The sweeping epic novel of the founding of Hong Kong, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell “There can only be one Tai-Pan.” Dirk Struan rose from humble beginnings to build Struan & Company, also known as the Noble House, into the world’s largest Far East trading company. He is now the Tai-Pan—Supreme Leader—of all Tai-Pans in China. Along the way, however, he made a powerful enemy. Tyler Brock, Struan’s rival from their early opium-smuggling days, also heads a large trading fleet, second in size only to Struan’s. But it is not only silks and spices that drive their mutual companies’ wealth—the opium trade is still booming. War between England and China might be over, but the hostilities remain. Struan and Brock come to control much of England’s trade with China yet neither can control their desires or their hatred of each other. Over the years, their two families will cross paths, threatening to rip both apart, with reverberations that will echo across the generations. Struan must fight to save his company and his family, or risk seeing everything he has created destroyed at the hands of his sworn enemy. Ambition, political intrigue, and love and lust weave their way throughout the novel the New York Times called, “grand entertainment...packed with action...with blood and sin, treachery and conspiracy, sex and murder.” East and West come together in an opulent and intricately plotted narrative. A tour-de-force of historical fiction, rich in detail yet eminently readable, Tai-Pan will stay with you long after the final page.

This open access two-volume set constitutes the proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems, TACAS 2020, which took place in Dublin, Ireland, in April 2020, and was held as Part of the European Joint Conferences on Theory and Practice of Software, ETAPS 2020. The total of 60 regular papers presented in these volumes was carefully reviewed and selected from 155 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: Program verification; SAT and SMT; Timed and Dynamical Systems; Verifying Concurrent Systems; Probabilistic Systems; Model Checking and Reachability; and Timed and Probabilistic Systems. Part II: Bisimulation; Verification and Efficiency; Logic and Proof; Tools and Case Studies; Games and Automata; and SV-COMP 2020.

ZEUS is an international organization dedicated to the eradication of certain scientific advancements to keep its members part of the global elite. The group targets any researchers or whistleblowers that may topple its position at the top of the pharmaceutical industry. The members’ influence extends all the way to the top of the major world governments. One man holds the key to stopping them. Dr. Alex Bauman joined the Molecular Fat Studies Department at Queens University in Brisbane because he wanted to help the obese. Driven by unhappiness with his own weight, Bauman stumbles upon the knowledge to create a cure for obesity. This secret is dangerous to ZEUS. They don’t want anything to affect the trillions of dollars they make on bogus obesity treatments. Presidential hopeful and California senator Marc Thwane is one of ZEUS’s members. He can’t let anything get in the way of his dark plans for the United States. When Thwane sends a black-ops team after Bauman, the two men’s destinies collide in this global adventure. Russian cosmonauts, Saudi royals, and more will help and hinder Bauman’s search for the key to taking down ZEUS once and for all.

A look at the most dangerous animals from around the world, from Indian red scorpions, giant centipedes and venomous spiders to bull sharks and Asian giant hornets. Animals that can all kill a human being in an unlucky encounter . . .

The dynamic epic novel of political upheaval and societal change in late 1800s Japan, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell This epic novel by master writer James Clavell, loosely based on the Namamugi Incident and Anglo-Satsuma War that took place in the late 1800s, is a richly researched, panoramic view of Japan’s budding relationship with the Western powers, its sweeping societal changes, and the political upheaval that followed. As Malcolm Struan, the son of Culum and Tess Struan, and a small band of Westerners travel down the Tōkaidō road, they are attacked by two Satsuma samurai, who mortally wound John Canterbury and seriously injure Malcolm, who then finds reprieve in the merchant village of Yokohama after a narrow escape facilitated by the unscathed Angelique. Angelique Richaud, Malcolm’s penniless but beautiful French companion, is thrown into a world of political intrigue, fierce devotion, unstable family dynamics, blackmail, and secrets as the trading houses battle for supremacy. With a cast of dynamic and fully recognized characters, Gai-Jin spins a tale of passionate love affairs, devastating loss, intense power struggles, and the fight to survive and thrive in a hostile new land that will leave readers longing for another foray into Clavell’s extraordinary Asian Saga.

This volume aims to answer readers' questions about venomous and equally dangerous non-venomous wildlife.

"Clavell's biggest triumph yet . . . storytelling done with dash and panache . . . a rousing read."--Washington Post The setting is Hong Kong, 1963. The action spans scarcely more than a week, but these are days of high adventure: from kidnapping and murder to financial double-dealing and natural catastrophes--fire, flood, landslide. Yet they are days filled as well with all the mystery and romance of Hong Kong--the heart of Asia-- rich in every trade. . . money, flesh, opium, power. Praise for Noble House "Fiction for addicts . . . extravagantly romantic . . . a book that you can get lost in for weeks . . . staggering complexity . . . not only is it as long as life, it's also as rich with possibilities."--New York Times "Tremendous entertainment . . . a seamless marvel of pure storytelling."--Cleveland Plain Dealer "A mesmerizer . . . spellbinding."--Los Angeles Times "Breathtaking . . . only terms like colossal, gigantic, titanic, incredible, unbelievable, gargantuan, are properly descriptive . . . . Clavell has made himself the king of super-adventure thrillers."--Chicago Tribune Book World