This ebook is now available from Bloomsbury Academic. Bloomsbury Academic publish acclaimed resources for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as the general reader, across a broad range of subjects including Archaeology, Art & Visual Culture, Biblical Studies, Business & Management, Drama & Performance Studies, Economics, Education, Film & Media, History, Linguistics, Literary Studies, Music & Sound Studies, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations, Psychology, Religious ...

This anthology explores the intersection of humor and laughter with various faith, religious, and mythic traditions.Each chapter covers a unique case where humor and laughter have intersected with some part of a religious, cultural, or mythic tradition and explores how and why laughter and humor are important in those stories. The contributors also explore how the role of humor and laughter shaped and influenced the various religions, cultures, or myths and what th...

Two young criminals meet in a bar and later have contact with the police: one is confident, the other cautious. Who is right?This short story is for 'advanced beginner' to 'intermediate' English learners (CEFR A2/B1). A grammar section at the end uses the story to highlight some grammar points.A short story, with grammar notes, for less than the price of an espresso coffee.A short story for English learners. But not for children.Enjoy!(Warning: this ...

Poul Anderson was one of the seminal figures of twentieth-century science fiction. Named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1997, he produced an enormous body of standalone novels and series fiction and was equally at home in the fields of heroic fantasy and hard SF. He was a meticulous craftsman and a gifted storyteller, and the impact of his finest work continues, undiminished, to this day.Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson's Worlds is a rousing...

Following the success of their Locus Award–winning anthology The New Space Opera, editors Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan up the ante with The New Space Opera 2, in which more of the most beloved names in science fiction spin stunning tales of interstellar adventure and wonder. Authors include:Neal AsherJohn BarnesCory DoctorowJohn KesselJay LakeJohn MeaneyElizabeth MoonGarth NixMike ResnickJustina RobsonKristine Kathryn RuschJohn ScalziBruce SterlingPeter Wat...

In the folklore of Eastern European Jewry, a dybbuk is a wandering soul that comes to rest in the body of a living person. In this case, the dybbuk is an impoverished student that possesses a young bride on her wedding day. She is taken to a great Chassidic rabbi for exorcism. But before he can expel the spirit, the sage must discover who the dybbuk was in life, why he has possessed the maiden, and most importantly, how to balance the scales of cosmic justice.Part folk tale, part l...

This dazzling anthology includes epic interstellar adventures, tales of space and wonder, from some of the brightest names in science fiction. Authors includeKage BakerStephen BaxterGregory BenfordTony DanielGreg EganPeter F. HamiltonGwyneth JonesJames Patrick KellyNancy KressKen MacleodPaul J. McAuleyIan McDonaldRobert ReedAlastair ReynoldsMary RosenblumRobert SilverbergDan SimmonsWalter Jon Williams

A collection of treasured stories by the unchallenged master of American fictionNobel Prize winner Saul Bellow has deservedly been celebrated as one of America’s greatest writers. For more than sixty years he stretched our minds, our imaginations, and our hearts with his exhilarating perceptions of life. Here, collected in one volume and chosen by the author himself, are favorites such as “What Kind of Day Did You Have?” “Leaving the Yellow House,” and a previously...

The Hugo Award–winning author's "most memorable short stories . . . a tribute from those who best knew his work—his friends, fellow writers, and editors" (SFRevu).George Alec Effinger was a true master of satirical Science Fiction. Before his death in 2002, he gained the highest esteem amongst his peers for his pitch-perfect stylistic mimicry and his great insight into the human condition. Despite a life filled with chronic illness and pain, Effinger was a prolific...

This final collection in Orson Scott Card's five-volume anthology of short works features the "hidden stories", including his first published piece, some tales about Mormon family life and other stylistic departures, and several stories that were later developed into acclaimed novels such asEnder's Game,Songmaster,Invasive Procedures, and the Tales of Alvin Maker series. Listen as Card crafts a paranoid thriller, a spoof of "serious" contemporary literature, an e...

In this collection of mysteries, the greatest detectives of the Golden Age investigate the most puzzling crimes of the era.The investigators in these stories are from all walks of life – retired magicians to schoolteachers, Broadway producers to nuns. Whether professional or amateur, these keen-eyed detectives must get to the bottom of the most baffling cases of their careers.Edgar Award-winning Otto Penzler has hand-picked some of the most...

Race and racism have played a divisive and defining role throughout much of America's history. Slavery, Jim Crow laws, segregation, and Ku Klux Klan terrorism have inflicted deep psychic wounds, social disparities, and economic disadvantages that have diminished the promise of equal rights and opportunities for all.While much progress in race relations has been made in recent years-including the election of Barack Obama as President of the United State-it's clear that our journey t...