From NYT bestselling author Brent Weeks comes the first novel in his breakout fantasy trilogy in which a young boy trains under the city's most legendary and feared assassin, Durzo Blint. For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art -- and he is the city's most accomplished artist. For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly -- and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint. But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics -- and cultivate a flair for death.

High in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Alma Hawkins anxiously awaits the return of her son Virgil, who against her wishes and despite all her reasons went down into the lowlands to volunteer for the Confederacy. This trouble over slavery wasn’t their fight she’d argued. She and his young wife needed him here. But he wouldn’t hear it. It was a matter of honor he’d told her. And besides, his service would only last a few months. He’d be back before they knew it. Just as his term is nearing its expected completion however, he is told that he is no longer a volunteer and that he can’t go home. The government has passed a conscription act and all men between the ages of 18 and 35 are now required to serve indefinitely. Meanwhile, in the time that he’s been away, the shadows of war, once confined to the battlefields, have begun to spread into the mountains, and the war’s deteriorating conditions have provoked growing violence among deserters, evaders, and the authorities. Seeking to profit from all this confusion, rogue outlaws have also begun to roam the hills, and when unexpected events occur in the highlands near their home both Alma and Virgil are forced to make decisions for the preservation of their family in the face of danger. Along with the central character, Alma Hawkins, the novel involves the interactions of mountain neighbors, townsfolk, soldiers, outlaws and the rest of the Hawkins clan.The story, although plot driven and well paced, is also philosophic in tone and examines both the strengths and insecurities of an aging woman struggling with decisions in the face of an uncertain fate.

The Gods blessed Lieutenant Bak, head of the Medjay police, with a rare brilliance -- which is why he is the one to whom his commander turns in a time of need. The explorer Minnakht has vanished into the vast and merciless Egyptian desert -- or perhaps has strayed perilously close to Queen Maatkare Hatshepsut's well-guarded turquoise mines -- and before Bak sails north on a new assignment he is to seek out the missing man. But evil is traveling with him and his Medjays in the caravan they accompany eastward. Someone -- or something -- is responsible for the strange rash of deaths that is rapidly thinning the numbers of their fellow travelers. A straightforward search for a missing adventurer becomes a twisted knot of treachery and blood -- one that threatens to strangle the life from Bak and his men and leave them buried for all eternity beneath the blistering sands.

Just when you think you've learned all that you could ever know about working in Photoshop, digital artist and photomontage king Steve Caplin comes along with yet another masterful method for creating incredible works of art in Photoshop. This time, he'll show you how to create complete images, from start to finish, entirely within the software program. No source material, photographs, or existing files from other software packages are needed, saving you valuable time and resources. The techniques you'll learn in this ground-breaking new book will help you combine your artistic vision and skills with an understanding of how to manipulate the built-in Photoshop filters to produce impressive, eye-catching artwork. Each chapter opens with a complete double page illustration, created entirely in Photoshop. Then, carefully laid out step-by-step instructions show you how each element in the illustration is created, and how they are all combined in the end to make a convincing final image. Using Steve's proven methods for success, you'll be able to produce images that reflect a more finely crafted, hand drawn approach, whether you're an artist for your own enjoyment or a working professional looking for a leg up on the competition.

In understanding such things as the role of the shadow in healing, the relationship between the ego and the transpersonal self, and the application of dream analysis, medical practitioners can better address present day health challenges. Included are client interview techniques, natural remedies, and a bibliography and glossary of Jungian terms.

A story of a man, he came to the edges of space to live life. He worked and made friends, he was like any other person in the galaxy.His entire world changed, his nightmares came to life. He saw everything he worked for fall to pieces. His story begins here. He will be forced on an adventure, that he wanted no part of.Will be followed up by, Memoir of Shadows Revelations.A rewrite will be done to correct mistakes. Let me know through the contact info if you find any.

Do you feel like your thoughts, ideas, and plans are being suffocated by a constant onslaught of information? Do you want to get those great ideas out of your head, onto the whiteboard and into everyone else’s heads, but find it hard to start? No matter what level of sketching you think you have, Presto Sketching will help you lift your game in visual thinking and visual communication. In this practical workbook, Ben Crothers provides loads of tips, templates, and exercises that help you develop your visual vocabulary and sketching skills to clearly express and communicate your ideas. Learn techniques like product sketching, storyboarding, journey mapping, and conceptual illustration. Dive into how to use a visual metaphor (with a library of 101 visual metaphors), as well as tips for capturing and sharing your sketches digitally, and developing your own style. Designers, product managers, trainers, and entrepreneurs will learn better ways to explore problems, explain concepts, and come up with well-defined ideas - and have fun doing it.