Humanity, we are taught, has always looked to the heavens for inspiration, solace, even salvation. Why? What did our ancestors see there? How was it understood? And how will we, in this enlightened, high-tech age, benefit by discovering the motives and miscalculations of ancient teachings? Jansen Estrups Tales of a Clear, Dark Night is a stunning inquiry into the essence of archaeological, mythic and cosmological lore, and their relationship to the pandemic of violence at large in todays s...

Storytelling at its best, this compelling memoir graphically portrays the scarred emotional landscape of young men who seek a place in the world by way of a military career. Exhausted shadows of the past are brought alive with uncommon eloquence as the author looks back on his youth brimming with innocence, idealism and patriotism. A page turner, the book explores the complex nature of a man whose brave, daring and sometimes foolhardy exploits led to the essential task; building a scaffold...

In Summary, the objective of this book is to present in one volume a review of the plasma deposition process and the present understanding of the most important and widely used plasma deposited thin film materials, devices and their applications.

This book provides a comprehensive study of border control: from data analysis andinformation warfare, frameworks for command and control, and game-theoretic riskmanagement, up to the (optimal) deployment of law enforcement missions.Innovative about this book is that it approaches the subject from several angles, aimingto connect theory and practice of law enforcement missions with risk management and/or quantitative modelling. Some chapters focus on...

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) has profound effects on plant growth and development, and exposure varies with ozone depletion and across geographic regions, with ecosystem and agricultural consequences. This book deals with large-scale impacts but also how UV-B affects plants at the molecular level is also fascinating, and the UV-B photoreceptor has only recently been characterised. While UV-B radiation can be damaging, it also has a more positive role in plant photomorphogenesis. Conseque...

A collection of nine novels featuring dragons.The Bastard Prince - Patty JansenThe Black Egg - James E. WisherDragon Storm - Lindsay BurokerEmbellish - Demelza CarltonThe Blue Dragon - Salvador MercerDragon’s Future - Kandi J. WyattBlood of Requiem - Daniel ArensonDragonia: Rise of the Wyverns - Craig A. Price Jr.Shatterwing - Donna Maree Hanson

The entire world laid to waste. There are no second chances.The ancient machine that produced icefire was destroyed twenty years ago, but the deadly magic is again on the increase. No one understands why or where it’s coming from.Massive changes in weather patterns plunge the northern half of the inhabited world in deep drought. People are once again fleeing, but nowhere is safe.King Isandor sends people to investigate a concentration of icefire in the mountains at ...

Shiloh Ferguson returns to Twisted Fork, Arizona with one mission: bury her estranged father and get out of town as fast as possible. But nothing goes according to plan from the moment she crosses the state line. While her childhood home is as forlorn as she remembers, the arrival of Deputy Luke Wainwright is nothing at all like her teenage memory. Luke Wainwright is doing his best as a single parent to provide a stable home for his special needs daughter. While patrolling the outskirts of...

The shocking conclusion to the Moonfire Trilogy.Lana han Chevonian is one of the world’s brightest minds on the brink of making a huge discovery. There is only one problem: she is stuck as prisoner in the harem of the Aranian king. She could try to escape and run the risk of getting re-captured or getting killed on the very long and difficult road back home to Chevakia, or she could win the favour of the king, beg to be allowed to use the famed library and promise Arania credit for...

Fifty thousand years ago, a meteorite hit the planet Asto, giving its Aghyrian inhabitants mere days of notice. Three ships escaped the Armageddon. Two went to the neighbouring planet. The third, a massive generation ship, refused to take on refugees, and then vanished without a trace.It’s coming back.Its initial burst of communication caused the outage of the Exchange, the FTL network for transport and communication, but since then the ship has been silent. It jumps about ...

Never has there been more at stake for the people on Earth.The referendum is simple: does Earth join gamra, the organisation that governs the Exchange, the FTL space travel network?A “yes” vote would mean substantial changes to Earth’s governments, but a “no” vote would leave Earth open to those who want no rules and no laws.As diplomat living off Earth, Cory Wilson is one of the few people who understands the threat posed by the giant businesses of the Pretoria Car...