Serpents Honor

--Serpents & Honor-- is an action-packed, Martial Arts short-story about a bitter and deadly feud that spans across several continents. Chono Soto is an honorable man, the offspring of two superb martial artists, and a highly decorated soldier and special agent with an equally accredited military record. Matrix Ito is an underground martial arts master and the genious mastermind leader of the international and infamous terrorist cell, The Serpent Society. When their paths cross, all hell breaks loose as each encounter becomes a fight for their life as they look to end the other's. You can also find Chono and Matrix in --Shadow Within A City-- written by F. Kenneth Taylor and K.G. Bethlehem

'In my name, they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.'(Gospel of Mark) It's the summer of 1955. Merle, an itinerant preacher, sets out from his home church, Mountain Assembly Church of God with Signs Following, situated in the rolling hills of the Appalachians. But Merle isn't just any preacher, and his message isn't any plain ol' sermon. Reverend Merle James Hensley has experienced the power of Jesus Christ firsthand. Delivered from a poisonous snakebite, Merle requested of the Lord a double portion of Elisha's double portion. And so begins his revival tour, with trials predicted to test his faith and prove his double portion. But in Bloody Harlan County, Kentucky, he faces a trial he never counted on. Merle lands in the county jail, charged with the death of a young man who died in one of his revival services . . . of a snakebite. The author's first novel,They Shall Take up Serpents, is based on his Christian H. Moe Award-winning play,To Handle the Serpent. Experience the drama of Merle's physical and spiritual journey as he faces the trial that will determine his fate. Is this brash preacher responsible for the young man's death? Or are there other forces at work?

“A rousing tale of courtly intrigues and chivalrous honor” from the author of The Glass Magician (Charles de Lint, award-winning writer). Just as hard-fought peace has come to the land of Staunton, war hero Sir Anthony Folville lies dead—but not due to his battle wounds. He has been poisoned by the medic treating him, a man supposedly paid by Queen Andred’s heir to perform this dastardly act. Now, with the prince imprisoned and accused of murder, his allies join forces to prove his innocence, including the fiancée of Sir Anthony and the royal scholar Chrysafer. They have reason to suspect the Duke of Tilbury is behind the plot—and that the queen is his next target. As spies listen in the shadows and swords clash, there is one weapon that will sway events in the traitorous duke’s favor: a legendary serpent’s egg with clairvoyant powers. And only Chrysafer is able to sense its magic—and stop the carnage to come . . . “To know this book is to love it passionately. I want to live in it. I want to exchange banter with witty ne’er do wells, be boon companion to noble-hearted yet practical ladies, aid a nerdy librarian with her magic, and incidentally save the kingdom. Here is true magic.” —Ellen Kushner, World Fantasy Award–winning author “I really enjoyed reading The Serpent’s Egg, and delighted in the unusual characterizations and plot.” —Anne McCaffrey, New York Times–bestselling author of the Dragonriders of Pern series “Sparkling characters, humor, and lots of action . . . A very talented writer!” —R.A. MacAvoy, John W. Campbell Award–winning author of Lens of the World

Set in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico, this novel is both social commentary on the lives of Black folk, as well as examination of the lives of five Black boys during the summer of 1954. The adult Black folk in Riverville are keenly aware of family histories which have developed under segregation, but which are inter-related to the white community. The diversity, resilience, and faults of these characters do not hinder their progress towards equality.

The young shari'a witch Brierley once thought that she was the last of her kind, powerful witches who lived in peace and harmony, using their powers for good. Only the women of her people had the gift and they ruled wisely and well. Her people had flourished for millennia, guided by the elemental beings who embodied the very forces of nature and who could tame the world. But then the fierce Allemani people came from beyond the sea. Newly settled in the land, they at first dwelt in peace with the shari'a. But trust turned to hate and the fear that the Allemani had for the witches soon boiled over into genocide. The Allemani decimated the shari'a out of fear of their differences. And so Briarly hid in the shadows, keeping her healing powers a secret-but she was compelled to use them when necessary, and these actions caused her to be discovered. When she was forced to flee the only home she had ever known, she did not go alone, for she had captured the heart Duke Melfallan, and though he is Allemani, he vows to attempt to change the Law condemning any shari'a to death because he has come to know that the shari'a are not monsters...and they can bring a great joy to the world. As she makes her way out into the world to hide while Melfallan fights to save her, Brierley discovers that she is not the last of her kind. That there are many, like her, who managed to stay in the shadows, generations of shari'a who have kept quiet, hid their powers and have waited. And that not all of whom share Brierley's good heart. The time of reckoning is at hand, the forces that the shari'a once controlled are being summoned once more, and Brierley finds that the hatred that fueled the Allemani ages past is still very much alive. Will Brierley have to sacrifice her life (and that of her unborn child) to save an entire world and make things right for her people? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The serpent of ancient times was more often associated with positive attributes like healing and eternal life than it was with negative meanings. This groundbreaking book explores in plentiful detail the symbol of the serpent from 40,000 BCE to the present, and from diverse regions in the world. In doing so it emphasizes the creativity of the biblical authors' use of symbols and argues that we must today reexamine our own archetypal conceptions with comparable creativity.--From publisher description.

The Serpent’s Tooth is the memoir of a courageous mother who fights tirelessly for the life of her daughter—a successful young film actress led criminally astray by a controlling older man—and her husband—a highly-decorated fire captain who falls prey to drugs. This riveting tale of betrayal, addiction, and a lottery jackpot which leads to a dramatic courtroom trial. The story unfolds with famous attorneys battling over millions in legal fees, when greed rears its ugly head and becomes the primary motive. Through all the deceit and lies, a hard-edged judge is left to make the final decision as to who the rightful owner of the $5.2 million-dollar lottery prize is. Filled with emotions from anger and hate to grief and loss, the reader is wondering how this all could have ever happened. In the end, who is left standing, who falls, and who was ultimately to blame?

Burton seeks to present a balanced view of the remote churches of East Tennessee where believers take literally the words of Saint Mark: "and they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."