For anyone who dreams of dragon riding... Jace, a high-wire acrobat in a traveling circus, thought he knew the thrill of adventure. But when he meets Belen, a strange girl with no memory of her past, he soon discovers how much more adventure--and danger--awaits him. Not long after Belen joins the circus, a wizard arrives and stops the show--not by magic, but by accusation. Belen is not human, he says: she is a shapeshifting dragon, who destroyed a nearby town. As Jace and Belen set off in a race against time to clear Belen's name and recover her memory, mysterious forces conspire to throw them off track. Can Jace learn to fly through the air with the greatest of ease--on the back of a dragon--before time runs out? In the next installment of R.D. Henham's series inspired by The New York Times best-seller A Practical Guide to Dragons, a new hero polishes the tarnished reputation of a noble silver dragon.
When his mother is captured by an evil dragon lord, Septimus the black dragon and his human prisoner Satia, who was going to be his lunch, join forces to try and liberate his parent.
Unlock the secret of the gold dragon... When the blue dragon Lazuli threatens to destroy Sandon's village of Hartfall, Sandon vows to locate the legendary gold dragon, once Hartfall's sworn protector, and convince it to return. Sandon finds the gold dragon's lair--only to stumble on a secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his home and his family into question. Filled with everything readers love about dragons--power, action, and intrigue--this tale shows what one boy can accomplish when he finds the strength of a dragon lies within himself. This next installment of the series inspired by The New York Times best-seller A Practical Guide to Dragons shows just how much a young boy can do when he realizes that the strength of a gold dragon may lie inside himself. From the Hardcover edition.
Presents the mythical world of dragons, describing their anatomy, language, rules of combat, life span, society, and the characteristics of the different types of dragons.
In this extraordinary fantasy epic, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files leads readers into a world where the fate of the realm rests on the shoulders of a boy with no power to call his own... For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies—elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal. But in the remote Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans’ most savage enemy—the Marat horde—return to the Valley, Tavi’s courage and resourcefulness will be a power greater than any fury, one that could turn the tides of war...
They're back. And they want revenge... Sent to investigate the brutal slaughter of a wendigo in the north Michigan town of Tamarack, Isaac Vainio and his companions find they have wandered into something far more dangerous than a simple killing. A long established werewolf territory, Tamarack is rife with ancient enemies of Libriomancy who quest for revenge. Isaac has the help of Lena Greenwood, his dryad bodyguard born from the pages of a pulp fantasy novel, but he is not the only one in need of her unique and formidable powers...
The very idea that the teachings can be mastered will arouse controversy within Buddhist circles. Even so, Ingram insists that enlightenment is an attainable goal, once our fanciful notions of it are stripped away, and we have learned to use meditation as a method for examining reality rather than an opportunity to wallow in self-absorbed mind-noise. Ingram sets out concisely the difference between concentration-based and insight (vipassana) meditation; he provides example practices; and most importantly he presents detailed maps of the states of mind we are likely to encounter, and the stages we must negotiate as we move through clearly-defined cycles of insight. Its easy to feel overawed, at first, by Ingram's assurance and ease in the higher levels of consciousness, but consistently he writes as a down-to-earth and compassionate guide, and to the practitioner willing to commit themselves this is a glittering gift of a book.In this new edition of the bestselling book, the author rearranges, revises and expands upon the original material, as well as adding new sections that bring further clarity to his ideas.
When Simle--a bronze dragon who hates humans--and Tatelyn--a human who distrusts dragons--are linked sympathetically by a pendant, they realize they must work together which brings them a better understanding of each other.
Why are some countries rich and others poor? In 1500, the income differences were small, but they have grown dramatically since Columbus reached America. Since then, the interplay between geography, globalization, technological change, and economic policy has determined the wealth and poverty of nations. The industrial revolution was Britain's path breaking response to the challenge of globalization. Western Europe and North America joined Britain to form a club of rich nations by pursuing four polices-creating a national market by abolishing internal tariffs and investing in transportation, erecting an external tariff to protect their fledgling industries from British competition, banks to stabilize the currency and mobilize domestic savings for investment, and mass education to prepare people for industrial work. Together these countries pioneered new technologies that have made them ever richer. Before the Industrial Revolution, most of the world's manufacturing was done in Asia, but industries from Casablanca to Canton were destroyed by western competition in the nineteenth century, and Asia was transformed into 'underdeveloped countries' specializing in agriculture. The spread of economic development has been slow since modern technology was invented to fit the needs of rich countries and is ill adapted to the economic and geographical conditions of poor countries. A few countries - Japan, Soviet Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and perhaps China - have, nonetheless, caught up with the West through creative responses to the technological challenge and with Big Push industrialization that has achieved rapid growth through investment coordination. Whether other countries can emulate the success of East Asia is a challenge for the future. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Long ago, the Silver Empire brought an end to the Kingdom of Lumin, and drove the Lumineans from their high city of Tashavet. Still true to their traditions however, the Lumineans have not been undone. They live among the Dan'din of the new Imperial Commonwealth, keeping hidden the few, precious codices which hold the secrets to the powers of the Divine. Young Dallet has been studying his whole life to become a cleric of the Divine, and dreams of one day marrying his childhood sweetheart and taking over the care of the Luminean Shrine in his small town of Zelf. In order to be initiated on this path he will need to read one of the ancient codices under the guidance of an experienced cleric. It is an honor, although a surprise, when he is tasked with transporting one such codex across the Bereaved Desert to the capital city of Brass Gates. The journey will prove to be treacherous, and Dallet's oath to protect the Codex of Light, even unto death, will prove to be a challenge that tests all of the values Dallet has ever held to be sacred.
