Bankers used to be stodgy types, close and fretful, and above all, disinclined to act. These Old Turks went out of their way to protect their clients monies, sometimes erring on the side of too much caution. Over time, watched over by a somnolent if not collusive government, bankers morphed to a new model: The Young Turks. They gamble with other peoples money and constantly say that they know what will happen tomorrow. How we went from the Old Turks to the New Turks is the story of this book. And, too, how the avoidable debacle of 2008 seemed nearly to swamp the Martin Ship of Five until, . . . until they realized. We are in a war for the hearts and minds of the American people, one always asking: What do we believe in? What does this country stand for?

Homesick for New York City, twelve-year-old Oliver feels very much out of his element in war-torn Balabad, until he gets caught up in a centuries-old mystery involving stolen artifacts and buried treasure.

Avampsto Sette (Outpost Seven) is a short story of a soul survivor of a wrecked spaceship finds himself stranded on an abandoned stellar outpost.