ChiarOscuro is an online fantasy series being published at https://chiaroscuroseries.wordpress.com/. In an alternate world where humanity is just discovering it's full potential after being setback five millenia ago, the darkness that once threatened humanity has returned and now a select few in this world, whether willingly or unwillingly, will play a role in keeping humanity's flame burning.ChiarOscuro Episode Three A Snake Eating Its Own Tail (Words 9,355).The group are close to reaching the top of the mountain to bring Baruto down to Lemekia. However, Dasha, Wex, Isa, Dakar and Manny will have a task on their hand which they would have never imagined earlier that day and the shadow of Decabia nears...SERIESChiarOscuro is an ongoing online fantasy series being published at https://chiaroscuroseries.wordpress.com/. Taking place in an alternate world where humanity is just discovering it's full potential after nearly being brought to extinction five millenia ago, the darkness that once threatened humanity has returned, seemingly with the intention to finish what they failed to do 5,000 years ago.ChiarOscuro is made up of 'Books' each one containing an Episode (these normally span a week or two) and a chapter is released throughout the duration of an episode. The official site will be the first place to find the newly released chapters at first, as well as extra pieces that delve deeper into the lore, world and characters of ChiarOscuro and once the Episode has concluded, it will be shortly be available as a single 'Book' to read in full.So follow a small select few in this time where the world's and humanity's certain is uncertain and travel with them to meet many different cultures, people, beliefs, customs through deserts, mountains, the city of nine walls and even the parts of the world the human eye cannot see...SERIES SUMMARYTaking place in a world where at the dawn of human civilisation, a catastrophe struck nearly bringing humanity to extinction and close to forever changing the world as we know it.They called them Demons, twisted, ruthless creatures with no seemingly other drive than to conquer all those weaker than them as they were the strongest and fittest and Earth seemed close to falling into the hands of these strange beings, who came to our world with no warning and legends speak of skies literally tearing open as Demons invaded our world.However, humanity as it always seems to do, fought back and though most of the people living at that time were forever lost, the Demons were defeated, the remaining leaving this world or scattered as they fled the humans only hours before they had been slaughtering mercilessly.It’s been 5,000 years since those events, though many dismiss the tale as legend and humanity has only recently started picking up again, there have been some strange reports recently across Aludin and with the mysterious Decabia to the east, the era of peace may soon be coming to the end and new heroes will have to answer the call to defend humanity’s flame once again, as they did so 5,000 years ago.

The more I came to know of the world, the more I knew I knew it not. He was a nameless orphan, marked for death by his masters for an unknown crime. Discovering his name -- Crispin -- only intensified the mystery. Then Crispin met Bear, who helped him learn the secret of his full identity. And in Bear -- the enormous, red-bearded juggler, sometime spy, and everyday philosopher -- Crispin also found a new father and a new world. Now Crispin and Bear have set off to live their lives as free men. But they don't get far before their past catches up with them: To find freedom and safety, they may have to travel to the edge of the world -- even if it means confronting death itself. In this riveting sequel to the Newbery-Award winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead -- the second book in a planned trilogy -- Avi explores themes of war, religion, and family as he continues the adventures of Crispin and Bear.

A chance encounter leads to a journey of adventure, romance and boundary breaking as Jay strives to find love again and sets about righting his wrongs. An intriguing and humorous story of self-discovery, danger and personal fulfillment.Up to this point in her young life Emily has been terribly disappointed in the myriad of men who have sought her favor. Because of this disappointment she has given up almost all hope of ever meeting a guy who can measure up to her idealized perception of the consummate man. Resigned to the prospect of a life devoid of love and romance Emily degenerates into a social piranha, preying on the weak-willed unchallenging men who fail to live up to her lofty imaginings. To this end she believes that she's mastered everything there is to know about the fine art of manipulation and control. Then she meets a guy who unwittingly manages to slip through her defenses and unlock the heavily bolted door to her heart. But who enters next through this now open door she never sees coming.

A dragon story with a brilliant twist from multi award-winning writer, PHILIP REEVE. Ansel's new master slays dragons for a living. He says he's hunted the monstrous worms all over Christendom and has the scars to prove it. But is Brock just a clever trickster in shining armour? Ansel is sure there are no such things as dragons. So what ishe man-eating creature that makes its lair in the crags of Dragon Mountain? Ansel and Brock must climb the ice face to discoverhe terrifying truth.

A Joan Carter of Mars story.Joan Carter is back on Mars, and Mars badly needs her. As does Dejar Thoris, who is missing. Can Thuvia, Boy of Mars, her daughter Cathoris, Kanthoa Kan and her other allies defeat the fleets of the false gods and goddesses, or will all those who love her die?A Gender Switch Adventure.Nariella has a hard life. Hated and beaten by her foster father, she finds solace in the one person who has always been there for her—Rydan, her overprotective best friend. His sheltering only gets worse once Nari collides—literally—with Mycah. A boy being chased by two kinds of evil; a boy who Nari is convinced is either the devil or an angel. But she was wrong. He's something completely different.Then there's Naminé. A servant who lives in fear for her family, for herself, and for the dying kingdom she lives in. But there is hope, and she's the only one who can bring that hope home to save them all. Naminé will risk everything to make that happen, even if it means betraying her king.People always want the truth until they have it. To be let in on secrets until they get burned by them. Nari is no different. But once she's kidnapped, tortured, and ultimately becomes intertwined in a secret world she never could've imagined existed, she knows there's no going back to blissful ignorance. And maybe she doesn't want to.If darkness is the absence of light, what results from the absence of truth? Nothing but Oblivion.This is book one in a series-Sweet Oblivion (Sweet Series #1)Sweet Escape (Sweet Series #2)Sweet Requiem (Sweet Series #3)Sweet Redemption (Sweet Series #4)

Onward and Upward - the continuing adventures of our ‘reluctant billionaire’. He loses the new love of his life, only to replace her with a Hawker Hunter or 2, or 3, …,(a fair swop I think). He takes on Drug Barons and the paparazzi, and goes back in time – in the desert, before blowing a fuse. Just a few of his adventures as he moves onward and upward.After tragically losing his wife, and becoming the twelfth richest person on the planet at the same time, in the first book in the Andrew Michaels trilogy – 'Road to Recovery' – Andrew continues 'Onward and Upwards' as he loses the new love of his life, only to replace her with a Hawker Hunter (the most beautiful jet aircraft ever to take to the sky’s) or two, or three, …. Along the way he takes on drug smugglers, the paparazzi, and Farnborough Airshow as he starts to flex his new found financial muscle, but why is the President of the United States ringing him up?, and where did the twins come from? To find the answer to where the twins went, then follow his adventures in the third in the series – 'Above and Beyond', and it wasn’t on board a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

When four delinquent high school seniors are abducted two months before graduation, they are forced to work in a futuristic, desert produce factory and must plot a plan to escape before they lose the freedom to choose their own destiny.Received Third Prize in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards.**Professionally edited by an Amazon CreateSpace editor**Johnny Cockit accidently murdered a man when he was ten years old, which is why he was sent to Sonoran Correctional High School, a gender-segregated boarding school located in Phoenix, Arizona. Two months before graduation, Johnny and his friends are drugged and abducted by Walnut Cherryville secret watchers during an afternoon counseling session. Making decisions about the future has never felt important until the students are forced to work in a remote produce factory owned by the vengeful Quinton family. Walnut Cherryville is no ordinary factory; it’s the Quintons’ futuristic desert village governed by the principle that people live better-quality lives when they don’t make their own decisions. To ease the burden of life’s basic yet complicated choices, the government limits misdirection by choosing every citizen’s career path and lifestyle. Johnny and his friends plot an escape but must avoid being recaptured because abandonment of the village is a crime punishable by death. In a scandalous turn of events narrated by Johnny and his delinquent friends Vincent, Laura, and Collins, they discover that the reason they were captured roots back to an ancient family feud between the Cockit and Quinton families.Due to strong sexuality, this book is intended for young adults ages 14 and up.

When seventeen year old, Rehema Thorndale is bonded to a dragon; her life takes an unexpected turn. Bonded in an unwavering psychic link to La’Kera, a Dy’Monian dragon, the rarest and most sought after of all dragons in Dangora. Now a Ryder, Rehema must train in the academy of Draeos, and finding love was the last thing Rehema thought possible.Book 1 in the Rehema Series.When seventeen year old, Rehema Thorndale is bonded to a white dragon; her life takes an unexpected turn. Bonded in an unwavering psychic link to La’Kera, a Dy’Monian dragon, the rarest and most sought after of all dragons in Dangora. Now a Ryder, she must train in Draeos: the Dragon Ryders Academy, Educating Open Sorcery. Between combat, magic lessons and royal parties, she will discovering the power of Dy’Monian magic, instant speed, unlimited energy, to heal serious wounds in moments, magical weapons, summoning spells, bound ten feet in a single leap, and the secrets to being bonded with a dragon of Dangora.Rehema’s life couldn't get more complicated while solving the mysteries that surround her unknown powers, finding love is the last thing she thought possible.

The Black Book whisks its characters away from their serene life into the middle of an ancient dispute!When Matthew Quentin finds an old book in their attic, he doesn’t know he’s about to turn his world upside down. After his classmates and adopted senior sister make fun of him, he angrily writes down every offender’s name in the book, intent on using it as a black book like his British head teacher, who uses one in school to list the names of pupils to be punished. However, something very strange begins to happen in the quiet little suburb of Sleepy Lake after Matthew writes his list. Neighborhood kids start disappearing . . . one by one. The book Matthew found is an extraordinarily mysterious one fashioned by an unearthly being in 315 A.D. Many have killed and died for it before several unfortunate events landed it in their attic. So, when Matthew eventually writes down his name and his adopted younger sister’s as the book’s owners, they wake up in a tunnel, cold and confused. Matthew realizes they are in France during World War II and what he has done now dawns on him. How on Earth is he going to fix the problem he had unleashed on almost everyone he knows? The boy and his adopted siblings must swing across space and time with the mysterious book’s help through many historical events, adapting to the various cultures they encounter and dodging unsavory entities eager to seize the book along the way. And when they finally meet a greedy former priest in Napoleon’s 19th century France, whose sole desire is to wield the book as a weapon, the stage is set for a hilariously dramatic showdown of world-shattering proportions! One that has profound implications for the world at large, and might as well save a secretive old man, whose chance rescue could change a small boy’s life forever!

Kantal has had to fight his way through life. His mother gave him a girl's name - what chance did he have? But what he lacks in fortune, he makes up for in stubborn perseverance. And now his country needs him. Because Kantal has a talent, and he has a plan. Can he earn the the respect he needs to fulfil his potential? And beyond that - can he bring victory from the jaws of defeat?Kantal is a fighter. He has had to be. Born with nothing more than a girl's name, he has endured a life of torment. But large obstacles do not imply small expectations. Quite the opposite in fact.And his country has long suffered too, investing five hundred fruitless years in trying to retake rich lands that were stolen by invaders from the sea. But that may be about to change.Because Kantal has a talent, and he has a plan. Now all he needs is to be heard. Can he finally ride the tide of his hard fought reputation, and succeed where all others have failed?

BRAND NEW SEASON!Season 3, Episode 1. Clan: Calum’s Country - A Bitesize 1 hour Read. Calum Maclean and Big John Mackintosh have returned to Scotland, to find it under the heel of the English with its people broken and beaten by barbaric treatment and unjust laws.Though opposition of any sort will mean deportation or death, Calum and John will not look away.A new adventure has begun.BRAND NEW SEASON!Season 3, Episode 1. Clan: Calum’s Country - A Bitesize 1 hour Read. Calum Maclean and Big John Mackintosh have returned to Scotland, to find it under the heel of the English with its people broken and beaten by barbaric treatment and unjust laws.Their hope to stay out of trouble vanishes the moment they return to Moy Hall and Lady Anne sends them on another mission. To save the English General Richmond from the hangman.It should be a simple rescue, but the hand of Colonel York reaches from the grave. The English are stealing everything of value. But if they are allowed to take the cattle, the Clan will starve.Though opposition of any sort will mean deportation or death, Calum and John will not look away.A new adventure has begun.

“I have never believed in going strictly by the book. It’s the main reason I’ve never been offered a higher position on a big-draft. But, when things really go to hell, I’m always the first one to get the call. They trust me with their lives, but not their jobs.”--Adrian Tarn, Chief Security Officer, Starship Electra“I have never believed in going strictly by the book. My six-foot-two frame has an assortment of scars and marks that readily attest to that. It’s the main reason I’ve never been offered a higher position on a big-draft. But, when things really go to hell, I’m always the first one to get the call. They trust me with their lives, but not their jobs.”--Adrian Tarn, Chief Security Officer, Starship Electra

Dirk Pitt rides a tidal wave of intrigue in this classic Cussler.  On an isolated Greek island, a World War I fighter plane attacks a modern U.S. Air Force base--a mysterious saboteur preys on an American scientific expedition--and Dirk Pitt plays a deadly game of hunter and hunted with the elusive head of an international smuggling ring.

A firsthand account of the weird mysteries and horrors of voodoo. Tell My Horse is an invaluable resource and fascinating guide. Based on Zora Neale Hurston’s personal experience in Haiti and Jamaica, where she participated as an initiate rather than just an observer of voodoo practices during her visits in the 1930s, this travelogue into a dark world paints a vividly authentic picture of ceremonies and customs and superstitions of great cultural interest.

No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant victories and hardships more brilliantly than Jon Krakauer. In this collection of his finest essays and reporting, Krakauer writes of mountains from the memorable perspective of one who has himself struggled with solo madness to scale Alaska's notorious Devils Thumb. In Pakistan, the fearsome K2 kills thirteen of the world's most experienced mountain climbers in one horrific summer. In Valdez, Alaska, two men scale a frozen waterfall over a four-hundred-foot drop. In France, a hip international crowd of rock climbers, bungee jumpers, and paragliders figure out new ways to risk their lives on the towering peaks of Mont Blanc. Why do they do it? How do they do it? In this extraordinary book, Krakauer presents an unusual fraternity of daredevils, athletes, and misfits stretching the limits of the possible. From the paranoid confines of a snowbound tent, to the thunderous, suffocating terror of a white-out on Mount McKinley, Eiger Dreams spins tales of driven lives, sudden deaths, and incredible victories. This is a stirring, vivid book about one of the most compelling and dangerous of all human pursuits.