The New York Times bestseller “The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.” —Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice) “One gorgeous read.” —Stephen King Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

When the gods are stripped of their powers, Elminster must carry the weight of Mystra’s magic upon his mortal shoulders It was the eve of the Time of Troubles. The chaos of spilled blood, lawless strife, monsters unleashed, and avatars roaming Faerûn was still to come. Unbeknownst to mortals, the gods had been summoned together—and among them was Mystra, grown proud and willful in the passing eons. With the others, she was about to be stripped of her godhood. The secret of her power gave her an idea. She made certain preparations, looking always for one who would be her successor . . . But until that person's ascension, her power must be preserved. A lone mortal must carry the greater share of her divine energy until the power could be reclaimed, and it was the fate of this mortal to risk being destroyed or driven wild, involuntarily and without warning. This was the occasion of Elminster's Doom.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read.”—The Washington Post Book World World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits—self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics—are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science.

Shadows loom as Elminster’s archnemeses plot a desperate last grasp for power over Faerûn The Time of Troubles has almost passed. At last, the chaos of spilled blood, lawless strife, monsters unleashed, and avatars roaming Faerûn is reaching an end. However, this is not the case for Those Who Walk in Shadow. The dreaded and insidious Shadowmasters realize that they have one last chance to seize control while chaos still wreaks havoc across the Realms. In doing so, they seal the fate of not just their archenemy Elminster, but all of Mystra's minions as well. Darkness threatens to envelop all Faerûn.

A demon named Droktamion has escaped from the depths of hell and raised an army with the intention of conquering the Earth. As a result of the ensuring bloodshed, lives are being lost and people are going missing. By a strange twist of fate, Shane, a young man known for being the brother of the Perfect Clone, has been caught in the middle of the conflict. As the shadows awaken the war against the demons erupts and the A.D.A struggle for control as Droktamion's grip on humanity tightens. The world has become a dangerous place. It's more difficult to fight your demons when they are flesh and blood.

Shadow Lives reveals the unseen side of the "9/11 wars": their impact on the wives and families of men incarcerated in Guantanamo, or in prison or under house arrest in Britain and the US. Victoria Brittain shows how these families have been made socially invisible and a convenient scapegoat for the state in order to exercise arbitrary powers under the cover of the "War on Terror."A disturbing expose of the perilous state of freedom and democracy in our society, the book reveals how a culture of intolerance and cruelty have left individuals at the mercy of the security services' unverifiable accusations and punitive punishments.Both a "j'accuse" and a testament to the strength and humanity of the families, Shadow Lives shows the methods of incarceration and social control being used by the British state and gives a voice to the families whose lives have been turned upside down. In doing so it raises urgent questions about civil liberties which no one can afford to ignore.