Best friends Marvin and Andy have just discovered the Museum of Natural History's unnatural secret: The Orb, a mysterious relic that plunges these two modern teens into a medieval world of monsters, myth, and magic. To return home, they must embark on a global treasure hunt to unite five elemental crystals, all while eluding the eye of a tyrannical warlock bent on conquering the Realms. This isn't the field trip they expected...
A massive alien artifact, the Orb, abruptly appears over London. In the following decades the shock of the uncommunicative, motionless and enigmatic Orb's arrival triggers a global economic collapse leading to war. After nations fall into a new Dark Age, the Orb is worshiped as a god by the Pilgrims of the Church, triggering a genocidal religious conflict. Pilgrims' access to the Orb is controlled by the secular Orb Industries who are in a cold war with the Church for control of their deity. Under the shadow of the Orb, Peter, a renowned computer scientist, is desperate to discover who murdered his daughter and why. The authorities believe it was suicide and have closed the case. With no clues, Peter uses his skills to resurrect his daughter, who directs him to Zip, a sixty-year-old woman who has recently been medically transplanted into the corpse of a teenage porn-star. After decades of blood and war, Zip just wants to have fun.Peter wants to prove his daughter didn't commit suicide. Together, their search for the killer will reveal the awful truth of the Orb. A revelation so shocking it brings the cold war between Orb Industries and the Church to boiling point, threatening a global conflagration.
A fresh, in-depth exploration of orbs, and what these mysterious circles of light wish to tell us In the past decade people all over the world have become fascinated with orbs—the opaque circular features that appear unexpectedly in photographs. In fact, the popularity of this phenomenon has risen so much that serious research has been done on them. Books have been written about what they could be, how they’re produced, and all of the scientific aspects of these beautiful spheres of light. However, one question has gone unanswered: what does their appearance mean? Orbs: Their Mission & Messages of Hope explains that these fascinating circles of light are here for a specific purpose—to bring us hope. Written by orb expert and former Stanford and NASA materials science researcher Klaus Heinemann, together with his wife, Gundi Heinemann, a healing arts practitioner, this book is a grounded and visionary presentation of facts and experiences in orb photography. They offer convincing new results addressing the skeptic and numerous reports of meaningful orb encounters from people all over the world. This book delves deep into the magical and exciting world of orbs—how and when they appear to us—and explores what these emanations from Spirit Beings are trying to communicate.
A masterful blend of horror, science fiction, and pulse-pounding thrills, the first book in Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s bestselling Orbs series introduces the last survivors of an alien invasion. The year is 2061, and the planet is dying. Cataclysmic solar storms have forced leaders from around the world to finally put aside their differences and agree on one thing—to jump ship. The human race is headed to Mars. Dr. Sophie Winston is hired by New Tech Corporation to test a biosphere deep within the heart of Cheyenne Mountain; a mission she believes will help prepare the company for the three-year flight to the red planet. But, just days into the assignment, things start to go wrong. When the blast doors hiss open, Winston’s team finds a changed world outside. Humans are gone, vanished without a trace, and they aren’t the only thing missing. The planet’s water is gone, too. As the team explores their surroundings, they find thousands of luminous blue orbs lining the streets. It isn’t until they uncover what’s inside that they realize the nightmare that lies ahead. And what it means for our most important resource…
Lucian has achieved the improbable with his acceptance into the prestigious Volsung Academy. Now, he must do something even more difficult: survive it. As a Novice, he must learn the fundamentals of magic while navigating Academy politics. Lucian must not only pass the grueling Trials, but survive other mages' mechanizations. But doing that is difficult when he's being left behind. But one day, Lucian makes a breakthrough that puts him on top. He's about to learn that being good is far more dangerous than being unexceptional. Expulsion is an ever-looming threat, and with it, Lucian risks losing the only place in the Worlds he can call home... Keywords associated with this series: science fiction, fantasy, space opera, mages, space mage, fantasy series, space opera series, space fantasy, epic fantasy, dragons, magic, progression fantasy, light novel, space opera, futuristic sci fi, alien worlds, alien invasion, space adventure, sci fi adventure Fans of the following series are known to enjoy the Starsea Cycle: Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, The Expanse, Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, Red Rising, the Hunger Games
"Fans of Tolkien should lap up Brae Wyckoff's book. Can Wyckoff actually write? Yes, he can." San Francisco Book Review Young Adult Epic Fantasy book one: The Orb of Truth Voted #1 Best Fantasy Book Under the Radar! Voted #1 Best Christian Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book! Voted #1 Best Indie Fantasy Book! Voted #1 Best World Building! Voted #1 Epic Fantasy Worth Your Time! Voted #1 Awesome Action! Voted #1 Best Supporting Characters! In the hundreds of years since the Holy City disappeared, darkness has fallen over the land. Human kingdoms have seized control of the realm, scattering the other races into hiding. Bridazak, a skilled thief, and his friends, a Dwarf and a fellow Ordakian, have dared to remain within the human communities and live relatively quiet lives, until they discover a mysterious, magical artifact. The three friends are thrust into an adventure that will challenge their faith, their purpose, and their destiny as they chase a forgotten and lost prophecy across the realm of Ruauck-El, where they hope to discover the origins of the strange item and their place in its history. An ancient, unknown enemy threatens the completion of their journey at every turn. Bridazak is about to face the biggest adventure of his life, one that may change the known realm, and answer the questions he has carried all his life. Will they unlock the truth? The Orb of Truth is the first book of The Horn King Series.
After literally stumbling into orbs appearing as bright as light bulbs in photographs he was taking at a spiritual retreat, Dr. Klaus Heinemann immediately sensed that he was onto something profound. There was no choice but to convince himself that his notion was on solid grounds. Heinemann looked at thousands of pictures he had taken earlier, and thousands more would be taken to test the hypothesis that these light circles are nothing less than emanations from Spirit beings. Dr. Míceál Ledwith had a similar experience after the orb phenomenon was first made known to him through the teachings of Ramtha. He began an intense and systematic study of orbs in all sort of situations, day and night, and in all sorts of atmospheric conditions, in order to discover all he could about their nature, the situations in which their presence could be most easily detected, and what implications they might have for our understanding of our own place in the cosmos. To date, he has amassed a collection of well over 100,000 images. In The Orb Project, Ledwith and Heinemann present their fascinating discoveries, along with practical tips that amateur digital photographers can use to photograph orbs and properly distinguish them from "false" orbs that are really dust or water particles. They offer guidelines on deciphering the orbs' various patterns, features, and characteristics, based on their extensive research. As Dr. Ledwith points out, once you develop a keen and sustained interest in photographing spirit entities, some quite interesting things begin to happen: the brain stops censoring these images, and you can begin to see with orbs with the naked eye -- in more color and detail than is visible to even a digital camera. Ledwith and Heinemann also explore communication with orbs and what their existence means to our lives. The implications of a realization that we are "surrounded by a cloud of witnesses" are enormous and incredibly hopeful for the world at large.
Be alert for a fancy spider web stretched across a path—it's the trap of a hungry orb weaver! In this book, you will learn how orb weavers are similar to and different from other arachnids. Close-up photographs and diagrams reveal extraordinary details about the spider's body both inside and out. And a hands-on activity will give you an idea of how the orb weaver can detect prey caught in its web. Learn more about this fascinating member of nature's Arachnid World.
The discovery of a sealed vault triggers discord throughout Darujhistan, where a merchant tries to drive out Malazans, a thief gambles with the fate of the city, and a Malazan veteran seeks his fortune in Moon's Spawn fragments.
It's not easy, being King. Especially since he has an allergy to sunrise and sunset, a fire-goddess for a mother-in-law, demonic adversaries, random assassins, and a basement full of insecurities to cope with. Add to that his daughter, the priestess/princess, a couple of lightly-deranged professional magicians, a whole city full of wizards, and enough squabbling princes to resemble a kindergarten argument. It's enough to make a man want to just go home. Luckily for Eric, he has the world's largest pet rock, a smart-mouthed sword, and a horse that not only understands him, but likes him anyway.
