A journey to the green inferno of the African jungle brings one man face to face with his macabre past. Every year the storks would set off on their astounding 12,000-mile migration from Northern Europe to the remote Central African Republic. One year, inexplicably, puzzling numbers of them fail to return. At the invitation of a Swiss ornithologist, Louis Antioch agrees to investigate the mystery of the birds' disappearance. Before he can set off on his quest, however, his patron is found dead in bizarre circumstances. Jean-Christophe Grang-'s uncompromising narrative develops at a nightmare pace from a Bulgarian gypsy encampment to a kibbutz in the Occupied Territories, to the African jungle, to Calcutta, where an appalling and gruesome truth emerges: the end of a mission that began with the Flight of the Storks-

A novel that explores the effects of myth, religion, and legend on a small American town.

Flight of the Black Stork is about the ultimate tragedy of right versus right. When their ancient civilization approached its end, the aliens prayed for salvation. Their god heard the prayers of his chosen people and gave them a promised land for their deliverance. Unfortunately, it was Earth. When extra-terrestrial ships jump a battle damaged B-24 returning from a strike over Germany, Tuskegee Airmen flying escort aggressively fight off the attack in their Red Tailed P-51s. This engagement marked the beginning of the alien fifty-year reconnaissance and invasion plan. A daring surprise attack is launched against the enemy-staging base in the Moon's Aitken basin using the Black Stork, a Russian space shuttle resurrected from the bone yard, bristling with biochemical and nuclear weapons. Be prepared for a punch in the gut as each chapter slams you with a high G afterburner climb of mounting action, inspiring imperfect characters and a steamy, love story riding in the rear cockpit. The breathtaking finale thunders with history, hope, and guts and you'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

Everything you ever wanted to know about storks, ibises and spoonbills. Some of the world's largest and most spectacular birds are to be found among this group of wading birds. Tragically, they also include many of the world's most endangered species, as changes in land use erode their wetland habitats. Some like the White Stork have lived alongside humans for hundreds of years and are well known from numerous studies. Others, like the Storm's stork and ibises of West Africa, South-East Asia and South America live so secluded a life in the remote corners of the globe that they will probably be extinct before even the most basic details of their biology are known. In this monograph, three authors and two artists have combined their skills to capture what is known of this group of wading birds. The text opens with general chapters on taxonomy and feeding, breeding and behaviour, followed by detailed coverage of each species.

In this revised edition, Anne Bernstein has continued exploring not only children's understanding of sex and reproduction, but their awareness and comprehension of other forms of family building: namely, adoption and assisted reproductive technology. She notes that the nature of family life has changed dramatically since her first work.

Describes adaptations for avian aerodynamics, and offers tips on spotting and identifying airborne birds.

In a world of knife-edge glaciers, a hideous crime leads two maverick detectives to confront the limits of human evil. A corpse is discovered wedged in an isolated crevice. It has been horribly mutilated. The brilliant but violent ex-commando Pierre Niémans is sent from Paris to the French Alps to lead the investigation. Meanwhile, in a town in south-west France, Karim Abdouf, a young Arab policeman, is trying to find out why the tomb of a young child has been desecrated. When a second baby is found, high up in a glacier, the paths of the two policemen are joined in the search for their killers, a trail that embroils them in the mysterious cult of the Blood-Red Rivers.