Admiral Jake begins in a forest of frenzied flight. Matey, her family, and others from their pioneer settlement must do all they can to flee the marauding pirates, but things do not go well. After a horrific sequence of events, 17-year old Matey and her 12-year old brother, Buck, must find their way back to safety and somehow find a way to move on. But the difficulties do not cease, nor is the direction easy to discern, nor are the souls they encounter in all ways familiar. Whether flyers or dwarfs, pirates or double-realm rovers, storytellers or others, all are in various places of conflict and confusion, converging in and out of troubles and trials. Matey must find out what side she is really on, to what end must she aim, is triumph even possible, and does it really make any difference at all?

The most daring -- and deadly -- terrorist plot of all time is about to unfold aboard the supercarrier USS United States. If it succeeds, the balance of nuclear power will tilt in favor of a remorseless Arab leader. And it looks as if no one can stop it - except navy "jet jock" Jake Grafton. "Cag " Grafton is one helluva pilot. His F-14 Tomcat is one helluva plane. But some of Jake's crewmates have already vanished. A woman reporter who boarded the ship in Tangiers may not be who she claims to be. And Jake may have to disobey a direct order from the President himself for one spine-tingling, hair-raising Final Flight.

The press gang, and its forcible recruitment of sailors to man the Royal Navy in times of war, acquired notoriety for depriving men of their liberty and carrying them away to a harsh life at sea, sometimes for years at a time. Nicholas Rogers explains exactly how the press gang worked, whom it was aimed at and how successful it was in achieving its ends. He also shows the limits to its operations and the press gang's need for cooperation from local authorities, who were by no means prepared to support it. Written by an expert in the social history of eighteenth-century Britain, it is both well-researched and highly readable.

These essays explore both literal and metaphorical crossings of the globe, addressing the cultural significance of maps, paintings, travel writing, tourist manuals, cultural identities, island gardens, and other topics in order to lend insight to our perception of global culture during the long 18th century.