Soviet storm

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Christine Kinealy & Trevor Parkhill

This volume corrects that distortion "the Famine didn't happen in Ulster." Ulster was indeed spared what a local newspaper called "the horrors of Skibereen," but nonetheless, the severity of the famine, particularly in the winter 1846-7, is all too apparent in each of the nine counties. 95 inmates of Lurgan Workhouse died in one week in February 1847; and 351 people queued to get into Enniskillen Workhouse in one day. What was done to limit the tragedy? Contentious issues such as the effectiveness of government relief measures, the response of local landlords, and the role of the churches are all assessed.

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David Drake

"Governor Saxa, of the great city of Carce, a fantasy analog of ancient Rome, is rusticating at his villa. When Saxa's son Varus accompanies Corylus on a visit to the household of his father, Crispus, a retired military commander, Saxa graciously joins the party with his young wife Hedia, daughter Alphena, and a large entourage of his servants, making it a major social triumph for Crispus. But on the way to the event, something goes amiss. Varus, who has been the conduit for supernatural visions before, experiences another: giant crystalline worms devouring the entire world. Soon the major characters are each involved in supernatural events caused by a struggle between two powerful magicians, both mentored by the deceased poet and mage Vergil, one of whom wants to destroy the world and the other who wishes to stop him. But which is which? There is a complex web of human and supernatural deceit to be unraveled. This new novel in David Drake's ongoing chronicles of Carce, The Books of the Elements, is a gripping and intricate work of fantasy"--

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Barbara Michaels

Those present include Harry Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, psychoanalyst Nandor Fodor, and a writer who rivals them all with her sleuthing talent. These masters of mystery are about to put their minds to a pair of ghoulish stories--of families beset by poltergeistly pranks and bewitched by inexplicable horrors. Gripping puzzles, yes, but the terror of these tales is all too vicious and all too real.In the hollows of Tennessee, a family is threatened by a dire spirit whose warnings of despair and death come frighteningly true....In a small Connecticut town, a newly married widow and her children move into her second husband's home to find their lives possessed by an unimaginable demon....Were these villains phantom spirits or evildoers of flesh and blood? Dare to find out in this masterful delight from Barbara Michaels--a tale as frightening by daylight as it is by darkness."

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Lisa French Blaker

"The war that rages in Darfur has shattered the lives of millions of people. Images of their plight fill our newspapers and TV screens and the world feels horrified and helpless. But what is daily life like in Darfur for those who are trying to do something, however small, to help?" "Lisa arrives in Sudan with a wealth of nursing experience and a determination to make a difference. Her nine-month stay will prove to be the most heartbreakingly difficult period of her working life. Her faith in humanity is tested again and again as she witnesses the horrors of this brutal war, but in the midst of an unfolding nightmare there are moments of joy and relief. When Lisa helps a woman give birth or gives water to a baby who would otherwise die of dehydration she remembers why she came. And when she sees the dignity and determination of the people of Darfur she knows there is hope."--BOOK JACKET.