Product Description

Three men were still aloft when the battery, which had hoisted Spanish colors, opened fire upon us, the first shot severing our larboard main- topgallant back-stay. This damage, slight as it was, sufficed to effectually rouse Captain Pigot's hasty, irritable temper; and, hurrying the men down from aloft, he ordered the larboard broadside to be manned, and the guns to be directed upon the audacious battery. A couple of well-directed broadsides sufficed to silence its fire, and the boats were then immediately piped away.

But that was not the last of it -- not by half. The rover had a secret - a terrible, terrible secret.

<

Product Description

For over nine hundred years, the Emperor Kostimon has sat upon the Ruby Throne. He bargained with the dark gods for his immortality-and now he and his kingdom will have to pay the price.

<

Product Description

The Kingdom of Imperia is threatened by an unspeakable evil--and only Caelan E'non, a champion gladiator, possesses the power and courage to combat it.

<

Product Description

The death of Emperor Kostimon has unleashed the dark gods upon the kingdom of Imperia--and only the Lady Elandra and the warrior Caelan have the power to save their land and people.

<

Tonight, they’re reading the names of those to be killed on the Emergency Broadcast System. You’re listening over the radio in your kitchen, and they’ve just read yours. Your name is Jack. You have a wife, daughter, and a young son. People are coming to kill you and your family. You don’t know why, but you don’t have time to think about that any more. You only have time to run.

<

Former undercover agents Drake and Melody are teamed to run a race along the California Coast for a prize of a million dollars--in 1969 when a million is worth something. The stakes increase when startling events produce fatalities and lead them to ask whether the Cold War with the USSR is about to heat up. Can they prevent the worst from happening while they keep running?

<

From Publishers Weekly

In this strong sequel to Rusalka , Cherryh continues her fantasy series based on ancient Russian folklore. During the hoary time of the book's setting, wizards have power to influence events by wishing things to happen--but sometimes unlooked-for side effects occur. Here the former destructive rusalka (ghost) Eveshka, killed by the sorcerer Chernevog in the earlier volume and resurrected when her father sacrificed his life in her stead, is living with her husband Pyetrsp ok and the young wizard Sasha. Both Sasha and Eveshka worry about the power of their often unconscious wishes, concerned that their thoughts are being influenced by still-functioning wishes remaining in the atmosphere from a former time. When Eveshka suddenly leaves home without reason, Sasha and Pyetr feel sure someone has been wishing or magicking her, and set out in search of Chernevog. Cherryh's lyrical, vivid depiction of lonely northern forests and their supernatural inhabitants creates a believable backdrop for her three-dimensional characters and their emotionally involving story.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A young wizard, his best friend, and a woman magically restored to life find their idyllic forest existence shattered by the dark machinations of an old and implacable enemy in this sequel to Rusalka ( LJ 9/15/89). Forest spirits, "yard things," and other magical creatures drawn from Russian folklore add a unique flavor to this story of loyalty and courage. Recommended for fantasy collections.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

<

From Publishers Weekly

Cherryh continues the complex psychological tale of magic and wizardry gone awry in ancient Russia that began in Rusalka and Chernevog .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Pyetr, his wife Eveshka, and his best friend Sasha (both wizards) have settled into a comfortable routine in their isolated forest home. Then a half-drowned young man named Yvgenie enters their lives--and the trio recognize the spirit of an old enemy, returned from the dead to threaten the life of Pyetr's daughter Ilyana. Continuing the story begun in Rusalka ( LJ 9/15/89) and Chernevog (Ballantine, 1990), Cherryh returns to the setting of pre-Christian Russia, steeped in supernatural lore, for her latest tale of magical adventure. Atmospheric intensity and an understanding of human complexity combine to make this novel a worthwhile purchase for most libraries.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

<

Review

Hannibal Jones: Russian Roulette - And what a game it is Hannibal Jones: confident, sly, the thinking man s troubleshooter, faces off against the Russian mob, if only he can figure out who the players are and who s fighting whom... Russian Roulette delivers a whipsaw of a plot with more layers than a Vidalia onion.... Camacho gets it right with solid storytelling and compelling characters, all set in the off-beat neighborhoods of the Nation s Capital... Don t miss it! --Libby Fischer Hellmann, Author of the Ellie Foreman mystery/suspense series

An energetic mix of murder and international intrigue. Austin Camacho is a talent to watch. --JoAnn Ross, NY Times Bestselling Author of the High Risk Series

Hannibal Jones is no John Shaft wannabe. He stands on his own as a welcome addition to the ranks of the fictional private eye. --Robert J. Randisi, Founder, The Private Eye Writers of America

An energetic mix of murder and international intrigue. Austin Camacho is a talent to watch. --JoAnn Ross, NY Times Bestselling Author of the High Risk Series

Hannibal Jones is no John Shaft wannabe. He stands on his own as a welcome addition to the ranks of the fictional private eye. --Robert J. Randisi, Founder, The Private Eye Writers of America

About the Author

Austin S. Camacho was born in New York City but grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York. He majored in psychology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. There he read a number of good books, learned to tell good beer from bad, and became a brother in the Alpha Delpha Phi fraternity. Actually, the frat was largely responsible for the books and the beer. Dwindling finances and escalating costs brought his college days to an end after three years. Then came the factory work, the five years selling insurance, and finally, the Army. He enlisted as a weapons repairman but soon moved into a more appropriate field. The Army trained him to be a broadcast journalist. Disc jockey time alternated with news writing, video camera and editing work public affairs assignments and news anchor duties. During his thirteen years as a soldier, Austin lived in Missouri, California, Maryland, Georgia and Belgium. He also spent a couple of exciting weeks in Israel during Desert Storm, covering the action with the Patriot missile crews and capturing scud showers on video tape. While enlisted he finished his Bachelor's Degree at night and started his Master's, and rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class. And in his spare moments, he began writing adventure and mystery novels set in some of the exotic places he'd visited. After leaving the Army in 1996 he continued writing military news for the Defense Department as a civilian, frequently serving as on air anchor for the American Forces Information Service. Today he does public affairs work for the DoD agency charged with guarding the health of service members when they are deployed. He has settled in northern Virginia with his wife Denise and Princess The Wonder Cat.

<

From Publishers Weekly

Van Zandt, an early FBI specialist in hostage negotiation, shuns the fireworks his fictional Hollywood counterparts can't seem to avoid, yet veteran ghostwriter Paisner (Citizen Koch) has successfully converted his reminiscences into a surprisingly entertaining series of anecdotes. Despite the absence of gunplay, these nuts-and-bolts descriptions of bank robberies, dramatic prison riots, grotesque scenarios in which the offender yearns to die and exotic hostage dramas in foreign lands make for gripping reading. A standout is 40 pages on the 1985 siege of the Covenant, an armed survivalist cult living on a heavily defended rural Arkansas farm. Few Americans remember the outcome: a hundred men, women and children peacefully surrendered. Van Zandt also relates his autobiography, beginning as a poor youth with divorced parents whose dream was to become a G-man, which required overcoming obstacles such as failing courses in college. He describes himself as a deeply religious born-again Christian who, unlike colleagues, never subordinated family to career but who loves the FBI and America and holds a low opinion of criminals, America's enemies and liberals. This turns out to be charming and does not diminish the value of his stories, which could appeal to readers not normally drawn to such macho adventures. (Sept. 7)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Before retiring from the FBI in 1995, Van Zandt, one of the key figures in the formation of the agency's Hostage Negotiation Program in the 1970s, brought the strategies of negotiation to a host of white-knuckle and high-profile hostage standoffs. In this gripping memoir, he brings readers in on the secrets behind his ability to defuse hostage situations. In casebook format, Van Zandt reviews the great standoffs of his career, including a bank robbery gone sour in Rochester, New York; a weeks-long confrontation with a white supremacist group in Arkansas; a Cuban prisoner rebellion, with staffers held hostage, in Alabama; the kidnapping of corporate executive Michael Barry in Manila; and (briefly) a run-in with the Unabomber and the tragedies of Waco and Oklahoma City. The writing (with the help of coauthor Paisner) is crisp and fast-paced, and Van Zandt's revelations about hostage negotiation tactics and actual encounters are fascinating. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

<

From Library Journal

In a departure from his Jake Grafton series, Coonts (America, Hong Kong, Cuba) introduces Rip Cantrell, a 22-year-old seismic surveyor who finds a flying saucer that has been buried in the Sahara for 140,000 years. Everyone wants it, including nasty billionaires and bad governments, and Rip's job is to keep it out of their hands. With air force pilot Charlotte (Charley) Pine, he learns to fly the beast and keep it away from the bad guys. Coonts's many fans may be disappointed, as what could have been a great adventure novel fails badly. Is Saucers meant as a satire? A comedy? High adventure? All of the above? The result is, in fact, none of the above. Even considering the topic, the plot is implausible, and the book also suffers from cardboard characters and wooden dialog. Cartoonish fun but definitely "Coonts Light"; for larger collections. Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Rip Cantrell, doing seismic surveys in the Sahara, stumbles across a 140,000-year-old flying saucer in working condition. The air force sends beautiful ex-test pilot Charley Pine to investigate. Rip and Charley then have to fly for their lives, learning saucer-piloting as they go, from grabby, demonic Australian billionaire Hedrick, who wants to sell the saucer to the highest bidder. Eventually Rip and Charley get help from Rip's Missouri tinker uncle, Egg, and eventually the Air and Space Museum gets the saucer after, in the manner of thrillers, Hedrick and other would-be saucer-grabbers get theirs. Coonts doesn't always reach the highest level of logic here, but his knack for pacing and action is sound, and his sense of humor is ready for such developments as the effect of the saucer's antigravity on a pop-foul ball. He treats the romance of Rip and the eight-years-older Charley affectionately, and he shows a soaring passion for flying. The rather lighthearted thriller-cum-romance-cum-sf-novel could be called Rip and Charley's Excellent Adventure. Coonts stalwarts will find that reading this reminds them of his nonfiction book about flying an antique biplane, The Cannibal Queen (1992), rather than one of his Jake Grafton yarns. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

<

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Cornwell leaps back a millennium from his Richard Sharpe series to tell of the consolidation of England in the late ninth century and the role played by a young (fictional) warrior-in-training who's at the center of the war between Christian Englishmen and the pagan Danes. (Most of the other principal characters—Ubba, Guthrum, Ivar the Boneless and the like—are real historical figures.) Young Uhtred, who's English, falls under the control of Viking über-warrior Ragnar the Fearless when the Dane wipes out Uhtred's Northumberland family. Cornwell liberally feeds readers history and nuggets of battle data and customs, with Uhtred's first-person wonderment spinning all into a colorful journey of (self-)discovery. In a series of episodes, Ragnar conquers three of England's four kingdoms. The juiciest segment has King Edmund of East Anglia rebuking the Viking pagans and demanding that they convert to Christianity if they intend to remain in England. After Edmund cites the example of St. Sebastian, the Danes oblige him by turning him into a latter-day Sebastian and sending him off to heaven. Uhtred's affection for Ragnar as a surrogate father grows, and he surpasses the conqueror's blood sons in valor. When father and adopted son arrive at the fourth and last kingdom, however, the Danes meet unexpected resistance and Uhtred faces personal and familial challenges, as well as a crisis of national allegiance. This is a solid adventure by a crackling good storyteller.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

An acknowledged master of rousing battlefield fiction as evidenced by his crackling Richard Sharpe series, Cornwell also deserves praise for his mesmerizing narrative finesse and his authentic historical detailing. Here he introduces a new multivolume saga set in medieval England prior to the unification of the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, and Wessex. Weakened by civil war, Northumbria is invaded by the fearless Danes, and Uhtred, the rightful heir to the earldom of Bebbanburg, is captured by the enemy. Raised as a Viking warrior by Ragnar the Terrible, his beloved surrogate father, Uhtred is still torn by an innate desire to reclaim his birthright. Fighting as a Dane but realizing that his ultimate destiny lies along another path, he seizes the opportunity to serve Alfred, king of Wessex, after Ragnar is horribly betrayed and murdered by Kjartan, a fellow Dane. Ever watchful and ever practical, Uhtred awaits his chance to settle the blood feud with Kjartan and to seize Bebbanburg from his treacherous uncle. Leaving his hero suspended on the threshold of realizing his desires, Cornwell masterfully sets up his audience for the second volume in this irresistible epic adventure. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

<

From Publishers Weekly

Outnumbered Saxon forces continue battling Danish invaders in this rousing sequel to the bestselling The Last Kingdom. It's A.D. 877, and the dispossessed Northumbrian noble Uhtred has just routed the Danes in a battle at Cynuit in southern England. Logically, Uhtred should now ally himself with Alfred, whose Wessex kingdom alone has successfully resisted Danish control. But Uhtred sees a better chance of recovering his lost estate if he finds a way to join the Danes, who raised him and whose simple life of "ale, women, sword, and reputation" he finds more congenial than Alfred's Christian piety and military caution. But when the Danes invade Wessex, Uhtred's loyalties are further divided. His Celtic mistress foretells victory for Alfred, but Uhtred can scarcely believe that the bedraggled king, camped in isolated marshes with a handful of supporters, can repel the invaders and unite England. Yet pride grows in Uhtred: "I understood that among the Danes I was as important as my friends, and without friends I was just another landless, masterless warrior. But among the Saxons I was another Saxon, and among the Saxons I did not need another man's generosity." Uhtred demonstrates his newfound patriotism in the book's climactic battle at Edington. Filled with bawdy humor, bloodlust, treachery and valor, this stirring tale will leave readers eager for the next volume in this Alfred the Great series. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

At the conclusion of Cornwell's best-selling The Last Kingdom (2005), Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a slain Saxon nobleman raised by Danish warriors, had reluctantly rejoined King Alfred's beleaguered forces in the rapidly dwindling kingdom of Wessex. Although the Danes had already conquered the kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria, and Mercia, Alfred, with an able assist from Uhtred, had stalwartly fended off the Viking invasion. Uneasily allied to the cerebral Alfred, the more vigorous Uhtred is plagued by divided loyalties as the Saxons struggle to maintain a toehold against the mighty Viking war machine. Taking refuge in a boggy marshland, the ragtag remnants of the Saxon army desperately attempt to regroup. Two vastly different heroes--Alfred and Uhtred--stand between the Danes and total annihilation of the Saxon culture. Further complicating the matter is the fact that Uhtred faces a moral dilemma when he realizes he must choose between allegiance to the king he has grown to admire and loyalty to Ragnar, his much-loved foster brother. Cornwell, the author of the excellent Sharpe series, displays his usual flair for providing action-packed martial history populated by a diverse array of realistically drawn characters. A crackerjack adventure tale from a master of the craft. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

<

From Bernard Cornwell, the undisputed master of historical fiction, hailed as "the direct heir to Patrick O'Brien,"* comes the third volume in the exhilarating Saxon Chronicles: the story of the birth of England as the Saxons struggle to repel the Danish invaders. The year is 878, and as Lords of the North begins, the Saxons of Wessex, under King Alfred, have defeated the Danes to keep their kingdom free. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, helped Alfred win that victory, but now he is disgusted by Alfred's lack of generosity. Uhtred flees Wessex, going north to search for his stepsister, who was taken prisoner by Kjartan the Cruel, a Danish lord who lurks in the formidable stronghold of Dunholm. Uhtred arrives in the north to discover rebellion, chaos, and fear. His only ally is Hild, a West Saxon nun fleeing her calling, and his best hope is his sword, Serpent-Breath, with which he has made a notable reputation as a warrior. He needs other partners if he is to attack Dunholm, and chooses Guthred, a seemingly deluded slave who believes he is a king. Together they cross the Pennines, where fanatical Christians and beleaguered Danes have formed a desperate alliance to confront the terrible Viking lords who rule Northumbria. Instead of victory Uhtred finds betrayal. But he also discovers love and redemption as he is forced to turn once again to his reluctant ally, Alfred the Great. It is Alfred who sees opportunity in Northumbria's chaos, and Alfred who looses Uhtred and his stepbrother, Ragnar, onto Dunholm, the invincible fortress on its great spur of rock. A breathtaking adventure, Lords of the North is also the story of the creation of England, as the English and Danes fight against each other, but also find common cause and create a common language. In the end they will become one people, but as Uhtred will discover, their union is forged through the white heat of battle. * The Economist

<

From Publishers Weekly

Cornwell's fourth entry in the popular Saxon Tales (following Lords of the North) is a rousing romp through the celebrated ninth-century reign of Alfred the Great. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a 28-year-old pagan Saxon lord of war, has pledged to serve Alfred by commanding the defensive frontier forts (burhs). Trouble arises when the Norse Viking brothers Sigefrid and Erik Thurgilson capture and occupy London, threatening Alfred's border and his control of the Thames River port. The Christian Alfred directs Uhtred to raise a Wessex army, expel the pagan Thurgilsons and resecure London. Commanding Uhtred is his vain, abusive cousin Ethelred, who is married to Alfred's eldest daughter, Ethelflaed. Plying his swords Serpent-Breath and Wasp-Sting, Uhtred is a stirring, larger-than-life action hero conflicted by ambition, fidelity and thirst for violence. All the major characters are well drawn, and the London battle scenes unfold quickly and vividly. A deft mix of historical details and customs authenticates the saga. And Cornwell drops in a slick twist precipitating the climatic battle to wrest control of London for the Saxons, paving the way for the story to continue. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

‘The characterisation, as ever, is excellent…And one can only admire the little touches that bring the period to life: the bitter weather; the swollen rivers; the soliders gossiping about ale and women…he can also claim to be a true poet of both the horror and the glory of war, showing a feeling for the ways of fighting men which is too often lacking in the politicians who send them into battle.’Sunday TelegraphThis is typical Cornwell, meticulously researched, massive in scope, brilliant in execution’. News of the World‘Sword Song’s as sharply written as all of Cornwell’s historical adventures.’ Bournemouth Daily Echo‘…this will not disappoint Cornwell’s legions of fans.’ Western Daily Press‘…epic drama, rich language and a thoroughly satisfying journey through Saxon history.’ Eastern Daily PressPraise for ‘The Lords of the North’:‘Beautifully crafted story-telling, complete with splendid set-piece battles and relentless derring-do, so gripping that it rarely stops to catch a breath. It demonstrates once again Cornwell’s enormous skill as a historical narrator. He would have graced Alfred’s court entertaining the guests with his stories.’ Daily Mail‘Cornwell takes the spectres of ninth century history and puts flesh back on their bones. Here is Alfred's world restored – impeccably researched and illuminated with the colour and passion of a master storyteller.’Justin Pollard, author of ‘Alfred the Great’Praise for Bernard Cornwell:'Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.' Daily Mail'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer

<

From Publishers Weekly

Slathered in blood and gore, Saxon warlord Uhtred of Bebbanburg hacks his way through the ninth century in the exciting fifth installment to bestseller Cornwell's Saxon Tales series (following Sword Song). This action-packed novel continues the saga of warfare for supremacy in Britain, a brutal period when Saxon and Danish swords, battleaxes, and treachery ruled the day. By now, Alfred the Great is old and feeble, unwilling and unable to repel the Danish invaders. He relies on trusty pagan warlord Uhtred, but Uhtred's temper and an unexpected violent act force Uhtred to break his oath of loyalty to Alfred and flee north with his men, intending to reclaim his ancestral home. En route, they face marauding Danish armies, betrayal, battles for a pirate treasure, and the curse of a vicious Danish witch, only to eventually be manipulated back into fighting for Alfred. Vivid descriptions of merciless battlefield slaughter, rape, and destruction are artfully related by a masterful storyteller. Uhtred is victorious in some battles, but the outcome of others will have to wait for the sequel. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

After taking a break from his best-selling Saxon Chronicles series to write the stand-alone Agincourt (2009), Cornwell revisits ninth-century Britain to continue the story of Uhtred, the morally and emotionally conflicted Saxon-born, Danish-bred prince who was kidnapped and trained in the arts of war by his captors. Reluctantly committed to King Alfred of Wessex, Uhtred is still plagued by divided loyalties that continue to influence his actions and reactions both on and off the battlefield. After an embittered and overlooked Uhtred finally sets off on his own, determined to reclaim Bebbanburg, his ancestral home in Northumbria, Harald Bloodhair makes a play for the aging and debilitated Alfred’s throne. Called back into service by Alfred’s daughter, Uhtred meets and defeats the Viking warrior at the Battle of Farnham. Once again, Cornwell, a master of martial fiction, makes history come alive with his rousing battlefield scenes. Since the future of a united Britain is left hanging in the balance, keep on the lookout for further installments. --Margaret Flanagan

<

Fun books

Choose a genre