Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

Better to die sharp in war than rust through a time of peace. A mother struggling to repress her violent past, A son struggling to grasp his violent future, A father blind to the danger that threatens them all. When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire's enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name 'The Sword of Kaigen.'Born into Kusanagi's legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family's fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen's alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.

Joan Messi has spent thirteen lonely years hiding her supernatural abilities from her parents, her classmates, and everyone in her white bread suburban community. However, her little world of secrets is shattered when a pair of strangers arrive from a parallel dimension on the hunt for a nameless criminal. Now, after a lifetime of wondering how she got her powers, Joan might have found the beginnings of an answer. For Daniel Thundyil and his father, elemental powers and ego-maniacal supervillains are nothing new-although this is the first time a mission has brought them to a parallel dimension. Daniel's main concern in this new world isn't the looming threat of a godlike killer; it's fitting in at a school where the food is flavorless, everyone writes backwards in an ancient alphabet, and all the racial hierarchies seem to be reversed.

The Sword of Shannara is the first volume of the classic series that has becomeone of the most popular fantasy tales of all time. Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake.The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a trueheir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline,rests the hope of all the races. Thus begins the enthralling Shannara epic,a spellbinding tale of adventure, magic, and myth . . . BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.

The world of Arith is a fractured land with a splintered people. But humanity is recovering, for the demons have been locked away behind the Wall, and those that shattered the land with the Sundering have not been seen for so long they are now considered only myth and legend. But on the eve of a great storm, three people will gather together to fight an evil that makes the land's previous tormentors pale in comparison. A warrior who hides his face, a barbarian woman with the power of the wolf, and a boy who hasn't yet discovered himself will be the keys to survival in a battle prophesied nearly two thousands years before. It was this prophecy, however, that started Arith's torment and downhill slide toward destruction. It was this prophecy which created the demons and set the chain of events into motion that forced the High Ones to Sunder the land in their departure. And now, three heroes who've only been seen in one man's prophetic vision will have to overcome their own trials in order to forge themselves into the needed weapons capable of fighting off an insane evil intent on devouring all of Creation.

AN EPIC TALE OF LOVE AND WAR In a land already plagued by internal strife, a new terror suddenly strikes at Ireland's undefended coastlines. As the Vikings brutally exploit Irish disunity in the North, they hungrily eye the three remaining provinces in the south...Connaught, Meath and Leinster. While the dragonships continue to isolate and crush the feuding clans, Ireland's fate comes to depend on the strength and wisdom of a young chieftain...a man of peace who is destined to lead the people he loves into war. "Sword of Ireland catapults the reader into a tale of adventure and romance in the most heroic sense, a story that grips the reader's imagination to the very last page. The author is a welcome addition to the bards who are bringing Ireland's past to life for a new generation." - Morgan Llwelyn, best selling author of LION OF IRELAND

Destined to become the definitive commentary on Ephesians, this resource combines detailed exegesis and extensive interaction with contemporary scholarship.

This book is the first work to build a conceptual framework describing how the pursuit of military effectiveness can present military and political tradeoffs, such as undermining political support for the war, creating new security threats, and that seeking to improve effectiveness in one aspect can reduce effectiveness in other aspects. Here are new ideas about military effectiveness, covering topics such as military robotics, nuclear weapons, insurgency, war finance, public opinion, and others. The study applies these ideas to World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the 1973 October War, as well as ongoing conflicts and public policy debates, such as the War on Terror, drone strikes, ISIS, Russian aggression against Ukraine, US-Chinese-Russian nuclear competitions, and the Philippines insurgency, among others. Both scholarly and policy-oriented readers will gather new insights into the political dimensions of military power, and the complexities of trying to grow military power.

Memorialized in countless books and movies, the history of Japan's fearsome samurai warriors is known all over the world. Who can forget these Japanese masters' skills with the sword? Today, samurai warriors no longer exist, but their legacy of swordsmanship endures. Now, the way of the samurai sword is learned in the martial arts Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu. This book is the perfect introduction to using this beautiful and ancient weapon. In Mastering the Samurai Sword, you'll learn the sword's fascinating history, its evolution, and the philosophy behind its use. You'll also learn practical guidance for mastering the sword itself. Full-color, step-by-step photographs detail many of the most useful and famous samurai moves, including: drawing the samurai sword guard positions, cutting blows, and blocking falling and rolling techniques, and evasive strategies standing forms and kneeling forms All of the martial arts techniques discussed in the book are performed for readers in the downloadable material to help you perfect your form. Beginners will learn everything from proper attire and behavior in the dojo to how they might practice at home, while more experienced samurai swords people will find a new appreciation for the deeper meaning and tradition behind the graceful way of the sword.