The endless war is being fought on one of the 11 planets in their unusual solar system and the ten million remaining people of Unis know they were slowly being exterminated. No one knows if one of the other planets can provide a safe haven but if they do not escape they will surely die. The only space ship ever built is sent out with the last prayer of these desperate people. The new planet has mere remnants of the old and dying civilizations fighting to the last while Nature is slowly repairing the environment and resurfacing the world. Strange new creatures are evolving from the wastes the dead and the dying have left behind. Can Tangor repair his space ship with the detritus of the past? Should Tangor delay his return to help his new found friends? Would it be one struggle and one disappointment after another? Would Poloda's power amplifier still be operating for his return? Would truth, justice and the Unisian way survive?

In the far future, a dormant android awakes on a vast starship to find humanity's last hopes rest with him. Launched to carry the human species across the galaxy, Starship's generations-long journey has crumbled as machines took everything from their human creators, including life itself. Given a mission by humanity's last digital remnants, Gamma must traverse Starship's vast, dangerous bulk in search of a way to preserve Starship's original purpose. Yet Gamma isn't the only intelligent machine on Starship, and some want a very different end as the spacecraft approaches its final destination. As he confronts the mechs that've claimed Starship as their own, the key to Gamma's survival will come not only from his metal fists, but from figuring out why Starship's humans fell in the first place. A far-future science fiction action adventure that blends the real and virtual worlds, The Farthest Star kicks off a series that will have you wondering whether what makes us human comes from our biology, or our beliefs.

Jenneth and Diccon, the twin offspring of Doyce and Jenret, join their elderly Aunt Mahafny on a desperate winter quest into the wilds of Marchmont in order to prolong the life of the ailing ghatt Saam, but their journey is threatened by unexpected peril that could destroy the entire planet. Original.

The second in a trilogy of novels from New York Times best-selling author Richard Baker. Farthest Reach is the second novel in a trilogy chronicling the tempestuous return of an isolated society of elves to the mainland of the Forgotten Realms world. The events in this trilogy will have a far-reaching impact across the entire setting. AUTHOR BIO: RICHARD BAKER works as a game designer and Managing Developer for the roleplaying game line at Wizards of the Coast, Inc. A New York Times bestselling author with Condemnation, his additional Forgotten Realms novels include The City of Ravens.

An architectural monthly.

AUM—Omnipotent Force Propelling Souls toward Spirit We have all heard of the sacred word AUM, and heard it chanted as a mantra by meditators. But what is AUM, and what does it signify? Author Joseph Cornell, of Sharing Nature and Flow Learning, in AUM: The Melody of Love takes readers on a journey into the deeper teachings of AUM and the blissful realizations that await those who access this expansive sound vibration. Seek the sound that never ceases. The winds of God's grace constantly flow into this world through Holy AUM. The Sacred Sound has many names, and mystics of all religions revere it. Just as light is intrinsic to a lighted lamp, the sound of AUM is integral to the presence of Spirit. God's nature is bliss, and to share His joy, He created the universe through Cosmic Vibration. The sound of the Cosmic Vibration is AUM, and listening to it brings the greatest bliss imaginable. It's the sacred, inner fire. As you approach the cosmic blaze, you feel at first its radiant, soothing comfort; then, as you come closer—AUM's liberating flames consume you—and bring you to God.

Some of the most fascinating human epochs lie in the borderlands between history and mystery. So it is with the life of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century bce. By conquest or gentler means, he brought under his rule a dominion stretching from the Aegean Sea to the Hindu Kush and encompassing some tens of millions of people. All across this immense imperium, he earned support and stability by respecting local customs and religions, avoiding the brutal ways of tyranny, and efficiently administering the realm through provincial governors. The empire would last another two centuries, leaving an indelible Persian imprint on much of the ancient world. The Greek chronicler Xenophon, looking back from a distance of several generations, wrote: "Cyrus did indeed eclipse all other monarchs, before or since." The vision of the biblical prophet known as Second Isaiah anticipates Cyrus' repatriation of Jews living in exile in Babylon with these words of the Lord: "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please." Despite what he achieved and bequeathed, much about Cyrus remains uncertain. Persians of his era had no great respect for the written word and kept no annals. The most complete accounts of his life were composed by Greeks. More fragmentary or tangential evidence takes many forms - among them, archaeological remains, administrative records in subject lands, and the always tricky stuff of legend. Given these challenges, Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World is a remarkable feat of portraiture. In his vast sweep, Reza Zarghamee draws on sources of every kind, painstakingly assembling detail, and always weighing evidence carefully where contradictions arise. He describes the background of the Persian people, the turbulence of the times, and the roots of Cyrus' policies. His account of the imperial era itself delves into religion, military methods, commerce, court life, and much else besides. The result is a living, breathing Cyrus standing atop a distant world that played a key role in shaping our own.