Oh, rats! It's time to take a deeper look at what caused the Black Death--the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history.While the coronavirus COVID-19 changed the world in 2020, it still isn't the largest and deadliest pandemic in history. That title is held by the Plague. This disease, also known as the "Black Death," spread throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe in the fourteenth century and claimed an astonishing 50 million lives by the time it officially ended....

Malachi is the survivor of a brutal attack by genocidaires on his school: he has seen loved ones slaughtered and his tongue has been cut out. Malachi cannot speak, but he is far from dumb, though he keeps himself to himself, tamping down the traumatic memories as he performs mind-numbing work on the production line in a chicken-packing factory. But then an agent for a powerful pharmaceutical company comes looking for a suitable candidate for a mysterious job, and he is offered what he can'...

On October 29, 1929, life in the United States took a turn for the worst. The stock market – the system that controls money in America – plunged to a record low. But this event was only the beginning of many bad years to come. By the early 1930s, one out of three people was not working. People lost their jobs, their houses, or both and ended up in shantytowns called “Hoovervilles” named for the president at the time of the crash. By 1933, many banks had gone under. Though the U.S. has seen...

He came. He saw. He conquered. Julius Caesar was a force to be reckoned with as a savvy politician, an impressive orator, and a brave soldier. Born in Rome in 100 BC, he quickly climbed the ladder of Roman politics, making allies--and enemies--along the way. His victories in battle awarded him the support of the people, but flush from power, he named himself dictator for life. The good times, however, would not last much longer. On the Ides of March, Caesar was brutally assassinated by a g...

""This claustrophobic, horror-leaning tour de force is highly recommended for fans of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation and Andy Weir’s The Martian."" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)***A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emo...

"With impeccable inflections and tones, El-Attar's narration embodies the quirky investigator and those who surround her. She personifies both the place and the people, making them come alive. Listeners will imagine they're traversing Cairo through the deep, dark night. This is a perfect listen for those who are short on time but want a thrilling audiobook." — AudioFile MagazineEgypt, 1912. In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry ...

Nnedi Okorafor's Binti is the w inner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novella!"Robin Miles’s terrific narration creates a stellar audiobook. (Pun intended.)"—Modern Mrs. Darcy on BintiHer name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family t...

**“This is totally, brilliantly original.” —Stephen King“HEX is creepy and gripping and original, sure to be one of the top horror novels of 2016.” —George R.R. MartinThe English language debut of the bestselling Dutch novel, Hex, from Thomas Olde Heuvelt--a Hugo and World Fantasy award nominated talent to watch**Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudso...

**Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel'I absolutely loved it' – Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary JusticeIn a war of lies, she seeks the truth. An epic, queer space opera, A Memory Called Empire is the astonishing debut novel from Arkady Martine.Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her...

In the ruins of civilization, a young girl's kindness and capacity for love will either save humanity—or wipe it out in this USA Today bestselling thriller."Heartfelt, remorseless, and painfully human." —Josh Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire SlayerMelanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell ...

Hiroshima is where the first atomic bomb was dropped. Now readers will learn the reasons why and what it's meant for the world ever since.By August 1945, World War II was over in Europe, but the fighting continued between American forces and the Japanese, who were losing but determined to fight till the bitter end. And so it fell to a new president--Harry S. Truman--to make the fateful decision to drop two atomic bombs--one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki--and bri...

**"Narrator Emmett Grosland conjures the essence of a troubled soul in search of peace in this gentle audio."—AudioFile MagazineIn A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk and Robot series gives us hope for the future.**It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since t...