Lucy and Megan thought it would be easy. Simply turn up, present the ticket and collect their winnings. It seemed straightforward enough. What could possibly go wrong? Now they find themselves trapped and forced to compete in a series of lethal and deadly challenges against their rivals. A series of challenges each more vindictive and evil than the last. In a vicious fight for survival there can be only one victor. Who will survive to take the prize?

e-artnow presents to you the greatest Christmas novels, magical Christmas tales, legends, most famous carols and the unique poetry of the giants of literature dedicated to this one and only holiday: The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry) The Holy Night (Selma Lagerlöf) A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories (Louisa May Alcott) A Letter from Santa Claus (Mark Twain) Silent Night The Night After Christmas The Child Born at Bethlehem The Adoration of the Shepherds The Visit of the Wise Men As J...

The Big Book of Christmas Novels, Stories, Myths & Carols represents a vast tapestry of the Christmas season as portrayed by an extraordinary confluence of authors spanning different continents and centuries. This anthology compiles works ranging from heartwarming tales and profound poems to revelatory myths and spirited carols, each enriching the festive lore with diverse literary styles and perspectives. The collection traverses the scope from Dickens' Victorian England to Andersen's fai...

Readers of Plato have often neglected the Laws because of its length and density. In this set of interpretive essays, notable scholars of the Laws from the fields of classics, history, philosophy, and political science offer a collective close reading of the dialogue "book by book" and reflect on the work as a whole. In their introduction, editors Gregory Recco and Eric Sanday explore the connections among the essays and the dramatic and productive exchanges between the contributors. This ...

Humanity is deeply committed to living along the world’s shores, but a catastrophic storm like Sandy—which took hundreds of lives and caused many billions of dollars in damages—shines a bright light at how costly and vulnerable life on a shoreline can be. Taking Chances offers a wide-ranging exploration of the diverse challenges of Sandy and asks if this massive event will really change how coastal living and development is managed.Bringing together leading researchers—inc...

It has become a commonplace that "images" were central to the twentieth century and that their role will be even more powerful in the twenty-first. But what is an image and what can an image be? Releasing the Image understands images as something beyond mere representations of things. Releasing images from that function, it shows them to be self-referential and self-generative, and in this way capable of producing forms of engagement beyond spectatorship and subjectivity. This und...

More than a hundred years after his birth, Pablo Neruda’s poetry is as vital and beloved as ever.This collection presents fifty of the most essential poems by one of history’s greatest poets in dynamic new translations, the result of an unprecedented collaboration among a team of poets, translators, and the world’s leading Neruda scholars.A definitive selection that draws from the entire breadth of Neruda’s various styles, themes, and periods, The Essential Neruda ...

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?The theme ...

William Shakespeare, long hailed as the history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters. These skills are perhaps best encapsulated in the monologues he gives his various protagonists, villains and bit players.From King Henry V's inspiring speech to his soldiers on the field of Agincourt to the villainous Merchant of Venice Shyloc...

This collection of essays asserts the specific value of world history research and teaching, showing how the field contributes to the larger historical profession and offering concrete suggestions to develop more interaction between the academy and the public. The twelve contributors, each with their own academic areas of interest, are experienced scholars and classroom teachers. Uniting them together in this volume is their professional relationship with Jerry H. Bentley (1949–2012). This...

Vintage Sci-Fi 19 - 19 Science Fiction Short Stories from Philip K. Dick, H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur C. Clarke, Jack London, Theodore Sturgeon and moreThe Father Thing by Philip K. DickThe Crystal Egg by H. G. WellsMicrocosmic God by Theodore SturgeonEight Million Dollars From Mars! by Winston MarksLake of Fire by Frank Belknap LongThe Coming of the Ice by G. Peyton WertenbakerForever vy Robert SheckleyMan–Hun...

An author’s talents may seem obvious and indisputable as they move words and ideas into gathered phrases and stories.But where do these ideas and stories come from? A lonely thought that suddenly gathers form? An inspiration from a Muse? A suggestion from an everyday event?Perhaps in the case of their darker, more malevolent stories, other forces are at work. They help to nourish single words into sentences and paragraphs that ease themselves from the shadows and are sudden...