The exiles have returned. Breaking seemingly endless cycles of war, the remnants of the Great Houses of Ancient Syrscian have set aside their differences in an uneasy alliance. Theyve met the criteria to return to their home world against the Ban, but the World of Origins is not quite as they remember. The dying empress has awakened. The prophecy was fulfilled, and the return of their long-dead empress has ignited political strife within the priesthood of a regime that has ruled Syrscian for a thousand years. The scattered people brace for war. The Towers are stirring. Stone artifacts granting powers to rule the World of Origins have been divided among beings called Towers, who fight one another and the empress for rule of her divided realm. The heroes from the Blue World have begun their quest. A power in the north revives after ages of sleep. Scientists Seijung Ford and Hannah Aston race to locate their displaced companions while struggling to survive in a world where the laws of physics are strange, and where dark spiritual beings have raised strongholds against the dominion of mankind. Will the Banner of the Blue World advance to vie with the legendary Destroyer of Kutha, or will humanity fade forever into darkness?

A Latino from the Bronx who has made it big with her determination and opportunities and continues to grow as one of America's biggest stars.

Examines the life and career of R & B powerhouse Mary J. Blige.

A story for children about why we should care for our little blue planet, the only home we have, to teach ecology, sustainability and responsibility.

Masterful and macabre short fiction from the New York Times–bestselling author of Swan Song. Father John has lived his whole life without knowing a woman’s touch. Hard at first, his self-denial grew easier over time, as he learned to master his urges with a regimen of prayer, cold showers, and jigsaw puzzles. That changed the day that Debra Rocks entered his confessional. A rough-talking adult film actress, she has come to ask him to pray for a murdered costar. Her cinnamon perfume infects Father John, and after she departs he becomes obsessed. Around the corner from his church is a neon-lit alley of sin. He goes there hoping to save her life before he damns himself. That is “Blue World,” the novella that anchors this collection of chilling stories by Robert R. McCammon. Although monsters, demons, and murderers fill these pages, in McCammon’s world the most terrifying landscape of all is the barren wasteland of a lost man’s soul.

"Charlie Puth did not grow up dreaming of being a pop star. Instead, he wanted to do what he loved most: write music. This young man who learned to play the piano at the age of four, had a clear talent for writing and composing, which led him to study jazz and classical music during his school years. He later earned a degree in music production and engineering. After graduating from the Berklee School of Music, he thought he would make his living helping others record music, but an invitation to record a song he had written for Wiz Khalifa with the rap artist changed all that. Today Charlie is one of the country's most popular pop performers."--Back cover.