At the heart of their survival was their unshakeable belief in each other and their determination to survive, making Hostage an unlikely love story; for Paul and Rachel, death, at times, seemed preferable to being separated.

    Others send it straight to hell... Grab all four books in the thrilling CYBER SEED QUADRILOGY for one low price, in this great value 1200-page sci-fi box set! When Kurt Jacobs imagines the ultimate gadget — one capable of replacing phones, credit cards, keys and TVs — the idea consumes his every waking moment. When the Sycamore corporation buys into Kurt's creation and The Seed becomes a reality, his every dream comes true. Power like this has never existed. The launch of The Seed, a powerful microchip implant that turns each user's palm into a fully functioning trackpad and effectively turns them into walking computers, breaks all sales records. Alongside the augmented reality UltraLenses which act as the system's display, it immediately renders all handheld devices obsolete. But amid all of the awe and optimism, there is far more going on behind the curtain than Kurt or anyone else could ever have predicted... Cyber Seed Quadrilogy imaginatively chronicles The Seed's colossal impact on a society unprepared to handle it, from the high hopes of launch day to the breakneck descent into corporate dystopia. Remarkable apps and groundbreaking features that make life easier and more enjoyable... unprecedented surveillance and privacy abuses in a world where your eyes can no longer be trusted... both sides of a timely story unfold in this 1200-page complete series box set. And Kurt Jacobs, the guilt-wracked genius responsible for it all, may well be the only man who can do anything to put things right... This box set contains all four books in the CYBER SEED QUADRILOGY, previously published individually as: 1) Sycamore 2) Sycamore 2 3) Sycamore X (10-story collection) 4) Sycamore XL (12-story collection) Imaginative new technologies, devious conspiracies, and a whole lot of action-packed drama... dive in to the thrilling CYBER SEED QUADRILOGY today! (From the author of the blockbuster international bestseller, Not Alone)

    RevolutionSF.com Rating: 8/10http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.p...BOOK ONE OF THE OMNIVERSEEDITED BY VICTORIA CLEMENSWhen an immense alien spacecraft is discovered buried in the desert outside Laguna, New Mexico, the world is plunged into chaos.World leaders scramble to secure and study the Ship; the heads of the world's major religions meet in Rome to discuss the implications of the Ship's presence; terrorists and religious fundamentalists seek to use or destroy the Ship for their own ends, and ordinary men and women struggle to assimilate it all, as events unfold live and unfiltered across online news channels.When a survey team is sent in to examine and explore the Ship, they discover that not only is it still operational, but it is conscious and has been waiting for tens of millions of years.

    We were colored girls in a white world that didn’t want us."  Born on the wrong side of a racial divide in apartheid-torn Cape Town, young sisters Ruby and Rose exist in a world where they are not welcome. As part of the Cape Colored community, they are considered socially inferior, yet even within their own social group the sisters live in the poor end of town. Their father was killed when they were very small, so when their mother dies after a protracted illness, Ruby and Rose’s fate falls into the hands of Aunt Olive. Ruby knows without being told that their aunt’s home will not be opened up to them – charity does not extend to the poor relations who would cast a smudge on such a respectable house. Aunt Olive condemns her nieces to the local orphanage, relieving her conscience with monthly invitations to Sunday lunch. In the orphanage the girls grow up sheltered from a divided world that they do not yet fully understand, but the day approaches when Ruby and Rose must forge their own paths in life and confront the lessons that apartheid enforces. Like the award-winning Dance with a Poor Man’s Daughter, this beautifully observed novel of sisterly love once again displays Pamela Jooste’s poignant understanding of human nature.

    In a span of just two days, the paths of three complete strangers are forced together in a way none of them could have foreseen or even thought possible.Two days ago, Eric Winston was about to be a made man. As the head of Mjollnir Industries he had operated at the forefront of the criminal underworld for over three decades and was finally getting his chance to join the big leagues. An international conglomerate of businessmen and government officials that come together to form one of the largest drug rings in existence. Winston’s final task before being officially brought on board? Host a one-night, winner-take-all event featuring the best underground fighters in the world. Everything was in order, until a competitor had to back out...Two days ago, Will Honeycutt was an anonymous Portland firefighter, doing his best to provide for his young family. When the St. Rita’s Orphanage burned to the ground and he pulled a half dozen children to safety, he inadvertently thrust himself into the public eye. Now, accompanied by local surgeon and brother Heath, Will sets off to begrudgingly attend a banquet in his honor.Two days ago, FBI special agent Mike Manus was doggedly working the case that had killed his father nearly three decades before. When a call comes in that could finally unlock the puzzle he’s been trying to solve his entire career, he boards a plane in pursuit of what he hopes will finally be absolution. Operating as the head of a joint task force with the Portland FBI and the marines, Manus will do everything he can to avenge multiple fallen agents and to finally put his own long-tormented conscience to rest.Twelve is a tale that effectively melds the three seemingly unconnected worlds of Winston, Honeycutt and Manus. Over the course of just two days, their stories become inexorably linked to one another, moving forward in a tightening spiral that will remain with all three for the rest of their days.

    My role as President didn't give me the satisfaction I was seeking anymore. I wanted to move on but I didn't know how. Until she was dumped on my job. She was feisty and a challenge. One I liked to accept. Yet her secrets were hers. Until they were mine. Now I'm struggling to find the balance I need the most in my life. TRITON: I took care of my sister the best I could after our parents died. I wasn’t the best big brother. I had my club to think about and dealing with a teenager wasn’t high on my list of things to do. Neither was that little surfer girl. She was mouthy and full of passion, something I wanted. But with all good things, it had to come to an end. She had bigger plans for her life and I wasn’t one to keep her tied down. Or was I? RANSOM: I was given this name for a reason. This wasn’t my first go-round with a stuck up little brat. This time was different. Her dad made it personal. I was tired of living in a past that haunted me every day and she was the reason I decided to take control of that. I wasn’t expecting her to change herself. I wasn’t expecting her to change me. NEO: I’m not settled. Something is off that I can’t pinpoint. My mom’s health is declining and I’m the worst son imaginable. Life has kicked me more times than I care to admit. Then I met her. She was a smart mouth that sparked my interest. I made it my mission to know more about her. Until she left me.

     "As we navigate our way through the monster’s murky psychology, pushing through his dark impulses and penetrating his despicable motivations, will we find ourselves far from familiar places, or troublingly closer to them?"

    Volume 1 includes three fast paced stories which are bound to keep you hooked - THE LAST SKYPE: What do you do when you are thousands of miles away from the person you love? You Skype.But what if what you see isn't what it actually is?IN MY HEAD: All killers have a motive. People don’t kill out of necessity; people kill because they want to kill. Would a mother murdering her own child have a motive too? He has seven days to find out.THE RITUAL:It's been 33 years. The comet is returning. His god is returning. The time is right for The Ritual. Will his god come home?

    An Indian scientist on the run. The spy apparatus of three nations after him and the coveted secrets he intends to take to the highest authorities. A girl who has become an unwitting pawn in this deadly game. A mastermind who will stop at nothing. They are up against a man with a troubled past who stands between life and death, victory and defeat. A conspiracy so devious it could forever change the nation. A race against impossible odds and time. Who will get their hands on the secret first? About the Author Abhinav is a columnist, photographer, software professional, Hindi music addict, reader and reviewer, and curator of the Indic Book Club. Abhinav’s writings have been published in DNA, Pioneer, Swarajya, LinkedIn, OpIndia, Medium, and elsewhere. He has worked at technology companies in India, the United States, and Canada. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Mumbai University and is a post-graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. He lives in Bangalore with his wife and two daughters.

    His memories are clouded, except for images of glass and metal. He quickly finds that he’s not alone in this new realm. There are others who all arrived just as he did. In this strange world, people are driven by survival against forces that have little interest in continued human existence. But through the use of special tomes known as 'grimoires,' people are able to enhance themselves to increase their abilities and 'life properties,' giving them a fighting chance against the monsters that surround them. Without a chance to acclimate himself, Chaxin is thrown into a bloody confrontation with monsters born of nightmares. He soon realizes that one false step could mean his death. But death isn’t the worst that the Graymos has to offer. Can he survive in such an unforgiving world? If not, more than just his life could be at stake. Grimoire Bound is a LitRPG-Lite novel, inspired by Dark Souls, Lovecraft and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

    British lawyer Paula Shackleton is mourning a lost love when a small man in a lemon-coloured suit accosts her over breakfast in a Boston hotel. Winston Peabody represents the African state of North Darrar, embroiled in a border arbitration case with its giant neighbour. He needs help with the hearings in The Hague, Paula needs to forget the past.She flies to the state’s capital determined to lose herself in work, but soon discovers that even jobs taken with the purest intentions can involve moral compromise. Taking testimony in scorching refugee camps, delving into the colonial past, she becomes increasingly uneasy about her role. Budding friendships with a scarred former rebel and an idealistic young doctor whittle away at her pose of sardonic indifference, until Paula finds herself taking a step no decent lawyer should ever contemplate.Michela Wrong has been writing about Africa for two decades. In this taut legal thriller, rich with the Horn of Africa’s colours and aromas, she probes the motives underlying Western engagement with the continent, questioning the value of universal justice and exploring how history itself is forged. Above all her first novel is the story of a young woman’s anguished quest for redemption.

    On the other hand, post-Apartheid dreams of progress and reform have, in part, collapsed into a morass of corruption, unemployment and criminal violence.A Short History of South Africa is a brief, general account of the history of this most complicated and fascinating country – from the first evidence of hominid existence to the wars of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries that led to the establishment of modern South Africa, the horrors of Apartheid and the optimism following its collapse, as well as the prospects and challenges for the future.This readable and thorough account, illustrated with maps and photographs, is the culmination of a lifetime of researching and teaching the broad spectrum of South African history.Nattrass’s passion for her subject shines through, whether she is elucidating the reader on early humans in the cradle of humankind, or describing the tumultuous twentieth-century processes that shaped the democracy that is South Africa today.

    Reid's chief suspect, a ruthless financier, always seems to be one step ahead of him. After one of his men is murdered, Reid suspects he's got a traitor in own camp. When Reid's wife, Anne, becomes deeply embroiled in the investigation, things get dangerously personal. The cold Glasgow spring isn't the only thing chilling Anne's blood when she leaves California to try to save her marriage. The estate gardens she's renovating are owned by her husband's enemy, her sister-in-law is trying to get her killed, and her efforts to help Terrence plunge-and her unborn child-deeper and deeper into peril.