Elon's life had seemed like it was brightening until she learns of the Darkness looming over her.

Jason Wander is ready to lead the final charge into battle. After forty years of fighting the Slugs, mankind's reunited planets control the vital crossroad that secures their uneasy union. The doomsday weapon that can end the war, and the mighty fleet that will carry it to the Slug homeworld, lie within humanity's grasp. Since the Slug Blitz orphaned Jason Wander, he has risen from infantry recruit to commander of Earth's garrisons on the emerging allied planets. But four decades of service have cost Jason not just his friends and family, but his innocence. When an enemy counter stroke threatens to reverse the war and destroy mankind, Jason must finally confront not only his lifelong alien enemy, but the reality of what a lifetime as a soldier has made him.

When Charlie is trapped in a magical painting he must battle an evil count thirsty for revenge. Will he be able to save himself and his friends? Find out in Book 7 of Jenny Nimmo's bestselling series!The enchanter Count Harken is back to take his revenge on the Red King's heirs, starting with Charlie Bone's family! Charlie's ancestor has been kidnapped and imprisoned in the dark, forbidding land of Badlock, and it's up to Charlie to save him. Traveling through a painting to the terrifying countryside, Charlie and his best friend's dog, Runner Bean, take up the quest. But when Runner Bean gets trapped, Charlie needs the help of his friends. Can they get past an army of trolls, rescue Runner Bean and Charlie's ancestor, and get out before it's too late?

Rokey, a poor orphan, has lived his entire life sheltered within the walls of the Noble Contemplative Monastery. At 17, Rokey is discovering that while his roommate, Ely, can think only of girls, his own feelings draw him toward other boys instead. When he is expelled and an unknown enemy tries to kill him, Rokeys thoughts return to the riddle of his parentage.

From Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated author Ken MacLeod, an action-packed space opera told against a backdrop of interstellar drone warfare, virtual reality, and an A.I. revolution. In deep space, ruthless corporations vie for control of scattered mining colonies, and war is an ever-present threat. Led by Seba, a newly sentient mining reboot, an AI revolution grows. Fighting them is Carlos, a grunt who is reincarnated over and over again to keep the "freeboots" in check. But he's not sure whether he's on the right side. Against a backdrop of interstellar drone combat Carlos and Seba must either find a way to rise above the games their masters are playing or die. And even dying might not be the end of it. The Corporation WarsThe Corporation Wars: Dissidence The Corporation Wars: InsurgenceThe Corporation Wars: Emergence

After his quest to seek the Dragons Elenion, Prince of the Wind Elves, made the decision to take his people to war; but the truth is deceiving and what the seers see only a small glimpse of what is to come. Tobias, newly crowned, must find his feet as King of the Odaen in the heat of battle and Artheiwyn faces the hardest struggle of all - against herself.

In this monograph, Joachim Baumann provides in-depth coverage of essential research issues; namely, mechanisms for locating and terminating mobile agents and for orphan detection in a mobile agent system. The reader will gain insights into the design and implementation of three control mechanisms for use in mobile agent systems: the energy concept, the path concept, and the shadow concept. The author examines these mechanisms and offers a solid argument as to why they would be better choices over existing mechanisms with respect to message complexity, migration delay, and availability. All in all, this book is an outstanding contribution to advancing the science of mobile agents and it will help the community better understand how to tame mobile agents.

“The Orphan’s Father” is a story, a dream, a vision. It is an honest stack of imagery about hope and coping. It is a collection of thoughts and fears and abandonment. What it isn’t, is a straightforward, “classic” read with a clear sequence of events lined up to please the brain. Instead, it was written to be felt, seen and lived. Leo Brown is a lonely, middle-aged man who tries to survive by escaping into the past, and by seeking approval from the ones who once mattered; but after all, he is just a man, like millions of his kind: a wrinkled, faded, red balloon, that was left to shrink in a corner of his youth.