A portrait-painter discovers a terrifying side-effect of his talent. A professor of medicine finds himself romantically involved with a dying patient. The lives of two young people are changed forever by a performance of the Mozart Requiem. A self-styled Messiah tries desperately to persuade a writer that he alone can avert a catastrophe about to engulf the city. Serge Liberman's extraordinary characters rise up off the page like apparitions. Whether in chastened submission to their fates, or in blazing defiance, or in search of meaning and significance, these figures are denizens of real, intimately observed social worlds. Liberman's sinewy, intensely evocative and poignant style, unique in Australian letters, takes us deep into particular lives but always with reference to universal issues of fate, free will, and the moral landscapes of good and evil. His post-Holocaust humanism is passionately committed to the power of storytelling, and enters with special power art's plea for love, compassion, inner freedom, and redemption. This collection of some of Liberman's finest and most characteristic stories draws upon all six of his published volumes of short fiction. It is offered not only as a summation and a tribute, but as a valuable contribution to the diverse field of Australian multicultural writing.

THE SMALL-TYPE CREATURE BROUGHT FROM TACHIKAWA IS WREAKING HAVOC! HAS IT FINALLY FUSED WITH A HUMAN...?! AND WHAT TERROR IS LOOMING EVEN CLOSER?!

After a massive earthquake, five ancient ruins containing minerals "Arkdite" that has enormous energy, appeared on the earth. The world are having heated debated on what exactly these ruins about. Is this another blessing of civilization or a sleeping apocalypse... "ARK" is a full-colored comic that would please not only your eyes but also your thirst for thrills...

"Country of East" are known for their dictatorship and malicious human experiment towards the underground citizens, while the "Country of West" who speaks "democracy" are notorious for sending their people to the battlefield in the name of freedom. After two great wars that devastated both countries, another one will soon be enacted, which now also joined by several revolutionary armies. Our main character is Leo who seeks for his son while being accompanied by a former imperial slave who had lost both her hands and feet.

A Secret Past. A Hopeless Future. A Prophet with the Promise to Save. Silas Grey is finished fighting the good fight. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt — for both Uncle Sam and Christ's Church. He's got the scars to prove it — personal ones and physical ones that go deep. So he has taken leave of the Order of Thaddeus, handing his Master reins over to his wife, Celeste Bourne. He's also returned back to his first love: the classroom. That's when everything changes — in the world, in his world. Which ignites a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that forces him to do the one thing he left behind — the one thing that brought so much personal pain. Fight to protect the Church. Not only that, a series of events rock the world that force him to fight for humanity itself. Confusing events that provoke him and his SEPIO agents along with the rest of the world to ask the unthinkable: Is this the end of days? Stepping up to the plate to offer an answer is a charismatic figure with an enigmatic past who promises humanity their salvation — joining his hopeful message with signs and wonders that threaten to lead the world astray. In a race against time, Silas and SEPIO must not only discover what this rising power means for the Church — for the very souls of humanity. They must also stop it before it fully manifests itself and drags those souls to hell. Long time fans will discover a surprising family secret long buried. New readers will devour this briskly paced action-adventure page-turner leveraging the familiar conspiracy suspense of Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child and Steve Berry, wrapped in the special-ops thrill of Clive Cussler and James Rollins. Join SEPIO in this harrowing mystery fighting for the Church's faith and humanity's soul!

The backyard has long been a space associated with recreation and relaxation, a private patch of earth to escape to, and a springboard for the imagination. In her signature style and drawing on her personal experience as a mother, gardener, and author, Amanda Thomsen encourages kids to create kingdoms of their own making, right in their own backyards. With whimsical projects for every season and any setting, from forest to pavement, fun-seeking kids and their families will rediscover the yard as a place for inspired play, using repurposed materials and existing features of outdoor spaces. Whether they’re creating tiny gardens inhabited by action figures, weaving a secret hideaway out of a loom of twine and twigs, or setting sidewalk cracks on fire with Coffeemate, Backyard Adventure lets kids of all ages turn their yards into a place they can call their own. This publication conforms to the EPUB Accessibility specification at WCAG 2.0 Level AA.