Living in the present days of peace and tranquility it is difficult to picture the life of our ancestors in the days of King Alfred, when the whole country was for years overrun by hordes of pagan barbarians, who slaughtered, plundered, and destroyed at will. You may gain, perhaps, a fair conception of the state of things if you imagine that at the time of the great mutiny the English population of India approached that of the natives, and that the mutiny was everywhere triumphant. The wholesale massacres and outrages which would in such a case have been inflicted upon the conquered whites could be no worse than those suffered by the Saxons at the hands of the Danes. From this terrible state of subjection and suffering the Saxons were rescued by the prudence, the patience, the valour and wisdom of King Alfred. In all subsequent ages England has produced no single man who united in himself so many great qualities as did this first of great Englishmen. He was learned, wise, brave, prudent, and pious; devoted to his people, clement to his conquered enemies. He was as great in peace as in war; and yet few English boys know more than a faint outline of the events of Alfred's reignÑevents which have exercised an influence upon the whole future of the English people. School histories pass briefly over them; and the incident of the burned cake is that which is, of all the actions of a great and glorious reign, the most prominent in boys' minds. In this story I have tried to supply the deficiency. Fortunately in the Saxon Chronicles and in the life of King Alfred written by his friend and counsellor Asser, we have a trustworthy account of the events and battles which first laid Wessex prostrate beneath the foot of the Danes, and finally freed England for many years from the invaders. These histories I have faithfully followed. The account of the siege of Paris is taken from a very full and detailed history of that event by the Abbe D'Abbon, who was a witness of the scenes he described.

TWO FULL NOVELS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! Fans of Lyndsay Sands and Gena Showalter will love this fiery paranormal romance from a New York Times bestselling author about a dragon shifter who finds his soul mate in the most unlikely place. Also includes WOLF'S MATE by Celia Kyle. With dragons like him, who needs enemies? Real scholars know that supernatural beings don't exist. But the moment I meet Archer Andras of the Storm Dragons, all my academic training goes out the window. Thanks to Mr. Tall, Dark, And Infuriating, I'm learning that I really should worry about those things that go bump in the night. . . and that dragons like Archer are 100 percent pure trouble. Now I'm caught in the middle of a war. On one side is Archer. On the other is his twin brother. And I am the key to translating an ancient text that could bring balance-or deadly ruin-to our world. But none of that is as dangerous as the seriously sexy sparks between Archer and me. He's too tempting to be real. Too gorgeous to trust. And when it comes to dragons, there's no smoke without deadly fire. Includes the novel WOLF'S MATE by Celia Kyle: When Abby Carter is threatened by an anti-shifter organization, werewolf shifter Declan Reed will have to convince her that there's no safer place in the world than in the arms of a big bad werewolf.

"DoD's focus has now shifted from Europe to Asia and SW Pacific. This book describes the extent of Islamist and Communist expansion there and how to reverse it. As both takeover tries involve drugs and are otherwise similar, only one solution is needed. Instead of occupying nations or training armies, the Pentagon must blanket the area with tiny law-enforcement-assistance teams. This takes more police and Unconventional Warfare (UW) ability than any U.S. grunt or special operator currently has. Part One details the subversion. Part Two shows what teams must know about criminal investigative procedure. Part Three has the UW techniques to escape encirclement. As such, this book may be America's only UW tactical-technique manual"--amazon.com.

Fifteen-year-old Creel is floored when her aunt suggests they sacrifice her to a dragon to attract the attention of a marriageable knight. But when the dragon appears, Creel bargains for her life - and ends up with an unusual pair of blue slippers. It’s not until the slippers are stolen by a princess that Creel learns a terrible truth: the slippers are made from the hide of a dragon queen, and enable the wearer to control all the dragons in the land. Now under the command of the princess, who is eager to start a war, the dragons begin to attack the city. Creel must join forces with the king’s son and others to break the slippers’ hold before the princess and the dragons destroy the city - or before the king’s archers kill the dragons - whichever comes first.

Dragon Day is a tragicomic glimpse at America's culture war and social atomization.

Humans and dragons are finally at peace, and Creel is busy planning her wedding to Prince Luka. Then dragon queen, Velika, is kidnapped by rogue dragons in need of their own queen . . . Creel and Luka join Shardas, King of the Dragons, on a journey to the land of the dark forests to save their friend. Can they stop the kidnappers from imprisoning Velika for ever? And will Creel get her dream wedding after all? Funny, heartfelt and action-packed, new readers and returning fans alike will dive headlong into this wonderful dragon-filled adventure.

In the mist-shrouded haze of the past, the world of Azeroth teemed with wondrous creatures of every kind. Mysterious Elves and hardy Dwarves walked among tribes of man in relative peace and harmony -- until the arrival of the demonic army known as Burning Legion shattered the world's tranquility forever. Now Orcs, Dragons, Goblins, and Trolls all vie for supremacy over the scattered, warring kingdoms -- part of a grand, malevolent scheme that will determine the fate of the world of WarCraft A terrifying upheaval among the highest ranks of the world's Wizards sends the maverick Mage, Rhonin, on a perilous journey into the Orc-controlled lands of Khaz Modan. What Rhonin uncovers is a vast, far-reaching conspiracy, darker than anything he ever imagined -- a threat that will force him into a dangerous alliance with ancient creatures of air and Þre if the world of Azeroth is to see another dawn.