In the tradition of Steven Pressfield and Mary Renault, a seafaring novel of the ancient GreeksThe vast tapestry of the Hellenic world unfolds in this stirring tale of two traders from the island of Rhodes, who range across the wind-blown face of the beautiful and treacherous Mediterranean in search of adventure and profits.In Over the Wine-dark Sea, H. N. Turteltaub transported his readers to the year 310 B.C. and the lives of Menedemos and Sostratos, two sea traders of Rhodes. From the smell of papyrus and ink to the thrumming of sail in the wind and the grunt of the oarsmen, the details of life in a now-vanished world come alive again in his new novel, The Gryphon's Skull, an epic of grand adventure and finely realized characters. Sostratos, long and rangy, intellectual and curious, chases knowledge as ardently as his cousin chases women; Menedemos, nearly as perfect a physical specimen as Alexander himself, is the headstrong man of the sea, his eyes unable to resist the veiled beauties around him . . . including his young stepmother, Baukis, whose voice and form he struggles to ignore.Having profitably returned on the Aphrodite to Rhodes, the two cousins find that war threatens their once free-trading world. Alexander the Great's successors are warring for control of the eastern Mediterranean. The ruthless one-eyed general Antigonos, who draws on the strength of all Anatolia, and his rival Ptolemaios, who controls the endless wealth of Egypt, are each ruthlessly maneuvering for advantage . . . and the neutrality of Rhodes, so essential to commerce, may be coming to an end. Yet though war and rumors of war surround them, Sostratos and Menedemos need to turn a profit. It seems the height of folly to try one's luck so strenuously, but Sostratos has come into possession of what he is convinced is the skull of the mythical gryphon, the fabled beast with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. They sail to Athens, intending to sell it to a school of philosophy. And the Egyptian emeralds they've obtained on the cheap promise to make them an even tidier profit. But between the Aphrodite and Athens lie two war fleets, innumerable pirates, and enough danger and intrigue to satisfy even Homer. Unfortunately, it may be more than Sostratos and Menedemos can hope to survive. Views: 19
This is book two of three for characters Zoey and Andy. After an accident lands Zoey in the hospital, her life, once again, takes a turn in the wrong direction. Andy starts acting differently and won’t talk to her about what is bothering him. He’s distant and broody, and the closer it gets to Zoey’s upcoming vacation, the more unsettling Andy’s behavior becomes. Once Zoey leaves for vacation, life doesn’t get any easier for her, until she begins to volunteer at a local horse ranch. There she meets Josie, a former therapist, who spent her career helping orphans. While she is working at the ranch, unbeknownst to her, Josie is helping Zoey better herself and heal. Zoey and Andy both realize they have issues from their troubling pasts that need to be dealt with during the month that Zoey is gone, and they agree to work on them. By the time she comes home, they’ve both succeeded at putting their previous tragedies behind them and are looking forward to their future together. On what should be the happiest day of their lives, Andy is completely blindsided by disturbing news from his past. While Andy is away and trying desperately to find out if the information he’s received is true, Zoey suspects a life changing situation that could either ruin her and Andy, or make them completely whole. Can their relationship survive Andy’s devastation, or will their lives fall apart forever? Will Zoey find it within her newfound strength to hold them together? Views: 19
Fans of Artemis Fowl and Percy Jackson and the Olympians will definitely want to read Champions of Breakfast, the final book in Adam Rex's acclaimed Cold Cereal Saga, which Eoin Colfer called "totally original and wholly brilliant."When we last left our kid heroes, Emily had managed to halt Queen Titania's fairy invasion by closing a rift in the time-space continuum, thereby trapping Scott, Mick, and her other friends in the magical other-England known as Pretannica. But time is quickly running out before Nimue, who has been working with the corrupt Goodco Cereal Company, finds another portal and uses it to bring the mythical dragon Saxbriton into our world--and launch the terrible fairy invasion. In the end, it's up to Scott and his companions to save the fate of two worlds and put an end to Goodco once and for all.Adam Rex ends the world as we know it--and the Cold Cereal Saga--with this hilarious and dazzling epic tale. Views: 19
When Russian revolutionaries burn down their beloved home in the Caucasus with their sick father still inside it, Ivor and his beautiful sister Weena decide to leave Russia for good and travel to England. Their mother, who was now dead, had been English and so they themselves speak the language fluently. Ivor told Weena that he had been expecting trouble from the locals for some time and had been secretly removing valuable paintings and objets d'art from their home and storing them in a warehouse at the docks. These they would bring to England and by selling them they would have enough money to live on until they both married, as Ivor insisted, to an heiress for himself and a rich millionaire for Weena. And then all their troubles would come miraculously to an end. Ivor also has the brilliant idea that they would impress and intrigue the Social world in London if they called themselves Prince and Princess as the English always loved people with titles from any country. And... Views: 19
"Here we have a Huck Finn for our environmentally damaged age, lost on a river, and moving downstream with humane monsters and monstrous humans. We Are All Crew is hilarious and sad, slapstick and grotesque, fantastical, phantasmagorical, but never, ever just child's play."—Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings"The conjuration of an articulate risk taker has spun a tale and created a world infused with politics, 'correctness,' and irony that is witty and intelligent. Taking on serious subjects—environment, deforestation, global warming, and partisan hypocrisy—while addressing the various social networks, apps, video games, and rock-star super-shows, is a lot to handle. But Bill Landauer rises to the task to create a wonderful read. Just sit back and enjoy."—Rashidah Ismaili, author of Autobiography of the Lower East SideTwo fourteen-year-old runaways hell-bent on reaching California... Views: 19
Paxton Mathis has committed to bachelorhood. One failed marriage was more than enough to remind him of the dangers of getting too close. He had his work on the ranch, he had his family. He had everything he needed. Event planner Reese Jameson accepted the job at Shadow Maverick Ranch for one reason: to face her biggest regret. Paxton Mathis had been her first love, her first everything. And ten years ago, after a night of unbridled passion, it all came crashing down. The moment they see each other again, it’s clear the years haven’t doused the heat between them. On the contrary, their flames burn hotter than ever. Despite Paxton’s attempts to keep things casual, old feelings emerge alongside a fierce hunger to keep Reese in his life forever. Reese willingly accepts Paxton’s need to keep things casual, but she’s worried her heart won’t get the message. When Paxton is forced to face his fears, will history repeat itself, or will he take a chance on a whole new future? Views: 19
