Blood Dreams And Gold

The best single-volume analysis of Burma, its checkered history, and its attempts to reform Burma is one of the largest countries in Southeast Asia and was once one of its richest. Under successive military regimes, however, the country eventually ended up as one of the poorest countries in Asia, a byword for repression and ethnic violence. Richard Cockett spent years in the region as a correspondent for The Economist and witnessed firsthand the vicious sectarian politics of the Burmese government, and later, also, its surprising attempts at political and social reform. Cockett's enlightening history, from the colonial era on, explains how Burma descended into decades of civil war and authoritarian government. Taking advantage of the opening up of the country since 2011, Cockett has interviewed hundreds of former political prisoners, guerilla fighters, ministers, monks, and others to give a vivid account of life under one of the most brutal regimes in the world. In many cases, this is the first time that they have been able to tell their stories to the outside world. Cockett also explains why the regime has started to reform, and why these reforms will not go as far as many people had hoped. This is the most rounded survey to date of this volatile Asian nation.

Winner of the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year 'a beguiling mixture of poetry, moving prose and magical realism' - Stephen McGinty, The Sunday Times Jeda is a girl on the cusp of adulthood, living in Edinburgh; with a white father and a black mother, she feels self-conscious and out of place. Her feelings of alienation allow the stories of the shapeshifting Shadowman, who embodies all that is negative, to feed on her doubts and insecurities. The death of her mother, Rahami, gives the Shadowman an opportunity to control Jeda through her grief and his lies, but her mother's last gift to her daughter was a box of stories. When the box is flung open, the stories escape, setting in motion an incredible journey. Jeda learns more about her African ancestry through tales of slavery, cruelty and colonisation, but she also discovers pride and love and sacrifice, ultimately embracing her dual heritage and her unique place in the world. Filled with tragedy, wonder and magic, Blood and Gold explores the themes of loss and oppression, while asking us to examine our own identities, attitudes, and humanity.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Vampire Chronicles continue as the great vampire Marius returns. The golden-haired Marius, true Child of the Millennia, once mentor to The Vampire Lestat, always and forever the conscientious foe of the Evil Doer, reveals in his own intense yet inti- mate voice the secrets of his two-thousand-year existence. Once a proud Senator in Imperial Rome, kidnapped and made a “blood god” by the Druids, Marius becomes the embittered protector of Akasha and Enkil, Queen and King of the vampires, in whom the core of the supernatural race resides. We follow him through his heartbreaking abandonment of the vampire Pandora. Through him we see the fall of pagan Rome to the Emperor Constantine and the horrific sack of the Eternal City itself at the hands of the Visigoths. Bravely, Marius seeks a new civilization in the midst of glittering Constantinople, only to meet with the blood drinker Eudoxia. We see him ultimately returning to his beloved Italy, where after the horrors of the Black Death, he is restored by the beauty of the Renaissance. We see him become a painter living dangerously yet happily among mortals, giving his heart to the great Botticelli, to the bewitching courtesan Bianca, and to the mysterious young apprentice Armand. Moving from Rome to Florence, Venice, and Dresden, and to the English castle of the secret scholarly order of the Talamasca, the novel reaches its dramatic finale in our own time, deep in the jungle where Marius, having told his life story, seeks some measure of justice from the oldest vampires in the world.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SHOW, FROM THE NETWORK BEHIND THE WALKING DEAD '[W]hen I found Rice's work I absolutely loved how she took that genre and (...) made [it] feel so contemporary and relevant' Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes '[Rice wrote] in the great tradition of the gothic' Ramsey Campbell, bestselling author of The Hungry Moon The 8th novel in Anne Rice's internationally bestselling Vampire Chronicles Here is the glorious and sinister life of Marius: patrician by birth, scholar by choice and one of the oldest vampires of them all. From his genesis in ancient Rome, to his present day we follow the story of this aristocratic and powerful killer. His is a tale that spans the breadth of time. When the Visigoths sack his city, Marius is there; with the resurgence of the glory of Rome, he is there, still searching for his lost love Pandora. So prevalent is Marius that it is he who gives the dark gift to the illustrious vampire Armand. Intertwined with the stories of a magnificent Pantheon of the undead this account of Marius is the most wondrous and mind-blowing of them all.

From the jungles of Panama to the gold fields of California, a young man searches for justice In 1849, there are 2 ways to reach California: overland or by sea. Traveling by land is safer—a long, slow journey across the American plains—but the water is faster. Would-be prospectors in a hurry to reach California and strike it rich, sail down the Atlantic, cross the deadly jungles of Panama on foot, and proceed north by boat to find their fortune. Willie Dwinelle, who is 18 years old, chooses this Panama route because he must reach California as soon as possible. But it is not gold that he seeks; it is justice. Willie has vowed revenge upon an unsavory character in his hometown who mistreated one of his friends. So with his impulsive ally Ben at his side, Willie braves every danger the gold rush throws at him. But the most perilous hazard is one he never expected to confront: the lure of greed.

Dreams of Gold is a historically accurate yet fictional work set in the Rocky Mountain area of Cripple Creek Colorado. The book takes place in the mining town during the late 1800s. It is a story of redemption, love, and family. This action-packed page-turner will take you on an incredible journey of discovery through historically accurate events. Pinkerton Operative Brady Gressett searches for his long-lost sister but finds something more in the process.

Land Conflicts Across Frontiers compares Myanmar’s journey with North East India on the critical and contested issue of land. It examines concerns related to land in pre-colonial and colonial history, causes and consequences of land conflicts today, the socioeconomic dynamics attached to land, along with attempted community-based institutional interventions and rural activism. As Myanmar takes its steps towards a democratic future, it becomes critical for the country to be aware of North East India’s experiences, as they could provide valuable lessons of what to ‘implement’ and what to ‘avoid’. Loss of common property resources, non-recognition of customary rights, ambiguous land laws and inadequate attention to people’s grievances have led to a rural landscape which has witnessed livelihood vulnerability, displacement and conflict. The book not only tries to capture cross-border experiences in order to have a better understanding of land alienation, agrarian discontent and peripheral marginalization but also notes recent trends in rural spaces and suggests policy measures.

Tells about the Chinese immigrant experience through the story of brothers Soo and Ping Lee who come to California in search of gold in the mid-nineteenth century. Includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter.