A magical crime saga filled with marvelous thrills, high action, and extraordinary adventure, from critically acclaimed author Matthew J. Kirby. After Ben Warner is recruited to join a "science camp" led by the eccentric quantum physicist Dr. Madeleine Hughes, he quickly realizes it's no regular science camp. Along with his new friend, Peter, Ben discovers the secret, powerful art of Actuation -- the ability to change reality by simply imagining it differently. When a mysterious group of men invade Dr. Hughes's laboratory, abducting her and stealing her precious equipment, Ben and Peter are suddenly caught up in a turf war between dangerous actuators desperate for Dr. Hughes's innovative technology. And as Ben and Peter are pulled into a perilous, hidden world full of impossibilities now made possible, will their combined powers be enough to save Dr. Hughes and vanquish their enemies before it's too late? From Edgar Award-winning author Matthew J. Kirby comes a fast-paced, boldly imagined tale of friendship, deadly adventure, and the infinite power of imagination.**

The battle is on their doorstep and in their souls.These old mountains are smart, Lucy. They're alive. They can be gentle like mamas; oh, sure, they'll croon and they'll kiss you and they'll whisper while you sleep, and you'll learn what all the old rocks are saying, all these ancient ghosts, all their starshine wisdom. But these old mountains, sometimes they know you can't hear them any other way but to get smacked up along the head. You watch out, Lucy P, for you got the Charm, like us Netties do. You're a guardian of these mountains, and they're a guardian of you. They will warn you any how they have to.They will slap the near life out of a Charmer.They're doing it to make you and Gus listen. To make you ready.Delta Whittlespoon, the legendary biscuit maker and owner of The Crossroads Café, tried to warn Lucy Parmenter and Gus MacBride. Even their mystical North Carolina mountains can't block the turmoil of the outside world. As fear and ignorance threaten...

A bold rethinking of the most powerful political idea in the world--democracy--and the story of how radical democracy can yet transform America Democracy has been the American religion since before the Revolution--from New England town halls to the multicultural democracy of Atlantic pirate ships. But can our current political system, one that seems responsive only to the wealthiest among us and leaves most Americans feeling disengaged, voiceless, and disenfranchised, really be called democratic? And if the tools of our democracy are not working to solve the rising crises we face, how can we--average citizens--make change happen? David Graeber, one of the most influential scholars and activists of his generation, takes readers on a journey through the idea of democracy, provocatively reorienting our understanding of pivotal historical moments, and extracts their lessons for today--from the birth of Athenian democracy and the founding of the United...

The stunning new science fiction novel by leading science writer MJ Walker. The anteater, elephant, budgie and pin monkey know of only one way to save their ruined circus. They must seek out Lord Morgan, and his huge new cannon, which can only be operated by the cleverest animals in all the world. The old leopard meanwhile, fancies taking a piece of Lord Morgan's thighs. So begins MJ Walker’s endearing and revealing story about the nature of humans and animals; what we think and feel, and the differences, if any, between us.

In the sequel to the New York Times bestselling memoir Three Little Words, Ashley Rhodes-Courter expands on life beyond the foster care system, the joys and heartbreak with a family she’s created, and her efforts to make peace with her past.Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent a harrowing nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes. Her memoir, Three Little Words, captivated audiences everywhere and went on to become a New York Times bestseller as well as a movie produced by the team who brought you Twilight. Now Ashley reveals the nuances of life after foster care: College and its assorted hijinks, including meeting “the one.” Marriage, which began with a beautiful wedding on a boat that was almost hijacked (literally) by some biological family members. Having kids—from fostering children and the heartbreak of watching them return to destructive environments, to the miraculous joy of blending biological and...

This "braided novel" set in the Shadowrun(r) universe features the adventures of Wolfgang Kies, solider of fortune. Together with a group of cyborg bounty hunters and computer wizards, he assists Elf Lord Dr. Richard Raven in keeping humanity safe from preying monsters--both magical and technological! But crimelord Etienne LaPlante interferes with their vigilantism, preparing to strike at Raven and those who serve him.... Shadowrun(r) novels have over 1 million copies in print Shadowrun(r) novels sell over 5,000 combined copies per month Cross-promoted in role-playing games, computer software, and FASA miniatures Michael A. Stackpole is the New York Times bestselling author of the Star Wars: X-Wing series ** Fans have been clamoring for Shadowrun(r) stories about the characters featured in this collection**

MEET TWO OF L.A.’S FINEST:SYKES—THE VETERANAND FRANCISCO—THE ALIEN The time—a future closer than we know. Where groups of extraterrestrial aliens have become familiar members of our society. The place—Los Angeles. Still a town of fast times and hard crime, touching every life form inside the city limits. The cops—Sykes, earthman, and Francisco, alien. Facing a menace meaner than the meanest streets on the beat. Fighting an enemy as terrifying as the darkest forces in a vast, unfathomable universe. Battling back with the best—and the deadliest—of both their worlds.

When a famous professor offers guests at a country-party the opportunity to see into their futures, several men, including two who see the news of their own deaths, must decide how to live their lives when faced with these inevitabilities.With its supernatural premise, The Gap in the Curtain is a departure from author John Buchan's usual adventure stories. The narrator, Sir Edward Leithen, features prominently in several other John Buchan novels, including The Power-House, The Dancing Floor, John Macnab, and Sick Heart River.HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Alex has always been the Actor with-a-capital-A in the Reel family, and middle-sister Stevie has always been content behind the scenes. But when the school play turns out to be a musical, Stevie decides that she's tired of being the Sensible One. Maybe, for once, she'd like to be in the spotlight! Soon the dueling divas—with little sister Joey egging them on—are in a fierce competition to see who has what it takes to play the Princess. Has Stevie broken the rules by going for what she wants, or will it be Alex who hands down the biggest betrayal of all?

Mindy McGinnis, award-winning author of The Female of the Species and A Madness So Discreet, returns with a new dark and twisted psychological thriller—perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Fight Club.Sasha Stone knows her place—first-chair clarinet, top of her class, and at the side of her Oxford-wearing boyfriend. She's worked her entire life to ensure her path to Oberlin Conservatory as a star musician is perfectly paved. But suddenly there's a fork in the road in the shape of Isaac Harver. Her body shifts toward him when he walks by, and her skin misses his touch even though she's never known it. Why does he act like he knows her so well—too well—when she doesn't know him at all?Sasha discovers that her by-the-book life began by ending the chapter of another: the twin sister she absorbed in the womb. But that doesn't explain the gaps of missing time in her practice schedule, or the memories she has of things she certainly...

In the second book of Kate Elliott's Novels of the Jaran, Tess Soerensen is pulled between two powerful men—her brother and her husband—and their competing revolutionsOn the planet Rhui, the nomadic tribes of the jaran are uniting the settled cities of their homeland one by one. Their charismatic leader, Ilya Bakhtiian, has his loyal wife by his side, but there is something about her he doesn't know: Tess Soerensen is a human. And not just any human—back home, her brother, Charles, led an unsuccessful revolt against the all-powerful Chapalii empire. Even though Charles was later made a duke in the Chapalii system, his revolutionary bent has not faded, and he is traveling to Rhui to locate Tess and uncover precious information about a past insurgency. Charles's insistence that Tess join him is as strong as Ilya's reluctance to part with his beloved wife—and neither considers that Tess may have her own plans for the future. As three fiercely independent...

It is the second stage of human colon-ization—the first age, humanity's initial attempt to people the stars, ended in disaster when it was discovered that Earth's original superluminal drive did permanent genetic damage to all who used it—mutating Earth's far-flung colonists in mind and body. Now, one of Earth's first colonies has given humanity back the stars, but at a high price—a monopoly over all human commerce. And when a satellite in earth's outer orbit is viciously attacked by corporate raiders, an unusual young woman flees to a ship bound for the Up-and-Out. But her narrow escape does not mean safety. For speeding across the galaxy pursued by ruthless, but unknown adversaries, this young woman will discover a secret which is buried deep inside her psyche—a revelation the universe may not be ready to face....