The transcendental truth had always been hidden from the spiritual being.Even among the enigma of supernatural existence the celestial contradictions of the consecrated cosmos were concealed from the Archangel and Seraphim.But the days of a duplicitous divine design were numbered.Infinity's lies are about to come to an end.The mutiny of three malevolent malcontents are ready to destroy the Deity's deceit as Parrish May and Ecole's insurrection ignites the flames of divine dissidence in heaven and earth releasing an angelic apocalypse.But can the three subversive seraphs rebellion alter the numinous nebula of creation with their seditious symmetry?Or will the inviolable equilibrium of eternity's playground come to a bitter end?

"An accessible and engaging exploration of the mysteries of time." -Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe Twenty years ago, Stephen Hawking tried to explain time by understanding the Big Bang. Now, Sean Carroll says we need to be more ambitious. One of the leading theoretical physicists of his generation, Carroll delivers a dazzling and paradigm-shifting theory of time's arrow that embraces subjects from entropy to quantum mechanics to time travel to information theory and the meaning of life. From Eternity to Here is no less than the next step toward understanding how we came to exist, and a fantastically approachable read that will appeal to a broad audience of armchair physicists, and anyone who ponders the nature of our world.

Punctuated Equilibrium . . . the definitive anthology of works by one of the world’s most extraordinary contemporary authors! Twenty literary masterpieces—one novel, two novellas, six short stories and eleven poems—in one authorized, unexpurgated edition! Features: The Proepistrephomeniad. In this sweeping metaphysical epic, Sir Chrysogonus Exiordines must overcome the natural and supernatural forces arrayed against him in a perilous faraway land. The cost of failure is complete apocalyptic annihilation! ‘The Louisiana Book of the Dead.’ A beautiful young woman afflicted with a deadly secret finds herself in the sights of a psychotic killer. ‘Homeward, Warrior.’ A Viking’s son discovers glory and love on the twisting path to the land of his forebears. Plus a host of other instant classics, including ‘The Arrowhead,’ ‘Attis,’ ‘Coal for Christmas,’ and ‘The Magic Calf’—all in this one convenient, affordable volume!

An inside look at the unique balance the Amish strike between tradition and the demands of the modern world. From technology to social forces, the Amish face an evolving modern world. Their facility in determining whether to accept, reject, or bargain with the options that challenge them allows for measured change that sustains their social fabric and beliefs. In Dancing on the Devil's Playground, James A. Cates employs a sociocultural model to analyze this negotiation and its applications in Amish culture. Cates, a clinical psychologist, draws on his extensive experience working with Amish families and communities as a mental health professional, as well as the scholarship of Donald B. Kraybill, a leading Amish expert who developed the "negotiation with modernity" model. Cates uses this paradigm to examine the Amish's principles of assessment and evaluation, their cautious tempo in response to change, and their strategies of critical analysis during negotiations. Dancing on the Devil's Playground features seven fascinating case studies of how the Amish interact with legal, health care, and civil authorities and will help readers better understand Amish perspectives on medical, social, and emotional aspects of life. These case studies include, for example, negotiation with the telephone, services for special medical needs, substance abuse, child sexual abuse, and domestic violence. These essays illustrate the negotiation techniques the Amish use to protect their unique culture while adapting to the needs of the modern world. The Amish adopt, adapt, defer, or decline the changes they face, all while maintaining their traditions and a unique identity that includes an appropriate distance from the rest of the world.

In the pantheon of air power spokesmen, Giulio Douhet holds center stage. His writings, more often cited than perhaps actually read, appear as excerpts and aphorisms in the writings of numerous other air power spokesmen, advocates-and critics. Though a highly controversial figure, the very controversy that surrounds him offers to us a testimonial of the value and depth of his work, and the need for airmen today to become familiar with his thought. The progressive development of air power to the point where, today, it is more correct to refer to aerospace power has not outdated the notions of Douhet in the slightest In fact, in many ways, the kinds of technological capabilities that we enjoy as a global air power provider attest to the breadth of his vision. Douhet, together with Hugh “Boom” Trenchard of Great Britain and William “Billy” Mitchell of the United States, is justly recognized as one of the three great spokesmen of the early air power era. This reprint is offered in the spirit of continuing the dialogue that Douhet himself so perceptively began with the first edition of this book, published in 1921. Readers may well find much that they disagree with in this book, but also much that is of enduring value. The vital necessity of Douhet’s central vision-that command of the air is all important in modern warfare-has been proven throughout the history of wars in this century, from the fighting over the Somme to the air war over Kuwait and Iraq.

Long-Listed for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay Sarah Menkedick spent her twenties trekking alone across South America, teaching English to recalcitrant teenagers on Reunion Island, picking grapes in France and camping on the Mongolian grasslands; for her, meaning and purpose were to be found on the road, in flight from the ordinary. Yet the biggest and most transformative adventure of her life might be one she never anticipated: at 31, she moves into a tiny 19th-century cabin on her family's Ohio farm, and begins the journey into motherhood. In eight vivid and boldly questioning essays, Menkedick explores the luminous, disorienting time just before and after becoming a mother. As she reacquaints herself with the subtle landscapes of the Midwest, and adjusts to the often surprising physicality of pregnancy, she ruminates on what this new stage of life means for her long-held concepts of self, settling, and creative fulfillment. In “Millie, Mildred, Grandma Menkedick,” she considers the nature of story through the life of her tough German grandmother, who raised two boys as a single mother in the 1950s and then spent her seventies traveling the world with her best friend Marge; in “Motherland,” on a trip back to Oaxaca, Mexico to visit her husband’s family, she finally embraces her Midwestern roots; in “The Milk Cave,” she discovers in breastfeeding a new appreciation for the spiritual and artistic potential of boredom; and in “The Lake,” she revisits her childhood with her father, whose relentless optimism and mystical streak she sees anew once she has a child of her own. A story of a traveler come home to the farm; of becoming a mother in spite of reservations and doubt; and of learning to appreciate the power and beauty of the quotidian, Homing Instincts speaks to the deepest concerns and hopes of a generation.

“Far more than a conventional novel. It is a meditation on life, on the erotic, on the nature of men and women and love . . . full of telling details, truths large and small, to which just about every reader will respond.” — People In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera tells the story of two couples, a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing, and one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover. In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence, we feel "the unbearable lightness of being" not only as the consequence of our pristine actions but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine. This magnificent novel is a story of passion and politics, infidelity and ideas, and encompasses the extremes of comedy and tragedy, illuminating all aspects of human existence.