It was 1941 when Bill McDonald waved goodbye from the troop train. His twelve year old son, Russell, had promised to look after Mum and the girls while his father was away, and surely the war would be over in a few months. But Singapore, the impregnable island fortress, fell to the Japanese and Bill became a Prisoner of War. With courage, laughter and heartache, Bill and his mates struggled with starvation and disease to survive in Borneo. This is Russell’s story too, as he grows up in a rural town, while his Father is away.

A bumbling old wizard and his incompetent assistant, a beautiful but domineering witch and a drunken ex-soldier. When the spirit of the evil sorcerer Mishtar threatens to break free from the prison that has held him for two hundred years, they are the only ones who stand in his way. Aided by a small flying lizard and a big red dragon they take on elves, cannibals, barbarians and Mishtar himself in their efforts to bind him and secure a safe future for the people of Middle Vooragh.

Through the history of rickshaw pullers in Hong Kong and Canton, Reluctant Heroes provides a rich portrait of the urban milieu and life in two contrasting yet interrelated cities in South China. Fung Chi Ming explains the dynamics between the rickshaw pullers' participation in collective action and the intervention of the British colonial and Chinese authorities, and traces the pullers' emergence and eclipse as a political force. Reluctant Heroes is a fascinating study of rickshaw pullers in Hong Kong and Canton. The author reconstructs the daily lives and social environments of rickshaw pullers, the majority of whom were emigrants who differed in the loyalties of dialect, place of origin and kinship. Low- skilled yet partially self-employed, rickshaw pullers relied on entrepreneurial flair, in addition to physical stamina, to tout for fares, thus bridging the culture of petty traders and physical laborers. In the volatile urban environment, they were subjected not just to patron-client problems, but also the directives and regulations of the state, and to interventions of the police, and the British colonial and Chinese authorities. Rickshaw pullers struggled with their adversities and became a political force to be reckoned with. Fung argues that they are "reluctant heroes," since their collective outbursts were authentic protests against encroachments on their livelihood. They were spurred into collective actions that were at times cheered by the public, or embroiled in city politics, thus suffering great losses in political storms, when they would have preferred to lead quiet, anonymous lives. Set against the backdrop of two contrasting yet interrelated cities in South China, Reluctant Heroes brings a richer understanding of urban living through a comparative study of the historic pattern of adaptation in the urban workplace, the powers of the state, and the repertoire of mass activism.

Sent on a mission to rescue two kidnapped children being held in a South American embassy, former Navy SEAL Ian Dunn teams up with intelligent young lawyer Phoebe Kruger in a race against time that is complicated by a mob hit. By the award-winning author of Born to Darkness. (romance). Simultaneous.

Pioneers have always resented their wanderlust, hated their hardships. But the future brings a new grudge—when pioneers stay put and scholars do the exploring!

Sarn just wants to pay off his Indenture, not sort out magical problems until a ghost boy shows up. Compelled to solve the mystery surrounding the boy’s death, so his own son doesn’t pay the price, Sarn sets out on a dangerous quest. But conspirators gather at home, and they seek a crystal to destroy the enchanted forest, and they’ll release an ancient monster and destroy the protections barring the dark lord from this world to get it. Sarn must dig deep and use everything he’s learned about magic to combat them. But he’s only one mage, facing more than one unimaginable evil. How could he possibly prevail? With a little help from his twin, he just might. Sovvan doesn’t let a little thing like death stand between her and her family. When the dark lord comes for Sarn, she’ll travel to Heaven, Hell, and everywhere in between to save him. But Sovvan needs to evade the army of memory-eating creatures searching for her to have any hope of helping him, and somehow keep her memories intact. She can’t save her twin and possibly the world if she can’t remember both are in peril. But that’s only the beginning of her problems when the Fallen build a gateway to Hell in a magical realm that stores all knowledge. Sovvan can save her twin or she can stop the armies of Hell from coming to Shayari, but she can’t do both. And the gateway is just the beginning. The Fallen seek the Seals. If they break them, they’ll release the dark lord’s full power, and nothing can stand against him then, not even the bond between a mage and his twin. Will Sarn and his sister prevail or will darkness cover everything? Find out in Reluctant Heroes 1-10. This ten-book set takes Sarn and his sister from reluctant hero to willing adventurer as they learn about their magic and test the limits of their unique bond. Reluctant Heroes 1-10 includes the following epic fantasy adventures: Curse Breaker Enchanted, His Angelic Keeper, Curse Breaker Darkens, Curse Breaker Faceted, Curse Breaker Falls, Curse Breaker Sundered, His Angelic Keeper Hidden, Curse Breaker Hidden, His Angelic Keeper Fallen, and His Angelic Keeper Tempted. Get it now! Keywords: epic fantasy, fantasy adventure, sword & sorcery, boxed set, reluctant hero, mage, wizard, sorcerer, magic, enchanted forest, high fantasy, friendship, found family, single parent, journey, demon, ghost, magic lessons, apprentice, secrets, crush, happy for now, action adventure, good vs evil, betrayal, strong women, dragon obsession, rangers, friends to enemies, indentured, enchantress, queens and royalty, nobility, monster fights, demon battle, kidnapped, left for dead, tricked, the monster awakes, hero's journey, rise of the villain, wrong place, wrong time, dark crystal, dark magic, conspiracy, haunted castle, demon summoners, crimes against magic, Young Adult, fantasy, full length novel, Dangerous, prophecy, chosen one, come into powers, YA epic fantasy, YA fantasy, teen fantasy, black humor, anger, dark, twisty, Adult fantasy, adult epic fantasy, boxed set, angel, magic, enchanted forest, high fantasy, friendship, found family, journey, demon, ghost, secrets and lies, crush, happy for now, action adventure, good vs evil, betrayal, strong women, dragons, friends to enemies, witches and warlocks, queens and royalty, monster fights, demon battle, kidnapped, swordplay, tricked, afterlife, heaven, hell, purgatory, monsters of unusual size, hero's journey, rise of the villain, fallen angel, warrior angel, guardian angel, elephants, talking trees, wrong place, wrong time, dark magic, conspiracy, ghosts, demon summoners, crimes against magic, Young Adult fantasy, full length novel, Dangerous, prophecy, chosen one, come into powers, YA epic fantasy, transformation, YA fantasy, teen fantasy, humor, anger, light, fun romp, mapcap, twisty, Young adult epic fantasy, wings, strong female main character, light hearted, growing up, lost memories, amnesia, flying, magic ship, dreams, magic mirror, deception, women warriors, making friends, Immortals, Dangerous, live forever, supernatural powers, Clairvoyance, Psychic, sees the future, YA fantasy, YA sword & Sorcery, YA epic fantasy, teen fantasy, strong women, women helping women, women fighting women, women having fun, save the day, save her family, omnibus. Readers also enjoyed books by Robert Jordon, Mercedes Lackey, Nicholas Eames, Will Wight, Brandon Sanderson, Andrzej Sapkowski, J.R.R. Tolkien, Robin Hobb, Anne McCaffrey, Terry Brooks, Morgan Rice, Jonathan Moeller, Melissa Caruso, Terry Pratchet, N. K. Jemisin, Kevin J. Anderson, Jenn Lyons, David Gaider, Myke Cole, Brian McClellan, John Marco, Michael A. Stackpole, George R. R. Martin, Brent Weeks, A. K. Larkwood, Michelle Sagara

When Elbow won the Mercury Prize in 2008 for their fourth studio album - The Seldom Seen Kid - the accolade followed an organic 17 year long career marked by four classic albums and a cult following that cast them in the role of Manchester's best kept music secret. Elbow started out at a time when great songs and evocative lyrics were not generally recognised. Their music transcended genre, age and image, eventually finding its own distinctive global audience as Guy Garvey evolved into one of the most brilliant and intriguing lyricists of recent times. Reluctant Heroes charts Elbow's long journey from humble roots through modest success to international recognition. It features interviews with the band and those close to them to form the most complete band history to date.