Mapping the World of Harry Potter

January 2006

Edited by bestselling fantasy author Mercedes Lackey

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Up-to-date through Book Six!

This book has not been authorized by J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros. or anyone associated with the Harry Potter books or films.

Mapping the World of Harry Potter offers a comprehensive look at the series through the eyes of leading science fiction and fantasy writers and religion, psychology and science experts. Topics range from feminism, fascism and the moral life of children to the true ownership of Severus Snape, Harry Potter as Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Contributors include:

 

Bruce Bethke Adam-Troy Castro Roxanne Conrad Elisabeth DeVos Richard Garfinkle

Roberta Gellis Jim Gunn Marguerite Krause Misty Lackey Susan Matthews

Joyce Millman Dan Moloney Lawrence Watt-Evans Martha Wells Sarah Zettel

Mercedes Lackey is the author of several bestselling fantasy series, including the Elemental Masters.

Totally Charmed: Demons, Whitelighters and the Power of Three

November 2005

Edited by New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Crusie

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Charmed is a television phenomenon: three gorgeous, kick-ass witches committed to protecting innocents and cursed at finding love. In Totally Charmed, romance novelists, science fiction and fantasy writers and more celebrate the hit WB show that has changed the face of the fight against evil forever.

Contributors include:

 

Peg Aloi C.J. Barry Kate Donovan Jennifer Dunne Richard Garfinkle Ruth Glick ("Rebecca York") John Hemry

Tanya Huff Nick Mamatas Bob Metzger Vera Nazarian Jody Lyn Nye Anne Perry Laura Resnick

Maggie Shayne Catherine Spangler Mica Stone ("Alison Kent") Valerie Taylor Evelyn Vaughn Debbie Viguie Leigh Adams Wright

Jennifer Crusie is a New York Times bestselling author whose novels include Bet Me, Faking It, Fast Women and Welcome to Temptation. She is a frequent contributor to the BenBella Books Smart Pop series and editor of Totally Charmed: Whitelighters, Demons and the Power of the Three. She holds an MA in feminist criticism and an MA in fiction. For more information visit www.jennycrusie.com.

King Kong Is Back! An Unauthorized Look at One Humongous Ape!

November 2005

Edited by New York Times Bestselling Author David Brin

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“(The essays) range from informative to wise-ass; all entertain … If not something for everyone, it’s darn close.” – Ray Olson, Booklist

"There is a boom of new Kong books ... My favorite … is the savvy collection of essays King Kong is Back!" - DeWitt Henry, The Boston Globe

King Kong—love story, horror film, exotic adventure tale—is back on the big screen after an almost thirty-year absence, just in time for the King of Skull Island to influence another generation.
 

From the 1933 black and white Cooper/Schoedsack classic to the badly-received 1976 De Laurentiis remake, to the new vision brought to life by Peter Jackson, the contributors to King Kong is Back! explore the great ape’s unprecedented appeal and the film’s impact on our cultural imagination.

Contributors include:

Bruce Bethke Adam-Troy Castro Don Debrant Keith R.A. DeCandido Bob Eggelton David Gerrold Natasha Giardina

Jim Gunn Robert Hood Paul Levinson James Lowder Dario Maestripieri Nick Mamatas Robert A. Metzger

Joe Miller Adam Roberts Steven Rubio Charlie Starr Rick Whitten-Klaw John Wright

David Brin is The New York Times bestselling author of The Postman and Kiln People.

Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles

October 2005

Edited by Shanna Caughey

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“A fascinating collection of twenty-five essays … If you want a book that will provide a variety of new ideas to think about, this book should be on your short list.”

Robert Trexler, editor of CSL: The Bulletin of the New York C.S. Lewis Society

C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia have stimulated imaginations for more than half a century, inspiring childhood wonder, earnest faith and spirited debate regarding Christian doctrine.

Widely studied and revered, Lewis' Chronicles are structured around deep paradigms and resounding questions: How do the books form such an intimate, personal bond with readers both young and old? Does Narnia betray some hidden Universalism in Lewis' theology? What are we to think of the evil dark-skinned Calormenes from the South who seem to represent the Arab race? What really prevented Susan from entering Narnia? What does Aslan's characterization as a "tame lion" say about Lewis' thoughts on providence?

Contributors include:

Navigating the Golden Compass: Religion, Science and Daemonology in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials

August 2005

Edited by Glenn Yeffeth

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About Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials

“Fit for bonfire.” - The Catholic Herald

“This is after all an alternative world, or set of worlds ... What would the church look like, what would it inevitably be, if it believed only in a God who could be rendered powerless and killed and needed unceasing protection? It would be a desperate, repressive tyranny. Pullman’s views are clear; but he is a good enough writer to leave some spaces. This is a church without creation, or redemption, certainly without Christ.”

- Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

About Navigating the Golden Compass

From the streets of Lyra’s Oxford to Dr. Mary Malone’s lab, from the Republic of Heaven to the harpy-ruled pit of hell, Navigating the Golden Compass examines every aspect of Pullman’s brilliant fantasy:

• Michael Chabon on truth and lies, literature that lives in the borderlands, and Pullman’s two great inventions: daemons and Dust

• Harry Turtledove considers Occam’s Razor and The Subtle Knife

• Jean Rabe extols the virtues of Mrs. Coulter

• Justin Leiber weighs in on the “Christian Fatwa” heading Pullman’s way ... and volunteers to be his bodyguard

• Dan Moloney asks if Pullman’s atheist agenda gets in the way of his story

• Don DeBrandt makes the case that Pullman’s dark materials are actually psychedelic drugs

• Karen Traviss explores the practical implications of introducing daemons to our world

• Natasha Giardina shows that Pullman breaks the rules by writing a book that isn’t about the superiority of grown-ups

• Gregory Maguire asks if there can be such a thing as temptation in a world where sin has lost its meaning

Other contributors include:

Alias Assumed: Sex, Lies and SD-6
August 2005

Edited by Kevin "Marshall J. Flinkman" Weisman

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From SD-6 to the CIA, from kick-ass costumes and multi-colored wigs to dysfunctional family relationships and undercover office romance, the hit spy drama Alias has won the hearts of savvy viewers everywhere.  With its smart writing, adrenaline fueled plotlines and intricate story arcs, Alias has a complexity well-worth a little government-style interrogation.

Alias Assumed takes a deeper look at the show that’s redefining the spy genre. Topics include:

• Parenting guru Britta Coleman on why shooting your first born just may be the best parenting decision you’ll ever make

• Critic Catherine Tunnacliffe on television’s most provocative love-triangle: Sydney, Vaughn ... and Jack

• Novelist Jody Lynn Nye on the training of a secret agent, a.k.a. why Sydney needs better time management skills

• Television Without Pity’s Erin Dailey on what every girl needs to find romance: subterfuge, brainwashing and an AK-47

• Ex-spook Robert Stokes on how Alias’ CIA measures up to the real thing

• And science writer David Harris on quantum entanglement, the veracity of truth serums and the real likelihood of discovering that your roommate has been replaced by a clone

Other contributors include:

Five Seasons of Angel: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Vampire

October 2004

Edited by Glenn Yeffeth

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Miss Angel?

This collection of essays from fans who also happen to be big name authors and specialists in their fields (including New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Crusie, Last Unicorn author Peter Beagle, Buffy author Nancy Holder, Angel gaffer Dan Kerns, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and many others) explore the constellation of characters and themes created in the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off.

Topics include Angelus as the prototypical high school bully, Angel as victim, how Spike fits into Angel, why Jasmine was so scary, a sex expert's take on Angel's psyche and Lindsey's moral center.

Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Television Show

October 2003

Edited by Glenn Yeffeth

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Science fiction and fantasy authors, typically immune to the appeal of television science fiction, cannot resist the charms of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Seven Seasons of Buffy is a collection of fun, irreverent and surprising essays on Buffy by some of science fiction and fantasy's most important authors, including David Brin, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Jennifer Crusie.