Search results for ""Talismán""

For centuries, wizards have avoided making war on each other for fear of waking the legendary dragon that sleeps at Raven's Ghyll. But it is a new age. The patriarch Nicodemus Snowbeard is rapidly failing. The Wizard Houses of the Red and White Rose have united against Claude D'Orsay, Master of Games and keeper of the Dragonhold, and a moment when he and and his sadistic son Devereaux seem poised to seize control of all of the magical guilds. But then everything changes ...Jason Haley has been trying to be part of the action for months: he wants to help, but no one seems prepared to let him in. Seph is monitoring the defensive walls. Jack and Ellen are training their ghost army, even his Anaweir friends are doing their bit to help. Only Jason seems to be left out - until he stumbles across a powerful talisman, called the Dragonheart, hidden away in a cave. It seems to sing to Jason, its power calling to him. Perhaps, finally, he's going to be able to help.The final battle is coming, and the magical community of Trinity is about to risk the destruction of everything they care about in order to remain free. The outcome is balanced on a knife edge, and the slightest advantage could turn the tide. If Jason can help, if the moody and mysterious Madison Moss can be persuaded to join the Weirguilds before it's too late, and if the friends who make Trinity a place worth fighting for remain true ...

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The story continues in this sixth book in the Spirit Animals series - an epic collection of stories that leap from the page into a riveting online game. Your book is the key to claim your spirit animal! Deep in the desert there sits a beautiful oasis, ruled by a monarch unlike any other in Erdas. His name is Cabaro, the Great Lion, and he reigns over a kingdom of animals, jealously guarding his golden talisman. No human has ever set foot in the Great Beast's territory. The journey to his oasis is impossible.As a team, Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan have achieved the impossible before. But now that team is broken -- the friends scattered by a devastating betrayal. The young heroes and their spirit animals have already sacrificed much in their quest for the talismans. But with the world crumbling all around them-and a ruthless enemy opposing their every move-their greatest sacrifices are yet to come. The fate of Erdas has fallen on the shoulders of these brave strangers . . . and on you.. Part engrossing book series, part action role-playing game - discover your spirit animal and join the adventure. Six immersive novels and a breathtaking game make this a world children will want to live in for ever Hardback format makes this a lovely gift Each book in the series will unlock expanded gameplay on the Spirit Animals online game site www.spiritanimals.com The stunning game puts players in the world of the books, drawing reluctant readers into the story

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In his brief life, Alexander the Great gained fame as the military genius who conquered the known world. After death, his legend only increased. Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) precipitated immense historical change in the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. But the resonance his legend achieved over the next two millennia stretched even farther—across foreign cultures, religious traditions, and distant nations. This engaging and handsomely illustrated book for the first time gathers together hundreds of the colorful Alexander legends that have been told and retold around the globe. Richard Stoneman, a foremost expert on the Alexander myths, introduces us first to the historical Alexander and then to the Alexander of legend, an unparalleled mythic icon who came to represent the heroic ideal in cultures from Egypt to Iceland, from Britain to Malaya. Alexander came to embody the concerns of Hellenistic man; he fueled Roman ideas on tyranny and kingship; he was a talisman for fourth-century pagans and a hero of chivalry in the early Middle Ages. He appears in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic writings, frequently as a prophet of God. Whether battling winged foxes or meeting with the Amazons, descending to the underworld or inventing the world’s first diving bell, Alexander inspired as a hero, even a god. Stoneman traces Alexander’s influence in ancient literature and folklore and in later literatures of east and west. His book provides the definitive account of the legends of Alexander the Great—a powerful leader in life and an even more powerful figure in the history of literature and ideas.

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Bella the dragon loses her eggs in a terrible storm. Mina discovers Bella and offers to help her. Will she be able to save the baby dragon eggs and bring them safely home to Bella?Phonic Books Dragon eggs comprises ten books, each focusing on a different vowel sound. A great resource for children who are not yet fluent readers and need to revisit those tricky vowel digraphs. Contains a higher ratio of text to develop reading fluency and build confidence.Dragon Eggs follows the same phonic progression as Phonic Books Talisman 1, Phonic Books Island Adventure and Phonic Books Rescue and can be used in parallel to consolidate phonemic knowledge and reading skills.Book 1: Lost in the Waves (ay, ai, a, a-e, ea, ey)Book 2: Tree Beast (ee, ea, y, e, ie, e-e, ei)Book 3: Frozen Solid (ow, oa, oe, o-e, o)Book 4: The Sky Worm (er, ir, ur, or, ear)Book 5: Lost and Found (ow, ou & oi, oy)Book 6: Confusing Routes (oo, ue, u-e, ew, ou, u)Book 7: Finding the Light (igh, ie, i-e, i, y)Book 8: Falling Waters (a, aw, awe, au, al, ough)Book 9: A Daring Raid (air, are, ear, ere, eir)Book 10: Breaking the Charm (ar)Accompanying photocopiable activities for word building, reading, spelling and comprehension can be found in Phonic Books Dragon Eggs Activities.

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***50 MILLION TERRY BROOKS COPIES SOLD AROUND THE WORLD***THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES IS NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES'Terry's place is at the head of the fantasy world' Philip PullmanTHE ARMY OF DARKNESS DRAWS NEARFive centuries ago, a catastrophic demon war left the world in ruins. Since then, the survivors - humans, elves and other mutants - have found sanctuary in a mountain valley protected by magic. But now these protective wards have failed, and a ruthless troll army is on the brink of invasion.In an attempt to stave off annihilation, Panterra Qu, a young Tracker struggles to control the power of the black staff - a powerful talisman passed down through the centuries by the Knights of the Word.It is their only hope for salvation - for all will pay a price if the war between the Word and the Void tips towards darkness.Praise for Terry Brooks:'A master of the craft . . . required reading' Brent Weeks'I can't even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks's books I've read (and re-read) over the years' Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind'I would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara' Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man'If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy' Christopher Paolini, author of EragonLegends of Shannara:BEARERS OF THE BLACK STAFFTHE MEASURE OF THE MAGIC

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The first major survey of the occult collection of artworks, letters, objects and ephemera in the Tate Archive and collection. Revealing over 150 esoteric and mystical pieces, some never before seen, this book gives a new understanding to the artists in the Tate collection and the history and practice of the occult. A lavishly illustrated magical volume acts a potent talisman connecting the two worlds of Tate – the seen public collection and the unseen secrets lurking in the archive. The pages of this book explore the hidden artworks and ephemera left behind by artists, and shed new light on our understanding of the art historical canon. It offers an in-depth exploration of the occult and its relationship to art and culture including witchcraft, alchemy, secret societies, folklore and pagan rituals, demonology, spells and magic, psychic energies, astrology and tarot. Expect to find the unexpected in the works and lives of artists such as Ithell Colquhoun, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Cecil Collins, John William Waterhouse, Alan Davie, Joe Tilson, Henry Moore, Eileen Agar, William Blake, Leonora Carrington and Pamela Colman Smith. For the first time, the clandestine, magical works of the Tate archive are revealed with archivist Victoria Jenkins exploring relationships between art and the occult, and how both can act as a form of resistance to challenging environments. This book challenges perceptions and illuminates the surprising breadth and extraordinary ways in which artists interpret not just the physical world around them but also the supernatural, to make the unseen, seen. If you think you know Tate artists, it’s time to think again.

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Described by some as "erotica for feminists," and "enemy to family values," DeColo's poems convulse with desire and a longing for connection. Her work speaks to the particular loneliness of watching Fox News after you've masturbated too many times, depleted and filled with fascination and terror. Balancing tenderness with ferocity, cynicism with wonder, DeColo's poems disrupt and reclaim misogynistic language, creating a lyricism that dazzles and swoons, hoping to leave a stain deep enough to last. "The poems in Kendra DeColo's extraordinary second collection, My Dinner With Ron Jeremy, live in the sinuous space between want and propriety, fantasy and the 'Must Be 18' button on the poetry portal. There's love here, too, and John Coltrane, and abandonment in all its necessary circumstances, but sex is both brilliant talisman and vacant harbinger through it all. This often humorous, always provocative book puts a neon backlight on the filaments between what we have, what we have to do, and what we wish we could do, whether we can rewind and watch it again or not. "--Adrian Matejka, Author of The Big Smoke, a 2014 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. "Marvelous poetry ...poems that would make great feature films. "--Ron Jeremy, Actor "Sex-positive feminist verse...DeColo manages to coax beauty and meaning from the absurd aching morass of human existence. It's not every writer who can emerge from these corners with anything approaching grace, much less deft and bracing poems such as these."--The Nashville Scene "[DeColo's] work is ferocious and tender, demolishing patriarchal language and using the fragments to build riotous new worlds."--Bitch Magazine

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In the mid-1930s, eminent locomotive engineer Sir Nigel Gresley produced plans for the A4 Class Pacifics, which were specially built to work a new high-speed express, the ‘Silver Jubilee’. From the start, the class caused a sensation and immediately secured the admiration of the general public. Gresley’s A4s captures these worldfamous locomotives throughout their life, with over 300 excellent colour and black and white images present in this collection, which is arguably the greatest ever assembled on the class. Photographs of every locomotive in the LNER and BR periods are included. Overa dozen A4s feature in a chapter dedicated to the 1946 renumbering, which lasted only two/three years, making pictures of them particularly rare. The A4s are shown at major centres on the East Coast Main Line, such as King’s Cross station, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley. Also, images taken during the twilight years in Scotland are included. The surviving engines are seen at several locations in the country – Aberdeen, Glasgow and Perth. A number of images are from the lineside at various points, or wayside stations and water troughs. Some classmembers have been photographed at sheds when being serviced, or under repair at workshops. Many of the famous trains worked by the A4s are presented, such as the ‘Silver Jubilee’, ‘Coronation’, ‘West Riding Limited’ and ‘Flying Scotsman’, then later the ‘Capitals Limited’, ‘Elizabethan’, ‘The Talisman’, etc. The class were often selected to head special trains and there are several examples of this in Gresley’s A4s. The pictures are accompanied by interesting and informative captions that provide details from the history of each locomotive, as well as the class.

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The remarkable memoir of Zuzana Ružicková, Holocaust survivor and world-famous harpsichordist. 'Extraordinary' Sunday Times 'Compelling' Daily Telegraph Zuzana Ružicková grew up in 1930s Czechoslovakia dreaming of two things: Johann Sebastian Bach and the piano. But her peaceful, melodic childhood was torn apart when, in 1939, the Nazis invaded. Uprooted from her home, transported from Auschwitz to Hamburg to Bergen-Belsen, bereaved, starved, and afflicted with crippling injuries to her musician’s hands, the teenage Zuzana faced a series of devastating losses. Yet with every truck and train ride, a small slip of paper printed with her favourite piece of Bach’s music became her talisman. Armed with this ‘proof that beauty still existed’, Zuzana’s fierce bravery and passion ensured her survival of the greatest human atrocities of all time, and would continue to sustain her through the brutalities of post-war Communist rule. Harnessing her talent and dedication, and fortified by the love of her husband, the Czech composer Viktor Kalabis, Zuzana went on to become one of the twentieth century’s most renowned musicians and the first harpsichordist to record the entirety of Bach’s keyboard works. Zuzana’s story, told here in her own words before her death in 2017, is a profound and powerful testimony of the horrors of the Holocaust, and a testament in itself to the importance of amplifying the voices of its survivors today. It is also a joyful celebration of art and resistance that defined the life of the ‘first lady of the harpsichord’– a woman who spent her life being ceaselessly reborn through her music.

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A battle - charged and epic heroic fantasy by the Sunday Times bestselling author David Gemmell, perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, Duncan M. Hamilton and Conn Iggulden."In my pantheon of literary greats, David Gemmell stands alone . . . he put me on the path I still walk today" - Conn Iggulden"In the realm of people-driven fantasy fiction, Gemmell sets the standard" -- TIME OUT"Impressive story-telling...Compelling and pacey action...The best fantasy inspires genuine involvement. David Gemmell's novels do just that." -- INTERZONE"I have now read this book at least 10 times and every time I get lost in the intrigue..." -- ***** Reader review"Fast moving and emotionally charged, you just won't be able to put this down..." -- ***** Reader review**********************************************For centuries the tribes of the Nadir have suffered under the despotic tyranny of their Gothir overlords. Disunited and distrustful of one another they await the coming of a Messianic warlord, who will unite them against the oppressors.Into this swirling, chaotic landscape come three men who will change the fate of the continent: Talisman the Mysterious, enigmatic Nadir warrior, haunted by his past and filled with dreams of finding the Uniter; Sieben the Poet, searching for the mysteries of life and love; and Druss the Axeman, determined to find two mystic gems to heal a mortally wounded friend.Together they will journey across a war-torn land, and descend beyond the gates of Hell, where a long-dead king holds the key to a secret that will change the world.The Legend of Deathwalker continues the extraordinary tale of Druss among the Nadir started in Legend

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WINNER OF FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD In 1999, Manchester United completed a unique Treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League - but more remarkable than that was how they did it, and the stories behind the historic achievement. Matt Dickinson covered the whole story at the time, and now in 99 compelling chapters brings it all vividly to life. When the season began, Manchester United were up for sale, the club's iconic talisman Eric Cantona had gone, rivals Arsenal were the reigning Double winners, David Beckham was a national hate figure after being sent off during the World Cup, and even manager Alex Ferguson's position was being questioned. Early signs weren't promising, despite record spending to bring in new stars, among them Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke, but soon things began to change. Driven by the indomitable will of skipper Roy Keane, supported by a nucleus from the Class of 92 - Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, the Nevilles and Paul Scholes - who had grown up at the club, they went on a long unbeaten and unbeatable run, featuring some of the most dramatic games in English football history. Acclaimed football writer Matt Dickinson goes behind the scenes of the legendary Manchester United treble of 1999: a tale full of comebacks, drama and record-breaking feats. So much more than a book for United fans; it is an insight into team building, the will to succeed, a tale of local pride and of history-makers.

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In the course of researching dogwood trees, beloved poet and essayist Christopher Merrill realized that a number of formative moments in his life had some connection to the tree named--according to one writer--because its fruit was not fit for a dog. As he approached his sixtieth birthday, Merrill began to compose a self-portrait alongside this tree whose lifespan is comparable to a human's and that, from an early age, he's regarded as a talisman. Dogwoods have never been far from Merrill's view at significant moments throughout his life, helping to shape his understanding of place in the great chain of being; entwined in his experience is the conviction that our relationship to the natural world is central to our walk in the sun. The feeling of a connection to nature has become more acute as his life has taken him to distant corners of the earth, often to war zones where he has witnessed not only humankind's propensity for violence and evil but also the enduring power of connections that can be forged across languages, borders, and politics. Dogwoods teach us persistence humility and wonder. Self-Portrait with Dogwood is no ordinary memoir, but rather the work of a traveler who has crisscrossed the country and the globe in search of ways to make sense of his time here. Merrill provides new ways of thinking about personal history, the environment, politics, faith, and the power of the written word. In his descriptions of places far and near, many outside of the average American's purview--a besieged city in Bosnia, a hidden path in a Taiwanese park, Tolstoy's country house in Russia, a castle in Slovakia, a blossoming dogwood at daybreak in Seattle--the reader's understanding of the world will flourish as well.

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This book was complied as a gift of motivation for you. Keep it on your desk so that you can refer to it often. The collected quotations, sayings, aphorisms, maxims, and epigrams contained within these pages have been specifically selected for their value to the military professional. This book tells you a lot about the military profession, and about what it means to be a leader in the military. It is an anthology from people who have understood that very well and written about it over the ages. Included within its pages are passages that are thousands of years old, extolling the eternal truths of soldiering, and some from people who are living today. There is much in it that is helpful and inspiring, and probably some things with which you will disagree as well. Reading it will cause passages and phrases to echo in your mind and create a resonance that has been a talisman for many in the profession of arms. The quotes show up one unalterable verity of the military profession. Many of the problems faced by military men centuries ago are exactly the same as those faced by soldiers, sailors and airmen today. The Quotes cover a great variety ranging from leadership to behavior on the battlefield, or directly related to sustaining forces in battle. They reflect the complex world of the military profession. Like their predecessors military commanders of today require physical courage, but just as important, and much more difficult, is moral courage. The Quotes includes examples of individuals who placed their careers on the line in defence of a greater principle, but there are just as many examples of individuals who failed the test. Indeed, examples of what not to do are sometimes the more important.

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Global thinker, public intellectual and world-famous theorist of ‘liquid modernity’, Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) was a scholar who, despite forced migration, built a very successful academic career and, after retirement, became a prolific and popular writer and an intellectual talisman for young people everywhere. He was one of those rare scholars who, grey-haired and in his eighties, had his finger on the pulse of the youth. This is the first comprehensive biography of Bauman’s life and work. Izabela Wagner returns to Bauman’s native Poland and recounts his childhood in an assimilated Polish Jewish family and the school experiences shaped by anti-Semitism. Bauman’s life trajectory is typical of his generation and social group: the escape from Nazi occupation and Soviet secondary education, communist engagement, enrolment in the Polish Army as a political officer, participation in the WW II and the support for the new political regime in the post-war Poland. Wagner sheds new light on the post-war period and Bauman’s activity as a KBW political officer. His eviction in 1953 from the military ranks and his academic career reflect the dynamic context of Poland in 1950s and 1960s. His professional career in Poland was abruptly halted in 1968 by the anti-Semitic purges. Bauman became a refugee again - leaving Poland for Israel, and then settling down in Leeds in the UK in 1971. His work would flourish in Leeds, and after his retirement in 1991 he entered a period of enormous productivity which propelled him onto the international stage as one of the most widely read and influential social thinkers of our time. Wagner’s biography brings out the complex connections between Bauman’s life experiences and his work, showing how his trajectory as an ‘outsider’ forced into exile by the anti-Semitic purges in Poland has shaped his thinking over time. Her careful and thorough account will be the standard biography of Bauman’s life and work for years to come.

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‘My Decade in the Premier League’ is Wayne’s first hand account of his 10 years playing at the highest level in English football – and for the biggest club in the world. This is his inside story of life on the pitch for Manchester Utd; the League titles, FA Cups, League Cups and Champions League adventures. A must for any Utd fan. Wayne Rooney is widely regarded as one of the leading football players of his generation. A talisman for Manchester United, since his move to the club in 2004, Rooney is their star player and an all-time great at the club. In the 10 years since he made his debut as a 16 year old for Everton, he has acquired trophy after trophy, accolade after accolade and headline after headline. ‘My Decade in the Premier League’ is the inside account of life as a Premier League footballer from the man every one wants to hear from. This is his story, in his words. From gracing the ground at Goodison as an excitable 16 year old to lifting the Champions League trophy with Manchester United. From the emotional high of scoring the winner against Manchester City with that overhead bicycle kick to the crushing low of losing the league title in the last few seconds of the season. This is a book for the fan who would kill to get just 30 seconds on the pitch at The Theatre of Dreams – to run on the famous turf and score in front of the Stretford End. ‘My Decade in the Premier League’ gives a real insight in to what goes in to being part of the biggest club in the world; the training pitch, the dressing room, the manager, the coaches and, most importantly, the buzz of crossing that white line and hearing the 76,000 strong crowd chant your name. In intricate, emotional detail Wayne talks about every season he has spent in the Premier League and how it feels to be one the most celebrated footballers on the planet.

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In the international bestseller Roma, Steven Saylor told the story of the first thousand years of Rome by following the descendants of a single bloodline. Now, in Empire, Saylor charts the destinies of five more generations of the Pinarius family, from the reign of the first emperor, Augustus, to the glorious height of Rome's empire under Hadrian. Through the eyes of the Pinarii, we witness the machinations of Tiberius, the madness of Caligula, the cruel escapades of Nero, and the chaos of the Year of Four Emperors in 69 A.D. The deadly paranoia of Domitian is followed by the Golden Age of Trajan and Hadrian-but even the most enlightened emperors wield the power to inflict death and destruction on a whim. Empire is strewn with spectacular scenes, including the Great Fire of 64 A.D. that ravaged the city, Nero's terrifying persecution of the Christians, and the mind-blowing opening games of the Colosseum. But at the novel's heart are the wrenching choices and seductive temptations faced by each new generation of the Pinarii. One unwittingly becomes the sexual plaything of the notorious Messalina. One enters into a clandestine affair with a Vestal virgin. One falls under the charismatic spell of Nero, while another is drawn into the strange new cult of those who deny the gods and call themselves Christians. However diverse their destinies and desires, all the Pinarii are united by one thing: the mysterious golden talisman called the fascinum handed down from a time before Rome existed. As it passes from generation to generation, the fascinum seems to exercise a power not only over those who wear it, but over the very fate of the empire. Praise for Steven Saylor: 'Saylor expertly weaves the true history of Rome with the lives and loves of its fictional citizens.' Daily Express 'Saylor's scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals' Ruth Rendell 'With the scalpel-like deftness of a Hollywood director, Saylor puts his finger on the very essence of Roman history.' Times Literary Supplement 'Readers will find his work wonderfully (and gracefully) researched...this is entertainment of the first order.' Washington Post

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'A compelling storyteller, with a striking talent for historical reconstruction' Mary BeardA.D. 165: The empire of Rome has reached its pinnacle. Pax Roma reigns from Britannia to Egypt, from Gaul to Greece. Emperor Marcus Aurelius oversees a golden age and the ancient Pinarius family of artisans embellish the greatest city on Earth with gilded statues and towering marble monuments. But history does not stand still. The years to come bring wars, plagues, fires, and famines. The best emperors in history are succeeded by some of the worst. Barbarians descend, eventually appearing before the gates of Rome itself. Chaos engulfs the empire.Through it all, the Pinarius family endures, thanks in no small part to the fascinum, a protective talisman older than Rome itself, handed down through countless generations.But on the fringes of society, a band of troublesome cultists disseminate dangerous and seditious ideas. They call themselves Christians. Some emperors deal with the Christians with toleration, others with bloody persecution. Then one emperor does the unthinkable. He becomes a Christian himself and the revolution he sets in motion will change the world forever.Spanning 160 years and seven generations, teeming with some of ancient Rome's most vivid figures, Saylor's epic brings to vivid life some of the most tumultuous chapters of human history, events which reverberate still.Praise for Steven Saylor: 'Saylor expertly weaves the true history of Rome with the lives and loves of its fictional citizens.' Daily Express'Saylor's scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals' Ruth Rendell'With the scalpel-like deftness of a Hollywood director, Saylor puts his finger on the very essence of Roman history.' Times Literary Supplement'Readers will find his work wonderfully (and gracefully) researched... this is entertainment of the first order.' Washington Post'Saylor's scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals' Ruth Rendell'The most reliably entertaining and well-researched novels about the ancient world [are] Steven Saylor's tales of the Roman proto-detective Gordianus the Finder. The Throne of Caesar brings the series to a satisfying conclusion [and offers] a new, compelling perspective on familiar historic events' Sunday Times

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'A compelling storyteller, with a striking talent for historical reconstruction' Mary BeardA.D. 165: The empire of Rome has reached its pinnacle. Pax Roma reigns from Britannia to Egypt, from Gaul to Greece. Emperor Marcus Aurelius oversees a golden age and the ancient Pinarius family of artisans embellish the greatest city on Earth with gilded statues and towering marble monuments. But history does not stand still. The years to come bring wars, plagues, fires, and famines. The best emperors in history are succeeded by some of the worst. Barbarians descend, eventually appearing before the gates of Rome itself. Chaos engulfs the empire.Through it all, the Pinarius family endures, thanks in no small part to the fascinum, a protective talisman older than Rome itself, handed down through countless generations.But on the fringes of society, a band of troublesome cultists disseminate dangerous and seditious ideas. They call themselves Christians. Some emperors deal with the Christians with toleration, others with bloody persecution. Then one emperor does the unthinkable. He becomes a Christian himself and the revolution he sets in motion will change the world forever.Spanning 160 years and seven generations, teeming with some of ancient Rome's most vivid figures, Saylor's epic brings to vivid life some of the most tumultuous chapters of human history, events which reverberate still.Praise for Steven Saylor: 'Saylor expertly weaves the true history of Rome with the lives and loves of its fictional citizens.' Daily Express'Saylor's scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals' Ruth Rendell'With the scalpel-like deftness of a Hollywood director, Saylor puts his finger on the very essence of Roman history.' Times Literary Supplement'Readers will find his work wonderfully (and gracefully) researched... this is entertainment of the first order.' Washington Post'Saylor's scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals' Ruth Rendell'The most reliably entertaining and well-researched novels about the ancient world [are] Steven Saylor's tales of the Roman proto-detective Gordianus the Finder. The Throne of Caesar brings the series to a satisfying conclusion [and offers] a new, compelling perspective on familiar historic events' Sunday Times

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WINNER OF THE WHITING AWARDPEN AMERICA LITERARY AWARD FINALISTRecommended by Héctor Tobar as an essential Los Angeles book in the New York Times.Carribean Fragoza's debut collection of stories reside in the domestic surreal, featuring an unusual gathering of Latinx and Chicanx voices from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border, and universes beyond."Eat the Mouth That Feeds You is an accomplished debut with language that has the potential to affect the reader on a visceral level, a rare and significant achievement from a forceful new voice in American literature."—Kali Fajardo-Anstine, New York Times Book Review, and author of Sabrina and CorinaCarribean Fragoza's imperfect characters are drawn with a sympathetic tenderness as they struggle against circumstances and conditions designed to defeat them. A young woman returns home from college, only to pick up exactly where she left off: a smart girl in a rundown town with no future. A mother reflects on the pain and pleasures of being inexorably consumed by her small daughter, whose penchant for ingesting grandma's letters has extended to taking bites of her actual flesh. A brother and sister watch anxiously as their distraught mother takes an ax to their old furniture, and then to the backyard fence, until finally she attacks the family’s beloved lime tree.Victories are excavated from the rubble of personal hardship, and women's wisdom is brutally forged from the violence of history that continues to unfold on both sides of the US-Mexico border."Eat the Mouth that Feeds You renders the feminine grotesque at its finest."—Myriam Gurba, author of Mean"Eat the Mouth that Feeds You will establish Fragoza as an essential and important new voice in American fiction."—Héctor Tobar, author of The Barbarian Nurseries"Fierce and feminist, Eat the Mouth That Feeds You is a soul-quaking literary force."—Dontaná McPherson-Joseph, The Foreword, *Starred Review". . . a work of power and a darkly brilliant talisman that enlarges in necessary ways the feminist, Latinx, and Chicanx canons."—Wendy Ortiz, Alta Magazine"Fragoza's surreal and gothic stories, focused on Latinx, Chicanx, and immigrant women's voices, are sure to surprise and move readers."—Zoe Ruiz, The Millions"This collection of visceral, often bone-chilling stories centers the liminal world of Latinos in Southern California while fraying reality at its edges. Full of horror and wonder."—Kirkus Reviews, *Starred Review"Fragoza's debut collection delivers expertly crafted tales of Latinx people trying to make sense of violent, dark realities. Magical realism and gothic horror make for effective stylistic entryways, as Fragoza seamlessly blurs the lines between the corporeal and the abstract."—Publishers Weekly"The magic realism of Eat the Mouth that Feeds You is thoroughly worked into the fabric of the stories themselves . . . a wonderful debut."—Brian Evenson, author of Song for the Unraveling of the World

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A strong novel about the trauma of the Clydebank Blitz during the Second World War told through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl, Lenny Gillespie. Lenny survives the bombing, but in the chaos of that night she cannot find her mum and her wee sister, Mavis. Told in an urgent, true-grit voice, the story describes the devastation of the blitz as seen through Lenny's eyes. During her desperate search for her mum and sister, Lenny finds a shoe she thinks belongs to Mavis and it becomes her talisman in the days that follow. Lenny is forced to flee over the hills to the hut community of Carbeth in the company of a scary neighbour, Mr Tait, her old school teacher, Miss Weatherbeaten, and little Rosie, a girl who is oddly like Mavis. With Mr Tait's help she finds her mother but still no Mavis. It is left to Lenny herself to return to the terrifying scenes of devastation and search amongst the rubble for her wee sister, a desperate act that ultimately leads to the arrival of Mavis at Carbeth and a joyful reunion. Written by Glasgow writer, Sue Reid Sexton, who has worked with war veterans and as a counsellor specialising in trauma, this book is extensively researched and covers what went on in Clydebank, Glasgow and Carbeth during this harrowing time in Scotland's history. The book includes additional notes and pictures on the Clydebank Blitz and the Carbeth huts, which provided shelter for some of those who escaped from the ruins of the Clydebank Blitz. The novel contains some disturbing scenes. A sample from the novel: Most of the tenement building over the road had gone, and what was left was burning. I'd never seen flames the size of these, leaping and gobbling everything up. This made no sense to me. I searched my memory for something I could compare this to but there was nothing, just like there was almost nothing left of this building, only a hole where something indestructible had been ...Behind me, behind the houses, beyond, there were flames bigger even than the flames over the road, reaching right into the sky, so much flame it was like there wasn't room for it all down below. It lit up the whole sky and all the buildings. There was nothing hidden. The Gerries had found us and we were laid bare naked, and I had lost Mavis. Some facts and figures: The Clydebank Blitz took place on the nights of the 13th and 14th March 1941. The Luftwaffe chose to target the shipbuilding town of Clydebank in Scotland during those nights because of the full moon. During the bombing raids most of Clydebank was destroyed, suffering the worst destruction and loss of civilian life in all of Scotland. While there is still some discrepancy over the number of casualties, we know more than 500 people died, over 600 people were seriously injured, and hundreds were injured by the blast debris. Only 7 houses remained undamaged out of 12,000; 4,000 houses were completely destroyed, and 4,500 seriously damaged; over 35,000 people were made homeless; 439 bombers dropped over 1,000 bombs; only two enemy aircraft were shot down by the RAF; the Singer factory was destroyed but the landmark Singer tower survived. It was the use of bombs on parachutes, known at the time as landmines and designed to maim and kill at ground level, which made the attack so devastating.

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