From a Los Angeles Times–bestselling author, “a [vampire] novel that goes out of its way to not to glorify the villainy of vampirism” (Miami Herald). How to control the bloodlust? How to find inner peace as the living dead? The Way of the Wooden Stake. One man rises in a SoHo alleyway to find his lover dead and his own body terribly transformed . . . He strains to overcome his murderous instincts through zen meditation and blood deprivation. He is reclaimed by The Ministry, an underground society waging war with the undead. Again and again he will find his will tested, and his thirst tempted, by the killers who demand his allegiance . . . and the zen masters who will burn him down at his first missed step . . . He must walk a tightrope between the living and the dead . . . to master himself and his hunger. And the way of the wooden stake . . . The 25th Anniversary Revised Author Edition of the Los Angeles Times–bestselling author Steven-Elliot Altman’s controversial Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires. Foreword by the New York Times bestseller Nancy Holder, author of Angel, Smallville, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels.

How to control the bloodlust? How to find inner peace as the living dead? The Way of the Wooden Stake. One man rises in a SoHo alleyway to find his lover dead and his own body terribly transformed... He strains to overcome his murderous instincts through zen meditation and blood deprivation. He is reclaimed by The Ministry, an underground society waging war with the undead. Again and again he will find his will tested, and his thirst tempted, by the killers who demand his allegiance ... and the zen masters who will burn him down at his first missed step... He must walk a tightrope between the living and the dead ... to master himself and his hunger. And the way of the wooden stake... The 25th Anniversary Revised Author Edition of LA Times bestselling author Steven-Elliot Altman's controversial Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires. Foreword by New York Times bestseller Nancy Holder, author of Angel, Smallville, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels.

Pia Thomson doesn't have a typical life, but she wants one: the husband, the kids, the house in the suburbs. With her fortieth birthday looming, she decides to do something drastic, and takes off on a singles' tour through romantic Europe. But the few guys on the trip leave much to be desired - unlike the two men Pia sees in a small Icelandic town. They're handsome, mysterious, and very dangerous. (Bestseller)

One of the world's most popular religions, Buddhism is also one of the most misunderstood. This reference overviews misconceptions related to Buddhism and reveals the truths behind the myths. Buddhism is practiced by millions of adherents around the world. Originating in ancient India, it spread throughout Asia and then to the West, and it exists in multiple traditions. Despite its popularity, it is also the subject of many misconceptions. This book examines those misconceptions along with the historical truths behind the myths. The book begins with an introduction that places Buddhism in its historical and cultural contexts. This is followed by chapters on particular erroneous beliefs related to the religion. Chapters explore whether Buddhism is a singular tradition, if it is a religion or a philosophical system, if it is rational and scientific, whether the Buddha was an ordinary human, and other topics. Each chapter summarizes the misconception and how it spread, along with what we now believe to be the underlying truth behind the falsehood. Quotations and excerpts from primary source documents provide evidence for the mistaken beliefs and the historical truths. The book closes with a selected, general bibliography.

“This funny and fresh take on a classic tale manages to comment on gender roles, racial disparities, and white privilege all while creeping me all the way out. So good.”—Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of The Other Black Girl Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this New York Times best-selling horror novel about a women's book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town. Bonus features: • Reading group guide for book clubs • Hand-drawn map of Mt. Pleasant • Annotated true-crime reading list by Grady Hendrix • And more! Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families. One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the neighbor's handsome nephew, James Harris, into her life. James is well traveled and well read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn’t felt in years. But when children on the other side of town go missing, their deaths written off by local police, Patricia has reason to believe James Harris is more of a Bundy than a Brad Pitt. The real problem? James is a monster of a different kind—and Patricia has already invited him in. Little by little, James will insinuate himself into Patricia’s life and try to take everything she took for granted—including the book club—but she won’t surrender without a fight in this blood-soaked tale of neighborly kindness gone wrong.

Do you need a field guide to vampires and shape-shifters? Do you really think zombies are just badly dressed vampires? Can you identify a potential werewolf before the moon starts to rise? Is she a vampire or just a girl with an "Emo"-thing? And even more important, do you know how to fight them off if you happen to cross paths with a hungry being of the furry kind or a walking corpse with blood on his breath? From a variety of folklore and pop culture traditions we've learned some of the warning signs of vampirism and lycanthropy—and some of the best methods of dispatching them back from whence they came when they are on the attack. They may not be real, but—just in case—you need to know what you may be dealing with!

From Dracula to Buffy the Vampire Slayer; from Castlevania to Tru Blood, the romance between popular culture and vampires hearkens back to humanity's darkest, deepest fears, flowing through our very blood, fears of death, and life, and insatiable hunger. And yet, there is an attraction, undeniable, to the vampire archetype, whether the pale European count, impeccably dressed and coldly masculine, yet strangely ambiguous, ready to sink his sharp teeth deep into his victims' necks, draining or converting them, or the vamp, the count's feminine counterpart, villain and victim in one, using her wiles and icy sexuality to corrupt man and woman alike... Edited by John Joseph Adams (Wastelands, The Living Dead), By Blood We Live gathers together the best vampire literature of the last three decades from many of today's most renowned authors of fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror, including Stephen King, Joe Hill, Garth Nix, Neil Gaiman, Kelley Armstrong, Ken Macleod, Harry Turtledove, Carrie Vaughn, and Tad Williams.