidnapped. The events of his disappearance and captivity spark additional changes in Ken, his partner Brad, and other members of the team. In the midst of trying to rescue Ken, they begin to discover a deeper meaning to their existence and what Dr. Thomas really did to them back in 1992. This story is the first chronicle of their epic journey, of the trials and tribulations they face as they start to awaken and unlock something within them that can never be extinguished. They quickly find that only the love between them as men, partners, and brothers will allow them to survive and face a darkness they never knew existed.

In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies... a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming.Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends. Her coach, her guiding light. If she swims well enough, she will be scouted, get a scholarship, go to a good school. Her parents will love her. Her coach will be kind to her. She will have a good life. But these are human concerns. These are the concerns of those confined to land, those with legs. Ren grew up on stories of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. Ones that called sailors to their doom. Ones that dragged them down and drowned them. Ones that feasted on their flesh. Ones of the creature that she's always longed to become: mermaid. Ren aches to be in the water. She dreams of the scent of chlorine--the feel of it on her skin. And she will do anything she can to make a life for herself where she can be free. No matter the pain. No matter what anyone else thinks. No matter how much blood she has to spill.

‘Violet’ is a debut novel that combines hard science fiction, the subtlety within prose enjoyed within literary fiction, atop a deep-rooted foundation of themes, style, and conventions from Buddhist and traditional Japanese literature. This novel, while multifaceted and layered, is approachable by a general audience familiar with fast-paced adventure, science-fiction with over-the-horizon tech, platonic notions of love and fidelity, as well as expressions of responsibility and consequences.Follow Violet on her journey across the solar system and rise to purpose in the turbulent era of humanity in space rocked by populist insurgency and impending starvation. To become a shooting star of hope, how low must you fall? ‘Violet’ centers on the titular character who undergoes her own journey to purpose. This is not a hero’s journey or coming of age story. This is a story about purpose and the responsibility of potential. Challenge yourself by putting yourself behind her purple eyes looking across human civilization in space atop the precipice twin crises which veil the true conflict burning throughout humanity. Have you heard the Parable of the Burning Home? It’s not a story those trapped within would tell you, yet, her eyes tell the If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. “It’s like Buddhist literary fiction meets a hard science-fiction adventure during the era of space Japan.”This is the story of Violet’s rise to purpose within a torrent of doubt and under the weight of history. Within a world of human augmentation to fit the rigors of space-exploration, Violet grew up as the one "genetic anomaly" among the millions of humans in space. Even so, Violet’s purple eyes incessantly longed for Earth, veiled behind a metal shell. Wanting her own life behind that shell but fated to lead the next generation of space expansion - everything is thrown out the proverbial airlock when her father disappears during negotiations with a militant organization, Kimomo, Violet journeys to Mars. With Kibou, the only person she shares a brain-to-brain link with, they set foot on a world on the brink of fire.When machinations incite riots capable of undoing the stability of SAN, Violet collapses into a decision that shakes the livelihood of all humanity in space. To rectify the catastrophe, stave off starvation and insurgency, Violet joins new allies to stave off political instability, quell Kimomo, and take the plea for help to Earth. In a race against time and Fate, Violet either inspires a broken world to revival or acquiesce to the new empress. With the terms of her purpose, her beliefs, her spirit, and the enduring love, can Violet subvert herself to rise as a star, conquer death, and refuse to kneel before Fate?