Books published by publisher Smart Pop

Get a sneak peak at Smart Pop's 2013 titles with this preview volume of standalone essays and exclusive book extras!Volume includes:“Anne McCaffrey, Believer in Us” – David BrinFrom Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern, edited by Todd McCaffreyExclusive Extra: "Painting the Dragonwriter Cover" - Michael WhelanExcerpts from “Munchkin: Hollywood” – Liam McIntyreFrom The Munchkin Book: The Official Companion, edited by James Lowder“Percy Jackson and the Gods of Death” – J&P VoelkelFrom Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians, edited by Rick Riordan"Why the Best Friend Never Gets the Girl" - Kami GarciaFrom Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader, edited by Cassandra Clare"The Price of Our Inheritance" - Neal ShustermanFrom Ender’s World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender’s Game, edited by Orson Scott CardExclusive Extra: Q&A with Orson Scott Card"The Architects of the Rebellion" - V. ArrowFrom The Panem Companion: An Unofficial Guide to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games, From Mellark Bakery to MockingjaysExclusive Extras:“A Grosser Power” – Ned Vizzini"Capitol or Katniss - Who Am I?" - Lili WilkinsonFrom the special e-book only content for The Girl Who Was on Fire - Movie Edition, edited by Leah Wilson"A Prehistory of Fanfiction" - Anne JamisonFrom Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the WorldExcerpts on Washington Commons, The Foundry, and AndrewAndrewFrom The Unofficial Girls Guide to New York: Inside the Cafes, Clubs, and Neighborhoods of HBO's Girls

In the fall of 2000, Gilmore Girls premiered on the WB and viewers were introduced to the quirky world of Stars Hollow and the Gilmores who had made it their home, mother-daughter best friends Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. With the show in its seventh season on the fledgling CW, Coffee at Luke's is the perfect look at what has made the show such a clever, beloved part of the television landscape for so long. What are the risks of having your mother be your best friend? How is Gilmore Girls anti-family, at least in the traditional sense? What’s a male viewer to do when he finds both mother and daughter attractive? And how is creator Amy Sherman-Palladino like Emily Gilmore? From the show’s class consciousness to the way the characters are shaped by the books they read, the music they listen to and the movies they watch, Coffee at Luke's looks at the sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking underpinnings of smart viewer’s Tuesday night television staple, and takes them further into Stars Hollow than they’ve ever been before.

Explore the world of the Mortal Instruments with Cassandra Clare and more Join Cassandra Clare and a Circle of more than a dozen top YA writers, including New York Times bestsellers Holly Black, Rachel Caine, and Kami Garcia, as they write about the Mortal Instruments series, its characters, and its world. Inside you’ll read: • A cinematic tutorial on why the best friend (Simon) always loses out to the bad boy (Jace)• The unexpected benefits of the incest taboo• What we can read between the lines of Alec and Magnus’ European vacation• The importance of friendship, art, humor, and rebellion• And more, from the virtues of Downworlders to the naughty side of Shadowhunting

The House of Night is no ordinary school—and not just because it's for vampyres. It's a place where magic, religion, folklore, and mythology from multiple traditions merry meet and meld to create something incredible and new.In Nyx in the House of Night—a 2-color illustrated companion to the House of Night series—some of your favorite YA authors, plus a few experts, help you navigate the influences behind the House of Night series in a guide that would get even Damien's seal of approval.Travel with P.C. Cast as she gets her first tattoo in Ireland, climbs the ruins of Sgiach's castle, and discovers the lore that led to the Isle of Skye vampyres. Read Kristin Cast's defense of women in history and mythology who, like Zoey, have made a practice of juggling multiple men. Sit in on a vampyre lecture by Bryan Lankford, the real-life basis for House of Night instructor Dragon Lankford, on the parallels between Wiccan and vampyre circle rituals. Tour Tulsa's House of Night landmarks with local Amy H. Sturgis.Plus:•Karen Mahoney on Nyx and other goddesses of the night•John Edgar Browning on vampires in folklore, fiction, and reality•Jana Oliver on tattoos and other Marks•Ellen Steiber on feline familiars•Yasmine Galenorn on priestesses and goddess worship•Jordon Dane on Zoey's Cherokee heritage•Jeri Smith-Ready on the Raven Mockers and Kalona's less than heavenly inspiration•Christine Zika on the connection between Nyx and the Virgin Mary•Triniy Faegen on the Greek version of the OtherworldNyx in the House of Night also includes an appendix of character names that reveals the myth behind Zoey's last name, which House of Night cats have ties to Camelot, Egypt, and Middle-earth, and more!

REVISED, UPDATED, AND EXPANDED!The Big Bang Theory – CBS’s surprise hit sitcom – was recently renewed through 2017 after pulling in 19 million weekly viewers in its most recent season. Any fan who tunes in week to week wasn’t surprised. The quirky show does what so few shows manage to do: straddle the fence between cult hit and mega-popular award-winner.Now, in Unraveling the Mysteries of The Big Bang Theory, longtime sf fan and author George Beahm has put together a guide with photographs for all fans of the show – mainstream tv viewers, sf and comics fans, and science enthusiasts alike. Whether you’re a Penny or a Sheldon, whether you’ve just tuned in or been watching all along, this companion book will help you appreciate The Big Bang Theory to the fullest.Unraveling the Mysteries of The Big Bang Theory offers a full, comprehensive look at the series: from an analysis of the awful original pilot (that viewers may never get to see) to a tour of the real Cal Tech (which serves as one of the show's main settings), from a fandom terminology guide to enlightening analyses of the endearingly original main characters, all the show’s quirkiest and most appealing elements are put under the microscope.This updated edition includes a focus on the show's female characters in addition to bringing the content up to date through the show's seventh season.

Which Greek god makes the best parent?Would you want to be one of Artemis’ Hunters?Why do so many monsters go into retail?Spend a little more time in Percy Jackson’s world—a place where the gods bike among us, monsters man snack bars, and each of us has the potential to become a hero.Find out: Why Dionysus might actually be the best director Camp Half-Blood could have How to recognize a monster when you see one Why even if we aren’t facing manticores and minotaurs, reading myth can still help us deal with the scary things in our own livesPlus, consult our glossary of people, places, and things from Greek myth: how Medusa got her snake hair extensions, why Chiron isn’t into partying and paintball like the rest of his centaur family, and the whole story on Percy’s mythical namesake.

Order in the Court!Star Wars: the most significant, powerful myth of the twenty-first century or morally bankrupt military fantasy?Six films. Countless books. $20 billion in revenue. No one can question the financial value or cultural impact of the Star Wars film franchise. But has the impact been for the good?In Star Wars on Trial’s courtroom—Droid Judge presiding—Star Wars stands accused of elitist politics and sexism, religious and ethical lapses, the destruction of literary science fiction and science fiction film, and numerous plot holes and logical gaps.Supported by a witness list of bestselling science fiction authors, David Brin (for the prosecution) and Matthew Woodring Stover (for the defense) debate these charges and more before delivering their closing statements.The verdict? That’s up to you.Covering the films from A New Hope to The Force Awakens, Brin and Stover provide new forewords that explore the newest generation of Star Wars films and what JJ Abrams must do to live up to—or redeem—the franchise.

Which Greek god makes the best parent?Would you want to be one of Artemis’ Hunters?Why do so many monsters go into retail?Spend a little more time in Percy Jackson’s world—a place where the gods bike among us, monsters man snack bars, and each of us has the potential to become a hero.Find out: Why Dionysus might actually be the best director Camp Half-Blood could have How to recognize a monster when you see one Why even if we aren’t facing manticores and minotaurs, reading myth can still help us deal with the scary things in our own livesPlus, consult our glossary of people, places, and things from Greek myth: how Medusa got her snake hair extensions, why Chiron isn’t into partying and paintball like the rest of his centaur family, and the whole story on Percy’s mythical namesake.

Go deeper into the home of the Hunger Games with the creator of the best-known fan map of Panem• What does Panem look like?• How does Panem define race?• How do Panem’s districts reflect the major themes of the trilogy?• What allusions to our world are found in Panem names like Finnick, Johanna, Beetee, Cinna, Everdeen, and Mellark?The Panem Companion gives fresh insight into Suzanne Collins’ trilogy by looking at the world of the Hunger Games and the forces that kept its citizens divided since the First Rebellion. With a blend of academic insight and true fan passion, V. Arrow explores how Panem could have evolved from the America we know today and uses textual clues to piece together Panem’s beliefs about class, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, and more.Includes an extensive name lexicon and color-illustrated unofficial map

Explore the world of the Mortal Instruments with Cassandra Clare and moreJoin Cassandra Clare and a Circle of more than a dozen top YA writers, including New York Times bestsellers Holly Black, Rachel Caine, and Kami Garcia, as they write about the Mortal Instruments series, its characters, and its world.Inside you’ll read:• A cinematic tutorial on why the best friend (Simon) always loses out to the bad boy (Jace)• The unexpected benefits of the incest taboo• What we can read between the lines of Alec and Magnus’ European vacation• The importance of friendship, art, humor, and rebellion• And more, from the virtues of Downworlders to the naughty side of Shadowhunting

Millions of readers adore Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle: its earnest hero, its breathtaking battles and, of course, its awe-inspiring dragon Saphira. But there’s so much more to the series than meets the eye—and Secrets of the Dragon Riders, edited by today’s second hottest dragon-writer James A. Owen, shows readers what they’re missing.Why might Roran be the real hero of the Inheritance Cycle? What does Paolini’s writing have in common with role-play games and modern action films? Are teenage writers judged more harshly than their adult counterparts? The YA authors in Secrets of the Dragon Riders—some of them no older than Paolini when he wrote Eragon—each take on a different aspect of the series to engage and entertain Paolini fans.

Flirtin' with the Monster pulls back the curtain on Ellen Hopkins' smart and daring books Crank and Glass and explores their appeal and originality through a compilation of serious yet fascinating essays. In addition to fan essays, Flirtin' with the Monster takes a deeper look at the issues behind Hopkins' bestselling novels by allowing the real teenage girl who inspired the meth-addicted main character to contribute an essay. Ellen Hopkins doesn't shy away from serious yet crucial teen topics, and whether it's homosexuality or suicide, she paints a very real picture of the issue. With an introduction by Ellen herself, Flirtin' with the Monster is the definite voice on what makes Crank and Glass page-turners for teens everywhere. Flirtin' with the Monster has essays written by Susan Hart Lindquist, Lynda Sandoval, Niki Burnham, Terri Clark, Gail Giles, Cinda Chima, Megan Kelley Hall, Micol Ostow, Mary Bryan and John Tatro