Worlds Fantastic, Worlds Familiar


Book Description

A senior planetary astronomer leads this personal tour of NASA's latest Solar System discoveries.




The Fantastic Worlds of S. Usher Evans


Book Description

From award-winning author S. Usher Evans comes a limited-edition, five-book box set that includes the first full-length book in five of her bestselling YA/NA fantasy and science fiction series. From the streets of Forcadel to the farthest reaches of the universe, these five stories will sweep readers away in magic, mystery, politics, and a dash of romance. Included in this Box Set: • The City of Veils - Winner of the 2019 Florida Author Project YA Book of the Year, and a finalist for the 2019 National Indie Author Project award, The City of Veils has delighted and dazzled readers around the world. Eighteen-year-old Brynna has been protecting her city as a masked vigilante for the past three years, until one night she's captured by the king's guards. Her father and brother have been murdered, and this runaway princess must put aside her vigilante mission to assume the throne. But not before she takes care of some unfinished business. (YA Fantasy, 15+) • Spells and Sorcery - On her fifteenth birthday, Lexie Carrigan finds out she's magical - and that might be the least weird thing about her. Faced with an uncontrollable power that her family doesn't seem to understand, she jumps at the chance to train with the mysterious Gavon, an older magical who shows up just at the right time. But is his appearance coincidence or is there something more her family isn't telling her? (YA Fantasy, 13+) • Empath - When a mysterious voice promises an easy out to all her problems, a heartbroken Lauren Dailey jumps at the chance and wakes up in a fantasy land with the powers of an empath. But now, she has a bigger, dragon-shaped problem: The Anghenfil, a fire-breathing monster, lives in the mountains nearby, and some say he's got a taste for empaths. And he might just be that mysterious voice, tempting her deeper into her own darkness. (NA Fantasy, 15+) • The Island - Prince Galian was forced to put aside medical degree to fight in a war he doesn't believe in. Captain Theo just wants to see her country freed from the oppressive regime across the ocean - and survive the bloody fifty-year war. But when an air skirmish goes wrong, they both end up marooned on a deserted island and must put aside their differences to survive. (NA Fantasy, 18+) • Double Life - Lyssa is living double lives as a planet-discovering scientist and a space pirate bounty hunter. Neither life is going so hot, however. As the pirate, she's the least wanted person in the universe, and as the scientist, she's just been saddled with an intern who is definitely spying on her for her slimy boss. But when that intern is mistaken for her hostage by the Universal Police, Lyssa's life gets a whole lot more complicated. (NA Science Fiction, 15+)




Worlds Fantastic, Worlds Familiar


Book Description

Join Bonnie J. Buratti, a leading planetary astronomer, on this personal tour of NASA's latest discoveries. Moving through the Solar System from Mercury, Venus, Mars, past comets and asteroids and the moons of the giant planets, to Pluto, and on to exoplanets, she gives vivid descriptions of landforms that are similar to those found on Earth but that are more fantastic. Sulfur-rich volcanoes and lakes on Io, active gullies on Mars, huge ice plumes and tar-like deposits on the moons of Saturn, hydrocarbon rivers and lakes on Titan, and nitrogen glaciers on Pluto are just some of the marvels that await readers. Discover what it is like to be involved in a major scientific enterprise, with all its pitfalls and excitement, from the perspective of a female scientist. This engaging account of modern space exploration is written for non-specialist readers, from students in high school to enthusiasts of all ages.




Worlds Fantastic, Worlds Familiar


Book Description

A senior planetary astronomer leads this personal tour of NASA's latest Solar System discoveries.




Fantastic Worlds: The Art of William Stout


Book Description

From his cult movie posters to his epic paleoart, celebrate the life and work of William Stout with this stunning monograph featuring the most iconic imagery from the multitalented muralist, illustrator, and designer. Muralist, illustrator, comics artist, poster designer—William Stout has created a body of work that transcends genre, medium, and industry during his astonishing forty-year career. He has designed album covers for the Who and the Rolling Stones, worked on films ranging from Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards to Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, and brought the world of the dinosaurs to life through highly acclaimed paleoart. Now Stout fans can relive the life and career of their favorite artist with this breathtaking monograph. Curated by the artist himself, Fantastic Worlds: The Art of William Stout bursts with the most iconic imagery in Stout’s oeuvre. From his student years to his robust career as a painter, illustrator, and more, Fantastic Worlds gives readers an in-depth understanding of how Stout developed as an artist, illustrated by his most inspired work. Visually stunning and definitive, Fantastic Worlds is the ultimate Stout retrospective—the perfect way for fans to commemorate the extraordinary work of a one-of-a-kind artist.




War of the Fantasy Worlds


Book Description

This investigation focuses on C.S. Lewis's and J.R.R. Tolkien's contrasting views of art and imagination, which are key to understanding and interpreting their fantasy works, providing insight into their goals, themes, and techniques, as well as an appreciation of the value and impact of their mythologies. Most scholarship about J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis describes their shared faith and academic interests or analyzes each writer's fantasy works. War of the Fantasy Worlds: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien on Art and Imagination is the first to focus solely on their contrasting concepts of fantasy. The authors' views of art and imagination, the book shows, are not only central to understanding the themes, value, and relevance of their fantasy fiction, but are also strikingly different. Understanding the authors' thoughts about fantasy helps us better understand and appreciate their works. Yet, this book is not a critical analysis of The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. Rather, it examines only elements of Tolkien's and Lewis's books that relate to their views about art, fantasy, and creativity, or the implementation of their theories. The result is a unique and altogether fascinating perspective on two of the most revered fantasy authors of all time.




Fantasy Fiction into Film


Book Description

This work examines the symbolism of fantasy fiction, literal and figurative representation in fantastic film adaptations, and the imaginative differences between page and screen. Essays focus on movies adapted from various types of fantasy fiction--novels, short stories and graphic novels--and study the transformation and literal translation from text to film in the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Howl's Moving Castle, Finding Neverland, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked and Practical Magic.




The Cosmos


Book Description

Explains the fundamentals of astronomy together with the hottest current topics in this field, such as exoplanets and gravitational waves.







Shaping Science


Book Description

“A fascinating inside look at NASA missions” that provides important insight on the organizational aspects of scientific collaboration (American Journal of Sociology). In Shaping Science, Janet Vertesi draws on a decade of immersive ethnography with NASA’s robotic spacecraft teams to create a comparative account of two great space missions of the early 2000s. Although these missions featured robotic explorers on the frontiers of the solar system bravely investigating new worlds, their commands were issued from millions of miles away by a very human team. By examining the two teams’ formal structures, decision-making techniques, and informal work practices in the day-to-day process of mission planning, Vertesi shows just how deeply entangled a team’s local organizational context is with the knowledge they produce about other worlds. Using extensive, embedded experiences on two NASA spacecraft teams, this is the first book to apply organizational studies of work to the laboratory environment in order to analyze the production of scientific knowledge itself. Engaging and deeply researched, Shaping Science demonstrates the significant influence that the social organization of a scientific team can have on the practices of that team and the results they yield. “No matter how the lakes on Titan shimmer, or what the mineralogy of a particular Martian rock turns out to be, it was the people behind the spacecraft, keyboards and endless tele-conferences that drove what these interplanetary robots discovered. I’m glad to have come to know them even better through this book.” —Nature “A fun, illuminating read . . . scholars of science, technology, work, and organizations will find much to appreciate.” —American Journal of Sociology “Will be of great interest to all historians of science.” —Technology and Culture