{"title":"Alex Shvartsman","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"middling-affliction-book-alex-shvartsman-9781647100544","title":"The Middling Affliction","description":"GUARD BROOKLYN, FIGHT MONSTERS, TAUNT BAD GUYS  \"With the fast-paced first Conradverse urban fantasy, Shvartsman (Eridani’s Crown) delivers a laugh-out-loud, snarky adventure, throwing out pop culture references and wry observations with dizzying frequency....His supernatural New York City is vibrant and authentic, and Conrad fits right in with wisecracking fan favorite heroes like Harry Dresden and Simon Canderous. The result is a thoroughly satisfying romp.\"—Publishers Weekly  What would you do if you lost everything that mattered to you, as well as all means to protect yourself and others, but still had to save the day? Conrad Brent is about to find out.   Conrad Brent protects the people of Brooklyn from monsters and magical threats. The snarky, wisecracking guardian also has a dangerous secret: he’s one in a million – literally.   Magical ability comes to about one in every 30,000 and can manifest at any age. Conrad is rarer than this, however. He’s a middling, one of the half-gifted and totally despised. Most of the gifted community feels that middlings should be instantly killed. The few who don’t flat out hate them still aren’t excited to be around middlings. Meaning Conrad can’t tell anyone, not even his best friends, what he really is.  Conrad hides in plain sight by being a part of the volunteer Watch, those magically gifted who protect their cities from dangerous, arcane threats. And, to pay the bills, Conrad moonlights as a private detective and monster hunter for the gifted community. Which helps him keep up his personal fiction – that he’s a magical version of Batman. Conrad does both jobs thanks to charms, artifacts, and his wits, along with copious amounts of coffee. But little does he know that events are about to change his life…forever.  When Conrad discovers the Traveling Fair auction house has another middling who’s just manifested her so-called powers on the auction block, he’s determined to save her, regardless of risk. But what he finds out while doing so is even worse – the winning bidder works for a company that’s just created the most dangerous chemical weapon to ever hit the magical community.            Before Conrad can convince anyone at the Watch of the danger, he’s exposed for what he really is. Now, stripped of rank, magical objects, friends and allies, Conrad has to try to save the world with only his wits. Thankfully though, no one’s taken away his coffee.  \"Shvartsman delivers real magic action and surprise twists...You're going to want more.\"—Esther M. Fiesner, Nebula-award winning author of the national bestseller, Warchild.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49539601006865,"sku":"GOR012967714","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51044189667601,"sku":"NIN9781647100544","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51319029465361,"sku":"CIN1647100542VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52454819594513,"sku":"NLS9781647100544","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1647100542.jpg?v=1751089151"},{"product_id":"unidentified-funny-objects-3-book-alex-shvartsman-9780988432840","title":"Unidentified Funny Objects 3","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49937482449169,"sku":"CIN0988432846VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50376070725905,"sku":"CIN0988432846G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0988432846.jpg?v=1751299073"},{"product_id":"your-path-to-healthier-dentistry-book-alex-shvartsman-9781481741187","title":"Your Path to Healthier Dentistry","description":"Today dentistry is changing at a rapid pace. It is a truly exciting time to be a dentist. However, it is an amazing time to be the patient. New advances in all disciplines of dentistry have made it possible to provide comfortable, esthetic, long lasting and healthy dental care. It is also a scary time to be the patient. Globally and in the USA tooth decay and gum disease are on the rise. The impact of oral disease on the total heath of the body can no longer be denied or ignored. Do not fear, for in the following pages you will gain the knowledge of how to keep your teeth for a lifetime and become your own dental health care advocate. This book will make you laugh, shock you, anger you but most importantly it will empower you with knowledge to help you make better decisions about healthier dental care. Dr. Shvartsman explains in easy to understand language what is available to the health conscious dental consumer. Subjects like Root Canal Therapy, Dental Implants and Mercury Toxicity form amalgam fillings are thoroughly discussed. A must read for the holistic minded person seeking a healthier approach to dental care.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50385139695889,"sku":"CIN1481741187G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51207082541329,"sku":"NIN9781481741187","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52121800966417,"sku":"NLS9781481741187","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1481741187.jpg?v=1751116390"},{"product_id":"golem-of-deneb-seven-and-other-stories-book-alex-shvartsman-9781986220613","title":"The Golem of Deneb Seven and Other Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrom free-range cowboy to down-home daddy\u0026gt;\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen pilot Lisa Phillips was named coguardian of her niece she did everything by the book: clipped her wings, took cooking classes and settled down to be a stand-in mom. But she hadn't planned on playing house with her frenemy--freewheeling rodeo rider and good-time cowboy Brett Sullivan. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSully stared down one-ton bulls on a daily basis, but a three-year-old girl struck terror into his heart. And so did the type A Ice Queen Lisa. She was too tempting.too dangerous. More than anything Sully wanted to melt her heart.and for the first time he wanted what he couldn't have--a real family with her and their little girl. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50483354861841,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50483355812113,"sku":"CIN1986220613G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1986220613.jpg?v=1751348392"},{"product_id":"humanity-2-0-book-alex-shvartsman-9781612423098","title":"Humanity 2.0","description":"What will it mean to be human in the future? How will we evolve in order to reach the stars? \u003cp\u003e Fifteen short stories collected in this book examine how interstellar flight might change humanity itself. Will we choose to upload our minds into a singularity? Enhance ourselves with alien DNA? Will our bodies remain the same, but our culture and societal norms adapt to accommodate for effects of time dilation, or become subsumed by advanced alien cultures? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Hugo and Nebula award winning authors, bestsellers, and some of the hottest new writers in the field of hard science fiction imagine an array of possible futures-from bright to dystopian-and different permutations of what's in store for us as a species. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Includes stories by Robert J. Sawyer, John Varley, Robert Silverberg, Brenda Cooper, Ken Liu, Mike Resnick, Jody Lynn Nye and many more. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51040001917201,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51040004374801,"sku":"NIN9781612423098","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52584816410897,"sku":"NLS9781612423098","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1612423094.jpg?v=1751342436"},{"product_id":"digital-aesthete-book-alex-shvartsman-9781647101107","title":"The Digital Aesthete","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat happens when AI takes over the creative process?\u003c\/b\u003eDiscussion about, and the use of artificial intelligence has exploded across the globe. Some programmers have already speculated that they are witnessing the birth of 'general' intelligence in ai which would be a game changer and decades before it was originally anticipated.Is this the next step, from robots taking over tedious repetitive tasks in factories to now taking over creative ventures as well?Here are fictional stories that explore the relationship between artificial intelligence and art, written by top science fiction authors from across the globe. Read the tales of robot painters, AI poets, and\u003cbr\u003eelectronic gallery curators; dystopias where human artists must eke out an existence in societies where AI generates most of the content, and utopias where artificial minds help unlock and enhance human creativity.This collection features a truly global perspective from top authors from USA, UK, China, Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Madagascar, Argentina, Chile, Czech Republic, and Sri Lanka.In this impressive collection, a star-studded lineup of 17 authors assembled by Shvartsman (\u003ci\u003eKakistocracy\u003c\/i\u003e) raise angst-ridden questions about human-AI collaboration . This smart, kaleidoscopic view into the digital future will have readers longing to log off. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e-Publishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51043981951249,"sku":"NIN9781647101107","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1647101107.jpg?v=1751024487"},{"product_id":"unidentified-funny-objects-9-book-alex-shvartsman-9781951064037","title":"Unidentified Funny Objects 9","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51068172140817,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51068173222161,"sku":"NIN9781951064037","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1951064038.jpg?v=1750727863"},{"product_id":"unidentified-funny-objects-8-book-alex-shvartsman-9781951064013","title":"Unidentified Funny Objects 8","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51068240658705,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51068241117457,"sku":"NIN9781951064013","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52091438432529,"sku":"CIN1951064011G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1951064011.jpg?v=1751315993"},{"product_id":"h-g-wells-secret-agent-book-alex-shvartsman-9781514638484","title":"H. G. Wells, Secret Agent","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51140278059281,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51140280058129,"sku":"NIN9781514638484","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1514638487.jpg?v=1750796952"},{"product_id":"cackle-of-cthulhu-book-alex-shvartsman-9781481483001","title":"CACKLE OF CTHULHU","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51417156649233,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51417157271825,"sku":"CIN1481483005G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51719276003601,"sku":"CIN1481483005VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1481483005.jpg?v=1750989728"},{"product_id":"kakistocracy-book-alex-shvartsman-9781647100827","title":"Kakistocracy","description":"The second volume in a critically acclaimed fantasy-humor book series. Also very topical with New York, written by a native of the City, using many of the City's landmarks","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51677806330129,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51677806559505,"sku":"NIN9781647100827","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52430683373841,"sku":"NLS9781647100827","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":53362358878481,"sku":"CIN1647100828A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1647100828.jpg?v=1751246950"},{"product_id":"eridani-s-crown-book-alex-shvartsman-9780999269015","title":"Eridani's Crown","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCURSED BY PROPHECY. CORRUPTED BY POWER.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Eridani's parents are murdered and their kingdom is seized by a traitorous duke, she plans to run. After she suffers yet another unendurable loss, the lure of revenge pulls her back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEridani's brilliance as a strategist offers her a path to vengeance and the throne, but success may mean becoming everything she hates. To survive, she must sway religious zealots, outwit ambitious politicians, and confront bloodthirsty warlords, all with few allies and fewer resources. Yet the most menacing obstacle she must overcome is the prophecy uttered by a powerful sorceress: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEveryone you know and trust will come to betray you.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eEridani's Crown\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a world as intricate as the titular magical artifact and a cast of characters as morally complex as figures from real history, \u003cem\u003eEridani's Crown\u003c\/em\u003e is a nuanced examination of the drive to acquire power and its distorting influence on our ideals. This epic fantasy will have you turning the pages deep into the night and move you in the manner only the grandest of tragedies can.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-- Ken Liu, Hugo Award-winning author of \u003cem\u003eThe Grace of Kings\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI loved this smoothly written story of an intelligent, resourceful young royal who has to grow up fast after treachery and tragedy put her in mortal danger. Eridani must summon all her courage and cunning, as well as some newfound ruthlessness, to survive and steer her own fate. Action, intrigue, personal conflicts, and plot reversals will keep you turning the pages of this tightly-woven tale.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--Laura Resnick, Campbell Award-winning author of the Esther Diamond series\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull of complicated characters and moral ambiguity, \u003cem\u003eEridani's Crown\u003c\/em\u003e is a fascinating and haunting exploration of one woman's quest for power. Shvartsman gives us a compelling and nuanced look at the tragedy of Eridani's success that will keep you riveted.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-- Tina Connolly, Hugo Award-nominated author of \u003cem\u003eIronskin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA gripping tale of empire and conquest and the crumbling of good intentions in the pursuit of power. Shvartsman takes all your expectations and turns them on their head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-- David Walton, Campbell Award-winning author of \u003cem\u003eThree Laws Lethal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNeither grimdark nor heroic, \u003cem\u003eEridani's Crown\u003c\/em\u003e is a unique mix, with just as much heart as it has pitiless depiction of human failings and foibles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-- Charles E. Gannon, Nebula and Dragon Award-nominated author of \u003cem\u003eMarque of Caine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53035415109905,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53035415240977,"sku":"NIN9780999269015","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780999269015.jpg?v=1768748086"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-alex-shvartsman.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}