Puppet Master Volume 2

"After a lifetime of being manipulated by a succession of Masters, Andre Toulon's Puppets may have finally found a way out. Is the psychic Madam Adon the savior they have been looking for? And if so, what is the price of freedom?"--Back cover.

Volume 1 of Miyuki Miyabe’s bestselling mystery ended with the deaths of two young men, Hiromi Kurihashi and Kazuaki Takai, who are believed to be the perpetrators in the recent spate of killings in Tokyo. Volume 2 delves into the lives of these two childhood friends and the unhealthy dynamic in their relationship: one tormented by the ghost of an elder sister who died soon after birth; the other gentle but slow-witted and easily exploited. And behind the pair a third childhood friend, Peace: devious and cunning, a master manipulator. Available in e-book format in five separate volumes, to be released through February 2016. Other works in English by Miyuki Miyabe: All She Was Worth Shadow Family Crossfire The Devil’s Whisper The Sleeping Dragon Praise for Miyabe: “A window into contemporary Japanese life.” ?San Francisco Chronicle “Enormously compelling… combining expert pacing and psychological nuance to ultimately haunting effect.” ?Publishers Weekly, starred review “Miyabe is a subtle observer of a country on the cusp. Her American readers can only hope for more chances to see through her eyes.” ?The Los Angeles Times “Absorbing… an artful blending of puzzle-solving and social commentary.” ?Washington Post

This book is a comprehensive history of the most successful straight-to-video horror franchise of all time: Puppet Master. It provides an in-depth exploration of all 14 films to date--including a made-for-TV crossover and a theatrical reboot--and the action figures, comics, and other merchandise that have helped to keep the brand alive for the past 30 years. Puppet Master was the first film for independent producer extraordinaire Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment, launching a franchise and a micro-budget studio that have both continued to this day. What led to the film's success? How did a little movie about killer puppets, designed to cater to the then-booming video market, wind up surviving video stores themselves? How did a series that had never even had a theatrical entry wind up with an unusually successful toy series? All of these questions are answered within these pages. Featuring new interviews with some of the biggest creative minds behind the franchise, as well as dozens of behind-the-scenes photos, this book is the ultimate guide to horror's most murderous marionettes.

Noir of the Future In an alternate time line, technology has advanced civilization where within a few years the world is several centuries ahead. Even though advanced, crime still happens, only now criminals have new ways to cover their tracks. Private eye Martti Seppanen tracks crooks in a Los Angeles that noir detectives would hardly recognize. What happens when the murderer is someone who can control other people mentally? When the murder weapon is a bioengineered disease? And what if the victim is someone whose existence is a government secret and isn't quite considered human? ''An outstanding writer.'' -C. J. Cherryh

This report examines the use of these entities in nearly all cases of corruption. It builds upon case law, interviews with investigators, corporate registries and financial institutions and a 'mystery shopping' exercise to provide evidence of this criminal practice.

On the island called Duelist Kingdom, a battle royale is taking place to determine the greatest "Duel Monsters" player in the world! Yugi's friend Jonouchi has finally learned some strategy, but will it be enough to beat sexy Mai Kujaku and mean "Dinosaur" Ryuzaki? A fight with fisherman Ryota Kajiki is just a warmup for Yugi, the only person who's beaten Kaiba, the former world champion. But although Kaiba may be in a coma, his deck still lives...in the hands of an evil ventriloquist, who has stolen not only Kaiba's deck but his very soul! -- VIZ Media

Pro Puppet is an in-depth guide to installing, using, and developing the popular configuration management tool Puppet. The book is a comprehensive follow-up to the previous title Pulling Strings with Puppet. Puppet provides a way to automate everything from user management to server configuration. You'll learn how to create Puppet recipes, extend Puppet, and use Facter to gather configuration data from your servers. Puppet is a must-have tool for system administrators, and Pro Puppet will teach you how to maximize its capabilities and customize it for your environment. Install and configure Puppet to immediately start automating tasks and create reporting solutions Learn insider tricks and techniques to better manage your infrastructure Become a Puppet expert!

Expert guide explains how to construct several types of puppets and presents exercises for developing distinctive voices, learning puppet movement. Includes stage design, writing plays, directing productions, more. Over 150 black-and-white illustrations.

For the first time in nearly 30 years the Bodega Bay Inn is open for business. Families, business men, and couples just looking to get away have flocked to the isolated ocean-side hotel. Even the puppets have been behaving under the guidance of Anthony. But some people just can t let a good thing last. VACANY collects issues 16-18 of the ongoing Puppet Master series!"

“Confessions of a Puppetmaster is a fast, funny, wild ride through some wild times. Plus, Charlie compares me to Harrison Ford, so I’m all in!” —Bill Maher Renowned producer, director, and “B movie” showman Charles Band takes readers on a wild romp through Hollywood’s decidedly un-Oscar-worthy underbelly, where mayhem and zombies reign supreme, and cheap thrills and entertainment are king "This book is a blast. It made me want to stay up all night and watch terrible movies." —Peter Sagal "One of the most entertaining film bios ever." —Larry Karaszewski "Reads like a Tarantino film written by Hunter S. Thompson." —Booklist Zombies, aliens, a little skin, lots of gore—and even more laughs—the cinematic universe of Charles Band is legendary. From the toilet-invading creatures of Ghoulies to the time-travelling bounty hunter in Trancers to the pandemic-crashed Corona Zombies, Band has spent four decades giving B-movie lovers exactly what they love. In Confessions of a Puppetmaster, this congenial master of Grindhouse cinema tells his own story, uncut. Born into a family of artists, Band spent much of his childhood in Rome where his father worked in the film industry. Early visits to movie sets sealed young Charlie’s fate. By his twenties he had plunged into moviemaking himself and found his calling in exploitation movies—quick, low-budget efforts that exploit the zeitgeist and feed people’s desire for clever, low-brow entertainment. His films crossed genres, from vampire flicks to sci fi to erotic musical adaptations of fairy tales. As he came into his own as a director, he was the first to give starring roles to household names like Demi Moore, Helen Hunt, and Bill Maher. Off set, Band’s life has been equally epic. Returning to his beloved Italy, he bought both Dino De Laurentiis’s movie studio and a medieval castle. After Romania’s oppressive communist regime fell, he circumvented the U.S. State Department to shoot films in Dracula’s homeland. He made—and then lost—a moviemaking fortune. A visionary, Band was also at the vanguard of the transition to home video and streaming, making and distributing direct-to-video movies long before the major studios caught on. In this revealing tell-all, Band details the dizzying heights and catastrophic depths of his four decades in showbiz. A candid and engaging glimpse at Hollywood’s wild side, Confessions of a Puppetmaster is as entertaining as the movies that made this consummate schlockmeister famous.