Books published by Curses & Magic

A great deal has been written about tactical play in the game of Diplomacy, but hardly anything on the best approaches to the negotiation side of the game. And yet it is the person-to-person interactions that give the game its distinctive character and which create the most interesting challenges. How do you form strong alliances? How can you tell if an ally is about to stab? Are there techniques you can use to break up the strong alliance of your opponents? In the Art of Correspondence in the Game of Diplomacy, Conor Kostick discusses these issues and many more. Through an in-depth analysis of the full correspondence of two classic games and through dozens of other examples, he offers a unique insight into what makes for effective negotiation in the game. This highly original contribution to the study of the game of Diplomacy is for readers who wish to improve their own play or who will enjoy witnessing the normally secret workings of the game, as players steer towards victory or disaster. Conor Kostick is an award winning military historian and novelist. He was an outright winner of Manorcon, one of Diplomacy's Grand Prix tournaments, and he was a member of the Irish Diplomacy team that won the world correspondence team championship in 2012.

The Book of Curses is full of dark, wicked magic. Open it only if you dare!Alex Zwick never does what he is told. So when he finds a magic book, he just can't stop making wishes: even when they go horribly wrong.Can Alex and his friend Emily outsmart the book? Or will the chillingly evil laughter of the book ring out in triumph yet again?With new illustrations throughout by award-winning artist J O Callaghan.

When a magic book was discovered at the village of Scheria, it seemed that everyone's dreams could come true. But arrogant Prince Antinous wants the book for himself.Will the book be a source of delight for everyone or will it make Prince Antinous the most powerful person in the world? Chloe wants to help her village, but how can she get past the powerful dragon that guards the prince's castle?With magic, adventure and a long hard look at what would happen if everyone got to make wishes, this is a dramatic and fun read.