Showing results by narrator "Derek Perkins" in All Categories

In this brilliant, myth-busting account, Rodric Braithwaite, the former British ambassador to Moscow, challenges much of what we know about the Soviets in Afghanistan. He provides an inside look at this little-understood episode, using first-hand accounts and piercing analysis to show the war as it was fought and experienced by the Russians.

In the early 1920s amidst the upheaval of Weimar Germany, a small group of peaceable idealists began to meet, practicing a quiet, communal life focused on self-improvement. For the most part, they had come to know each other while attending adult education classes in the city of Essen. But "the Bund", as they called their group, had lofty aspirations - under the direction of their leader Artur Jacobs, its members hoped to forge an ideal community that would serve as a model for society at large. What became of this group?

First published in 1922 and filled with evocative portraits of pre-World War I society, these eight stories from the creator of the Father Brown mysteries recount the adventures of Horne Fisher, a socialite who uses his immense knowledge and powerful deductive gifts to investigate crimes committed on the sprawling country estates of the aristocracy - crimes that must, alas, go largely unpunished due to the greater harm that justice would unleash.

Through a deft compilation of primary sources—letters, memoirs, and personal accounts from composers, librettists, and performers—Michael Rose re-creates for his readers the circumstances that gave rise to fifteen operatic milestones. From Monteverdi and Mozart to Puccini and Berg, each chapter focuses on a well-known opera and tells the story that lies behind its creation.

As German V-1 rockets rain down on the English countryside, the men and women of the military hospitals fight to stay calm. The morning after a raid, Doctor Barnes prepares for a routine surgery to repair a postman's broken leg. But with general anesthesia, there is always danger. Before the first incision is made, the postman turns purple. Barnes and his nurses do what they can, but the patient is dead in minutes. The coroner calls for an inquest. Barnes has a history of lost patients, and cannot afford more trouble.

Émile Zola was the leader of the literary movement known as "naturalism" and is one of the great figures of the novel. In his monumental Les Rougon-Macquart (1871-93), he explored the social and cultural landscape of the late 19th century in ways that scandalized bourgeois society. Zola opened the novel up to a new realm of subjects, including the realities of working-class life, class relations, and questions of gender and sexuality, and his writing embodied a new freedom of expression, with his bold, outspoken voice often inviting controversy. 

Daroch McLeod is a ruthless and brilliant Druid driven by a single purpose: Retribution. Abused and tormented, he's promised not to stop until he's retaliated against his immortal captors. And he's never been closer to his goal. Daroch refuses to let the beautiful, inquisitive Banshee, who haunts his every step, uncover his deadly secrets. Can two souls searching for vengeance find redemption instead?

Since John Lennon composed "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" in early 1967, fans and music critics alike have argued over the meaning of the song. Is it about drugs? Is it just a lyrical response to a drawing given Lennon by his 4-year-old son Julian? Is there some deeper meaning? Professor Tim Kasser goes beyond speculative explanations by applying innovative psychological methods to the song's lyrics and music. He deeply analyzes the song's linguistic structure, its basic theme, and the way its words and music had been used by Lennon in earlier songs.

Years before the Whispering War, there was a girl named Olivia. Her family murdered, her home destroyed -- a darkness she can't control. Olivia has never quite fit in amongst the lords and ladies of the seas... but things are about to get worse. Forced into the service of a powerful enemy, she must use her gifts to kill. The darkness grows fiercer with every step; each murder drags her closer to edge of villainy. Only one force in the Kingdom might have the power to save her, but she knows it's too late. Olivia has already fallen to the darkness -- into the jaws of a monster she calls The Poison.

Well met, traveler! Since you are going in my direction, why don't we walk on together for a while? If luck is with us, perhaps we shall overtake Omar before nightfall, if that pirate of an innkeeper spoke true.

Five years ago, Rosa walked to the pier in the dead of night, looked into the swirling water and jumped. She was a brilliant young Cambridge student who had just lost her father. Her death was tragic, but not unexpected. But is that what really happened? Her death was ruled a suicide. But Rosa’s boyfriend, Jar, still can’t let go. He sees Rosa everywhere - a face on the train, a figure on the cliff. He is obsessed with proving that she is still alive. And then he gets an email. “Find me, Jar. Find me, before they do....”

What passes for investing today is, in fact, gambling: the notion of making money quickly and without effort...and that's just how Wall Street likes it. By charting the development of the modern financial system from its roots in the madness of the first bubbles and Roaring '80s, this book will cast a light on the chicanery of the big banks and hedge funds - and give you the information you need to make the right choices for your own investing future.

This collection includes Empire of Ruins and Island of Doom, the third and fourth books chronicling the further adventures of shape-shifting, masked spy Modo. In Empire of Ruins, accompanied by Octavia, Mr. Socrates, and Mrs. Finchley, Modo must go to Queensland to discover the truth behind the God Face. But hot on the trail is the Clockwork Guild with a brand new weapon. In Island of Doom, joined by memorable characters from the first three books—some lovable, and some terrifying and evil—Modo and Octavia dash toward a thrilling conclusion.

The year 2020 marks 75 years since the end of World War II, yet even as the war slips from living memory, its legacies continue to influence current political and military thinking. This anthology will analyze these legacies for a number of countries and regions, including China, Russia, the United States, the Near East, and Germany, illustrating in detail how World War II is not merely a historical event, but a defining moment for current military and political thinking around the globe.  

This newly launched report argues that development policies based on new insights into how people actually think and make decisions will help governments and civil society more readily tackle such challenges as increasing productivity, breaking the cycle of poverty from one generation to the next, and acting on climate change.

Shryke is running for his life. But how do you escape an enemy who can follow you everywhere and everywhen? Shryke knows you can't, yet still he runs. There are horrors buried deep in his memory that have been locked away from him by some secret magic. All he knows is that he is the Quantum Assassin, and he stands alone against the end of everything - the lone warrior in a war he can’t hope to win.

Lord Rivers Fitzroy is as charming and sought-after as his rakish elder brothers, though he immerses himself more in dusty books and scholarly pursuits than in bawdy houses. Yet, hell-bent on making the most of his remaining bachelorhood now that his father insists he marry, Rivers becomes the favorite of a troupe of Italian dancers. One night, after a performance, the handsome lord is challenged with a most provocative wager.

The fate of the world depends on his power... Malcolm de Moray is King of the Picts, a druid, and the Earth's last hope to stop the Apocalypse. To find his missing Grimoire and hunt down the evil threatening his family, he must venture into the Calledonian woods. The woman waiting for him will influence the future of humanity, but for which side? Join the de Moray Druids as they each find a love that will be worth defying the forces of evil and risking their souls to save our world.

As Endric continues his search for the traitor Urik, a new threat emerges, one that demands the attention of the Denraen. Now an officer, Endric should be a part of the planning, but the general seems determined to keep him from it. Endric searches for information that might help him understand, and as he finally thinks he’s getting close to discovering word on Urik, he’s sent from the city on what appears nothing more than a pointless mission. When an asset he cares for goes missing, Endric betrays the Denraen to go after them.

A blizzard savaged the mountain peaks, but at an inn called the Hunters' Haunt, travelers found safe refuge, a cozy room, and a roaring fire. All but Omar, the Trader of Tales - against whom the innkeeper had been nursing a grudge. But before he could pitch Omar out into the storm, his other guests proposed a contest: if Omar could top a roomful of their tallest tales, the storyteller could win his room and board. For Omar the stakes were life and death.