They are outcasts and misfits, teenagers lost on the path to adulthood, living day-to-day inside a high school culture of taunts, humiliation, and isolation. They are the misunderstood, the neglected, and the abused. They are . . . The Lifeless.
For them, every school day is a nightmare.
But on Monday, October 2nd, they will discover the true meaning of terror.
Classes are cut short by news of explosions in the city across the river, part of a series of horrific terrorist attacks that paralyze the nation. But that is only the beginning: amber clouds fill the sky, burning rain pelts down, and the surviving students of Verlaine High learn that their tormentors have mutated into something far worse-reanimated corpses with a primordial instinct for murder.
It’s time to stand up to the in-crowd . . . or be consumed by it.
Your mind is software. Program it.
Your body is a shell. Change it.
Death is a disease. Cure it.
Extinction is approaching. Fight it.
Eclipse Phase is a post-apocalyptic game of conspiracy and horror. Humanity is enhanced and improved, but also battered and bitterly divided. Technology allows the re-shaping of bodies and minds, but also creates opportunities for oppression and puts the capability for mass destruction in the hands of everyone. And other threats lurk in the devastated habitats of the Fall, dangers both familiar and alien. In this harsh setting, the players participate in a cross-faction conspiracy called Firewall that seeks to protect transhumanity from threats both internal and external. Along the way, they may find themselves hunting for prized technology in a gutted habitat falling from orbit, risking the hellish landscapes of a ruined earth, or following the trail of a terrorist through militarized stations and isolationist habitats. Players may even find themselves stepping through a Pandora Gate, a wormhole to distant stars and the alien secrets beyond.
Below is a very important message from David Wong, author of the soon to be re-released John Dies at the End. Please read it carefully as your life may depend upon the information it contains…
—
My most terrifying experience reading a novel was when I opened my copy of White Fang and a dead spider fell out.
I’ve always felt like that’s what a good horror novel should do. That is what I told Jacob at Permuted Press when it came time to put John Dies at the End into print a couple of years ago. My idea was to rig each copy with a plastic spider that would jump out at the reader when they opened page 42. It was as simple as cutting a compartment into the middle pages and rigging some kind of spring mechanism.
Think you know all about vampires? Think again. Did you know that vampires can hibernate for decades, have stomachs the size of walnuts, and have a predisposition for jobs in real estate? Can you say, “I must feed?” in vampire language? A Practical Guide to Vampires (Mirrorstone) provides the in-depth information we all need to know about these dangerous creatures of the night. This comprehensive book follows the New York Times best-sellers A Practical Guide to Dragons and A Practical Guide to Monsters. All are lavishly-illustrated and fun for all ages.
A Practical Guide to Vampires is packed with thrilling, chilling and blood-spilling facts about these compelling monsters. Kids can read about vampire anatomy, intelligence, clothing, habits and habitats, as well as dangerous powers like shapeshifting, hypnotic persuasion, and superhuman strength.
As the sixth installment in George Romero’s zombie film series, Survival of the Dead offers a new storyline and (of course) more zombies. Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in mid-September, the film’s announcement has been met with mixed results. Some zombie lovers are groaning at the thought of another film in the series; others are interested in the story about a group of survivors who leave their island to find a cure and save humanity.
There are a number of stills from the movie that have recently been released through the TIFF website.
It’s a story that begins with death — with your death.
Why did the Reaper reach out for you before your time? Why was it that you fell between the cracks?
Do you remember the flare of the gun or the sharpness of the knife? Do you remember the gnawing emptiness or the choking thickness of disease? Did you fall across the Threshold alone in the wild, or in the heart of the city?
The story begins there — with the moment of death, and with the Bargain that reversed it. With the cold hand that brought you back to the living world, with the dry whispers that still haunt you, with the presence that has nestled in your soul. You’ve returned to a world where the living cannot see the shades that surround them. You drink rum to the dead, and you eat their remnants and legacies, taking their memories within you. Every night is the carnivale, because every night you walk with ghosts.
Imagine being free. Free from everything that defines you, that makes you easily recognizable as who you are. Inside you’ll find Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers alongside a knight of the Round Table. The stock market will crash in a whole new, terrifying way. You’ll follow along as heroes go head-to-head with eldritch horrors from Lovecraft’s universe. From Greek legends to Captain Nemo, from gangsters to brokers; from prisons to palaces, dead moons to South American jungles… No one is safe; nowhere is safe. This is a Mythos collection unlike any other. This is Lovecraft in many colors, many guises.
Cthulhu Unbound vol. 2 is available at Amazon.com.
Archaia is proud to announce that Archaia’s own Mouse Guard Vol. 2: Winter 1152 by David Petersen has debuted at #4 on The New York Times Hardcover Graphic Books Best Seller List, week ending August 1.
The rankings on the list, according to The New York Times, “reflect sales of graphic novels, for the week ending August 1, at many thousands of venues where a wide range of books are sold nationwide. These include hundreds of independent book retailers (statistically weighted to represent all such outlets); national, regional and local chains; online and multimedia entertainment retailers; university, gift, supermarket, discount department stores and newsstands. In addition, these rankings also include unit sales reported by retailers nationwide that specialize in graphic novels and comic books.”
Angelo looks around the joint, seeing only marks. Back-room poker is always a mug’s game. Every card dealt brings the unlucky ones closer to losing everything—the shirt on their backs, next month’s rent and more. Some schmucks end up with a gun in their hand, doing some of Lucky Joe’s less pleasant work to pay off their debt.
The hand’s over. One man smiles, greed painted across his face. With a nod from Joe, Angelo takes a seat at the table, in on the game. Time to take it all back.
A free Storytelling Adventure System scene and character for use with Geist: The Sin-Eaters.
Adding to its growing list of accolades, acclaims and honors, Archaia’s Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game has been recognized by the 2009 Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (“the ENnies”) in three categories. The awards recognize excellence in tabletop roleplaying gaming, and winners are determined by the peoples’ choice, with the final winners voted upon online by gamers across the world.
The Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game has been nominated for Best Interior Art, Best Production Values and Product of the Year. It was created by Luke Crane (Burning Wheel) and David Petersen, the creator of the comic series on which the RPG is based.
Anthony Ziccardi, Vice President and Associate Publisher of Pocket Books, has announced a new co-publishing venture with Permuted Press , best known for horror, dark fantasy and science fiction novels . The seven book deal was brokered by Marc Gerald at the Agency Group. The books will be Zombie focused, with the first release DAY TO DAY ARMAGEDDON by J.L. Bourne, slated
for October 2009.
“I am excited to be the pioneer author for the Pocket Books and Permuted Press joint publishing venture. Horror fans are in for an absolute thrill and can expect to enjoy bold, fresh and riveting fiction as a result of this project. The journey with Permuted Press has been a great success and I know that success will be further enhanced as we shift gears into a new and exciting relationship with Pocket Books. Keep your doors locked!” –J.L. Bourne
A millennia-long search for an ancient Atlantean artifact, the Abedju Cipher, is about to come to an end. Pentacle mages to the Seers of the Throne have sought out the Cipher over the centuries, using both overt and covert means to track down it or its previous owners. Tensions have risen over it more often than not, and many oaths of enmity have been sworn on all sides. Amidst the quest to possess the Abedju Cipher, a number of factions close in to capture the Cipher for their own hidden agendas.
A story in the Storytelling Adventure System for Mage: The Awakening.
More Nachos Entertainment has acquired the rights to the highly anticipated role-playing game Eclipse Phase. Game veterans Rob Boyle and Davidson Cole are actively developing the feature film script.
Eclipse Phase is set in the future, but in a time that is closer than we want to believe. Earth has been destroyed and humanity stands on the cusp of a new age where humankind has merged with technology. This new transhumanity has colonized Mars and the solar system, though it remains divided between repressive hypercorp-backed regimes and techno-anarchist strongholds. Biotechnology allows humans to repair or replace their bodies, while artificial intelligence has grown to staggering levels with cognitive science and nanotechnology, making uploading the human mind possible. Transferring the mind digitally across great distances is now the preferred means of travel.
David Wellington, Jess Hartley, Derek Gunn, Shane Lacy Hensley and eight other horror authors descend on the small town of Pinebox, Texas where nothing is as it seems. With music graciously provided by Nox Arcana, this book trailer is a taste of the nightmares you’ll experience when you read this collection of short stories.
Nox Arcana dares you to explore the shadows of a forsaken sanitarium that is haunted by the souls of the dead and plagued by the dark essence of evil. The hollow edifice of Blackthorn Asylum stands as a bleak monument to the horrors that once lurked within its desolate halls.
This sinister soundscape contains 21 tracks of ghostly melodies, pulse-pounding orchestrations and spine-chilling sound effects to set a dark, nightmarish mood.
In a focused effort to give new readers an opportunity to discover Archaia’s unique library of titles, the publisher announced today a program to offer one new hardcover every quarter for the recession-friendly price of $9.95. Kicking off the venture will be the Vol. 1 hardcover collection of the acclaimed science-fiction thriller mini-series, The Engineer: Konstrukt, which will be available this August.
Keeping with Archaia’s tradition of publishing high-quality, high-concept titles, The Engineer: Konstrukt, co-created by Brian Churilla and Jeremy Shepherd, tells the story of a reluctant hero who frantically races to
defeat an ancient creature eating away at the very fabric of space and time. To do so, he must travel across dimensions and put together the scattered pieces of the Konstrukt, an old-world technology that allows the user to manipulate reality itself.
Cubicle 7 Entertainment and Adamant Entertainment are pleased to announce they have formed a publishing partnership.
The deal sees Cubicle 7 handling production and marketing for Adamant’s print products, starting with Mars: Savage Worlds Edition in September. This fantastic Savage Worlds setting features sky-corsairs, ancient cities, warrior tribes and albino apes – the Mars of pulp fiction and Saturday morning serials.
Following in October is Thrilling Tales – a great blend of classic pulse-pounding excitement from the pulp magazines and cliffhanger serials of the 1930s and 40s, again using the award-winning Savage Worlds system.
“Adamant Entertainment are an Origins and Ennies Awards nominated company and Gareth-Michael Skarka is a visionary in the gaming field so we’re obviously delighted to have him, and his company, on board,” said Dominic McDowall-Thomas of Cubicle 7, “creating a partnership between the two companies has been something we’ve long spoken about and with the plans that Gareth has in place for the next few years I’m overjoyed that we can part of that process and dream.”
Wizards of the Coast LLC today announced the October 6 release of its first-ever Magic: The Gathering graphic anthology, Path of the Planeswalker. This 192-page action-packed collection combines the entire Planeswalker web comic series, as well as a never-before-seen bonus comic for MSRP $19.95.
In this popular anthology, readers get adventures from all their favorite planeswalkers including battles between mind-mage Jace Beleren and the impulsive pyromancer Chandra Naalar. The mercurial necromancer Liliana Vess tangles with the savage Garruk Wildspeaker and readers learn more of the artificer Tezzeret’s past with the Seekers of Carmot.
Path of the Planewalker represents the high quality story-telling readers have come to expect from the world’s most popular trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. It features lavish illustrations by some of the industry’s best known artists such as Mark Texeira, Christopher Moeller, Jason Shawn Alexander, and Aleksi Briclot. For more information on Path of the Planeswalker and other Magic novels, visit www.wizards.com/magicnovels.
Featuring the terrifying tales of 13 authors, Dead Science brings you stories of the undead unlike any you’ve ever read before. Prepare to go behind-the-scenes and learn about the causes of various zombie uprisings and the havoc these creatures wreak upon the living.
Stories by: Gustavo Bondoni, Eric S. Brown, Michael Cieslak, Lorne Dixon, Anthony Giangregorio, Glen Held, Becca Morgan, Mark Onspaugh, Gina Ranalli, Vincent L. Scarsella, Jason V. Shayer, Ryan C. Thomas and Adam J. Whitlatch.
To celebrate the launch of his new book, The Dragon Hunters, author Paul Genesse is offering a trailer designed to tell you a little bit about this fantasy book. If you’re a fan of Paul’s work, you’ll want to follow up with him at the GenCon 2009 Writer’s Symposium and in Author’s Alley to get your book signed.
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11 Tales of Ghostly Horror
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A school full of kids.
