Evolution.

When Kate travels to Blade, Oregon, for a quiet week at Aunt Melanie's cottage, her plans are dashed by the discovery of a grove of giant redwood trees in nearby Lost Crater. For thousands of years, no humans have entered the fog-filled crater--except possibly the Halami people, who lived in the region centuries ago before vanishing without a trace. Long a source of deep mystery, the crater is now a source of conflict, pitting those who see it as the dying mill town's last hope against those who see it as a rare sanctuary that should be protected. Caught up in this struggle, Kate follows an old Halami trail into the crater, and suddenly is thrown back in time five hundred years. Accompanied by the trickster Kandeldandel, the loyal Laioni, and the young logger Jody, she meets strange and enigmatic creatures, none more frightening than the volcanic Gashra, bent on destroying everything he cannot control. To defeat him, Kate must find the answer to an ancient riddle--and the courage to make the most difficult choice of her life. In this extraordinary quest, combining high adventure and heroic drama, a girl discovers that all living things are connected in ways she never expected, and that true friendship can reach across cultures, and even across centuries.

When David stumbles upon a tragic young woman in a sordid Limehouse pub, he has no idea she'd recognize him as the last vampyre alive, nor that she'd be the one to pull out his story. Yet as he recalls his life from the sweltering vineyards of Ancient Rome to the cold horrors of Medieval Romania - as well as his tumultuous past with the mad and mysterious Lucius - he realizes she is much more than what she seems. Gothic horror and mythological fantasy blend seamlessly together in this thrilling adventure, breathing new life into vampire lore as it reveals its true origins. The Ancient Ones is a tale of myth, mayhem, and magic ... with a dash of romance that bites.

An exuberant, hands-on fly-on-the-wall account that combines the thrill of canyoneering and rock climbing with the intellectual sleuthing of archaeology to explore the Anasazi. David Roberts describes the culture of the Anasazi—the name means “enemy ancestors” in Navajo—who once inhabited the Colorado Plateau and whose modern descendants are the Hopi Indians of Arizona. Archaeologists, Roberts writes, have been puzzling over the Anasazi for more than a century, trying to determine the environmental and cultural stresses that caused their society to collapse 700 years ago. He guides us through controversies in the historical record, among them the haunting question of whether the Anasazi committed acts of cannibalism. Roberts’s book is full of up-to-date thinking on the culture of the ancient people who lived in the harsh desert country of the Southwest.

Phillips (director, Koala Preservation Association of the US) looks at the natural history, behavior, and social life of koalas, and recounts the rescue and recovery of injured koalas in the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, Australia. He discusses the role of the animal in native myths of creation and renewal, and efforts at preserving the animal's natural habitat. Contains color photos and drawings. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Return of the Ancient Ones was awarded WINNER status for the Fantasy Category in the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards. The 2011 International Book Awards have been announced and the Return of the Ancient Ones has been honored as a "Finalist" in the "Fiction:Fantasy/Sci-Fi" category. Extended Description: Second in the Chronicles of Illúmaril series, author Gary Caplan's the Return of the Ancient Ones is a distinct tale that illustrates how one's fiercest enemy can become one's most aggressive ally. As dramatic as it is playful and sublime, Caplan has a knack at weaving the enchanted world of fantasy into the tension of a good old-fashioned cloak and dagger thriller. His incredible instinct for action rests on a spellbinding prose, yet what distinguishes his work in this genre is his ability to consider an otherworld culture as it reaches its pinnacle, rather than upon its downfall. In thirty-one chapters with titles like "Tyl University and the Academy of Spellweaving Arts," "Back to the Order of the Platinum Griffon and Duty," and "End Game," readers are reintroduced to Illúmaril, a land that patiently awaits its heir apparent. Once hidden on Earth, Gideon Finelen, as a birthright, holds the legacy that he and his ancestors are the only ones who can use the Sword of Order. Gideon's advisors, Tauri Ragan and Lord Talmor, hold great hope in Gideon and his Companions of the Sword of Order, but it is their enemy's enemy that first instigates a bold move. And while the Darkspawn have no intention of giving up their power, the return of Thatos and his twelve evil sorceror generals from their ancient, watery graves disperses Darkspawn's allegiance to temporarily help the armies of the Free Peoples against Thatos, his mercenaries, and other chaos warriors. For Gideon, the quixotic irony in all of this is that Darkspawn leadership is just as fixed on revenge as it is with maintaining its stronghold over Illúmaril. As he pits foe against foe to claim Illúmaril, the Sword of Order has a chance to triumph over Chaos.

On February 5, 1954, an Air Force C-47 broke apart over the Susitna Valley of South Central Alaska and fell onto Kesugi Ridge. Six miraculously escaped, survived bone-chilling cold, and were rescued through the efforts of pilots Cliff Hudson and Don Sheldon. Unacquainted with one another before the accident, the Air Force men bonded in the hospital. Forty-two years later, the survivors and their families, the families of the victims, and rescuers came together for a reunion in Dayton, Ohio. It was a meeting that would change their lives. This is a true story, told by one of the survivors. Rupert Pratt's book celebrates life and friendship--themes set appropriately against the backdrop of Kesugi, "The Ancient One."