The experiences of a captain flying, from 1976 to 1979, for a charter company indirectly owned by the Shah of Iran.

#1 bestselling author Ken Follett tells the inspiring true story of the Middle East hostage crisis that began in 1978, and of the unconventional means one American used to save his countrymen. . . . When two of his employees were held hostage in a heavily guarded prison fortress in Iran, one man took matters into his own hands: businessman H. Ross Perot. His team consisted of a group of volunteers from the executive ranks of his corporation, handpicked and trained by a retired Green Beret officer. To free the imprisoned Americans, they would face incalculable odds on a mission that only true heroes would have dared. . . .

Wealthy astronomer Roger Stone makes an astounding discovery that puts time travel within his reach. He shares his secret with his friends Ken, Nick, and Dave. He then startles them by proposing to finance a trip for the three of them through time back to the fifth century BC. Their initial reaction is outright refusal. Ken West is a scholar and a university professor of Latin and Ancient Greek. He is also an insecure lovelorn man who desperately wants a woman’s love but hasn’t found one to share his life. Nick Napoli is a handsome electronic genius who flits from woman to woman leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him. In reality he is a lonely man who craves adventure. David Braun is a highly successful businessman with the Midas touch. Married twice, he loses both wives to tragic deaths. The loss of two women leaves him a shattered man, fearful of making another marital commitment. After much soul searching and discussions among themselves the three men agree to start preparations for the trip. Then a mysterious occurrence decides the issue and they journey to fifth century BC Greece where they live out the rest of their lives.

Wings of the Gods surveys the many roles that birds have played in the development of religions, from legends, rituals, costumes, wars, and spiritual disciplines to the current ecological crisis. Peter (Petra) Gardella and Laurence Krute, both scholars and birdwatchers, transcend a narrow focus on humanity to explore the agency of birds in world history.