Search results for ""planet!""

'Cracking dialogue, compelling illogic and unchained whimsy . . .' Sunday TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .What sort of person sits down and writes a maniacal laugh? And all those exclamation marks, you notice? Five? A sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head. Opera can do that to a man . . .It can also bring Death. And plenty of it. In unpleasant variations. This isn't real life - it's worse. This is the Opera House, Ankh-Morpork . . . a huge, rambling building where innocent young sopranos are being targeted by a strangely familiar evil mastermind in a mask and evening dress and with a penchant for lurking in shadows and occasional murder. But Granny Weatherwax, Discworld's most formidable witch, is in the audience. And she doesn't hold with that sort of thing. There's going to be trouble (but nevertheless a good evenin's entertainment with murders you can really hum to) and the show MUST go on. ____________________The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Maskerade is the fifth book in the Witches series.

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'The best Discworld book in the whole world ever. Until next time.' SFXThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come round again. That's why they're called revolutions. People die, and nothing changes.'For a policeman, there can be few things worse than a serial killer loose in your city. Except, perhaps, a serial killer who targets coppers, and a city on the brink of bloody revolution.For Commander Sam Vimes, it all feels horribly familiar. Caught on the roof of a very magical building during a storm, he's found himself back in his own rough, tough past without even the clothes he was standing up in when the lightning struck. Living in the past is hard, especially when your time travel companion is a serial killer who knows where you live. But he must survive, because he has a job to do: track down the murderer and change the outcome of the rebellion.The problem is: if he wins, he's got no wife, no child, no future...

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'Generous, amusing and the ideal boarding point for those who have never visited Discworld' Sunday TelegraphThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . _________________'Neighbours... hah. People'd live for ages side by side, nodding at one another amicably on their way to work, and then some trivial thing would happen and someone would be having a garden fork removed from their ear.'When the neighbours in question are the proud empires of Klatch and Ankh-Morpork, those are going to be some pretty large garden tools indeed. Of course, no-one would dream of starting a war without a perfectly good reason...such as a 'strategic' piece of old rock in the middle of nowhere.It is after all every citizen's right to bear arms to defend their own. Even if it isn't technically their own. And even if they don't have much in the way of actual weaponry. As two armies march, Commander Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch faces unpleasant foes who are out to get him... and that's just the people on his side. The enemy might be even worse.

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'Deftly weaves themes of forgiveness, belief and spiritual regeneration' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'Just because you can't explain it, doesn't mean it's a miracle.'In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was: 'Hey, you!' This is the Discworld, after all, and religion is a controversial business. Everyone has their own opinion, and indeed their own gods, of every shape and size, and all elbowing for space at the top. In such a competitive environment, shape and size can be pretty crucial to make one's presence felt. So it's certainly not helpful to be reduced to appearing in the form of a tortoise, a manifestation far below god-like status in anyone's book.In such instances, you need an acolyte, and fast: for the Great God Om, Brutha the novice is the Chosen One – or at least the only One available. He wants peace and justice and brotherly love. He also wants the Inquisition to stop torturing him now, please . . . ___________________The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Small Gods is a standalone novel.

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As recent statistics show, more than 100 million people on the planet have used MDMA. After cannabis, it is the second most used drug worldwide. Yet there are many misconceptions surrounding the drug, which have affected attempts to use it as a legitimate and highly effective therapeutic aid. Despite the enormous extent of its use, and abuse, MDMA produced neither a large number of medical complications nor social harm on a larger scale, and has very limited addictive potential. In The History of MDMA, Torsten Passie aims to explore a deeper and more differentiated understanding of MDMA and its history. He has conducted personal interviews with most of the people significant in the history of MDMA and provides a lot of new material to present the first comprehensive overview of the history of MDMA in Europe and the U.S. This not just as it is perceived in the public mind, but also in terms of its history as an underground drug, the research into it, political responses to it, its spread, and its medical use. Passie brings these multiple narratives and levels of its history and their complex interactions together in order to make this book an essential reading for anyone interested in the topic.

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Roundworld is in trouble again, and this time it looks fatal. Having created it in the first place, the wizards of Unseen University feel vaguely responsible for its safety. They know the creatures who lived there escaped the impending Big Freeze by inventing the space elevator - they even intervened to rid the planet of a plague of elves, who attempted to divert humanity onto a different time track. But now it's all gone wrong - Victorian England has stagnated and the pace of progress would embarrass a limping snail. Unless something drastic is done, there won't be time for anyone to invent spaceflight and the human race will be turned into ice-pops. Why, though, did history come adrift? Was it Sir Arthur Nightingale's dismal book about natural selection? Or was it the devastating response by an obscure country vicar called Charles Darwin, whose bestselling Theology of Species made it impossible to refute the divine design of living creatures? Either way, it's no easy task to change history, as the wizards discover to their cost. Can the God of Evolution come to humanity's aid and ensure Darwin writes a very different book? And who stopped him writing it in the first place?

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"I've read enough by Sue Quinn to know I would want any book she wrote." – Nigella Lawson"This will change 'fridge forages' forever. Fabulous recipes." – Diana Henry"It's all so clever and drool worthy and I know that it will convert lots of people to using their leftovers." – Melissa Hemsley"My favourite kind of cooking – clever and delicious!" – Felicity Cloake"I love your book so much. It is beyond useful. Total triumph." – India KnightSecond Helpings offers 100 delicious and innovative ways to use up leftovers, to help you waste less food and spend less money. The book is packed with ingenious ways to use up bits and bobs in the fridge, half-empty packets in the larder, past-their-best fruit and veg as well leftovers from previous meals. Sue Quinn shows that when we truly celebrate leftovers, they can be a springboard for exciting dishes that taste just as good – if not better – than the meal from which they hailed. This inspirational cookbook includes 100 recipes and ideas that showcase the most commonly wasted foods, such as bread, milk, cheese, potatoes, bananas, apples, salad leaves, leftover takeaways and previous meals. Second Helpings is the go-to cookbook for cooking up a feast, saving money and supporting the planet.

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The Secret Life of Birds is a collection of delightful stories and engaging facts, which imparts a love of birds and of nature on the next generation, inspiring them to look after the world around them. Did you know that birds navigate by invisible pathways in the sky, that they can call to each other in thousands of different ways and they can be as big as a car or as small as a little finger? Let much-travelled Speedy the Swift guide you through this beautiful first guide to birdlife around the globe. Learn about nest-building and bird babies, feathers and beaks, flying journeys, bird calls, really unusual-looking birds, and ways to spot birds and help them near where you live. Read some beautiful bird folklore stories from around the planet, too. Speedy has learnt much on her travels and she will be a great guide for young readers, perhaps inspiring them to develop a lifelong love of birds. Following on from The Secret of Trees and The Secret Life of Bees, Birds is the next book in the series. Sumptuous and detailed illustrations have pride of place in this magical book that mixes natural history with a splash of fantasy, creating a book to be pored over time and again.

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A TOP 10 CHILDREN’S FICTION BESTSELLER A beautifully illustrated full-colour tribute to King Charles III, published to mark his coronation – from the bestselling creators of There Once Is a Queen. There once was a boy who was going to be king one day . . . From the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo comes a poetic celebration of our new monarch, King Charles III, beautifully illustrated in watercolour by acclaimed artist Michael Foreman. There once was a little boy, born a prince. Encouraged by his parents, he grew up with a passion for the countryside, wanting to look after it. Then, as the longest-serving Prince of Wales in British history, he dedicated decades of his life to raising awareness for conservation. Now our king, his devoted work will continue to inspire the protection of our planet for future generations. This allegorical story tells how – with the help of a tiny acorn – a wise old woman gives a lonely boy, who would be king, the courage and determination to change the world for the better, for everyone. An exquisite companion to There Once Was a Queen, this commemoration of King Charles III’s coronation is a gift book truly to be treasured.

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Low explores the jaggedness of memory and what is salvageable when the past is broken by loss, violence, and trauma. Punctuating Nick Flynn's signature lyric poems are prose pieces and sequences, veering toward essays, including "Notes on a Calendar Found in a Stranger's Apartment," a truly strange experience of cataloging a deceased neighbor's belongings and how quickly they become worthless; "Notes on Thorns & Blood," a study of time and wounds; and "Notes on a Year of Corona," a loose sonnet crown about the early stages of the pandemic and the unrest after racist police violence. Despite its existential reverberations, Low is a celebration of desire in all its forms-the desire for home, the desire to be held, the desire for people to be kind to one another, the desire to understand where we are from and what we can do to make the best of that. But how do we create a home, these poems ask, in a world of satellites and atom bombs and algorithms, those things designed to dehumanize and reduce us? To get low is to reconnect with the earth, to engage with the emotional state of the planet, to remember that "the cure all along grows beside us." Flynn's collection is a prismatic, even prophetic, experience, with new complexity and ardor at every turn.

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Battle Rabbits is the most recent series by Amemiya Yuki and Ichihara Yukino, the creative team behind the popular manga series, 07-Ghost. Battle Rabbits is the story of a young man seeking vengeance against demons who murdered his father. An action-filled story with a suspenseful plot and a supernatural twist, Battle Rabbits sports stunning shonen-style artwork and attractive characters that will appeal to readers Servamp and Black Butler. Battle Rabbits is an ongoing series and will be released as single volumes with a full-colour insert in each book. Kokuryuu Kaguya was only a little boy when he witnessed his father murdered by a group of demons. Kaguya spent years trying to convince people about what he witnessed, but was dismissed as a traumatised child with an over-active imagination. Now a teenager, Kaguya still remembers...One day, Kaguya is struck by a mysterious light and meets a young woman named Mao - a skillful warrior wearing bunny ears - who rescues him from a demon attack, then demands to know what planet he's from! Kaguya finds himself inducted into a secret organisation of other-worldly individuals whose goal is to defend Earth from monstrous invaders. Reborn as a Battle Rabbit, strange powers awaken within Kaguya which allow him to fight these creatures and seek vengeance for his father's death!

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“Ludicrous—and a whole lot of fun…an enjoyable sports fantasy.” —Kirkus Reviews “Infused with silliness and sugar, but the banter is fast and sassy…Funny and believable.” —BCCB A basketball-loving girl makes a wish to never miss a basket in this charming middle grade novel that pushes girl power to the max!Lizzy Trudeaux loves basketball. She doesn’t have much by way of money, but she has access to the community court and a worn ball named Ginger, and she practices constantly. After fighting to join the boys’ team at her school, Lizzy is finally given the opportunity to show off her hard-earned skills. When she answers what she believes is another bill-collecting phone call, Lizzy receives a magical wish: the ability to sink every shot. Pure Swish. Now eviscerating the competition in the boys’ league is small potatoes—she has the skills to dominate in the NBA. With the help of her BFF Toby and some viral video action, Lizzy goes all the way to the Philadelphia Bells’s starting lineup, making history and taking names. Then, just as she’s about to go face-to-face with her hero, the best player on the planet, things begin to fall apart. But Lizzy isn’t a quitter and she’ll play her hardest for the love of the game.

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Cobras: technologically-enhanced warriors bred to fight an alien menace no ordinary human can withstand. In times of war, the Cobras are necessary, yet in times of peace they are often reviled by those they have saved. Now the Cobras have resisted a second invasion of the alien Troft forces, and forced the Troft to a stalemate — and even converted some thoughtful Troft into uneasy allies against their kin. Yet all is not well in the human sector of the galaxy. A supposed sister empire, the Dominion of Man, threatens the Cobra worlds with what is, in effect, enslavement, as it moves to consolidate power over all the Cobra worlds. The plan on Aventine: to extort from the Moreau family the location of the home planet of a mysterious human ally that may be more powerful than the Dominion: the Qasaman empire! Meanwhile, Cobra Merrick Moreau is on a secret mission of his own to a world of humans enslaved by Troft masters. It is a world of barbaric cruelty where humans are slave chattel to Troft gamblers. There the Troft force whole villages, even children, into life and death struggles served up for Troft entertainment. New York Times #1 bestselling author Timothy Zahn continues his Cobra SF adventure series with Cobra Slave, the first entry in a new Cobra saga, Cobra Rebellion.

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Stirring SF adventure from master storytellers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - #16 in the award-winning Liaden Universe saga. Space ships, action, adventure - all tied together with a strong dollop of romance and clan intrigue - make this a compelling series for a wide range of readers, from romance to military SF lovers. The kompani sees none as an enemy, and yet few as friend. The kompani exists in many places, living quietly in the shadows, thriving off the bounty that others have no wit to secure, nor skill to defend. Their private history is unwritten; their recall rooted in dance and dream. The humans of Clan Korval are in many ways the opposite of the kompani. The interstellar trading clan is wealthy in enemies, fortunate in friends. Korval protects itself with vigor, and teaches even its youngest children the art of war. And when representatives of Clan Korval arrive on the planet Surebleak where the kompani has lived secret and aloof, it seems to the kompani that they are borne by the very winds of change. Change can be a boon, for in change lies opportunity. But the arrival of Clan Korval, establishing itself upon Surebleak with its friends, its enemies, and, most of all, its plans may bring catastrophe, changing the culture and the kompani, forever!

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The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nuclear weapons and self-replicating spacecrafts. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable, yet largely overlooked, man: John von Neumann. Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. A child prodigy, he mastered calculus by the age of eight, and in high school made lasting contributions to mathematics. In Germany, where he helped lay the foundations of quantum mechanics, and later at Princeton, von Neumann’s colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet—bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the design of the atom bomb; he helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory; he created the first ever programmable digital computer; he prophesized the potential of nanotechnology; and, from his deathbed, he expounded on the limits of brains and computers—and how they might be overcome. Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through a stunningly diverse array of fields, sparking revolutions wherever he went. The Man from the Future is an insightful and thrilling intellectual biography of the visionary thinker who shaped our century.

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In common with other volumes in the Thames Through Time series, this account of the Thames Valley in the millennium and a half before the Roman conquest seeks to examine change in human society from a thematic point of view. The geographical and chronological framework for this volume is established in Chapters 1 and 2, but thereafter we have tried to get away from the traditional, somewhat artificial pigeon-holes of 'periods' 'ages' 'eras' and 'phases' to look much harder at how change in human society actually works. In a period when the 20th century has come to dominate secondary school history and much popular TV, the notion that the first foundations of modern society can be traced back more than 3000 years may seem a rather surprising proposition. But some fundamental patterns of settlement and landuse, political boundaries, human impact on the environment, and even the specific use and form of a few places can be traced back to late prehistoric times despite millennia of subsequent change - even though otherwise we may now have very little in common with those remote ancestors. Exploring these issues on a thematic basis should help us to gain a better understanding of how human society evolves and also of how people have altered their natural environment, providing a better long term perspective on what we are doing to the planet.

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Part documentary, part reality-television, the story of the Deadliest Catch's Alaskan crab fishermen risking their lives in the Bering Sea to make a buck and feed their families has captivated the world. Giving the Finger follows the life of the spirited young captain who has emerged as one of the most talked-about figures on the show, Scott Campbell Jr., who leads the crew of the Seabrooke. As this book--a prequel to Junior's ascent to fame--shows, the trials of crabbing are not limited to living at sea and working the most dangerous job on the planet, but carry over to family and friends, and are usually stormier than the Bering. Junior began his life as a fisherman in the shadow of his father, Scott Campbell Sr., and has struggled consistently to gain his own reputation as a captain. Arguably, one of the best fishermen working the waters today, Campbell Jr. has certainly done that, but not without sacrifice, of all sorts. Campbell has divorced and re-married the same woman three times, endured handicapping injuries and lost crew members to the icy waters of the north. Giving the Finger gives a first person account of these losses and the everyday fight for life and love, and shows that by hard work and perseverance, even a kid from Walla Walla, Washington, can become a star.

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Amazon Editor's Pick, Best SFF September 2023 • The Strand, Science Fiction Pick of the Month October 2023Deluxe, expanded edition of an out-of-print early novel from Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor, with a brand-new introduction from the author.Niger, West Africa, 2074 It is an era of tainted technology and mysterious mysticism. A great change has happened all over the planet, and the laws of physics aren’t what they used to be. Within all this, I introduce you to Ejii Ugabe, a child of the worst type of politician. Back when she was nine years old, she was there as her father met his end. Don’t waste your tears on him: this girl’s father would throw anyone under a bus to gain power. He was a cruel, cruel man, but even so, Ejii did not rejoice at his departure from the world. Children are still learning that some people don’t deserve their love. Now 15 years old and manifesting the abilities given to her by the strange Earth, Ejii decides to go after the killer of her father. Is it for revenge or something else? You will have to find out by reading this book. I am the Desert Magician, and this is a novel I have conjured for you, so I’m certainly not going to just tell you here.

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On a generation ship bound for a distant star, one engineer-in-training must discover the secrets at the heart of the voyage in this new sci-fi novel. It's been over a century since three generation ships escaped an Earth dominated by artificial intelligence in pursuit of a life on a distant planet orbiting Tau Ceti. Now, it’s nearly Braking Day, when the ships will begin their long-awaited descent to their new home. Born on the lower decks of the Archimedes, Ravi Macleod is an engineer-in-training, set to be the first of his family to become an officer in the stratified hierarchy aboard the ship. While on a routine inspection, Ravi sees the impossible: a young woman floating, helmetless, out in space. And he’s the only one who can see her. As his visions of the girl grow more frequent, Ravi is faced with a choice: secure his family’s place among the elite members of Archimedes’ crew or risk it all by pursuing the mystery of the floating girl. With the help of his cousin, Boz, and her illegally constructed AI, Ravi must investigate the source of these strange visions and uncovers the truth of the Archimedes’ departure from Earth before Braking Day arrives and changes everything about life as they know it.

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The fourth book in the thrilling Donovan sci-fi series returns to a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.Where does one put a messianic cult of practicing cannibals? That becomes the question when Ashanti appears in Donovan's skies. She was designed for no more than four years in space. It's taken ten. The crew has sealed the transportees onto a single deck--and over the years, the few survivors down there have become monsters. Led by the messiah, Batuhan, they call themselves the Unreconciled.Supervisor Kalico Aguila settles them at remote Tyson Station. With the discovery of a wasting disease among the Unreconciled, it's up to Kalico, Dya Simonov, and Mark Talbot to try and deal with the epidemic. Only Batuhan has plans of his own--and Kalico and her people are to be the main course. Talina Perez has brokered an uneasy truce with the quetzal molecules that float in her blood. Now, she, young Kylee Simonov, a quetzal named Flute, and a clueless nobleman named Taglioni rush to save Kalico's vanished party. But as always, Donovan is playing its own deadly game. Lurking in the forest outside Tyson Base is an old and previously unknown terror that even quetzals fear. And it has already begun to hunt.

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Now in paperback, the fourth book in the thrilling Donovan sci-fi series returns to a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.Where does one put a messianic cult of practicing cannibals? That becomes the question when Ashanti appears in Donovan's skies. She was designed for no more than four years in space. It's taken ten. The crew has sealed the transportees onto a single deck--and over the years, the few survivors down there have become monsters. Led by the messiah, Batuhan, they call themselves the Unreconciled.Supervisor Kalico Aguila settles them at remote Tyson Station. With the discovery of a wasting disease among the Unreconciled, it's up to Kalico, Dya Simonov, and Mark Talbot to try and deal with the epidemic. Only Batuhan has plans of his own--and Kalico and her people are to be the main course. Talina Perez has brokered an uneasy truce with the quetzal molecules that float in her blood. Now, she, young Kylee Simonov, a quetzal named Flute, and a clueless nobleman named Taglioni rush to save Kalico's vanished party. But as always, Donovan is playing its own deadly game. Lurking in the forest outside Tyson Base is an old and previously unknown terror that even quetzals fear. And it has already begun to hunt.

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- Ilustraciones claras y fascinantes – y totalmente nuevas, creadas especialmente para este proyecto.- Expone miles de fenómenos y procesos científicos, tecnológicos y naturales: ideal para el aprendizaje STEM.- Información contextualizada y revisada por expertos que explica conceptos clave de un modo claro y fiable.- Interesante y apropiado para niños a partir de 9 años.Enciclopedia increíblemente detallada que te guiará a conocer desde la naturaleza a la tecnología que nos rodea, con ilustraciones llamativas que muestran en todo detalle qué hay dentro de los objetos y los edificios. Conocerás cómo funcionan muchas cosas muy de cerca. Explorarás temas diversos: el cuerpo humano, las ciudades, la industria, el universo, el sueño, la cocina, el sistema de alcantarillado, los parques eólicos, las esporas de los hongos o las placas tectónicas.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clear, attractive, and absorbing all-new, specially commissioned illustrations. - Explains thousands of scientific, technological, and natural phenomena and processes, ideal for STEM learning.- Contextualized, curated information that explains ideas better and reliably.- Interesting and appropriate for children ages 9 and up.Each page of this mind-blowingly detailed and ambitious encyclopedia will guide you through the natural world and the technology that surrounds you. Chapters range from the human body to cities and industry, to planet Earth, taking in sleep patterns, cooking, sewage systems, wind farms, fungi spores, and plate tectonics along the way.

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“Nye at her engaging, insightful best.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Acclaimed poet and Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye shines a spotlight on the things we cast away, from plastic water bottles to those less fortunate, in this collection of more than eighty original and never-before-published poems. A deeply moving, sometimes funny, and always provocative poetry collection for all ages. “How much have you thrown away in your lifetime already? Do you ever think about it? Where does this plethora of leavings come from? How long does it take you, even one little you, to fill the can by your desk?” ?Naomi Shihab NyeNational Book Award Finalist, Young People’s Poet Laureate, and devoted trash-picker-upper Naomi Shihab Nye explores these questions and more in this original collection of poetry that features more than eighty new poems. “I couldn’t save the world, but I could pick up trash,” she says in her introduction to this stunning volume.With poems about food wrappers, lost mittens, plastic straws, refugee children, trashy talk, the environment, connection, community, responsibility to the planet, politics, immigration, time, junk mail, trash collectors, garbage trucks, all that we carry and all that we discard, this is a rich, engaging, moving, and sometimes humorous collection for readers ages twelve to adult.Includes ideas for writing, recycling, and reclaiming, and an index.

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This open access book is the first of a two-volume series focusing on how people are being enabled or constrained to live well in today’s world, and how to bring into reality a world worth living in for all. The chapters offer unique narratives drawing on the perspectives of diverse groups such as: asylum-seeking and refugee youth in Australia, Finland, Norway and Scotland; young climate activists in Finland; Australian Aboriginal students, parents and community members; families of children who tube feed in Australia; and international research students in Sweden. The chapters reveal not just that different groups have different ideas about a world worth living in, but also show that, through their collaborative research initiative, the authors and their research participants were bringing worlds like these into being. The volume extends an invitation to readers and researchers in education and the social sciences to consider ways to foster education that realises transformed selves and transformed worlds: the good for each person, the good for humankind, and the good for the community of life on the planet. The book also includes theoretical chapters providing the background and rationale behind the notion of education as initiating people into ‘living well in a world worth living in'. An introductory chapter discusses the origins of the concept and the phrase.

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Aaliyah Preston and Tyler Moore were best friends growing up. Tyler played and wrote music, and Aaliyah brought that music to life through dance. They were convinced their lives would change forever after entering a TV talent show, but when Aliyah's mom ended up in hospital, Tyler had to go alone-and won. Suddenly, he was thrust into the spotlight while she was left behind in their small, seaside town. Several years later, Tyler is the hottest pop star on the planet, and Aaliyah has her heart set on following in her mom's footsteps and attending the Boston Conservatory to study dance. However, her future becomes hazy when Tyler suddenly comes back home, and wants to make up for all the years they lost-and even plan a future that includes the two of them together. While Tyler may have a lavish lifestyle and fans all the world over, he isn't happy. What he really wants is a chance at a normal life, and he wants Aaliyah to be part of that life. However, family drama, including long buried secrets about both of their fathers, threaten any plans for their futures. But like the best pop songs, when the music and the lyrics come together everything works in perfect harmony. Tyler and Aaliyah will need to write a new duet without giving up on their dreams.

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Remarkable Racecourses is a beautifully presented collection of amazing racecourses from five continents captured by some of the world's greatest racing photographers. Remarkable Racecourses is a beautifully presented collection of the world’s most striking racecourses. Lavish photographs and informative text show why each racecourse is unique, whether it’s the oldest, longest, shortest, most southerly, most northerly, most beautiful or most extraordinary. Among the 70-plus racecourses included are Laytown in Ireland (the only race run on a beach under Turf Club rules), St. Moritz in Switzerland (which takes place on a frozen lake), Pukekohe Park in New Zealand (which is located in the centre of a motor racing circuit), Cartmel in Cumbria (where spectators enjoy the action from the centre of the circuit) and Epsom Downs in Surrey (which is a left-handed, open-ended, horseshoe-shaped course). The book travels across continents, from rural England to Outer Mongolia, to bring you the most astonishing racecourses on the planet. Remarkable Racecourses features more than 70 racecourses including Aintree, Ascot, Baghdad Equestrian Club, Beirut Hippodrome, Birdsville, Cartmel, Champ de Mars, Capannelle, Chantilly, Cheltenham, Chepstow, Chester, Ellerslie, Epsom Downs, Flemington, Goodwood, Hamilton Park, Happy Valley, Hialeah Park, Iffezheim, Kernic Bay, Laytown, Longchamp, Mahalaxmi, Maisons-Laffitte, Meydan, Moonee Valley, Newmarket, Pontefract, Pukekohe Park, Santa Anita, St. Moritz, Tokyo, Turffontein, Woodbine.

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For as long as humans have inhabited the earth, we have lived alongside the multitude of other creatures with which we share our planet. However it is undoubtedly true that today most of us are not as close to the animals around us as our forebears were, and that many of the world's best loved large mammals and most beautiful birds are in danger of becoming extinct. The threats of the 21st century to the animal world make it even more pertinent to explore the many legends and folktales, myths and superstitions that reflect this past closeness, highlight our desire to explain nature's wonders and mysteries, and underline the necessity to preserve for future generations all creatures great and small.Gathered together in this fascinating book are the lore and legends of the animal world, alongside the realities of nature. Yet whatever their natural attributes, in folklore animals can do almost anything. They can be our friends and foes - and of course they can talk to each other. They can be evil witches and devils in disguise, they can bring good luck and bad. And in real life they can be our dearest companions, to the point of sheer worship.An amazing collection of fanciful superstitions, intriguing tales and amusing anecdotes, which any animal lover will truly relish.

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From the Chinese Emperors to the Romans and the Byzantines, from British Foreign Office agents in the Great Game to today's hippies, backpackers and aid workers, a long line of 'civilized', sedentary peoples have again and again misunderstood nomads, and nomadism. Caricatured as backward herders, thieving pastoralists, or members of some vast and undifferentiated horde of humanity forever wandering the planet, nomads are usually perceived as anything but modern and almost always as on the verge of obsolescence. 'The Civilization of Perpetual Movement' is the first examination of nomadism as a vital global political practice. Nick McDonell - bestselling novelist and war correspondent - draws upon his years spent with and research into nomads on every continent to illuminate what is, and has always been, a most modern practice. In the lucid, evocative prose which earnt him comparisons with Graham Greene and John Le Carre in the New York Times, McDonell illuminates the ways nomads and states influence each other, historically and today - with surprising consequences, from the plains and mountains of Central Asia to the grasslands of the Rift Valley.Part literary meditation, part reflection on international relations, part original history, 'The Civilization of Perpetual Movement' is an instant and unclassifiable classic, in the tradition of iconoclastic thinkers from Bruce Chatwin to James Scott to T. E. Lawrence.

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This book contains a forword by Ron Pust, Professor of Family Medicine, University of Arizona, USA. Written by a practicing physician with 30 years experience both in America and Africa, "Suffering and Healing in America" takes a critical look at Western health care and examines its weaknesses. With a thought provoking rather than prescriptive approach, this extraordinary book offers a new reasoning in health care: learning from history and traditional cultures. "Suffering and Healing in America" will be of great interest to all health care professionals and researchers with an interest in public health. Religious and spiritual leaders will find this book a source of inspiration, and policy makers and shapers worldwide will find plenty to inform and guide their thoughts on the future of health care in America and beyond. 'It doesn't matter whether you are a provider or a consumer of health care, whether in the USA or outside, this book continues to draw keenly reflective cultural insights to challenge us all. America has money and science, but we may have abandoned the spiritual and social context of our lives and deaths. In Africa, and in many other places on our planet, it is quite the opposite. I invite you to explore these contrasts with Ray Downing. This book's lessons have much to teach us.' - Ron Pust, in the Foreword.

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This book provides an in-depth analysis of global environmental governance in the Anthropocene in the context of transformative environmental change and of the realities of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It explores the dynamic ways that global to local actors, institutions and norms relate to regional and local environmental policy, histories and contexts, and how this shapes future environmental outcomes for some of the most biodiverse regions of the planet.Global Environmental Governance and Small Statesfills a gap in the existing international relations and environmental governance literature. It explains how and where regional and local social, economic, geophysical, legal and historical contexts interact with global environmental governance architectures, norms and state and non-state actors, to determine the nature of SIDS' environmental perspectives, responses and policies. Using the Anthropocene as the historical context, the volume examines the most pressing issues for small states' perspectives and international responses to environmental challenges. Key among these are those associated with climate change, tourism, marine governance, energy security, cultural heritage and trade.This book will be an invaluable tool for academics and scholars of international relations, international politics, global environmental governance, international development, Caribbean affairs and regional governance. Its insights will also be of benefit for diplomats, development partners, policymakers and political actors working with and in Caribbean States, and SIDS, more widely.

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Like the work of the European poets who have nourished him, David Constantine’s poetry is informed by a profoundly humane vision of the world. The title of his eleventh collection, Belongings, signals that these are poems concerned both with our possessions and with what possesses us. Among much else in the word belongings, the poems draw on a sense of our ‘co-ordinates’ – something like the eastings and northings that give a map-reference – how you might triangulate a life. The poems ask: Where do you belong? And have in mind also the hostile: You don’t belong here. Go back where you belong. Many, possibly all, the poems in the collection touch more or less closely on such matters. Perhaps all poetry does, showing a life in its good or bad defining circumstances. In the poem ‘Red’, the defining geography is literal, drawn from an old geological map of Manchester in which Constantine finds ‘the locus itself, a railway cutting / Behind the hospital I was born in’, from which the paths of a life led outward. In other poems the particular becomes universal, a territory holding all our belongings, our memories of the people and the places we hold in our hearts. Behind these explorations another kind of belonging is challenged: our relationship with the planet to which we belong, but which does not belong to us.

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In the early 1970s, Nobel Prize-winning DNA co-discoverer Sir Francis Crick and his colleague Leslie Orgel proposed that in the distant past, an extraterrestrial race sent a spacecraft loaded with microorganisms to seed the Earth with life. Now, more than 40 years later, the fields of space research and biotechnology have advanced to the point where they can back up Crick and Orgel’s claims about our ancient alien ancestors. Sharing scientific evidence of alien involvement with life on our planet and with the very landscape of Earth itself, Will Hart refines the theory of directed panspermia - that life was intentionally seeded on Earth by extraterrestrials - to reveal that the same ET agency also created humans and generated civilization. He shows how the Earth was terraformed through an engineering program so sophisticated and vast that it has escaped our attention so far - for example, the major rivers on Earth are precisely aligned through geo-engineering with the Great Pyramid of Giza. Investigating how the extraterrestrial agency behind the origin of civilization is still working behind the scenes today, the author examines the strongest modern UFO accounts, including the Russian Roswell case and the suppressed UFO sightings of NASA astronauts. He shows that this advanced ET civilization is not an alien race in the way we normally think of “aliens” - they are our ancestors and as human as we are.

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A sustained engagement between contemporary art and philosophy relating to our place in, and responsibility to, the nonhuman world How do contemporary art and theory contemplate the problem of the “bio” of biopolitics and bioart? How do they understand the question of “life” that binds human and nonhuman worlds in their shared travail? In Art and Posthumanism, Cary Wolfe argues for the reconceptualization of nature in art and theory to turn the idea of the relationship between the human and the planet upside down.Wolfe explores a wide range of contemporary artworks—from Sue Coe’s illustrations of animals in factory farms and Eduardo Kac’s bioart to the famous performance pieces of Joseph Bueys and the video installations of Eija-Liisa Ahtila, among others—examining how posthumanist theory can illuminate, and be illuminated by, artists’ engagement with the more-than-human world. Looking at biological and social systems, the question of the animal, and biopolitics, Art and Posthumanism explores how contemporary art rivets our attention on the empirically thick, emotionally charged questions of “life” and the “living” amid ecological catastrophe.One of the foremost theorists of posthumanism, Wolfe pushes that philosophy out of the realm of the purely theoretical to show how a posthumanist engagement with particular works and their conceptual underpinnings help to develop more potent ethical and political commitments.

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Shortlisted for the 2023 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award Shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards – Children’s Book of the Year: STEM A brilliantly funny first guide to genetics that is perfect for children aged 5 years and over. This stunningly illustrated book will boggle your brain with astonishing facts, as it shows how we’re all related to every living thing on the planet. Did you know that a grain of rice has more genes than you? Or that you’re related to dogs, dung beetles and even daffodils? Luckily, even though you’re 99.9% like a chimpanzee, you’re still 100% YOU! The extraordinary world of genetics has never been explained so simply. You’ll be amazed at what makes you YOU. Susie Brooks has been writing and editing children's books for more than ten years. In her worldwide travels, she seeks out the unusual and the extraordinary. Josy Bloggs loves working with layout and colour to create impactful illustration. She graduated from the University of Huddersfield with an MA in Spatial Design and her grounding in graphic and spatial design has shaped and influenced her art style. When she is not busy illustrating and designing, she likes to take her dog for long walks or cycle in the Yorkshire countryside. Her clients include AA Publishing, Arcturus Publishing, John Lewis and WHSmith.

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Identify your creative mission and fulfill your purpose, guided by an inspiring road map of enthusiastic pep talks, artistic exercises, writing prompts, and a unique archetypal framework.As a bold and unique individual, you arrived on this planet with a sacred, Creative Mission—a reason for being that was whispered into your ear before you were born. But when negative forces seem to stifle you, how do you find the clarity, confidence, and resilience to share your gifts with the world? Everyone has the power to become a revolutionary artist. In this guide to unapologetic self-expression and liberation, Shereen Sun, founder of Radiant Wildheart, supports you in finding the deep personal healing that can be found from walking your Divine Purpose Path. With their encouragement and exercises, you will: - discover your Creative Mission and meet your elemental archetype - cultivate your inner artist to align with your values and goals - utilize your natural gifts to live your truth - channel your rebellious energy into a positive force for your community, your career, and the world Magical illustrations paired with straightforward advice will inspire you to express yourself in the world. When you awaken your inner artist and give them the space to flourish, your wildest, most authentic life can’t help but manifest. Are you ready to give your inner artist space to play?

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Microbial Bioreactors for Industrial Molecules Harness the planet’s most numerous resources with this comprehensive guide Microorganisms constitute the invisible majority of all living creatures on Earth. They are found virtually everywhere on the planet, including in environments too extreme for any larger organisms to exist. They form a hugely significant resource whose potential value for human society cannot be overlooked. The creation of microorganism- based bioreactors for the industrial production of valuable biomolecules has the potential to revolutionize a range of industries and fields. Microbial Bioreactors for Industrial Molecules provides a comprehensive introduction to these bioresources. It covers all potential approaches to the use of microbial technology and the production of high-value biomolecules for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and agricultural industries, among others. The book’s rigorous detail and global, holistic approach to harnessing the power of the planetary microbiome make it an invaluable introduction to this growing area of research and production. Readers will also find: Detailed coverage of basic, applied, biosynthetic, and translational approaches to the use of microbial technology Discussion of industrially produced microbe-borne enzymes including invertase, lipase, keratinase, protease, and more Approaches for using microbial bioreactors to generate biofuels Microbial Bioreactors for Industrial Molecules is essential for scientists and researchers in microbiology and biotechnology, as well as for professionals in the biotech industries and graduate students studying the applications of the life sciences.

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The lives of bees are interwoven with our own, but how much do you know about them? Which scents do bees prefer? How do bees transport pollen? How far can bees fly? Do specific colours attract bees? Do bees prefer native flowers? Bees are a delight to see in the garden on warm summer days, buzzing as they flit from flower to flower. They are also vital for the future of the planet and without their dedicated pollinating skills, many crops would eventually fail. Then there is honey – a near-miraculous elixir that in earlier generations was an integral part of life as a sweetener and food preserver. It can be fermented with water and yeast to create mead, a drink that has been enjoyed for thousands of years. The Bee-Kind Garden reveals the many facets of the lives of bees, including their hives, flight patterns and defence. It is filled with helpful information on important topics such as which flowers are best for attracting bees to your garden, beekeeping equipment and guidance for extracting honey as well as the art of talking to bees. It also celebrates the charming proverbs, limericks and verse bees have inspired. This delightfully illustrated book is a homage to bees and to ensuring that they continue to live in harmony with humans in bee-friendly gardens.

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Exterranean concerns the extraction of stuff from the Earth, a process in which matter goes from being sub- to exterranean. By opening up a rich archive of nonmodern texts and images from across Europe, this work offers a bracing riposte to several critical trends in ecological thought. By shifting emphasis from emission to extraction, Usher reorients our perspective away from Earthrise-like globes and shows what is gained by opening the planet to depths within. The book thus maps the material and immaterial connections between the Earth from which we extract, the human and nonhuman agents of extraction, and the extracted matter with which we live daily. Eschewing the self-congratulatory claims of posthumanism, Usher instead elaborates a productive tension between the materially-situated homo of nonmodern humanism and the abstract and aggregated anthropos of the Anthropocene. In dialogue with Michel Serres, Bruno Latour, and other interdisciplinary work in the environmental humanities, Usher shows what premodern material can offer to contemporary theory. Examining textual and visual culture alike, Usher explores works by Ronsard, Montaigne, and Rabelais, early scientific works by Paracelsus and others, as well as objects, engravings, buildings, and the Salt Mines of Wieliczka. Both historicist and speculative in approach, Exterranean lays the groundwork for a comparative ecocriticism that reaches across and untranslates theoretical affordances between periods and languages.

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“Yes, Kant did indeed speak of extraterrestrials.” This phrase could provide the opening for this brief treatise of philosofiction (as one speaks of science fiction). What is revealed in the aliens of which Kant speaks—and he no doubt took them more seriously than anyone else in the history of philosophy—are the limits of globalization, or what Kant called cosmopolitanism. Before engaging Kantian considerations of the inhabitants of other worlds, before comprehending his reasoned alienology, this book works its way through an analysis of the star wars raging above our heads in the guise of international treaties regulating the law of space, including the cosmopirates that Carl Schmitt sometimes mentions in his late writings. Turning to track the comings and goings of extraterrestrials in Kant’s work, Szendy reveals that they are the necessary condition for an unattainable definition of humanity. Impossible to represent, escaping any possible experience, they are nonetheless inscribed both at the heart of the sensible and as an Archimedean point from whose perspective the interweavings of the sensible can be viewed. Reading Kant in dialogue with science fiction films (films he seems already to have seen) involves making him speak of questions now pressing in upon us: our endangered planet, ecology, a war of the worlds. But it also means attempting to think, with or beyond Kant, what a point of view might be.

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The breathtaking follow-up to Saving Sorya – Chang and the Sun Bear, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2023When Chang meets an elderly elephant named H’non, she makes a promise to rescue her from a lifetime of captivity. Together, they embark on a quest to find a new home where H’non can live as nature intended – wild and free.Created by wildlife activist Trang Nguyen – who was featured as one of the environmental heroes in episode eight of the BBC’s Planet Earth III – and award-winning manga artist Jeet Zdung, Saving H'non: Chang and the Elephant is an inspirational graphic-novel adventure, based on a true story, about a young conservationist who overcomes the odds to give H'non the elephant the life she deserves after 50 years of hardship.Chang’s daring story is for any young reader, animal lover and intrepid explorer who’s ready for adventure!PRAISE FOR SAVING SORYA: CHANG AND THE SUN BEARWinner of the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration'A beautiful, moving and uplifting tale of perseverance and overcoming challenge, and how small steps can make a big difference.' - BookTrust'I cannot praise this book enough.' – Mat Tobin'The epitome of wild and free.' - Kirkus Reviews, starred review'Stirring and gorgeously rendered, this eco-conscious tale is a superb purchase for all libraries.' - School Library Journal, starred review

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A wondrous story of scientific endeavor—probing the great ice sheets of AntarcticaFrom the moment explorers set foot on the ice of Antarctica in the early nineteenth century, they desired to learn what lay beneath. David J. Drewry provides an insider’s account of the ambitious and often hazardous radar mapping expeditions that he and fellow glaciologists undertook during the height of the Cold War, when concerns about global climate change were first emerging and scientists were finally able to peer into the Antarctic ice and take its measure.In this panoramic book, Drewry charts the history and breakthrough science of radio-echo sounding, a revolutionary technique that has enabled researchers to measure the thickness and properties of ice continuously from the air—transforming our understanding of the world’s great ice sheets. To those involved in this epic fieldwork, it was evident that our planet is rapidly changing, and its future depends on the stability and behavior of these colossal ice masses. Drewry describes how bad weather, downed aircraft, and human frailty disrupt the most meticulously laid plans, and how success, built on remarkable international cooperation, can spawn institutional rivalries.The Land Beneath the Ice captures the excitement and innovative spirit of a pioneering era in Antarctic geophysical exploration, recounting its perils and scientific challenges, and showing how its discoveries are helping us to tackle environmental challenges of global significance.

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Some of the most exciting scientific developments in recent years have come not from theoretical physicists, astronomers, or molecular biologists but instead from the chemistry lab. Chemists have created superconducting ceramics for brain scanners, designed liquid crystal flat screens for televisions and watch displays, and made fabrics that change color while you wear them. They have fashioned metals from plastics, drugs from crude oil, and have pinpointed the chemical pollutants affecting our atmosphere and are now searching for remedies for the imperiled planet. Philip Ball, an editor for the prestigious magazine Nature, lets the lay reader into the world of modern chemistry. Here, for example, chemists find new uses for the improbable buckminsterfullerene molecules--60-atom carbon soccerballs, dubbed "buckyballs"--which seem to have applications for everything from lubrication to medicine to electronics. The book is not intended as an introduction to chemistry, but as an accessible survey of recent developments throughout many of the major fields allied with chemistry: from research in traditional areas such as crystallography and spectroscopy to entirely new fields of study such as molecular electronics, artificial enzymes, and "smart" polymer gels. Ball's grand tour along the leading edge of scientific discovery will appeal to all curious readers, with or without any scientific training, to chemistry students looking for future careers, and to practicing chemical researchers looking for information on other specialties within their discipline.

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Perfect for ages 8 to 80!Adapted from A Short History of Nearly Everything, this stunningly illustrated book from Bill Bryson takes us from the Big Bang to the dawn of science, and everything in between! Ever wondered how we got from nothing to something?Or thought about how we can weigh the earth?Or wanted to reach the edge of the universe?Uncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book - a journey from the centre of the planet, to the dawn of the dinosaurs, and everything in between. And discover our own incredible journey, from single cell to civilisation, including the brilliant (and sometimes very bizarre) scientists who helped us find out the how and why.The ideal book for curious young readers everywhere. ************************************************************************Reviews for A Short History of Nearly Everything:'It's the sort of book I would have devoured as a teenager. It might well turn unsuspecting young readers into scientists.' Evening Standard'I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written' Sunday Telegraph 'A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever look at the world around them in the same way again' Daily Express 'The very book I have been looking for most of my life' Daily Mail

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Industrial agriculture is responsible for widespread environmental degradation and undermines the pursuit of human well-being. With a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050, it is urgent for humanity to achieve a more sustainable approach to farming and food systems.This concise text offers an overview of the key issues in sustainable food production for all readers interested in the ecology and environmental impacts of agriculture. It details the ecological foundations of farming and food systems, showing how knowledge from the natural and social sciences can be used to create sustainable alternatives to the industrial production methods used today. Beginning with a discussion of the role of agriculture in human development, the primer examines how twentieth-century farming methods are environmentally and socially unsustainable, contributing to global change and perpetuating inequalities. The authors explain the principles of environmental sustainability and explore how these principles can be put into practice in agrifood systems. They emphasize the importance of human well-being and insist on the centrality of social and environmental equity and justice.Sustainable Food Production is a compelling guide to how we can improve our ability to feed each other today and preserve the ability of our planet to do so tomorrow. Appropriate for a range of courses in the natural and social sciences, it provides a comprehensive yet accessible framework for achieving agricultural sustainability in the Anthropocene.

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The Anthropocene marks the age of significant human impact on the Earth’s ecosystems, dramatically underscoring the reality that human life is not separate from nature but an integral part of it. Culturally, ecologically, and socially destructive practices such as resource extraction have led to this moment of peril. These practices, however, implicate more than industrial and economic systems: they are built into the political theology of American exceptionalism, compelling us to reimagine human social and political life on Earth. American Immanence seeks to replace the dominant American political tradition, which has resulted in global social, economic, and environmental injustices, with a new form of political theology, its dominant feature a radical democratic politics. Michael S. Hogue explores the potential of a dissenting immanental tradition in American religion based on philosophical traditions of naturalism, process thought, and pragmatism. By integrating systems theory and concepts of vulnerability and resilience into the lineages of American immanence, he articulates a political theology committed to democracy as an emancipatory and equitable way of life. Rather than seeking to redeem or be redeemed, Hogue argues that the vulnerability of life in the Anthropocene calls us to build radically democratic communities of responsibility, resistance, and resilience. American Immanence integrates an immanental theology of, by, and for the planet with a radical democratic politics of, by, and for the people.

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People are key elements of wild places. At the same time, human entanglements with wild ecologies involve extractivism, the growth of resource-based economies, and imperial-colonial expansion, activities that are wreaking havoc on our planet.Through an ethnographic exploration of Canada’s ten UNESCO Natural World Heritage sites, Inhabited reflects on the meanings of wildness, wilderness, and natural heritage. As we are introduced to local inhabitants and their perspectives, Phillip Vannini and April Vannini ask us to reflect on the colonial and dualist assumptions behind the received meaning of wild, challenging us to reimagine wildness as relational and rooted in vitality. Over the three years they spent in and around these sites, they learned from Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples about their entanglements with each other and with non-human animals, rocks, plants, trees, sky, water, and spirits. The stories, actions, and experiences they encountered challenge conventional narratives of wild places as uninhabited by people and disconnected from culture and society. While it might be tempting to dismiss the idea of wildness as outdated in the Anthropocene era, Inhabited suggests that rethinking wildness offers a better – if messier – way forward.Part geography and anthropology, part environmental and cultural studies, and part politics and ecology, Inhabited balances a genuine love of nature’s vitality with a culturally responsible understanding of its interconnectedness with more-than-human ways of life.

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For far too long humans have been ignoring nature. As the most dominant, overproducing, over consuming, big-brained, big-footed, arrogant, and invasive species ever known, we are wrecking the planet at an unprecedented rate. And while science is important to our understanding of the impact we have on our environment, it alone does not hold the answers to the current crisis, nor does it get people to act. In "Ignoring Nature No More", Marc Bekoff and a host of renowned contributors argue that we need a new mind-set about nature, one that centers on empathy, compassion, and being proactive. This collection of diverse essays is the first book devoted to compassionate conservation, a growing global movement that translates discussions and concerns about the well-being of individuals, species, populations, and ecosystems into action. Written by leading scholars in a host of disciplines, including biology, psychology, sociology, social work, economics, political science, and philosophy, as well as by locals doing fieldwork in their own countries, the essays combine the most creative aspects of the current science of animal conservation with analyses of important psychological and sociocultural issues that encourage or vex stewardship. Taken together, the essays make a strong case for why we must replace our habits of domination and exploitation with compassionate conservation if we are to make the world a better place for nonhuman and human animals alike.

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Discover the origins of the Jedi order, as a lone Je'daii ranger fights to save their ancient homeworld, Tython, from disaster.On the planet Tython, the ancient Je'daii order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force-and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je'daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy.Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je'daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency. The leader of a fanatical cult, obsessed with traveling beyond the reaches of known space, is bent on opening a cosmic gateway using dreaded dark matter as the key-risking a cataclysmic reaction that will consume the entire star system. But more shocking to Lanoree than even the prospect of total galactic annihilation, is the decision of her Je'daii Masters to task her with the mission of preventing it. Until a staggering revelation makes clear why she was chosen: The brilliant, dangerous madman she must track down and stop at any cost is the brother whose death she has long grieved-and whose life she must now fear.

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