Legend has it that twenty miles of volcanic rock rising through the landscape of northern Bohemia was the work of the devil, who separated the warring Czechs and Germans by building a wall. The nineteenth-century invention of the Devil's Wall was evidence of rising ethnic tensions. In interwar Czechoslovakia, Sudeten German nationalists conceived a radical mission to try to restore German influence across the region. Mark Cornwall tells the story of Heinz Rutha, an internationally recognized figure in his day, who was the pioneer of a youth movement that emphasized male bonding in its quest to reassert German dominance over Czech space. Through a narrative that unravels the threads of Rutha's own repressed sexuality, Cornwall shows how Czech authorities misinterpreted Rutha's mission as sexual deviance and in 1937 charged him with corrupting adolescents. The resulting scandal led to Rutha's imprisonment, suicide, and excommunication from the nationalist cause he had devoted his life to furthering. Cornwall is the first historian to tackle the long-taboo subject of how youth, homosexuality, and nationalism intersected in a fascist environment. "The Devil's Wall" also challenges the notion that all Sudeten German nationalists were Nazis, and supplies a fresh explanation for Britain's appeasement of Hitler, showing why the British might justifiably have supported the 1930s Sudeten German cause. In this readable biography of an ardent German Bohemian who participated as perpetrator, witness, and victim, Cornwall radically reassesses the Czech-German struggle of early twentieth-century Europe.

Ninety-five years ago the enormous interplanetary space vehicle, the Pacifica, with a numerous crew, suddenly and inexplicably disappeared as it neared the planet Pluto. None of the probes directed towards the planet after the disaster found any evidence that the vessel and its crew had ever existed. Now, a century later, the wreck of the huge ship has been sighted, lying shrouded in the hazy-black starlight on the Plutonian surface. A shuttle has been fitted for the dangerous journey to the seventh planet, and with three crewmembers aboard, has made the first attempt to reach Pluto since the loss of the Pacifica. As the shuttle approaches the planet, it also 'suddenly and inexplicably' disappears and is lost. Although the crew of three is believed to have perished, they have not, and will carry on with their mission: to determine how the Pacifica met its fate. The truth, however, may be found only beyond reason, or even beyond imagination, and the three astronauts may wish that they never sought answer to this great mystery.

Welcome to a world where blood, lust, power, loyalty, and desires to kill are taken to their limits. Out of the darkness where that mans lust for power is allowed to exist, the unimaginable emerged. From the forgotten legends of ancient times, they have been called forth into the world once againdevils. From within the shadows, rogue hunters arise, operating for their own reasons but aim for the same goals. The devils do not walk unchallenged. Terror doesnt flourish without resistance, and a battle for survival erupts. An age that changed from peace to violence and sin, trading blood for blood, humanity may be lost. But from the ashes of destroyed hope, a new legend emerges, a figure harbored by death, respectfully feared by devils, and distrusted by humanity. A stolen child who became a devil slayer and who became a devil, his name is Heartnik. Try to kill me if you can, but ready or not, Im coming for you.

The Devil's Historians offers a passionate corrective to common - and very dangerous - myths about the medieval world.

Once upon a time - a few days ago, I was sitting on a bench waiting for the bus. It was already late and in the middle of the forest on a country road in Saxony, where all kinds of impressions await the traveler. A gentleman with a backpack and a long beard came up and sat down next to me and began to talk. The first bus passed and the second. The moon made its way through the sea of stars and as the dawn slowly approached, he took his bundle and moved on, leaving me with these 100 stories. They take us through the seasons and lead us to new ways of understanding familiar fairy tales. And you know what? I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Old Saxony where beautiful girls grow on trees. This book contains stories may only children understand. Adults learn the mystics of life. Read them slowly and with care. Even the AI who translated these tales was forever steeped in mystery.