A Raging Storm

International bestselling fantasy author Markus Heitz returns with this thrilling sequel to The Triumph of the Dwarves. The Hidden Land lies broken. In the terrible battle to save the home of the dwarfs, elves and humans, many sacrifices were made by great heroes, and at the last the Alfar were defeated. AiphatOn, the son of the indelible and erstwhile Emperor of the Alfar, has sworn that his race will never again pose such a dire threat to the world; he is determined to seek out and destroy the last of his own people. But there may be a greater enemy to face: an enigmatic mage with powerful magic at her fingertips is threatening the entire country. Suddenly the Hidden Land's greatest enemy has become its only hope ... The action never lets up in this next exciting story in the saga of the dwarves and the Alfar! For more from Markus Heitz, check out:The DwarvesThe War of the DwarvesThe Revenge of the DwarvesThe Fate of the DwarvesThe Triumph of the Dwarves.

A violent summer thunderstorm lights up the night in the community of Vanderpool, Texas. Joe Garner, who runs the Lost Maples General store, hears reports of something seen, and his curiosity takes over. Coming across an extraordinary discovery, suddenly Joe and his friends are confronted with a dilemma. Worse, they must deal with outsiders who will do anything to get their find. It's a summer the people of Vanderpool will long remember. "Through the Raging Storm" takes readers on an ambitious science fiction adventure that will spark both curiosity and wonder. After Joe and his friends make their out of this world discovery, they are hooked. They embark on a quest that only leads to more surprises and a possibility too impossible to accept. Complication builds and the outsiders are doing more than just asking questions. Join Joe and his buddies as they cope with the mystery of a lifetime. The only thing he knows for sure, is that his life has been changed forever.

WINNER OF THE MAINE LITERARY AWARD FOR NON FICTION NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ONE OF JANET MASLIN’S MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE SUMMER A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE ONE OF OUTSIDE MAGAZINE’S BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR “A powerful and affecting story, beautifully handled by Slade, a journalist who clearly knows ships and the sea.”—Douglas Preston, New York Times Book Review “A Perfect Storm for a new generation.” —Ben Mezrich, bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in thirty-five years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications, a sophisticated navigation system, and cutting-edge weather forecasting could suddenly vanish—until now. Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves—whose conversations were captured by the ship’s data recorder—journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery of the sinking of El Faro. As she recounts the final twenty-four hours onboard, Slade vividly depicts the officers’ anguish and fear as they struggled to carry out Captain Michael Davidson’s increasingly bizarre commands, which, they knew, would steer them straight into the eye of the storm. Taking a hard look at America's aging merchant marine fleet, Slade also reveals the truth about modern shipping—a cut-throat industry plagued by razor-thin profits and ever more violent hurricanes fueled by global warming. A richly reported account of a singular tragedy, Into the Raging Sea takes us into the heart of an age-old American industry, casting new light on the hardworking men and women who paid the ultimate price in the name of profit.

In the Darkness, Anarchy Awakens When a massive solar flare wiped out all modern technology across the globe, the small town of Abney, Texas, was thrown into chaos. Shelby Sparks and her teenage son, Carter, have found refuge, but Shelby knows she can't simply remain hidden. Carter is a type 1 diabetic in need of insulin—and Shelby will risk her life traveling to Austin to make sure he gets it. Shelby's best friend and high school sweetheart, Max Berkman, won't even consider letting her make the perilous journey alone. Together, they manage to reach the capital—only to discover that while things are desperate in Abney, Austin has turned into an urban nightmare on the brink of anarchy. Shelby and Max's search for medical supplies will lead them into terrifying territory, where the only thing more uncertain than finding what they need is the hope of making it out of the city alive. * * * In this second book in an eerily plausible, action-packed dystopian series, survival will be threatened and faith will be put to the ultimate test as a raging storm engulfs America.

The third in the fast-and-furious fantasy adventure The Legends of the Älfar: the worlds of the dark elves and the dwarves collide in what Malazan Empire calls 'Tolkien with a dash of Gemmell and a sprinkling of George R.R. Martin'. There are four races: the Elves, the Dwarves and the Humans and the Älfar. The other three all know the Älfar to be dark, relentless warriors, set on conquest; they have been deadly enemies since time immemorial. But are things about to change? The young älfar triplets Sisaroth, Tirigon and Firüsha have been banished to the deadly underground realm of Phondrasôn, two of them exiled for a murder they did not commit, the third determined to stay with them, to help them survive this terrifying place full of monsters. Then Sisaroth meets a dwarf, Tungdil, who has been locked up in the Dark Abyss (Tungdil will be well-known to readers of the Dwarves series!) - and their unexpected relationship will change the fate of the älfar and the dwarves - for ever. Dark Paths is the third book in bestselling author Markus Heitz's Legends of the Älfar series.

In New York Times Bestselling author Richard Castle's newest novel, an illegal immigrant falls from the sky and NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat's investigation into his death quickly captures the imagination of her boyfriend the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Jameson Rook. When he decides to work the case with Heat as his next big story, Nikki is at first happy to have him ride along. Yes, she must endure Rook's usual wild conspiracy speculations and adolescent wisecracks, but after reuniting following his recent assignment abroad, she's glad for the entertainment, the chance to bounce ideas, and just to be close to him again and feel the old spark rekindle. But when Rook's inquiry concludes that Detective Heat has arrested the wrong man for the murder, everything changes. Balancing her high stakes job with a complicated romance has been a challenge ever since Nikki fell for the famous reporter. Now, her relationship lurches from mere complexity into sharp conflict over the most high-risk case of her career. Set against the raging force of Hurricane Sandy as it pounds New York, Heat battles an ambitious powerbroker, fights a platoon of urban mercenaries, and clashes with the man she loves. Detective Heat knows her job is to solve murders. She just worries that solving this one will be the death of her relationship.

"Calming The Raging Storm" is a hard-hitting, no-nonsense assault on the problem of human suffering. It doesn't try to explain pain away, or urge the reader to "grin and bear it." It recognizes suffering for what it fundamentally is: evil. This book is written for those struggling with pain and misfortune, those at the raw limits of endurance, those at the bottom of the pit with no apparent way out. Instead of burying the reader under an avalanche of platitudes, or demonstrating that suffering has some sublime purpose, "Calming the Raging Storm" comes to the rescue with understanding and compassion. It takes on the personality of a fellow traveler, a friend (seasoned by the same suffering) who joins the afflicted at the bottom of the pit and says, "You're right. Suffering is cruel; it shouldn't be happening to you But let's see what we can do about it." The book is written in a warm, conversational style, posing as many questions as answers. To put human suffering in its proper perspective the book begins with an interesting observation. The average human life consists of approximately 400,000 waking hours. How many of them are happy, how many sad, how many pleasant, how many painful? Most people think that the happy times far outnumber the sad. If so, why do people so quickly forget the blessings and focus on the curses? "Calming the Raging Storm" follows up with another question. "Of the 100 billion humans who anthropologists say have already lived and passed out of this world, how many enjoyed lives without the slightest suffering and pain? None of them, right? If so, why did they and why do more than six billion people now living on this earth dream that there must be such a perfect life? Why is it that people are never satisfied with what they know, craving more and more knowledge, almost fretful that they've been cheated out of something? Why are the rich and powerful never really happy? Why is one million or a hundred million of anything never enough? Why are the castles and villas and mansions and penthouses and Mediterranean yachts filled with people who "have it all" but sigh, "Not enough." How can the playboys and playgirls gorge themselves on every conceivable form of wealth and bodily pleasure, and still moan (with Peggy Lee), "Is that all there is? Is that all there is?" Why are there so many suicides among those who have so much?" The author, David Barton, then analyzes society's futile yearning for the perfect life. Mankind, he says, has always claimed happiness as an unconditional right, and rebelled against misery (even against joys that are "not enough") as a violent assault on that right. Embedded in each human heart is the conviction that there was a time, deep in the past, when such an ideal life actually existed. Philosophers and anthropologists struggle with the possibility of a "golden age," an age which somehow evaporated, so long ago that humans can't remember that it happened. Poets talk of angelic ancestors falling from great heights, into the present world of "not enough." Whatever the philosophers and poets say about ages past, the book concludes, people now living out their lives in the world have surrendered to a type of cynical pragmatism. Yes, something's wrong. Yes, they've been cheated out of Utopia. Yes, life is cruel, but life is life, life is reality, and only fools refuse to come to grips with it. Like it or not, they say, every human life has its fair share of limitations and pain. As long as the bad times are bearable, humanity can cope. "Into each life," they croon, "some rain must fall." So, humanity copes... But then comes the "Raging Storm." Sooner or later, the book observes, the inevitable happens. Some terrible misfortune strikes, something which turns their lives into unbearable suffering. These are the times when humanity revolts. "It isn't fair," they sigh,

Awarded a career challenge she can't resist, Sydney-based journalist Peta McKenna is not about to let a cantankerous, reclusive author or a deadly tropical cyclone obstruct her from securing a prestigious interview. But the storm outside is nothing compared to the one that greets her when the author relents and provides an escape from nature's fury. Nor does she expect the desire he awakens. Stewart Fletcher is an acclaimed author with a fierce distrust of the media and women in general. When he sees who's at his door, he refuses to let the female journalist anywhere near him. After two disastrous failed marriages, he's not about to let a woman twist his words ever again. Even if there's an instant attraction, and the woman's insane enough to brave a cyclone and invade his private retreat just to meet him. After a wild night together that has nothing to do with the raging storm, and the interview secured, the reality of the situation hits them. Never mind the unlikelihood that a long-distance relationship could work. Stewart's sworn never to fall for a career woman again. Peta's determined to make her mark on the journalism world just like her famous father. And no man is going to come between her and her dreams. Are they crazy to consider pursuing a romance? Or have their past experiences destroyed any chance of having a future together? Awarded a career challenge she can't resist, Sydney-based journalist Peta McKenna is not about to let a cantankerous, reclusive author or a deadly tropical cyclone obstruct her from securing a prestigious interview. But the storm outside is nothing compared to the one that greets her when the author relents and provides an escape from nature's fury. Nor does she expect the desire he awakens. Stewart Fletcher is an acclaimed author with a fierce distrust of the media and women in general. When he sees who's at his door, he refuses to let the female journalist anywhere near him. After two disastrous failed marriages, he's not about to let a woman twist his words ever again. Even if there's an instant attraction, and the woman's insane enough to brave a cyclone and invade his private retreat just to meet him. After a wild night together that has nothing to do with the raging storm, and the interview secured, the reality of the situation hits them. Never mind the unlikelihood that a long-distance relationship could work. Stewart's sworn never to fall for a career woman again. Peta's determined to make her mark on the journalism world just like her famous father. And no man is going to come between her and her dreams. Are they crazy to consider pursuing a romance? Or have their past experiences destroyed any chance of having a future together?