Named one of the best 25 space opera books by BookRiot! The first book in a scifi retelling of the Mahabrahata. When Esmae wins a contest of skill, she sets off events that trigger an inevitable and unwinnable war that pits her against the family she would give anything to return to. In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back. Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali. It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart. Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love.

The association between our ancestors and fire, somewhere around six to four million years ago, had a tremendous impact on human evolution, transforming our earliest human ancestor, a being communicating without speech but with insight, reason, manual dexterity, highly developed social organization, and the capability of experimenting with this new technology. As it first associated with and then began to tame fire, this extraordinary being began to distance itself from its primate relatives, taking a path that would alter its environment, physiology, and self-image. Based on her extensive research with nonhuman primates, anthropologist Frances Burton details the stages of the conquest of fire and the systems it affected. Her study examines the natural occurrence of fire and describes the effects light has on human physiology. She constructs possible variations of our earliest human ancestor and its way of life, utilizing archaeological and anthropological evidence of the earliest human-controlled fires to explore the profound physical and biological impacts fire had on human evolution.

I draw kickass superheroes. I never thought I was one.To me, the stories that unfolded on the pages of my webcomic have always been way more awesome than real life-right up until the day an evil bad Assassin's Creed cosplay dude showed up and tried to erase my existence.I fought back-and caught on fire. Like, legit fire that turned purple and not only scared off the creepy evil bad, but brought a hot, OMG hawt fire elemental to my door to whisk me off to some mysterious academy. Did I mention hot? Did I mention he brought hawt friends?Did I mention a mysterious academy?Turns out I'm an elemental with the power to control elements with my mind, and there's an Academy of Elements that can teach me how to hone my craft. Crazy, right? Even crazier, a secret academy of elemental wizards known as the Council handpicked me to save our kind from some seriously dark sorcerers determined to destroy our world. No pressure.At least I have my quad squad-four OMG hawt elementals-by my side. If I have to literally save the world from annihilation, why not do it in style by pairing with them-in every sense of the word?Welcome to Clearwater Academy...it's time to draw your weapons.**Spark of Fire is book one in a four-book, university-age paranormal academy series. In this why choose story, get ready for a snarky heroine, four hawt guys that push every one of her boundaries, and an evil bad that'll stop at nothing to destroy her.**

Fire can fascinate, inspire, capture the imagination and bring families and communities together. It has the ability to amaze, energise and touch something deep inside all of us. For thousands of years, at every corner of the globe, humans have been huddling around fires: from the basic and primitive essentials of light, heat, energy and cooking, through to modern living, fire plays a central role in all of our lives. The ability to accurately and quickly light a fire is one of the most important skills anyone setting off on a wilderness adventure could possess, yet very little has been written about it. Through his narrative Hume also meditates on the wider topics surrounding fire and how it shapes the world around us.

Inspired by the psychology of Carl Jung and Eastern spirituality, empowers women to let go of their past, express their brilliance and become their True Self.

This is the most extraordinary time for people with a desire to make things Spark for the Fire is for everyone who wants to excel. For the people who are passionate about what they want to do. For those whose imaginations demand to be put to use, in any discipline. it is for the youthful: in age, experience or attitude - and those who want to be - whether to kick-start a career or reignite an established one. Now more than ever, youthful thinking can help spark the fire of creativity. This must-read book reveals how. Featuring among others - Nick Park - Michael Wolff - Lord David Puttnam - Jean Oelwang - Rory Sutherland - Ajaz Ahmed - Jamie Oliver

Columbus Discovered America . . . But Who Discovered Europe? Were the ancient Egyptians black? Did Egyptian explorers land in Greece some 4,000 years ago? Did they plant colonies, establish royal houses, and bring civilization to Europe's savage tribes? Did the secret rites of their temple cults later resurface among the Knights Templar and the Freemasons? In "Black Spark, White Fire," Richard Poe provides startling answers to these questions and more. "Brilliant. . . . Poe has produced a classic volume . . . splendid in its conception and powerful in its execution--a major work."--Molefi Kete Asante, author of "The Afrocentric Idea" "Superb. . . . I am convinced that within 20 years Richard Poe's views will be seen as closer to the historical truth than those of the present defenders of the status quo. The book is clear, well-written, and hard to put down. While we disagree on a number of issues, "Black Spark, White Fire" is the popular book that I am incapable of writing."--Martin Bernal, author of "Black Athena" "It is refreshing to hear the Afrocentric theory of ancient Egypt argued so persuasively, from a viewpoint that is neither liberal nor conservative, black nor white."--Armstrong Williams, syndicated columnist and TV talk show host

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of Small Great Things returns with a powerful and provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis. “Picoult at her fearless best . . . Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate.”—The Washington Post The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard. Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day. One of the most fearless writers of our time, Jodi Picoult tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding. Praise for A Spark of Light “This is Jodi Picoult at her best: tackling an emotional hot-button issue and putting a human face on it.”—People “Told backward and hour by hour, Jodi Picoult’s compelling narrative deftly explores controversial social issues.”—Us Weekly

A Spark of the Fire: The inspiration for most of this Sci-Fi and Fantasy book was the stories of my Native ancestors, my dreams, and Norse mythology. But then, where did the original stories and dreams come from? My dreams that began in the first story in this book, The Forest, have been with me almost since birth. I have remembered and wrote in my dream journals about meeting someone, who has been part of my Dreamtime and eventually waking life, who I believe to be my soulmate. Native stories have been the inspiration for my people as long as we can remember. These stories are not usually meant to be taken literally and are told and retold orally to be changed as the situation requires shaping our reality. The theme of the stories in this book is part relationships and a paradox of interstellar travel to other worlds out there among and beyond the Stars. I recall the words of Einstein who is mostly responsible for the theory concerning our inability to travel beyond the speed of light: Imagination is more important than Knowledge. And then my Native ancestors: We Are all Related. This book may then be an Aboriginal Theory of Relativity. .winterhawk

The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch teaches us how to become a more inspired person and leader and how to be the change the world needs for a brighter future. It is a brilliant work that helps leaders overhaul stale concepts such as mission, vision and values statements, personal leadership, coaching practices, and rethink our entire model of leadership by focusing on inspiration.