In a story spanning eighty years of a family that changed world history, flashbacks, fast-forwards and multiple plots intersect each other while innocent romance, steamy sex, noble sentiments, treachery and a whodunit- style mystery keeps the reader turning the pages. Set against a changing backdrop of pre-war Egypt, of Paris, London and New York in the sixties and seventies, terrorism in the Middle East and famine in Ethiopia, all the aspects of human strengths and frailties are brought to life in this three generation saga where a dramatic climax re-dimensions a man's destiny.

The eleven short stories in this book take us back to an Alexandria past, the cosmopolitan city as it was experienced by the author in the years before, during, and following the Second World War. Against a backdrop of major events in Alexandria's history, from the halcyon days of the late 1930s, through the alarums of the War, to the 1952 Revolution and the dispersion of almost the entire foreign community of the city, Tzalas weaves his stories peopled with characters from his youth. These are ordinary people, people of different nationalities and faiths, but all Alexandrians, living side by side in the Great City. In describing each character with great sensitivity and perception, Tzalas succeeds not only in capturing the essence of the city itself, but in poignantly foretelling the fundamental changes and exodus that were to come. The events surrounding, among others, a German family caught in the city during the Second World War, three French monks, an old Greek musician, and a group of cultivated elderly Alexandrian gentlemen, are told with an affection often tinged with sadness. Through these characters, Tzalas tells the story of everyday lives caught up in the turbulent currents of history and the transformation of a beloved city the end of an era. Each of the eleven stories is accompanied by an evocative illustration by Anna Boghiguian.

THE UNTETHERED is a philosophical techno-thriller that spans the globe, weaving five seemingly unrelated characters into a web of impossible conflict and unlikely friendship. And while they battle against their own internal demons in an attempt to achieve their selfish pursuits, the self-righteous mobs of the world are closing in to stop them. The characters: Juvenile delinquent, Roble Santos, chases his radical vision to build the most controversial aircraft in history---but with the threat of betrayal, prison, and death all around, he's running out of time. Political star, Alexandria Patra, rises to the envy of the masses---yet to reach the top she is forced to decide between what everyone expects and her long-abandoned childhood dream. Rogue geneticist, Stock Brant, reinvents nature in order to save the very world he hates---unaware the price of his plan may be his own soul. Savant tennis player, Nicolette Popov, employs precise mathematics and youthful spunk to become the best player in the world---but unwilling to follow the rules off the court, she risks everything she fought to achieve. Manga artist, Danny Sands, goes to the ends of the earth to make his father proud---blind to the reality his submission may cost everything and everyone he ever held dear. When all five lives collide beneath the streets of Las Vegas, each must make a choice---and none of them will ever be the same again. ----------------------- "A thought-provoking novel that will appeal to fans of Atlas Shrugged."---BookBub. bookbub.com/books/the-untethered-by-s-w-southwick ----------------------- Quote from the back cover: Alexandria counted her shallow breaths. "Roble, what...what is it you need?" He pulled his arrowhead out from his shirt and rubbed it. "I don't need to hear how scary the world is and how I shouldn't try anything. I don't need to know how much suffering there is out there," he pointed out the window, "or how bad I should feel about it. What I need..." he looked up, his grey eyes pleading, "...is to see someone who is still happy after growing up." Lowering his head, he added, "I need to see living, Ms. Patra, because I actually want to live." ----------------------- Quote from inside: The East China Sea glistened like an endless glass sheet. The F-22 Raptor Super Kai flashed just above its surface, ripping twin aerated water plumes into the air. A grey destroyer sat broadside in the water just ahead. Roble hurtled toward its bow without slowing. Crossing above the ship, the jet's sonic shockwave rocked sailors to the deck as if Roble's soul had exploded through their bodies. Sea spray from the wake doused the ship's hull like an exclamation point. ----------------------- Advisory: This novel contains sex, drugs, and fighter jets.

The landmark five-book series--all together in one boxed set The Incerto is an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision making when we don't understand the world, expressed in the form of a personal essay with autobiographical sections, stories, parables, and philosophical, historical, and scientific discussions, in non-overlapping volumes that can be accessed in any order. The main thread is that while there is inordinate uncertainty about what is going on, there is great certainty as to what one should do about it. This boxed set includes: FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS THE BLACK SWAN THE BED OF PROCRUSTES ANTIFRAGILE SKIN IN THE GAME