The Summer Palace And Other Stories

Follow Damen, Laurent and the supporting characters of Captive Prince on a series of adventures set in and around the events of the novels - and beyond, to learn what happens after the final page in the trilogy is turned.

From global phenomenon C. S. Pacat comes the first novel in her critically acclaimed Captive Prince trilogy. Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else...

The stunning conslusion of worldwide phenomenon—from the boldly original author of Captive Prince and Prince’s Gambit. His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master Prince Laurent as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill. On the brink of a momentous battle, the future of both their countries hangs in the balance. In the south, Kastor's forces are massing. In the north, the Regent's armies are mobilising for war. Damen's only hope of reclaiming his throne is to fight together with Laurent against their usurpers. Forced into an uneasy alliance the two princes journey deep into Akielos, where they face their most dangerous opposition yet. But even if the fragile trust they have built survives the revelation of Damen’s identity—can it stand against the Regents final, deadly play for the throne?

The second novel in the critically acclaimed Captive Prince trilogy from global phenomenon C. S. Pacat. With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master, Prince Laurent, must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot. Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself increasingly drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them a final devastating blow...

All of the world is kept in a delicate balance under the supervision of the Wizard Lord. It is his duty to govern lightly and protect his domain...but if he should stray from the way of the just then it is up to the Chosen to intercede. The Chosen are the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, and the Speaker, magically infused mortal individuals who for the term of their service have only one function—to remove an errant Wizard Lord. But the new Wizard Lord has now changed the playing field by neutralizing all magic in his domain, both his own and that of the Chosen, and he has successfully killed his adversaries or blocked their challenges to his omnipotence. Now on the run, Sword must work alone to restore order to their fair land and unravel the mystery of the Ninth Talisman—which might be the salvation or downfall of all that is good in their well-ordered land. The Summer Palace is the conclusion of The Annals of the Chosen, an epic fantasy trilogy of duty, honor, and abuse of power by the award-winning author Lawrence Watt-Evans.

Ruethwyn's life may have been destroyed, but now she's ready.With the blessing of the fey and others who she barely dares dream of, Ruethwyn's body is whole once more. Turning to the future, she sets her sight on her beloved who was stolen away by a dragon. Yet even with all her magic at her command, Ruethwyn stands little chance against such a powerful foe, so she must tread lightly.Other foes threaten to halt Ruethwyn's efforts even now, though, foes that would kill her or imprison her. With her friends at her side, Ruethwyn will face any threats that stand in her way, especially since her friends have become dearer than she'd imagined. Still, any romance will have to wait, for at long last Ruethwyn can act.The only question is if she's ready for an unexpected figure from her past. A figure she thought gone forever.

From the earliest-known elements to those named in 2016, this book takes a comprehensive look at the development of the periodic table - and reveals untold stories, unsung pioneers and plenty of fascinating science along the way. In twelve illustrated chapters, the book makes sense of the patterns and groups within the periodic table, introducing each of the 118 known elements individually and exploring questions including: - Why did the history of fizzy water give early chemistry a sparkle? - How did hydrogen reveal the structure of the atom? - What was the Bunsen burner's role in discovering new elements? - Which of the alkaline earth metals accounts for a kilogramme of your weight? - Why is Marie Curie such a scientific star? - How do tungsten and vanadium explain the secret of super-sharp Syrian swords? - Who discovered the most elements in the periodic table? - What made nihonium, element 113, such a wonderful new year's gift for Japan? - Is glass a liquid or a solid? - How did nitrogen fulfill the alchemists' dream? - Would you have smeared antimony on your face if you'd lived in ancient Egypt? - Why might naked mole rats have clues for surviving a heart attack? - How did the Haya people of Tanzania make steel 1500 years ago? - What makes xenon a great anaesthetic - and why can't all patients use it? - Might there be a pattern in yet undiscovered elements beyond number 118?

In the tradition of In Cold Blood and The Executioner’s Song, this haunting, insightful, and surprisingly intimate portrait of Saddam Hussein provides “a brief, but powerful, meditation on the meaning of evil and power” (USA TODAY). The “captivating” (Military Times) The Prisoner in His Palace invites us to take a journey with twelve young American soldiers in the summer of 2006. Shortly after being deployed to Iraq, they learn their assignment: guarding Saddam Hussein in the months before his execution. Living alongside, and caring for, their “high value detainee and regularly transporting him to his raucous trial, many of the men begin questioning some of their most basic assumptions—about the judicial process, Saddam’s character, and the morality of modern war. Although the young soldiers’ increasingly intimate conversations with the once-feared dictator never lead them to doubt his responsibility for unspeakable crimes, the men do discover surprising new layers to his psyche that run counter to the media’s portrayal of him. Woven from firsthand accounts provided by many of the American guards, government officials, interrogators, scholars, spies, lawyers, family members, and victims, The Prisoner in His Palace shows two Saddams coexisting in one person: the defiant tyrant who uses torture and murder as tools, and a shrewd but contemplative prisoner who exhibits surprising affection, dignity, and courage in the face of looming death. In this thought-provoking narrative, Saddam, known as the “man without a conscience,” gets many of those around him to examine theirs. “A singular study exhibiting both military duty and human compassion” (Kirkus Reviews), The Prisoner in His Palace grants us “a behind-the-scenes look at history that’s nearly impossible to put down…a mesmerizing glimpse into the final moments of a brutal tyrant’s life” (BookPage).