In Wilbur Smith's The Sunbird, Dr. Ben Kazin is a brilliant archeologist. Louren Sturvesant is rich, impulsive, and physically imposing, everything Ben is not. Now, the two men--friends, competitors and partners--are searching for the legendary lost city of Opet, built by an Egyptian culture that reached Africa two thousand years ago, then vanished completely. For Ben, the expedition is a chance to prove a controversial thesis. For Louren, it is a chance to spend millions--and make it all back in gold and glory. But what awaits them is an astounding discovery, a siege of terror, and an act of betrayal that will tear the two men apart and bind them together forever... Hidden beneath water, jungle, and blood-red cliffs is a lost world where two men and a beautiful woman were caught in a furious battle of passions two thousands years ago, but which has begun once again....

Telemakos is the Grandson of two noble men: Kidane, member of the imperial parliament in the African kingdom of Aksum, and Artos, the fallen High King of Britain. He is also a remarkable listener and tracker, resolute and inventive in his ability to hide in plain sight. Now his aunt Goewin, Britain's ambassador to Aksum, needs his skill. Deadly plague has overtaken her own country; in order to keep Aksum safe, the emperor has accepted Goewin's advice and declared a quarantine. No one is allowed to enter or leave -- yet, even with this precaution, disease and death continue to spread. A desperate Goewin sets Telemakos a task. He must travel to Afar, where salt -- the currency of sixth-century Africa -- is mined, and discover who has been traitor to the crown, defying the emperor's command, spreading plague as the salt is shipped from port to port. This challenge will take all of Telemakos's skill and strength, his ability to stay silent, and extraordinary coura if he fails, it will cost him his life. The Sunbird is the third in Elizabeth E. Wein's ongoing Arthurian/Aksumite cycle. Its striking, spare language, riveting plot, and all-too-human characters are unforgettable. Book jacket.

For four thousand years, the lavish crypt of the Pharaoh Mamose has never been found-- until the beautiful Egyptologist Royan Al Simma finds a tantalizing clue to its location in the Seventh Scroll, a cryptic document written by the slave Taita. But the location of the crypt and its treasure is a secret others would kill to possess. Only one step ahead of assassins, Royan runs for her life and into the arms of the only man she can trust, Sir Nicholas Quenton-Harper-- a daring man who will stake his fortune and his life to join her hunt for the king's tomb. Together, they will embark on a breathtaking journey to the most exotic locale on earth, where the greatest mystery of ancient Egypt, a chilling danger, and an explosive passion are waiting. Steeped in ancient mystery, drama, and action, Wilbur Smith's The Seventh Scroll will pull you in for an adventure of a lifetime.

Sunbirds is the first book since the 19th Century to cover in detail all the world's sunbirds and spiderhunters - the Nectarinidae. It also includes the allied families of flowerpeckers and sugarbirds; a total of 176 species is described and illustrated. The book has been designed to help readers identify all of these species and also their various subspecies, the most distinctive of which are illustrated as well as described. Each species account provides a distribution map, a summary of identification criteria and a description of how the species differs from similar ones. The calls and songs, habitat, geographical distribution, status, movements, food (including a list of known food plants), habits, and breeding biology are also described. Finally, a full description of the species and salient features of each subspecies is given, together with measurements and references. Sunbirds not only aids identification, it provides a wealth of information on the ecology and behaviour of these birds. The authors have carried out extensive fieldwork in Asia and Africa. They have also studied skins, nests and eggs held by museums, analysed tape recordings and critically reviewed the vast amount of material contained in books and scientific journals. The superb plates would not have been possible without the exhaustive study of specimens which, together with the use of photographs of living birds, has resulted in the artist, Richard Allen, capturing the essence of the birds, their 'jizz', and accurately portraying the beautiful, bright, often iridescent, plumages of these spectacular families.

Winner of the 2011 Costa First Novel Award When their mother catches their father with another woman, twelve year-old Blessing and her fourteen-year-old brother, Ezikiel, are forced to leave their comfortable home in Lagos for a village in the Niger Delta, to live with their mother’s family. Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children’s school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of violent teenage boys calling themselves Freedom Fighters. Her grandfather, a kind if misguided man, is trying on Islam as his new religion of choice, and is even considering the possibility of bringing in a second wife. But Blessing’s grandmother, wise and practical, soon becomes a beloved mentor, teaching Blessing the ways of the midwife in rural Nigeria. Blessing is exposed to the horrors of genital mutilation and the devastation wrought on the environment by British and American oil companies. As Warri comes to feel like home, Blessing becomes increasingly aware of the threats to its safety, both from its unshakable but dangerous traditions and the relentless carelessness of the modern world. Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away is the witty and beautifully written story of one family’s attempt to survive a new life they could never have imagined, struggling to find a deeper sense of identity along the way.

The griffin, the sunbird, manticores, unicorns – all manner of glorious creatures never captured in zoos, museums or photographs are packed vividly into this collection of stories. Neil Gaiman has included some of his own childhood favourites alongside stories classic and modern to spark the imagination of readers young and old. All contributors have given their work free to benefit Dave Eggers' literacy charity, 826DC. Also includes a new Neil Gaiman Story.

Set in a postapocalyptic world where pet agoutis can speak and a mysterious group called the Philosophers reign, young Guthrie has been separated from his family and home. Follow his quest to return home ¿ if he can remember where home is!