Maree Webster--an almost-emo from the western suburbs of Sydney--hates school, has few friends, and is obsessed with angels and fallen angel stories. Life is boring until she decides to steal a famous painting from a small art gallery that has been haunting her dreams: swirling reds, greys and oranges of barely discernible winged figures. There, she meets a stranger who claims to know her and stumbles into a world where cities float in the sky, and daemons roam the barren, magma-spewing crags of the land far below. And all is not well--Maree is turning into something she loves but at the same time, fears. Most fearful of all is the prospect of losing her identity--what makes her Maree, and more importantly, what makes her human. Guardian of the Sky Realms takes the reader on a journey through exotic fantasy lands, as well as across the globe, from Sydney to Paris, from the Himalayas to Manhattan. At its heart, it is a novel about transformation.

The Sky Realm is where her rightful home is. Aaliyah, an everyday teenager on Earth, she has been led to believe that she is nothing more than an ordinary village healer. After a cruel attack on her grandmother, Aaliyah discovers not only that she is an Ultimate, who can reign over the four elements, but also that the people around her are not who she thought they were. Now, Aaliyah must do everything in her yet-to-emerge powers to defeat an evil force and salvage her home. Her journey of a thousand miles starts with a spark and consumes her as she strives for justice, love and power.

The second book in a thrilling fantasy adventure trilogy that SLJ called “perfect for fans of Erin Hunter’s Warriors series,” from the author of the Guardian Herd series. After winning the wild Pegasus mare named Echofrost in a contest, Rahkki Stormrunner is officially a rider in the Sky Guard army. Rahkki is terrified of heights though, and Echofrost doesn’t want to be tamed. But with Echofrost’s herd captured by the giants and a fierce battle on the horizon, the duo will have to conquer their fears if they want to fly with the army and free the herd. Meanwhile, back in his village, Rahkki learns of a growing rebellion to overthrow Queen Lilliam. Unfortunately, she suspects Rahkki’s behind it, and she places him under intense watch. As Rahkki and Echofrost escape to Mount Crim to save Storm Herd, Rahkki worries that the greatest danger may not come from the impending battle against the giants, but from within his own clan.

When Emma Sky volunteered to help rebuild Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, she had little idea what she was getting in to. Her assignment was only supposed to last three months. She went on to serve there longer than any other senior military or diplomatic figure, giving her an unrivaled perspective of the entire conflict. As the representative of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Kirkuk in 2003 and then the political advisor to US General Odierno from 2007-2010, Sky was valued for her knowledge of the region and her outspoken voice. She became a tireless witness to American efforts to transform a country traumatized by decades of war, sanctions, and brutal dictatorship; to insurgencies and civil war; to the planning and implementation of the surge and the subsequent drawdown of US troops; to the corrupt political elites who used sectarianism to mobilize support; and to the takeover of a third of the country by the Islamic State. With sharp detail and tremendous empathy, Sky provides unique insights into the US military as well as the complexities, diversity, and evolution of Iraqi society. The Unraveling is an intimate insider's portrait of how and why the Iraq adventure failed and contains a unique analysis of the course of the war. Highlighting how nothing that happened in Iraq after 2003 was inevitable, Sky exposes the failures of the policies of both Republicans and Democrats, and the lessons that must be learned about the limitations of power.

I was originally an Immortal, but because my six Daos were incomplete and my seven spirits were incomplete, I could ascend to become an Immortal, but not an Immortal. The world is vast, and my cultivation base can fight against the heavens and the earth, and protect my people. [Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] [Next Chapter] Tenth reincarnation, nine dead and one alive. To avenge his family, Ah'Bao stepped onto the path of cultivation. Close]

In this second book, Guardians of the Realms; The Blood of the Fathers, the Magicians, Askah and Willow Lexus are called on to utilize all of their strengths and abilities to destroy a dark, evil entity that is spreading death, terror and chaos across all of the known realms. They and their friends are called to the Old World of their ancestors to battle a vicious, tyrant from the Realm of Ends that has driven those left alive to the brink of extinction. Once in the Old World, they face unimaginable dangers. Mystics, warlocks, and witches haunt the mountains, along with blood thirsty beasts that seem to see everything as a meal. Ghosts of the past threaten to separate Willow from Askah forever. But who is the real enemy? Mystery and terror lies around every corner. Twists and turns keep the reader on edge as the team makes their way across the devastated Old World looking for the enemy. A wicked storm tears the team apart, sending many of them to find their way back to the others after being pulled into the depths of the Old World caves. Willow hears the voices of the ancients, but are they really the ghosts of those who lived over a thousand years ago? Are they really guiding her in the right direction? And why is the Keeper of the Gates to Hell asking for their help? The battle spills over into Earth's Realm, and their old friends are again there to help them in their fight against evil. Will their losses be too much to bear this time? Is their magic going to be enough?

The Sunday Times bestselling debut novel from the master of the modern espionage thriller, James Swallow. ____________________ Marc Dane was always the MI6 field agent stuck at home behind a computer screen, one step away from the action. But when a brutal attack on his team leaves Marc as the only survivor - and with the shocking knowledge that there are traitors inside MI6 - he's forced into the front line. Worse still, every shred of evidence seems to point towards Marc as the perpetrator of the attack. Accused of betraying his country, and with no one left to trust, he is forced to rely on the elusive Rubicon group and their operative Lucy Keyes. Ex US Army, Lucy also knows what it's like to be an outsider, and she's got the field skills that Marc is sorely lacking. But Marc will soon realise he is just a pawn in a monstrous conspiracy. A terrorist attack is coming, one bigger and more deadly than has ever been seen before. And with the eyes of the security establishment elsewhere, only Marc and Lucy can stop the attack before it's too late. A brilliant, white-knuckle thrill ride, NOMAD is the book that launched the global bestselling Marc Dane series - perfect for fans of I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes, Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz, Mark Dawson's John Milton, and Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp. ____________________ 10 REASONS TO READ JAMES SWALLOW: 'Frighteningly credible' - BEN AARONOVITCH 'Unputdownable' - WILBUR SMITH 'Fast-moving' - DAILY MAIL 'Enjoyable' - DAILY EXPRESS 'Exciting' - THE SUN 'Ultra fast-paced' - CHOICE 'Globe-trotting' - GUARDIAN 'Explosive' - IRISH EXAMINER 'Distinctly Bondian' - MORNING STAR 'Read it now' - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD