Download or read book Star Bastards written by Herman Skull and published by . This book was released on 2016-08-18 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A high-speed pursuit along the derelict starlanes of Route 663 in this choose your own adventure sci-fi gamebook from Two-Fisted Fantasy! The Space Exploration Pole has run afoul of the powerful star-spanning Conglomerate and the lawdogs are on his trail. Help him evade justice or ride shotgun with the cop sworn to bring him in. Either way it's a two-fisted, white-knuckled chase through the most dangerous and derelict part of the galaxy, chock full of memorable characters, deadly traps and insidious puns. You call the shots: fly, gamble, fight and sleaze your way to freedom or victory in this Two-Fisted Fantasy adventure! Inside you'll find a complete set of rules for racing along the starways and thumping the denizens of the Star Bastards universe: all you need to provide is a couple of dice and your two rock-hard fists! This Two-Fisted gamebook is a full-scale gamebook adventure of the kind you might remember from the eighties and early nineties. For those of you who are unfamiliar with gamebooks, it's a solo roleplaying game with character and inventory management where the book itself acts as the games master. Star Bastards is 400 paragraphs and 100,000 words packed full of adventure, interesting characters and action-filled alien locations. It's two complete adventures in one, with a large selection of co-pilots and items to ensure replayability. Inside you'll find 32 full-page illustrations, a bunch of smaller graphics and 20 or so pages of rules and fluff.
Download or read book Voltaire s Bastards written by John Ralston Saul and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-12-25 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a new Introduction by the author, this “erudite and brilliantly readable book” (The Observer, London) expertly dissects the political, economic, and social origins of Western civilization to reveal a culture cripplingly enslaved to crude notions of rationality and expertise. With a new introduction by the author, this “erudite and brilliantly readable book” (The Observer, London) astutely dissects the political, economic and social origins of Western civilization to reveal a culture cripplingly enslaved to crude notions of rationality and expertise. The Western world is full of paradoxes. We talk endlessly of individual freedom, yet we’ve never been under more pressure to conform. Our business leaders describe themselves as capitalists, yet most are corporate employees and financial speculators. We call our governments democracies, yet few of us participate in politics. We complain about invasive government, yet our legal, educational, financial, social, cultural and legislative systems are deteriorating. All these problems, John Ralston Saul argues, are largely the result of our blind faith in the value of reason. Over the past 400 years, our “rational elites” have turned the modern West into a vast, incomprehensible, directionless machine, run by process-minded experts—“Voltaire’s bastards”—whose cult of scientific management is empty of both sense and morality. Whether in politics, art, business, the military, entertainment, science, finance, academia or journalism, these experts share the same outlook and methods. The result, Saul maintains, is a civilization of immense technological power whose ordinary citizens are increasingly excluded from the decision-making process. In this wide-ranging anatomy of modern society and its origins—whose “pages explode with insight, style and intellectual rigor” (Camille Paglia, The Washington Post)—Saul presents a shattering critique of the political, economic and cultural establishments of the West.
Download or read book Bastards A Memoir written by Mary Anna King and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2015-06-22 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Searing . . . explores how identity forms love, and love, identity. Written in engrossing, intimate prose, it makes us rethink how blood’s deep connections relate to the attachments of proximity."—Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree In the early 1980s, Mary Hall is a little girl growing up in poverty in Camden, New Jersey, with her older brother Jacob and parents who, in her words, were "great at making babies, but not so great at holding on to them." After her father leaves the family, she is raised among a commune of mothers in a low-income housing complex. Then, no longer able to care for the only daughter she has left at home, Mary's mother sends Mary away to Oklahoma to live with her maternal grandparents, who have also been raising her younger sister, Rebecca. When Mary is legally adopted by her grandparents, the result is a family story like no other. Because Mary was adopted by her grandparents, Mary’s mother, Peggy, is legally her sister, while her brother, Jacob, is legally her nephew. Living in Oklahoma with her maternal grandfather, Mary gets a new name and a new life. But she's haunted by the past: by the baby girls she’s sure will come looking for her someday, by the mother she left behind, by the father who left her. Mary is a college student when her sisters start to get back in touch. With each subsequent reunion, her family becomes closer to whole again. Moving, haunting, and at times wickedly funny, Bastards is about finding one's family and oneself.
Download or read book The Bedside Book of Bastards written by Dorothy M. Johnson and published by McGraw-Hill Companies. This book was released on 1973 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Linz Interlude written by Joe Buchanan and published by Bookwarren Publishing Servi. This book was released on 2008-09 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wild ride for a generation geared to keep a 20th Century rendezvous with destiny, changing a nation's face and the lives, loves and journeys of most Americans. A pause in the trip occurs for one young soldier at Linz, Hitler's handsome hometown in whose shadow lurks a ghastly concentration camp. While billeted there with Patton's combat infantrymen his mind drifts back over circumstances that brought him there from midtown America, where he played the double dating game and danced to big band music at high school and college proms. A mater of ethics is solved in Paris' red light district before returning home and entering the work world as a journalist observing a wide swath of personalities, ranging from presidents and generals to stars from the country music, sports and film worlds.
Download or read book Greedy Bastards written by Dylan Ratigan and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-01-10 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The host of the eponymous MSNBC show, Dylan Ratigan offers a bold and original post-partisan program to resuscitate the American Dream. At a time of deep concern with the state of America’s economy and government, it seems that all the media can give us is talking (or screaming) heads who revel in partisan brinkmanship. Then there’s Dylan Ratigan—an award-winning journalist respected and admired across the political spectrum. In Greedy Bastards, he rips the lid off of our deeply crooked system—and offers a way out. Employing the nuanced reporting and critical analysis that have earned him so much respect, Ratigan describes the five “vampires” that are sucking the nation dry, including an educational system that values mediocrity above all else; a healthcare system that is among the priciest and least-effective infrastructures in the industrialized world; a political system in which lobbyists write legislation; a “master-slave” relationship with our Chinese bankers; and an addiction to foreign oil that has sapped our willingness to innovate. In offering solutions to these formidable and entrenched obstacles, he does nothing less than lay the groundwork for a political movement dedicated to tackling the rot at the heart of the country. In its desperation, America needs more than just endless stock tips and Wall Street navel-gazing. It needs passionate debate and smart policy—and a hero to take on the establishment. Dylan Ratigan is that hero, and this is the book that will rally people behind him.
Download or read book Star of Cursrah written by Clayton Emery and published by Wizards of the Coast. This book was released on 2012-10-09 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third installment in a series that uncovers the secrets of the ancient civilizations of the Forgotten Realms world Lurking in the ruins of the Cursrah is a horrific tale of greed, power, and revenge. The Protector crawls forth, the shade of a dead city whose rulers refuse to die. In two distant epochs, the stories of young adventurers unfold: Craving excitement, a tomboyish princess disobeys her mother’s orders to explore the countryside with her two male companions. Their journey closely mirrors that of Amber, Hakiim, and Reiver, a trio of friends living one thousand years in the future. Though separated by time, both parties of adventurers learn of a dreadful destiny they cannot escape . . . and of a deadly threat to all they hold dear. Why did Cursrah fall? Who was the Star of Cursrah? And how can a long-dead city threaten the modern realm of Calimshan? Uncover the secrets for yourself—if you dare.
Download or read book J R written by William Gaddis and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 785 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A National Book Award-winning satire about the unchecked power of American capitalism, written more than three decades before the 2008 financial crisis. At the center of J R is J R Vansant, a very average sixth grader from Long Island with torn sneakers, a runny nose, and a juvenile fascination with junk-mail get-rich-quick offers. Responding to one, he sees a small return; soon, he is running a paper empire out of a phone booth in the school hallway. Everyone from the school staff to the municipal government to the squabbling heirs of a player-piano company to the titans of Wall Street and the politicians in Washington will be caught up in the endlessly ballooning bubble of the J R Family of Companies. First published in 1975 and winner of the National Book Award in 1976, J R is an appallingly funny and all-too-prophetic depiction of America’s romance with finance. It is also a book about suburban development and urban decay, divorce proceedings and disputed wills, the crumbling facade of Western civilization and the impossible demands of love and art, with characters ranging from the earnest young composer Edward Bast to the berserk publicist Davidoff. Told almost entirely through dialogue, William Gaddis’s novel is both a literary tour de force and an unsurpassed reckoning with the way we live now.
Download or read book City of Bastards written by Andrew Shvarts and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this action-packed sequel to Royal Bastards, Tilla uncovers a sinister conspiracy to take down the kingdom from within. Tilla, bastard of House Kent, has it made. Safe from her murderous father in the dazzling capital of Lightspire, she lives a life of luxury under the protection of the Volaris King, alongside her boyfriend, Zell, and best friend, Princess Lyriana. So why isn't she happy? Maybe it's the whispers and stares that follow her wherever she goes, as the daughter of the traitor waging war against Lightspire. Or maybe it's the memories of her beloved brother, Jax, who lies cold in his grave even as she tries to settle into a life in the city's prestigious University. Then Tilla stumbles upon the body of a classmate -- a friend. The authorities are quick to rule it a suicide and sweep it under the rug, but when Tilla herself is attacked by a mysterious man with terrifying powers, she's convinced of a conspiracy. Her friends beg her to stay silent; what she's suggesting is impossible...and treasonous. The deeper she digs, the more questions she uncovers. Nothing is as it seems in the glorious capital, and Tilla's presence might just be the spark that sets the Kingdom aflame.
Download or read book How to Spot a Bastard by His Star Sign written by Adèle Lang and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2002-02-09 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ultimate Horrorscope Join the women around the world whose love lives have been transformed by the astro-guide that pulls no punches when it comes to the dark side of men and their star signs. Use it to... -Deride, ridicule, and annoy the hell out of men - Speed up the dating process by using star sign elimination - Avoid dating complete scum - Keep current boyfriends/husbands in their places - Keep conversation going at dinner parties - And much, much more! Discover who you are destined not to date... A match made in heaven or the relationship from hell? Find out which zodiac couplings are the least likely to result in derision, depression, divorce, or death! - Are you good enough for a LEO? - Can you put up with PISCES? - Will you get along with GEMINI? - Do you have the skills necessary to cope with VIRGO? Put yourself to the test with our 12 compatibility quizzes - each one carefully designed to ensure you know exactly which bastards to avoid in the future. Now men will cringe when you ask them what their star signs are!
Download or read book Red Seas Under Red Skies written by Scott Lynch and published by Del Rey. This book was released on 2007-07-31 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his highly acclaimed debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch took us on an adrenaline-fueled adventure with a band of daring thieves led by con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora. Now Lynch brings back his outrageous hero for a caper so death-defying, nothing short of a miracle will pull it off. After a brutal battle with the underworld that nearly destroyed him, Locke and his trusted sidekick, Jean, fled the island city of their birth and landed on the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But even at this westernmost edge of civilization, they can’t rest for long—and are soon back to what they do best: stealing from the undeserving rich and pocketing the proceeds for themselves. This time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele—and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior…and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house’s cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire. Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way up the nine floors…straight to Requin’s teeming vault. Under the cloak of false identities, they meticulously make their climb—until they are closer to the spoils than ever. But someone in Tal Verrar has uncovered the duo’s secret. Someone from their past who has every intention of making the impudent criminals pay for their sins. Now it will take every ounce of cunning to save their mercenary souls. And even that may not be enough.… Praise for Red Seas Under Red Skies “Lynch hasn’t merely imagined a far-off world, he’s created it, put it all down on paper—the smells, the sounds, the people, the feel of the place. The novel is a virtuoso performance, and sf/fantasy fans will gobble it up.”—Booklist (starred review) “Red Seas Under Red Skies firmly proves that Scott Lynch isn’t a one-hit wonder. . . . It’ll only be a matter of time before Scott Lynch is mentioned in the same breath as George R. R. Martin and Steven Erikson.”—Fantasy Book Critic “Grand, grandiose, grandiloquent . . . No critic is likely to fault Lynch in his overflowing qualities of inventiveness, audacious draftsmanship, and sympathetic characterization.”—Locus
Download or read book War in the Land of Morning Calm written by Robert Riggs and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2011-06-22 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Summer of 1950, Marine Reservists go to war in Korea and find love along the way. Marine operations include the Pusan Perimeter battles, the Inchon Landing, and the Chosin Reservoir campaign.
Download or read book Bristol s Bastards written by Nicholas P. Maurstad and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2008-11-15 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Minnesota’s toughest farm boys take on Iraqi insurgents in one of the most irreverent and outrageous memoirs to come out of the Iraq War. When they deployed for Iraq, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry Regiment of the Minnesota National Guard, was mostly composed of farm kids from the Midwest. But make no mistake—these boys could replace a tank track on the side of the road using nothing but a crescent wrench, Zippo lighter, and a two-by-four. Once they arrived, they fought alongside the Marine Corps in Anbar province through the deadliest period of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Bravo Company earned the nickname “Bristol’s Bastards” after USMC Colonel George Bristol, commanding officer of the IMEF Headquarters Group, adopted this band of fierce warriors as one of his own. Specialist Nick Maurstad, a member of Bristol’s Bastards, brings to life the experience of fighting in Iraq: kicking down doors, dodging IEDs, battling insurgents in the small towns surrounding Fallujah, and trying to help one another survive in the deadliest place on earth.
Download or read book The Star Machine written by Jeanine Basinger and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2009-01-06 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONE OF THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S 100 GREATEST FILM BOOKS OF ALL TIME • From one of our most distinguished film scholars, comes a rich, penetrating, amusing book about the golden age of movies and how the studios worked to manufacture stars. With revelatory insights and delightful asides, Jeanine Basinger shows us how the studio “star machine” worked when it worked, how it failed when it didn't, and how irrelevant it could sometimes be. She gives us case studies focusing on big stars groomed into the system: the “awesomely beautiful” (and disillusioned) Tyrone Power; the seductive, disobedient Lana Turner; and a dazzling cast of others. She anatomizes their careers, showing how their fame happened, and what happened to them as a result. Deeply engrossing, full of energy, wit, and wisdom, The Star Machine is destined to become an classic of the film canon.
Download or read book Pandora s Star written by Peter F. Hamilton and published by Del Rey. This book was released on 2004-03-02 with total page 1246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An imaginative and stunning tale of the perfect future threatened . . . a book of epic proportions not unlike Frank Herbert’s Dune or Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy.”—SFRevu The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars, contains more than six hundred worlds interconnected by a web of transport “tunnels” known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: over one thousand light-years away, a star . . . disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, the Second Chance, a faster-than-light starship commanded by Wilson Kime, a five-times-rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat. Opposed to the mission are the Guardians of Selfhood, led by Bradley Johansson. Shortly after the journey begins, Kime wonders if the crew of the Second Chance has been infiltrated. But soon enough he will have other worries. Halfway across the galaxy, something truly incredible is waiting: a deadly discovery whose unleashing will threaten to destroy the Commonwealth . . . and humanity itself. “Should be high on everyone’s reading list . . . You won’t be able to put it down.”—Nancy Pearl, NPR “Recommended . . . A large cast of characters, each with his own story, brings depth and variety to this far-future saga.”—Library Journal
Download or read book A Star s Legacy written by Peter Longley and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2009-07-10 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three unique people Joshua of Nazareth, Linus Flavian, and Maria of Magdala are born in 5 B.C. during the appearance of an unusual star over the Middle East. Their lives will become intertwined through a series of events that will forever mark them. Around the time of their birth, superstition is rife. Intrigue between High Priests, the Herodians, and Rome, along with hope in an expanding world of greed and commerce, shape their differing destinies. Action takes the reader from Jerusalem and the hillsides of Galilee to the Jewish world of Alexandria, the trading centers of Petra and Palmyra, and the magnificence of Rome. Surrounded by rebellion, slavery, and their own adolescent dreams, the lives of Joshua, Linus, and Maria begin to unfold in a vast canvas covering the length and breadth of the Roman world. The first in the dramatic new series, The Magdala Trilogy, A Stars Legacy provides a fascinating commentary on the origins of Christianity that is both challenging and yet plausible, incorporating traditional beliefs, fictitious thoughts, and new interpretations. With vivid prose and compelling characters, A Stars Legacy offers a captivating glimpse into Biblical times and Christianitys core ideas.
Download or read book The Emperor of the Primordial World written by Wu KongDaoRen and published by Funstory. This book was released on 2019-11-29 with total page 906 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bastard son of a marquis who had become a slave had encountered a girl that claimed to be a blood robed emperor ... From this moment onwards, he had been tasked with the task of opening the heavens and becoming the ruler of the empire.
