This important volume describes the art created in the second millennium B.C. for royal palaces, temples, and tombs from Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia to Cyprus, Egypt, and the Aegean.

One touch kills. But not at first. Even so, you may wish it had. Beyond Astura is a grand science fiction-epic fantasy reminiscent of The Wheel of Time, The Belgariad, and The Lord of the Rings series all rolled into one. In the third novel of the series, “The Flow of Power”, all sentient beings face a mind afflicting evil, a deadly foe no one could prepare for. The existence and power of the insidious, and alien, One Mind can no longer be denied as it closes in on Crystalyn Creek. She is the only being—a mere human—that has ever thwarted its raw hunger to feed on the emotions and memories stemming from brain neurons throughout its long lifespan. With her sister Jade as the unwilling host, the parasitic creature is far stronger than it ever has been. Defeating such evil without harming her sibling becomes a desperate trial of instinct and survival. With the power of the great river of magic dwindling, Crystalyn’s symbol magic is crucial against the alien’s aggression, with its horde of controlled people and a black dragon. Meanwhile, a young and untrained User of magic makes his way across the land unknowingly tied to Crystalyn’s fate. Even with their collective strength, it may not be enough for anyone to survive what came from the cold darkness of space. Whether of Dark or Light affinity, human or nonhuman, all must stand against it or succumb to a state of mind worse than death…

In Beyond Mammoth Cave: A Tale of Obsession in the World’s Longest Cave, James D. Borden and Roger W. Brucker provide gripping first-person accounts of the discoveries, including Roppel Cave, that made Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave three times longer than any other cave in the world. Borden, a relative newcomer, and Brucker, a veteran explorer, bring a personal and sometimes conflicting view of their roles as adversaries in a race that lasted from 1972 through 1983 to find “big cave.” They describe hazardous adventures, precarious climbs, and close calls from falling rocks. The perils are many and the trek arduous as they squirm through muddy tubes, wade in neck-deep cold water, and crawl over sharp rocks and gritty sand. Theirs is a tale of agonizing endurance spiced by spectacular discoveries. But the cave was not the sole obstacle. The explorations were complicated by political intrigue and the rivalry between the Kentucky-based Cave Research Foundation and the Central Kentucky Karst Coalition, each seeking to make discoveries and hide secrets. Extreme stress, of course, evoked extreme behavior, ranging from selfishness to sacrifice, from outrageous humor to the deadly serious response. Beyond Mammoth Cave includes maps by Patricia Kambesis that show the progression of cave discoveries in relation to the topography. Original line drawings by well-known illustrator Linda Heslop capture the dark mystery of the exploration. The book features five black and white photographs as a color gallery of photographs. A sequel to The Longest Cave by Brucker and Richard A. Watson, this book is a comprehensive update of the speleological investigations in the Mammoth Cave region. Brucker’s involvement provides continuity to the investigation.

Beyond Bombshells analyzes the cultural importance of strong women in a variety of current media forms. Action heroines are now more popular in movies, comic books, television, and literature than they have ever been. Their spectacular presence represents shifting ideas about female agency, power, and sexuality. Beyond Bombshells explores how action heroines reveal and reconfigure perceptions about how and why women are capable of physically dominating roles in modern fiction, indicating the various strategies used to contain and/or exploit female violence. Focusing on a range of successful and controversial recent heroines in the mass media, including Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games books and movies, Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo novels and films, and Hit-Girl from the Kick-Ass movies and comic books, Jeffrey A. Brown argues that the role of action heroine reveals evolving beliefs about femininity. While women in action roles are still heavily sexualized and objectified, they also challenge preconceived myths about normal or culturally appropriate gender behavior. The ascribed sexuality of modern heroines remains Brown's consistent theme, particularly how objectification intersects with issues of racial stereotyping, romantic fantasies, images of violent adolescent and preadolescent girls, and neoliberal feminist revolutionary parables. Individual chapters study the gendered dynamics of torture in action films, the role of women in partnerships with male colleagues, young women as well as revolutionary leaders in dystopic societies, adolescent sexuality and romance in action narratives, the historical import of nonwhite heroines, and how modern African American, Asian, and Latina heroines both challenge and are restricted by longstanding racial stereotypes.

From USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen A. Miller comes this exciting young adult adventure. The day after Aimee Patterson’s high school graduation, her dreams of college and becoming an engineer are interrupted. On an early evening walk, her cocker spaniel charges into the woods, and Aimee follows. In the stillness of the forest, the unthinkable happens. She becomes paralyzed and watches in horror as her hands vanish before her eyes. She wakes to find she's been kidnapped and is now far from home. A group of human-like aliens fleeing an epidemic travels the galaxies seeking an antidote, and Aimee is mistakenly taken during one of their missions. Now, Aimee must navigate the advances of an awkward young scientist who seems intent on dissecting her as her own fascination turns to the exotic young warrior, Zak. Having fallen in love with Zak, she faces a difficult choice: return to Earth or live beyond the stars.

A heart-stopping story of romantic suspense from #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. Lindsay Foxe is a successful model in New York, a woman who hides behind a new name to protect herself from a past of betrayal and treachery and a present that becomes fraught with danger. The product of old San Francisco wealth, the daughter of a man who despises her, her life is forever changed when she is brutally assaulted by her sister’s husband, and then rejected by her family. Lindsay is finally forced to face up to her past when she meets S.C. Taylor, a tough ex-cop, turned private investigator and computer troubleshooter. He is hired to protect her; but can he both win her trust and discover who is trying to kill her and why?

In her boss’s special care Dedicated doctor Grant Makela faces a fight to save his clinic from a faceless medical corporation. Meeting beautiful holidaymaker Susan Cantwell is a bright spot in his day—until she turns out to be from the company in question… Their reluctant attraction is mutual, and Susan finds herself agreeing to his proposal: to work at the clinic and see how important it is. As Susan and Grant work side by side, Susan realises that this amazing Hawaiian doctor has given her courage to follow her heart—even if that means staying at the clinic…and staying with Grant! Top Notch Docs He’s not just the boss, he’s the best there is!