Some argue existence is an exercise in futility. They claim there are no winners in life. Ultimately, we are insignificant in the face of vast cosmic intelligences that were old when the Universe began.The best minds gibber at the incomprehensibility of it all. Other minds lose themselves in strange geometries because they can't comprehend any alternative.Whatever. The rest of us have to get up in the morning, feed the cat, and go to work.The Cozy Cosmic contains 3...

Story Rich Art is what happens when thirteen writers are asked to translate art into story.Writing and art have collided in an eclectic collection featuring speculative and dark short stories, flash fiction, and poems exploring Steve Graziani's artwork.A tale of a monster hunting summer settles alongside a woman on Death's door. There is fear, romance, longing, loss. Time slips, space is all there is left, and our pasts call for us.By the last page, you'll ...

WEIRDER, WILDER, FURTHER INTO THE UNKNOWN "The only award that matters." - someone, somewhere, maybe? BRAVE NEW WEIRD returns with its second collection, showcasing the absolute best of the independent New Weird world! Featuring 23 stories previously published by some of the most dynamic independent publishers in the fields of Horror and Speculative Fiction today, forewords from the publisher and editor on the state of independent Horror; additional recommended reading; and more.

At the end, when the last star dies and the cold begins to seep in, what will be the totality of our accomplishments? What will have been the point? And will anyone notice that we're gone? If the true terror at the center of cosmic horror is the vast indifference the universe has for us, does that mean the closest thing we have to any sort of compassionate connection is . . . our cats? Ah, we may be doomed.But, in the interim, perhaps there may still be some spark that can illumina...

Issue 8 of FUTURE SF is themed Medical SF and guest-edited by RM Ambrose.Table of contents:"Second Generation" by Julie Nováková (Czech Republic)"Panoptes" by Eliza Victoria (Philippines)"Keloid Dreams" by Simone Heller (Germany)"Chrysalis" by David Brin (USA)"The Post-Conscious Age" by Su Min (China) translated by Nathan FariesNon-fiction:The Other Reel review column by Paul Levinson

Career Paths in Forensic Psychology offers a comprehensive introduction and guide to the varied career paths for aspiring forensic psychologists, showing what a rewarding career at the intersection of law and psychology can look like in practice.The book is divided into five parts. Part I provides an overview of the field of forensic psychology and also briefly explores its origins and evolution in the United States. Additionally, it explores common professional activities...

Audience Interactions in Contemporary Celebrity Culture: Approaches from across Disciplines explores current understandings of celebrity-audience relationships in the context of digitalization and the ongoing celebritization of all aspects of culture and society. Focusing on the themes of celebrity and health, celebrity and identity, and celebrity and scandal, this volume presents chapters authored by experts from across the globe that deal with celebrity-audience relationships in...

How would first contact—on earth, in space, on another planet—transform our understandings of technology, philosophy, and what it means to be human? What kind of cognitive dissonance would society experience, if we discovered a previously unrecognized sentience on Earth?What would life be like if it originated in a frigid ocean beneath an impenetrable shell of ice? Or on a world whose haze obscures any view of the universe beyond? Or on an unfathomable scale in the...

This textbook offers students and practitioners an accessible introduction to strengths-based approaches in Social Work and Social Care practice. Covering the theory and research in support of these approaches, and packed full of case studies, the book will allow readers to develop a critical understanding of how strengths-based approaches work, and how they can be successfully applied in order to improve outcomes for people with lived experience.Covering the five main models of st...

The book addresses and documents farmers' risks in developing and emerging economies. It draws lessons from experimental economics on measuring risk preferences, attitudes, gender differences in managing risks, and risk management strategies in countries across Africa and Asia. It argues policy makers, especially in emerging economies, need a better understanding of farmers' attitudes toward risk and choices of risk management strategies when designing policies to support production agricu...

Language fundamentally defines and distinguishes us as humans, as members of society, and as individuals. As we go through life, our relationship with language and with learning shifts and changes, but it remains significant. This book is an up-to-date resource for graduate students and researchers in second language (L2) acquisition who are interested in language learning across the lifespan. The main goal is to survey and evaluate what is known about the linguistic-cognition-affect assoc...

Accessible and concise, this exciting new textbook examines data analytics from a managerial and organizational perspective and looks at how they can help managers become more effective decision-makers.The book successfully combines theory with practical application, featuring case studies, examples and a ‘critical incidents’ feature that make these topics engaging and relevant for students of business and management.The book features chapters on cutting-edge topics, includ...