Under A Sky Of Ash

Both Isaiah and Ben suffered traumatic childhoods, but can humor and love find a way to bring light to the darkness?

WINNER OF THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD YOUNG NOVELIST'S AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE, THE COMMONWEALTH WRITERS' PRIZE AND NEW SOUTH WALES' PREMIER LITERARY AWARDS On the day that Obinna’s village is savagely attacked by the rebel army and his father murdered, he witnesses violence beyond his imagination. Along with his older brother he finds himself thrown into a truck when the soldiers leave, to be shaped into an agent of horror – a child soldier. Marched through minefields and forced into battle, enduring a brutal daily existence, Obinna slowly works out which parts of himself to save and which to sacrifice in this world turned upside down.

With a violent explosion, a volcano erupts, endangering all life within miles. Ash clouds the sky and red-hot lava slides across the ground. From Mount Vesuvius to the Ring of Fire, brave the fiery landscape and learn about the worst volcanoes in history.

Mountains of Grace Mercy Yoder loves her life in the tiny village of West Kootenai. And she is in no rush to get married . . . much to the disappointment of her parents. When a devastating wildfire threatens to destroy her beloved community, Mercy and her family evacuate to the nearby town of Eureka. There she meets Spencer McDonald, an Englisch smoke jumper. She finds his directness and ability to express his feelings refreshing and completely different from Caleb, who is tightlipped about his past. But what would her family and community say if Mercy chose a relationship with an Englischer? A Long Bridge Home When the Mast family is forced to evacuate their home in West Kootenai, Christine chooses not to move with her family to her father’s childhood home in Kansas. Instead, she wants to stay close to her beau, Andy Lambright, who has yet to ask for her hand in marriage. Now Christine is on her own for the first time in her life. While working in her uncle’s store Christine meets Raymond Old Fox, whom she befriends, and he introduces her to his rich native culture with strong ties to the earth and nature. Despite the warnings of her aunt and uncle, Christine is inexplicably drawn to Raymond, and her mind is opened to a heritage far different from her own. With her newly expanding horizons, Christine wonders if she can return to the domestic life that is expected of her. Her heart still longs to be with Andy, but she isn’t the same person she was before the fire, and she wonders if he can accept who she is becoming. Peace in the Valley Nora Beachy works in the community store in West Kootenai, takes care of her family, and courts with Levi Raber. She and Levi plan to marry, but Levi wants to wait until he has the money to buy them a house before he pops the question. Nora doesn't want to wait. Is something keeping Levi from marrying her? Nora's peaceful existence is swept away when wildfires threaten her family's home. She's forced to evacuate to Libby where she stays with family in an Amish community that embraces a charismatic style of worship rejected by her own parents and the Kootenai district elders. Nora's drawn to the emotional, powerful style of worship and knows she's headed for a shunning if she doesn't stop breaking the rules. Will she sacrifice her relationship with Levi and her family for a different kind of faith?

KING DAVID IN A FEVERED DREAM SPOKE TO THE LORD AND SAID BUT HE WAS A SWEET AND UNOFFENDING YOUTH, O, LORD – “I WARN THEE,” CAME THE VOICE, “YOU WRESTLE NOW NOT LIKE JACOB WITH AN ANGEL, BUT WITH THE LORD HIMSELF.” Thus King David dares to raise The Question: if God is good and all-powerful, how come there’s so much evil? Many thinkers and writers have even put God on trial. In THE ASH AND THE THORN, his second collection of poems, Leonard H. Roller explores, through verse, the mystery of a seemingly self-contradicting Deity in a puzzling universe. Themed to the stirring, Old Testament tale of Uzza, Leonard invites the reader to consider the terrible beauty of the world.