Imperial Life

The Washington Post's former Baghdad bureau chief, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, takes us into the Green Zone, headquarters for the American occupation in Iraq. In this bubble separated from wartime realities, the task of reconstructing Iraq is in the hands of 20-somethings chosen for their Republican Party loyalty. They pursue irrelevant neoconservative solutions and pie-in-the-sky policies instead of rebuilding looted buildings and restoring electricity, angering the locals and fueling the insurgency.

Jason wakes in the most unpleasant of circumstances, in a body not his own and in a world most certainly unfamiliar. The finery and splendor of the Grand Imperial Prince Magnus Torvon Thull Heir Apparent to the Thull empire is a world of gold and silver beset upon fine black and white marble. The women of this Grand Prince’s empire clamor for his attention amongst the parties, drugs, and (not-so-great minstrel music). Jason will have to fix the decrepit state Magnus’s body has sunken into from a life of decadent pleasures. While figuring out what the heck is going on.

On the Imperial Pleasure Island, where excess is law and indulgence reigns, Jason reshapes the corpulent obscene legacy of Magnus Travon Thull, reforging himself into something the empire has not seen in an age, a hero emperor. He now commands the empire’s gaze with the ruthless gravity of a sovereign reborn. The empire hungers, though, for power, for pleasure, for dominion. But in a world where desire and submission are weapons, even a prince must tread carefully.

Defined by borders both physical and conceptual, the Roman city stood apart as a concentration of life and activity that was legally, economically, and ritually divided from its rural surroundings. Death was a key area of control, and tombs were relegated outside city walls from the Republican period through Late Antiquity. Given this separation, an unexpected phenomenon marked the Augustan and early Imperial periods: Roman cities developed suburbs, built-up areas beyond their boundaries, where the living and the dead came together in densely urban environments.

Clay, a successful screenwriter, has returned from New York to Los Angeles to help cast his new movie, and he’s soon drifting through a long-familiar circle. Blair, his former girlfriend, is married to Trent, an influential manager who’s still a bisexual philanderer, and their Beverly Hills parties attract various levels of fame, fortune and power. Then there’s Clay’s childhood friend Julian, a recovering addict, and their old dealer, Rip, face-lifted beyond recognition and seemingly even more sinister than in his notorious past.

Dive into the unforgettable summer adventure of Derek, Gavin, Terrence, and Tom–four best 8-year-old friends who embark on an exciting journey to build a tree fort in the woods near their homes. In the small, charming town of Pineville, Washington, the boys discover the true magic of boys' friendship, teamwork, and imagination.

Jimmy Veeder has finally settled down, completing his dramatic transformation from hell-raiser to family man. With his new wife, Angie, and eight-year-old son, Juan, he lives the quiet life. No trouble, no problems. Or so he thought. But this is Jimmy Veeder's Fiasco, after all.

Humanity's interstellar empire died in fire and blood, leaving wrecked star systems to face the long night of barbarism. One tiny spark of civilization remains: The Republic of Lyonesse, tucked away at the end of a wormhole cul-de-sac. Yet that last bastion could suffer the same dire fate.