Epic-scale warfare, genocide, false flag attacks, and political intrigue sizzle the pages of this action thriller in a fantasy fiction setting replete with historical allegories.The Sodorfians and Dachwaldians love each other dearly. The way a cat loves a bath. The way a lion loves a hyena. The way a rattler loves to have its tail pulled.Epic-scale warfare, genocide, false flag attacks, and political intrigue sizzle the pages of this action thriller in a fantasy fiction setting replete with historical allegories.The Sodorfians and Dachwaldians love each other dearly. The way a cat loves a bath. The way a lion loves a hyena. The way a rattler loves to have its tail pulled.They thought they ironed out their differences during their last all-out war, but disturbing events are about to make that look like a lover's quarrel. When the Dachwaldians discover nearly all the crops in their country have been deliberately poisoned just days before harvest, they realize it's time to get rid of the Sodorfians once and for all. When the Sodorfians discover the remains of several hundred of their brave soldiers looking like they took a dive into a wood chipper, they believe a thank-you note is in order, one that must be hand-delivered by a one-hundred-thousand-man army. But the Dachwaldians have a trick or three up their sleeve that they feel will teach the Sodorfians victory isn't won by superior numbers alone.As these two lovebirds prepare for their encounter, they realize only one can walk away, as one will play the role of the female praying mantis and consume the other like a tasty morsel.Neither side realizes a puppet master sits behind the scenes, provoking each side to action against the other like a director of a well-rehearsed group of actors. A wild card sits uneasily in the puppet master's prison, as anxious to escape as the warden is to get rid of him. But a prophecy tells him he can't. Not until the play finishes.

Description: When Edward Jones the III accidently stumbles upon Dimension #3, he must fight for his life in the bitter, cold war against The Mastermind. Along the way, Edward realizes he cannot trust anyone, but can he trust himself to escape the rigors of Dimension #3? This humorous book is written by a 10-year-old boy for young readers.This book is apt for people who have doubts in mind about why they pray to God and they need answers. This book will provide you answers to almost all the things happening around you which people call supernatural. From the origin of The universe to the origin of religion and the level to which it has deteriorated. If you are willing to come out of the closet to being an atheist, this is the perfect book for you

In the aftermath of a battle a ship drifts helplessly in space. Is the strange new warship they were fighting still out there? Will it come back for them? Commander Johnson faces a desperate race to get her destroyer back into action and save her crew.In the aftermath of a battle a ship drifts helplessly in space. Is the strange new warship they were fighting still out there? Will it come back for them? Commander Johnson faces a desperate race to get her destroyer back into action and save her crew."If you liked Alien, you'll love Independence.""I would recommend this to anyone looking for a deep science fiction story. It is truly one of kind!""This is an incredible work ... suspense, mystery and intrigue." "Loved every word of it.""The story hit the ground running and had me on the hungrily flipping page to page.""It is excellent. For those of us who enjoy a 'Star Trek' style of science fiction, his tale is a 'must' read.""There's more action and intrigue packed into this story than there is in many full length novels."

This short story by Harvey captures the enigmatic relationship of two brothers from Ghana. Listen in as Elijah tells his story to a Reporter who has come for a story on an elaborate burial coffin. Humor, irony, and bitterness all intermingled in this short piece.The people of Ghana are known for their elaborate coffins. Check it out on Google as you read The Blue Train to Heaven.Bonus StoryUnder the backdrop of the wacky world of of Ghana coffin makers, comes this tale of two brothers, Elijah and Ashong.Humor masks the subtle undertones of envy, jealousy, and mockery as Elijah tells the story of how his brother comes to be buried in the elaborate train coffin.Excerpt:Ha! Yes my friend, you want to know what I thought of the train carrying Ashong to heaven.Oh I don’t know, he may be in heaven in the sky. I heard he said his prayers before he died. As his only brother, it was my duty to inspect whatever he was to be buried in whether pine box or big train. So Dede Nunu comes to me—him and his crafty men dress like train conductors and pull what looks like big chunks of blue sky to my house here. The whole village clucked and fluttered like guinea hens with their necks outstretched trying to get a good look. Ha! Then I heard a howl of laughter. Here comes the train with the caboose in front. In front! I said, “Dede, I know Ashong loved the caboose on a train and a woman, but what is this? And you’ve painted everything the color of the sky.”Now featuring a bonus story--The Geegaws. This story is told from the point of view of one of the coffin makers. Paa Joe and Dede Nu Nu race to build Mr Ashong on of the "finest" coffins money can buy. Promise to make you guffaw.Excerpt from The GeegawsMr. Ashong is not a stupid man. Near death, he thought of ways to line his pockets for the hereafter. Most of us carry to our graves a few shells and trinkets. Mr. Ashong was thinking of French Francs. He knew people would be coming from miles and miles away to see what could top Chief Okwonko’s Skyline of Accra. Ashong quickly constructed several leaning Motel complexes and a large concession stand. He knew his Islam would not let him sell beer, so he sent a donation to Minister Oral Roberts and received a Certificate of Christianity by Fed-Ex. He renounced Islam that afternoon. Who would waste a fatwah on a dying man, he reasoned. He had the Council to pass a law that said the only food or drink to be consumed had to come from the Ashong concessions. Hah! That was a foolish law. Three days before March 15 (Ashong picked that day because his daughter had read to him on his sick bed the story of Julius Caesar), People began to assemble a few at a time. Before you could bat your eyes it was multitudes. Women in head wraps carried large pots of warm banana and coconut stew, pea soup, and lamb. Some brought their own goats to sell milk. The Christians roasted pigs over low burning coals. Ashongs men with sapling switches tried to enforce his law about what to eat.“What law is that, that says you can only eat food from Ashong’s boxes?” people yelled. They threw hot peanut oil at Ashong’s men, burning one on the nose. The goons retreated.Bonus Video at End of Story

After six years in Kirkwall, Cullen never thought he'd see the mighty Hero of Ferelden ever again until one night when she appeared unannounced in his room requesting him to help her track down a dangerous blood mage. Can he come to terms with his unrequited love while traveling across thedas and into the Deep Roads? Or could she be the start of thawing his hatred of mages?Dragon Age FanficTo Whom Ever This May Concern;I wish I could tell you the contents of this book were purely fictional. That I, Adela Arthur, was just a normal sixteen year old from Portland and that dragons, giants, elves and mermaids were just myths. I wish these were legends shared from crazy old grandparents to crazy old grandparents around campfires. After all, that is what I used to believe.I never would have thought they lived on the other side of our mirrors in a world called Cielieu. But they do…I never would have thought there were humans, better known as Volsin that lived among them with the ability to create light from a single thought. But there are…I never would have thought I was one of them… But I am…I am the last Arthur and I was brought to the human world after a Volsin, filled with greed, began to strip the light from our kind.The human world was supposed to be a safe haven… but he’s found us and the only way to stop him is to go back to Cielieu and begin training as a student in the Elpida Castle of Light.Like I said I wish the contents of this book were purely fictional and not my life…ADELA ARTHURInspired by J.K Rowling's Harry Potter

A business trip that is not really a business trip at all. Disinterested youth. Transgressions. An old car on the open road. This is a story of discovery and regret, set against the backdrop of a discontent home and things unspoken.A wound-up businessman, a demanding wife, and a crooked cop...three people caught up in a dastardly plan to commit murder, but when the plan goes awry a battle of wits ensues. David T. Fenton's literary debut presents a short story of suspense about quirky characters and their attempts to outsmart the other. Donovan is an upcoming businessman who considers himself clever. Meriam is a waitress who wishes to be a calculating mastermind. Officer Jermaine is more criminal than cop. It's a game of wits as they try to goad each other into making the first move. Who will be the last person standing?

Way of the Djinn is the second book of the Angelos and Dragon War chronicles. Constantinople has been laid siege too and the enemy is at the gates. A truly epic masterful story that invites the readers imagination to explore different realms and realities. Treachery, deceit, action and adventure all the elements that make up an easily digestible intriguing novel with a great twist to the end.Way of the Djinn is the second book of the Angelos and Dragon War chronicles and takes us from Turtle Island to the heart of Byzantium. The Eastern Roman empire stands on the brink of destruction. With invaders all around and the Empire seemingly rotting from the inside, there appears to be little hope for its survival. On their arrival Michael senses that something is amiss with the time line, and believes that some dark power is aiding the Saracen invaders in their quest to destroy the Christian East. He sends Gabriel and Uziel on a mission to seek help from the Franks, in the hope of creating an alliance that will break the siege that is threatening to starve Constantinople to death, and destroy Rome once and for all. On their travels they discover that there is more at stake than the loss of an Empire that has stood since the time of antiquity: indeed the very fabric of the Equilibrium could be ripped asunder.

Mouser is done. Now what? A story of transition, acceptance, and forgiveness8 Short Stories. Most of them are science fiction and some of them are humorous.Proper Care & Feeding of a Gort - Be careful adopting alien pets.Just To See What Happens - Quantum theories come to fruitionAdmirals & Dreadnoughts - The Kingdom has too many AdmiralsA Boy on a River Bank - A time of no heroesThe Devil & King Midus - Maybe you shouldn't listen to advice from demonsThe Good Doctor Stutz - Time traveling (medical) doctor, but no boxWhat Time Is It? - At least an ostrich will remove its head from the sand eventuallyTae Ga-Ku - A boy has strange dreams of a girl getting closer, then she arrives.

There had been a poisoning at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Trumble. Detective Edna Godfrey from the 16th Precinct had been assigned to investigate. The crime had occurred during a dinner party. Detective Godfrey solved the question of who had apparently committed the crime. This story takes you step by step through the investigation. Can you solve the mystery before the answer is revealed?Read the story of Helmut who was involved in an accident and only his eyes, ears and brain could be saved, and the tale of an extremely homely and self-conscious girl who is given a mask that transforms her into a ravishing woman. Explore the horrors of becoming totally disconnected from one’s world in a science experiment gone wrong, and the pain of discovering that leaving the city for the natural world does not always deliver its promise of peaceful redemption. A small collection of Kafkaesque short stories, they include 'Brain on a Platter', 'Dark Night of the Soul', 'The Mask' and 'This Wicked World' which were described by ForeWord Clarion Reviews as " ... creative, fascinating in content, eerie and dark in interesting ways, …"

Bill is fresh out of college on the first day of his new job. He wants to make a good impression on his new bosses and express his true genius. Unfortunately, his first day does not go as planned.Bill is fresh out of collage on the first day of his new job. He wants to make a good impression on his new bosses and express his true genius. Unfortunately, his first day does not go as planned, starting with a grumpy security guard, an enigmatic boss, and a position that seems to be below entry level. As boredom sets in, Bill faces a decision that could either rocket him to the top or cut a promising career short.

In every fairytale there's a heroine, a bad guy who makes her life a misery and one who comes to her rescue. Tradition dictates them as literary myths of afflicted love where good always triumphs over evil. This story isn't any old fairytale, but a modern one with a twist. One in which possession is nine tenths of the story.At forty-something, Brigitte Anders still dreams of happy endings. She lives in the flatlands of the East Anglian Fens, in a village which is built around the grounds of an old monastery. Its a place where the ghosts refuse to lay to rest. Strange and inexplicable things are happening to Brigitte and she undertakes past life regression to help unravel the mysteries which surround her. For Brigitte, life just keeps getting more confusing and it isn't until she meets Jack Jamieson, an Irish medium visiting the area for an Holistic fair, she realises she's being visited by phantoms from the past. Her ghostly visitors? A displaced pagan princess and her legendary lover who have a story they are determined to tell.Jack looks all set to be Brigitte's hero. With him she begins to discover a world she never knew existed. But nobody is perfect and least of all Jack. His obsession with the fifth century historical figure of St Patrick leads Brigitte to discover life with Jack is no fairytale. Legend has it, Rapunzel let her hair down to escape confinement. Brigitte needs to resort to more drastic measures when she finds herself in a similar situation. Realising she's only got herself to rely on, she lets loose more than a few flowing locks to escape from the man she thought would be her knight in shining armour.

A young, successful lawyer faces an unexpected reality after his compulsive lying comes to a disturbing end. This existential crisis begins an elusive, often painful, journey of self-discovery that delves into the relativity of time and freedom, the permanence of balance and love, and maybe most importantly, the limitations of good will and honesty.A young, successful lawyer faces an unexpected reality after his compulsive lying comes to a disturbing end. This existential crisis begins an elusive, often painful, journey of self-discovery that delves into the relativity of time and freedom, the permanence of balance and love, and maybe most importantly, the limitations of good will and honesty. An unlikely friendship and spontaneous encounter with an unprecedented perspective test the possibility of complete honesty, or better yet, if possible, the significance of its appeal. Life, Lies, and the Little Things pushes the boundaries of the traditional novella, remaining short enough to keep the casual reader fascinated until the final page, but containing enough depth and development to leave lovers of literary fiction re-reading again and again. This read delicately balances the philosophical and thought-provoking with pure, page-turning fiction.

Stumps of Mystery: Stories from the End of an Era is a novel of stories set in Woodhill, a fictional Willamette Valley town, in the year before the 2008 presidential election. These stories explore such contemporary and relevant Western themes as land use, immigration, same-sex marriage and environmental issues. These issues seemed insurmountable at the time, and some still are today.If you believe the New York Times and the indie television show “Portlandia,” you might think Oregon is a magical place where people ride their bikes to the gourmet food carts, dine on organic quinoa, then make their way to the alternative film festival. Of course those of us who live here know that Oregon is a great place to live, but not everyone is happy with change---or interlopers. Stumps of Mystery: Stories from the End of an Era is a novel of stories set in Woodhill, a fictional Willamette Valley town, in the year before the 2008 presidential election. These stories explore such contemporary and relevant Western themes as land use, immigration, same-sex marriage and environmental issues. These issues seemed insurmountable at the time, and some still are today.The range of characters includes a former logger, a California vintner starting a new winery, treesitters, an illegal Mexican college student, a forest ranger, a meth freak and a retired short-order cook. The book culminates in the untimely death and aftermath of one of Woodhill’s leading citizens that brings the residents together in unexpected ways.

Help! Anastasia Krupnik's mother must organize her chaotic life. So Anastasia, who is a very organized person, and her father invent the solution to Mrs. Krupnik's problem: the Krupnik Family Nonsexist Housekeeping Schedule. But when Mrs. Krupnik goes to California on a ten-day business trip, Anastasia finds that the problem isn't solved at all. It's hard to stick to a schedule that doesn't leave room for her little brother, Sam, who's come down with the chicken pox, and her father's former girlfriend, who's invited herself to dinner. How is Anastasia supposed to cope with these interruptions when she's planning her first dream-date dinner for Steve Harvey? It's a cinch. As long as she sticks to the Krupnik Romantic Dinner Week Schedule, what could possibly go wrong?

SHE WAS TOO GROWN-UP FOR CHILDISH GAMES. BUT TOO YOUNG TO BECOME A WOMAN. . . . Living with her parents and brother in her Grandmother Emma's enormous mansion, Jordan March tries to be a good girl and follow her grandmother's strict rules. But one day, without warning, Jordan's body begins to change -- and everyone notices her in a way that seems dark, dangerous, and threatening. Suddenly the March family secrets are unleashed, and Jordan is ashamed and afraid that her soft curves are unwelcome indeed. Now Grandmother Emma sets out to make Jordan pay for her family's past mistakes, sending her world spinning wildly out of control. . . .

At the turn of the century and the dawning of the modern world, Gina from Belpasso comes to Boston’s Freedom Docks to find a new and better life, and meets Harry Barrington, who is searching for his. The fates of the Barringtons and Attavianos become entwined, on a collision course between the old and new, between what is expected and what is desired, what is chosen and what is bestowed, what is given and what is taken away. As America races headlong into the future, much will be lost and much will be gained for Gina and Harry, whose ill-fated love story will break your heart.

With the dust still settling from the brutal attack on the Agathos court and Rogu3's school, Bo Blackman is forced to live with her newfound status as a celebrity. She's still determined, however, to track down those responsible - and to solve the mystery of Tobias Renfrew, the daemon billionaire who disappeared over fifty years ago. Her investigations will lead her to places as far removed as a military base and the sinister Black Market. One thing is for sure - once Bo's done, nothing will ever be the same again.

From E. Lockhart, author of the highly acclaimed, New York Times bestseller We Were Liars, which John Green called "utterly unforgettable," comes The Treasure Map of Boys, the third book in the uproarious and heartwarming Ruby Oliver novels. Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more: Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill. Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances. In this companion novel to The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love—if such a thing exists. From the Hardcover edition.