This collection of too-weird-not-to-be-true stories gives the freakish details behind odd curiosities, from unusual drug side effects to the Alien Hand Syndrome--a disorder wherein a person's hand develops a will of its own.

    Here are fantasy stunners as THE SHIPS OF DARKNESS, here are the unclassifiable "specials" such as THE ULTRA MAN, THE REPLICATORS, and THE CATAAAAA. And more!THE FAR-OUT WORLDS OF A.E. VAN VOGT is a far-out event in science-fiction writing.Contents7 • The Replicators • (1965) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt28 • The First Martian • (1951) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt42 • The Purpose • (1945) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt82 • The Earth Killers • (1949) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt110 • The Cataaaaa • (1947) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt124 • Automaton • (1950) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt135 • Itself! • (1963) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt138 • Process • (1950) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt143 • Not the First • (1941) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt157 • Fulfilment • (1964) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt (variant of Fulfillment 1951)182 • Ship of Darkness • (1948) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt198 • The Ultra Man • (1966) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt

    But the governments and power structures didn't yet control space, where bold new techniques could freely be applied and the vast resources of the solar system could be utilized by such courageous men and women as: • Aneas MacKenzie—he had believed in the man he had helped to reach the office of the presidency of the United States, and had tirelessly rooted out corruption wherever he found it, until the trail led straight back to the White House. After that, no place on Earth was safe for him. • Laurie Jo Hansen—she controlled a multi-national corporation more powerful than many governments. Unlike those governments, she wanted to see Earth’s problems solved and reaching the high frontier was the only way to do that. • Kevin Senecal—he had made the mistake of fighting back against a juvenile gang, and accidentally killing one of them while escaping. Both the gang and the law were after him, and on all of Earth there was no place to hide. • Ellen MacMillan—a young employee of the Hansen Corporation who fascinated Kevin, she was on a secret mission, and the biggest secret was her real name.   Two complete novels—High Justice and Exiles to Glory—in one volume by a New York Times best-selling author, telling of an Earth sinking into a morass of corruption, red tape, and failure of nerve, while a dedicated few dare to reach for the stars.

    Originating in the wild imagination of French poet and playwright Alfred Jarry and his schoolmates, resisting clear definition, purposefully useless, and almost impossible to understand, 'pataphysics nevertheless lies around the roots of Absurdism, Dada, futurism, surrealism, situationism, and other key cultural developments of the twentieth century. In this account of the evolution and influence of 'pataphysics, Andrew Hugill offers an informed exposition of a rich and difficult territory, staying aloft on a tightrope stretched between the twin dangers of oversimplifying a serious subject and taking a joke too seriously. Drawing on more than twenty-five years' research, Hugill maps the 'pataphysical presence (partly conscious and acknowledged but largely unconscious and unacknowledged) in literature, theater, music, the visual arts, and the culture at large, and even detects 'pataphysical influence in the social sciences and the sciences. He offers many substantial excerpts (in English translation) from primary sources, intercalated with a thorough explication of key themes and events of 'pataphysical history. In a Jarryesque touch, he provides these in reverse chronological order, beginning with a survey of 'pataphysics in the digital age and working backward to Jarry and beyond. He looks specifically at the work of Jean Baudrillard, Georges Perec, Italo Calvino, J. G. Ballard, Asger Jorn, Gilles Deleuze, Roger Shattuck, Jacques Pr?vert, Antonin Artaud, Ren? Clair, the Marx Brothers, Joan Mir?, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, James Joyce, Flann O'Brien, Raymond Roussel, Jean-Pierre Brisset, and many others.

    Jim Farr, a former Naval Intelligence Officer, owns a maritime mechanics company and works as a contractor for the San Diego Naval Base. It’s a normal day on the job until explosions go off. With the Naval Base destroyed, and word of attacks happening around the country, Jim has to get to his sister in Phoenix… But that’s just the beginning. Follow Jim along in this three-part action packed series and find out just what happens when the bombs go off.The Decay-A nearby nuclear attack rocks a small town in Pennsylvania, sending one man, Paul, and his step-daughter, Julie, on a perilous journey of survival. What started out as a normal Friday afternoon soon shatters into a race for survival against the odds upon the loss of communications—cell phones, Internet and electricity—as a result of the nation’s downed power grids. Paul attempts to get in contact with his wife, Samantha, who is away on business in Colorado, but soon discovers that his only option is to travel cross country amidst the chaos of strategically timed nuclear attacks along the East Coast.

    While wizards brood in their towers and great warriors charge into battle Sailor is more interested in the price of ore, herbs, and alchemicals carried by the trade ships. But when a spell of bad fortune and bitter rivalry leaves him scrambling to turn a profit on little more than winds and whispers, one such whisper catches Sailor’s ear— a dragon has been seen in the west. Sailor soon finds that the dragons are very real, and not at all what he expected. And they practice a very different sort of economy — one of subterfuge and fire.With bonus novelette: Forego QuestWhat if you were the hero of every song, story, and legend?What if you didn’t want to be?Find out in this hilarious fantasy short.

    The story chronicles with unblinking objectivity the harrowing experiences of Jenny, reared in a satanic cult, in a life so untenable as to fracture the self. In the healing process, these experiences, made of nightmare stuff, are assimilated, with the help of therapists with little to guide their committed and necessarily innovative treatment. The horrifying revelations of Jennys healing journey will shock, inspire, and give caution to us all.

    Says author Daniel Pinkwater of this novel of sociological import: "I honestly don't remember writing this. Are you sure there hasn't been some mistake?"

    From menacing moonshiners and armed bandits to charging elephants and man-eating tigers, Merlin Tuttle has stopped at nothing to find and protect bats on every continent they inhabit. Enamored of bats ever since discovering a colony in a cave as a boy, Tuttle saw how effective photography could be in persuading people not to fear bats, and he has spent his career traveling the world to document them.Few people realize how sophisticated and intelligent bats are. Tuttle shares research showing that frog-eating bats can identify frogs by their calls, that vampire bats have a social order similar to that of primates, and that bats have remarkable memories. Bats also provide enormous benefits by eating crop pests, pollinating plants, and carrying seeds needed for reforestation. They save farmers billions of dollars annually and are essential to a healthy planet.Sharing highlights from a lifetime of adventure and discovery, Tuttle takes us to the frontiers of bat research and conservation and forever changes the way we see these poorly understood yet fascinating creatures.

    

    Notable is the inclusion, for the first time, of four-colour photographs and illustrations throughout. Like previous editions, the book shows how evolutionary biologists analyze all aspects of behaviour.

    Every complete program uses a consistent style, and as programs are analyzed, styles and standards are further explained. Whenever possible, the authors develop the principle of a subject before they introduce the language implementation so the student understands the concept before dealing with the nuances of C++. In addition, a vast array of figures and tables visually reinforce key concepts. By integrating software engineering principles and encouraging the student to resist the temptation to immediately code, the text builds a solid foundation in problem solving.

    Urban Legend" [Smithsonian]—tracks the most fabulous tales making today's cocktail-party circuit and shows why those stories that sound too good to be true probably are too good to be true.The eponymous episode—"The Baby Train"—sheds light on certain predawn activities that have linked unusually high birth rates to the whim of train schedule makers. Other stories offer a revealing peek behind the story of "The Exploding Bra," expose the embarrassing source of "The Hairdresser's Error," resurrect a "Failed Suicide" Buster Keaton would have died for, and show why adults are better off not bringing their comic book fantasies out of the closet. From "Superhero Hijinx" to "The Shocking Videotape" to "The Accidental Cannibal," The Baby Train uncovers the mysteries behind some of the bawdiest, goriest, funniest, most pyrotechnic urban legends yet.

    A circle of fried doughy perfection. A source of comfort in trying times, perhaps. For Theo Bernstein, however, it is far, far more.Things have been going pretty badly for Theo Bernstein. An unfortunate accident at work has lost him his job (and his work involved a Very Very Large Hadron Collider, so he's unlikely to get it back). His wife has left him. And he doesn't have any money.Before Theo has time to fully appreciate the pointlessness of his own miserable existence, news arrives that his good friend Professor Pieter van Goyen, renowned physicist and Nobel laureate, has died.By leaving the apparently worthless contents of his safety deposit to Theo, however, the professor has set him on a quest of epic proportions. A journey that will rewrite the laws of physics. A battle to save humanity itself.This is the tale of a man who had nothing and gave it all up to find his destiny -- and a doughnut.

    Her chosen person. A bond with the power to change everything.The human race has all but destroyed itself and those who remain know that they must avoid repeating the mistakes of their ancestors. But it’s extremely difficult. Without horses, it would be impossible. Amarilla is one of those chosen by a horse as a Bond-Partner. She looks forward to a lifetime of learning from her horse and of passing on the mare’s wisdom to those seeking help. But then she discovers that she is the one for whom the horses have all been waiting. The one who can help them in return.In order to give the horses the help they need, Amarilla will have to achieve that which has never been attempted before. Only her beloved mare can give her the motivation, the courage and the strength to believe she can succeed. If she does, a new era will dawn for horses and humans alike...The Horses Know is the first book of The Horses Know Trilogy. If you love horses and know there is more to them than meets the eye, this novel is for you!