Ben gets the chance for a trip of a lifetime when his mum is invited to attend a big conference in Australia. In the midst of a drought, it's hot. And it's dry. Drier than it's been for years. And it only takes a spark to set off a fire… As world leaders gather and a student demo gathers pace, a small flame takes hold — and suddenly an unquenchable fire bursts into life and an inferno of flames up to 100 metres high tear through the streets, threatening homes and lives. And in the smoke and confusion, an important general is kidnapped! Ben — just learning to fly — finds himself at the controls of a microlite and on the trail of the kidnappers… Views: 16
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JOANNA LUMLEYWhen the great statesman Lord Slane dies, everyone assumes his dutiful wife will slowly fade away, the paying guest of each of her six children. But Lady Slane surprises everyone by escaping to a rented house in Hampstead where she revels in her new freedom, revives youthful ambitions and gathers some very unsuitable companions. Irreverent, entertaining and insightful, this is a tale of the unexpected joys of growing older. Views: 16
Betty Blue is personal companion to Olympia Cartier and worth an estimated $3.8 million. She's also a robot. Betty Blue opens the front door one evening and simply walks away. Why would she do such a thing? Is it a malfunction, or did something else happen? She's like a daughter to Olympia and her industrialist husband Doyle. Olympia is worried about Betty, lost and alone in America, 2030 A.D. Views: 16
A fresh and acclaimed account of the Spanish Civil War by the bestselling author of Stalingrad and The Fall Of Berlin 1945To mark the 70th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War's outbreak, Antony Beevor has written a completely updated and revised account of one of the most bitter and hard-fought wars of the twentieth century. With new material gleaned from the Russian archives and numerous other sources, this brisk and accessible book (Spain's #1 bestseller for twelve weeks), provides a balanced and penetrating perspective, explaining the tensions that led to this terrible overture to World War II and affording new insights into the war—its causes, course, and consequences. Views: 15
The dragon, Tintaglia, released from her wizardwood coffin, flies high over the Rain Wild River. Below her, Reyn and Selden have been left to drown; while Malta and the Satrap attempt to navigate the acid flow of the river in a decomposing boat. Althea and Brashen are finally at sea together, sailing the liveship Paragon into pirate waters to rescue the Vestrit family liveship, Vivacia, stolen by the pirate king, Kennit; but there is mutiny brewing in their ragtag crew; and in the mind of the mad ship itself. And all the while the waters around the Vivacia are seething with giant serpents, following the liveship as it sails to its destiny. Views: 15
Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is one of the greatest autobiographies of all time—but it was incomplete. Franklin ended his life's story in 1757, when he was fifty-one. He lived another thirty-three eventful years, serving as America's advocate in London, Pennsylvania's representative in the Continental Congress, and America's wartime ambassador to France. Here is the rest of the story, in Franklin's own words. One of the most fascinating of our founding fathers, Franklin was a polymath, a practical statesman, and an incomparable cynic and wit. The Compleated Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin, faithfully compiled and edited from Franklin's papers, reveals why he became a spokesman for American independence as well as his views on the Constitution, such fellow patriots as Adams and Jefferson, on French women, and more. Mark Skousen is a descendant of Benjamin Franklin through Franklin's grandson Louis Bache. Views: 15
ReviewI can say without reservation that it's a wonderful reading experience, as bracing as a tonic, the perfect holiday gift for adventure-loving men and women. A finalist for [the 2009] National Book Award, it's drenched in imaginative violence and disaster, but it also wears the blameless vestments of culture and antiquity. You can have all the fun of reading about a greedy villain being put to death by being made to 'drink' molten gold, but still hide safe behind the excuse that you're just brushing up on your classics. -- Carolyn See, Washington Post Mayor gives us a more nuanced view of the so-called Poison King, placing him in his proper context as a Greco-Persian ruler following in the footsteps of his purported ancestor Alexander the Great. The most compelling aspect of this story is Mayor's engaging style. A true storyteller, she makes Mithradates's world come alive. This distinctive and compelling book is sure to fascinate all readers interested in the ancient world or in understanding the historical politics of the Caucasus region. -- Library Journal Thanks be to Adrienne Mayor for a definitive biography, blazing with color, presenting a magnificent cast headed by a hero who caused Rome to tremble for a quarter-century. . . . [H]is splendidly produced book is a cavalcade of intrigue, action, and slaughter. Danger, hope, fear, and love and lust are never absent. -- ForeWord Reviews Mayor has specialized in writing well-researched, readable scholarship in the history of ancient science and technology, including the pre-eminent work on ancient chemical and biological warfare. It is fitting, therefore, that her first major biography tackles the life of Mithridates VI of Pontus, known for his knowledge of poisons. It is difficult to weave personal anecdotes (the lifeblood of good biography) with the technical tidbits of science, but Mayor carries it off brilliantly, as evidenced by sections describing Mithridates' youth and early scientific education in Sinope, and his extraordinary chemical knowledge at the peark of his reign. . . . The work is a marvel: part biography, part campaign history, and part scientific exploration, written in a style that makes the book a true page-turner. -- Choice Mayor has done an extraordinary job of filling many gaps in the history of this contentious and foggy period. Rightly so, The Poison King was a finalist for the prestigious National Book Award and is an effort worthy of any student of history. -- Lee Scott, Florida Times--Union Mayor has solid research credentials, and her command of the ancient and modern sources is extensive and impressive. The digressions offered in footnotes are enjoyable and valuable, as are the appendices offering a modern checklist for evaluating Mithradates' psychological condition. Good maps at key points in the narrative are very helpful, and the text is well written and organized chronologically. The author's interest in ancient poisons, chemicals, explosives technology, geography and regional flora and fauna allow her to expound on these subjects while telling her story. . . . Mayor's approach to the material blurs the line between history and historical fiction; one can easily imagine the narrative being turned into a television or movie script. -- Richard Gabriel, Military History This is a highly coloured portrait and a very readable account of a complex individual with whom Mayor plainly has considerable empathy. The book therefore should find a wide audience and serve as an attractive introduction to its subject. . . . [Mayor] herself says, 'Mithridates' incredible saga is a rollicking good story' and she has narrated it with verve, panache and scholarly skill. -- Arthur Keaveney, Bryn Mawr Classical Review Newcomers to the field will fall in love with Mayor's Mithradates. For more sober-if less compelling-accounts, they will turn to the recent studies listed in the very good, up-to-date bibliography included in The Poison King. -- Laurence Totelin, Isis From the Inside Flap"Mithradates should be a household name alongside his fellow rebels Hannibal, Cleopatra, Spartacus, and Attila. This detailed, juicy, entertaining, yet painstaking work of superb scholarship should finally give Mithradates the recognition he deserves."--Margaret George, author of Helen of Troy: A Novel"Meticulous in its research, exciting in its narration, ambitious in its conception, The Poison King re-creates an era when much of the Mediterranean world rebelled against Rome. At the center of it all is the fascinating and frightening king who rallied the resistance: Mithradates. Mayor has written a terrific book."--Barry Strauss, author of The Spartacus War"A fascination with the byways of ancient science, a wonderful eye for the telling detail, and a relish for floating theories that is almost buccaneering: these have always been the trademarks of Adrienne Mayor. Now, with this stirring biography of the toxicologist's favorite tyrant, she parades her gift for narrative as well. Thanks to Mayor, Mithradates has emerged from the shadows at last as one of Rome's most potent and remarkable enemies."--Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic"'He died old'--so A. E. Housman refers to the subject of Adrienne Mayor's latest enthralling book, Mithradates VI, king of Pontus. Pursuing her interest in deadly chemical and biological substances, she focuses here on the life and times of the hammer of the mighty Romans in the last century of the Republic, the hellenized oriental ruler finally nailed by Pompey the Great. Ruthless, aggressive, charming, manipulative, callous--was Mithradates a textbook sociopath? Read this exhilarating and penetrating biography to find out."--Paul Cartledge, author of Alexander the Great"Adrienne Mayor's The Poison King is an intriguing and highly readable new biography of one of the most controversial figures of antiquity, Mithradates--ruthless Hellenistic king, genocidaire, terrorist, alchemist, implacable enemy of Rome. It is an important contribution to our understanding of the desperate measures some rulers were prepared to take to resist Rome's iron-fisted pursuit of empire."--R. Bruce Hitchner, Tufts University Views: 15
Nate had never expected to see a real war, but that was a month ago. Back when he'd been a videogamer with dreams of space combat. Now he was a pilot in Knighthawk Squadron, and in the middle of a violent warzone. The Star Empire and its vast legions are utterly committed to the elimination of the shattered Byotai Empire. They are ruthless, and ambitious beyond measure. As the terror spreads, millions of loyalists flee to the borders, desperate to avoid the violence while pursued by ruthless militias bent on destruction and enslavement.
There is a faint glimmer of hope for the Empire, and it takes the shape of the fifteen ships of the Orion Battlegroup. Safely hidden inside this fleet is the sole survivor of the Byotai Royalty, and with him, the only chance of peace in the region. With time running out, Admiral Churchill and his officers hatch an audacious plan. It is a plan that could allow them to escape the clutches of the Star Empire, and rally all remaining loyalists to this last prince. If they fail, nothing will stop the spread of the insidious new enemy its quest for total domination.
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When an SAS team is sent to train government troops in Karmanga, a poverty-stricken and war-torn republic in the dark heart of southern Africa, Geordie Sharp is caught up un the most dangerous and difficult assignment of his military career. When the SAS men see that the rebels are boosted by ex-US Navy SEAL mercenaries, they begin to sense a hidden agenda, and they know that things are going to get messy. From the author of more than a dozen Sunday Times top ten bestselling thrillers, Tenth Man Down is a pulse-pounding story that sinks its teeth in and doesn't let go. Views: 15
