DAVID BALL

Chassé de Rhodes par le souverain de la Sublime Porte, quarante ans plus tôt, l'ordre de Saint-Jean s'arc-boute sur son dernier bastion : Malte. Cet ultime flambeau de la chrétienté est une épine dans le flanc de Soliman le Magnifique, qu'il importe d'arracher sans délai. Une gigantesque armada est mise sur pied. Les forces turques vont fondre sur Malte pour l'assiéger. Parmi les officiers, un certain Asha se porte volontaire pour débarquer secrètement et faire office d'éclaireur. Qui pourrait se douter qu'Asha n'est autre que Nico Borg, enlevé à l'âge de six ans par les pirates barbaresques sous les yeux de sa s?ur Maria ? Converti à l'islam, il est confronté à un terrible dilemme : entre la fidélité à sa religion, au sultan qu'il a choisi comme maître, et l'amour de la terre où il est né, que choisira-t-il ?.

La inmensidad del desierto del Sáhara y la extraordinaria vida de los tuareg en agudo contraste con la incipiente colonización europea. Éste es el escenario de una gran novela que narra la historia de dos primos que en su infancia eran inseparables y que por las circunstancias politicas se convierten en amigos rivales.

La fascinante inmensidad del desierto y la extraordinaria vida de los tuareg en agudo contraste con la incipiente colonización europea, portadora de los grandes inventos del siglo XIX. Éste es el escenario que ha elegido David Ball para crear una gran novela epica que resultara de enorme atractivo tanto para los amantes del genero de aventuras y viajes como para aquellos lectores que disfrutan de una narrativa apasionante y rica en referentes historicos. La accion comienza en Paris, en pleno fragor de la guerra franco-prusiana, y muy pronto se traslada al desierto del Sahara. Dos primos, que en su infancia eran inseparables, se convierten por las circunstancias politicas en amargos rivales. Moussa es hijo del conde Henri deVries, un noble aventurero frances, y de Serena, descendiente de una dinastia tuareg a quien Henri conocio en un viaje en globo por el desierto. El matrimonio, considerado un escandalo por la nobleza francesa, ha infundido en Moussa un sentimiento de marginacion que le acompañara el resto de su vida. Paul, en cambio, es hijo de Jules, hermano de Henri, y de la fria y ambiciosa aristocrata Elizabeth, y no sufre los prejuicios que afectan a Moussa. Cuando Francia decide emprender la construccion de un ferrocarril que atraviese el Sahara hacia el interior de Africa, el enfrentamiento de los primos se hace realidad.

Nico and Maria, a Maltese brother and sister are divided when Nico is abducted by Moorish slavers. Taken to North Africa to be the personal slave for one of the wealthiest slavers in Algeria, Nico becomes a pawn in the household politics raging between the slaver and his wife and is forced to escape and fend for himself from a young age. Maria, stranded in Malta with unsympathetic parents, makes her own plans to escape the island and find her brother. She joins a group of ex-Jews - forced by the Christians who rule the island to renounce their faith - who continue their rituals clandestinely. French aristocrat Christien de Vries has led a life of pomp and privilege and yearns to prove his worth as a Knight of St John. He is stationed in Malta as a new recruit and his appearance impacts on both Maria's and Nico's lives as they all try to survive the devastation caused by the infamous Siege of Malta.

The story follows native american teen Kai as her attends Ironpoint Highschool. Kai is a loner who for the most part keeps to himself. When a chance run in with Lena Firecloud who is trying to stop poisonous material into the the Readfeather Line a spot where their community gets its drinking water. Kai is about to learn sometimes the spirits are in us all.

Kai Redfeather once saved his land from the shadows of Blackstone Industries. The story became legend, whispered in the wind and painted on the walls of Iron point. But peace is never permanent.

From the acclaimed author of Empires of Sand comes a mesmerizing new adventure that Jean Auel cites as crowded with events that both forecast and mirror the conflicts of today. Sweeping from the drawing rooms of Paris to the palace of Suleiman the Magnificent to the dark hold of a slave ship racing across the sea, here is a dazzling story of love and valor, innocence and identity, an epic novel of the clash of civilizations on a barren island where the future was forged.The Mediterranean, the sixteenth century: Lying squarely in the midst of the vital sea lanes between the Christian West and the Ottoman Empire in the East, and ruled by the ancient Order of the Knights of St. John, Malta will become the stage upon which the fate of the world turns. For one of its sons, the hand of violence strikes swiftly, when young Nicolo Borg is seized by Barbary slavers and launched on a remarkable journey to the court of the supreme ruler of the Muslim world. Renamed Asha, plotting his escape even as he swears allegiance to the god of his masters and is schooled in the arts of culture and war, the innocent boy will be transformed into one of the Sultans deadliest commanders. For Nicos beloved sister, Maria, his loss fires her hatred for the knights who did nothing to save him and her dreams of escape from her stifling home. As the headstrong girl grows into a fierce beauty, she will capture the attention of one man in particular, Christien de Vries, a surgeon-knight torn between duty and desire, caught up in Maltas frantic preparations against the coming Ottoman storm. Around Nico and Maria are men and women who will share their destinies: Dragut Rais, a brilliant corsair, arch-rival of the knightsGiulio Salvago, a priest in full flight from his carnal natureAlisa, a young beauty hidden away in a haremJean de La Valette, the master knight who is Maltas only hope for survival.As the mighty Ottoman fleet bears down on the tiny island, as Nico Borg makes his way back to his homeland at the helm of a warship, Ironfire moves inexorably to a shattering climax where all will face ultimate justice in the murderous cauldron of siege warfare. Brilliantly capturing the crosscurrents of a storied age, Ironfire is historical fiction in the grand tradition, a stirring realization of a pivotal moment in time that irrevocably shaped the world we inhabit today.

As they skated through the abandoned streets, Kai couldnt shake the feeling that they were being watched. The Painted Ones were everywhere, hidden in plain sight, their influence felt in every corner of the city. No one knew their true identity, but their presence was undeniable.They reached an old warehouse, one that had long been forgotten by the citys builders. Here, the trail had led themstraight into the heart of the rebellion.