Translated with Notes by George Rawlinson. With an Introduction by Tom Griffith. Herodotus (c480-c425) is 'The Father of History' and his Histories are the first piece of Western historical writing. They are also the most entertaining. Why did Pheidippides run the 26 miles and 385 yards (or 42.195 kilometres) from Marathon to Athens? And what did he do when he got there? Was the Battle of Salamis fought between sausage-sellers? Which is the oldest language in the world? Why did Leonidas and his 300 Spartans spend the morning before the battle of Thermopylae combing their hair? Why did every Babylonian woman have to sit in the Temple of Aphrodite until a man threw a coin into her lap, and how long was she likely to sit there? And what is the best way to kill a crocodile? This wide-ranging history provides the answers to all these fascinating questions as well as providing many fascinating insights into the Ancient World. Views: 577
One little Christmas party. Sounds harmless, except Dr. Hope Sze feels raw and unsociable at the moment. Still, Hope looks forward to the home-cooked Middle Eastern meal. And she really ought to socialize with her new colleagues from Ottawa's stem cell research team, even if it means cheering on the Senators hockey team or dancing to "Uptown Funk" with people she barely knows. Then one of the guests collapses at the dinner table. Another one drops the wine. Who poisoned a tableful of Ph.D.'s? And can Hope save their lives and solve this mystery before the holiday cheer of this Blue Christmas becomes a fatal festivity? Originally published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Inspired by a true case, as described in the accompanying essay by the author. This story unfolds shortly after the events in Human Remains (Hope Sze #5), but can be read... Views: 577
Just when billionaire Jason Kincaid Rutherford was on the cusp of living happily ever after with Vicky Martin, the only woman whose ever lit a fire within him, tragedy strikes. Will it leave her so broken that her heart doesn't have room for him? Not if Jason can help it. Continue on with the jouney of Jason and Vicky as they face their biggest obstacles yet. Views: 577
Time doesn’t always mend a broken heart.
Jonah McCabe made a horrible mistake six years ago that cost him his chance at happiness. Then fate interceded.
A last minute favor has him coming face to face with his past. Every beautiful inch of it. Her laughter still echoed in his mind. As did the pain in her voice the day she left.
Can he make things right in a race against the clock, or will time continue to work against him? Views: 577
Sam Fisher must save one man’s life to save his own country.
Eccentric billionaire Igor Kasperov owns one of the most influential and successful anti-virus software companies in the world. But when the Kremlin orders him to unleash a catastrophic computer virus against the United States, he is forced to flee for his life.
Sam Fisher and Fourth Echelon are charged with finding Kasperov and presenting the American president’s offer for political asylum. Because there are others looking for Kasperov. And the only thing they will offer him is a swift death…
AN ALL-NEW ADVENTURE FEATURING SAM FISHER
Based on Ubisoft’s bestselling game,
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® Views: 577
Five thousand years ago there began the most momentous revolution in human history. Starting in Mesopotamia, city civilization emerged for the first time on earth, to be followed in Egypt, India, China and the Americas. The ideals of these ancient civilizations still shape the lives of the majority of mankind. In Search of the First Civilizations (previously published as Legacy) asks the intriguing question: what is civilization? Did it mean the same to the Chinese, the Indians and the Greeks? What can the values of the ancient cultures teach us today? And do the ideals of the West - a latecomer to civilization - really have universal validity? In this fascinating historical search, Michael Wood explores these ancient cultures, looking for their essential character and their continuing legacy. A brilliant exploration. Sunday Times Well-written, gorgeous and guaranteed to induce thought... Wood takes great care to put everything in a large historical perspective, which is... Views: 577
In the ancient world of Glenryth, Fey creatures stalk the wilderness outside the reach of human settlements and the protection of their religious and technocratic cults, unable to comprehend the nature of the young race of Man.Dwarves wreak a curse upon the town of High Peaks and murder pilgrims, and the discovery of the dead body of a local ignites a devastating war between Humanity and Fey.In the ancient and wild world of Glenryth, Fey creatures and a nascent humanity have come into conflict, the motives of each other mutually unfathomable and alien.Technological cults and Monotheistic religions are worshipped, any suspicion of pagan or Fey magickal taint is reviled. Prophets spread far and wide, offering hope and comfort to the beleaguered masses. Mankind is not totally separate from the energies that suffuse Glenryth, as an unfortunate few are born as Touched.When local dwarves put a curse upon the town of High Peaks, Remus, the aloof and irritable woodcutter and sage, must try and ebb the tide of xenophobic anger that could engulf himself and any other folk that are labelled as outcasts. But when a caravan of technocrat pilgrims fails to arrive, and the body of a local child is found in the woodlands, Remus, along with the capricious Touched Elaina, must try to understand the nature of morality in a world cloaked in suspicion and fear, and, ultimately, to prevent a brewing war that could send the region spiraling into chaos and destruction.The Remus Rothwyn Chronicles is a dark, epic fantasy series with mythological elements and a nuanced world with complex perspectives. Views: 577
British butler Giles has taken a job for three times his usual salary. He is soon to find out that he will forever be cursed and faced with allowing a group of unknowing people to meet a killer so maniacal and twisted that the murders are virtually motiveless. Giles welcomes ten guests to a luxurious estate where they will be embarking on a diabolical game of life and death. Giles, while on the guests' side, is a leader who will get out of the way of the killer and stand by as one person in each chapter is murdered in an outrageous manner. For example, one murder is a choreographed shark where the guests have to retrieve the victim's head from the shark's body. Another murder will be at the hands of a driverless car a la Stephen King's Christine. After each murder, the rest of the guests will have their choice of investigating the crime scene, the body or the last known whereabouts. They then must present their account of the details of the murder. The two whose assessments are... Views: 576
A serial killer "makes" perfect women by amputating their legs. A troubled girl walks knowingly into the killer's arms. An ambitious college president spirals toward madness. Helen Ivers is still reeling from her sister's recent suicide when she takes a position as the president of Pittock College. The isolated campus seems like a good place to recover, but shortly after she arrives, two severed human legs are found bound to the train tracks. The local police explain away the gruesome occurrence, but Helen is convinced the police chief, and maybe the whole town, is covering for a killer. She embarks on her own investigation, but she begins to doubt herself as nightmares of her sister's suicide become waking hallucinations and everyone discounts her fears. The only person who shares her apprehensions is a young professor whose aggressive sexual advances are as frightening and alluring as impending madness - a woman who is either Helen's only ally or the killer. Views: 576
Amelia's life is about to crumble into the Dreamscape, where Seth is her captor and anything is possible, except escape. Seth needs Amelia to break the curse that keeps him bound to the Dreamscape. He must convince her to join him for if Seth fails Earth will be lost to the Netherworld where the evil Erobos wait to consume human life force. If he fails, Seth will lose Amelia.When Amelia Blake falls asleep on the eve of the darkest day of her life, she hardly expects to be kidnapped. Much less whisked away to the underworld where Seth and his brothers oversee dreams. Seth says Amelia not only agreed to go willingly, he claims she has a power he needs to fight the Erobos, dream-givers possessed by the dark remains of a primordial god. Even though Seth ignites a fire within her, Amelia doesn’t trust him, and she certainly doesn’t remember making any kind of compact with her immortal captor.Amelia soon learns Seth is telling the truth. She’s trapped in an alternate dimension where dreams are real and darkness lurks around every corner, eager to claim her very soul. With no other option to gain her freedom, Amelia sets out to help Seth find the key that will unlock his realm and potentially save the world. But when Amelia secretly crosses the barrier between Seth’s realm and the Dreamscape, her power draws the dark leader of the Erobos, who wants her for his own designs. And now, Amelia is truly being hunted. Can she learn to trust Seth soon enough to find the key and gain her freedom? Or will her hesitation unleash the Erobos on Earth? Views: 576
A lovesick alcoholic joins a fitness center and gets more than he paid for. Pain, sweat, tears, zombies....No one said getting over depression would be easy. A horror comedy novelette.Nomads the Risen God is the third and the last in my sci-fi adventure trilogy, in the final book the Nomads of Gorn face powerful enemies from within and from the unstoppable army of the Mac-Mar Alliance that covet the riches of their world, we follow Arn, Andra, Osh and the rest of the Outlanders as they face the harsh winter and then travel to the Western Sea to meet old friends and hunt for the gigantic Leviathans the rule the waters. But things are not what they seem and a force that once keep them safe is now turning against them and a war is coming that will decide the fate of Gorn forever. Views: 576
