Showing results by narrator "Vikas Adam" in All Categories

Bombay's communal riots of 1992 - in which Hindus were alleged to be the primary perpetrators - were followed by retaliatory bomb blasts in 1993, masterminded by the Muslim-dominated underworld. Over a thousand citizens lost their lives in these internecine bouts of violence and thousands more became refugees in their own city. In a matter of months, Bombay ceased to be the cosmopolitan, wholesome, and middle-class bastion it had been for decades.

Being abducted and held captive by the Taliban isn't a tale many survive to tell. An American doctor shares the harrowing story about the four days he spent with his captors after being abducted on a humanitarian mission and his incredible rescue by SEAL Team Six. On December 5, 2012, American...

Lying is unbearable, betrayal is inevitable, and choosing which path to take is impossible. Olga Gay Worontzoff ended her senior year as an eighteen-year-old girl totally in love with Nate, enjoying their new romance and about to attend the university of her dreams. Now she's spending her summer in the weird subculture of the Underworld, with charmingly witty and powerful angels, and problematic demons, trying to rescue Connor, the best friend and secret crush she was unable to save during a freak accident.

Ravirn is the best hacker around. But when the system controlling the multiverse needs a massive reboot, Ravirn must utilize all of his skills as a mage and prevent complete chaos - even if it costs him his life.

Ravirn is not your average computer geek. A child of the Fates - literally - he’s a hacker extraordinaire who can zero in on the fatal flaw in any program. Now that 21st-century magic has gone digital that makes him a very talented sorcerer. But a world of problems is about to be downloaded on Ravirn - who’s just trying to pass his college midterms. Great Aunt Atropos, one of the three Fates, decides that humans having free will is really overrated and plans to rid herself of the annoyance....

Necessity - the sentient computer that runs the universe - has caught a virus that crashes most of the magical Internet, and Ravirn is tasked with fixing it. And Ravirn hasn’t missed the fact that whoever repairs Necessity will, for that moment, run the universe, able to remake the worlds to their liking.

If it looks too easy, it probably is. The sequel to WebMage sends Ravirn and Melchior on a mission to Hell and back to rescue Cerice’s familiar and her dissertation. CyberMancy also sees Ravirn learning what it means to be the Raven and coping with his new status among the descendants of the Titan’s as he interacts with old "friends" like the Furies and meets new ones like Hades and Persephone.

In the 21st century, magic has advanced with the times and gone digital. But when Ravirn - a computer savvy sorcerer - is thrown into a parallel world where magic runs on a different operating system, he'll need mad skills to get out alive.

From Nebula Award winner Gregory Benford comes this ambitious hard SF anthology that collects five original novellas. Each one takes the very long view - all are set at least ten thousand years in the future. The authors take a rigorously scientific view of such grand panoramas, confronting the largest issues of cosmology, astronomy, evolution, and biology.

Having escaped both an Earth on the verge of global collapse and their squabbling parents in a "divorce" at Geosynchronous Station, a newly independent Charles and his two brothers find themselves alone on the Moon with very few prospects. Worse, they are being hunted by ruthless interplanetary corporations who would stop at nothing to come in possession of a memory bar the boys smuggled on board. Can they make it on their own? Who can they trust? Charles thought the moon would be a new beginning. He will be lucky just to stay alive.

Having barely escaped death at the hands of ruthless corporations who have pursued him across the harsh lunar wasteland, teenager Charles Dingillian faces yet another fateful decision: No longer able to return to his home on Earth, Charles and his two brothers must choose a new planet to call home. But which one? Charles has come into possession of a prototype HARLIE unit so revolutionary and state-of-the-art that corporations will stop at nothing - including murder - to control it.

As a teenager in Palestine, Sami al Jundi had one ambition: overthrowing Israeli occupation. With two friends, he began to build a bomb to use against the police. But when it exploded prematurely, killing one of his friends, al Jundi was caught and sentenced to 10 years in prison. It was in an Israeli jail that his unlikely transformation began. Al Jundi was welcomed into a highly organized, democratic community of political prisoners who required that members of their cell read, engage in political discourse on topics ranging from global revolutions to the precepts of nonviolent protest and revolution.

Getting married in a refugee camp is a tricky business. It's a world without rules, where the value of money changes by the day, rumors and gossip are everywhere, and tragedy is a constant backdrop. A Syrian Wedding tells the true story of Mohammad and Amneh, a young couple who are navigating this treacherous landscape as they try to prepare for what should be the happiest day of their lives.

It's the end of the line for Jamie Brooks. After losing his house and his girlfriend, Jamie opts for a prescription bottle and the easy way out. But when even that fails, he heads north on a snowy road straight into his past. Retracing a route from his days as a champion skier, before an ugly accident cost him his skiing career, he finds himself back at a ski school that specializes in second chances, hoping there's one waiting for him. It's going to take a miracle. But Jamie has come to a place where miracles still happen. A place called Hope Mountain.

Nathan died in the summer before his final year in high school, leaving behind a mother who was devoted to him and a girlfriend he loved. His mother and his girlfriend, Emma, are still alive; Nathan is not. But he wakes in his room—or in the shrine his mother’s made of his room—confused, cold, and unable to interact with anyone or anything he sees. The only clear memory he has is a dream of a shining city, and its glorious queen, but the dream fades, until he once again meets Emma—by the side of his own grave.

Julia lived in her country club world and Colt...didn't. Then Julia dies in a car accident. Colt is devastated but can't mourn openly, and he's tormented that he may have played a part in her death. And when Julia's journal ends up in his hands, he is forced to relive their year together - just when he is trying to forget. The problem is, how do you get over someone who was never really yours to begin with?

Jennifer, Chris, and Robin return for the second fantastical journey of Ru Emerson's Night-Threads trilogy. The trio are met by two runaways, Aletto and Lialla, brother and sister from the mystical kingdom of Rhadaz. They have escaped from the estate of their uncle Jadek who has ruled for years, since the mysterious death of their father. Chris has taught Aletto how to fight like a warrior while Lialla has begun to teach Jennifer the secret magic of the Night-Threads. Together the group must strategize and navigate through a richly-imagined fantasy world of deceit, intrigue, illusion, and shape-shifting.

Visit a future San Francisco in which Golden Gate Park and the Presidio are thriving farms, luxury hotels are the palaces of neighborhood kings and book shops are treasuries of wisdom. This is the world of Taco Del, Merlin to His Majesty, King of Embarcadero. In this world, the young wizard must unravel a great mystery to save his besieged kingdom. King Elvis wants to steal its secrets, mysterious outsiders want to expel its citizens, an ancient and sinister Force threatens spiritual domination.

Acts of Faith is a remarkable account of growing up Muslim in America and coming to believe in religious pluralism, from one of the most prominent faith leaders in the United States. Eboo Patel's story is a hopeful and moving testament to the power and passion of young people - and of the world-changing potential of an interfaith youth movement.

Chris, Jennifer, and Robin must save Rhadaz, a fantastical land that has been oppressed under false rule for too long. It is time for these three from Earth to save a planet that is new to them. It is time for them to use their powers as warrior, shape-shifter and sorceress to reinstall the long-lost Aletto to the throne that is naturally his. It is time for the power of the Night-Threads to overthrow the demonic Hell-Light as the planet demands one thing: One Land, One Duke.