The Nations of the Young Kingdoms had not felt the anguish of war for nearly twenty years. Now, with a massive barbarian army poised to invade Aljamin, just one walled city, Akaar, guards the large Kingdoms borders. The city lies exposed and vulnerable to invasion. Defenseless. With their land in chaos, Sinjin Storm and his trusted companions set out to rally allies to help defend their country. Taken under the wing of Sorrell Tovaal, a powerful wizard, Storm begins to have visions and is beset with questions. Mysterious occurrences confound his questions as long-held secrets begin to be revealed. With unwavering courage, Storm encounters assassins, beasts, and dark figures from the Dead Wood forest that seem bent on his destruction. As the invasion intensifies, Storm and his allies realize the barbarian hordes are merely pawns in a war between two powerful, yet parallel worlds. The Young Kingdoms quickly realize that dark forces are working furiously in this other world, poised and waiting for the chance to bring an age of darkness and chaos to the human world. Storm must quickly discover and develop his powers as a wizard and his courage as a man. Only then can he master the only force capable of sealing the breech between the two worlds.

The gift of sight comes at a dangerous price When Deep Down Salvage begins the hunt for the Josephine Marie, it seems like any other dive...until Genevieve Wallace sees the vision of a dead woman in the water, her vacant eyes boring into Genevieve's very soul. Terrified and confused by what she saw, Genevieve is haunted by the memory, but no one — including her diving partner Thor Thompson — believes her. When a dead woman washes up on shore, everyone assumes this is Genevieve's "vision," but Genevieve knows the truth: the dead woman is not the ghost she saw but another victim of the same brutal killer. Sensing that the threat of death is coming closer, she and Thor are forced to acknowledge that some things can't be explained, but simply are. Somehow they have to link a violent past with a present-day mystery or risk losing themselves in an abyss of terror.

A seaside-set paranormal mystery-from the authors of the Renaissance Faire mystery Ghastly Glass Meet Dae O'Donnell, a woman with a gift for finding lost things-and the stories behind lost lives... Dae O'Donnell is the mayor of Duck, North Carolina-and the person everyone turns to when they've lost something. One touch and Dae can find it, and missing pieces seem to find their way to her, whether she wants them to or not. When Miss Mildred asks Dae to find her missing watch, Dae finds herself looking for more than mislaid jewelry-she must prove the town matriarch isn't a cold-blooded killer.

Author of more than thirty books of poetry, Western history, stories, fiction, biography, criticism, and Native studies, John G. Neihardt (1881-1973) was born in Illinois, taught for many years at the University of Missouri, and was named by act of legislature Poet Laureate of Nebraska and the Prairies. Neihardt was devoted to his ideals of art, spirit, humanity, and understanding. This volume brings together fourteen lifelong admirers, who each contribute a portrait or an appreciation of this American original.Best known for his 1932 classic Black Elk Speaks, done in collaboration with the Lakota holy man Nicholas Black Elk, Neihardt is also justly regarded as an epic poet, travel writer, newspaperman, teacher, mystic, and spokesman for the beauty of the Great Plains and the drama of ordinary and exceptional lives.

Between 1609 and 1879, the geographical, political, and ideological status of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (modern Okinawa) was characterized by its ambiguity. It was subordinate to its larger neighbors, China and Japan, yet an integral part of neither. A Japanese invasion force from Satsuma had conquered the kingdom in 1609, resulting in its partial incorporation into Tokugawa Japan’s bakuhan state. Given Ryukyu’s long-standing ties with China and East Asian foreign relations following the rise of the Qing dynasty, however, the bakufu maintained only an indirect link with Ryukyu from the mid-seventeenth century onward. Thus Ryukyu was able to exist as a quasi-independent kingdom for more than two centuries—albeit amidst a complex web of trade and diplomatic agreements involving the bakufu, Satsuma, Fujian, and Beijing. During this time, Ryukyu’s ambiguous position relative to China and Japan prompted its elites to fashion their own visions of Ryukyuan identity. Created in a dialogic relationship to both a Chinese and Japanese Other, these visions informed political programs intended to remake Ryukyu. In this innovative and provocative study, Gregory Smits explores early modern perceptions of Ryukyu and their effect on its political culture and institutions. He describes the major historical circumstances that informed early modern discourses of Ryukyuan identity and examines the strategies used by leading intellectual and political figures to fashion, promote, and implement their visions of Ryukyu. Early modern visions of Ryukyu were based on Confucianism, Buddhism, and other ideologies of the time. Eventually one vision prevailed, becoming the theoretical basis of the early modern state by the middle of the eighteenth century. Employing elements of Confucianism, the scholar and government official Sai On (1682–1761) argued that the kingdom’s destiny lay primarily with Ryukyuans themselves and that moral parity with Japan and China was within its grasp. Despite Satsuma’s control over its diplomatic and economic affairs, Sai envisioned Ryukyu as an ideal Confucian state with government and state rituals based on the Chinese model. In examining Sai’s thought and political program, this volume sheds new light on Confucian praxis and, conversely, uncovers one variety of an East Asian “prenational” imagined political/cultural community.

A captivating portrait of Lorraine Hansberry’s life, art, and political activism--one of O Magazine's best books of April 2021 "Hits the mark as a fresh and timely portrait of an influential playwright."—Publishers Weekly In this biography of Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965), the author of A Raisin in the Sun, Soyica Diggs Colbert considers the playwright’s life at the intersection of art and politics, with the theater operating as a “rehearsal room for [her] political and intellectual work.” Colbert argues that the success of Raisin overshadows Hansberry’s other contributions, including the writer’s innovative journalism and lesser known plays touching on controversial issues such as slavery, interracial communities, and black freedom movements. Colbert also details Hansberry’s unique involvement in the black freedom struggles during the Cold War and the early civil rights movement, in order to paint a full portrait of her life and impact. Drawing from Hansberry’s papers, speeches, and interviews, this book presents its subject as both a playwright and a political activist. It also reveals a new perspective on the roles of black women in mid-twentieth-century political movements.

Whether you are a businessperson, a departmental manager, an employee, a homemaker, a student, or a head of state, author Myles Munroe explains how you can make your dreams and hopes a living reality. Through The Principles and Power of Vision, you will… Discover your purpose in life. Understand why vision is essential to your success. Grasp the necessary keys for fulfilling your life’s dream. Develop a specific plan for achieving your vision. Overcome obstacles to your vision. Your success is not dependent on the state of the economy, what careers are currently in demand, or what the job market is like. You do not need to be hindered by what people think you are capable of or a lack of resources. This book provides you with time-tested principles that will enable you to fulfill your vision no matter who you are or where you come from. You were not meant for a mundane or mediocre life. You do not exist just to earn a paycheck. Revive your passion for living. Pursue your dream. Discover your vision—and find your true life.