Aged emperor Thelden III Arrigar's last days are approaching and the Empire's leaders are taking sides in a struggle for power between rival heirs. Blood runs in the streets and the nights are thick with intrigue. Drake Arrigar, bastard prince and half-blooded sorcerer. Darius of Lorradon, foreign-born Initiate of a holy order of warriors sworn to the Empire. Leasha, senior maiden and chief spy for the Emperor's daughter. These three unlikely friends must navigate the coming storms as plots, violence, and unholy barbarians tear their lives apart. Their trials, failures, and triumphs will have far-reaching consequences, for their people and for their own futures.

This is photojournalist Galen Rowell's acclaimed portrait of the mountain lands of China and Tibet -- a realm the Chinese call the "middle kingdom" between earth and sky, higher and more remote than anywhere else on earth. Rowell's text sets his own adventures in this exotic region against a rich historical and cultural background, recreating the exploits of and describing the dramatic changes that recent years have wrought on Chinese life and society. From the palaces of Lhasa to the pristine strongholds of the snow leopard, the 85 splendid color photographs and compelling narrative map a geography that stretches the bounds of imagination. "From the Trade Paperback edition.

A throne won in blood will soon be drenched in it. A monarch who rules through intimidation will fear as much as they are feared. Ever since her mother Queen Aramaris was killed by the Malda, Ariawyn has been raised to be the next Queen Of Lathai. But she feels unprepared for her role, and, to buy time before her coronation, she flees her kingdom, joining a group of wandering dwarves and returning to their homeland of Fighgaruhm. All is not well, however, in Fighgaruhm, and as tensions rise, the dwarves' newly democratic government is threatened by those who still remain loyal to the Disposed King. Back in Lathai, Rune journeys to the capital city for the first time, where he quickly develops a friendship with the Regent Prince Luthitan and his niece, Naemyra. His loyalties will be tested, between his childhood friend Ariawyn, and the regent who seems to be a far better fit for the throne. As Ariawyn finds herself embroiled in the politics of the dwarves, those she left behind grapple with a kingdom that has lost its heir, an over-ambitious regent, and unwelcome tidings from the Northern Isles. With a cast of eclectic characters - including talking lizards, mischievous gods, and the ever troublesome Malda - The Last King of the Mountain is the first in an exciting new fantasy series, perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings, Throne of Glass, and The Cruel Prince.

Under Solomon's Throne provides a rare ground-level analysis of post-Soviet Central Asia's social and political paradoxes by focusing on an urban ethnic community: the Uzbeks in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, who have maintained visions of societal renewal throughout economic upheaval, political discrimination, and massive violence. Morgan Liu illuminates many of the challenges facing Central Asia today by unpacking the predicament of Osh, a city whose experience captures key political and cultural issues of the region as a whole. Situated on the border of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan—newly independent republics that have followed increasingly divergent paths to reform their states and economies—the city is subject to a Kyrgyz government, but the majority of its population are ethnic Uzbeks. Conflict between the two groups led to riots in 1990, and again in 2010, when thousands, mostly ethnic Uzbeks, were killed and nearly half a million more fled across the border into Uzbekistan. While these tragic outbreaks of violence highlight communal tensions amid long-term uncertainty, a close examination of community life in the two decades between reveals the way Osh Uzbeks have created a sense of stability and belonging for themselves while occupying a postcolonial no-man's-land, tied to two nation-states but not fully accepted by either one. The first ethnographic monograph based on extensive local-language fieldwork in a Central Asian city, this study examines the culturally specific ways that Osh Uzbeks are making sense of their post-Soviet dilemmas. These practices reveal deep connections with Soviet and Islamic sensibilities and with everyday acts of dwelling in urban neighborhoods. Osh Uzbeks engage the spaces of their city to shape their orientations relative to the wider world, postsocialist transformations, Islamic piety, moral personhood, and effective leadership. Living in the shadow of Solomon's Throne, the city's central mountain, they envision and attempt to build a just social order.

From the internationally bestselling author of The Twentieth Wife, a novel based on the tumultuous history of a legendary 186-carat diamond—originating in India—and the men and women who possessed it. As empires rose and fell and mighty kings jostled for power, its glittering radiance never dimmed. It is the “Mountain of Light”—the Kohinoor diamond—and its facets reflect a sweeping story of love, adventure, conquest, and betrayal. Its origins are the stuff of myth, but for centuries this spectacular gem changes hands from one ruler to another in India, Persia, and Afghanistan. In 1850, the ancient stone is sent halfway around the world where it will play a pivotal role in the intertwined destinies of a boy-king of India and a young queen of England—a queen who claims the Mountain of Light and India itself for her own burgeoning empire, the most brilliant jewels in her imperial crown. The Mountain of Light is a magnificent story of loss and recovery, sweeping change and enduring truth, wrapped around the glowing heart of one of the world’s most famous diamonds.

A picture book in rhyme. Feisty little Mouse presents a toolbox of practical strategies to teach children how to Stand Tall through 'tricky, thick and thin'. The book offers a lively message of hope, helping to foster each child's personal sense of pride and self-accomplishment.

Eighteen year old King has been in and out of high school and in and out of town ever since his mother's nervous breakdown. When his girlfriend Jana commits suicide he flees again to escape his feelings about her death. The journey takes him to a ski town and a job in a truck-stop cafe run by Maggie, a hard woman who has suffered similar losses of her own. King meets a new girl, Sunny, and begins to carve out a life for himself by becoming one of the best skiers on the mountain. But he can't escape his past and his dangerous skiing brings him into conflict with Denny, the head of the Ski Patrol and Sunny's ex-boyfriend. Once more King turns to flee from his problems--but this time Maggie stands in his way and escape is not so easy.