Psychological Science

Picture a dystopian future where Earth is dominated by a fanatical religious government called the New Covenant. Being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community is a crime punishable by death. You are one of two men whose names were sent in a transmission from the cosmos needed for a mission to travel by a new technology to another star system. You are trapped in a small space ship with a man that hates you on what feels like an asinine scavenger hunt for Points, or encrypted shards that are needed to further explore the star systems and upgrade your ship for the next decade.

Miles, a lead creative at a midsize virtual reality company known for its "original experiences," has engineered a new product called The Ghost Lover. Wildly popular from the outset, the "game" is simple: a user's simulated life is almost identical to their reality, except they're haunted by the ghost of an ex-lover. However, when a shift in the company's strategic vision puts The Ghost Lover at the center of a platform-wide controversy, Miles becomes the target of user outrage, and starts receiving a series of anonymous death threats.

Four ruthless criminals on Death Row are chosen to participate in a three-month groundbreaking clinical trial facilitated by Dr. Alicia Sharp, utilizing cutting-edge Psychological Rehabilitation through Virtual Reality (VR) technology. Crafted scenarios within the VR experiences are designed to evoke empathy, remorse, and emotional healing by confronting the criminals with the consequences of their actions. With nothing to lose and time as their enemy, the four participants—two men and two women—leave their identities behind, addressed only by their Zodiac signs—Virgo, Scorpio, Aries,...

When Maxon met Sunny, he was seven years, four months, and eighteen-days old. Or, he was 2693 rotations of the earth old. Maxon was different. Sunny was different. They were different together. Now, twenty years later, they are married, and Sunny wants, more than anything, to be "normal." She's got the housewife thing down perfectly, but Maxon, a genius engineer, is on a NASA mission to the moon, programming robots for a new colony. Once they were two outcasts who found unlikely love in each other: a wondrous, strange relationship formed from urgent desire for connection.

Hugo and Nebula Award winner Joe Haldeman ranks among the greatest science fiction authors to ever live. This thrilling entry from his Marsbound saga finds the mysterious alien Others prohibiting humans from space travel by destroying Earth’s fleet of starships in a display of unimaginable power. But Carmen Dula, the first human to encounter the Others, is determined to find a way to reclaim the future that has been stolen from humankind.

"Brisk, fast, memorable, a rare improvisational duet from two of our best." -- Greg Bear, from the Introduction The Black Place of the Soul-Changer was doing business in Rome six centuries before Christ. It will probably be there on the last day of the cosmos. This is the Psychoshop, where you can dump any unwanted aspect of your spirit as long as you exchange it for something else -- arcane knowledge, a change of luck, or a sixth sense. Just remember: All sales are final. Half finished upon Bester's death, and completed by Zelazny, Psychoshop envisions a commercial establishment that ...

Niki Ky spends her days in a medicated haze, haunted by the ghosts of those she left behind 10 years ago after a confrontation against an unspeakable evil that left her shattered. To find peace, Niki must return to the house on the side of Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama-to face creatures no human should ever have to face.

Life will never be the same. Neither will death... The epic conclusion to the Growlers story is here in Growlers Full Circle. The survivors continue their perilous journey south, to Onion County. Hunted by several Strigoi and an army of growlers, they are forced to make some difficult decisions. Having to make do with Communist era machinery while fighting for their lives doesn’t make things any easier. Too many unknowns, too much to lose. A group of young soldiers they meet on the way might help them in their quest for finding a community of people. Will they manage to solve the ...

Meet Westlake Soul, a 23-year-old former surfing champion. A loving son and brother. But if you think he’s just a regular dude, think again; Westlake is in a permanent vegetative state. He can’t move, has no response to stimuli, and can only communicate with Hub, the faithful family dog. And like all superheroes, Westlake has an archenemy: Dr. Quietusa, nightmarish embodiment of Death itself. Westlake dreams of a normal life of surfing and loving again. But time is running out; Dr. Quietus is getting closer, and stronger....

Annie is a robot, created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Playful and eager to please, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the outfits he buys for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his whims. Maybe the apartment isn’t always spotless, but she’s trying to be good enough for Doug. She’s trying really hard.

In Music and Medicine, bestselling author and neuroscientist Daniel Levitin delves into the latest research on the interaction of music, mood, health, and the biology of our brain. In it, he explains how music can lead to lasting improvements in our brain and body, increasing brain function and connectivity, boosting neuroplasticity and even strengthening our immune system.

In 2088 humankind is at last ready to explore beyond Earth's solar system, and astrophysicist Reggie Straifer knows where we should go. He's discovered a distant anomalous star that appears to defy the laws of physics. It could be a weird natural phenomenon, or it could be alien. Convoy 7's mission to discern the nature of the star's strange qualities will use vast resources and take centuries, so in order to maintain the genetic talent of the first crew, clones will be used for the expedition.

After drinking an elixir that bestows immortality upon him, a young Indian named Flapping Eagle spends the next 700 years sailing the seas with the blessing - and ultimately the burden - of living forever. Eventually, weary of the sameness of life, he journeys to the mountainous Calf Island to regain his mortality. There he meets other immortals obsessed with their own stasis and sets out to scale the island's peak, from which the mysterious and corrosive Grimus Effect emits.

Why do superheroes choose to be superheroes? Where does Spider-Man's altruism come from, and what does it mean? Why is there so much prejudice against the X-Men, and how could they have responded to it, other than the way they did? Why are super-villains so aggressive? The Psychology of Superheroes answers these questions in a wide range of essays on topics from Aquaman to Arkham Asylum - exploring the inner workings our heroes usually only share with their therapists.

Not everyone is built for success. In an age where people scramble for a mere mention on the latest, greatest social media site, there are still those who would rather run from fame’s bright light than toward it. After a tumultuous plunge from the peaks of the bestseller list, and a costly divorce that ensued, Harvey Schoenfeld is looking to bask in the privacy of small town life. And he has found his Shangri-La in the rustic burg of Helletstown, Indiana. The quaint town offers Harvey tranquil inspiration for his work along with the bucolic rut of anonymity. But while Harvey seeks refuge ...

"If it were I who were to be always young and the picture to grow old, I would give my soul for it." So says Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde's brilliant creation who sells his soul for youth and beauty.

El antiguo pájaro de la muerte El fotógrafo de vida silvestre Sam Daniels tiene un trabajo de ensueño: viaja a lugares exóticos y toma fotos de animales increíblemente hermosos para que todos los puedan ver. Sin embargo, durante un viaje a la jungla amazónica a la que viajó por ese motivo, Sam y su guía se encuentran con un pájaro diferente a cualquiera que hayan visto antes, completamente hermoso e hipnotizante. Se las arregla para conseguir algunas fotos, pero no antes de que la extraña criatura asesine a su guía y salga volando, gritando. Petrificado y traumatizado, Sam ...

Volk is Piers Anthony's serious novel of World War II and forbidden love, featuring a romance between a Nazi SS officer and his American friend’s fiancée, a pacifist Quaker lady. Politically incorrect, it covers some hard truths. Not all Nazis were evil, and the allies also kept death camps. The author was in Europe as a child, deported in 1940, and raised as a Quaker, so has some basis to address the subjects.

What would you sacrifice for a new life? Ambitious businesswoman Mae Yu runs Golden Oaks - a luxury retreat transforming the fertility industry - where women get the very best of everything, so long as they play by the rules. Jane is a young immigrant in search of a better future. Stuck living in a cramped dorm with her baby daughter and her shrewd aunt Ate, she sees an unmissable chance to change her life. But at what cost?

Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her kids in a loving home. But there's another side to Liz, one that's dark and malicious. A version of her that will do anything to get her way - no matter how extreme. And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating. From the author of the million-copy best seller The Girl with All the Gifts comes an utterly unique thriller with a twist....