Princess Adelia Meissner is feeling the pressure as she prepares to represent the Valderian Empire in a historic meeting with the United Commonwealth. Though both galactic superpowers have been at odds for generations, she is hopeful to negotiate a lasting union that will mend their contentious relationship. Follow her story and the perspectives of other characters as they navigate issues of both galactic and personal importance. Between encounters with strange creatures, displays of advanced technologies, and glimpses into the past, this tale will be rich with lore that delves into the finer details of their universe.
Ten weeks after the events in Tales of the Axis: The Hunter's Prey, Val Novak continues a lonely life on the remote colony of Coldstock, remaining isolated from the war between the United Commonwealth and the Valderian Empire. However, dark forces are at play across the galaxy, threatening to draw the adept vanguard out of exile. Follow Val's journey as she searches for the mysterious enemy that has left behind a trail of death in its wake. Between clashes against fiendish monsters, displays of supernatural powers, and encounters with familiar faces, this tale will explore the multifaceted conflicts waged through might and truth.
For the weary urban dweller, the verdant Mangala valley near the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka,; would seem like a haven of peace and tranquility. Appearances could not be more deceptive, as Saad Bin Jung discovered after forsaking his life in the city for a stone cottage in the valley. If the surrounding jungles were teeming with wildlife of every variety, the life that the human of the area led was no less wild. Here, he recounts the adventures that he had with some of them: the leopard who moved into 'bison cottage', the dining hall cobra, the magnificent Mangala tiger, Torn Ears, the most-photographed gaur of his time, and the elephants whom he loved with a passion, Colonel Hathi, Jayaprakash and even the Rightchipped Tusker with his bullying ways, amongst them. Not to be outdone were the members of the Kuruba tribe and other humans - Mr B, the family expert, the elderly manager with a raging libido, the gorgeous foreign girls who almost saw him booted out of the family - who came to share his life at Bush Betta, the wildlife resort that he set up in 1991. Hair-raising and hilarious, these are stories that anyone who has had a taste of the wild, or wished that they could, will enjoy, as much for their drama and comedy as for the many fascinating insights into animal behaviour that they provide. No less compelling is the message between the lines, the grandeur and beauty of India's forests, and the need to preserve them at all costs.
"...compulsively readable historical fiction…[a] powerful novel about unusual women facing sometimes insurmountable odds with grace, grit, love and tenacity.” - Kristin Hannah, The Washington Post Named one of best books of the year by Marie Claire and Bookbub “If you enjoyed “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” read “The Huntress,” by Kate Quinn." The Washington Post From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel, THE ALICE NETWORK, comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America. In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted… Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive. Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it. Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear. In this immersive, heart-wrenching story, Kate Quinn illuminates the consequences of war on individual lives, and the price we pay to seek justice and truth.
The Tiger S Enduring Appeal Has Generated A Vast Body Of Literature. This Anthology, Compiled From Non-Fiction Sources By Tiger Scientist And Conservationist K. Ullas Karanth, Opens Up A Captivating World Of Rich Descriptions, Deeply Felt Personal Experiences And Serious Reflections By Hunters, Amateur Naturalists And Wildlife Scientists Who Encountered This Most Charismatic Of All Animal Species. The First Section Of The Book Explores Tiger Hunting And Old-Style Natural History, And Revives Some Of The Earliest Essays On The Tiger. Historian Mahesh Rangarajan S Overview Of The Pre-Colonial And Colonial Periods, When Ruthless Hunting Of Tigers Was The Dominant Social Ethos, Sets The Stage For English Forester C.E.M. Russell S Narration Of Tiger Hunting In Mysore, Published In 1900. Then Follow Tales By Hunter-Naturalists Dunbar Brander, Fred Champion, Kenneth Anderson, William Bazé And Arthur Locke. The Descriptions By More Recent And Less Justifiably Bloodthirsty Hunters, Such As Kesri Singh, A Game Manager In Princely India, And Jack Denton Scott, An American Safari Hunter, Provide Grim Examples Of The Slaughter Of Tigers. The Second Section Covers The Post-Colonial Period. This Was The Era When A New Natural History , Driven By The Sheer Joy Of Watching Tigers, Emerged Leading To The First Steps To Save This Magnificent Cat From The Brink Of Extinction. Essays By Forest Managers Such As A. Hoogerwerf, Kailash Sankhala And Vladimir Troinin, Who Were Fascinated By The Tiger, Are Complemented By The Writings Of Perceptive Amateur Naturalists Such As E.P. Gee, Arjan Singh And Valmik Thapar. In The Last Section The Reader Steps Into The World Of Modern Tiger Science And Conservation. An Account Of The First-Ever Scientific Study Of Tigers By George Schaller Is Followed By The Observations Of Other Biologists, Such As John Seidensticker, Melvin Sunquist, Dale Miquelle And John Goodrich, Who Followed In Schaller S Footsteps And Generated New Insights Into Tiger Ecology And Behaviour. The Concluding Essay, By Naturalist-Historian Geoffrey Ward, Offers A Lucid Overview Of Current Tiger Conservation Issues. With Its Judicious Blend Of Adventure, Natural History And Tiger Science, This Anthology Will Appeal To Wildlife Enthusiasts As Well As Serious Conservationists.
Welcome to New Babbage, a consensual hallucination of a Victorian-era steampunk city in a time that never was. Unlike most cities of the imagination, New Babbage exists within the virtual world of Second Life. People "go" there on a daily basis to live out parallel lives as evil geniuses, swashbuckling airship pilots, clever street urchins and builders of wondrous machines. The citizens of New Babbage also tell stories. In fact, storytelling amounts to a national pasttime in our sooty cobbled streets. With this volume, the effort to bring together the ever-changing swirl of tales that is New Babbage continues.
Tales of the Night Sky shines fresh light on the mythological meaning and cultural significance of constellations, and includes a beautiful 18 x 24–inch poster illustrating 33 of the best-known among them. Astronomer and ordained ex-zen monk offers a modern approach to stargazing that reflects growing interest in popular and accessible science through mindfulness. Through a mix of both scientific fact and meditative insight, discover how the mysteries of the twinkly skies can connect us all more deeply to our inner selves. Noticing the bright constellations in the night skies above can foster a sense of curiosity, awe, and deep interconnection like nothing else on Earth. For each of the constellations, discover: Philosophy and lifestyle advice learned from the origin of the constellation Myths and cultural connections of the constellation Celestial events that occur annually The deep sky objects contained in the constellation, including nebulae and star clusters The stars and planets have been a constant source of fascination since the earliest times, and different cultures have tried to explain the existence of these heavenly bodies with a host of myths and legends. This book explains the folklore behind the names and shows how to locate the constellations in the night sky. The quest to discover the secrets in the night skies speaks to something deep in human nature. Become part of the resurgence in the lost art of "reading nature," to connect both with nature and also with the intuition, traditions, and wisdom of ancient cultures.
A New York Times Editors' Choice and Notable Book of 2021 "Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror of 2021"—The Washington Post From one of the most exciting voices in contemporary Chinese literature, an uncanny and playful novel that blurs the line between human and beast… In the fictional Chinese city of Yong’an, an amateur cryptozoologist is commissioned to uncover the stories of its fabled beasts. These creatures live alongside humans in near-inconspicuousness—save their greenish skin, serrated earlobes, and strange birthmarks. Aided by her elusive former professor and his enigmatic assistant, our narrator sets off to document each beast, and is slowly drawn deeper into a mystery that threatens her very sense of self. Part detective story, part metaphysical enquiry, Strange Beasts of China engages existential questions of identity, humanity, love and morality with whimsy and stylistic verve.
