Rasputin's Shadow

Rasputin's Shadow
Author :
Publisher : Penguin
Total Pages : 386
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780698138315
ISBN-13 : 0698138317
Rating : 4/5 (15 Downloads)

Synopsis Rasputin's Shadow by : Raymond Khoury

Raymond Khoury, the international bestselling author of The Last Templar, is back with another ingenious, fast-paced thriller that straddles present-day NYC and Russia in the early 1900s—the time of the infamous Rasputin and his mysterious rise to power. FBI special agent Sean Reilly is tasked with a delicate case. A Russian diplomat seems to have committed suicide by jumping out of a sixth-floor window in Queens, New York. The apartment’s owners are missing, while a faceless killer known only as Koschey—“the Deathless”—is roaming the city and leaving a trail of death in his wake. Joined by Russian FSB agent Larisa Tchoumitcheva, Reilly’s investigation soon uncovers a deadly, desperate search for a mysterious device whose origins reach back in time to the darkest days of the Cold War and to Imperial Russia. A device that, in the wrong hands, could have a devastating impact on our world. Packed with the twists and suspense, the impeccable historical research, and the present and past story lines that Khoury’s fans have come to expect, Rasputin’s Shadow will keep readers turning pages long into the night.

No One Man Should Have All That Power

No One Man Should Have All That Power
Author :
Publisher : Abrams
Total Pages : 263
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781683355250
ISBN-13 : 1683355253
Rating : 4/5 (50 Downloads)

Synopsis No One Man Should Have All That Power by : Amos Barshad

In this exploration of shadowy, behind-the-scenes operators, “each portrait provides an incisive dissection of the acquisition and maintenance of power” (The Nation). Journalist Amos Barshad has long been fascinated by the powerful. But not by elected officials or natural leaders—he’s interested in the dark figures who wield power from the shadows. And, as Barshad shows in No One Man Should Have All That Power, these master manipulators are not confined to political backrooms. They can be found anywhere—from Hollywood to drug cartels, recording studios, or the NFL. In this wide-ranging, insightful exploration of the phenomenon, Barshad takes readers into the lives of more than a dozen notorious figures, starting with Grigori Rasputin himself. The Russian mystic drank, danced, and healed his way into a position of power behind the last of the tsars. Based on interviews with well-known personalities like Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber’s manager), Alex Guerrero (Tom Brady’s trainer), and Sam Nunberg (Trump’s former aide) and original reporting on figures like Nicaragua’s powerful first lady Rosario Murillo and the Tijuana cartel boss known as “Narcomami,” Barshad investigates a variety of modern-day Raputins. He explores how they got there, how they wielded control, and what lessons we can take from them, including how to spot Rasputins in the wild.

The Last Templar

The Last Templar
Author :
Publisher : Penguin
Total Pages : 514
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781101158555
ISBN-13 : 1101158557
Rating : 4/5 (55 Downloads)

Synopsis The Last Templar by : Raymond Khoury

The first thrilling novel in Raymond Khoury’s New York Times bestselling Templar series. In 1291, a young Templar knight flees the fallen holy land in a hail of fire and flashing sword, setting out to sea with a mysterious chest entrusted to him by the Order's dying grand master. The ship vanishes without a trace. In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights stage a bloody raid on the Metropolitan Museum of Art during an exhibit of Vatican treasures. Emerging with a strange geared device, they disappear into the night. The investigation that follows draws archaeologist Tess Chaykin and FBI agent Sean Reilly into the dark, hidden history of the crusading knights—and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers—as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars.

Rasputin

Rasputin
Author :
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages : 849
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780374711238
ISBN-13 : 0374711232
Rating : 4/5 (38 Downloads)

Synopsis Rasputin by : Douglas Smith

On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet. But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity--man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.

America's Rasputin

America's Rasputin
Author :
Publisher : Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages : 333
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781429957038
ISBN-13 : 1429957034
Rating : 4/5 (38 Downloads)

Synopsis America's Rasputin by : David Milne

David Milne's America's Rasputin provides the first major study of the man who pushed two presidents into Vietnam. Walt Rostow's meteoric rise to power—from Flatbush, Brooklyn, to the West Wing of the White House—seemed to capture the promise of the American dream. Hailing from humble origins, Rostow became an intellectual powerhouse: a professor of economic history at MIT and an influential foreign policy adviser to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Too influential, according to some. While Rostow inspired respect and affection, he also made some powerful enemies. Averell Harriman, one of America's most celebrated diplomats, described Rostow as "America's Rasputin" for the unsavory influence he exerted on presidential decision-making. Rostow was the first to advise Kennedy to send U.S. combat troops to South Vietnam and the first to recommend the bombing of North Vietnam. He framed a policy of military escalation, championed recklessly optimistic reporting, and then advised LBJ against pursuing a compromise peace with North Vietnam. David Milne examines one man's impact on the United States' worst-ever military defeat. It is a portrait of good intentions and fatal misjudgments. A true ideologue, Rostow believed that it is beholden upon the United States to democratize other nations and do "good," no matter what the cost. America's Rasputin explores the consequences of this idealistic but unyielding dogma.

Enchantments

Enchantments
Author :
Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages : 354
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780812973778
ISBN-13 : 0812973771
Rating : 4/5 (78 Downloads)

Synopsis Enchantments by : Kathryn Harrison

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK “Part love story, part history, this novel is a tour de force [told] in language that soars and sears.”—More St. Petersburg, 1917. After Rasputin’s body is pulled from the icy waters of the Neva River, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Masha, is sent to live at the imperial palace with Tsar Nikolay and his family. Desperately hoping that Masha has inherited Rasputin’s healing powers, Tsarina Alexandra asks her to tend to her son, the headstrong prince Alyosha, who suffers from hemophilia. Soon after Masha arrives at the palace, the tsar is forced to abdicate, and the Bolsheviks place the royal family under house arrest. As Russia descends into civil war, Masha and Alyosha find solace in each other’s company. To escape the confinement of the palace, and to distract the prince from the pain she cannot heal, Masha tells him stories—some embellished and others entirely imagined—about Nikolay and Alexandra’s courtship, Rasputin’s exploits, and their wild and wonderful country, now on the brink of an irrevocable transformation. In the worlds of their imagination, the weak become strong, legend becomes fact, and a future that will never come to pass feels close at hand. Praise for Enchantments “A sumptuous, atmospheric account of the last days of the Romanovs from the perspective of Rasputin’s daughter, [told] with the sensuous, transporting prose that is Kathryn Harrison’s trademark.”—Jennifer Egan “[A] splendid and surprising book . . . Harrison has given us something enduring.”—The New York Times Book Review “[Harrison delivers] this oft-told moment with shocking freshness. . . . Masha re-invents our ideas of Rasputin, and the world of Nicholas and Alexandra is imbued with a glow whose fierceness is governed by the imminence of its loss.”—Los Angeles Times “A mesmerizing novel.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “Bewitching . . . Harrison sets historic facts like jewels in this intricately fashioned work of exalted empathy and imagination, a literary Fabergé egg. . . . [A] dazzling return to historical fiction.”—Booklist (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone
Author :
Publisher : Macmillan
Total Pages : 417
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781250027436
ISBN-13 : 1250027438
Rating : 4/5 (36 Downloads)

Synopsis Shadow and Bone by : Leigh Bardugo

The Grishaverse will be coming to Netflix soon with Shadow and Bone, an original series Enter the Grishaverse with Book One of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold--a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed. Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country's magical military elite--and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift. As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation. Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems. A New York Times Bestseller A Los Angeles Times Bestseller An Indie Next List Book This title has Common Core connections. Praise for the Grishaverse "A master of fantasy." --The Huffington Post "Utterly, extremely bewitching." --The Guardian "The best magic universe since Harry Potter." --Bustle "This is what fantasy is for." --The New York Times Book Review " A] world that feels real enough to have its own passport stamp." --NPR "The darker it gets for the good guys, the better." --Entertainment Weekly "Sultry, sweeping and picturesque. . . . Impossible to put down." --USA Today "There's a level of emotional and historical sophistication within Bardugo's original epic fantasy that sets it apart." --Vanity Fair "Unlike anything I've ever read." --Veronica Roth, bestselling author of Divergent "Bardugo crafts a first-rate adventure, a poignant romance, and an intriguing mystery " --Rick Riordan, bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series "This is a great choice for teenage fans of George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien." --RT Book Reviews Read all the books in the Grishaverse The Shadow and Bone Trilogy (previously published as The Grisha Trilogy) Shadow and Bone Siege and Storm Ruin and Rising The Six of Crows Duology Six of Crows Crooked Kingdom King of Scars The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon

Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon
Author :
Publisher : Dark Horse Comics
Total Pages : 138
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781506704982
ISBN-13 : 1506704980
Rating : 4/5 (82 Downloads)

Synopsis Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon by : Mike Mignola

With the World War II raging, Hellboy's future guardian Trevor Bruttenholm enlists with Britain's Military Intelligence, where he uncovers a collection of strange messages. Believing it to be an occult language, he follows his hunch and is thrown into a world of animated corpses, deadly mystics, and Nazi agents. The treacherous journey leads him face to face with the man who will bring Hellboy to Earth--Rasputin! The two men responsible for Hellboy face off!

The Shadow/Green Hornet

The Shadow/Green Hornet
Author :
Publisher : Dynamite
Total Pages : 146
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781606904701
ISBN-13 : 1606904701
Rating : 4/5 (01 Downloads)

Synopsis The Shadow/Green Hornet by : Michael Uslan

Bestseller Michael Uslan (Archie Marries, Batman: Black and White) unites two classic pulp heroes in a meticulously-researched historical fiction! An unstoppable power will plunge the world into darkness... unless the crime-fighting icons known as The Shadow, The Green Hornet, and Kato can stop it! When an invention capable of harnessing elemental forces falls into the hands of the maniacal Shiwan Khan, The Shadow races against time to prevent the utter destruction of all America's vital industries and financial institutions. To that end, he enlists The Green Hornet, a crusader masquerading as a crimelord, to infiltrate Shiwan's organization of saboteurs. Will the masked heroes prevent Khan's deadly plot to shatter a nation? This 144 page collection reprints isues 1-5 of the hit series written by MICHAEL USLAN and drawn by KEITH BURNS. It features footnotes for every issue and a complete cover gallery by ALEX?ROSS, JOHN CASSADAY and CHRIS ELIOPOULOS. "Uslan offers up a fast-paced and intense story that pulls you in from the first page." - COMIC BOOK THERAPY "Great premise, great story and great art." - SCI FI PULSE

Rasputin

Rasputin
Author :
Publisher : Random House
Total Pages : 612
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780307826466
ISBN-13 : 0307826465
Rating : 4/5 (66 Downloads)

Synopsis Rasputin by : Brian Moynahan

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin came to St. Petersburg from his Siberian cabin in 1903 like a projectile from the medieval past, tattered, black-clad, muttering. By the time he was murdered thirteen years later, the peasant was the "beloved" Friend of Tsar Nicholas and Empress Alexandra and the sponsor of the most powerful officials in Russia. He had become, a society lady wrote, "a dusk enveloping all our world, eclipsing the sun. How could so pitiful a wretch throw so vast a shadow? It was inexplicable, maddening, almost incredible. " Rasputin's name has become synonymous with evil, but his legend has obscured the facts of his life. In this evocative biography, Brian Moynahan presents us with a flesh-and-blood Rasputin, more fascinating than the myth--a man in whom debauchery coexisted beside a real (if erratic) spiritual sense, a man whose coarseness hid a savvy awareness of human psychology. Drawing on confidential police reports, cabinet meeting memos, and other documents, some available only since the fall of the Soviet Union, Moynahan sheds new light on Rasputin's life and disputes some of the widely held details of his death. The young Rasputin was a drinker, thief, and womanizer. He claimed to have religious visions and became a wandering holy man, preaching that exposure to sin could drive out sin. He stormed the fashionable salons of St. Petersburg, and in 1905 he met Nicholas and Alexandra, who, increasingly despised by the sophisticated, found in Rasputin reassurance that the "real Russia, the simple and pious peasantry, loved them. Rasputin's mysterious ability to stop the bleeding attacks of their hemophiliac only son, Alexis, sealed the approval of the domineering Alexandra. With royal patronage, Rasputin became increasingly reckless, partying with prostitutes, peddling influence, plotting the disgrace of those who crossed him. Ever contradictory, he was also a devoted family man, a defender of the poor, and a figure of immense charisma. As Germany battered Russia during World War I, as Nicholas's ineptitude as a leader became ever more rampant and the masses went hungry, Rasputin seemed to monarchists to be the cause, and not just the symptom, of corrupt government. A group of conspirators gathered--among them a grand duke and a scion of the richest family in Russia--and one of the most famous murders in history was planned. Set against the vivid backdrop of prerevolutionary Russia, Rasputin is a portrait of an age as well as of a man. NOTE: This edition does not include photographs.