Hard to Be a God follows Anton, an undercover operative from future Earth, on a mission to an alien planet inhabited by human beings whose society remains in the Middle Ages.
The novel's core idea explores how human progress often involves cruelty and bloodshed, with religion and blind faith serving as tools of oppression against emerging scientific disciplines and enlightenment.
Don Rumata, masquerading as an arrogant nobleman, dueler, and brawler, is sent to the medieval kingdom of Arkanar to observe and save what he can. He faces the challenge of his orders, which restrict him from killing, despite his desire to save the kingdom from Don Reba, the first minister to the king.
With his doubt, compassion, and deep love for a local girl named Kira, Rumata's role becomes complex as he navigates the kingdom's political machinations.
This translation by Olena Bormashenko reintroduces one of the most profound Soviet-era novels to an eager audience.
Shadow Team is the third book in the Starbirth series. Lock Harford, a teleporter who can move his body through a dark matter dimension using the power of his mind, knows that the only way to release Britain from the grip of marauding teleporter criminals is to fight like with like.
His employers want him to head a team of enhanced-ability operatives whose special powers will be created by controlled procedures—rather than substance abuse of the illegal drug Starbirth. The dubious quality of candidates delays the process. Among them is Jimmy Mackenzie, the SAS trooper Harford knows well, who is joined by rookies Postie and Dave.
The fledgling team’s unique and memorable characters develop with likeability despite their flaws. Together, with Harford, they enter an uncertain future in which ‘defending the realm’ becomes a personal fight for their lives.
At the same time, Harford is under personal attack and he has to protect his family as well as his country against dark threats emerging from the madness of Starbirth addiction, hindered by devastating treachery closer to home.
Shadow Team GB is the third book in the Starbirth series and each book can be read as a stand-alone. The set of characters in Harford, Jimmy, Dave and Postie combine in a tale of brotherhood and humour. They take the rules, break the rules and they become so four-dimensional that the reader will miss their cohesion when the book is finished.
Dhimas and Ruben are two students pursuing their studies in the United States. Dhimas is attending George Washington University, while Ruben is at John Hopkins Medical School. They first meet at a vibrant party hosted by a student association in America. Initially, they engage in a conversation that pits them against each other due to their backgrounds: Dhimas hails from a wealthy family, whereas Ruben is a scholarship student.
After Ruben tries serotonin, they grow closer, discussing topics ranging from science and technology to Ruben's revelation of being gay. Unexpectedly, Dhimas also reveals he is gay, and they become a couple, despite living in separate apartments. They believe this distance keeps their relationship fresh and exciting.
During their meeting at the party, they pledge to create a masterpiece, a work or research that bridges various branches of science. This novel is not just a romance; it is a wide-ranging exploration that touches hearts and minds.
When David is old enough to realize that, while not visibly abnormal, mentally he - and others - are different, more than human, he is terrified of discovery. He lives in a land threatened by the twisted mutants of the cursed Fringes, a land where genetic conformity is the Will of God, and any deviation, from a minor quirk to a body-warping distortion, marks the sufferer as non-human, to be cruelly abused and ruthlessly cast out.
If their ability to communicate using thought alone is found out, David and his friends would be in terrible danger. They would have to run - but where to? And who is this new, distant thought-voice they can hear? Could it be from the impossible glittering cities that David has dreamt of, places from the past, from before God sent his terrible earth-scorching destruction to punish the wicked? And might it hold the key to their freedom...
The Foundation Trilogy is a monumental work in the annals of science fiction, spanning a thousand-year epic and a galactic struggle. It begins a new chapter in the story of humanity's future as the Old Empire crumbles into barbarism across the million worlds of the galaxy. Hari Seldon and his band of psychologists must create a new entity, the Foundation, dedicated to art, science, and technology, as the beginning of a new empire.
Foundation lays the groundwork for this new chapter, while Foundation and Empire describes the mighty struggle for power amid the chaos of the stars, where humanity stands at the threshold of a new enlightened life that could be easily destroyed by the old forces of barbarism. Second Foundation follows the Seldon Plan after the First Empire's defeat and details its greatest threat—a dangerous mutant strain gone wild, capable of bending men's wills, directing their thoughts, reshaping their desires, and potentially destroying the universe.
The Present is the second book in the VanWest series.
To defeat the Universal Council, VanWest is made to confront his dark past. Uncovering Mars’s many secrets and the coming together of Earth’s main opposition groups could prove pivotal in defeating the Council’s mighty Space Army. However, success is not what it appears, for there’s a twist that he could not foresee.
The Shifter Dimension is the second book in the Starbirth series. Follow Lock Harford, a teleporter known as a "Shifter," who uses the power of thought to move through another dimension. He works alongside the British Special Forces in global trouble spots.
Lock's employers at the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) task him with eliminating lethal weapons that threaten to bring about world war and potential global destruction. These new weapons are being used by terrorists to inflict heavy losses on British Special Forces in the conflict zones of Afghanistan and the borderlands by Iran.
Accompanied by Special Air Service troopers, including his colleague Jimmy Mackenzie and his team, Lock finds himself embroiled in fierce battles. The situation becomes critical as personal enemies, determined to eliminate Lock and Jimmy before they can locate the weapons, pursue them across the globe.
This is a powerful tale of terrorism in a dangerous world where new human powers are commonplace and growing. Intertwined with the action are elements of humanity and humor, making these books accessible to everyone and drawing readers into the lives and conflicts of the characters.
The U-10 is a survival kit you might not survive using. Activated by unreadable cards, it could create a can of soup — or an explosive grenade that looks like a can of soup. The U-10 is a guessing game of life or death.
A top-secret paramilitary agency wants the U-10 and its gadgets, the guy who has the U-10 wants to keep it, and the alien who lost the U-10 wants it back. A death squad is dispatched to retrieve the U-10 and will stop at nothing, including the destruction of Earth, to accomplish their mission.
Using the U-10 to heal battle wounds produces unexpected results. What good is a U-10 survival kit that has just three options? (A) Saves you. (B) Kills you. (C) Turns you into an alien?