The third romance in #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter’s Viking series. For hundreds of years the Vikings were viewed by the world as vicious plunderers and ruthless savages. But in fact, these fierce people were also great explorers. They were romantic, too; their feats those of heroes, of grit, and of valor. They were strong, proud, loyal—the stuff of legends and of fiction. Go back to Viking times with the Lord of Raven’s Peak, Merrik Haraldsson. The younger brother of Rorik, the Lord of Hawkfell Island, begins his journey in Kiev where he comes away with two slaves, but they're not who or what he thinks they are—not by a long shot. Then the question arises: Can a woman be a skald, a troubadour of Viking times? Laren, one of Merrik's slaves, is just that, and she's quite good. She wants to tell stories to earn enough silver and gold to buy her and her little brother from Merrik, only he refuses to sell her. And now that she's his, he must protect her when she's accused of murder, then save her yet again when he discovers her secrets. “Another spry Viking romance.”—Booklist

An anthology of adventure and life-threatening dangers atop the peaks of the Northeast

A quiet little mountain town is hiding a big problem. When the townsfolk of Raven's Peak start acting crazy, Abigail is called upon to find out what is happening. She uncovers a demonic threat unlike any she's ever faced. She is aided by Haatim Arison. Can they discover the cause of the insanity and put a stop to it before it is too late?

For millennia, we have tried to explain ourselves using the raven as a symbol. It occupies a unique place in British history and has left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape. The raven's hulking black shape has come to represent many things: death, all-seeing power, the underworld, and a wildness that remains deep within us. Legend has it that the fate of the nation rests upon the raven, and should the resident birds ever leave the Tower of London then the entire kingdom will fall. While so much of our wildlife is vanishing, ravens are returning to their former habitats after centuries of exile, moving back from their outposts at the very edge of the country, to the city streets from which they once scavenged the bodies of the dead. In A Shadow Above, Joe Shute follows ravens across their new hunting grounds, examining our complicated and challenging relationship with these birds. He meets people who live alongside the raven in conflict and peace, unpicks their fierce intelligence, and ponders what the raven's successful return might come to symbolise for humans in the dark times we now inhabit.

The Raven presents a summary of knowledge of its natural history, describing its distribution, feeding habits, association with other animals, and breeding. The Raven is one of the most spectacular and romantic of British birds, but relatively neglected in the modern literature of ornithology. Derek Ratcliffe here presents a thorough summary of our knowledge of its natural history, emphasizing the long association of the bird with humankind. The place of the Raven in myth, legend and history is long established, and this book describes the bird's fall from grace as a valued scavenger in medieval cities to a persecuted outcast in the modern wilds. The previous wide occurrence of Ravens is reviewed against the relationships between their present distribution, status and habitat requirements, as both a nesting and a non-breeding resident. The dependence of Ravens on carrion (especially sheep) within an omnivorous diet is the key to the species' ecology, and its social behaviour has evolved in close relation to this lifestyle. The flocking and communal roosting of non-breeders are major features of Raven behaviour, while their nesting habits emphasise the territorial nature of breeding birds and their adaptation to secure but harsh environments. Raven numbers vary in relation to their food supply, local populations adjusting accordingly, although the precise mechanism involved is still obscure. Ravens have a considerable capacity for recolonising old haunts when suitable conditions are restored, as well as exploiting new areas where the habitat becomes favourable, and there are local success stories to tell. Nationwide, however, the species' position is delicately balanced and depends on both sympathetic land management practices and improving attitudes to Ravens as friends not foe. Worldwide, Ravens are one of the most successful of all bird groups, occurring over a large part of the northern hemisphere, and replaced in some southern and tropical regions by other raven species which exploit the familiar raven niche in their own environments. The discussion of the northern hemisphere species is enlivened by reference to other species where useful. Finally, the Raven's age-old reputation for high intelligence is weighed critically against the available evidence. Today, Ravens carry a new omen in the modern world, as a barometer of goodwill to wildlife. Like those in the Tower of London, the continued existence of Ravens in our wild countryside will reveal something about both our current situation and our prospects for the future. The text is brought to life through wonderful illustrations by Chris Rose.

This three-part volume sounds out a cycle that delights in creation, despairs over evil, and longs for restoration. Tracing life's dualities, these poems press together faith and uncertainty, love and loss, dream and waking, depression and exuberance. Locating humanity between the immense and the slight, The Sky's Larger Frame explores the world as a construction site in which God both reveals and conceals the scaffolds of his presence.