A finalist for the PEN Center USA Award for NonfictionWelcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell, is surfer and former war reporter Chas Smith’s wild and unflinching look at the high-stakes world of surfing on Oahu’s North Shore—a riveting, often humorous, account of beauty, greed, danger, and crime.For two months every winter, when Pacific storms make landfall, swarms of mainlanders, Brazilians, Australians, and Europeans flock to Oahu’s paradisiacal North Shore in pursuit of som...

A rollicking true story of Bibles and bank robberies in Southern California, from a talented and highly praised gonzo journalist.NAMED A BEST TRUE CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWChas Smith grew up deeply enmeshed in the evangelical Christian world that grew out of Southern California in the late 1960s. His family included famous missionaries and megachurch pastors, but his cousin Daniel Courson was Grandma'...

Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell, is surfer and former war reporter Chas Smith's wild and unflinching look at the high-stakes world of surfing on Oahu's North Shore—a riveting, often humorous, account of beauty, greed, danger, and crime.For two months every winter, when Pacific storms make landfall, swarms of mainlanders, Brazilians, Australians, and Europeans flock to Oahu's paradisiacal North Shore in pursuit of some of the greatest waves on earth for surfing's Triple...

A rollicking true story of Bibles and bank robberies in Southern California, from a talented and highly praised gonzo journalist.Chas Smith grew up deeply enmeshed in the evangelical Christian world that grew out of Southern California in the late 1960s. His family included famous missionaries and megachurch pastors, but his cousin Daniel Courson was Grandma’s favorite. Smith looked up to Cousin Danny. He was handsome, adventurous, and smart, earned a degree from B...

Discover the Primal Energy of Modern ConjureThe Secret Keys of Conjure is a guide to the tricks and enchantments of Hoodoo, rootwork, and other American folk traditions. Written by a sought-after Conjure doctor, this book shares recipes for magical oils, baths, powders, mojo bags, and more. With more than 35 tricks and 50 recipes, The Secret Keys of Conjure is an invitation to join a powerful current of magic and explore practices that have been p...

A gonzo ride through war-torn Yemen as only Chas Smith, the award-winning author of Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell and Cocaine + Surfing: A Sordid History of Surfing's Greatest Love Affair, could provide. Follow Smith and his misfit band of merrymakers as they search for the true origins of Al Qaeda and endeavor to ride the unsurfed waves of Yemen all while exploring the slim opportunities for fun in the margins of our global war on terror and at any cost—even if it ...

Planet Stories was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on other planets, and managed to obtain work from well-known names, including Isaac Asimov and Clifford Simak.In 1952 Planet published Philip K. Dick's first sale, and went on to print more of his stories over the next years.This Super Pack features 31 of the very best stories from the magazine, and is guaran...

Operational art and the operational level of war became a doctrinal focus for the U.S. Army in the 1980s. This focus led to the development of the elements of operational design. These concepts are not new, and were developed in the interwar period prior to World War II at the staff and war colleges. During this time, however, the military did not doctrinally recognize the operational level or war or operational art. Even though the concepts were not recognized, the intellectual process pe...

In the heart of a forgotten realm, where dreams take flight and reality blurs, lies The Garden of Dreams. Enter a world where the boundaries of imagination dissolve, and the impossible becomes tangible. Follow the enigmatic Anya as she stumbles upon this ethereal paradise, a sanctuary where her deepest desires and darkest fears intertwine. As she ventures deeper into the garden's labyrinthine paths, she encounters a cast of extraordinary characters, each with their own secrets and longings...

p>On a remote world, a hard-worked battalion of space marines still follows orders handed down from a vanished empire. Life is crude, discipline is old-fashioned, and most of the men no longer understand the technology they are sworn to maintain. When an impulsive young soldier discovers more than he should, he stumbles into a crisis that reaches far beyond his isolated garrison.Across the stars, a failing regime hunts enemies both real and imagined while its machines, ships, and l...

Chasing a dream is never easy, but if you go far enough, it will set you free.Captain Liz Clark spent her youth dreaming of traveling the world by sailboat and surfing remote waves. When she was 22, she met a mentor who helped turn her desire into reality. Embarking on an adventure that most only fantasize about, she set sail from Santa Barbara, California, as captain of her 40-foot sailboat, Swell, headed south in search of surf, self, and the wonder and learning ...

Written by one of the most revered surfers of his generation, Gerry Lopez's Surf Is Where You Find It is a collection of stories about a lifetime of surfing. But more than that, it is a collection of stories about the lessons learned from surfing. It presents 38 stories about those who have been influential in the sport — surfing anytime, anywhere, and in any way. Lopez, an innovator in stand-up-paddle (one of the fastest growing water sports in the world), now shares his stories ...