Race The Sands

“National Velvet with monsters and a big helping of palace intrigue, Race the Sands is monstrous (literally), heartwarming, and empowering in equal measure. An incredibly fun and inspiring read.” – Katherine Arden, New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale In this epic standalone fantasy, the acclaimed author of the Queens of Renthia series introduces an imaginative new world in which a pair of strong and determined women risk their lives battling injustice, corruption, and deadly enemies in their quest to become monster racing champions. Life, death, and rebirth—in Becar, who you are in this life will determine your next life. Yet there is hope—you can change your destiny with the choices you make. But for the darkest individuals, there is no redemption: you come back as a kehok, a monster, and are doomed to be a kehok for the rest of time. Unless you can win the Races. After a celebrated career as an elite kehok rider, Tamra became a professional trainer. Then a tragic accident shattered her confidence, damaged her reputation, and left her nearly broke. Now, she needs the prize money to prevent the local temple from taking her daughter away from her, and that means she must once again find a winning kehok . . . and a rider willing to trust her. Raia is desperate to get away from her domineering family and cruel fiancé. As a kehok rider, she could earn enough to buy her freedom. But she needs a first-rate trainer. Impressed by the inexperienced young woman’s determination, Tamra hires Raia and pairs her with a strange new kehok with the potential to win—if he can be tamed. But in this sport, if you forget you’re riding on the back of a monster, you die. Tamra and Raia will work harder than they ever thought possible to win the deadly Becaran Races—and in the process, discover what makes this particular kehok so special.

What if Canada 's so-called environmental nightmare was really an engineering triumph and the key to a stable and sustainable future? For years, Canadians have been hearing nothing but bad news out of the Athabasca Oil Sands. From 20th Century economists decrying it as a perpetual money-loser in the face of more easily-extracted foreign oil to green groups around the world declaring it the world's worst industrial enterprise, sometimes it seems as though no good could ever come from this so-called dirty resource. But what if developing Canada's Oil Sands was the key to bridging the gap between current petroleum-based economies and the alternative energies that aren't ready for market yet? What if it meant eliminating the threat of Peak Oil and providing economic stability not just for Canada and the rest of North America, but for the world? And what if the environmental costs of the resource were both not nearly as dire as some would have you believe, but currently better than many other options with the industry already making huge advances in sustainability, energy use and water reclamation? That's exactly the case that Alastair Sweeny, author of BlackBerry Planet, argues is at the core of the Athabasca Sands: a bright future. By digging into the past, present and future of oil sands technology, Sweeny cuts through the hype and hysteria and makes a solid and engaging case that the Sands aren't the environmental boogeyman set to destroy humanity, but rather our best hope for a truly stable and sustainable future.

Sesha, the daughter of the pharaoh’s royal physician, must find the precious scroll her father was transcribing before his death, not only to save the kingdom, but to also save her brother’s life.

Ripping off the lid on the problems that simmer under the surface of modern-day India, Blood on the Sands is a riveting murder mystery that unfolds in the inhospitable but intriguing expanse of the Rann of Kutch.Quiet and beautiful Mankor stays in Kuran, the last Indian village on the Indo-Pak border and takes care of her two children, Samar and Ranu. Her husband Virender is a tracker at the BSF headquarters in Rapar. Virender returns home during Navratri, triumphant after nabbing Shaukat, a member of a dangerous cross-border gang involved in a heinous terror plot against India. But there’s some terrible news awaiting Virender in Kuran. Are there murky secrets that threaten to destroy his family? And what are those haunting voices that whisper about a horrifying kill? When a brutal murder takes place under mysterious circumstances, Virender’s boss, Commandant Ranbir connects it to the minute-by-minute unravelling terror plot. But was he missing something? And then little Ranu goes missing! Ranbir finds himself chasing red herrings in a race against time to find her and foil a terror plot. As Ranbir sets out to seek the truth, he discovers a terrifying web of deceit. Will he be able to save Ranu, find Virender’s killer and save the country? As chilling secrets tumble out, the end is more sinister than you can ever imagine!

Christopher Rowe is back and there are more puzzles, riddles, and secrets to uncover in this fourth novel of the award-winning Blackthorn Key series. Christopher Rowe has no idea who he is. After being shipwrecked in Devonshire, he wakes up alone, his memories gone. Villagers tell him he was possessed by an unseen evil, and only became conscious after being visited by the local witch. As Christopher tries to get his bearings, he realizes his current state may be far from coincidence. Dark events have been happening in this corner of Britain—village children are disappearing without a trace. There are whispers that the malevolent ghost of the White Lady has returned to steal the children away, one by one, and consume their souls. Thankfully, friends Tom and Sally find Christopher and help him reconnect with his unique skills and talents, even as his memories elude him. But as motives and secrets are revealed, Christopher finds himself in a desperate race to reclaim his memories and discover the missing children before it’s too late.

Winner of the Quebec Writers' Federation Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction Beena and Sadhana are sisters who share a bond that could only have been shaped by the most unusual of childhoods — and by shared tragedy. Orphaned as teenagers, they have grown up under the exasperated watch of their Sikh uncle, who runs a bagel shop in Montreal's Hasidic community of Mile End. Together, they try to make sense of the rich, confusing brew of values, rituals, and beliefs that form their inheritance. Yet as they grow towards adulthood, their paths begin to diverge. Beena catches the attention of one of the "bagel boys" and finds herself pregnant at sixteen, while Sadhana drives herself to perfectionism and anorexia. When we first meet the adult Beena, she is grappling with a fresh grief: Sadhana has died suddenly and strangely, her body lying undiscovered for a week before anyone realizes what has happened. Beena is left with a burden of guilt and an unsettled feeling about the circumstances of her sister's death, which she sets about to uncover. Her search stirs memories and opens wounds, threatening to undo the safe, orderly existence she has painstakingly created for herself and her son. Saleema Nawaz's characters compel us, intrigue us, and delight us with their raw, complicated humanity, and her sentences sing in the gorgeous cadences of a writer who chooses every word with the utmost care. Heralded across Canada for the power and promise of her debut collection, Mother Superior, Nawaz proves with Bone and Bread that she is one of our most talented and unique storytellers.

This book is spiritual dynamite. The information within it has the potential to create a firestorm of spiritual, religious and political controversy. It will shatter the frozen concepts of what the human race thinks it knows about itself, it's history, DNA and the human brain. This book will warm you heart and chill your bones at the same time. Some will become angry, denying it's truth, others will rejoice over it's revelations while it will rock the foundation of traditional belief systems. It will stretch your mind to the point you cannot go back to your old way of thinking about life. It will stir your imagination and emotions, not allowing your mind to rest. Hidden truth and unknown knowledge of the human race is revealed about it's true purpose, creation and evolution. You will meet your Gods, Creator, your local Satan, the first Savior of the human race and your future Destiny. A hidden group influencing your life today without your knowledge is exposed. A frightening warning is also given from the Spiritual Realm as the world is blindly heading toward an irreversible disaster. You have the privilege to view the unknown bigger picture of your past as it actually happened and your present as it is now happening. Today's greatest question, "Is there alien life out there in the universe?" will be answered. You will also discover, humans are an experiment and the experiment is over. Are you ready to receive a higher knowledge and learn about yourself? Inside this book is the untold and unknown rest of the story. It comes from the Akashic Records, known to many as the Book of Life, often referred to, as the Book of the Final Judgement of the Human Race. This is the first time recorded history from the Akashic Records will be directly revealed to the human race. It will answer some of the greatest Questions and Mysteries of Science and Religion about the past, present and future. You will quickly come to realize, life is not what you think it is. For the spiritually awake, you will find a clear understanding about the End Times and the immediate upcoming event called the Ascension. The knowledge to know how to ascend and why you may want to, is actually a complete guide to Ascension. The information given is complete, nothing is missing. You now have the knowledge to understand the mystery of life. This is a life changing book.--Provided by publisher.

Hawk, a First Nations teen from northern Alberta, is a star athlete until a serious illness yanks him out of competition and into a fight for his life. Struggling to recover, he comes across a young osprey trapped in a tailings pond, helpless. Rescuing the bird gives Hawk a new purpose in life, if he can survive to see it through.