On 14 July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft passed through the system of the former ninth planet, Pluto. This book gives a preliminary overview of the results that had been obtained from data sent by New Horizons to Earth till spring 2016. Dr Rainer Riemann, astrophysicist of the University of Heidelberg, Germany, has added a preface to this volume.

J.R.R. Tolkien had retroactively tried to make the lunar phases described in his novel ‘The Hobbit’ consistent, and he failed. Quite by chance, he had got it almost right, though, despite operating with false premises discussed in this book.Incidentally, the lunar phases of ‘The Hobbit’ ran synchronous to those of 2017, which had provided the chance to verify them against reality. That is why this ‘Extended Edition’ includes much of the day-by-day timetable of Bilbo Baggins’ adventures and...

This book compiles the updated and illustrated essays on grammar and vocabulary of Adûnaic and Westron previously published on Lalaith's Middle-earth Science Pages.Lovers of J.R.R.Tolkien's invented languages have mostly disregarded the tongues spoken by the men of Númenor and Middle-earth. The known vocabulary is small in comparison to the much better documented languages of the Elves, the grammar is only rudimentary described and relationships between words are difficult to ident...

The award-winning science novel The Horsemen of Mars come with the solar wind. The sparks beneath their invisible hoofs illuminate the nights of the red planet. A marvellous sight from the safety of your base on Mars. But when you are lost in the red planet's desert, the Horsemen of Mars show their fatal facet as their wild hunt is tracking down your fragile body. Join our Mars crew in the most critical time of their mission! Follow them into the struggle for their lives on the hostile pla...

The acclaimed Science of Discworld centred around an original Pratchett story about the Wizards of Discworld. In it they accidentally witnessed the creation and evolution of our universe, a plot which was interleaved with a Cohen & Stewart non-fiction narrative about Big Science. In The Science of Discworld II our authors join forces again to see just what happens when the wizards meddle with history in a battle against the elves for the future of humanity on Ear...

An insider’s tour through the construction of invented languages from the bestselling author and creator of languages for Legendary's Dune, the HBO series Game of Thrones and the Syfy series DefianceFrom master language creator David J. Peterson comes a creative guide to language construction for sci-fi and fantasy fans, writers, game creators, and language lovers. Peterson offers a captivating overview of language creation, covering its ...

Sometimes intelligent life is right in front of your whiskers.Hsissh is a member of The One. There are some newcomers to The One's homeplanet. They call themselves "humans," and they are, frankly, mentally deficient--they can't warp the quantum world with their minds. However, Hsissh is becoming attached to one of them, a Miss Noa Sato.When The One decide they will wipe out the humans and Noa's life is on the line, Hsissh is forced to take sides ... he might find intelligen...

A monumental epic tale of space exploration and alien contact from the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction.In the future, humankind has taken only limited advantage of a miraculous gift left for it in the far-distant past. A beneficent and inscrutable alien race called the Others has provided "gates" that enable passage to all corners of the galaxy. But after the colonization of a single star system, a repressive government on Ear...

With the majority of their class and the entire capital wiped out, Yogiri and Tomochika left behind the Kingdom of Manii in search of additional Philosopher’s Stones, the energy sources they were told to gather if they ever want to make it back home. Having received one stone from the Sage Sion, a second from Risley, and having taken a third from the self-styled War God Raiza, the pair next set their eyes on a new country in the east, following a lead on the potential location of another S...

Essential Korean Grammar is designed for people who already know a bit of Korean and wish to speak and write the language correctly and naturally—as Koreans do!This book is a great resource for reviewing for an exam, preparing for a business meeting, or traveling to Korea for work or pleasure. Accessible to learners at any level, it synthesizes all the essential Korean grammar points and presents them in a compact and logical form, and enables you to build...

His Dark Materials is one of the most popular, award-winning fantasies of all time, a bestselling trilogy hailed as "a modern classic" by The New York Times.Now, for the first time ever, Lois H. Gresh helps young readers examine Pullman's intricate universe with Exploring His Dark Materials, the ultimate companion guide. Gresh's fun, interactive book explores the complex science, religion, and fantastic elements of His Dark Materials in a way that...

Korean: An Essential Grammar is a concise and convenient guide to the basic grammatical structure of standard Korean. Presenting a fresh and accessible description of the language, this engaging Grammar uses clear, jargon-free explanations and sets out the complexities of Korean in short, readable sections.Key features include:clear explanations of grammatical termsfrequent use of authentic examplesthe Korean alphabet used alongsi...