The career of Conor Cruise O'Brien reads like the work of several people, not just one. Having served as a diplomat under Sean MacBride, he came to world prominence as special representative to Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the United Nations, in the then-Congo. Squeezed ruthlessly by big-power politics, he resigned and wrote To Katanga and Back (1962), a classic in modern African history and still the only book to get behind the polished marble façade to reveal how the United Nations works. O'Brien then became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and battled for academic freedom against one of the most amiable of tyrants, Kwame Nkrumah. He moved on to become the first incumbent of the Schweitzer Chair at New York University. His relations with the "New York intellectuals" of the time were productive, acrimonious, sometimes comic - and part of a central chapter in the intellectual history of America in the 1960s. From 1969 to 1977 O'Brien was probably the most hated person in Ireland, as well as one of the most heroic. One of the first to see the fascistic nature of the Provisional IRA, he began an unrelenting campaign against its terrorism. In that campaign he called into question the basic myths upon which the Irish republic was constructed. His States of Ireland (1972) is the most publicly influential piece of Irish historical writing since John Mitchel's The Last Conquest of Ireland (1860), and many students of Irish history believe that O'Brien's work in the 1970s was crucial to averting civil war in Ireland. Whatever one thinks about this extraordinary man, one cannot ignore him. He may well be the most important Irish nonfiction writer of the twentieth century, with writings as widely scattered as they have been influential. Volume I, Narrative is the biography of one of the most controversial, engaging, and courageous individuals of this century. Volume II, Anthology brings together his best short pieces, many of which originally appeared in such periodicals as the Spectator, the New Republic, Harper's, the Atlantic, the New Statesman, the Observer, and the New York Review of Books and have never been reprinted. A complete bibliography of O'Brien's work is also provided.

The 'dark ones' are children born with strange powers only to lose their gifts in adolescence. Conor Archer comes to town, dying from a fever which makes him into something more than human. The Roan, Celtic shapeshifters inhabiting the burial Mound down by the River, try to claim him. Myth and science go to war as Conor finds his little town the center of a battle for humanity's soul.

In the alleys of the decrepit Boston neighborhood known as the Weird, fairy prostitutes are turning up dead. The crime scenes show signs of residual magic, but the Guild, which polices the fey, has more "important" crimes to investigate and dumps the case on human law enforcement. Boston police call in Connor Grey, a druid and former hotshot Guild investigator-whose magical abilities were crippled after a run-in with a radical environmentalist elf. As Connor battles red tape and his own shortcomings, he realizes that the murders are not random, but part of an ancient magical ritual. And if Connor can't figure out the killer's M.O., the culmination of the spell might just bring about a worldwide cataclysm.

Edda is a 'virtual' world ruled by the electronic intelligence of Lord Scanthax. Penelope is a teenager ensnared in Edda. Can she uncover the truth about her human past and gain her freedom? And are there other humans still 'out there'? A fast-moving fantasy from the author of internationally acclaimed Epic and Saga. Edda has all the exciting elements of avatars, mythical beings, magic, and cataclysmic battles, but also challenges the older reader to think deeply about humanity and power. 'A captivating page-turner.' School Library Journal, starred review of Epic, Conor Kostick's first novel.

'WE'RE NOT JUST HERE TO TAKE PART - WE'RE HERE TO TAKE OVER' Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the fight game. The Dubliner has achieved more in three years with the Ultimate Fighting Championship than anyone in the twenty year history of the organization. From an unknown prospect in 2013 to the first man to hold two world titles simultaneously, McGregor's knockout-filled march through the featherweight and then lightweight rankings sent shockwaves through the world. But as effortless as McGregor's heroics have seemed, his journey was far from smooth and his destiny anything but certain. Just another teenager trading martial arts techniques with his friends in a shed, the seemingly delusional boy packed in his plumbing gig - to the massive anxiety of his parents - to chase a pipe dream with little promise of reward. No one could have guessed he would go on to become the biggest pay-per-view attraction in the world. As a technician and tactician inside the cage, McGregor was something special. Outside of the cage McGregor could draw thousands of screaming fans to press events with his wit and presence. And away from the cameras, McGregor's life was built around a love of treating his friends and a loyalty to his teammates and his hometown. This is not another tale about an athlete who was born exceptional and groomed for success. It is about how one young man, through bloody-minded determination and indomitable spirit, came to change the whole game. From Crumlin to Las Vegas and from the cage to the cars, Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor explores not just how the fight game changed Conor McGregor, but how Conor McGregor revolutionized the fight game.

How do we know we are real and not just some character in an elaborate game? In the virtual world of Saga, Ghost is a fifteen-year-old airboarding anarcho-punk, with no past, no memories, only a growing realisation of her own strange abilities. But who is she really and why is she becoming embroiled in a battle with the warped leader of Saga -- the Dark Queen? How have Erik and Cindella Dragonslayer fared since their adventures in Epic? And what happens if you dare to reach outside your world, or to question your identity? Is that simply the road to madness, death and destruction? Praise for Epic , Cindella Dragonslayer's first adventure: 'The most important Irish novel of the year.' Sunday Independent See the thrilling video trailer created for Saga by the US publisher, Viking Children's Books:

When I stumbled into a mafia run club seeking a job, I was looking for protection. Little did I know I'd need protection from him. Conor O' Callahan was exactly the kind of danger I was trying to avoid. He was gorgeous as sin with an accent hotter than Hades, but that's where the charm ended. He was also cynical, cold, and downright cranky. So, you could imagine my surprise when he gave me a proposition. Marry him or lose my life. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I've learned to do what's necessary to survive in this world, and that includes marrying a mobster. Regardless of what he might say, it's only temporary. It's not like I'm going to fall for him. Because that would be stupid, right?