The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a captivating narrative that takes us through the 200-million-year-long history of dinosaurs. Authored by Steve Brusatte, a renowned American paleontologist, this book draws on the latest scientific research to vividly recreate the world of the dinosaurs and shed light on their mysterious origins, their incredible diversity, and their abrupt extinction.

Brusatte's storytelling brings us closer to understanding the real story behind these magnificent creatures that once dominated our planet. We follow the evolution of dinosaurs from their humble beginnings as small creatures in the Triassic period to the dominant species we are familiar with, such as T. rex and Triceratops. The narrative doesn't end with their extinction; it also explores the living legacy of dinosaurs and their connection to modern birds.

Through his global expeditions, Brusatte shares fascinating discoveries and insights from what he calls 'a new golden age of discovery' in dinosaur research. His accounts include findings of primitive tyrannosaurs and giant carnivores that surpass the size of T. rex, as well as the significant feathered raptors from China.

This book is not just a tale of the past; it also resonates with the present, offering lessons as humanity faces a potential 'sixth extinction.' The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is an electrifying scientific history that will stand as a definitive account for years to come.

Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars. In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, with the appearance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.

A transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow's Child now ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow's Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The Shadow's Child with her.

As they dig deep into the victim's past, The Shadow's Child realises that the investigation points to Long Chau's own murky past--and, ultimately, to the dark and unbearable void that lies between the stars...