Rover Red Charlie

An unlikely band of canines sets out to survive in a world gone horribly mad. When a worldwide plague wipes out humanity, what happens to man's best friend? Charlie was a helper dog and he was good at it. Now he and his friends Rover and Red must escape the bloody city and find their way in this strange, master-less new world.

The world's been overrun by sadistic homicidal maniacs. A small band of survivors crosses what's left of America, in constant danger and trying to hold onto what little humanity they can. In the blink of an eye, humanity is lost, and the Crossed are upon us. Men, women, and children alike fall victim to the mystery infection that makes killers out of parents and rapists out of lovers. Ruthless, berserk, and evil beyond measure, these cackling demons spread their plague across the Earth, brining humanity to near-extinction. Now, a small band of survivors make their cautious way across a deserted America, existing in a state of constant terror. The only thing they have in common is their determination to survive... but in this frightening new world, survival has a cost all its own. How far will they go to stay alive, and can they do so without become monsters themselves?

Ten-year-old Red and his faithful canine companion, Rover, forged their fellowship in a gentler time, when friends were forever and loyalty was unquestioned. Red and Rover have an endearing partnership that brings them-and the strip's lucky readers-a measure of pure delight.

"It's a sweetly funny strip, reminiscent of the relationship of Charlie Brown and Snoopy or Calvin and Hobbes. . . . Just the book to pick up when you need a booster shot of the warm fuzzies."—Syracuse Post-Standard Why are readers so dedicated to this simple comic about a boy and his dog? That simplicity itself is one of the best-loved characteristics of the strip. Ten-year-old Red and his lab-mix mutt, Rover, are a metaphor for friendship, and their shared adventures hearken back to a simpler time that holds a strong nostalgic appeal for modern readers. The other feature of Red and Rover that draws fans to the strip is the realness of its character. Rover is not a talking dog; he and Red communicate through thought bubbles. Moreover, Rover's facial expressions and body language are drawn with an authenticity, recognized and lauded by dog lovers, that communicates volumes about what he's thinking and feeling. As proclaimed on the popular family-oriented Web site infodad.com, "Well focused, well thought out, and well drawn in something of a 'retro' style, Red and Rover is the most heartwarmingly funny new comic strip in years. Cynics, go elsewhere. Red and Rover is for the rest of us."

Covers the development and construction of the Mars rover Curiosity, the most sophisticated vehicle ever sent to the "Red Planet."

Why Not? After all, no-one had ever done it before. It would be one of the longest of all overland journeys – half way round the world, from the English Channel to Singapore. They knew that several expeditions had already tried it. Some had got as far as the desrts of Persia; a few had even reached the plains of India. But no one had managed to go on from there: over the jungle clad mountains of Assam and across northern Burma to Thailand and Malaya. Over the last 3,000 miles it seemed there were ‘just too many rivers and too few roads’. But no-one really knew … In fact, their problems began much earlier than that. As mere undergraduates, they had no money, no cars, nothing. But with a cool audacity, which was to become characteristic, they set to work – wheedling and cajoling. First, they coaxed the BBC to come up with some film for a possible TV series. They then gently persuaded the manufacturers to lend them two factory-fresh Land Rovers. A publisher was even sweet-talked into giving them an advance on a book. By the time they were ready to go, their sponsors (more than 80 of them) ranged from whiskey distillers to the makers of collapsible buckets. In late 1955, they set off. Seven months and 12,000 miles later, two very weary Land Rovers, escorted by police outriders, rolled into Singapore – to flash bulbs and champagne. Now, fifty years on, their book, ‘First Overland’, is republished – with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough. After all, it was he who gave them that film.