The fire brigade have been doing their best, as have the other emergency services, but whoever is behind the fires has been systematically running them ragged. Whitehall is worried. Something doesn’t add up, so they’ve dispatched a warlock – a former illegal mage, pressed into service of the government to deal with matters of the arcane – to look things over. Jameson Parker is that warlock, and he’s pretty okay with that. His freedoms might be heavily restricted, and any unauthorised use of magic means he’ll be struck down dead instantly, but it could be worse. He gets more or less free rein to swan around Humberside like the big I am, and it gives him a way to atone for his less than stellar past. He’s better off without magic, and he knows it. But is magic better off without him? The warlocks of Humberside don’t seem to think so, and there are rumblings that, as well as the fires, something big is about to go down. Jameson is not best pleased.

    Get paid to travel and write about it.Only no one told Jules that it would mean eating oily seabirds, repeatedly falling off a husky sled, getting stranded on a Mediterranean island, and crash-landing in Iran.The exotic destinations come thick and fast – Hong Kong, Hawaii, Huddersfield – as Jules navigates what it means to be a travel writer in a world with endless surprises up its sleeve.Add in a cast of larger-than-life characters – Elvis, Captain Cook, his own travel-mad Dad – and an eye for the ridiculous, and this journey with Jules is one you won’t want to miss.

    But ambition quickly took wing. The house swelled to 225 rooms and became - until 2012 when it was topped by the home of a billionaire in Mumbai, India – the world’s largest residence ever built for a private citizen. Here’s the story of the house that Vanderbilt built - from the gardens by Frederick Law Olmsted to the John Singer Sargent portraits that adorn its walls.

    

    Recently he set out to travel through Pakistan, revisiting those places that meant most to him along the great Indus river, from its delta on the Arabian Sea to its headwaters in the Himalayas, by way of the mysterious ruins at Mohenjodaro, the plains of Sind and the Punjab, the Khyber Pass, and his home town of Lahore. Imran’s amusing anecdotes and acute observations provide a unique insight into the richly varied life of Pakistan’s past and present; a life vividly portrayed by the superb colour photographs of Mike Goldwater. The result is a sumptuous personal view of Pakistan seen through the eyes of one of its most illustrious countrymen.

    Attempts to tell the reader through stories what India is, its traditions, culture, philosophical and religious beliefs customs, etc that are so variagated that it seems there are many Indias, rather that just one.

    This uniquely visual travel guide to Florence and Tuscany also includes illustrated cutaways of floor plans and reconstructions of the region's stunning architecture.The pull-out map, clearly marked with sights from the guidebook, includes detailed street views of all the key areas. Transportation maps and information on the most useful tickets to buy for your stay help you get the most out of your trip. There's even a chart showing the walking distances between major sights and attractions."DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Florence & Tuscany" shows you what others only tell you.

    In a life spanning over four decades as a poker professional, Mike has excelled both on the felt and on the business side of poker. He is a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, helped create PartyPoker in 2001 and was a key player in an event that changed the poker world forever the launch of the World Poker Tour (WPT) in 2002. He has been a commentator on the WPT, along with Vince Van Patten, since its inception. In addition, Mike was recognized as poker's Top Ambassador at the Card Player Magazine Player of the Year Awards gala in 2006. That same year, he won WSOP Tournament of Champions, winning $1 million in prize money half of which he donated to charity. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2009. In this book Mike recounts his personal experiences and gives his take on some of poker's legendary characters over the past 40 years. If you enjoy poker, are fascinated by the development of the game and enjoy compelling poker, golf and gambling adventures, then you'll love Life's A Gamble."

    Bali: Heaven and Hellis a tale begging to be told - a story of survival in the face of genocide, natural disaster, terrorism, cultural imperialism and corruption on a grand scale. Go behind the smiling face presented to generations of tourists and expats with Phil Jarratt, the award-winning author of over 20 books including Surfing Australia: A Complete History of Surfboard Riding in Australia and That Summer at Boomerang. Phil has first-hand experience of the glorious island at the morning of the world, having spent the past 40 years falling in and out of love with our favourite holiday destination.Jarratt weaves a page-turning story of treachery, deceit, debauchery and wholesale slaughter, set against the idyllic backdrop of a paradise on Earth, then cleverly segues into a modern-day tale of jaw-dropping surf, karma, sexual abandon, and a fusion of East and West that created the modern tourist hot spot.David Hill, Chairman, National Geographic Channels US

    

    They are called Seekers. There are Seekers of tigers, lions, monkeys – all the creatures under the sun.But a Seeker of the Dragon? Such hasn’t been seen for centuries.Until Jaden of Lessertown.Jaden dreamt of his Legendary Beast on the morning his life changed forever. Enlisted to become an Imperial Seeker and serve the cruel Emperor, he is thrown into an initiation ceremony that is brutal beyond comprehension. But it doesn’t last for long, because there are others who wish to train Seekers, rebels from within the mysterious Hidden City.It is in this Hidden City where Jaden will learn how to control his magic and find a cause worth fighting for. But being the first Dragon Seeker in centuries brings attention, and not all of it is good…

    

    Under the treaty, the Sisters of Astraea were proclaimed the judicators of the land because they could tell truth from lie—a gift of a golden viper bestowed on the Sisters by the God Naga. The treaty prevented a revolution by the commoners which would have ended the nobility. Now, however, many nobles want to go back to being above the law and Duke Chaney is using this discontent to raise an army against the king. Senior Judicator Tenzen sets out with Jola, a newly promoted judicator, to investigate the growing hostility, unaware the rebels are killing judicators to keep the rebellion a secret. Fortunately Jola has been trained in the art of the sword, grew up as a homeless street-urchin, and knows how to survive. But it will take more than surviving to stop the rebellion. No one could have anticipated that the faith of the kingdom may depend on Jola's ability to untangle the discontented from the traitorous.

    

    A haunted assassin. Can he unmask his true nature without dooming his world? 4 epic novels. 1,400+ pages of dark epic fantasy action! The Hunter may be only one who can protect a boy in need. As rival demons clamor to recruit him to their devious purpose, he wields his blade solely to atone for his bloody past. But with a killing curse buried in his soul, his struggle to restrain his evil urges could cost the lives of those he’s sworn to protect.As the Hunter’s craving for slaughter rages, the young ward he’s grown attached to falls victim to a form of inherited mind-corrupting magic. And the only way the Hunter can pull him back from the brink of insanity is to unlock an ancient city’s dark, deadly secrets. Darkblade Guardian: Defenders of Legends Omnibus #2 is a boxed set featuring four revenge-filled epic fantasy novels. If you like gritty action, unlikely heroes, and death-defying quests, then you’ll love Andy Peloquin’s pulse-pounding tale. Buy Darkblade Guardian to join a killer’s mission to save humanity today!