"Reading Books can get you killed." The series that reviewers have called "Sanderson-esque" and "Genius!" For the first time ever, get the first three parts of this new epic fantasy series in one place! In addition to three novels, the box set includes two, never-before-seen essays by the author about his inspiration for the series and also artwork depicting each of the three main characters! A free preview of Part IV is also included. Part I: The Acktus Trials In the land of Oration, magic is cast by reading aloud words of power from Spoken Books. Only a select few, the Speakers, are born with the ability to do so. But after a disaster nearly destroyed Oration, society grew to fear the Speakers' power and they were hunted and enslaved, never taught to read. Now they live in oppression, unable to use their magic unless a spell is first read aloud to them. Each year, young men and women from Oration's ruling Libraries compete in the Acktus Trials, a journey that takes them through the wilds of Oration to the ruined city of Tome. Once Oration's capital, it is now abandoned, though the Great Library at its center still holds a wealth of Spoken Books. As Speakers are no longer taught to read, they also cannot write, so new Spoken Books have not been created in hundreds of years. The discovery of a new Book is a coveted prize for any young noble. Baztian is a slave to one of Oration's poorer Libraries. When he is selected to accompany his master on the Actkus Trials, he thinks his life is over. The wilds are treacherous, his master incompetent, and their fellow competitors set on winning, whatever the means. But Baz also has a secret—one that could get him killed, but one that also makes him the most valuable of assets during the Trials. Baz can read, and after he saves his master from certain death, he strikes a deal—his secret kept safe in exchange for aiding his master in completing the Trials. But can Baz really help a young man who thinks of him as property? And even if he can, there is much he doesn't know, like the evil that lies in wait beneath the ruins of Tome. Part II: Declaimer's Discovery *Potential Spoilers Below* Baz and his master are called upon to suppress an uprising among the slaves of Fortune, Oration's wealthiest city. But after an attack separates Baz from the rest of his group, he's unwittingly caught up in the very rebellion his master is trying to stop. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Baz discovers that the most powerful man in Erstwhile might know his secret. A secret that could get him killed. Surrounded by enemies and friends he doesn't trust, can Baz survive and help the slaves of Fortune to freedom? Part III: Declaimer's Flight *Potential Spoilers Below* Baz and his friends are on the run, allies at a premium, as they search for the savior who will lead the slaves of Oration to freedom. When no one believes that Baz knows who that savior is, he finds his closest supporter is none other than his one-time master, a member of the ruling class against whom the rebels are fighting. When Baz returns to where his adventure—or is it a nightmare?—began, his path finally becomes clear. But even then, there are forces working to betray him, both external and in Baz's own head. Once more, he must face the dark terror beneath the ruined city of Tome, while simultaneously battling the trauma he suffered in the dungeons of Leamina Library. And that's all before the dragons show up. Will Baz persevere and find Oration's savior?

What if reading were a capital offense? "This series is right up there with Robin Hobb’s Elderling books." -Review on Fantasy Faction FB Group In the land of Oration, magic exists only when read aloud from rare books, and only a select few are born able to cast it. To maintain their power, the wealthy elite enslave all such people from birth and never teach them to read. But when a slave named Baztian secretly becomes literate, he'll start an uprising, whether he wants to or not... The first in an epic fantasy series with five books and growing! Fans of Sanderson, Weeks, Eddings, and Hobb take note! "Sanderson-esque." -Weatherwax Report “D. T. Kane is an amazing storyteller.” -A Maze of Words Buy now and read today!

"Reading Books can get you killed." The series that reviewers have called "Sanderson-esque" and "Genius!" For the first time ever, get the first three parts of this new epic fantasy series in one place! In addition to three novels, the box set includes two, never-before-seen essays by the author about his inspiration for the series and also artwork depicting each of the three main characters! A free preview of Part IV is also included. Part I: The Acktus Trials In the land of Oration, magic is cast by reading aloud words of power from Spoken Books. Only a select few, the Speakers, are born with the ability to do so. But after a disaster nearly destroyed Oration, society grew to fear the Speakers' power and they were hunted and enslaved, never taught to read. Now they live in oppression, unable to use their magic unless a spell is first read aloud to them. Each year, young men and women from Oration's ruling Libraries compete in the Acktus Trials, a journey that takes them through the wilds of Oration to the ruined city of Tome. Once Oration's capital, it is now abandoned, though the Great Library at its center still holds a wealth of Spoken Books. As Speakers are no longer taught to read, they also cannot write, so new Spoken Books have not been created in hundreds of years. The discovery of a new Book is a coveted prize for any young noble. Baztian is a slave to one of Oration's poorer Libraries. When he is selected to accompany his master on the Actkus Trials, he thinks his life is over. The wilds are treacherous, his master incompetent, and their fellow competitors set on winning, whatever the means. But Baz also has a secret—one that could get him killed, but one that also makes him the most valuable of assets during the Trials. Baz can read, and after he saves his master from certain death, he strikes a deal—his secret kept safe in exchange for aiding his master in completing the Trials. But can Baz really help a young man who thinks of him as property? And even if he can, there is much he doesn't know, like the evil that lies in wait beneath the ruins of Tome. Part II: Declaimer's Discovery *Potential Spoilers Below* Baz and his master are called upon to suppress an uprising among the slaves of Fortune, Oration's wealthiest city. But after an attack separates Baz from the rest of his group, he's unwittingly caught up in the very rebellion his master is trying to stop. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Baz discovers that the most powerful man in Erstwhile might know his secret. A secret that could get him killed. Surrounded by enemies and friends he doesn't trust, can Baz survive and help the slaves of Fortune to freedom? Part III: Declaimer's Flight *Potential Spoilers Below* Baz and his friends are on the run, allies at a premium, as they search for the savior who will lead the slaves of Oration to freedom. When no one believes that Baz knows who that savior is, he finds his closest supporter is none other than his one-time master, a member of the ruling class against whom the rebels are fighting. When Baz returns to where his adventure—or is it a nightmare?—began, his path finally becomes clear. But even then, there are forces working to betray him, both external and in Baz's own head. Once more, he must face the dark terror beneath the ruined city of Tome, while simultaneously battling the trauma he suffered in the dungeons of Leamina Library. And that's all before the dragons show up. Will Baz persevere and find Oration's savior?

Offering both a short history and a theoretical framework, this book is the first extended study of the soundtracked book as a media form. A soundtracked book is a print or digital publication for which a recorded, musical complement has been produced. Early examples were primarily developed for the children's market, but by the middle of the twentieth century, ethnographers had begun producing book-and-record combinations that used print to contextualize musical artifacts. The last half-century has witnessed the rapid expansion of the adult market, including soundtracked novels from celebrated writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Kathy Acker, and Mark Z. Danielewski. While often dismissed as gimmicks, this volume argues that soundtracked books represent an interesting case study in media consumption. Unlike synchronous multimedia forms, the vast majority of soundtracked books require that audience activity be split between reading and listening, thus defining the user experience and often shaping the content of singing books as well. Mapping the form's material evolution, this book charts a previously unconsidered pathway through more than a century of recording formats and packaging strategies, emphasizing the synergies and symbioses that characterize the marriage of sound and print. As such, it will be of value to scholars and postgraduate students working in media studies, literary studies, and sound studies.

Next Generation is a two-level course for Bachillerato, combining complete preparation for the Pruebas de Accesso a la Universidad (PAU) exams with material that helps learners improve their English language skills for life. Teacher's Resource Book 2 combines comprehensive teaching notes for the six units of the Student's Book with photocopiable worksheets providing extra practice of vocabulary, grammar, writing and phrasal verbs, as well as tests, mock PAU exams and answer keys to the Workbook and all photocopiable activities. It also comes with the Class Audio CDs.

This stunning paperback box set includes all three books in Suzanne Collins's internationally bestselling Hunger Games trilogy together with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV... And the odds are against all who play. With all four of Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games novels in one box set, you can step into the world of Panem and continue all the way to the electrifying conclusion. Three books, four films and one worldwide phenomenon, The Hunger Games series changed the face of global YA. Lionsgate begin production on the movie of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2022.