In "The Shattered Expanse of Aster Vane," a war-torn world where the ruins of civilization are overrun by sentient, bioluminescent mutant flora, three unlikely heroes—a visionary engineer, a tech-savvy recluse, and a battle-hardened tactician—must decode the cryptic language of nature to harness the power of coexistence over control.As Miri Kul, a civil engineer, unearths a hidden communiqué from the pulsating veins of bioflora, she ignites a journey beyond survival into the heart ...

This study concerns an analysis of the Confederate defense of Vicksburg with respect to one of the nine principles of war, the principle of the offensive. The loss of Vicksburg in the American Civil War was a mortal blow to the Confederacy in that it split the south in two and resulted in the opening of the Mississippi River to the Union forces. During the Campaign for Vicksburg General Grant, leading a Union army engaged General Pemberton, commanding a Confederate army, and proceeded to w...

The former Fannie Mae CFO's inside look at the war between the financial giants and government regulatorsA provocative true-life thriller about the all-out fight for dominance of the mortgage industry—and how it nearly destroyed the global financial systemMany books have been written about the 2008 financial crisis, but they miss the biggest story of the meltdown: the battle between giant financial companies to dominate the $11 trillion mortgage market th...

Second chances do exist.Five former sorority sisters, all in their 50's, undertake the adventure of a lifetime when a mysterious invite reunites them at an exclusive resort set on a private island.Olivia was the quiet one. Her divorce from her alcoholic husband freed her in many ways but caused a rift with her daughter that seems impossible to heal.Amanda was the perfect one. Widowed and desperately broke but hiding it, she needs a new start more than anyone can ima...

July 1989, in a sleepy Michigan town, high school grad Nina Laramie heads out with her friends and is never seen alive again. Months later, her skeleton is found near a remote party spot in the forest.The ME determines Nina has been brutally raped and bludgeoned to death. Fear and anger ripple through this tight-knit community when the case goes cold.Thirty years later, Riley St. James, a Detroit PD assigned to Nina’s case, is determined to get her first big cold case win d...

This fully revised and updated resource offers complete coverage of the latest release of CompTIA A+ exams 220-1101 and 220-1102. You'll find learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter, exam tips, practice exam questions, and in-depth explanations. Designed to help you pass the CompTIA A+ exams with ease, this definitive guide also serves as an essential on-the-job IT reference.Covers all exam topics, including how to: work with CPUs, RAM, BIOS, motherboards, power suppli...

It’s 11:59, and Hell is coming. Arlo knows it, but he can’t do anything to stop it. He can feel something inside his body chewing on his soul, gnawing at him, pushing him to do evil things. Forget what you think you know about zombies. There are no military experiments or exotic viruses to infect the masses. It’s simple: Hell wants this world, and the demons will stop at nothing to get what they want. It doesn’t matter where you hide - the zombies are coming.

This is the true story of Hans Schroeder, a young German mesmerized by the Hitler Youth aura who finds himself with a SS Panzer division on the Russian front where he is captured and taken prisoner. Years later, he is released from a Siberian prisoner-of-war camp and returns to Wiesbaden, his beautiful German hometown. Those were years of great hardship in postwar Germany. Hans is lucky to find a job in Hans Wiegel's toy shop, falls in love with Eva, and eventually decides to emigrate to t...

The Complete Emotional & Spiritual Support Guide for Alleviating Climate StressTransform your climate anxiety and heartache into potent forces for hope and regeneration. This groundbreaking book shows you how to revitalize your life and the earth from the inside out, inspiring you to embody the phrase "heal yourself, heal the planet." Jack Adam Weber introduces you to the triangle of resilience relationships—with yourself, the natural world, and your community. He ...

Are the physical laws of our universe finely tuned, such that life can exist? What does this imply about how our universe formed? Questions like these are examined in Nature's Balancing Act, presented for a wide audience. From the Big Bang to present-day research, ranging from gravitational waves to experiments on antimatter, our physical laws are shown to be slightly off balance, allowing life to exist.In its opening chapters, the following is asked: What would happen if ...

Edward thought serving a pirate was bad—until the ruthless Gwen Hamilton locked him away.Now he faces endless questions and unthinkable torture as Gwen tries to extract his secrets. But the past holds the key to everything . . .Years ago, a young Edward met the legendary soldier Lance Klydon. Will recalling their adventures unlock the truth Gwen seeks? Or will Edward take his stories to the grave?Even Gwen has ghosts that haunt her. What sh...

The void of space is dark and full of pirates.Holston Zakarian spent his entire life dedicated to shrinking the time it took to move objects from one place to another. With one invention, he became the richest man on Kalypso. But using his vast resources to shape the future was easy when weighed against the task of preparing his two sons to build on his legacy.There's nothing as dangerous as a jilted lover with the resources to make a man squirm.