Martial arts and kung fu movies have been quite popular in the English-speaking world for many years since Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan came to prominence. In recent years, some authors have included kung fu elements in writing action novels. Still, fictional novels about the wuxia (the translation of which is “martial arts and chivalry”) genre are rarely seen written in English. As martial arts are about movements and actions, attempts to write books based on martial arts stories can be met with many difficulties. This book is written from the perspective of how the Chinese view the world of martial arts. The Central Kingdom is the first book of the Master of All Masters series.
A stirring adventure novel set amid the tumultuous clashes between the Roman and Carthaginian empires, battling for control of the Mediterranean, north Africa and Rome itself.
Surrender to sinful pleasures and forbidden passions with Masters of Seduction, the sizzling new paranormal romance novella series from "New York Times" and internationally bestselling authors Lara Adrian, Donna Grant, Laura Wright and Alexandra Ivy. "In the realm of the Incubi Masters, pleasure is to die for and love is the deadliest game of all . . ." Merciless: House of Gravori by Lara Adrian Seeking vengeance for the murder of his brother, Incubus Master Devlin Gravori demands justice from the high court of the Nephilim. But fury and retribution are no match for the consuming desire he feels for Nahiri, the beautiful Nephilim warrior he claims as his hostage. Soulless: House of Romerac by Donna Grant Incubus Master Canaan Romerac is focused solely on revenge against those who betrayed him and put him in the Oubliette for five hundred years. That is until he sets eyes on Rayna. Can the beautiful Nephilim heal Canaan's wounded soul before it's too late? Shameless: House of Vipera by Laura Wright Sexy Incubus Master Scarus Vipera has grown weak, and the only thing that will strengthen him again is Rosamund, the power-rich female of the Harem. But the mysterious Nephilim is determined to leave the Harem untouched, her heart intact. Ruthless: House of Xanthe by Alexandra Ivy Jian, Master of the House Xanthe, has devoted his life to returning his family to their former prominence. When he's offered a contract to hunt down the missing Sovereign, he's eager to accept. The last thing he expects is to encounter a stunningly beautiful angel who stirs more than his lust.
Badges, Egg Salad, and Green Jackets: The Masters A to Z captures the rich history and traditions of the Masters Tournament. Find out what kind of food is served, some of the tournament rules, and the landmarks of this famous sporting event. Written and illustrated by Georgia natives Julie Alfriend Ferris and Joshua Henry Thomas, this book introduces children to one of the four major championships in professional golf, but is perfect for fans of all ages.
Veteran musician and sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan writes a deeply personal book about the lives and times of some of the greatest icons of Indian classical music. Having known some of these stalwarts personally, he recalls anecdotes and details about their individual musical styles, bringing them alive.
Following Playing Hard to Master and Finding Master Right, Sparrow Beckett delivers a seductive tale of surrendered innocence with this third novel in the Masters Unleashed series. Konstantin, a powerful Dominant, is used to fast living and wanton submissives. But after years of his grandmother haranguing him to marry, he agrees to meet a girl from her rural Russian village. Naturally submissive, Varushka turns out to be everything Konstantin wants in a woman. At first her innocence is disturbing, but her enthusiasm for life captivates him. When their relationship becomes a mutual seduction, Konstantin introduces Varushka to wicked pleasures she never imagined. His attentive care wins her absolute devotion. However, when Varushka’s father finds out about Konstantin’s past, he whisks her back home to Russia. Will Konstantin fight to reclaim her, or will his guilt convince him to relinquish the only woman he’s ever loved?
Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to co-create the most notoriously successful game franchises in history—Doom and Quake—until the games they made tore them apart. Americans spend more money on video games than on movie tickets. Masters of Doom is the first book to chronicle this industry’s greatest story, written by one of the medium’s leading observers. David Kushner takes readers inside the rags-to-riches adventure of two rebellious entrepreneurs who came of age to shape a generation. The vivid portrait reveals why their games are so violent and why their immersion in their brilliantly designed fantasy worlds offered them solace. And it shows how they channeled their fury and imagination into products that are a formative influence on our culture, from MTV to the Internet to Columbine. This is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry—a powerful and compassionate account of what it’s like to be young, driven, and wildly creative. “To my taste, the greatest American myth of cosmogenesis features the maladjusted, antisocial, genius teenage boy who, in the insular laboratory of his own bedroom, invents the universe from scratch. Masters of Doom is a particularly inspired rendition. Dave Kushner chronicles the saga of video game virtuosi Carmack and Romero with terrific brio. This is a page-turning, mythopoeic cyber-soap opera about two glamorous geek geniuses—and it should be read while scarfing down pepperoni pizza and swilling Diet Coke, with Queens of the Stone Age cranked up all the way.”—Mark Leyner, author of I Smell Esther Williams
English Fairy Tales By Joseph Jacobs A word or two as to our title seems necessary. We have called our stories Fairy Tales though few of them speak of fairies. The same remark applies to the collection of the Brothers Grimm and to all the other European collections, which contain exactly the same classes of tales as ours. Yet our stories are what the little ones mean when they clamour for "Fairy Tales," and this is the only name which they give to them. One cannot imagine a child saying, "Tell us a folk-tale, nurse," or "Another nursery tale, please, grandma." As our book is intended for the little ones, we have indicated its contents by the name they use. The words "Fairy Tales" must accordingly be taken to include tales in which occurs something "fairy," something extraordinary--fairies, giants, dwarfs, speaking animals. It must be taken also to cover tales in which what is extraordinary is the stupidity of some of the actors.
