Ruled by remote and powerful feudal Lords, Halma is a planetof craftsmen where any kind of machine-based manufacturing is punishable bydeath. Their exquisite handiworks are prized throughout the galaxy, but Halma'sartisans eke out a bare living while the Lords take vast profits forthemselves. Young Ghyl Tarvoke learns from his father that the world'sinjustices can be remedied, and the answer lies in the legend of Emphyrio. Whena cruel and arbitrary judgment shatters the foundations of his life, Ghyl beginsa desperate quest to discover and reveal the true story of Emphyrio. - Matt Hughes

Emphyrio is Volume 33 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series.Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

If you know anything at all about mixed martial arts and the UFC, then you know the name Matt Hughes. With devastating slams and ground-and-pound -- and nine championship belts to his credit -- Matt is the most dominant fighter in UFC history.

Matt was raised with his twin brother on a family farm in small-town Hillsboro, Illinois. Behind the postcard-perfect fields of corn, beans, and wheat stood a home consumed by bankruptcy, tension, and interpersonal struggles, but Matt reacted to hard times by playing hard and working even harder.

In high school and college Matt was an unstoppable wrestler, and he ended up a two-time Division I All-American. Whereas every year's top eight graduating college football players become instant millionaires, Matt got to stay on as assistant wrestling coach, doing electrical work on the side for fourteen dollars an hour. All of that changed the day he met legendary MMA manager Monte Cox, as well as Pat Miletich, a trainer who also happened to be the welterweight champion of the world.

Rising through the ranks of the independent fighting circuit and the UFC, Matt saw things that fans could only catch glimpses of -- until now. For the first time, a major UFC superstar has decided to answer all the questions the fans have about him, the organization, and the sport. You'll learn which fighter almost sent Matt packing from mixed martial arts; why he refused to speak to his role model, Randy Couture; and what his relationship with UFC president Dana White is like. He reveals in which match he found himself praying to God for help, why he originally refused a shot at the world title, and what it's like training at the Miletich Fighting Camp. Matt describes working on TV's The Ultimate Fighter, what really happened to Tito Ortiz during the legendary brawl on the streets of London, just how personal his rivalry with Frank Trigg became, and what it was like to go up against the mythical Royce Gracie -- and destroy him.

Matt discloses his most private thoughts and feelings during both his epic victories and his crushing losses. But when the gloves come off, there's Matt Hughes the man. He talks with unflinching honesty about his early hell-raising and his near-death experience, the moment he let God into his heart, falling in love with his wife, the birth of his daughter, and all the important events of his life -- and he shares personal photographs never before seen by the public.

A Christian, a family man, and a fighter, Matt Hughes could only have been made in America.

Mad as Hell - and Loving It Ruthless mercenaries, hired by an ex-Pentagon chemical-weapons designer turned rogue, take over a small town in Oregon. The plan: use the citizenry as guinea pigs in a test-run of a bootlegged bio-agent for an Islamist terror organization. But something goes wrong and the mercs and their clients find themselves surrounded by townsfolk who have turned into hyper-coordinated killing machines. PAROXYSM is an action-packed tale about the seductive power of righteous violence, about how ordinary people can explode when fate gives them the power to hit back. And once they've gone down that road, there's no turning back.

Sid Rafferty is between writing jobs, a rock and a hard place, and the poles of his luck. At this point, he's willing to take on just about any writing gig. But when a return to his political spin doctor days collides with what should be a simple promo piece about a new ski resort in British Columbia's playground, Sid finds himself out of his depth, over his head, in love and at risk of his life.

Freelance speechwriter Sid Rafferty signs on to help a neophyte candidate run for election as an alderman in Cumberland, once a booming coal-mining town on Vancouver Island that's now shrunk down to an out-of-the-way little village. But first another writing job makes Sid a witness to a violent death the Mounties are calling murder, then a pair of marijuana-growing brothers want to know what he's doing poking around near their grow-op. An old colleague from his newspaper offers Sid a job spying on environmental activists, but he finds working undercover is no picnic. And he's about to find out that in Cumby, old currents run as dark and deep as the abandoned mine shafts. Dig down too far and the past can reach up with a deadly grip.

She was raised to be free, not some rich man's pet . . . It's just not right!

Bernie Cholach's dad wants him to take over the family's rural Alberta feedlot, but Bernie has other ideas: he wants to be a biologist, an interest sparked by his experiences as a volunteer bird handler at a Canadian Wildlife Service facility that breeds and rears peregrine falcons for release into the wild.

Sheik Nasur bin Mukhta, son of a Persian Gulf emir studying petroleum engineering at the University of Alberta, dutifully accepts his life's course, laid out for him by his traditionalist culture.

Rosie Leboucan, daughter of a Metis trapper, running her injured dad's trap line in the Swan Hills is focused on keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Then, the Government of Canada decides to give the emir one of the peregrines as a diplomatic gift. It's more than Bernie can stand. Impulsively, he takes the bird he has been tending--he's named it Skyrider--and flees to a remote cabin in the Swan Hills wilderness.

The RCMP mount a search. Nasur, sent by his father to collect the bird, insists on being on the scene--which turns out to be both Rosie's trapping territory and the territory of a hungry and dangerous mama grizzly bear with cubs.

The paths of the young people and the bear converge--and their coming together will send each in a new direction.

King of Cups, The Lovers, and Death is the culmination of 3 years of work. Inspired by the Tarot, it chronicles from 2020-2022 a transformation of love, relationships, and my understanding of what creates a meaningful connection.

While the Tarot can be read and interpreted in many different ways, Neil Robert Davey consulted the cards whenever he reached a mental rut. A way of connecting to the concepts, releasing emotions, and outdated modes of thought. The book is divided into three acts. Each representing a year of the author's life and transformation.

Excerpt from King of Cups, The Lovers, and Death

No one can kiss the way she kisses me
no one can look how she looks into my soul
no one can be as kind as her
So why does my heart not feel whole?

No one can talk with me for hours
the way that only she could do
I can search the world for love and bliss
How can I ever find someone like you?

I can't imagine a love like this
could exist in any other light
but all I know is how alone I feel
when I go to bed each lonely night

So, I'll try to find someone who makes me smile
who laughs the way I heard you laugh before
it may take forever or maybe never
to find you again but with something more