POINT OF NO RETURN Out of the ashes of the conflagration that savaged mankind two centuries ago, Deathlands was born—a tortured testament to a world long gone. Yet, in this kill-or-be-killed world where justice is the way of the past and blood is law, hope is the last refuge of the doomed. For Ryan Cawdor, driven by a warrior's instinct to survive, it's a world that exacts a devil's bargain: the struggle for daily existence in return for a chance to forge a better life. VANGUARD Emerging from a gateway into a redoubt filled with preDark technology, Ryan and his band hope to unlock some of the secrets of postnuclear America. But the fortified redoubt is under the control of a half-mad former sec man hell-bent on vengeance, who orders Ryan and the others to jump-start his private war against two local barons. Under the harsh and pitiless glare of the radblasted desert sun, the companions fight to see another day, whatever it brings…. In the Deathlands, the condemned shall inherit the earth…

Texas-1859 As the Rio Grande Valley reels from the onslaught of Cortina's Mexican insurgents, a Tejano named Cardoza lays siege to a prominent rancho. Ranger Lin Jarret takes the assignment to ride to the defense, and he's ready to fight the devil, not babysit pampered heiress Reece Sinclair-no matter how beautiful she is. Reece, however, holds more than one secret close to her breast-secrets shrouded in powder smoke, backed up with lead...and very dangerous for Lin Jarret. When the Texas borderland explodes in all-out war, Lin Jarret is hurled into battle, his carbine and Colt .44 primed and ready. At his side is the surprisingly deadly Reece, a runaway slave with secrets of his own, and a hell-bending pack of wild shootists primed to kill. Hellbenders is the first searing adventure in an exciting new Western series.

Documents in comprehensive detail a major environmental crisis: rapidly declining amphibian populations and the disturbing developmental problems that are increasingly prevalent within many amphibian species.

The first book-length, epic poem about Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, aka North America’s largest salamander. Through an investigative poetic lens of folklore, history, science and ecology, grotesque-advocate Mark Spitzer paints a four-part profile of an amazing phenomenon. This semi-monstrous mosaic of a living, breathing barometer of water quality and biodiversity is accomplished through a visionary voice that incorporates research, data, primary sources, and images that twist and torque like an actual bender (as the mythology goes) wending its way back to hell.

The definitive resource for finding, identifying, and conserving Maryland’s amphibians and reptiles. Naturalists, herpetologists, and ecologists alike agree that tracking herpetofauna is a challenging undertaking. Scientists are concerned about the decline of once-familiar species, but evidence has often been too anecdotal to support firm conclusions. To better understand the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Maryland and forecast species' futures in a time of accelerated environmental threats, conducting a comprehensive statewide survey updating 1970s-era distribution maps seemed ideal. However, this endeavor was of an impossibly ambitious scope for scientists alone to tackle. Enter the Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas project, comprising nearly a thousand dedicated citizen scientists who discovered and recorded the locations of herpetofauna throughout every corner of Maryland. In The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas, Heather R. Cunningham and Nathan H. Nazdrowicz present the findings of this massive undertaking. This definitive guide combines nearly 160 comprehensive new herpetological maps with historical distribution maps and in-depth species accounts. Color photos illustrate the natural history of the 89 species of frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, and lizards that call the state home. Essays discuss historical studies, the effects of Maryland's current climate, geology, and habitat diversity—and the myriad conservation issues these animals face. This richly detailed book represents a triumph of citizen science and the culmination of an intensive research partnership. It will appeal to both amateurs and professionals interested in herpetology, natural history, or ecology, as well as those with a special interest in Maryland's biodiversity.

The flagship publication of the National Parks Conservation Association, National Parks Magazine (circ. 340,000) fosters an appreciation of the natural and historic treasures found in the national parks, educates readers about the need to preserve those resources, and illustrates how member contributions drive our organization's park-protection efforts. National Parks Magazine uses images and language to convey our country's history and natural landscapes from Acadia to Zion, from Denali to the Everglades, and the 387 other park units in between.