Virtual Worlds

In a world created by a wicked god, hundreds of people live in destruction and war. There is a war between races and slavery and no other god puts his hands in this world to help him. The protagonist reincarnated as an elf in this destroyed world, and elf is the most enslaved race, what will become of him now? After all the suffering at his births, now he has suffered in his training and preparation for his first most difficult battle. A mask created in your personality? What happened here?

How do Psychopaths Do it? From the most basic, superficial interactions, to the deepest, most earnest confessions of human emotion, psychopaths are the masters. They know what to say, how to say it, and when to do it. They can take the honest feelings of others and warp them. They can take the good-natured words, actions, and attitudes of 'normal' people... and destroy them. But how do they do it? Everywhere you look, a psychopath lurks. Some are notorious serial killers, determined to torture the mind and body of the innocent. But others--most others--are not nearly so infamous. Many ...

Death walks beside me. Two weeks ago, I was hired by the Dragon Prince of Zaru to help his brother, the King, deal with their dead. Not that there is an abundance of corpses in their kingdom, but those who die aren't staying in their graves. As a necromancer, I'm one of the few people on Serai who can put the dead to rest and discover why they are rising. As a Raltven, I'm particularly good at it. Good enough that the King of Zaru sent his brother across the sea to find someone like me. At first sight, desire sparked between Prince Racmar and me. On the way to Zaru, our attraction for each ...

From Chant to Choir: Sacred Music in Religion and World Culture In From Chant to Choir, explore the profound power of music as it transcends time, cultures, and spiritual traditions. This captivating journey delves into the sacred sounds that have shaped religious practices across the globe—from the ancient rhythms of indigenous chants to the harmonies of modern worship. Discover how music has been used not only as a tool for devotion and connection to the divine but also as a source of healing, resistance, and transformation. With a focus on the rich and diverse traditions of Hinduism, ...

Tropical Gangsters was named one of the “Books of the Century” by the New York Times. This sequel again takes you beyond the slogans and ideologies of international development to the complexities, absurdities, and possibilities of some of the poorest places on the planet. If Tropical Gangsters was like a non-fiction novel, Tropical Gangsters II is a set of non-fiction short stories. Stories about corrupt states and cynical cultures, but also about idealism and practical choices that matter. Stories that abound in surprising dialogue, remarkable characters, and beautiful descriptions of...

There is a cult that runs the world. It’s a secret and esoteric society and it covertly controls all governments, media corporations, mass entertainment outlets, and all organized religions. It runs this new world order just as it did the old world order: same masters, different costumes. The New World Order is the Old World Order with a new paint job. It’s a continuation of an old and ongoing conspiracy by an entrenched elite to preserve its power. It’s not just one small family or tribe as many conspiracy theorists have posited over the decades. On the contrary, this cult is open to...

Thrive in a world with unwritten rules… before now. The Corporate Life Survival Guide is a detailed how-to book on mastering office politics. With chapters on workplace life, situations to avoid, and achieving a work/life balance, it draws on the author’s quarter century of experience as an employee, contractor, and consultant. Insightful guidance and illustrative anecdotes will help you understand important missteps, the consequences, and how to prevent them. Always practical, the book will quickly improve the savvy of workers who are new to office life, making a successful career ...

Can the dream of freedom overcome fear and oppression? In this novel spanning Prague’s tumultuous twentieth century, friendships and marriages are tested to the limit. In the summer of 1914, young love beckons and the future seems bright for three friends as they reach adulthood, but the dark clouds of war throw into stark relief the differences between them which had never mattered before. From World War One and the heady days of liberty which follow, to Nazi occupation during World War Two, and afterwards Communist dictatorship, life threatening risks must be taken. Friends and families...

"The World Connected: Unraveling the Internet of Things (IoT)" serves as an essential guide through the vast and intricate landscape of IoT. This comprehensive exploration offers a deep dive into the technological foundations, societal impacts, and ethical considerations of a world increasingly intertwined with IoT. From its inception to the transformative potential it holds for the future, the book provides a panoramic view of how IoT is reshaping every facet of our lives.The Dawn of IoT The journey begins with an exploration of IoT's evolution, from rudimentary beginnings to the ...

this book is a comprehensive guide that equips you with the knowledge and skills to harness the power of Terraform for efficient and scalable management of cloud infrastructure. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced practitioner, this book provides a step-by-step journey through the fundamentals and advanced concepts of Terraform. Discover the benefits of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and how Terraform simplifies the provisioning and management of infrastructure resources across multiple cloud providers. Learn how to write modular and reusable Terraform configurations, leverage ...

Life can be defined in many ways. We typically define life as an organism that has conscious awareness and the ability to learn. However, we do not fully understand what constitutes life. This book is not about the scientific explanation of the life process, but rather how we define life in our everyday existence. Our thoughts, words, and emotions define our lives through the experiences we create. We can define our lives in different ways through changing our beliefs.

Some secrets are best left, buried deep within the earth… I am thrilled to put together this collection of creepy short stories set in different parts of the world!! Whether it is a small non-descript village in India, the magnificent monasteries in Tibet, the numerous alleys of Kathmandu, the terraced rice fields of Japan, or the Serengeti plains of Tanzania— the locations are as beautiful as the horrifying events which unravel in them! This volume contains 5 horror stories that will have you feverishly turning pages, wanting more— Whether it is a village which is terrorized by an ...

Science Fiction Stories 2 is an anthology of science fiction short stories that transports readers to extraordinary worlds, exploring dystopian futures, post-apocalyptic landscapes, and thrilling adventures in space. Discover the Future Experience the tension in "The Deity Above" as Larry Michaels navigates the eerie silence of his office building, uncovering unsettling secrets. Join the quest in "Salvation Quest" where Larry Drake battles against cosmic forces and personal demons on a perilous journey. Feel the impending doom in "The Encroaching Meteor" as humanity faces an existential ...

Islamic terrorists have obliterated New York City. Awaking to the nightmare, Matt Sheridan makes the quick decision to evacuate his family to rural Vermont. As the situation deteriorates across the United States and society collapses into chaos, the seasoned Army Ranger must navigate an entirely new battlefield to protect his family from impending peril. Prepare yourself for action, intrigue and hours of lost sleep scrambling to see what happens next. Author Robert Cole brings his knowledge as a “red-cell” team leader on some of the most-classified Department of Defense’s Weapons of ...

XXXPLOITS of EXHIBITIONISTS is a deep dive into the sensual world of gay, straight-to-gay, and bi-curious men, who prefer to satify their most intimate and animalistic sexual desires under the watchful eyes of adoring onlookers in very public places. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to experience a wildly erotic sex session in a park, at the gym, on a balcony, at a family reunion, during a pizza delivery and more, then you will want to explore the pages of this book and let these beautiful characters show you how it's done. Inside, you will find ten erotic encounters of ...

In the dark days of war, who can you trust? When journalist Marlene Villeret parachutes into Nazi-occupied France by moonlight, her role is to observe the French way of life until her departure at the next full moon. With swastikas draped around Paris and families torn from their homes in front of helpless friends and neighbours, Marlene wants to do more with her short time in the city. But when she forms a bond with Niklas, a German soldier, she has cause to question all that she thought she knew about the war. With every passing day, Marlene is drawn further into danger. When she is ...

Evan and Zoe, together with their expanding group of comrades, find their way to a safe place, hidden deep in the Florida Everglades. With Brenda, Logan, Nate and Maria, the surprisingly deadly teen rescued in Cuba, the group has a core of skilled fighters to protect their refuge from the violence still raging across America. Seeking strength through community, they befriend other survivors of the massive, worldwide Blood Virus pandemic engineered by fanatical environmental terrorists. When those responsible for the suffering unleash a savage attack upon the most vulnerable refugees, Evan ...

This book is not a religious/spiritual adventure but one of facts. The shroud of Turin exists as a photographic negative and dates back from an era (around 2,000 years) - prior to the invention of the camera. The components of the cloth have been newly examined under “EXTREME SCIENTIFIC SCRUTINY” using the latest technological equipment by groups of scientists, among them the scientists involved in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Their findings reveal an intense “instantaneous” burst of radiation as responsible for each marking. There exists no other ...

She needed an escape. What she found was a cage. Sara Evans is desperate. Failing London life, crashing on her friend’s sofa, and haunted by rejections, she takes a radical chance: inventing Sarah Smith, a flawless nanny persona, to answer a cryptic job ad. The position is live-in, miles away in affluent St Albans, at the beautiful home of the enigmatic and stunning Theodora Bedford. It seems like the perfect refuge, a lifeline. But Avenue Road is not the sanctuary Sara imagined. Behind the elegant facade, the house suffocates with unspoken tensions. Theodora is magnetic, intelligent, and...

Before the first light of dawn on the morning of June twenty-second, 1941 Oskar Scheja stood on the western shore of the Bug River, looking to the east. The Russian army was camped on the other side. When the signal came to begin Operation Barbarossa he and his comrades from the German Wehrmacht stormed over the River and began an assault that took millions of Germans deep into Russian territory. For some the journey was brief. For others, like Oskar, it would last for years, and the struggle did not end when the fighting was over. This is the story of one German soldier’s experience in ...