Showing results by author "James Gardner" in All Categories

Kim Lam is an ordinary college student until a freak scientific accident (what else?) transforms Kim and three housemates into Sparks - and drafts them into the never-ending war between the Light and Dark. They struggle to master their new abilities - and (of course) to design cool costumes and come up with great hero-names. Turns out that "accident" was just the first salvo in a Mad Genius's latest diabolical scheme. Now it's up to four newbie heroes to save the day, before they even have a chance to figure out what their team's name should be!

The fascinating and little-known story of the Louvre, from its inception as a humble fortress to its transformation into the palatial residence of the kings of France and then into the world's greatest art museum.

Only days have passed since a freak accident granted four college students superhuman powers. Now Jools and her friends (who haven’t even picked out a name for their superhero team yet) get caught up in the hunt for a Mad Genius’ misplaced super-weapon. But when Jools falls in with a modern-day Robin Hood and his band of superpowered Merry Men, she finds it hard to sort out the Good Guys from the Bad Guys - and to figure out which side she truly belongs on. Especially since nobody knows exactly what the Gun does....

Oar is the last of her kind - a resident of the so-called "planet of no return", once the Admiralty's dumping ground for undesirables and those who had become expendable. Oar's transparent body is indestructible. Yet the mind it houses grows weary and will soon surrender to the catatonic torpor that has already claimed the others of her genetically altered human race. But Oar cannot sleep, not yet. There are powerful forces seeking her destruction for reasons unknown.

Under the benevolent leadership of the League of Peoples, there is no war, little crime, and life is sacred...unless you're an Explorer. The ugly, the flawed, the misfit, the deformed, they are the unwanted, flung to the farthest corners of the galaxy to investigate hostile planets and strange, vicious creatures. Out there, there are a thousand different - and terrible - ways to die.

Martin Gardner wrote the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American for twenty-five years and published more than seventy books on topics as diverse as magic, philosophy, religion, pseudoscience, and Alice in Wonderland.

America had 70 women who served as First Lady in the White House even though there were only 45 men who held the position of President. Many of these women have been forgotten, but this book puts together, for the first time, all 70 women who served.

Life under the thumb of the Spark Lords - the League's Earthly representatives - is dull but comfortable for Philemon Abu Dhubhai and the other teachers at a third-rate private school for second-rate rich kids. But all that changes when a female student is found murdered by an unknown alien organism, and her boyfriend, the prime suspect, goes missing. Suddenly an unofficial homicide investigation has snared Philemon and five other "misfits", trapping them all in a web of terrifying conspiracy.

Find out who the Trump Voters are with empirical data on nearly 50 different variables across 10 major domains including intelligence, health, family life, violence, economic well-being, voting patterns, and "hot button" issues like abortion, immigration, and book banning. Discover that there is no single Trump voter but rather several types of Trump voters who differ from each other as much as they differ from the rest of us.

Ten mythological heroes and stories from Greek mythology, for a delightful overview of the fundamentals of our culture. This is a selection of the most touching and inspiring stories from Ancient Greece; they have all inspired countless works of art through the centuries, often come from even more ancient myths, and are here retold in a detailed and lively manner.

Two species lived in peaceful coexistence on the planet Demoth until a deadly plague wiped out millions of the winged Ooloms while leaving humans untouched, helpless to do more than ease the suffering of their alien friends and neighbors. Faye Smallwood saw the horror firsthand, caring for the plague victims in her fahter's hospital. She was there when he discovered the cure that made him famous. She was also there when a freak accident killed him.

"The Twelve Labours of Hercules" are a series of feats ordered by the gods carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, whose name was later romanised as Hercules. The legend was first written whole, as a fixed cycle of twelve labours, in an epic Greek poem now lost, in about 600BC; as they survive in the original source, the labours are not all recounted in a single place, but must be reassembled from many sources. This short story is a retelling of Hercules' legend with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

The myth of Icarus is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Phaeton. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth from 1914, a year in which it was easy to fear for a son who would soar in the sky with metal wings; the story of Icarus and Daedalus is told in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

Discover the people and places in Haunted Los Angeles.

"King Lear" is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, depicting the gradual descent into madness of the title character after he disposes of his kingdom giving bequests to two of his three daughters based on their flattery of him, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is derived from the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king; after the English Restoration, it was often revised with a happy ending for audiences who disliked its dark and depressing tone, but since the nineteenth century, Shakespeare's original version has been regarded as one of his supreme achievements.

Bring together the inner happiness brought by meditation and the external pleasure of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response). We specify that the interpretation of this title is intentionally whispered, to correspond to the principles of the ASMR. This album of meditation and relaxation techniques is read by Katie Haigh in a soft whisper that will ensure to trigger the frisson of ASMR and its healing properties, so that you feel perfectly relaxed, brain-thrillingly good, and finally let go of stress and anxieties.

For the children of Admiral Alexader York, perfection wasn't just expected, it was guaranteed - written into their DNA before they were born. But while Samantha grew into the physical and mental marvel their father had bought and paid for, her twin brother Edward proved a disappointment. Genetic tinkering had raised Sam above the common herd, but Edward's faultless body housed a faulty brain.

Have you ever been to a King Lear performance with the impression of not having understood everything? It's normal. Shakespeare's plays are the most beautiful of the theatrical repertoire, but you cannot go to a Shakespeare play if you do not have a minimum prepared this show: understand the issues, characters, context, cultural or historical references is indispensable. The same is true if you intend to read a play by William Shakespeare: our summaries will help you better understand what you have read.

Explorer Third Class Youn Sue is Expendable - a member of the highly skilled and highly disposable Explorer Corps trained to undertake hazardous missions so that the rest of humanity need not be upset by their (almost-certain) deaths. With her partner, Tut, Youn is sent to rescue an innocent planet from the extremely dangerous sentient Balrog. But how do you defeat an alien intelligence so advanced that it literally knows what you will do before you do ... especially when it has its own sinister plans?

"The Tragedy of Macbeth" is a play written by William Shakespeare. Set mainly in Scotland, the play illustrates the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. The play was most likely written during the reign of James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shakespeare's acting company and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote during James's reign, "Macbeth" most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with the sovereign.