The excitement of planetfall is indescribable, but quickly transforms into sick disappointment when they find the atmosphere is a roiling mass of hydrochloric acid, carbon dioxide and other deadly poisons. They fly onward, seeking better planets. They find them, but none are ideal. The search goes on for a century, then longer still. As they move farther from Earth, aliens discover the intruding ship, and they begin to investigate humanity. They find our species unacceptable. The years and the light-years go by without relief. The colony begins to splinter. Some accept that their voyage is eternal, while others seek to end it any way they can. The colony’s culture grows darker, and a war begins, both inside and outside the vast ship. What lives among the stars we see at night? Can we reach out to them and survive? Find out in BLACK PHOENIX, a story of exploration, colonization, alien contact and civil war by Wayne Wightman and B. V. Larson, bestselling SF authors with over three million copies sold.

    And It’s Not Happening Inside a Courtroom. Lawyers come in all shapes and sizes, male and female, brilliant and dim. Michael Gresham is a Chicago lawyer who is quietly—and sometimes not so quietly—going about his business, defending his criminal clients, and providing for his wife and children. When a new client walks in, the lawyer must have the upper hand in all dealings and the client must allow the lawyer to run the show. To do otherwise is to risk jail or worse for the clients of Michael Gresham. But without warning, a client turns on him. Without warning, Michael’s world is turned on its head one life at a time. Michael, being Michael, fights back. A trial takes over and the book begins a runaway contest with a runaway jury that neither the judge nor the lawyers can control. When it is over, the last man standing will walk away with his life and his world and the other will lose it all. The pawns are Michael’s wife and children—his everything. In the end Michael must face his own demons and try to lay hold of the person he is ultimately meant to be: the lawyer who roared.

    The Burning Wheel is an award winning fantasy roleplaying game in which player take on the roles of vibrant, dynamic characters whose very beliefs propel the story forward.

    Learning the game has never been so easy! Several different character races (dwarf, elf, halfling, and human) and classes (cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard) are presented, along with powers for each race and class. As the players’ heroes advance in level, they acquire new abilities, and the adventures become more challenging. This boxed game is designed for characters of levels 1–3. Game components: • 32-page book for players, with rules for character creation and a solo adventure• 64-page book for Dungeon Masters, with the rules of the game, advice on how to run the game, and adventure content• 2 sheets of die-cut tokens for characters and monsters• Cardstock character sheets and power cards• Double-sided dungeon map• 6 polyhedral dice

    But when two faces from his old gang turn up, he finds himself getting involved in a new scam, and soon he is embroiled in a world he wants to escape and is forced to confront a man who is dangerously unhinged.

    Catch 'Em All Over Again -Extensive strategy for new and veteran Pokemaniacs -Massive walkthrough with stats on every enemy -Exclusive maps to help you navigate each area -Detailed battle tactics for dominating your "Pokemon(R) Ruby & Sapphire"--playing friends -Essential PokeDex, featuring stats and how to catch them

    Deciding on exactly the right strategy in any particular situation can be very difficult. Perhaps this is why very few authors have attempted to analyze this game even though it is widely played. In 1989, the first edition of this text appeared. Many ideas, which were only known to a small, select group of players, were now made available to anyone who was striving to become an expert, and a major gap in the poker literature was closed. It is now a new century, and the authors have again moved the state of the art forward by adding over 100 pages of new material, including an extensive section on "loose games." Anyone who studies this text, is well disciplined, and gets the proper experience should become a significant winner. Some of the other ideas discussed in this 21st century edition include the cards that are out, the number of players in the pot, ante stealing, playing big pairs, playing little and medium pairs, playing three-flushes, playing three-straights, randomizing your play, fourth street, pairing your door card on fourth street, proper play on fifth, sixth, and seventh streets, defending against a possible ante steal, playing against a paired door card, scare card strategy, and buying a free card.

    The ship contains an experimental quantum device, lost while en route to a research colony on Europa. On Earth, powerful corporate forces are moving to resume unrestricted, inter-AI communications, their objective being to gain complete dominion over the colonized solar system. But the outer worlds are mobilizing to prevent them from achieving their objective, a fight back which is being led by Solomon, a sentient quantum intelligence (QI), also on Europa. However, once word of the crew’s discovery gets out, they soon realize that ownership of this technology could fundamentally change the balance of power within the solar system, and they now find themselves at the very nexus of a system-wide conflict. Their fight for survival plays out across the solar system, from the mining outposts of the asteroid belt to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and from the great Martian city of Jezero to the irradiated wastelands on Earth. This is an epic tale of humanity’s struggle for survival and meaning in a time when artificial intelligence has finally out-paced our own ability to control it. About The Belt: The story is set a century or so into the future where humanity has colonized most of the inner solar system. The asteroid belt (The Belt) is now a hive of mining activity and ships ply the trade routes to Earth and Mars. The technology depicted, for the most part, is what I consider to be technically plausible, although I do stretch it a little with quantum entanglement. That said, you won’t need a calculator or a slide-rule to enjoy the story.

    Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Raistlin Majere. This volume also features an original Eberron tale by Keith Baker, creator of that world of magic-fueled technology and action-packed intrigue.

    But soon the sexy sheriff isn’t laughing. Someone—or something—is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, turning her once-grand mansion into a house of horrors. The Betrayed One day on the job and contractor Zach Sargent is ready to believe the dilapidated old LeBeau mansion is haunted. Some intruder—earthly or not—is threatening the youngest LeBeau sister, back to claim her inheritance. And though Danae keeps her distance from the sexy hired hand, he falls for her in a heartbeat. The ReunionBodyguard to an heiress is Tyler Duhan’s idea of hell. The steely, sexy ex-marine has heard—and dismissed—the gossip about the haunted old LeBeau mansion and its “cursed” heiresses. Now headstrong Joelle has arrived to reunite with her long-lost sisters. And as much as he wants her, he needs to keep his distance—or suffer the fatal consequences.

    It was a fertile era for new genres, from alt-rock to Afropop, hip hop to techno. Rock critic Robert Christgau's obsessive ear and authoritative pen have covered it all-over 3,800 albums graded and classified, from A+s to his celebrated turkeys and duds. A rich appendix section ensures that nothing's been left out-from "subjects for further research" to "everything rocks but nothing ever dies." Christgau's Consumer Guide is essential reading and reference for any dedicated listener.

    To Kill a MockingbirdThe Shoes of the FishermanSeven Days in MayTo Catch an Angel

    • All Dawnguard™ and new Side Quest outcomes revealed.• In-depth knowledge on Hearthfire™ house building and adoption.• Exploration and discovery – New game add-on content is completely explored and detailed so you get the best experience possible.  • Improve your character – Find out where all the new quests, best weapons, spells, and skill books can be found with updated maps. • 100% Developer approved - The same reliable production team pours their heart and soul into the next chapter of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim®. Covers: Xbox 360®, Playstation®3, PC

    The author of Big Deal takes his game on the worldwide tournament circuit once more to see if his famed card skills can hold up against the vastly changed world of poker in the 21st century.

    This is a selection of the following stories: The Case of Charles Augustus Milverton, The Six Napoleons, The Three Students, The Golden Pince-Nez, The Missing Three-Quarter, The Case of the Abbey Grange, and The Second Stain. Presented in an official edition without changes, introductions, footnotes, or any other interruption of the original stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle.