Ghost Empire

Author: Richard Fidler
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681775778
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301

Book Description
"A brilliant reconstruction of the saga of power, glory, and invasion that is the one-thousand year story of Constantinople. A truly marvelous book." —Simon Winchester Ghost Empire is a rare treasure—an utterly captivating blend of the historical and the contemporary, narrated by a master storyteller. The story is a revelation: a beautifully written ode to a lost civilization combined with a warmly observed father-son adventure far from home. In 2014, Richard Fidler and his son Joe made a journey to Istanbul. Fired by Richard's passion for the rich history of the dazzling Byzantine Empire—centered around the legendary Constantinople—we are swept into some of the most extraordinary tales in history. The clash of civilizations, the fall of empires, the rise of Christianity, revenge, lust, murder. Turbulent stories from the past are brought vividly to life at the same time as a father navigates the unfolding changes in his relationship with his son.

Saga Land

Author: Richard Fidler
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 1460708202
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 329

Book Description
'I adored this book - a wondrous compendium of Iceland's best sagas' - Hannah Kent A new friendship. An unforgettable journey. A beautiful and bloody history. This is Iceland as you've never read it before ... Broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kári Gíslason are good friends. They share a deep attachment to the sagas of Iceland - the true stories of the first Viking families who settled on that remote island in the Middle Ages.These are tales of blood feuds, of dangerous women, and people who are compelled to kill the ones they love the most. The sagas are among the greatest stories ever written, but the identity of their authors is largely unknown. Together, Richard and Kári travel across Iceland, to the places where the sagas unfolded a thousand years ago. They cross fields, streams and fjords to immerse themselves in the folklore of this fiercely beautiful island. And there is another mission: to resolve a longstanding family mystery - a gift from Kari's Icelandic father that might connect him to the greatest of the saga authors.

Golden Days

Author: Carolyn See
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520206738
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
Available again in paperback, Golden Days is a major novel from one of the most provocative voices on the American literary scene. Linking the recent past with an imagined future, this "adventurous blend of feminist fiction and nuclear apocalypse fantasy" (Time) marvelously captures life in Los Angeles in the '70s and '80s.

Beyond the Gate

Author: Dave Wolverton
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 9780812550313
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 439

Book Description
Relates the adventures of Gallen, Maggie, and Orick, the bear, dwellers on a distant planet where humans have perfected genetic engineering and must fend off an attack by the alien dronons

Mazes for Programmers

Author: Jamis Buck
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
ISBN: 1680503960
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
Unlock the secrets to creating random mazes! Whether you're a game developer, an algorithm connoisseur, or simply in search of a new puzzle, you're about to level up. Learn algorithms to randomly generate mazes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and dimensions. Bend them into Moebius strips, fold them into cubes, and wrap them around spheres. Stretch them into other dimensions, squeeze them into arbitrary outlines, and tile them in a dizzying variety of ways. From twelve little algorithms, you'll discover a vast reservoir of ideas and inspiration. From video games to movies, mazes are ubiquitous. Explore a dozen algorithms for generating these puzzles randomly, from Binary Tree to Eller's, each copiously illustrated and accompanied by working implementations in Ruby. You'll learn their pros and cons, and how to choose the right one for the job. You'll start by learning six maze algorithms and transition from making mazes on paper to writing programs that generate and draw them. You'll be introduced to Dijkstra's algorithm and see how it can help solve, analyze, and visualize mazes. Part 2 shows you how to constrain your mazes to different shapes and outlines, such as text, circles, hex and triangle grids, and more. You'll learn techniques for culling dead-ends, and for making your passages weave over and under each other. Part 3 looks at six more algorithms, taking it all to the next level. You'll learn how to build your mazes in multiple dimensions, and even on curved surfaces. Through it all, you'll discover yourself brimming with ideas, the best medicine for programmer's block, burn-out, and the grayest of days. By the time you're done, you'll be energized and full of maze-related possibilities! What You Need: The example code requires version 2 of the Ruby programming language. Some examples depend on the ChunkyPNG library to generate PNG images, and one chapter uses POV-Ray version 3.7 to render 3D graphics.

The Secret Maze: A Branches Book (The Last Firehawk #10)

Author: Katrina Charman
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 1338565397
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 102

Book Description
Tag, Skyla, and Blaze need to find a way back home to Perodia, in this action-packed fantasy series! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! Tag and his friends have found Blaze's firehawk family! Now Tag and Skyla want to return home to Perodia. But they're trapped in the Land of the Firehawks! To get home, they must find their way through a mysterious underground maze. But the maze is full of confusing turns, and magical secrets. Will the friends be able to make it back to Perodia? And what dangers will they meet along the way? This fully illustrated series makes a great introduction to fantasy and quest stories for younger readers!

The Maze

Author: Will Hobbs
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061963712
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
Just fourteen, Rick Walder is alone, on the run, and desperate. Stowing away in the back of a truck, he suddenly finds himself at a dead end, out in the middle of nowhere. The Maze. In this surreal landscape of stark redrock spires and deep sandstone canyons, Rick stumbles into the remote camp of Lon Perigrino, a bird biologist who is realeasing fledgling California condors back into the wild. Intriqued by the endangered condors and the strange bearded man dedicated to saving them, Rick decides to stay on. When two men with a vicious dog drive up in a battered old Humvee, Rick discovers that Lon and his birds are in grave danger. Will he be able to save them? In a heart-stopping adventure infused with the spirit of the Icarus myth and a boy's dreams of flight, Will Hobbs brings readers a unique tale of identity, personal growth, and friendship. 01 Blue Spruce Award Masterlist (YA Cat.), 01 AZ Young Reader Award Masterlist (Teen Bks cat.), 00-01 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), 00-01 Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist, 00-01 Minnesota's Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 South Carolina Book Award Nomination Masterlist (Grds 6-9), 00-01 Lone Star Reading List, 00-01 Utah Book Award (Gr. 7-12), 01 Washington State Evergreen YA Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), and 01 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee Masterlist

Golden Ax

Author: Rio Cortez
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593511107
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 81

Book Description
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR POETRY “Outstanding . . . the poetry in these pages is intelligent, lyrical, as invested in the past as the present and future with witty nods to pop culture.” —Roxane Gay, author of Hunger “I’ve never read anything like it. Truly a sublime experience.” —Jason Reynolds, author of Ain’t Burned All the Bright A groundbreaking collection about Afropioneerism past and present from Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and New York Times bestselling author Rio Cortez From a visionary writer praised for her captivating work on Black history and experience comes a poetry collection exploring personal, political, and artistic frontiers, journeying from her family's history as "Afropioneers" in the American West to shimmering glimpses of transcendent, liberated futures. In poems that range from wry, tongue-in-cheek observations about contemporary life to more nuanced meditations on her ancestors—some of the earliest Black pioneers to settle in the western United States after Reconstruction—Golden Ax invites readers to re-imagine the West, Black womanhood, and the legacies that shape and sustain the pursuit of freedom.

The Legend of the Golden Snail

Author: Graeme Base
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
ISBN: 9780810989658
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A young boy's favorite storybook tells of a Golden Snail that lived long ago in the mythical Spiral Isles. When it journeyed through its magical realm, it took on the shape of a fantastical golden sailing ship. One day the ship was captured by a Great Enchanter and put under his spell. After he became bored with the Snail, the Enchanter banished it to the Ends of the Earth so no one else could ever sail in it. There it remains until a new master comes to claim it. Could a young boy named Wilbur be the next master? Featuring Graeme Base's visually stunning signature art (packed with details, including a hidden "snail and crossbones" to search for in each picture) and a bonus mini book (bound in, nonremovable), The Legend of the Golden Snail is an adventure unlike any other. F&P Level: N F&P Genre: F Praise for The Legend of the Golden Snail Starred Review: "Base's art steers the journey, alternating between action scenes and spectacular seascapes." -Publishers Weekly "This beautiful book is sure to be a hit with the author's fans and cultivate new ones." -School Library Journal "Base's big, elaborate illustrations teem with lively details." -Booklist "The book is chock-full of Base's bold, vibrant images and features fanciful locations. Lots to mull over for future sea adventurers." -Kirkus Reviews

The Golden Notebook

Author: Doris Lessing
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061582484
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 694

Book Description
Anna is a writer, author of one very successful novel, who now keeps four notebooks. In one, with a black cover, she reviews the African experience of her earlier years. In a red one she records her political life, her disillusionment with communism. In a yellow one she writes a novel in which the heroine relives part of her own experience. And in a blue one she keeps a personal diary. Finally, in love with an American writer and threatened with insanity, Anna resolves to bring the threads of all four books together in a golden notebook. Doris Lessing's best-known and most influential novel, The Golden Notebook retains its extraordinary power and relevance decades after its initial publication.