With his trademark elegance and intelligence Robert Harris recreates a world on the brink of disaster.
All along the Mediterranean coast, the Roman empire's richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas, enjoying the last days of summer. The world's largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum, and Pompeii.
But the carefree lifestyle and gorgeous weather belie an impending cataclysm, and only one man is worried. The young engineer Marcus Attilius Primus has just taken charge of the Aqua Augusta, the enormous aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter of a million people in nine towns around the Bay of Naples. His predecessor has disappeared. Springs are failing for the first time in generations. And now there is a crisis on the Augusta's sixty-mile main line—somewhere to the north of Pompeii, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.
Attilius—decent, practical, and incorruptible—promises Pliny, the famous scholar who commands the navy, that he can repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry. His plan is to travel to Pompeii and put together an expedition, then head out to the place where he believes the fault lies. But Pompeii proves to be a corrupt and violent town, and Attilius soon discovers that there are powerful forces at work—both natural and man-made—threatening to destroy him.
With his trademark elegance and intelligence, Robert Harris, bestselling author of Archangel and Fatherland, re-creates a world on the brink of disaster. Views: 646
The power of the imagination reigns supreme as a mother and her son troll a junkyard for the parts to build a spaceship in their backyard.A long time ago, Diotitus was a Greek god. At least for about a month until his worshiper-base of eight converted. Now, Diotitus lives in an apartment in the afterlife of the generally unsaved. One neighbor is the enigmatic Brangot, and another neighbor is the vivacious Tif Brown. Unfortunately, Tif has completely given up and is now a Drooler. But at the moment conscious thought left her mind, she had a burst of insight that is now the most sought after piece of information. Many gods from many afterworlds want to know the full scope of Tif's thought, and they expect Diotitus and Brangot to find out. Views: 645
The first book in an urban fantasy series about loyalty, power, and the rules of survival.
Vampires are the only guardians Vance Ehecatl has ever known since he was abandoned by his shapeshifter family. He is grateful to them for generously providing for all of his needs and for offering him a home in the powerful empire of Midnight. But when an act of violence forces Vance from his sheltered life, he’s startled to meet Malachi Obsidian, a fellow shapeshifter with conflicting ideas about Midnight and its leader, Mistress Jeshickah.
Malachi claims Vance is a bloodwitch, who Jeshickah and her trainers, Jaguar and Taro, are trying to control. Vance doesn't know anything about the rare and destructive magic Malachi says he possesses, and he can't believe Jeshickah would use it to hurt others. But when his friends begin falling ill, Vance starts to realize his perfect world may not be as flawless as it seems. Now Vance must decide who to trust—the vampires he's always relied upon, or the shapeshifters who despise them.
Praise for Bloodwitch, Book 1 in the Maeve’ra trilogy:
"Edgy world building, with cultures and societies based loosely on real history, is compelling. This book is highly recommended for Atwater-Rhodes fans and urban fantasy or alternate reality readers." — VOYA
"A satisfying read." — SLJ
"Plenty of fun ahead for the author’s many fans." — Kirkus
"Atwater-Rhodes made a splash with her first novel, In the Forests of the Night (1999). Since then she has continued writing lush fantasies of fully realized, well conceived worlds, and the first volume in the new Maeve’ra series is no exception." — Booklist
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 645
What if you were framed for a murder you didn't commit? Amy Walker lives the perfect family life with her husband and two young sons. Until a knock at the door turns their lives upside down. It's the police. Her father-in-law is dead and they're arresting her for his murder. The evidence against her is overwhelming. Forensics and witnesses place her at the scene. But there's only one problem: She didn't do it. With her family destroyed and a murder sentence looming, Amy must discover who murdered her father-in-law — and why they're so hell-bent on framing her as the killer. 'Incredible' — BBC News 'A sensation' — The Guardian Adam Croft is the USA Today and worldwide Amazon number 1 bestseller of psychological thrillers HER LAST TOMORROW and ONLY THE TRUTH. Views: 645
Peter Straub has created a body of short stories and novellas establishes him as one of the best literary voices in the genres of horror and dark suspense. His list of accomplishments and awards is staggering: In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association, Life Achievement World Fantasy Award, Grand Master Award from World Horror, Living Legend Award from the International Horror Guild, he has won the Bram Stoker Award 9 times, the World Fantasy Award 3 times, and 1 British Fantasy Award.He remains a living legend.Volume one features Peter's short stories. Stories included in this collection:The Juniper TreeShe Saw a Young ManIn the Realm of DreamsGoing HomeA Short Guide to the CityInterlude: Bar TalkSomething About a Death, Something About a FireThe Poetry ReadingThe VeteranThen One Day...The Ghost VillageAshputtleHungerIn Transit (with... Views: 645
When Brett pays his weekly visit to his mother at her retirement home, he’s annoyed to see a vase of agapanthus – now a weed in their new home – next to her bed. But his protests set off long suppressed memories for her. As Brett’s wife Suzie asks: is Mom confusing or confessing?If you've enjoyed this free short story, please rate it and leave a review. Thanks, Jonathan.When the one thing you live for is taken from you, do you let it go or do you fall? Jade, like any other student at Brushwood High, awaits the start of the school year with a certain measure of dread. Worse, she is being threatened by a voice that only she can hear—a voice that lurks at the edges of her awareness, haunting her and warning her of something unknown. She has always been able to count on her two best friends, Claire and Nate, but can she confide in them now? About this? Would they even believe her? Life takes a turn for the better when she meets Avan, a darkly handsome new student who, somehow, seems to drown out the voice and make her feel at ease. But Jade soon comes to realize that good things don’t last forever. When everything spirals out of control, she is shattered by something she never saw coming. Dazed and despairing, she must now overcome tragedy and embrace her true existence and a new but dangerous love. Will she be able to save herself and those she loves, before it’s too late? Or will she let the surrounding darkness consume her? Views: 645
TREASURE OR TREACHERY?Douglas Island sits off the coast of New York State, its imposing cliffs warning away visitors. Still, Finn Douglas has big plans for his inheritance and the rambling manor house that dominates the landscape. He has a vision to turn the island into a resort getaway for overworked city dwellers. But when the broken body of his business partner is found at the base of the rocky escarpment, he fears it wasn't an accident.Special Agent Craig Frasier agrees to help his cousin Finn by investigating, and with psychologist Kieran Finnegan at his side, heads to the island. As Craig and Kieran delve into the history of the Douglas estate, they discover that the property comes complete with strange lore and a blood-soaked past. Something evil seems to be lurking in the caverns that run beneath the stony ground. Is there something on the island that someone is willing to kill to protect? Kieran and Craig take on a dangerous search for the truth,... Views: 645
Iry Paret's done his time -- two years for manslaughter in Louisiana's Angola State Penitentiary. Now the war vet and blues singer is headed to Montana, where he hopes to live clean working on a ranch owned by the father of his prison pal, Buddy Riordan. In prison, Iry tinkered with a song -- "The Lost Get-Back Boogie" -- that never came out quite right. Now, the Riordan family's problems hand him a new kind of trouble, with some tragic consequences. And Iry must get the tune right at last, or pay a fateful price. Views: 645
/MEGA-BOOKS Nancy is brought on board to work as an investigative reporter after threats are made on the life of handsome WRVH-TV News anchorman Hal Taylor. Nancy finds the evening news to be filled with violence, ambition, and greed--and that's just behind the camera. And Nancy's sure that if she doesn't get to the bottom of things so Views: 645
Time and again, Tom Clancy's novels have been praised not only for their big-scale drama and propulsive narrative drive but for their cutting-edge prescience in predicting future events.
In The Bear and the Dragon, the future is very near at hand indeed.
Newly elected in his own right, Jack Ryan has found that being President has gotten no easier: domestic pitfalls await him at every turn; there's a revolution in Liberia; the Asian economy is going down the tubes; and now, in Moscow, someone may have tried to take out the chairman of the SVR--the former KGB--with a rocket-propelled grenade. Things are unstable enough in Russia without high-level assassination, but even more disturbing may be the identities of the potential assassins. Were they political enemies, the Russian Mafia, or disaffected former KGB? Or, Ryan wonders, is something far more dangerous at work here?
Ryan is right. For even while he dispatches his most trusted eyes and ears, including black ops specialist John Clark, to find out the truth of the matter, forces in China are moving ahead with a plan of truly audacious proportions. If they succeed, the world as we know it will never look the same. If they fail...the consequences will be unspeakable.
Blending the exceptional realism and authenticity that are his hallmarks with intricate plotting, razor-sharp suspense, and a remarkable cast of characters, this is Clancy at his best--and there is none better. Views: 645
When Nancy Drew's friend Jennifer Bishop, a flight attendent, discovers a smuggling ring operating inside the airline, Nancy is brought in by airline president Preston Talbot and Bess goes undercover as a flight attendent, Views: 645
