Through the past darkly... Suzanna Calhoun and her sisters simply HAD to find the priceless emeralds hidden somewhere in their ancestral home. The jewels were the key to the deadly mystery that had threatened them for so long. And for Suzanna they were something more - her link to a man whose past was tangled with hers in ways she was only beginning to understand. Holt Bradford had loved Suzanna for more years than he cared to remember, loved the laughing girl she'd been and the gentle, fragile woman she'd become. He'd never once told her what was in his heart, but now he had no choice...He had to protect her from the shadows swirling around her, and he had to make her his at last.... Views: 25
Driven by prophetic dreams, the Viking warrior Shef as become the One King, the undisputed ruler of the North. Now he must face the reborn power of the Holy Roman Empire. Rome threatens Shef's fearsome Viking navy with a new invention of unparalleled destruction: Greek fire. Unable to defend his fleet against this awesome weapon, Shef travels East in search of new wisdom. His quest leads him to the lavish court of the Muslim Caliph and, ultimately, to the secret hiding place of the Holy Grail. Views: 25
A man without memories of his past awakens adrift at sea in a tiny boat, then is picked up by a fishing vessel; so began "Rescuing the Captive", the precursor to "Ajacii and Demons." That previous volume, number seven in the Ingenairii Series, presented a significant new beginning in the life of Alec the Healer, a new beginning that provides exciting adventures as it continues in "Ajacii and Demons.". As Alec learns the language, the culture and the geography of the Avonellene Empire, he learns that he holds strange abilities, and he learns that foreigners, like himself, are little loved by the people of new land he lives in. He slowly begins to regain his memories in portions that reveal the past glories and loves of his life, without revealing all of his past or giving him any explanation of how or why he came to this land he does not know and does not blend into. His quixotic decision to help a princess who has been overthrown in a coup comes to dicate the activities of his life, as he tries to assist and protect her, then comes to love her. But he is made painfully aware that a foreigner, with his barbaric accent and lack of native roots, cannot be tolerated in the royal court, even though his extraordinary abilities are all that can keep her on the throne. Alec is sent away from the court, obstensably to help fight the princess's foes in Krimshelm, the northern city the Conglomerate hopes to conquer next. The challenge of battle in Krimshelm, awaits Alec. More fundamentally, the challenge of recovering his memories, and learning who he is, who he has left behind, and how he came to be in Avonellene are dark shadows across his future path, blocking any clear vision of how he can try to establish a life with the princess he cares about, who needs him in many ways, but who cannot withstand the political pressure to remove the foreigner in her court and in her heart. "Ajacii and Demons" leads Alec across the lands, relying on secret allies and battling new foes and old ones as he tries to find wholeness for his memories and his heart.About the AuthorJeff Quyle enjoys the field of fantasy fiction as a writer and as a reader, in addition to being an avid fan of fictional works in science fiction and the American and British pantheon of classic literature. He has spent his professional life working for rural electric cooperatives for more than 20 years in the fields of strategic studies and economic development. He was selected to serve as the chairman of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Legislative Committee in recognition of his knowledge and expertise in the field, and also served a term as chairman of NRECA’s Issues Committee, which works to identify topics that will require future attention. Jeff has also served in local government. As a former county commissioner he served as chair of his county’s plan commission, where he led the effort to write the zoning ordinance. He also led the creation of a regional sewer district that acquired enough grant funding to pay the majority of costs to install a sanitary sewer system in a subdivision with multiple failing septic systems, averting problems that formerly plagued the neighborhood. Jeff has also served on the board of directors of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners and the executive committee of the Association of Indiana Counties, working with leaders from other counties to develop practices and strategies that serve the needs of local government. He is an appointee to the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board and a member of the Indiana Farm Bureau Property Tax Task Force. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wittenberg University and Masters Degrees from Indiana University and the University of Kent at Canterbury, and completed the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program. Views: 25
"A charming and delectably sweet debut. Mischief, friendship, and a whole lot of heart—Love Sugar Magic has it all." —Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of the Brooklyn Brujas seriesLeonora Logroño's family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival.Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she's too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they're brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake. Leo knows that she has magical ability as well and is more determined... Views: 25
Рассказ вошёл в сборники: Long After Midnight (Далеко за полночь) The Stories of Ray Bradbury (И грянул гром: 100 рассказов) Views: 25
From acclaimed, award-winning author Jo Walton: Philosopher Kings, a tale of gods and humans, and the surprising things they have to learn from one another. Twenty years have elapsed since the events of The Just City. The City, founded by the time-traveling goddess Pallas Athene, organized on the principles espoused in Plato's Republic and populated by people from all eras of human history, has now split into five cities, and low-level armed conflict between them is not unheard-of. The god Apollo, living (by his own choice) a human life as "Pythias" in the City, his true identity known only to a few, is now married and the father of several children. But a tragic loss causes him to become consumed with the desire for revenge. Being Apollo, he goes handling it in a seemingly rational and systematic way, but it's evident, particularly to his precocious daughter Arete, that he is unhinged with grief.Along with Arete and several of his... Views: 25
Ava awakens anxiously to a bright light in her room, she becomes paralyzed as she is taken aboard a spaceship. Unsure of what is in store for her but equally excited, Ava finds a strong, tentacled beast who takes her under his wing. A relentless onslaught of fulfilling tentacles and probings ensue. No hole is spared from their pulsating undulations. Ava then learns her purpose, her desire. Views: 25
For decades, the spacefaring species of Known Space have battled over the largest artifact — and grandest prize — in the galaxy: the all-but-limitless resources and technology of the Ringworld. But without warning, the Ringworld has vanished, leaving behind three rival war fleets. Something must justify the blood and treasure that have been spent. If the fallen civilization of the Ringworld can no longer be despoiled of its secrets, the Puppeteers will be forced to surrender theirs. Everyone knows that the Puppeteers are cowards. But the crises converging upon the trillion Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds go far beyond even the onrushing armadas: Adventurer Louis Wu and the exiled Puppeteer known only as Hindmost, marooned together for more than a decade, escaped from the Ringworld before it disappeared. And throughout those years, as he studied Ringworld technology, Hindmost has plotted to reclaim his power ... Ol''t''ro, the Gw''oth ensemble mind — and the Fleet of Worlds'' unsuspected puppet master for a century — is deviously brilliant. And increasingly unbalanced ... Proteus, the artificial intelligence on which, in desperation, the Puppeteers rely to manage their defenses, is outgrowing its programming — and the supposed constraints on its initiative ... Sigmund Ausfaller, paranoid and disgraced hero of the lost human colony of New Terra, knows that something threatens his adopted home world — and that it must be stopped ... Achilles, the megalomaniac Puppeteer — twice banished, and twice rehabilitated — sees the Fleet of Worlds'' existential crisis as a new opportunity to reclaim supreme power. Whatever the risks ... One way or another, the fabled race of Puppeteers may have come to the end of their days. Views: 25
High-concept thrillers with a supernatural edge from world-famous director, whose films include Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy. THE STRAIN: A plane lands at JFK and mysteriously 'goes dark', stopping in the middle of the runway for no apparent reason, all lights off, all doors sealed. The pilots cannot be raised. When the hatch above the wing finally clicks open, it soon becomes clear that everyone on board is dead -- although there is no sign of any trauma or struggle. Ephraim Goodweather and his team from the Center for Disease Control must work quickly to establish the cause of this strange occurrence before panic spreads. THE FALL: Humans have been displaced at the top of the food chain, and now understand -- to their outright horror -- what it is to be not the consumer, but the consumed. Ephraim Goodweather, director of the New York office of the Centers for Disease control, is one of the few humans who... Views: 25
