Great Opera

Belisarius Cawl, Archmagos Dominus of the Adeptus Mechanicus, is the most brilliant mind alive. For 10,000 years he has furthered the cause of mankind, working under the aegis of the Emperor and Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman to prevent the inexorable march of the alien and the traitor. Many call him heretic, but all must recognise the magnitude of his achievements, for who else but he was entrusted to create a new generation of Space Marines?

Stranded on an inhospitable planet. Lost in an unknown time. Faced with an unfamiliar galaxy. And a dear friend nearing death. Nathan Scott and the crew of the Aurora must make alliances quickly, or they will lose one of their own.

We have entered an age where we now have instant, unlimited, free access to the history of recorded music. We have the ability to listen across genres and eras. This is a world-wide phenomenon. This book is a guide to taking advantage of this astonishing new power. This book is also a way to appreciate one of our great cultural legacies; one that is very alive today. It is about American popular song and the body of work referred to as the Great American Songbook. These tunes are appreciated and treasured by listeners all over the world. This book is an effort to introduce you to the songs,...

Sanguinius is the Great Angel, most beloved of all the primarchs, his mighty exploits celebrated throughout the entire Imperium as the Crusade expands into the void. And yet the origins of his Legion are shrouded in mystery and rumour, his unique physical form is an enigma, and his perilous home world remains off-limits to all but his own secretive people. When a discredited remembrancer arrives with the expeditionary fleets to chronicle the primarch’s deeds, he has to work hard to uncover the truth behind the legends.

The Owls are arrogant, utterly convinced of their superiority, and hardly worth being called a threat. Jane is fighting a war she doesn’t understand. But the Owls are a threat to everyone else, and Jane is yet to find out the real stakes involved in this war. With Jane in the middle of known space, Baron Fred is trying to hold things together at one end in Gaia, while Walsh is holding down the diplomatic fort at the other end. For Fred, finding out the real cost of maintaining your ideals comes home to him in the most personal way possible. Walsh on the other hand, is tired of being the ...

Thrawn’s latest triumph still rests newly on his shoulders. He has led the Chiss to victory and brought glory to the House of Mitth, but the true threat to the Ascendancy has not yet been extinguished. Their foes do not send threats or ultimatums, do not mass ships on the edge of the Chaos. Their weapons come cloaked in smiles and generosity: Gifts offered freely. Services granted unconditionally. Across the Ascendancy, seemingly inconsequential events could herald the doom of the Chiss.

The Duchy of Hunter's Run has moved to the Gaia galaxy. But without its Duke. Twenty five billion people have appeared in the Gaia system unexpectedly, and only one person knows how or why. Yet preparations for fifteen billion exist, but only one person remembers the work being done. The one who knows, and the one who remembers, are the same, but Jane is not human. So good is she at hiding being an Artificial Intelligence, no-one knows except her fellow AI's. To her falls the responsibility for guiding Humanity as they come to terms with not knowing where they are. The how and why seem ...

When the world of Quadravidia comes under attack by the insidious tau, only one man can defeat the aliens and save the planet in the Emperor's name – the legendary Hero of the Imperium, Commissar Ciaphas Cain. When the aliens call for a ceasefire, Cain expects the worst, and his fears are answered in the form of the dread menace of the tyranids. As a hive fleet approaches Quadravidia, Cain must try to forge an alliance between the Imperium and the t'au – but can he truly trust the inscrutable xenos?

Hugo Award winner Harry Turtledove is the master of alternate history. In American Front he envisions World War I as it may have been if fought on American soil. The United States and Germany clash with the Confederacy, France, and Britain as the machines of modern warfare litter the landscape with carnage. Meanwhile, oppressed southern blacks head toward a fateful confrontation.

Dive into the enchanting world of opera where musical mastery meets literary brilliance! In "From Page to Stage: The Literature Behind Great Operas," seasoned violist and longtime principal player of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, Richard Fleischman takes readers on an illuminating journey through the rich tapestry of stories that have inspired some of the most beloved operatic works in history. Drawing on decades of experience performing works by iconic composers like Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini, as well as witnessing the evolution of new operas—including the Grammy-winning Cold Mountain ...

Tina never worries about being 'ordinary' - she doesn't have to, since she's known practically forever that she's not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She's also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it's going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible.

Walk in Hell is the incredible second book of best-selling author Harry Turtledove’s alternate history tetralogy of World War I, The Great War. The first book, American Front, was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of 1998.

In this startlingly vivid portrait of a world torn apart by war and strife, the Confederate States of America ally with Britain and France, while the United States sides with Germany in a World War I that might have been.

The balance of power is shifting in the vicious galactic war against the Torth Majority. The heroes are led by Ariock, a superhuman titan who wins every battle. The secret behind his victories is Thomas, the telepathic renegade supergenius. But resting on their laurels isn't an option. Overconfidence could be fatal, thanks to the enemy supergenius known as the Death Architect. And there may be an intrinsic threat among their ranks as well.

Siempre hay que desconfiar de las señoras de mediana edad bien vestidas, con aspecto de jubiladas y acompañadas de un dálmata espantadizo, como Mathilde Perrin, una viuda de sesenta y tres años algo entrada en carnes bajo cuya apariencia anodina se esconde una pistolera a sueldo de gatillo fácil y nervios de acero.

Here is the colorful story of sometimes temperamental composers and even more temperamental singers working in an art form which has produced some of man's noblest artistic creations. This absorbing history is illustrated by over 100 musical examples by Naxos artists as well as some of the greatest singers of the 20th century, including Enrico Caruso and Fyodor Chaliapin.

Since 2003, this sci-fi virtual world has been ruled by player-led governments commanding tens of thousands of real people. The conflict and struggle for power between these diverse governments has led to wars, espionage, and battles fought by thousands of people from nations all over the world. There have been climactic last stands, wars for honor and revenge, and spies who caused more damage than a fleet of warships.

Within the Great Sphere, Captain Aventurine Bana finds herself the centerpoint in a vast conspiracy. A struggling transporter on the edges of society, ‘Gem’ Bana is given a fantastic opportunity: take the estranged son of a powerful businessman around the Sphere, and receive a beautiful new ship in exchange. Quickly caught in a tangle of intrigue, danger, and the looming threat of some outside puppeteer, Bana must navigate the Great Sphere with dry wit, abject terror, and a cool head. Dodging bounties, assassins, and the reach of a Sphere-wide corporation, all she wanted was a good book...

A Rain of Fire: The dark forces of the Neo Hegemony strike, sweeping across the worlds of the Arcadian sector and crushing all in their path. One system stands against the onslaught: the Kingdom of New Avalon. But the men and women of their expeditionary forces are trapped behind enemy lines on a besieged planet. This box set also features Titan's Vengeance and A Relentless Fury.

For two decades he served...and never questioned the orders. Would one act of mercy cost him? Alistair believed in the work. It was important to stop the rebels for the good of the Commonwealth. Over his career he’d become the greatest Titan the Corp had ever seen. It was a simple mission. Then the rebels said one thing...and Alistair’s life changed forever.

After destroying much of Jhardon and the Mau planet of Carz-Mau, an elite Vanguard fleet of seven Craing dreadnaughts, planet killers, enters Earth’s orbit. Captain Jason Reynolds and the crew aboard his Caldurian ship, The Lilly, are once again pulled into action to fend off what just might be their most ruthless and powerful adversary yet. In an unanticipated turn of events, thousands of molt weevils are unleashed on Earth, swarming insectoid aliens with one intent…kill every man, woman, and child on the surface of the planet.