Ys


Book Description

Celebrating over 25 years of Ys, the flagship series of Japanese RPG publisher Nihon Falcom! Ys: The Art Book collects the fantastic artwork of more than a dozen titles in the Ys franchise, from the original game all the way up to the brand-new Ys: Memories of Celceta. Includes pinups, character designs, rare concept art, and more!




Lacrimosa of Dana


Book Description

When Adol Christin boards the passenger liner Lombardia for an easy voyage across the Gaete Sea, he has no idea this journey will land him shipwrecked on the mysterious Seiren Island, home of an ancient curse that has plagued these waters for millennia. Nor can he possibly imagine that this act of fate will throw him into a battle against primordial powers, set out to destroy the entire human race. Joined by Dana, a powerful young woman from another era, as well as by a handful of the Lombardia survivors, Adol must save his species from extinction, or perish along with everyone he knows. But even if he wins, there is no guarantee that he can ever attain the ultimate prize – a future with Dana. LACRIMOSA OF DANA, a bestselling game by Nihon Falcom Co., is part of the award-winning Ys series, featuring Adol Christin, a legendary swordsman and adventurer. This novel follows the story and characters of the game and is officially licensed through an agreement between Dragonwell Publishing, Dragonwell, LLC, and Nihon Falcom Corporation.




Sekiro


Book Description

Discover an analytic work of Sekiro, a game that spectacularly marked the 2010s. Few video game series can boast having marked the 2010s as much as Souls. FromSoftware mainly owes this amazing and unexpected success to the talents of the now-famous Hidetaka Miyazaki, whose radical vision of video games was quick to charm and win around players. In May 2014, the director was promoted to president of FromSoftware. He could have continued to create Souls forevermore, but instead chose to develop new franchises. The first true representative of this new era was Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a game with unprecedented richness and flawless thematic consistency. This book will discuss the work’s development process, an analysis of the storyline and characters, the soundtrack, themes, and its historical, cultural and artistic influences. It will also present an analysis of the problem with Sekiro’s difficulty—which saw a lot of ink spilled at its release—and take a look at the evolution of Miyazaki’s games. This book will provide you with an analysis of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice : it will discuss the game creation process, as well as the themes, the storyline, the characters, the soundtrack and its diferent influences. The book will also present an analysis of the problem with the game's difficulty and the evolution of Miyazaki's games. ABOUT THE AUTHOR It is by exploring the world of Super Metroid at the age of seven that Ludovic Castro finds himself for the first time captivated by a world of video games. A big fan of Japanese RPGs, he later became passionate about the background stories about his favorite games in Gameplay RPG magazine. Now a doctor of theoretical chemistry, he sometimes manages to find enough free time to write about his favorite series, Megami Tensei.




Once Upon a Curse


Book Description

Gorgeous, haunting, and a wonder to read San Francisco Book Review An appealing way to rediscover the classic tales Publishers Weekly A beautiful addition to the adventurous fairy tale fan s shelf Portland Book Review STEP INTO THE WORLD OF MYTH AND MAGIC Fair maidens, handsome princes, witches, and fairy godmothers all show their dark and dangerous side in this anthology inspired by myths and fairy tales, retold by some of the best authors in this generation and by some upcoming new talents. Told with a dark twist, focused on the lure of the gorgeous evil, this collection will take the readers on a wild ride through magical realms of Ancient Greece, old Russia, medieval Europe, and modern day America.




The Guild of Assassins


Book Description

Winner of the Prism Award for “Fantasy” Winner of the Prism Award for “Best of the Best” Forbidden love will either make—or break—the Majat Guild in this this fast-paced fantasy romance about elite warriors Kara has achieved something that no Majat has ever managed: freedom from the Guild! But the Black Diamond assassin Mai has been called back to face his punishment for sparing her life. Determined to join his fight or share his punishment, Kara finds herself falling for Mai. But is their relationship—and the force that makes their union all-powerful—a tool to defeat the overpowering forces of the Kaddim armies, or a distraction sure to cause the downfall of the Majat?




The Princess of Dhagabad


Book Description

"Hasan, whose power and omniscience crush him under an unbearable burden, is gradually released from his apathy and his pain. He admires the intelligence and strong will of the princess, qualities that make their friendship so dear - a friendship that takes him dangerously close to a power long forgotten, a power greater than wisdom and immortality, greater than his suffering."--BOOK JACKET.




Devil's Ways


Book Description

There is no light without dark; no highlights without shadows; no good without evil. The Devil is where things happen. Where stories begin. This collection brings together stories from multiple cultures, featuring the Devil both as an abstract concept and a creature, a terror, a force of nature, an enemy, a trickster, and so many more. Step into the world of shadows, and travel through Devil's many incarnations spanning centuries of history and myth, from the Ancient Greece, African and Caribbean folklore, dark ages in Europe, all the way to the present day. This anthology features new and established authors from diverse, multicultural backgrounds.




Vladimir Keilis-Borok


Book Description

V. I. Keilis-Borok (1921-2013) is the founder of computational seismology and the pioneer of advance predictions of critical events in complex systems, including earthquakes, presidential elections, economic recessions, surges of unemployment, and crime waves. Among his successful advance earthquake predictions are Irpinia earthquake in Italy (1980), Loma Prieta earthquake in California (1989), Chile earthquake of 2010, Japan earthquake of 2011, and many others. V. I. Keilis-Borok developed new paradigms in the study of structure and dynamics of solid Earth. His trademark style involved exceptional organizational talent and insight that enabled him to make seemingly impossible connections between different fields of research and different groups of experts, often breaking the barriers between high theory, numerical modeling, and data analysis. His outstanding achievements are recognized by memberships in many academies and international scientific organizations, including National Academy of Sciences of the USA, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Academia Europea, Royal Astronomical Society, and others, as well as through awards and honors, and by the respect and devotion he inspired in his friends and colleagues. This book contains his brief biography and reflections by his family, friends, and colleagues-a tribute to this truly remarkable man. Proceeds from this book will support the effort in promoting and publicizing V.I. Keilis-Borok's work.




The Goddess of Dance


Book Description

When Princess Gul'Agdar of Dhagabad begins studying the ancient magic of the Sacred Dance, she has no idea that this seemingly innocent act is the first step on the treacherous path to immortality, absolute powerNand slavery. Even her beloved Hasan cannot save her this time, as his enemies lure him into the mysterious True Library, destined to trap all-powerful wizards in a magical desert beyond this world.




The Legend of Heroes


Book Description

With a dozen games released over the past 20 years, The Legend of Heroes is a mainstay of Japanese RPGs from pioneering game developer Nihon Falcom. Now, the gorgeous character art from the newest games in this legendary series is collected in this prestigious volume. Included in this collection are rough sketches, character artwork, expression charts, and more from The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Blue, Trails of Zero, and all three Trails in the Sky chapters.