Human colonists defend their planet from terrifyingly advanced assassins in this tale of fast-paced action and political intrigue. This is the third novel from award-winning novelist Christopher Hinz. Beginning where the critically acclaimed Liege-Killer and Ash Ock ended, The Paratwa chronicles the lives of the Irryan colonists as they prepare for the imminent attack of the fierce and vicious Paratwa assassins. Facing the threat of their dark enemies, Gillian must also cope with his inner turmoil, as the madness of his nature threatens to consume his life. He discovers that he is a genetically modified creature whose purpose is to serve the needs of others, and the course of his destiny is not in his own hands. File Under: Science Fiction [ Grand Finale | Both Sides Now | Ashes to Ash Ock | Biodyssey ]

Set in a world terrorized by genetically engineered assassins, this is a “fast-paced future thriller” for fans of cyberpunk sci-fi and the Paratwa Saga (B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog) Near the end of the 21st century, Earth is in chaos from environmental devastation and a vicious undeclared war against binaries, genetically engineered assassins. Composed of a single consciousness inhabiting two human bodies (tways), binaries are ruled by an alpha breed, the Royal Caste. Nick Smith, computer programmer and brilliant strategist, hooks up with Annabel Bakana—the savvy new director of E-Tech, an organization dedicated to limiting runaway technological growth. Together both romantically and professionally, they secretly assemble a small combat team to hunt and kill binaries. But there’s a fly in the ointment: the mysterious team leader, Gillian. A tormented soul with an unseemly attraction to Annabel, his actions just might help the Royal Caste’s cause and draw the world closer to Armageddon. Serving as both a stand-alone novel and prequel to Liege-Killer, Binary Storm is a futuristic tale of bold characters pushed to the brink in a dangerous world. Startling action, political intrigue and powerful themes that echo our contemporary era are fused into a plot brimming with twists and surprises.

A compelling novel of humanity fighting back against telepathically linked killers in a postapocalyptic world… A quarter of a millennium ago, before the nuclear apocalypse forced the inhabitants of earth to flee their home planet, few humans could have imagined the course their path would take. Now, the orbital colonies are the final sanctuary of humanity and life is more dangerous than ever before. The colonists fear the return of their dreaded enemies, the Paratwa – ferocious warriors who are genetically engineered to exist in two bodies which remain telepathically connected. The new generation of Paratwa is far deadlier than the old, forming a powerful caste of fighter known as the Ash Ock. A mysterious virus infecting the humans database signals the return of their most feared enemies… File Under: Science Fiction [ GMO Murderer | Post-Earth | Defrosted | Orbital Incident ]

A blueprints book with 10 different projects built in 10 different chapters which demonstrate the various use cases of storm for both beginner and intermediate users, grounded in real-world example applications. Although the book focuses primarily on Java development with Storm, the patterns are more broadly applicable and the tips, techniques, and approaches described in the book apply to architects, developers, and operations. Additionally, the book should provoke and inspire applications of distributed computing to other industries and domains. Hadoop enthusiasts will also find this book a good introduction to Storm, providing a potential migration path from batch processing to the world of real-time analytics.

Speculative fiction is the literature of questions, of challenges and imagination, and what better to question than the ways in which gender and sexuality have been rigidly defined, partitioned off, put in little boxes? These seventeen stories explore the ways in which identity can go beyond binary from space colonies to small college towns, from angels to androids, and from a magical past to other worlds entirely, the authors in this collection have brought to life wonderful tales starring people who proudly define (and redefine) their own genders, sexualities, identities, and so much else in between.

The 1980's cult classic, Compton Crook Award Winner, now remastered with never-before-seen added material Two hundred years after a nuclear apocalypse forced humanity to flee earth, humans still remember the most feared warriors of that planet – the Paratwa. These are genetically modified killers who occupy two bodies controlled by one vicious mind. The legendary Paratwa named Reemul, known as the Liege-Killer, was the strongest of them all. Now someone has revived Reemul from stasis and sent him to terrorize the peaceful orbital colonies of Earth. Is this an isolated incident, or has the one who unleashed this terrible power announced a gambit for control over the entire human race? File Under: Science Fiction [ New Classic | High Stakes | Defrosted | Double Trouble ]