The enigmatic “Grayman” has been killing known terrorists throughout Europe in spectacularly brutal fashion. Captured by Coalition forces, he is recruited by a joint military and intelligence project to create the ultimate counter-terror force, only to find himself being carefully groomed into something unthinkable: a popular hero.Grayman chronicles a daring and disturbing experiment to decisively end the tenacious threat of global terrorism. A group of powerful corporate and political players lever a desperate world to create a multinational force of surgical strike teams, authorized to cross borders and pursue targets with impunity; armed with advanced weapons, technology and armor; and directed by a cutting-edge artificial intelligence. But more than simply employing high-tech military might, this new army is designed to fight a true “information war” by operating completely in the public eye, their missions crafted for maximum marketability, their operatives shaped into Hollywood-style action heroes.The series focuses on the man being groomed to be the wired public’s greatest hero: Given the “stage name” Mike Ram, he’s charismatic, talented and damaged unknown, pushed by circumstance to become a merciless predator. Initially little more than a trauma-driven serial killer, he’s given a new identity and is re-programmed to kill on cue to satisfy the media’s thirst for violent and visible retribution against an equally vicious enemy. Ram quickly rises from being a murderer on the run to being an untouchably popular celebrity and global leader, as his every action plays out on the public stage.In Book One: Acts of War, the enigmatic “Grayman” has been killing known terrorists throughout Europe in spectacularly brutal fashion. Captured by Coalition forces, he is recruited by a joint military and intelligence project to create the ultimate counter-terror force, only to find himself being carefully groomed into something unthinkable: a popular hero. Views: 826
The survivors of a nuclear disaster on Mars awaken after a half-century in chemical hibernation, and try to unravel the mystery of why no rescue has come for them. Attempts to contact Earth fail, and they begin to encounter the descendants of other survivors...The God Mars is a pulp-style science fiction series set on a partially-terraformed Mars a half-century after a nuclear disaster cuts thousands of colonists off from Earth. Left for dead with few resources, the isolated groups of survivors develop their own unique cultures at different levels of technology, ranging from the primitive to the frighteningly advanced. And all fear the return of their home planet, because they believe that Earth intentionally tried to annihilate them, and will do so again.In Book One, a mixed group of military personnel and civilians awaken after fifty years in chemical hibernation, and try to unravel the mystery of why no rescue has come for them. Attempts to re-establish contact with Earth fail, and they begin to encounter the descendents of other survivors, radically changed after generations on their own. Views: 820
Gloria saw the sky come to life the last time the comet was over. She was lying out here at the end of the pier looking up on a night just like this when the meteor passed overhead, shedding falling stars in its wake. As each star fell she said that it lit up people hidden in the constellations, people no astronomer had ever seen before. She said that when they were revealed they came to life.“Gloria saw the sky come to life the last time the comet was over. She was lying out here at the end of the pier looking up on a night just like this when the meteor passed overhead, shedding falling stars in its wake. As each star fell she said that it lit up people hidden in the constellations, people no astronomer had ever seen before. She said that when they were revealed they came to life.He looked up and watched as the comet peeled back the stratosphere. The stars grew bright and then dim, bursting and popping like a rack of fused lights. When the fiery touch of the comet moved out of reach, it left silvery trails of light joining up the puncture marks it had stamped in the blistered sky. Something moved.”This free sample contains a taster of the first two shorts of Russell Taylor's book "Falling Stars". The full book with all 10 short stories can be found on Amazon. Views: 732
There is a deadly cloud swirling in San Fransisco and only the newest meta heroine in a sixty year legacy, Lora Summers the Pink Lemon is able to stop it. Joined with her partners, Frost and the Crimson Cherry, Lora must keep the cloud from sucking up San Fransisco as the shockingly liquid villain, the Electric Beaulieu stands in their way of calming the clouds young telekinetic creator.The God Mars is a pulp-style science fiction series set on a partially-terraformed Mars a half-century after a nuclear disaster cuts thousands of colonists off from Earth. Left for dead with few resources, the isolated groups of survivors develop their own unique cultures at different levels of technology, ranging from the primitive to the frighteningly advanced. And all fear the return of their home planet, because they believe that Earth intentionally tried to annihilate them, and will do so again.In Book One, a mixed group of military personnel and civilians awaken after fifty years in chemical hibernation, and try to unravel the mystery of why no rescue has come for them. Attempts to re-establish contact with Earth fail, and they begin to encounter the descendents of other survivors, radically changed after generations on their own. Views: 688
A time has come when any intelligent and patriotic citizen of India has a right to be alarmed about our political system. This novel is about a President of India who is patriot enough to be alarmed at the state of political and economical situation in the country. He declares emergency, dismisses the government in power, and tries to rejuvenate the political systems.A time has come when any intelligent and patriotic citizen has a right to be alarmed at the state of our political system. As of September 2012, our political system has reached a nadir. Our political leaders from Pandit Nehru to Sonia Gandhi have never been able to put the interest of the nation above that of self, their dynasty or their party. Most political parties, there are about 40 of them, are controlled by dynasties or individuals. The Prime Minister, Finance Minister and the Chairman of the Planning Commission are Western educated neo-liberal economists who care more for big business and foreign investors than the ordinary citizen. The level of corruption in the country is simply mind boggling. There is vote bank politics. The Government stands paralyzed by internal contradictions and conflicts of sectarian interests. The law and order is so bad that the ordinary people, particularly women and children, are unsafe. Looting of Government treasuries, misappropriation, favoritism, nepotism, encroachment and destruction of government property continues unabated. There is no accountability. Government servants, even in essential services like transport, airlines and banking go on strike and hold the country to ransom. Agitators block trains, burn government property and police vehicles and beat up police personnel. The Government just refuses to act. It is indeed a sad state to be in the 65th year of independence. Parliament has become a farce.It is not that people do not know what is wrong. Millions of words have been written and said on the media about corruption in high places, about the nexus between politicians and criminals, about dividing the country on caste and religious lines in search of votes that would allow a party to rule the country or a state and enjoy perks of office. Anna Hazare and his India Against Corruption have been agitating against corruption and for political reforms. Baba Ram Dev and his followers have been agitating for bringing back Indian "Black Money" stashed in banks abroad. Can anything be done about it? Can the politicians be expected to forego their personal and party interests and work for the benefit of the country and its people?In this book the President declares emergency, dismisses the government, introduces new laws, holds fresh elections and cleans up the mess. It is a dream. But unless we dream, we will have no goals and no progress. Views: 564
There is a mystery big cat loose in the Home Counties!Amateur cryptozoologist Art Madison is on the hunt for an alien big cat, dubbed by the press the Cassiobury Cougar.Art tracks his quarry into the woods around his home town and discovers that there are more dangerous adversaries lurking amidst the dark trees and winter landscape than those of a purely feline nature.Mystery Big Cat Loose In The Home Counties!Amateur cryptozoologist Art Madison is on the hunt for an Alien Big Cat. Dubbed by the press the "Cassiobury Cougar", some- thing is terrorising the normally tranquil countryside of the English Home Counties, and Art is determined to be the first to discover the truth.Juggling the demands of being a single parent with a rocky love- life and a 9-5 job which he hates, Art tracks his quarry into the woods around his home town and discovers that there are more dangerous adversaries lurking amidst the dark trees and winter landscape than those of a purely catty nature.An underground entombment; a runaway convict; a trade in smuggled whiskey; and violent murder in a barge community - Art has plenty to contend with before eventually he comes face- to-face with his feline Nemesis. Views: 564
Do you believe in a god? Do you believe in spirituality? Do you believe that when you look up into the sky and see an aircraft flying fast and high that is going to explode in mid-air right before your eyes? If you answered YES to all of the above, then the Church of the Higher We is waiting to recruit you. But no-one said that the path of faith would be an easy one to follow...Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5.5)This is a book about religion, except most people will think that it is not. It is a book about aeroplanes, but, then again, only slightly. It is a book about one old man's dream to build the world's tallest skyscraper. Yes, that is true: at least, as far as the first part of the book is concerned. It's a thriller, although not all of it is particularly thrilling, and a mystery, although some of it is pretty obvious. It's about New York and North Korea and Namibia, and some other places beginning with 'N'. Primarily, it's a book about stuff: the stuff of life; the stuff of death; the stuff of everything in between. Views: 520
Innocent abroad Stuart Ward becomes a backpacker in peril when he travels to French Polynesia and the island of Bora Bora as the first stop on a Round-the-World itinerary. Arriving hopeful of adventure and romance, instead Stuart is unwittingly drawn into a conspiracy and he quickly discovers that the beautiful paradise islands are no Eden as one by one his fellow travellers begin to disappear...Big Fish fits neatly into the expanding genre of 'backpacker in peril' novels, which perhaps began with Alex Garland's The Beach and which found further commercial success with Emily Barr's Backpack. Stuart Ward - the innocent abroad protagonist of Osmond's novel - is far less cocksure than Garland's traveller, though.On a Gap Year from work, Stuart arrives in French Polynesia as the first stop on a Round-the-World itinerary. Hopeful of adventure and romance, instead he finds himself unwittingly drawn into a conspiracy to cover up a fatal road accident, and he quickly discovers that the beautiful, paradise islands are no Eden. Events take an even more perilous turn for Stuart, when one-by-one his co-conspirators begin to disappear...The descriptions of the Polynesian islands - and later of New Zealand, where the dramatic climax of the story occurs - are particularly evocative, and make the reader want to immediately contact their nearest travel agent to check on the latest flight availability, but the beauty of the surroundings are countered by the ever-present threat of menace which appears to stalk the young backpacker. Parents beware! It is probably best not to know what horrors await your Gap Year travelling offspring!Andrew Osmond proves to have both a light, comic touch in his observations of the discomforts and embarrassments of travel, but also reveals a darker side, reminiscent of some of the writings of J G Ballard, when he explores the isolation associated with travelling alone in a far flung country, many thousands of miles from home.A must for wannabe globe-trotters, armchair travellers and mystery fans, alike.Read it on the beach on your iBook reader. Views: 485
An account of the protagonist's travails in China.Before white man set foot on southern African shores, there lived a people, known as the Tree Dwellers. As the name suggests, they preferred to live in the trees. To see a Tree Dweller was a rare sight for they rarely left the safety of their abode. They were people of myth and their stories were that of legend. The men and women were all small, rarely taller than a hickly bush. They're arms were slightly longer than the average person and their feet, well; they were adapted to skillfully wrap around a branch or a tree trunk. A Tree Dweller would never leave the trees, except to hunt. Hunting only took place once a year and this was always to mark the beginning of plenty. The time when nature starts to wake up from its cold, dead slumber and life returns to the barren lands. The animals return and so too the great floods. Views: 483
When two Prophets die on the same day, their powers are passed on to the next generation. Unfortunately, the wicked ern set out to capture those new Prophets, and their numbers are too strong to be opposed. But Barrin Iylin, a poor farmer whose son was born on that fateful day, will have to face an army to save the life of his son.A dark conspiracy takes the lives to two Prophets, and their impressive powers have been passed on to another generation. The remaining Prophets have left the Tower to seek the two infants who will replace their fallen allies, but so are the wicked ern seeking the children, and no one is quite sure why. The world is rocked as the battle spreads across the land, and no one seems able to stop it.Meanwhile, in a tiny farming village, Barrin Iylin is left to raise his new son alone when his wife dies in childbirth. Such a task would be hard enough, but Barrin soon finds out that the ern are targeting his son and any others born on the same day. Could it be that his son is one of the new Prophets? And whether or not he is, how can a poor farmer hope to protect the boy against an army? The sweeping adventure of The Eighth Power begins here, with a heartbroken man who never thought nor desired to be caught up in a war, and yet can do no other if he wants his son to live. Views: 279
Years ago, Saparen fought off an ern attack to protect those born on a particular day – a day that made them possible heirs to the power of the Prophets. One of those boys was Ayrim Iylin. Now the ern are trying something new: sneaking into the town as assassins, and it appears that someone is letting them in. Ayrim at last must leave the Baron’s protection to face his enemies directly.Several years ago, the city of Saparen fought off an ern attack in order to protect a few children who had done nothing to have earned the wrath of the ern except that they were born on a particular day – a day that made them possible heirs to the power of the Prophets.Ayrim Iylin, though proven to not be a Prophet, has grown up under the guidance of the Priests and the Thanes, all of whom are on constant guard against the ern. He seeks as normal a life as he can manage – from learning the art of farming, faith, and warfare. But now the ern are using a different and more subtle approach – sneaking into the town as stealthy murderers instead of attacking directly as an invading army. To make things worse, it appears that someone is letting them in.For the first time, Ayrim must step out of the shadow of the Baron’s protection to face his enemies directly. To protect himself, he must at last join the battle.The Eighth Power continues as the search for the two new Prophets continues, the war between Aeresan and Fahlin rages, and the power of the Void begins to consume the land. Views: 278
Three delightful one-act plays set in and around New York, in which sophisticated characters confound one another in ways only Woody Allen could imagineWoody Allen’s first dramatic writing published in years, “Riverside Drive,” “Old Saybrook,” and “Central Park West” are humorous, insightful, and unusually readable plays about infidelity. The characters, archetypal New Yorkers all, start out talking innocently enough, but soon the most unexpected things arise—and the reader enjoys every minute of it (though not all the characters do). These plays (successfully produced on the New York stage and in regional theaters on the East Coast) dramatize Allen’s continuing preoccupation with people who rationalize their actions, hide what they’re doing, and inevitably slip into sexual deception—all of it revealed in Allen’s quintessentially pell-mell dialogue. Views: 236
'I am greatly relieved that the universe is finally explainable. I was beginning to think it was me.' Thus begins 'Strung Out', Woody Allen's hilarious application of the laws of the universe to daily life. Mere Anarchy, Woody Allen's first new collection in over 25 years, features eighteen witty, wild and intelligent comic pieces -- eight of which have never been in print before. Surreal, absurd, rich in verbal play, bitingly satirical and just plan daft in the mode we have grown to love from his finest films, this flight-of-fancy collection includes tales of a body double who, mistaken for the film's star, is kidnapped by outlaws; a pretentious novelist forced to work on the novelisation of a Three Stooges film; a nanny secretly writing an expose of her Manhattan employers; crooks selling bespoke prayers on eBay; and how to react when you're asked to finance a Broadway play about the invention and manufacture of the adjustable showerhead. Views: 107
THE KINDERGARTEN WARS is the first narrative nonfiction book ever to take the reader inside all aspects of the private school application process. Eisenstock follows several families across the country from their first school tours until the moment they open their admissions letters. He interviews admissions directors, school heads, teachers, educational consultants, and kindergarten tutors, who coach both parents and kids. Did you know the most important line in your child's application is where you-the parent-went to college? Did you know that you can qualify for financial aid even if you make $192,000 a year? Eisenstock uncovers startling information, starting with how private school admissions directors decide who gets in. Does the child of a single woman of ethnic diversity on financial aid have a better chance of getting into an elite kindergarten than a child of a middle-class white couple? He will ask Ivy League students, their parents, and their admissions counse... Views: 64
