In The Awakening of the Cosmic Heir, the first part of the Nova’s Reign series, Nova Asheron, an unsuspecting Earthling, discovers their true identity as the last heir of the fallen Asheron Empire. With the galaxy's fate hanging in the balance, Nova must embrace their newfound cosmic powers and navigate a dangerous path between light and darkness. Guided by the enigmatic Talos Vaera and their loyal companion Jax, Nova embarks on a journey of self-discovery, galactic warfare, and transformation that will set the stage for an epic battle for the galaxy's survival.

The centuries after the end of Roman control of Britain in AD 410 are some of the most vital in Britain's history - yet some of the least understood. 'Warlords' brings to life a world of ambition, brutality and violence in a politically fragmented land, and provides a compelling new history of an age that would transform Britain. By comparing the archaeology against the available historical sources of the period, 'Warlords' presents a coherent picture of the political and military machinations of the fifth and sixth centuries that laid the foundations of English and Welsh history. Included are the warring personalities of the local leaders and a look at the enigma of King Arthur. Some warlords sought power within the old Roman framework; some used an alternative British approach; and, others exploited the emerging Anglo-Saxon system - but for all warlords, the struggle was for power.

This book deals comprehensively with the struggles of two Byzantine warlords, Bardas Sclerus and Bardas Phocas, against the legitimate Byzantine emperor Basil II. The author emphasizes that the civil wars that resulted form the context for several major world events. In addition to the conversion of Russia in 988, this lucid book describes the way that the civil wars also blunted a hitherto successful Byzantine advance against the Muslim world.

This book explores the conditions of international relations from the end of WWII to the present, focusing on the American determination to provide world leadership.

Presents a representative cross-section of entries on all aspects of the history and culture of China. Alphabetically organized, the entries include* major cities and provinces* historical eras and figures* government and politics* economics* religion* language and the writing system* food and customs* sports and martial arts* crafts and architecture* important Chinese figures outside of mainland China* important Westerners in China.

Drawing on the voices of atomic-bomb survivors and the new science of forensic archaeology, Charles Pellegrino describes the events and aftermath of two days in August when nuclear devices detonated over Japan changed life on Earth forever Last Train from Hiroshima offers readers a stunning “you are there” time capsule, gracefully wrapped in elegant prose. Charles Pellegrino’s scientific authority and close relationship with the A-bomb’s survivors make his account the most gripping and authoritative ever written. At the narrative’s core are eyewitness accounts of those who experienced the atomic explosions firsthand—the Japanese civilians on the ground and the American flyers in the air. Thirty people are known to have fled Hiroshima for Nagasaki—where they arrived just in time to survive the second bomb. One of them, Tsutomu Yamaguchi, is the only person who experienced the full effects of the cataclysm at ground zero both times. The second time, the blast effects were diverted around the stairwell in which Yamaguchi had been standing, placing him and a few others in a shock coccoon that offered protection, while the entire building disappeared around them. Pellegrino weaves spellbinding stories together within an illustrated narrative that challenges the “official report,” showing exactly what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and why.

This sharp and authoritative account of American foreign relations analyzes the last fifteen years of foreign policy in relation to the last forty years, since the end of the Cold War. Provides an overview and understanding of the recent history of U.S. foreign relations from the viewpoint of one of the most respected authorities in the field Includes suggestions for further reading.

During a visit to Jordan Nicholas Hagger stood on Mount Nebo where the prophet Moses stood, and looked down on the Promised Land of Canaan that Moses saw shortly before he died. It seemed as if all the kingdoms of the earth were spread out below him, a new Promised Land: a coming World State called for by Dante and Kant, and more recently by Truman, Einstein, Churchill, Eisenhower, Gandhi, Russell, J.F. Kennedy and Gorbachev - and Hagger himself in World State and World Constitution. Combining travelogue and historical reflection, Nicholas Hagger draws on previous visits to the Biblical Middle East and traces the development of his Universalism in his formative years and then in his “wilderness years”, when like Moses he spent 40 years in the wilderness setting out Universalism in 60 books and arriving at its ten commandments. He reflects on a remarkable life and its pattern and reaches some conclusions on the Providential nature of its direction and on the European civilisation. Weaving together his wanderings in Arabia and Egypt, his past travels and his writings, he presents a coming democratic, partly federal World State with sufficient authority to abolish war, enforce disarmament, combat famine, disease and poverty and solve the world’s financial, environmental and virological problems, and in a closing vision a coming Promised Land that like Moses he will not live to see. This is a stunning work with a prophetic vision of the future.

Understand the complexities of the most lethal insurgent group of America's longest war—the Taliban. Battle hardened, tribally oriented, and deeply committed to its cause, the Taliban has proven itself resourceful, adaptable, and often successful. As such, the Taliban presents a counterinsurgency puzzle for which the United States has yet to identify effective military tactics, information operations, and Coalition developmental policies. Written by one of the Department of the Army's leading intelligence and military analysts on the Taliban, this book covers the group's complete history, including its formation, ideology, and political power, as well as the origins of its current conflict with the United States. The work carefully analyzes the agenda, capabilities, and support base of the Taliban; forecasts the group's likely course of action to retake Afghanistan; and details the Coalition forces' probable counterinsurgency responses. Author Mark Silinsky also reviews the successes and failures of the latest U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine to extrapolate the best strategies for future counterinsurgency campaigns.

A Financial Times “Summer Books” Selection “Will become required reading.” —Times Literary Supplement “Elegantly written...with a confidence that comes from decades of deep research on the topic, illustrating how influence and power have waxed and waned between the two countries.” —Rana Mitter, Financial Times China and Japan have cultural and political connections that stretch back fifteen hundred years, but today their relationship is strained. China’s military buildup deeply worries Japan, while Japan’s brutal occupation of China in World War II remains an open wound. In recent years both countries have insisted that the other side must openly address the flashpoints of the past before relations can improve. Boldly tackling the most contentious chapters in this long and tangled relationship, Ezra Vogel uses the tools of a master historian to examine key turning points in Sino–Japanese history. Gracefully pivoting from past to present, he argues that for the sake of a stable world order, these two Asian giants must reset their relationship. “A sweeping, often fascinating, account...Impressively researched and smoothly written.” —Japan Times “Vogel uses the powerful lens of the past to frame contemporary Chinese–Japanese relations...[He] suggests that over the centuries—across both the imperial and the modern eras—friction has always dominated their relations.” —Sheila A. Smith, Foreign Affairs