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The Keeper is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by H. Beam Piper is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of H. Beam Piper then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. Views: 136
SUMMARY:
Here is the stunning international bestseller in the tradition ofWatership Downbut with a dark, original twist. Unique, daring, and unforgettable, it tells the story of an ordinary family who accidentally threaten the security of a hidden civilization as intelligent as our own--a colony of ants determined to survive at any cost.... Jonathan Wells and his young family have come to the Paris flat at 3, rue des Sybarites through the bequest of his eccentric late uncle Edmond. Inheriting the dusty apartment, the Wells family are left with only one warning:Never go down into the cellar. But when the family dog disappears down the basement steps, Jonathan follows--and soon his wife, his son, and various would-be rescuers vanish into its mysterious depths. Meanwhile, in a pine stump in a nearby park, a vast civilization is in turmoil. Here a young female from the russet ant nation of Bel-o-kan learns that a strange new weapon has been killing off her comrades. To find out why, she enlists the help of a warrior ant, and the two set off on separate journeys into a harsh and violent world. It is a world where death takes many forms--savage birds and voracious lizards, warlike dwarf ants and rapacious termites, poisonous beetles and, most bizarre of all, the swift, murderous, giant guardians of the edge of the world: cars. Yet the end of the female's desperate quest will be the eerie secret in the cellar at 3, rue des Sybarites--a mystery she must solve in order to fulfill her special destiny as the new queen of her own great empire. But to do so she must first make unthinkable communion with the most barbaric creatures of all. Empire of the Antsis a brilliant evocation of a hidden civilization as complex as our own and far more ancient. It is a fascinating realm where boats are built of leaves and greenflies are domesticated and milked like cows, where citizens lock antennae in "absolute communication" and fight wars with precisely coordinated armies using sprays of glue and acids that can dissolve a snail. Not sinceWatership Downhas a novel so vividly captured the lives and struggles of a fellow species and the valuable lessons they have to teach us. Views: 136
One moment, Carrie Williams is eight months pregnant and driving to meet her husband Robbie. The next, a silver streak rushes into her car's path. Carrie tries to turn the wheel, resulting in a horrific accident. It is in Carrie's dying moments that she sees the alien, an explorer from a race who doesn’t believe humans exist. After the alien almost collides with car, she senses the small life form in Carrie's body and merges her form with that dying human body to save a life, unaware how that single choice will change everything for both races. Views: 136
From the New York Times bestselling author of A Rush of Wings and The Maker's Song series, a humorous, action-packed urban fantasy about a werewolf pack and an animal control officer in way over his head!Someone is picking off fortune tellers and hippies in Oregon, snatching them out of their Birkenstocks mid-stride. And when the legend himself, Hal Rupert, Animal Control Officer, gets a whiff of the mystery, he knows he's the man to solve it. In between proudly wrangling out-of-control cats and dogs, he's noticed a peculiar uptick in another sort of animal...werewolves. Hal infiltrates the country fair to investigate the disappearance of the flower children. But his real priority is protecting the love of his life, Desdemona Cohen, whose long purple tresses and black-glossed lips captured his heart the moment he first saw her standing behind the register at Hot Topic. Desdemona may have nicknamed Hal "Creep," but he's determined to win her heart.... Views: 136
On the backwater world of Cayelle, Tina Freeman runs a shop with her son Rex: fifteen years old, half-human, half-android with a massive chip on his shoulder about having been born without arms or legs. The shop makes a modest profit, but when a creditor turns up wanting his money back, everything goes pear-shaped. She needs money, and needs it fast. Another creditor is impossible to find. That leaves her one option: to return to the world she fled fifteen years ago and Kelso Space Station, where her spaceship has languished for over fifteen years, and finally sell the thing. Tina worked as scientific officer in the Federacy Force's top secret Project Charon, and was forced out when she rang alarm bells about particles that escaped out of a rift to another universe. As it turns out, the alien dust has been infecting people in her absence, causing profound changes in human behaviour. When Tina re-surfaces at Kelso, her presence is a threat to... Views: 136
GUNPOWDER AND BULLETS WILL DETERMINE THE VICTOR. When invasion looms... Tamas's invasion of Kez ends in disaster when a Kez counter-offensive leaves him cut off behind enemy lines with only a fraction of his army, no supplies, and no hope of reinforcements. Drastically outnumbered and pursued by the enemy's best, he must lead his men on a reckless march through northern Kez to safety, and back over the mountains so that he can defend his country from an angry god, Kresimir. But the threats are closer to home...In Adro, Inspector Adamat wants only to rescue his wife. To do so he must track down and confront the evil Lord Vetas. He has questions for Vetas concerning his enigmatic master, but the answers will lead Adamat on a darker journey. Who will lead the charge?Tamas's generals bicker among themselves, the brigades lose ground every day beneath the Kez onslaught, and Kresimir wants the head of the man who shot him in the eye. With Tamas and his powder cabal presumed dead, Taniel Two-shot finds himself as the last line of defense against Kresimir's advancing army.In a rich, distinctive world that mixes magic with technology, who could stand against mages that control gunpowder and bullets? THE CRIMSON CAMPAIGN is the epic sequel to Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood.**Review"This swirling sequel to Promise of Blood draws the reader deep into political intrigue and military matters in a gun-powder-sprinkled fantasy world."—Publishers Weekly on *The Crimson Campaign* "Promise of Blood is a hugely promising debut. Guns, swords, and magic together? What more could you want? How about tense action, memorable characters, rising stakes, and cool, cool magic? Not only the finest flintlock fantasy I've read, but also the most fun. Brian McClellan is the real thing."—Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author on *Promise of Blood* "This book is just plain awesome. I found myself enjoying every moment of it. Innovative magic, quick-paced plot, interesting world. I had a blast."—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author on *Promise of Blood * "Impressively distinctive and pungent, with solid plotting and exceptional action sequences."—Kirkus on *Crimson Campaign* "Brian McClellan is an explosive powder keg of imagination with an expertly-plotted fuse. The stories he tells are the stories we'll be reading for years to come."—Sam Sykes on *Promise of Blood* "The world of the privileged sorcerers and the strange abilities of the powder mages who can manipulate gunpowder are just as well drawn in this captivating universe."—RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars) on *Promise of Blood* "McClellan's debut packs some serious heat.... A thoroughly satisfying yarn that should keep readers waiting impatiently for further installments."—Kirkus (Starred Review) on *Promise of Blood* "Gunpowder and magic. An explosive combination. Promise of Blood is the best debut I've read in ages."—Peter V. Brett "I love the world Brian McClellan builds, Powder Mages with flintlock pistols against white-gloved Privileged for the fate of a nation and more. Promise of Blood feels like the start of something amazing."—Django WexlerAbout the AuthorBrian McClellan is an avid reader of fantasy and a former student of Brandon Sanderson. When he is not writing, he loves baking, making jam from fruit grown in northeast OH, and playing video games. He currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife. Find out more about Brian McClellan at www.brianmcclellan.com. Views: 136
THE DISCIPLES OF APOLLO collects Eric Brown's finest short fiction, from the contemporary title story, in which the victims of a terrible malaise retreat to a sequestered island to see out their final months, to the far future of Dark Calvary, set on the dying world of Tartarus Major whose sun is about to go nova. Whether set is space of the future, or Earth of the here and now, Brown's stories are imbued with a passionate concern for the human condition and the need to deliver compelling narratives. 'The Children of Winter' and 'Hunting the Slarque' won the BSFA Award for the best short story of 1999 and 2001 respectively, while 'Zarla's World" is original to the collection. Views: 136
Stories exploring the fascinating realm of Elfhome, a world where modern day Pittsburgh has collided with the kingdom of the Elves. A special entry in the the best-selling Romantic Times Sapphire award winning Elfhome series. Contains some of Wen Spencer's best shorter works including gems "Bare Snow Falling on Fairywood," "Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden," "Peace Offering,” and more tales set in the world of best-selling Elfhome series entries Tinker, Wolf Who Rules, Elfhome, and Wood Sprites! Pittsburgh: a sprawling modern Earth city stranded in the heart of a virgin forest on Elfhome. Sixty thousand humans, twenty thousand black-winged tengu, ten thousand elves, an unknown number of invading oni, four unborn siblings of an elf princess, three dragons, and a pair of nine-year olds geniuses. For every story written, there's a thousand others not told. Lives interweave. Fates intersect. People change one another, often without realizing the impact they've made on others. They come together like a mosaic, little pieces creating a greater picture. Project Elfhome tells the stories of those impacted by Tinker and Windwolf as they struggle to make Pittsburgh a safe haven. Some of the characters are familiar: Stormsong, Pony, Blue Sky, and Lain. Others are new to readers. Law forages for wild plants and fish to sell to elf enclaves. A social misfit, she drives a hundred year old Dodge, has a pet porcupine, and saves damsels in distress in her spare time. A mysterious phone call sets her on a collision course with danger as she races to save a young female elf. Jane Kryskill is the producer for the popular TV series Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden. She spends her days keeping her host, Hal Rogers, from getting himself killed as he takes on man eating plants. She's not happy when the network drops famed naturalist Nigel Reid and his cameraman in her lap to film Chased by Monsters. Olivia is sixteen, a runaway wife of a religious cultist, illegal immigrant, and soon to be mother. As Pittsburgh plunges into war, she makes a desperate bargain with the mad elf lord, Forest Moss. As the war between the elves and the oni builds to a head, these three women struggle with their own problems, supported by a circle of unique friends, yet entangled with each other. About Wen Spencer's Elfhome series:“Spencer's intertwining of current Earth technology and otherworldly elven magic is quite ingenious.” —Booklist "[M]aintains the series' solid quality. . . . The girls are endearing without being twee, and bright but not implausibly brilliant, and Spencer's prose remains engaging. The melange of science fiction and fantasy tropes, starships rubbing shoulders with proud elf warriors, is uncommon but tasty. Established fans will enjoy this installment, and those unfamiliar with the series or Spencer may find it an intriguing introduction to her work."—Publishers Weekly About Wen Spencer:“Wit and intelligence inform this off-beat, tongue-in-cheek fantasy. . . . Furious action . . . good characterization, playful eroticism and well-developed folklore. . . . lift this well above the fantasy average. . . . Buffy fans should find a lot to like in the book's resourceful heroine.”—Publishers Weekly on series debut TinkerAbout Wen Spencer's Eight Million Gods:Eight Million Gods is a wonderfully weird romp through Japanese mythology, culture shock, fan culture and the ability to write your own happy ending. It is diverting and entertaining fantasy."—Galveston County Daily News The Elfhome SeriesTinkerWolf Who RulesElfhomeWood Sprites** Views: 136
Original stories from six of today’s best science fiction writers about the near future of technologies such as drones, wearable computing, implants, 3-D printing, and more Views: 136
