When SAS vet. Lacklan Walker buries his father at the family graveyard in New England, the last person he expects to see at the funeral is his childhood friend and sweetheart, Marni - the woman who'd killed his father. To make things more complicated, his father's dying wish was that Lacklan should look after her and protect her. Because Marni is on a mission, a mission to bring down the shadowy organization called Omega, the government within a government, a mission that might just save Mankind. But when Lacklan tracks her down to Tucson, Arizona, his biggest enemy turns out to be his own passion, his own need for redemption. A need that leads him astray and drags him ever deeper, as avenger and executioner, into the cross-border trade in crack cocaine and young Mexican prostitutes. But will his blind hunger for justice drive him to forget his promise to his father? Will it lead him to make the biggest mistake of his life - a mistake that could have disastrous consequences not just for him and Marni, but for the world...?

This is the story of an unlikely heroa gay man in the most masculine of worlds who triumphed over prejudice and adversity as he achieved what no American had ever accomplished, teaching even Hemingway lessons in grace, machismo, and respect.

Double-edged Sword is a survival story like no other. In 2003 Simonne Butler's violent partner, high on methamphetamine, cut off both her hands with a samurai sword. Her hands were reattached in a groundbreaking marathon surgery and she spent the next decade healing her mind, body and spirit. Despite five years in an extremely physically and emotionally abusive relationship, Simonne always had an unbreakable spirit. Even when her self-confidence and sense of self-preservation was at rock bottom, she was able to source phenomenal strength that saw her survive horrendous blood loss and being left for dead for hours, holding her severed limbs in such a way that allowed revascularisation to be possible. Facing obstacles from the very start, including a troubled childhood and an alcoholic and volatile mother, Simonne's optimism and determination have always shone through. Every victim of domestic violence must read this book, and their friends and family. Even those who have never been the victim of violence will be inspired, moved and enlightened by this candid and brutal memoir. Double-edged Sword is so much more than just a story of survival, it is a guidebook for humanity - how to shrug off the oppressors and the obstacles and live your life with the greatest intensity you can muster. It's about conquering the demons and rising like a phoenix from the ashes and learning how to live with passion, honesty and love.

Joel smiled at the thought that he was becoming an important member of the Blades. Tonight he was the trusted lookout while others took anything of value from the run-down store. This is only the beginning, he thought. Heaven has its hands full looking after Joel Somers. Fifteen and a member of the Blades, a dangerous street gang, Joel considers the other gang members his only true family, even when they treat him like dirt. On the run after the Blades' failed attempt to rob a video store, Joel seeks refuge at a Christian youth conference. There, after hearing a speaker with a story strikingly similar to his own, he gives his life to Christ. So begins a life-changing journey in which Joel experiences the angst of sudden homelessness, the deepening joy of Christian friendships, increasingly dangerous clashes with former gang members, and the ambivalent return of his once-criminal dad. In Double-Edged Blade, readers are given a unique glimpse of the unseen battle between good and evil. God himself and Abner, an angel assigned to protect Joel, discretely nurture his newfound faith while combating human and spiritual antagonists bent on Joel's destruction. But does Joel have enough faith to get him through the deadliest encounter of his life?

Before arming yourself with a fighting knife, arm yourself with the facts. Colonel Applegate, the world's foremost authority on close combat, wrote this book to instill in readers the skills necessary for contemporary knife fighting. Now you, too, can benefit from the same instructions that generations of military and intelligence personnel have.

"This extensively illustrated catalogue is published in conjunction with the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to the arts of the samurai, including the finest examples of swords - the spirit of the samurai - as well as sword mountings and fittings, armor and helmets, saddles, textiles, and paintings. The works in the catalogue, drawn from public and private collections in Japan, include 34 officially designated National Treasures and 64 Important Cultural Properties, the largest number ever to be shown together at one time. Dating from the 5th to the early 20th century, these majestic objects offer a complete picture of samurai culture and its unique blend of the martial and the refined." "Many of the greatest Japanese swordsmiths are represented in this volume, from early masters such as Yasuie (12th century) and Tomomitsu (14th century) to the Edo-period smiths Nagasone Kotetsu and Kiyomaro. The blades by these and other masters, cherished as much for their beauty as for their cutting efficiency, were equipped with elaborate hilts and scabbards prized for their exquisite craftsmanship and fine materials such as silk, rayskin, gold, lacquer, and certain alloys unique to Japan. Japanese armor is also fully surveyed, from the rarest iron armor of the Kofun period (5th century) to the inventive ceremonial helmets made toward the end of the age of the samurai." --Book Jacket.

The old wizard wasn't exactly happy with Valder, who'd led his enemy to his hut. Now hut and magical supplies were destroyed. But he'd promised the young scout a magic sword to get him safely back to his own lines -- and a much-enchanted sword Valder would get! The resulting sword gave perfect protection -- sometimes! It could kill any man -- or even half demon. In fact, once drawn, it had to kill before it could be put down or sheathed. Army wizards told Valder that the sword would keep him alive until he'd drawn it 100 times; then it would kill him! It wouldn't prevent his being wounded, maimed or cut to pieces, but it wouldn't let him die. If his new job as Chief Assassin for the army didn't make him use up the spell, he'd be practically immortal. Not bad, it seemed. There had to be a catch somewhere. There was -- and it was a lulu!