  | Book Details Title: Molecular Interactions: Concepts and Methods |
Book DescriptionFrom the Back Cover An up-to-date and comprehensive text that explores intermolecular forces Molecular Interactions offers a comprehensive guide that examines the fundamental concepts and methods of intermolecular forces. The text provides a quantitative treatment based on molecular properties, introducing realistic models and theoretical tools needed to obtain physical properties. All chapters include an introduction to the qualitative aspects of molecular interactions and then explore the interactions are treated in a quantitative fashion. The author―a noted expert on the topic―examines the concepts and quantitative aspects of molecular interaction such as electrostatic, induction, and dispersion forces and shows how they extend to intermediate and short ranges for ground and excited states. The text includes a survey of model potential functions. It offers an exploration of recent developments in the field including electronically non-adiabatic interactions, correlated many-electron treatments, generalized density functional theory, decomposition, and embedding of molecular fragments for large systems. It also presents the most recent developments using artificial intelligence with network training for many-atom system. It includes molecular interactions between two many-atom systems, interactions in condensed matter, and interactions of molecules with surfaces. Presents the concepts and methods of molecular interactions used in calculations Offers comprehensive descriptions starting from atomic structure Provides the theory and computational approaches needed for many-atom interactions Contains illustrative applications to many physical systems and worked examples Written for students and researchers in chemical physics, materials sciences, molecular biology, pharmaceuticals, and medical sciences, Molecular Interactions offers an authoritative guide to the fundamentalconcepts and methods as well as information on the most recent innovations that have relevance for new materials, biological phenomena, and energy and fuels production. Read more About the Author David A. Micha, PhD, is a Professor of Chemistry and Physics at the University of Florida, presently Adjunct and Emeritus, with continuing research activity. His many research interests include molecular interactions and kinetics, and quantum molecular dynamics involving energy transfer, electron transfer, light emission, reactions in gas phase collisions, and also at solid surfaces. His work has been recognized with awards from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Dreyfus Foundation, and with an Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award. Dr. Micha has been the organizer of several Pan-American Workshops and is a co-organizer of the “Sanibel Symposium on Theory and Computation for the Molecular and Materials Sciences” at the University of Florida. Read more Customers Review:This book provides both graduate students and researchers an excellent overview of molecular interactions, their theoretical underpinnings, and estimation methods. Much of the material is scattered throughout the scientific literature, the overview and current assessment of the various topics will be of great use to those that wish to inform their research and further develop their insight into chemical physical problems. Given its purpose, the book naturally assumes a strong quantum mechanical background. Prof. Micha is well positioned to review this area of theoretical chemistry and physics given his long, active and very productive research in chemical physics, and his involvement and participation in the Sanibel Island Symposia, where many of the world leading experts gather to present their latest research.I highly recommend the book to chemical physics students and researchers. | |
Senin, 03 Agustus 2020
[PDF] Download Molecular Interactions: Concepts and Methods by David A. Micha | Free EBOOK PDF English
1 reviews [PDF] Download U-505: The Lone Wolf of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry by James E. Wise Jr. | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: U-505: The Lone Wolf of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry |
Book DescriptionAbout the Author James E. Wise Jr. (1930-2013) is the author or coauthor of many books including Shooting the War, Stars in Blue, Stars in the Corps, Stars in Khaki, and International Stars at War, Sole Survivors of the Sea, Sailor�s Journey into War, and ,James Arness, an autobiography that he helped Arness write. Read more Customers Review: I was through the U-505 in the early 70s when it was still outside. The $2 booklet from the museum is still floating around somewhere in the bookshelves so I had a basic idea of the capture story. This book is so much more. It has a little bit of background on the war, the battle of the Atlantic, the weapons systems used (both sides), as well as the capture & disposition of the sub since. Printed well on good paper. | |
[PDF] Download Lacloche Joaillers (English and French Edition) by Laurence Mouillefarine | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: Lacloche Joaillers (English and French Edition) |
Book DescriptionAbout the Author Laurence Mouillefarine is a freelance journalist who specializes in the art market and contributes to Architectural Digest, Le Figaro magazine and La Gazette Drouot. She is passionate about jewelry of the interwar period, and is the author, with Véronique Ristelhueber, of Raymond Templier, le bijou moderne, the first monograph on this jeweler (Norma, 2005). She has co-curated the exhibition Bijoux Art déco et avant-garde at the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris in 2009 and is the author of the eponymous catalogue (Norma/Les Arts Déco, 2009). Fascinated by hidden domestic treasures, she has written, with Philippe Colin-Olivier, Vous Êtes riches sans le savoir (Le Passage, 2012). Read more Customers Review:I have been watching the price on this book as soon as it was shown on Amazon. I have read so many books on different jewelry collections, both private and museum, that mention stunningly beautiful pieces that were made by or sold by Lacloche Freres but there had not been any book about them. I could only find a few documented pieces that were photgraphed in other books. Finally this exhibition (which I was not able to go to France to see) was releasing a book with info and recent photographs. I am a Graduate Gemologist and in the jewelry world, but anyone would love this book! Eye-candy galore, large photographs, reproduced color renderings of the designs for now lost pieces, and a detailed list at the back of information about the people and creators. The company specialized in making lovely clocks and Vanity Cases, so detailed that they often took more than 700 hundred hours to create. Using the finest gem materials each item is a treasure, I only wish they were more photographs of the inside of these cases. A bi-lingual book, for those of us who do not speak or read French, 300 + large size pages of beauty, information for all whether professional or lay person, buy this book before they are gone. | |
[PDF] Download Bound for Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery by Victoria Gilbert | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: Bound for Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery |
Book DescriptionReview Praise for Bound for Murder:“Pleasant.”—Kirkus Reviews“The plot builds to a complex but satisfying conclusion. Cozy fans will hope Amy will return soon.”—Publishers Weekly”Series fans will enjoy the ongoing shenangians…Newbies with an appreciation for small town politics (and an interlibrary loan mulligan) will have no trouble starting here.”—Booklist“Another deftly crafted mystery buff’s delight by a true master of the genre.”—Midwest Book Review“The murder mystery is both well plotted and clever enough to keep the most seasoned of mystery readers guessing.”—MyShelfPraise for Past Due for Murder:“A fun tale of books and crooks!”—Woman’s World“Gilbert weaves a well-paced, engaging story with strong characters… Blue Ridge Mystery fans will love reconnecting with Amy and her Taylorsford compatriots.”—NY Journal of Books“Readers who enjoy a splash of the local history of the Blue Ridge Mountains as well as current events, will find this an interesting read, and I can envision it as a good selection for a local book club. I look forward to the next book and highly recommend you read not only this one, but the two before it.”—MyShelf“Skillfully written…This library-loving mystery series [is] completely irresistible.”—Kings River Life Magazine“Well-written, featuring an intriguing and complex central mystery that builds to an exciting finale, Past Due for Murder is great.”—Fab Book Reviews Read more About the Author Victoria Gilbert, raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian. Victoria has worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and library director. When not writing or reading, she likes to spend her time watching films, gardening, or traveling. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers and lives in North Carolina. This is her fourth Blue Ridge Library mystery. Read more Customers Review: I enjoyed this book. This series has a lot of characters we have grown to have affection for. I can appreciate Amy’s desire to get the answers to questions, especially questions and problems that effect people she loves. When Sunny’s grandparents farm and the commune they used to run comes under fire because of the discovery of the body of one of its long lost members, Amy cannot stand ideally especially when they ask for her help.When more bodies start adding up and threats and bullets are aimed at her, we know Amy and her crew are in for a wild ride.
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[PDF] Download Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by America's Progressive Elite by Peter Schweizer | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by America’s Progressive Elite |
Book DescriptionAbout the Author Peter Schweizer is the president of the Government Accountability Institute and the former William J. Casey Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is a number one New York Times bestselling author whose books have been translated into eleven languages. Read more Customers Review: If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Schweizer’s previous books, you’re in for a treat.Schweizer is an excellent researcher and you can be certain he has done his homework. In SECRET EMPIRES he went after the PLAGUE OF CORRUPTION on both sides of the political aisle, including Senator Mitch McConnell and his wife’s ties to the Chinese government.In PROFILES IN CORRUPTION, Schweizer goes after the Biden 5, using extensive documentation to reveal the network of corrupt tributaries which feed the Washington DC swamp. He also attacks Senator Elizabeth Warren’s work on bankruptcy laws, then advising the same corporate clients impacted by those laws. Also put under scrutiny is Senator Amy Klobuchar’s interesting habit of taking big money from donors, then introducing laws to benefit those same donors a few days later.Schweizer’s writing reminds one of a fantastic criminal prosecutor, laying down a fast-paced and bullet-proof case for crimes on a scale which will be shocking to the average man or woman who tries to live a moral life. The biggest criminals are those who claim to be better than us.All Americans should give thanks to Peter Schweizer for the type of journalism that used to be done by our TV and print journalists before they were decimated by the internet. | |
[PDF] Download Cuddle Monkey by Blake Liliane Hellman,Chad Otis | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: Cuddle Monkey |
Book DescriptionAbout the Author Blake Liliane Hellman has degrees in journalism and English from the University of Colorado and a master’s in film production from American University/FAMU, Czech Republic. She is the author of Something Smells! and Cuddle Monkey. She lives with her family and cat in Seattle, Washington.Chad Otis has a BFA in design from the University of Washington School of Art. Although he’s been working with the likes of Penguin Random House Digital, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Online for over twenty-five years as an animator, illustrator, and creative director. Cuddle Monkey is his picture book debut. Read more Customers Review:3.5 stars. Cute! This is a sweet sibling story with a great attitude. Cuddle Monkey uses problem solving skills and shows some resilience (although that’s not spelled out in the story) while still coming across as a kid. | |
[PDF] Download The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired by Daniel J. Siegel,Tina Payne Bryson | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired |
Book DescriptionReview “Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson have spun a miracle—The Power of Showing Up is the ultimate guide to family reconnection. Clear, profound, and charmingly-illustrated, it unravels the challenges of modern parenting and reveals the simple truths about what children really need from the adults in their lives.”—Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee and The Blessing of a B Minus “Parenting at this moment in time and at today’s pace feels hard. But that makes it all that much more important that we try to simplify the process of parenting and not put quite so much pressure on our own parenting shoulders. The Power of Showing Up will help you do just that. Siegel and Payne Bryson are master teachers when it comes to helping parents react and respond to kids in ways that communicate ‘I hear you.’ They articulate and quantify how to make your parenting easier—and better!”—Christine Carter, Ph.D., author of Raising Happiness “Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson have written their best book yet—and that is saying a lot. They have distilled their parenting wisdom—based on neuroscience research and a deep empathy for children’s needs—into a profound concept: showing up. It is one of those great ideas that seems so obvious—but only after someone has shown it to you and spelled it out clearly. Best of all, Siegel and Payne Bryson ‘show up’ for the reader of this book. They know parents, know their fears and anxieties, hopes and dreams, and they provide an accessible path to seeing and soothing children and providing them with safety and security.”—Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting “An essential book for every parent who yearns to be more effective and present and, simply, better. It shows us that we don’t have to be perfect, but we can make our kids feel more secure and confident (now and in the future) if we are present and aware as parents. This important book gives us the steps to follow to make this happen.”—Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., president, Child Mind Institute “Rarely does a book so broad and deep of subject give you the small doable steps to find your way to success, confidence, and connection with your children. The Power of Showing Up brings to life the Zulu greeting ‘Sawubona’ (I see you) and the refrain ‘Ngikhona’ (I am here), which are essential for the parent-child connection.”—Kim John Payne, author of Simplicity Parenting and The Soul of Discipline“Drs. Siegel and Payne Bryson teach us how a parent can make a child feel safe, seen, soothed, and secure, even if he or she didn’t have that in their own childhoods.”—Michael Thompson, Ph.D., co-author of the New York Times bestselling classic Raising Cain“Siegel and Bryson provide relatable real world examples and . . . specific advice for handling various situations. . . . Parents looking for solid research delivered in an accessible manner will find Siegel and Bryson getting the job done well yet again.”—Booklist Read more About the Author Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the founding co-director of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center, and the executive director of the Mindsight Institute. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Siegel is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestsellers Aware and Brainstorm, and is the co-author with Tina Payne Bryson of The Whole-Brain Child, No-Drama Discipline, and The Yes Brain. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, with welcome visits from their adult son and daughter. Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Center for Connection, a multidisciplinary clinical practice, and of the Play Strong Institute, a center devoted to the study, research, and practice of play therapy through a neurodevelopmental lens. She is a licensed clinical social worker, providing pediatric and adolescent psychotherapy and parenting consultations. Dr. Bryson keynotes conferences and conducts workshops for parents, educators, clinicians, and industry leaders around the world. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. Read more Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1What It Means to Show UpOne message we deliver over and over whenever we write about parenting is that you don’t have to be perfect. Nobody is. There’s no such thing as flawless child-rearing. (We’ll pause while you let out a deep, relieved breath.) So raise a warm, left-in-the-minivan juice box to all of us imperfect parents out there.At some level we all know this, but many of us—especially committed, thoughtful, intentional parents—consistently fall prey to feelings of anxiety or inadequacy. We worry about our children and their safety, of course, but we also worry that we’re not being “good enough” in the way we’re raising them. We worry that our kids won’t grow up to be responsible or resilient or relational or . . . (fill in the blank). We worry about the times we let them down, or hurt them. We worry that we’re not giving them enough attention, or that we’re giving them too much attention. We even worry that we worry too much!We’ve written this book for all the imperfect parents who care deeply about their kids (as well as for imperfect grandparents and teachers and professionals and anyone else who cares for a child). We have one central message full of comfort and hope: When you’re not sure how to respond in a given situation with your child, don’t worry. There’s one thing you can always do, and it’s the best thing of all. Instead of worrying, or trying to attain some standard of perfection that simply doesn’t exist, just show up.Showing up means what it sounds like. It means being there for your kids. It means being physically present, as well as providing a quality of presence. Provide it when you’re meeting their needs; when you’re expressing your love to them; when you’re disciplining them; when you’re laughing together; even when you’re arguing with them. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to read all the parenting bestsellers, or sign your kids up for all the right enrichment activities. You don’t have to have a committed co-parent. You don’t even have to know exactly what you’re doing. Just show up.Showing up means bringing your whole being—your attention and awareness—when you’re with your child. When we show up, we are mentally and emotionally present for our child in that moment. In many ways, there is no other time but now—this present moment of time—and you are in charge of learning how to show up in ways that will both greatly empower you as a parent and promote resilience and strength in your child. It’s this power of presence that enables us to create an empowered mind for our children—even if we mess up on a regular basis.Depending on your background and what kind of parents you had as a child, showing up for your own kids might come naturally. Or, you might find it difficult. You might even recognize at this moment that you’re not showing up for your kids in a consistent way, either physically or emotionally. In the coming pages we’ll discuss how, regardless of your own childhood experiences, you can be—and continue to become—the kind of parent you want to be.Of course we all make better and worse decisions as parents, and there are all kinds of skills we can attain to help our children develop in optimal ways. But when you get right down to it, parenting is about simply being present for our kids. As we’ll soon explain, the longitudinal research on child development clearly demonstrates that one of the very best predictors for how any child turns out—in terms of happiness, social and emotional development, leadership skills, meaningful relationships, and even academic and career success—is whether they developed security from having at least one person who showed up for them. Across cultures around the globe, these studies reveal a universal finding about how we can parent well, if not flawlessly.And the great news is that these empirical findings can be synthesized and then made accessible for all of us imperfect parents all over the world. That’s what this book is about.What Showing Up Looks Like: The Four S’sWhen a caregiver predictably (not perfectly) cares for a child, that child will enjoy the very best outcomes, even in the face of significant adversity. Predictable care that supports a healthy and empowering relationship embodies what we call the “Four S’s”—helping kids feel (1) safe—they feel protected and sheltered from harm; (2) seen—they know you care about them and pay attention to them; (3) soothed—they know you’ll be there for them when they’re hurting; and (4) secure—based on the other S’s, they trust you to predictably help them feel “at home” in the world, then learn to help themselves feel safe, seen, and soothed.When we can offer kids the Four S’s, making repairs whenever the inevitable ruptures in these connections with our children may occur, we help create what’s called “secure attachment,” and it’s absolutely key to optimal healthy development.As in our other books, everything we present here is backed by science and research. And as we’ll soon explain, these ideas emerge from the field of attachment science, where for the last half-century researchers have been conducting careful studies. If you know our earlier work—from Dan’s title with Mary Hartzell called Parenting from the Inside Out and through our books The Whole-Brain Child, No-Drama Discipline, and The Yes Brain—then you’ll immediately see, as you read the coming pages, how this book expands on what we’ve written before by going deeper into concepts vital to understanding the science behind whole-brain parenting. We’ve even added a few new twists here and there, since our understanding of parenting and the brain, along with the field of attachment science in general, continues to grow and evolve. So readers who know our work well will both see something new and feel right at home, recognizing familiar concepts while also gaining a richer understanding of them. We’ve worked hard to make the scientific information as accessible as possible, so that even someone approaching these ideas for the first time can follow along and immediately apply them in their personal and parenting lives.In addition to attachment science, the other primary scientific framework underpinning our work is interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB), an approach in which we combine various fields of science into one perspective on what the mind and mental thriving are all about. IPNB looks at how our mind—including our feelings and thoughts, our attention and awareness—and our brain and the whole body are deeply interwoven within our relationships with one another and the world around us each to shape who we are. The field of IPNB has dozens of professional textbooks (now over seventy) exploring the science of mental health and human development. Within those fields synthesized by IPNB is the study of attachment as well as scholarship on the brain, including a focus on how the brain changes in response to experience, called neuroplasticity.Neuroplasticity explains how the actual physical architecture of the brain adapts to new experiences and information, reorganizing itself and creating new neural pathways based on what a person sees, hears, touches, thinks about, practices, and so on. Anything we give attention to, anything we emphasize in our experiences and interactions, creates new links in the brain. Where attention goes, neurons fire. And where neurons fire, they wire, or join together.What does this have to do with showing up? Well, your reliable presence in the lives of your children can significantly impact the physical architecture and connectivity in their brains, creating mental models and expectations about the way the world works. A mental model is a summary the brain makes that creates a generalization of many repeated experiences. Such mental models are constructed from the past, filter our current experience, and shape how we anticipate and sometimes even sculpt our future interactions. The mental models are formed within the architecture of neural networks underlying attachment and memory.No kidding—the experiences you provide in terms of your relationship with your child will literally mold the physical structure of her brain. Those connections in the brain in turn influence how her mind will work. In other words, when parents consistently show up, their children’s minds come to expect that the world is a place that can be understood and meaningfully interacted with—even in times of trouble and pain—because the experiences you provide shape the ways the brain processes information. The brain learns to anticipate certain realities, based on what has happened before. That means your children will predict what’s coming next based on previous experience. So when you are present for them, they come to expect positive interactions—from others, and from themselves. Kids learn who they are and who they can and should be, in both good times and bad, through their interactions with us, their parents. Showing up thus creates in our kids neural pathways that lead to selfhood, grit, strength, and resilience. Read more Customers Review: While I think the authors are brilliant and definitely know their field, this book (after reading all their others) feels like it could have just been an article. Of the 232 pages, almost every page has bubbles repeating information and then entire pages with a picture that doesn’t quite seem necessary. Felt like these techniques were used to fill pages, because a lot of the information was repeated over and over. I’ve listened to podcasts these authors have been featured in and got just about all I needed to know from that book in a short round up. The book also focuses heavily on the past relationships of parents and how they were raised, while important didn’t really fit the title, for me. Would have enjoyed more specific scenarios and words to use in difficult situations, instead of vague examples or pointing to their other books. Not a bad book, just not terribly informative in my opinion, definitely not worthy of a full book and at $27 if purchased in a bookstore vs Amazon.
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[PDF] Download Farah Rocks Fifth Grade by Susan Muaddi Darraj | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: Farah Rocks Fifth Grade |
Book DescriptionBook Description Fits a need for more diverse children’s literature–there are very few books with Arab-American main characters; #ownvoices author Susan Muaddi Darraj lends authenticity to the characters and culture; This is the first book in a series; Addresses bullying and learning challenges in a realistic manner; Pre-publication buzz including a feature in /The Guardian/ Read more About the Author Susan Muaddi Darraj is an award-winning author of more than ten books, including two short story collections. She is an Associate Professor of English at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, and she also teaches creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and Fairfield University. A native Philadelphian, she currently lives in Baltimore. She loves books, coffee, and baseball, and she’s mildly obsessed with stationery supplies.Illustrator and graphic designer Ruaida Mannaa completed her undergraduate studies at the Universidad del Norte in her hometown in Colombia. She went on to pursue a Master’s degree in illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She grew up in a multicultural family, surrounded by different languages, loud parties, and delicious food, and she finds great inspiration for her art in culture and cultural exchange. Read more Customers Review: Does anyone know how important it is for children to see themselves in literature? As a veteran high school teacher, I can tell you it is CRUCIAL to create lifelong readers. So many of our students were completely turned off from reading in their formative years because they simply could not identify/relate/see someone like them in literature. Whenever I have a heart-to-heart with my high school students addressing their reluctance to reading, the number one response is that they just never found anything that kept their interest because they couldn’t relate. My precious 7 year old girl (reads at a 5th grade level) has been attached to this book and calls Farah her “friend”. She finished the book in 2 days, and it would have been in one day had I allowed her to forgo eating, bathing and homework! This story is relatable to ALL children, and I found myself really enjoying it too! Don’t wait to purchase this amazing book! We can’t WAIT for the next one!! | |
[PDF] Download House on Fire: A Novel (A Nick Heller Novel) by Joseph Finder | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: House on Fire: A Novel (A Nick Heller Novel) |
Book DescriptionReview Praise for House on Fire“Joseph Finder is incapable of writing a bad thriller. I’d follow Nick Heller anywhere.”—C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Range“A mixture of Jason Bourne and Sam Spade, Nick Heller is the man you want in your corner. House on Fire is classic whodunit wrapped in a modern world of technology and current events, with enough twists to keep you reading long into the night.”—Brad Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of War“Joseph Finder brings back his Nick Heller character after a brief hiatus with smashing (literally!) results in House on Fire… Packed with both brains and brawn, House on Fire is thriller writing at its very best, conjuring tomorrow’s headlines instead of ripping off today’s.”—Jon Land for Providence Journal“Heller can pick locks, handle weapons, and attract beautiful women with the best of them, but the first-person narrative is natural and engaging. A crisp, fast-paced adventure.”—The Times of London“One of the Best Books of the Week… Private investigator Nick Heller has just gotten some bad news: His old Army buddy Sean died of an overdose. At the funeral, Heller is approached by the daughter of a pharmaceutical kingpin who has made millions off of dangerously addictive opioids. Now she wants to become a whistleblower.”—New York Post“Finder has crafted a timely and well-written thriller that engages the reader with an uncomfortable topic in unexpected ways. The author tackles the subject head-on, and by taking one of his best characters and giving him personal stakes, the intensity of the story shines. House on Fire will be remembered as one of Finder’s best.”—Jeff Ayers, Associated Press“Finder delivers tight writing with sharp characters…Fans of HBO’s Succession and dynamic murder mysteries will eagerly inhale House on Fire”—Shelf Awareness“Finder is a master of the narrow escape…Finder’s characterization of Heller gets more layered with every installment. The way Heller moves through the mystery, using social skills, street smarts, and technology to get in and out of trouble, is breathtaking. Excruciating suspense.”—Booklist“By exploring a complicated family dynamic and questions of culpability in a real-life ongoing national crisis, Finder once again has spun a gripping thriller about an up-to-the-minute issue.”—Book Trib“Canny”—Wall Street Journal“Fans of timely, thoughtful page-turners will be richly rewarded.”—Publishers Weekly“Centered on timely issues, but grounded in the craft of detective fiction, House on Fire promises to be one of the year’s best.”—CrimeReads“Nick Heller is back, and all feels right in the thriller world because of it. Finder’s last Heller book, Guilty Minds, remains one of my favorite thrillers ever written…and even I have to admit, this one might be better. Even if you haven’t read the first three books in the series, you can jump in here without missing a beat.”—Real Book Spy “House on Fire should satisfy devotees of this consistently strong series and win over new ones with its incisive portrait of a family that runs on greed.”—Airmail“This taut, smoothly plotted novel, filled with vivid characters, takes some twists and turns even seasoned readers might miss.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer“Finder utilizes his extensive research abilities with current events to make House on Fire yet another winner in this series…Fans of financial thrillers and private-eye fiction will find much to love here.”BookReporter.com“House on Fire is a fast-paced thriller with a plot that could be torn from today’s – or tomorrow’s – newspaper headlines….Unexpected plot twists abound; the author uniquely explores complex family intrigue from highly contrasting perspectives.”—Ray Walsh, Lansing State Journal“Finder delivers tight writing with sharp characters…Fans of HBO’s Succession and dynamic murder mysteries will eagerly inhale House on Fire”—Shelf Awareness Read more About the Author JOSEPH FINDER is the New York Times bestselling author of fifteen previous novels, including Judgment, The Switch, Guilty Minds, The Fixer, and Suspicion. Finder’s international bestseller Killer Instinct won the International Thriller Writers’ Thriller Award for Best Novel of 2006. Other bestselling titles include Paranoia and High Crimes, which both became major motion pictures. He lives in Boston. Read more Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1So how are you going to do it?” the guy asked me.”‘Do it’?”He paused, glanced around-there was no one else in my office-and muttered, barely audible, the words he didn’t want to say aloud. “Kill him. How are you going to kill him?””The less you know,” I said, “the better. For both of us. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”He didn’t answer me. “It has to look like an accident,” he said. “Or a random . . . whatever.”I gave him a long, direct look, blinked once. He’d told me that three times already.Mort Vallison was sixty, but he looked ten years older. He was a once-handsome man under a lifetime of stress. He had short gray hair, neatly parted, and sincere brown eyes, but they were haunted. Hollow. He wore an expensive-looking navy-blue blazer and pricy shoes. He was not born to wealth, which was probably why he always dressed expensively.He looked away. Vallison had insisted on coming to my office rather than have me come to his company headquarters. My firm, Heller Associates, is located in an old brick building in Boston’s financial district, a renovated nineteenth-century lead-pipe factory with a steampunk look to it: the bare brick walls, the exposed ductwork, the big factory windows. The office used to belong to a dot-com that sailed high and crashed and left behind their Humanscale chairs.”He’s embezzling,” he said. “But we haven’t been able to catch him at it.”Vallison was the co-owner of a chain of excellent restaurants in Boston and down the East Coast, Neptune Seafood, a Boston institution. He was a wealthy man, with an impressive home in Chestnut Hill. He was convinced that his partner, Herb Martz, was cheating him out of millions of dollars. But he wasn’t able to prove it. This on top of animosity that had accrued over the years had driven him to extreme measures. He wanted me to arrange Martz’s death, and do it undetectably. He was offering a lot of money for the job.”I don’t need to know,” I said. “The less contact we have, the better. And I’m going to need you to pay me in cryptocurrency-bitcoin, Ethereum, or whatever. The last thing we need is a money trail.” He didn’t seem to understand, so I explained it to him. He was a restaurateur, not a tech guy.Herb Martz, his partner, kept to a routine. He lived with his wife in a condo in the Four Seasons. He saw a personal trainer three times a week, early in the morning. He went into work at ten, to their offices on the waterfront. He usually had lunch at one of the Neptunes around the city: a hamburger, most of the time. I guess he was tired of seafood.The next day, late morning, I followed him from the Neptune Seafood at the Prudential Center to a sketchy hotel in Kenmore Square not too far from Fenway Park. I took my gray Toyota Camry. I have two cars; the other one is a truck, a Land Rover Defender in Coniston green. But that’s a distinctive-looking vehicle. Whereas the Camry is so anonymous it’s nearly invisible in traffic. That’s the superpower of an ordinary car.Martz parked his black Mercedes S-Class in a garage next to the hotel, and I pulled into the garage a few cars behind him. I followed him out of the garage and into the lobby. The guy at the desk asked him if he had luggage, and he said no. He checked into the hotel and checked out half an hour later.He was, I assumed, seeing a mistress. And given how quick the assignation was, I figured it had been going on for some time. They knew each other, so they could get right down to business. Skip the preliminaries.I followed him out of the hotel and back to his car. I took the stairs and got there before he did. From a distance, I watched him return to the Mercedes. Then I came around to the passenger’s side and got in.Stunned, he whipped around to look at me. Martz was a rough-looking, pot-bellied guy in his sixties with gin blossoms on his cheeks and tobacco-stained teeth. He wore a blue down vest over his dress shirt. “What the hell?” he said. “Jesus. You scared the shit out of me.”I said nothing. I took out my iPhone and hit play.So how are you going to do it?”Do it”?Kill him. How are you going to kill him?”Motherfucker,” Martz said. “Like I told you. He has some bullshit excuse about how-“”So what do you want to do?” I interrupted. “I’ll go through some of our options.””Did he pay you already?””Half.””You planning on keeping that payment?””Nah, it’s forensic evidence. Connects him to the cyber wallet.” Everyone thinks cyber currency keeps you anonymous. But there are tricks you have to do to hide your identity, and neither of these guys knew them. “So come on, how do you want to play this?”Martz was staring off into space, like he was thinking. “How much more would it cost if you finished the job?””I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. “You want to bring in law enforcement, right?””Finish the job. As in finish him. Take the bastard out.”I wasn’t surprised, frankly, and I played it cool. “That’s not on the menu.””Don’t bullshit me,” Martz said. “You think I didn’t do my due diligence? I know your reputation. You’re ex-Special Forces. You’ve killed guys for a living. You’re trained for this.””Yeah, we were more about winning hearts and minds.””You’ve confirmed that I’ve got a problem. Nice work. Now make my problem go away. I’ll pay you another forty thousand. Make it worth your time. Call it a happy ending.””I think I’ll take a pass.””I’m a paying customer, Heller. You ever hear the expression ‘the customer is always right’?””Thing is, Herb, you’re not the customer.””The client, then.””Yeah, you’re not the client either.””What the hell are you talking about?”I couldn’t keep a little grin from my face. I pointed out the window, where six state troopers were surrounding the car, ready to arrest Martz.”The hell-?””See, you’re the target. First rule in my trade: always know who you’re working for, and always know the play. Yep, I did my due diligence too. And I found another play.”The car door on the driver’s side opened, and one of the troopers said, “Step out of the car, Mr. Martz.”2Originally, Herb Martz had come to see me to get proof his partner, Mort Vallison, was trying to kill him. The brake lines on his Mercedes had been cut, he said. He wanted me to get the proof on tape so he could go to the police and get his partner put away.It took me almost a week to get to Mort, because it had to be done subtly. Eventually I ran into him in Oak Long Bar in the Copley Plaza, where Herb told me he hung out sometimes, managed to bump into him as we both stood at one end of the crowded bar.Soon we’d struck up a conversation about my military days and how the world would just be better off with some people taken out, wouldn’t it? I let him know, as subtly as I could, that once in a while I did favors for friends along those lines. And sure enough, he was intrigued. He asked for my business card.I gave him one.A week later, Mort came to my office to discuss business. I assured him the office was a safe place to talk. He wanted me to get rid of his partner. Not that I asked, but he gave a reason that almost held up: his partner was embezzling profits from the company, had been doing so for decades.You’d be surprised how often I get asked to kill people, to do “hits.” I have to explain that it’s not in my list of client services. But something about Herb Martz didn’t smell right.So I agreed to take on the job.Right away I got in touch with my friend Major Liz Rodriguez from the state police’s Special Investigations Unit, and she liked my idea of setting up a sting.My instincts proved correct. It turned out that both Mort and Herb had been illegally diverting cash from Neptune Seafood for years, cheating the government out of tens of millions of dollars in taxes. And both of them were under investigation by the IRS.Herb was afraid Mort would weaken and rat them out to the IRS, turn state’s evidence, expose their long-running scam. Mort was a man who was constantly honored for his philanthropy, and he simply couldn’t cope with the disgrace of going to prison. He would try to make a deal.The two men deserved each other.Right about now the two of them were probably in separate interview rooms at state police headquarters in Framingham. I was guessing that each of them was trying hard to make a deal.Neither one of them would escape prison now.The only downside in this? I wasn’t going to get paid.I didnÕt get to the office until early afternoon. I waved hello to the scowling Mr. Derderian, who was in the doorway of his high-end oriental carpet shop next door. The sign on my second-floor office door reads heller associates-actuarial consulting services, which cuts down on foot traffic. I keep a very low profile. In my line of work, the less my face and name are known, the better.My receptionist and office manager, Jillian Alperin, was eating a late lunch at her desk. Jillian, covered with tattoos and piercings, had turned out to be quite bright. She was still a little intimidated by me, though, which was fine.”A couple of messages for you already, Nick,” she said after taking a large swallow of her-what was it again?-tempeh.”Thanks. Dorothy?””In the break room, I think.”Dorothy Duval, my forensic data tech and researcher, was making a fresh pot of coffee, even though that was really Jillian’s job. She just liked doing things for herself because she liked them done right.Dorothy had a style all her own. Her head was close-shaven, and she normally wore very large earrings. But today she was dressed more conservatively than usual, in a black pencil skirt and blue blazer over a white blouse, and normal-size earrings.She noticed me checking her out and said, “I had a meeting.” Her coffee mug was at the ready. It read Jesus Saves, I spend. She was a devoted churchgoer with a sense of humor about the Lord.”Business meeting?””Personal.” Then she took a breath. “Well, I’m not going to hide it from you, because I need your help. I was just interviewed this morning by the chairman of the co-op board of a building I want to buy into.””Co-op board? Isn’t that a very New York thing?””We’ve got a few in Boston,” she said impatiently. “This one’s called the Kenway Tower on Comm. Ave. In Kenmore Square.””What kind of questions did he ask?””That’s the thing, Nick. On the phone he was as friendly as can be. Really talkative, about how great the building is, and the neighborhood. He wanted to ask me about the NSA, and I think he really dug all the secrecy, the stuff I couldn’t talk about.”Dorothy used to work at the National Security Agency but apparently hadn’t been a good personality fit. So she got a job at a private intelligence firm in DC, Stoddard Associates, where I also used to work before I went off on my own. Later I asked her to join me at Heller Associates. My first and most important hire.She went on. “So I was expecting the third degree when I came in this morning, and instead they could barely get me out of there fast enough. I mean, the dude’s face fell when he saw me.””Uh-oh.” The board of a co-op association has the power to determine who gets to buy into the building.”Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too, uh-oh. They didn’t know I was black until they met me. Then it was like, ‘Later, dude.'”I thought about mentioning the fact that, with her shaved head and her extreme ear piercings, the hedgerow of silver hoops outlining the curving helix of each ear, she could look a little fierce. But it didn’t seem like the right time to say it. And she was making her bow to conventionality by wearing a blue blazer and, I noticed, high-heeled shoes.She continued. “He said he had some concerns about my income and my credit history.””Meaning your income’s not enough to afford-“”No, it is enough. I mean, I could always use a raise, to make it easier, but the numbers work, and I’ve saved up a lot. I’ve had years of decent, steady income.””So what was his problem?””He said he’s worried about you. He said private investigators work close to the bone and often have to lay off their employees. Could you write the board a letter assuring them I’ve got steady employment for the foreseeable future?”I shrugged. “Sure. Write it up for me and I’ll sign whatever. What’s wrong with your credit history?””Nothing. I pay on time. I don’t know what he’s talking about. Anyway, how’d it go today?”I gave her a quick download on the Neptune Seafood partners, Mort Vallison and Herb Martz, and how the two of them got arrested.She said, “This Liz Rodriguez from the Staties?””That’s the one.””So you won’t get paid for any of the work. You’re just doing a good deed. Being a good citizen.””Something like that.””Maybe this isn’t the best time to ask, but . . . are we financially solvent?””Sure. As long as I don’t need to hire anybody else, we’re doing okay.” Could we have been doing a little better? Sure. But I still refused to handle things like divorce cases, and maybe it was time to get over that particular exception. Matrimonial jobs could be lucrative, but they always made me feel grubby. I did private intelligence work. That did not include putting a GPS tracker on a straying spouse’s car.I had standards. Or so I told myself.On the way to my desk, my intercom sounded. “It’s Patty Lenehan,” Jillian announced over the speaker. “She’s calling from a Cape Cod number.””I’ll take it,” I said. Read more Customers Review: I enjoy both Joseph Finder’s stand alone novels as well as his Nick Heller series and House on Fire doesn’t disappoint. I started it last night and read way too late into the night, then finally turned off the light. I woke up at 5am, and picked up the book again and read until my eyes wouldn’t stay open any longer. I’m enjoying it immensely so far. Full disclosure, I’m not finished yet… but I’ve never read a book by Joseph Finder that doesn’t keep me enthralled right to the bitter end. Highly recommend picking up a copy of House on Fire. Or better yet, grab the first book in the Nick Heller series and read them in order. You won’t be disappointed. | |
[PDF] Download The Black Cathedral: A Novel by Marcial Gala | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: The Black Cathedral: A Novel |
Book DescriptionReview “Accidental cannibals, tenderhearted killers, angst-ridden ghosts and well-behaved artists soon populate [The Black Cathedral’s] topsy-turvy universe . . . Even as the novel charts the voyages of its vagabonds, it represents an attempt to draw the periphery into the center, steering us toward the provinces as it renovates the Cuban novel . . . Its narrators, more than a dozen in number, are usually granted a page at a time before other characters butt in, pick up the thread or offer their own spin on the same series of events.” ―Shaj Mathew, The New York Times”By telling the story from the perspectives of various people in the community, Gala achieves an oral-history-like effect, producing a profound, and often humorous, meditation on how desires―religious, sexual, financial―clash in a small-town environment.” ―The New Yorker“In Gala’s many-voiced tale, Cienfuegos is a provincial capital harboring mundane material aspirations, ingrained racial divisions, and serious artistic longings in competition with religious urges . . . The Black Cathedral is finally not about larger ideas of redemption and the future at all, but about predictable paths of minor failure and major self-justification. It’s no accident that key events . . . happen during the early years of the Obama administration: there’s a pervasive sense of dashed hopes, business as usual, faith ignored or betrayed.” ―Brian Dillon, 4Columns“A transcendent tale of what it is to be human in a place not made to nurture. Exploring this idea of humanity in all its twisted, generous, deviant, beautiful forms, Gala’s novel is a twisted ode to a town teeming with magic and limitless potential, and replete with people in chase of unlikely dreams. Written with an astute colloquialism that captures a true and impressive diversity of voice, The Black Cathedral transports the reader to the marginal town of Cienfuegos, making no efforts to shield us from the dangers―and subtle joys―at the heart of its stories.” ―Leah Scott, Asymptote”A story of family, an account of a transforming Cuba, an exploration of religious devotion, and a harrowing tale of a sinister man engaged in horrific acts. The Black Cathedral might not be what you first expect, but its unpredictability serves as one of its many strengths.” ―Tobias Carroll, Literary Hub “Marcial Garcia’s The Black Cathedral is told via a panoply of voices ― all the better to narrate this expansive yet taut novel of faith, family, and violence. What begins as the story of a religious family moving to a small Cuban town gradually becomes broader in scope, encompassing obsession and murder along the way.” ―Vol. 1 Brooklyn “An ingenious construction . . . Gala’s novel isn’t based around a single event, but rather the continual horror and occasional beauty of people reacting to one another and their own feelings, setting the courses of their lives according to rhythms that exist outside of them―those of money, love and power . . . The Black Cathedral is an effervescent read filled with energy, possibility and chaotic delights.” ―Elisabeth Cook, BookBrowse (Editors’ Choice)”Strange, exuberant, and altogether brilliant . . . An enthralling work of imagination and grit, Gala’s novel captures the complexity of one neighborhood as much as it exemplifies the many pleasures of great fiction.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)”Award-winning Cuban writer and architect Gala links the fate of a community with the doomed construction of a cathedral in this dark, violent, often comic novel . . . A raucous, anguished, fast-paced story, tautly written and deeply rooted.” ―Kirkus (starred review)”For anyone who has nurtured the fantasy of Cuba as a tropical socialist paradise, that illusion is heartbreakingly shattered in this award-winning novel . . . Kushner’s nimble translation flows with flavor and intensity . . . Gala’s raw, compelling, and highly readable novel lays bare a Cuba that, just like everywhere else, has not found an answer to human desperation, envy, or evil.” ―Sara Martinez, Booklist”Marcial Gala´s magnificent The Black Cathedral is a chorus of unforgettable characters that linger in the ashes of Revolution and personal passions. This novel is the broken mirror in which modern Cuba is portrayed with unsettling humanity.” ―Eduardo Lalo, author of Uselessness Read more About the Author Marcial Gala was born in Havana in 1963. He is a novelist, a poet, and an architect and is a member of UNEAL, the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. He won the Pinos Nuevos Prize for best short story in 1999. The Black Cathedral received the Alejo Carpentier Award for best novel in 2012 and the Critics’ Award in 2012. He lives in Buenos Aires and Cienfuegos.The daughter of Cuban exiles, Anna Kushner was born in Philadelphia and has been traveling to Cuba since 1999. She has translated the novels of Norberto Fuentes, Leonardo Padura, Guillermo Rosales, and Gonçalo M. Tavares, as well as two collections of non-fiction by Mario Vargas Llosa. Read more Customers Review: Portrayal of the under life in Cuba was needlessly disturbing
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[PDF] Download Necessary Risks: Professional Humanitarianism and Violence against Aid Workers by AbStoddard | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: Necessary Risks: Professional Humanitarianism and Violence against Aid Workers |
Book DescriptionReview “In Necessary Risks, Abby Stoddard intertwines in-depth analysis on the phenomenon of aid worker violence with harrowing first-person stories of these unarmed professionals working at the frontlines of today’s complex wars. This book is essential reading for policymakers and anyone concerned with the protection of civilians in conflicts.” (Roméo A. Dallaire, Lieutenant-General (ret.), author of Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda)“A deeply practical and very readable book. Stoddard explains why humanitarian aid workers are attacked and abducted, and how the whole aid system needs to change to reduce aid worker risk and increase effective coverage of people’s needs in armed conflict. An important text for every humanitarian who wants to do a better job.” (Hugo Slim, Head of Policy for the International Committee of the Red Cross, author of Humanitarian Ethics: A Guide to the Morality of Aid in War and Disaster) “Abby Stoddard’s Necessary Risks offers two critical contributions to the theory and practice of humanitarianism. The first is the careful, evidence-based analysis of the growing risks to the security and safety of aid workers. The second is a consideration of how aid agencies have responded in ways that have decreased or increased the risks―and to whom.” (Michael Barnett, Professor of International Affairs and Political Science, George Washington University, USA, author of Humanitarianism in Question: Politics, Power, Ethics) Read more From the Back Cover Attacks on humanitarian aid operations are both a symptom and a weapon of modern warfare, and as armed groups increasingly target aid workers for violence, relief operations are curtailed in places where civilians are most in need. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges to humanitarian action in warzones, the risk management and negotiation strategies that hold the most promise for aid organizations, and an ethical framework from which to tackle the problem. By combining rigorous research findings with structural historical analysis and first-person accounts of armed attacks on aid workers, the author proposes a reframed ethos of humanitarian professionalism, decoupled from organizational or political interests, and centered on optimizing outcomes for the people it serves.Abby Stoddard is an international humanitarian policy analyst and former aid worker. She is a founding partner of the research group Humanitarian Outcomes, where she advises governments and international agencies on issues in humanitarian action, with a particular focus on risk and operational security for aid operations. Read more About the Author Abby Stoddard is an international humanitarian policy analyst and former aid worker. She is a founding partner of the research group Humanitarian Outcomes, where she advises governments and international agencies on issues in humanitarian action, with a particular focus on risk and operational security for aid operations. Read more Customers Review:Necessary Risks provides an overview of how humanitarian space has deteriorated over the last couple decades resulting in increased violence against aid workers. The author provides many real-life examples that demonstrate the thinking needed to mitigate the risks present in all too many humanitarian operations. This book should be considered essential reading not only for those who manage humanitarian operations but also for the staff who carry out such programs.Soundly based in research, Necessary Risks provides case studies that make clear how seemingly benign conditions could instead be fraught with danger because key risk factors are either not assessed or are overlooked. Humanitarian work is highly respected because it reflects some of mankind’s highest ideals for saving lives and addressing the suffering of people affected by natural disasters and wars. At the same time, it has also become a field with one of the highest risks of any occupation. Globally, humanitarian workers suffer a higher rate of fatalities than U.S. armed forces.If there were a time when humanitarian workers could deliver assistance while believing that their work put them “above the fray” so that they were not a target of armed fighters, those days have now passed. And yet because of the growing number of conflicts around the world, the need for humanitarian action has never been greater. This calls for a reappraisal of how humanitarian operations should be conducted. The centrality of security analysis and the mitigation of risks to humanitarian operations is no longer optional.One response to the growing risks in humanitarian operations has been to limit work to locations that are outside the conflict zones. This improves program safety but often fails to provide aid to those in greatest need. The key concern should become determining how risks can be mitigated to a level that will enable an organization’s humanitarian mission to be achieved albeit with some residual risks for staff. The many aspects of this challenge are at the heart of Necessary Risks.In over 30 years overseeing humanitarian assistance in conflicts from Southeast Asia, to the Middle East, Europe and Africa, I have witnessed the growing risks that confront humanitarian agencies. Some NGOs have risen to the challenge, but many still have not. In part this can be a question of resources and the need to keep “overhead” rates low to attract donors. But it is often still a lack of awareness about the level of risk that exists in humanitarian operations. Security threats are too frequently viewed as acceptable because they are poorly understood. Risks are taken that could have been avoided had they been understood. There is a lack of threat awareness among staff operating in the field; also lacking is an appreciation for how a critical incident can affect the reputation and financial well-being of a humanitarian organization. When staff are kidnapped, gravely injured or killed, organizations are questioned whether such incidents could have been avoided or whether, at least, the potential for such tragedies could have been mitigated. Lawsuits for negligence can be debilitating. To understand these issues, Necessary Risks provides the analysis all humanitarian managers should understand. | |
Minggu, 02 Agustus 2020
[PDF] Download Transformers, Vol. 1: The World In Your Eyes (Transformers (2019)) by Brian Ruckley | Free EBOOK PDF English
 | Book Details Title: Transformers, Vol. 1: The World In Your Eyes (Transformers (2019)) |
Book DescriptionReview “You couldn’t ask for a better beginning as you get in on ground-zero for a lot of the defining parts of the mythology. The ride begins here and now, so get on board!” -AiPT!”Unbelievably accessible, crafting a reboot that has quite a lot of brevity, while also exuding a ton of charm and fun. With expressive visuals and a promising narrative, Transformers captures the magic of what the franchise can be.” -ComicBook.comGreat world building. The relationship between Orion Pax and Megatron is fascinating. TRANSFORMERS… is in good hands with Ruckley, Hernandez, Whitman, and Lafuente.” -Comicsverse“A new, yet familiar, world for the Transformers to inhabit. Longtime fans will feel comfortable in the settings created and new or returning fans will be able to start fresh with this new series and continuity.” -GWW Read more About the Author Brian Ruckley is the author of five fantasy novels, including The Free, The Edinburgh Dead, and the three novels of The Godless World trilogy. Before he became a full-time writer in the 2000s, he attended Edinburgh and Stirling Universities and had a series of assorted jobs around London, most of them in the charity-sector. Much of his work has involved extensive overseas travel, environmental and community projects, nature conservation, and fundraising. He now lives back in Edinburgh with his wife and misses the excitement of London only a little, and only occasionally. Read more Customers Review: I loved Transformers as a kid growing up in the 80s. I collected the toys, the comics, watched the cartoon, cried at the animated movie in theaters. But I grew out of it in the early 90s and never looked back. As an adult, I came back to comics/graphic novels and while my tastes have changed substantially, I had heard IDW was making Transformers stories that would appeal more to an adult crowd, so when I saw they were starting a new continuity from square one, I was intrigued.I picked up this book and gave it a read. Glad I did, too, because it was excellent. The more nuanced, human-like relationships of the Transformers gave a much more emotional and political touch to the story than what I’ve seen before with these same characters. Dealing with life and death, social turmoil, rising dissatisfaction with the government and an interesting view on the imperfect, isolationist views of the Autobots that stoke the flames of their opposition’s ire make for a fascinating and believable tale.I eagerly await the next volume.
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