Inspired by the 1917 Russian revolution and the last months of the Romanov sisters, The Five Daughters of the Moon by Leena Likitalo is a beautifully crafted historical fantasy with elements of technology fueled by evil magic.The Crescent Empire teeters on the edge of a revolution, and the Five Daughters of the Moon are the ones to determine its future.Alina, six, fears Gagargi Prataslav and his Great Thinking Machine. The gagargi claims that the machine can predict the future, but at a cost that no one seems to want to know.Merile, eleven, cares only for her dogs, but she smells that something is afoul with the gagargi. By chance, she learns that the machine devours human souls for fuel, and yet no one believes her claim.Sibilia, fifteen, has fallen in love for the first time in her life. She couldn't care less about the unrests spreading through the countryside. Or the rumors about the gagargi and his machine.Elise, sixteen,... Views: 55
The futuristic biotech world of Stableford's acclaimed SF novella Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil), expanded upon in last year's novel Inherit the Earth, provides the foundation for this sequel. After an ecological collapse brought on by biological warfare and a runaway greenhouse effect, nanotechnology is regrowing lost forests as well as offering near-immortality to those who can afford it. Although the United Nations calls itself a World Government, the true power rests with the MegaMall, a company produced by generations of multinational mergers and buyouts. On this cusp of a new world, someone is murdering the pioneering scientists of the New Human Race, and it's up to Detective Sgt. Charlotte Holmes and Inspector Hal Watson, of the U.N. Police, to stop the killing. Charlotte and Hal are assisted by Michael Lowenthal, a "special investigator" from the MegaMall, and Oscar Wilde, a legendary bioengineer of specialty flowers. Evidence indicates that the murderer, a mysterious young woman, is somehow related to a genetic engineer who calls himself Rappaccini (after a character in a Hawthorne story). As the team investigates the murders, they realize that Rappaccini's taut game of hide-and-seek is leading them to the truth behind a much darker secret. Stableford's skill at creating technologically overwhelmed future worlds is evident here. His narrative teems with vivid, believable descriptions of man-eating flowers, hundred-year-old artists and rampant genetic engineering. His talent for mystery is less sure, featuring characters whose roles blur unconvincingly as the plot picks up speed. Although the novel's ending is weakened by premature revelations of Rappaccini's motives, the scale and audacity of Stableford's vision is a wonder. Views: 55
Atticus, the young Greek captain, is now a commander of the growing Roman navy, blockading a port near Tunis, when the Roman legions suffer terrible defeat by the triumphant Carthaginian army, spearheaded by the elephant charges. He and his ships escape together with the main body of the Roman fleet out manoevred by the more skillful Carthaginians and then caught and almost completely annhilated by a terrible storm.Atticus and his crew are among the handful of survivors and being the messenger of this news to the Senta in Rome brings Atticus into political troubles, almost as stormy as the sea. He begins to feel not onlt that a greek will never be accepted by the Romans but also that the behaviour of many, noth politicians and soldiers, is such that he is not sure that he wants to be a Roman.Full of dramatic battles by land and sea, led by tremendous characters on both sides, MASTER OF ROME is a powerful novel, the third in this bestselling series by a born storyteller. Views: 55
It took two thousand years to bring the Firstborn together.It will only take a moment...to tear them apart. The Firstborn—three ancient religious orders gifted with the ability to see past, present and future—have formed a shaky truce for the first time since the death of Christ. But dangerous forces—both human and otherwise—are rising to destroy them.Torn between the call to rescue three innocent teenage girls abducted into sexual slavery, preventing the racially motivated assassination of a prominent American politician, and dealing with the wild warnings of an elusive and mysterious prophet, all eyes turn to the Overseer—and the struggle over who will control the fate of the Firstborn.Hannah Rice, John Temple, and Devin Bathurst return in this adrenaline-packed sequel to The Firstborn as they are hurled into a dark world of human trafficking, shadowy government agencies, assassination, and a race against time to save everything they... Views: 55
Amazon.com ReviewEgypt, January-February, 2011: It is indeed a brave new world. A handful of people, a simple message, and some social-media savvy can launch a revolution. But the image of an impromptu, leaderless Egyptian uprising, sprung spontaneously via Facebook and Twitter, was at least in part "preconceived, nurtured, and set in motion" by the organizing activists themselves. For several years David Wolman communicated with one of the central figures, Ahmed Maher, and The Instigators tells both his and the Egyptian revolution's story. Although relatively peaceful, the overturning of power was by no means bloodless, and Wolman documents its development--from the blogosphere to Tahrir Square--with deep reverence for its central lesson about the evolution of democracy: Citizens of the world, we still need principles, and we still need leaders, but we already have the tools._--Jason Kirk_Product DescriptionIn 2008, a small band of political activists in Egypt led by a young engineer named Ahmed Maher began organizing on Facebook under the moniker April 6 Youth. Dodging the secret police both online and off, they built a Web page into a movement. Then, in January 2011, they helped architect a final showdown with the country's dictator. David Wolman unspools the riveting behind-the-scenes story of these daring activists and how they planted the digital seeds of a revolution. Award-winning journalist and author David Wolman is a contributing editor at Wired, a former Fulbright journalism fellow and a winner of the 2011 Oregon Arts Commission individual artists fellowship. He is the author of two works of nonfiction. His third book, The End of Money, will be published in February. The Atavist is a digital publisher of longform journalism and nonfiction tales, researched and written by skilled reporters and authors. Atavist stories are longer than magazine articles but shorter than books, and each one is sold individually on portable devices. More information about The Atavist and our other stories is available at www.atavist.net. Views: 55
Three centuries ago in Scotland a curse was born of the long-standing feud between the Claren and the MacKinnon clans. Now, generations later, destiny has decreed that three women, the last of the Claren line, be granted one final chance to set things right.Maggie, Cailean, and Delaney Claren are three cousins who grow up unaware of one another--until an inheritance brings them together. Now mysterious journals and the deed to an ancient Scottish castle will bring them face-to-face with the warriors at the heart of the MacKinnon family, three brothers sentenced to cruel fates by a terrible curse.Duncan is trapped in the form of a ghost, Rory must live an immortal life alone, and Alexander has been wrenched by time from the past to the present, with no way back. Ferociously compelling, dangerously relentless, they are bound by no mortal laws--except desire for the three Claren women. The journals speak of one key that can break the powerful spell. And finding... Views: 55
Whether they're about raising chickens or herding sheep, the tales of Jenna Woginrich have caught the imagination of thousands of young homesteaders. As she learns traditional farming skills by trial and error, Woginrich records her offbeat observations and poignant moments with honesty, humility, and humor.In BarnHeart, she lands at a small rented farm and struggles to find her place in a reserved rural community filled with working farmers who are scraping by and wealthy vacation-home owners with fancy barns that never house livestock. Although her barnheart — a term Woginrich coins to describe her state of longing for a farm of her own — never subsides, she makes do on her rented farmstead, caring for her sheep, chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, a goat, and a turkey, until relationships sour and she's abruptly forced to leave. Where will she and her animals go? Will she finally be able to afford the farm she's always dreamed of?Even when... Views: 55
Before. Everything was so much better Before. I wasn’t haunted by nightmares, my place at school was secure and my face was flawless. Now, I’m a freak and everything has changed. The worst part is that I can’t remember the night I was sentenced to the shadows. The memory has been stolen from me and I just can’t shake the feeling that someone, something is out there -watching. Views: 55
Chester Peyton, the Marquess of Astwick, has never forgotten his first love. Nor has he ever gotten over her. But now thirteen years later, time has come for him to finally settle down and do his duty as far as both his title and his dragon of a mother are concerned. Everything would be so much easier if Chet’s heart didn’t still belong to the enchanting Scot he gave it to once upon a time.After following her late-husband’s regiment from one end of the continent to the other, Lady Hannah Campbell returns to London a very different woman than the naïve lass she once was. With her two sons in tow, she now has to navigate the waters of the ton, which seem more foreign than the lands she has traversed the last dozen years. And all the while, she has to keep hidden the scandalous secret that made her flee England so very ago. Views: 55
This inaugural collection of erotic romance features the very best of the genre. In erotic romance, the sexual component is critical to the development of the romantic relationship. Each of these masterfully written tales contains the essence of true romance: a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying, optimistic ending. What sets Best Erotic Romance apart is the scorching hot sex and the happily-ever-after (or happy-for-now) ending. Award-winning romance writer and editor Kristina Wright and her cast of terrific romance writers have crafted stories that touch the hearts and minds of readers, and linger in the memory for a long, long time. Views: 55
