This tale of wisdom and enchantment tells of a young farm boy named Solomon, who embarks on a spiritual journey of self-discovery and spiritual insight. After meeting a traveling merchant, Solomon leaves his family in hopes of wealth in the city. Upon arrival, he discovers that he is lost and alone in an unknown land with only himself and the Higher Soul to depend on. He meets a fisherman who teaches him how to fish and so grows attached to the sea, whereupon his spiritual insight to the world begins. Soon enough, what began as a journey of material wealth, leads to a path of an unexpected love, a passion for life and a supernatural power so great that changes his life forever.

A comic science fiction novel about an Otago high school student who must find a way to fix the lighthouse that guides human souls towards reincarnation. Suggested level: secondary.

Mangkunagara I (1726-95) was one of the most flamboyant figures of 18th-century Java. A charismatic rebel from 1740 to 1757 and one of the foremost military commanders of his age, he won the loyalty of many followers. He was also a devout Muslim of the Mystic Synthesis style, a devotee of Javanese culture and a lover of beautiful women and Dutch gin. His enemies—the Surakarta court, his uncle the rebel and later Sultan Mangkubumi of Yogyakarta and the Dutch East India Company—were unable to subdue him, even when they united against him. In 1757 he settled as a semi-independent prince in Surakarta, pursuing his objective of as much independence as possible by means other than war, a frustrating time for a man who was a fighter to his fingertips. Professor Ricklefs here employs an extraordinary range of sources in Dutch and Javanese—among them Mangkunagara I’s voluminous autobiographical account of his years at war, the earliest autobiography in Javanese so far known—to bring this important figure to life. As he does so, our understanding of Java’s devastating civil war of the mid-18th century is transformed and much light is shed on Islam and culture in Java.

From Alexandra Christo, the author of To Kill a Kingdom, comes Princess of Souls, a Rapunzel-inspired YA fantasy romance about a teen witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king and the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied. For sixteen years, Selestra has been trapped in her tower on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as the King's Witch, who foretells deaths in the Festival of Predictions. Outrunning your fate earns a wish and the chance to steal the King’s immortality. But die and your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death. A soldier in the King's army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra. Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.

Book 12 of the bestselling Nine Kingdom Series.

An inside look at the early years of Prince, presented through both iconic and never-before-seen images taken by the photographer who was at his side through it all.

The unforeseen assassination of King Zok is just the beginning of a ripple of calamities about to strike not only the Kingdom of Luella, but the entire Alalameatu. Following the loss of his father, a distraught Prince Zaaki escapes the pandemonium that has shocked the Royal Palace. He transports himself to the ever-tranquil TransM School, where he begins to uncover the truth of his father’s death. Prince Zaaki finds himself surrounded by loyal comrades who aid him in bringing the perpetrator of this immoral act to justice. Thus, the six Knights of The Altar of Truth are formed and called upon to protect The Alalameatu from evil lurking in the shadows. The Knights must decide how to rid their world of terror without inflicting further pain, suffering, and harm. All the Kingdoms of the world must unite to save themselves from being controlled by an evil so despicable and unimaginable that it would lead to the destruction of mankind’s freedom. With his father’s untimely death, Prince Zaaki feels the pressure of his imminent coronation. Will he buckle under pressure or will he find the courage and strength to rule his Kingdom?