A 1959 classic 'hard' science-fiction novel by renowned Cambridge astronomer and cosmologist Fred Hoyle. Tracks the progress of a giant black cloud that comes towards Earth and sits in front of the sun, causing widespread panic and death. A select group of scientists and astronomers - including the dignified Astronomer Royal, the pipe smoking Dr Marlowe and the maverick, eccentric Professor Kingsly - engage in a mad race to understand and communicate with the cloud, battling against trigger happy politicians. In the pacy, engaging style of John Wyndham and John Christopher, with plenty of hard science thrown in to add to the chillingly credible premise (he manages to foretell Artificial Intelligence, Optical Character Recognition and Text-to-Speech converters), Hoyle carries you breathlessly through to its thrilling end.
Already excerpted in the New Yorker, Black Cloud Rising is a compelling and important historical novel that takes us back to an extraordinary moment when enslaved men and women were shedding their bonds and embracing freedom By fall of 1863, Union forces had taken control of Tidewater Virginia, and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina, including along the Outer Banks. Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. In December, the newly formed African Brigade, a unit of these former slaves led by General Edward Augustus Wild—a one-armed, impassioned Abolitionist—set out from Portsmouth to hunt down the rebel guerillas and extinguish the threat. From this little-known historical episode comes Black Cloud Rising, a dramatic, moving account of these soldiers—men who only weeks earlier had been enslaved, but were now Union infantrymen setting out to fight their former owners. At the heart of the narrative is Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the son of a slave and her master, raised with some privileges but constantly reminded of his place. Deeply conflicted about his past, Richard is eager to show himself to be a credit to his race. As the African Brigade conducts raids through the areas occupied by the Confederate Partisan Rangers, he and his comrades recognize that they are fighting for more than territory. Wild’s mission is to prove that his troops can be trusted as soldiers in combat. And because many of the men have fled from the very plantations in their path, each raid is also an opportunity to free loved ones left behind. For Richard, this means the possibility of reuniting with Fanny, the woman he hopes to marry one day. With powerful depictions of the bonds formed between fighting men and heartrending scenes of sacrifice and courage, Black Cloud Rising offers a compelling and nuanced portrait of enslaved men and women crossing the threshold to freedom.
It is very hard to live in this big world alone. At one point or another, everyone needs a friend and a shoulder to lean on. Life is just better with friends! Little Black Cloud will inspire friendship, kindness, and equality no matter the color of our skin or what we look like. So, no matter red, black or white, do your part to shine some light!
An entertaining, fact-packed introduction to the science of night. What happens when we go to sleep at night? Kids can find out in this fun exploration of the world after dark. This nonfiction book covers the surprising amount of activity going on at night with animals, plants, celestial objects and even our own bodies! Here are answers to all the questions kids have about nighttime — and many they have never thought of! — including: Why do we dream? How do bats use echolocation? What blooms in the moonlight? Why do stars twinkle? There’s so much here to investigate, kids will be up all night!
A Florida native delves into the state's history to reconstruct a 1928 hurricane that devastated the region right before the Great Depression, finding evidence of communities hard hit by the killer storm.
“As if Harry Potter was written for grown-ups, Peter Straub’s Shadowland delivers carnage, blood, pain, fairy tales, and flashes of joy and wonder, just like real magic.”—Grady Hendrix You have been there...if you have ever been afraid. Come back. To a dark house deep in the Vermont woods, where two friends are spending a season of horror, apprenticed to a Master Magician. Learning secrets best left unlearned. Entering a world of incalculable evil more ancient than death itself. More terrifying. And more real. Only one of them will make it through.
This is the story of learning, relating, and coming of age as seen through the eyes of Erik, the son of an old atomic bomb builder turned rocket scientist. Based on a true story, the love in this nuclear family unravels into betrayal amidst forgotten boundaries. Erik shares the experiences of his growing years, among them, those of his mother, an accomplished artist and an IV morphine addict; poor Miss Freeman, who endured condoms for show and tell in 1957; the notorious Jerry Pirate held at bay by a pet crow that becomes a messiah; and a meeting with Edward Teller for a sandwich and an afternoon of hydrogen bomb wisdom in 1968. In the midst of it all, a bond between father and son eventually solidifies in the comfort of two old rocking chairs that squeak in front of their basement whiskey still. Through illicit sex, drugs, and family violence, Erik learns to survive in a world that demands a premium for the simplest lessons of love and the miracle of the human spirit.
As more businesses move their IT systems into the cloud, lawyers need to ask if cloud computing is right for their firm. Cloud Computing for Lawyers features a discussion of cloud computing fundamentals, an overview of legal cloud computing products, and step-by-step instructions for implementing cloud computing in your practice--including practical tips for securing your data.
The Black Cloud provides an account of some of the Scottish mountain misadventures in the years 1928 - 1966. The book begins in the late 1920s when searches were made by shepherds, stalkers and as many able-bodied volunteers as could be mustered; it ends in the days when helicopters and trained mountain rescue teams had become available.
