In the North American Confederacy . . . People are free--really free. Free to do as they please, whether it be starting a business, running for elected office, or taking target practice in the back forty. There's not a whole lot of government, nor is there a lot of crime, because everyone who wants to carries a gun, and isn't afraid to use it.But someone has bombed the Endicott Building, killing hundreds of people, and Win Bear, the only licensed detective in the confederacy, has to find out who did this dastardly deed, and why. Because whoever did it has already shown their willingness to commit more terrorist acts, no matter how many people are hurt.And that can't go on, or soon the confederacy will be just as the bad old United States--and that is something they want to avoid at all costs.At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.From Publishers WeeklySermon battles for space with story (and often wins) in Smith's sequel to The Probability Broach (1980), which continues the adventures of cross-time private detective Win Bear in the North American Confederacy, an alternate world that's supposed to be a libertarian, even anarchist Utopia. The serpent in this Eden is a statist plot to generate so much fear of terrorism by cross-temporal immigrants that people will demand a (gasp!) government. Of course, Win and his stout-hearted companions, Militia Captain Will Sanders and centenarian grande dame Lucy Kropotkin, do a splendid job of beating off the clutching tentacles of government. Along the way, there's much effective satire (the statist plotters include a Bennett and Buckley Williams), absorbing if not always plausible world-building and some lighthearted development of the concept of sapience among anthropoids and cetaceans. However, readers will also find the book laboring under a ponderous weight of libertarian philosophizing. Moreover, the plot opens with the evil statists committing two terrorist acts with four-figure death tolls, while throwaway lines like "An armed playground is a polite playground" may put off those who don't share Smith's views. This preachy book sends a message that rings hollow in the world post-September 11. (Feb. 6)Fiction.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalWin Bear makes his living as a detective in the North American Confederacy, an alternate America without taxes, government, or police. When a group of dissidents, the Franklinites, launches a campaign of terror to force governmental order upon the population, Bear takes matters into his own hands and declares war on his enemy. The sequel to The Probability Broach continues the adventures of a likable and resourceful hero who stumbled upon another world and chose to make his home in it. Smith's libertarian slant may limit the book's appeal, but general readers may overlook this issue thanks to the fast-paced storytelling and sharp-tongued, folksy prose. For large sf collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Views: 133
What's better than romance? How about cold hard cash…Marley Ellis doesn't have time for love, she's got an artistic empire to build and a sugar daddy to charm. At least she did, until a late night catfishing introduces her to insanely hot and very bored tech bro, Will.Will's been treading water, searching for something to believe in. He's sure Marley's the answer, but convincing her that he's1) not a douche2) a daddy she can believe in is going to be a challenge.Luckily, he's bringing his A-game because the good life is sweet, but love is sweeter.Sweeter was originally written for the Read Me Romance podcast. This book contains BONUS CONTENT!Marley Ellis doesn't have time for love, she's got an artistic empire to build and a sugar daddy to charm. At least she did, until a late night catfishing introduces her to insanely hot and very bored tech bro, Will.Will's been treading water, searching for something to believe... Views: 133
The secret to saving the universe, lies in the dark places amongst the stars.Elemental Eloise Hart has made the isolated town of Solace, Outback Australia, her home, but an ancient power threatens to tear it away.With their home falling further into desolation by the hour, Eloise knows she's running out of time. The seal holding back the tide is failing and there is nothing they can do to stop it.To find answers, she must travel with Kyne deep into the remote Pilbara and face the creatures who created them—the elementals—where the secrets revealed will either win the day, or end it once and for all.Only one thing is certain. If they fail, then everything that ever was or will be, will cease to exist.Sunset Dreaming is the fifth novel in the Australian Supernatural series. Myth, magic, and ancient souls collide in this thrilling finale. When the sun sets, will it be on the death of an entire reality... or the rebirth of a new one? Views: 132
In this young adult novel by award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore, two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake - but can they keep their worlds above water intact? Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an ethereal landscape rumored to be half-air, half-water. But Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia are the only ones who've been there. Bastián grew up both above the lake and in the otherworldly space beneath it. Lore's only seen the world under the lake once, but that one encounter changed their life and their fate.Then the lines between air and water begin to blur. The world under the lake drifts above the surface. If Bastián and Lore don't want it bringing their secrets to the surface with it, they have to stop it, and to do that, they have to work together. There's just one problem: Bastián and Lore haven't spoken in seven years, and working together means trusting each other with the very things... Views: 132
Long live the rebellion.Tasked with infiltrating the palace was supposed to be an easy job. When Sage's plans go south and one of her own betrays her, she finds herself captured by the crown. The cruel prince of Aermia thinks he has won, but the devastatingly handsome rogue has no idea who he is dealing with. By the time Sage is finished with him, the arrogant prince will be on his knees begging for mercy.Tehl Ramses does not have time to play games with pretty liars. Immortal monsters lurk at the borders of their land waiting for a chance to invade. His only key to figuring out how to stop the incoming war is the most infuriating, and alluring prisoner he has ever set eyes upon.Therein lies the trap. She's no saint, and he's no prince charming.If you can't get enough of books from Leigh Bardugo, Jennifer L. Arementrout, Laura Thalassa, Sarah J. Maas, Elise Kova, Holly Black, Tamara Pierce, then dive into a Kingdom of Rebels and... Views: 132
