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Valhalla
by Nathan ArcherTensions caused by speculation that Cardassia is about to reoccupy Bajor are complicated by the arrival of a strange alien ship. When it's discovered that the crew is dead and the ship is carrying valuable Gamma-quadrant technology, it becomes a sought after prize, which Commander Sisko must fight to keep out of Cardassian hands. Meanwhile, Sisko also finds himself at odds with Major Kira, who believes the ship is Bajoran property. When the alien ship suddenly seizes control of Deep Space Nine , and the Cardassians move in to try to capture it, Sisko must face off against a shipload of angry Cardassians -- and the alien being controlling Deep Space Nine!
Valhalla
by Nathan ArcherTensions caused by speculation that Cardassia is about to reoccupy Bajor are complicated by the arrival of a strange alien ship. When it's discovered that the crew is dead and the ship is carrying valuable Gamma-quadrant technology, it becomes a sought after prize, which Commander Sisko must fight to keep out of Cardassian hands. Meanwhile, Sisko also finds himself at odds with Major Kira, who believes the ship is Bajoran property. When the alien ship suddenly seizes control of Deep Space Nine , and the Cardassians move in to try to capture it, Sisko must face off against a shipload of angry Cardassians -- and the alien being controlling Deep Space Nine!
Valiant (The Lost Fleet, #4)
by Jack CampbellDeep within Syndicate World space, the Alliance fleet continues its dangerous journey home under the command of Captain John "Black Jack" Geary revived after a century spent in suspended animation. Geary's victories over the enemy have earned him both the respect -- and the envy -- of his fellow officers... Black Jack Geary has made many risky decisions as commander, but ordering the Alliance fleet back to the Lakota Star System, where it had nearly been destroyed by the Syndics, has his officers questioning his sanity. It's a desperate gamble that may buy Geary just enough time to prepare for the Syndics' inevitable return -- and give the fleet a fighting chance of survival. But even as he struggles to stay one step ahead of the enemy, Geary must face conspirators within his own fleet -- an unknown number of officers who want a change of command. And Geary knows that his fleet must stand together or the Syndic forces will tear them apart...
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution (The American Revolution Series #2)
by Nathaniel Philbrick<P>From the New York Times bestselling author of In The Heart of the Sea and Mayflower comes a surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution, and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. <P>In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental Army under an unsure George Washington (who had never commanded a large force in battle) evacuates New York after a devastating defeat by the British Army. Three weeks later, near the Canadian border, one of his favorite generals, Benedict Arnold, miraculously succeeds in postponing the British naval advance down Lake Champlain that might have ended the war. Four years later, as the book ends, Washington has vanquished his demons and Arnold has fled to the enemy after a foiled attempt to surrender the American fortress at West Point to the British. After four years of war, America is forced to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from within. <P>Valiant Ambition is a complex, controversial, and dramatic portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation. The focus is on loyalty and personal integrity, evoking a Shakespearean tragedy that unfolds in the key relationship of Washington and Arnold, who is an impulsive but sympathetic hero whose misfortunes at the hands of self-serving politicians fatally destroy his faith in the legitimacy of the rebellion. As a country wary of tyrants suddenly must figure out how it should be led, Washington's unmatched ability to rise above the petty politics of his time enables him to win the war that really matters. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Valiant Boys: True Stories from the Operators of the UK's First Four Jet-Bomber (The\jet Age Ser. #7)
by Tony Blackman Anthony WrightA fascinating collection of personal accounts of operating Britain&’s first V bomber by aircrew and ground crew.Valiant Boys tells the story from the aircraft&’s birth, taking off from Vickers&’ tiny airfield at Wisley near Brooklands, to its premature death from fatigue. There are tales of testing atom bombs in the Australian desert, dropping hydrogen bombs in the middle of the Pacific, and attacking airfields with conventional bombs in Egypt during the Suez campaign. We are reminded of how the Valiant provided the UK&’s first nuclear deterrent by always having some armed aircraft on stand-by twenty-four hours a day, supported by their air and ground crews, ready to be flown at a moment&’s notice on a one-way trip to launch an atomic war. Some Valiants were given a photographic role providing accurate images from high altitude and were used not only to gather military intelligence but also to survey the UK and countries overseas. Others were developed into flight refueling tankers, breaking point to point records before enabling Britain&’s fighter aircraft to be refueled and fly anywhere in the world.Valiant Boys completes Tony Blackman&’s trilogy of the three V bombers. As Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Michael Beetham makes it clear in his foreword, &“It is good to have a book written by aircrew and ground crew telling their stories and how they operated the aircraft so that all these things are recorded and not forgotten.&” Not as well-known as the Vulcan and Victor, the Valiant is often overlooked; this book will change that.
A Valiant Deceit: A WW2 Historical Mystery Perfect for Book Clubs (An Olive Bright Mystery #2)
by Stephanie GravesYoung pigeoneer Olive Bright has been conscripted, with her racing birds, to aid the fight against the Nazis. It&’s not the daring role she'd envisioned for herself, but her quiet little English village is not nearly as sheltered as she imagined . . . Returning to Pipley following her FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) training, Olive is eager to step up her involvement in the war effort. Her pigeons are being conscripted to aid the Belgian resistance, and it&’s up to Olive to choose the best birds for the mission. To protect the secrecy of their work, she must also continue the ruse of being romantically involved with her superior, Captain Jameson Aldridge, a task made more challenging by the fact that she really does have feelings for the gruff Irish intelligence officer. But perhaps the greatest challenge of all comes when an instructor at Station XVII, the top-secret training school housed at Brickendonbury Manor, is found dead in Balls Wood by a troop of Girl Guides. The police quickly rule Lieutenant Jeremy Beckett&’s death an accident, but based on clues she finds at the scene, Olive begins to suspect he might have been a spy. Involving the reluctant Jamie, she is determined to solve the murder and possibly stop a threat to their intelligence efforts which could put the Belgians—not to mention her pigeons—in grave danger.
Valiant Dust: Breaker of Empires, Book 1 (Breaker of Empires #1)
by Richard BakerIn a stylish, smart, new military science fiction series, Richard Baker begins the adventures of Sikander North in an era of great interstellar colonial powers. Valiant Dust combines the intrigues of interstellar colonial diplomacy with explosive military action.“New and extraordinary . . . Go read this!”—David WeberSikander Singh North has always had it easy—until he joined the crew of the Aquilan Commonwealth starship CSS Hector. As the ship’s new gunnery officer and only Kashmiri, he must constantly prove himself better than his Aquilan crewmates, even if he has to use his fists. When the Hector is called to help with a planetary uprising, he’ll have to earn his unit’s respect, find who’s arming the rebels, and deal with the headstrong daughter of the colonial ruler—all while dodging bullets.Sikander’s military career is off to an explosive start—but only if he and CSS Hector can survive his first mission.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Valiant Hours; Narrative Of “Captain Brevet,” An Irish-American In The Army Of The Potomac
by Thomas Francis Galwey"Thomas Francis De Burgh Galwey was born in London, England, in 1846, of an Irish family, one of the oldest branches of the Burkes of Galway. The family came to this country in 1851 and settled on a farm just outside of Cleveland, the site now being on Euclid Avenue. When the Civil War broke out, Galwey enlisted in the Hibernian Guard Company of the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was a slim, beardless youth only 5 feet 4 inches tall, but with a restless, lively spirit which soon won him promotion to corporal, sergeant, and lieutenant. His dark hair and snapping black eyes, as well as his effervescent and courageous spirit proclaimed his Gaelic ancestry, of which he was intensely proud.During the war Galwey meticulously made daily entries in his diary, a series of small leather-covered notebooks which he carried in his knapsack. From time to time he transcribed these notes into a larger book. Both of these journals have been preserved, and constitute the bulk of this narrative. The editor has simply changed the diary form to that of a narrative, adding a few notes here and there to clarify the background. Galwey's original sketch-maps have been reproduced, and a few others of the same type added. In transcribing his notes to the larger journal, Galwey frequently switched back and forth between the present and past tense. Some of this has been retained, to preserve the contemporary flavor and authenticity.The last chapter contains some additional biographical data contributed by Colonel Geoffrey Galwey, the author's son. It deals with Thomas Galwey's life after the war and sheds further light on the character and activities of a fascinating personality." - Foreword.
Valiant in Fight: A Book of Remembrance
by Laverne E. TiftIn the early months of World War II, many ships and stations of our Navy had no chaplain officially assigned. Chiefly, through the efforts of a unique Christian organization called "The Navigators", when the need for a Christian preacher was obvious, some "Navigator" trained man would step forward and fill the bill. These men and their associates were dedicated, fearless, top-notch fighting men, who loved and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a one was Machinist Mate first class, La Verne E. Tift aboard the heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis, operating with the Pacific Fleet out of Pearl Harbor. He was the "spark-plug" and acting teacher of our Bible study and prayer groups. Since leaving the Navy in 1945 he has become a Minister of the Gospel, serving various churches in California. He and his wife Grace reside in Fresno, California.
Valiant Units of the Cold War
by Chris Davey Andrew BrookesThe RAF's first Cold War strategic bomber, the Vickers Valiant, was procured as an insurance measure in case either the Vulcan or Victor was found to have a serious flaw. The Valiant was the equivalent of the US B-47 Stratojet, and it blazed the trail for the British airborne nuclear deterrent as the aircraft enjoyed a far more active service career than later V-bombers. It was the launch platform for all British free fall nuclear weapons tests both in the Pacific and in central Australia, it took part in the Suez campaign in 1956 and it was the only V-bomber to drop (conventional) weapons in anger until the Falklands operation in 1982. The Valiant was modified to serve in the electronic warfare, strategic reconnaissance and airborne tanker role. It was the first V-bomber to operate down at low level when it was assigned to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and the last six squadrons were scheduled to remain in service until 1970. However, the Valiant force had to be grounded in early 1965 when the aircraft succumbed to metal fatigue.
Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II
by Lena S. Andrews"An ingenious look at WWII.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)A groundbreaking new history of the role of American servicewomen in WWII, illuminating their forgotten yet essential contributions to the Allies’ victory.Valiant Women is the story of the 350,000 American women who served in uniform during World War II. These incredible women served in every service branch, in every combat theater, and in nearly two-thirds of the available military occupations at the time.They were pilots, codebreakers, ordnance experts, gunnery instructors, metalsmiths, chemists, translators, parachute riggers, truck drivers, radarmen, pigeon trainers, and much more. They were directly involved in some of the most important moments of the war, from the D-Day landings to the peace negotiations in Paris. These women—who hailed from every race, creed, and walk of life—died for their country and received the nation’s highest honors. Their work, both individually and in total, was at the heart of the Allied strategy that won World War II.Yet, until now, their stories have been relegated to the dusty shelves of military archives or a passing mention in the local paper. Often the women themselves kept their stories private, even from their own families.Now, military analyst Lena Andrews corrects the record with the definitive and comprehensive historical account of American servicewomen during World War II, based on new archival research, firsthand interviews with surviving veterans, and a deep professional understanding of military history and strategy.
Valientes. El relato de las víctimas del franquismo y de los que les sobrevivieron
by Natalia JunqueraÉste es un libro de historias de hombres valientes, de héroes hasta ahora anónimos, de grandes injusticias y tragedias, de hogares rotos en los que nunca se habló del que faltaba. Con prólogo de Baltasar Garzón. Más de 150.000 personas murieron durante la Guerra Civil lejos del frente. En pueblos pequeños que no habían levantado trincheras. Los mataron por pertenecer a un sindicato, a un partido político. Por ser familiar de algún sindicalista, de algún político. Por ser esposa de un rojo, por tener un vecino envidioso, por haber ganado un conflicto de tierras, por haberse quedado con la chica que deseaba otro. Nadie persiguió o castigó a los verdugos. Nadie los llamó verdugos. Durante los siguientes cuarenta años fueron simplemente los vencedores. La periodista de El País Natalia Junquera, especialista en memoria histórica y robo de niños, ha dedicado más de seis años de investigación, de entrevistas, de viajes y de conversaciones con los hombres y las mujeres que sufrieron los crímenes de la Guerra Civil y del franquismo, una realidad silenciada que todavía hoy produce escalofríos. Valientes recoge las historias de esas víctimas que no tienen ni calles ni lápidas ni tumbas en los cementerios. Las vidas tan cortas de los que murieron de espaldas, frente a un árbol o una tapia, sacados de madrugada de sus casas. Las de quienes fueron fusilados tras consejos sumarísimos. Las de quienes murieron de hambre, frío y enfermedades abandonados en cárceles abarrotadas de sinsentido. Y las de los que les sobrevivieron: los que tuvieron que convivir durante décadas con los verdugos, con el silencio y con el miedo. «Natalia Junquera nos concede el privilegio de conocer de primera mano no sólo la realidad que vivieron las víctimas de la Guerra Civil y la posguerra y sus familiares en el pasado, sino la que aún viven hoy. Escalofriantes yemotivos testimonios de sufrimiento, de impotencia ante la injusticia que se estaba cometiendo, y de la fortaleza que tuvieron que sacar muchas familias para seguir adelante. Un libro excelente». Baltasar Garzón
Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler
by Jerome Fehrenbach Steven Rendall Florence Fehrenbach Philip Freiherr Von BoeselagerWhen the Second World War broke out, Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager, then 25-years-old, fought enthusiastically for Germany as a cavalry officer. But after discovering Nazi crimes, von Boeselager's patriotism quickly turned to disgust, and he joined a group of conspirators who plotted to kill Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler. In this elegant but unflinching memoir, von Boeselager gives voice to the spirit of the small but determined band of men who took a stand against the Third Reich in what culminating in the failed "Valkyrie" plot--one of the most fascinating near misses of twentieth-century history.
Valkyrie: An Insider's Account of the Plot to Kill Hitler
by Hans Bernd GiseviusWhen on July 20, 1944, a bomb-boldly placed inside Hitler's headquarters by Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg- exploded without killing the Führer, the subsequent coup d'état against the Third Reich collapsed. The conspirators were summarily shot or condemned in show trials and sadistically hanged. One of the few survivors of the conspiracy was Hans Bernd Gisevius, who had used his positions in the Gestapo and the Abwehr (military intelligence) to further the anti-Nazi plot. Valkyrie, an abridgment of Gisevius's classic insider's account To the Bitter End, is an intimate memoir as riveting as it is exceptional.
Valkyrie: The USA's Ill-fated Supersonic Heavy Bomber
by Graham M. SimonsDuring the 1950s, at the time Elvis Presley was rocking the world with Hound Dog and the USA was aiming to become the worlds only superpower, plans were being drawn at North American Aviation in Southern California for an incredible Mach-3 strategic bomber. The concept was born as a result of General Curtis LeMays desire for a heavy bomber with the weapon load and range of the subsonic B-52 and a top speed in excess of the supersonic medium bomber, the B-58 Hustler. If LeMays plans came to fruition there would be 250 Valkyries in the air; it would be the pinnacle of his quest for the ultimate strategic bomber operated by Americas Strategic Air Command. The design was a leap into the future that pushed the envelope in terms of exotic materials, avionics and power plants. However, in April 1961, Defense Secretary McNamara stopped the production go-ahead for the B-70 because of rapid cost escalation and the USSRs newfound ability to destroy aircraft at extremely high altitude using either missiles or the new Mig-25 fighter. Nevertheless, in 1963 plans for the production of three high-speed research aircraft were approved and construction proceeded. In September 1964 the first Valkyrie, now re-coded A/V-1 took to the air for the first time and in October went supersonic.This book is the most detailed description of the design, engineering and research that went into this astounding aircraft. It is full of unpublished details, photographs and firsthand accounts from those closely associated with the project. Although never put into full production, this giant six-engined aircraft became famous for its breakthrough technology, and the spectacular images captured on a fatal air-to-air photo shoot when an observing Starfighter collided with Valkyrie A/V-2 which crashed into the Mojave Desert.The loss of the $750 million aircraft and two lives stopped future development, although there were several attempts to redesign it as an airliner to compete against the European Concorde.
Valkyrie: The Plot To Kill Hitler
by Philipp von BoeselagerThe last member of Operation Valkyrie - the daring July 20 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler - tells his remarkable story.'It was not the question of an isolated assassination, but rather of beginning a complete overthrow of the regime'July 20 1944. A fearless group of German officers attempted to act against the horrors of Nazism and put an end to the war by killing Adolf Hitler. But Operation Valkyrie failed, and one by one the plotters were found out, tortured and executed. Philipp von Boeselager - who supplied the explosives that would rip through the Führer's bunker - miraculously escaped death.In this unique memoir Philipp tells his extraordinary life story and the part he played in this, and three other dramatic attempts on Hitler's life. He recounts how a small band of resisters dared to stop evil and prevent profound loss of lives. Ultimately they failed but the legacy of their courage endures.
The Valkyrie Project
by Michael KilianA doomed journalist travels to Iceland to destroy a Soviet superweapon Halfway between the United States and the Soviet Union, Iceland is one of the most strategic points in the Cold War. And home to a NATO squadron that could wipe Moscow off the map in an instant, it&’s is about to become the unwitting host for the most daring operation in military history. On the remote coast of this frost-bound island, the Soviets are building a laser powerful enough to bring the United States to its knees. They call it Valkyrie, and once it&’s operational, the free world will no longer be free. When an exiled East German scientist notices a suspicious drain on the Icelandic electrical grid, the KGB sends an assassin to protect their superweapon. Halting the madness falls to Jack Spencer, an American journalist with a terminal disease—which may kill him before he gets a chance to save the world.
The Valley
by John Renehan*Named one of Wall Street Journal's Best Books of 2015*Selected as a Military Times's Best Book of the Year "You're going up the Valley." Black didn't know its name, but he knew it lay deeper and higher than any other place Americans had ventured. You had to travel through a network of interlinked valleys, past all the other remote American outposts, just to get to its mouth. Everything about the place was myth and rumor, but one fact was clear: There were many valleys in the mountains of Afghanistan, and most were hard places where people died hard deaths. But there was only one Valley. It was the farthest, and the hardest, and the worst. When Black, a deskbound admin officer, is sent up the Valley to investigate a warning shot fired by a near-forgotten platoon, he can only see it as the final bureaucratic insult in a short and unhappy Army career. What he doesn't know is that his investigation puts at risk the centuries-old arrangements that keep this violent land in fragile balance, and will launch a shattering personal odyssey of obsession and discovery as Black reckons with the platoon's dark secrets, accumulated over endless hours fighting and dying in defense of an indefensible piece of land. The Valley is a riveting tour de force that changes our understanding of the men who fight our wars and announces John Renehan as one of the great American storytellers of our time.From the Hardcover edition.
Valley Forge
by Bob Drury Tom ClavinThe #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is return with one of the most inspiring—and underappreciated—chapters in American history: the story of the Continental Army’s six-month transformation in Valley Forge.December 1777. It is 18 months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and some 12,000 members of America’s beleaguered Continental Army stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment 23 miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. The starving and half-naked force is reeling from a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of King George III’s army, and are barely equipped to survive the coming winter. Their commander in chief, the focused and forceful George Washington, is at the lowest ebb of his military career. The Continental Congress is in exile and the American Revolution appears to be lost. Yet a spark remains. Determined to keep the rebel cause alive through sheer force of will, Washington transforms the farmland plateau hard by the Schuylkill River into a virtual cabin city. Together with a dedicated coterie of advisers both foreign and domestic—Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, the impossibly young Alexander Hamilton, and John Laurens—he sets out to breathe new life into his military force. Against all odds, as the frigid and miserable months pass, they manage to turn a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force that will change the world forever. Valley Forge is the story of how that metamorphosis occurred. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, the team behind such bestsellers as The Heart of Everything That Is, The Last Stand of Fox Company, and Halsey’s Typhoon, show us how this miracle was accomplished despite thousands of American soldiers succumbing to disease, starvation, and the elements. Here is Steuben, throwing himself into the dedicated drilling sessions he imported from Prussian battlefields. Here is Hamilton, proffering the shrewd advice that wards off his beloved commander in chief’s scheming political rivals. Here is Laurens, determined to integrate the Continental Army with freed black men and slaves. Here is Lafayette, thirsting for battlefield accolades while tenaciously lobbying his own king for crucial French aid. At the center of it all is George Washington, in the prime of his life yet confronting crushing failure as he fends off political conspiracies every bit as pernicious as his incessant military challenges. The Virginia planter-turned-general is viewed by many as unqualified to lead the Continental Army after the humiliating loss of Philadelphia, and his detractors in and out of Congress plot to replace him. The Valley Forge winter is his—and the revolution’s—last chance at redemption. And, indeed, after six months in the camp, Washington fulfills his destiny, leading the Continental Army to a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House. The momentum is never again with the Redcoats. Valley Forge is the riveting true story of a nascent United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents—and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation—Drury and Clavin provide the definitive account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence.
Valley Forge: A Novel (George Washington Series #2)
by Newt Gingrich William R. ForstchenA riveting, personal look at one of our country's first heroes in the second captivating novel of the George Washington series by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen, the New York Times bestselling authors of To Try Men's SoulsIt's the winter of 1777, a year after Washington's triumphant surprise attack on Trenton, and the battered, demoralized Continental Army retreats from Philadelphia. At Valley Forge, they discover that their requests for supplies have been ignored by Congress. With no other options, for weeks the army freezes under tents in the bitter cold. The men are on the point of collapse, while in Philadelphia the British live in luxury. In spite of the suffering, Washington endures, joined by a volunteer from Germany, Baron Friederich von Steuben. With precious little time, von Steuben begins recasting the army as a professional corps capable of facing the British head-on—something it has never accomplished before—in the process changing the course of history. Valley Forge is a compelling, painstakingly researched tour-de-force novel about survival, transformation, and rebirth. It chronicles the unique crucible of time and place where Washington and his army, against all odds, were forged into the force that would win a revolution and found the United States of America.
Valley Forge: Making and Remaking a National Symbol (Keystone Books)
by Lorett TreeseMore than four million people a year visit Valley Forge, one of America's most celebrated historic sites. Here, amid the rolling hills of southeastern Pennsylvania, visitors can pass through the house which served as Washington's Headquarters during the famous winter encampment of 1777–1778. Others picnic and jog in the huge park, complete with monuments, recreated log huts, and modern visitor center, all built to pay tribute to the Valley Forge story. In this lively book, Lorett Treese shows how Valley Forge evolved into the tourist mecca that it is today. In the process, she uses Valley Forge as a means for understanding how Americans view their own past. Treese explores the origins of popular images associated with Valley Forge, such as George Washington kneeling in the snow to seek divine assistance. She places Valley Forge in the context of the historic preservation movement as the site became Pennsylvania's first state park in 1893. She studies its "Era of Monuments" and the movement to "restore" Valley Forge in the spirit of Rockefeller's enormously popular colonial Williamsburg. Treese describes a Valley Forge fraught with controversy over the appropriate appearance and use of a place so revered. One such controversy, the "hot dog war," a brief but intense battle over concession stands, was spawned by Americans' changing perceptions of how a national park was to be used. The volatile Vietnam era prompted the state park commission to establish its "Subcommittee on Sex, Hippies, and Whiskey Swillers" to investigate park regulation infractions. Even today, people differ over exactly what happened at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777–1778. The modern visitor sees the remains of over a century of commemoration, competition, and contention. The result, Treese shows, is a historic site that may reveal more about succeeding history than about Washington's army. This book will give its readers a new way to look at Valley Forge—and all historic sites.
The Valley of Bones: A Dance Ot The Music Of Time (A Dance of Music and Time)
by Anthony PowellAnthony Powell’s universally acclaimed epic A Dance to the Music of Time offers a matchless panorama of twentieth-century London. Now, for the first time in decades, readers in the United States can read the books of Dance as they were originally published—as twelve individual novels—but with a twenty-first-century twist: they’re available only as e-books. World War II has finally broken out, and The Valley of Bones (1964) finds Nick Jenkins learning the military arts. A stint at a training academy in Wales introduces him to the many unusual characters the army has thrown together, from the ambitious bank clerk-turned-martinet, Gwatkin, to the hopelessly slovenly yet endearing washout, Bithel. Even during wartime, however, domestic life proceeds, as a pregnant Isobel nears her term and her siblings’ romantic lives take unexpected turns—their affairs of the heart lent additional urgency by the ever-darkening shadow of war. "Anthony Powell is the best living English novelist by far. His admirers are addicts, let us face it, held in thrall by a magician."--ChicagoTribune "A book which creates a world and explores it in depth, which ponders changing relationships and values, which creates brilliantly living and diverse characters and then watches them grow and change in their milieu. . . . Powell's world is as large and as complex as Proust's."--Elizabeth Janeway, New YorkTimes "One of the most important works of fiction since the Second World War. . . . The novel looked, as it began, something like a comedy of manners; then, for a while, like a tragedy of manners; now like a vastly entertaining, deeply melancholy, yet somehow courageous statement about human experience."--Naomi Bliven, New Yorker “The most brilliant and penetrating novelist we have.”--Kingsley Amis
The Valley of Creation
by Edmond HamiltonIn that hidden valley, land of strangely forbidding beauty, Eric Nelson, soldier of fortune, faced a battle weirder and more savage than any he had ever fought. He was hired to fight for humanity, against beings that seemed to be both more and less than human.The weapons of the enemy included centuries-old powers of magic and superstition . . . but Nelson fought grimly, even when his mind was helplessly trapped in the body of a wolf. Then came the climactic test of his allegiance, the knowledge that more than just humanity was at stake . . . and the final mind-shattering discovery of an alien secret that lay buried in the Cavern of Creation!
Valley of Death: The Tragedy at Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War
by Ted MorganPulitzer Prize-winning author Ted Morgan has now written a rich and definitive account of the fateful battle that ended French rule in Indochina-and led inexorably to America's Vietnam War. Dien Bien Phu was a remote valley on the border of Laos along a simple rural trade route. But it would also be where a great European power fell to an underestimated insurgent army and lost control of a crucial colony. Valley of Death is the untold story of the 1954 battle that, in six weeks, changed the course of history. A veteran of the French Army, Ted Morgan has made use of exclusive firsthand reports to create the most complete and dramatic telling of the conflict ever written. Here is the history of the Vietminh liberation movement's rebellion against French occupation after World War II and its growth as an adversary, eventually backed by Communist China. Here too is the ill-fated French plan to build a base in Dien Bien Phu and draw the Vietminh into a debilitating defeat-which instead led to the Europeans being encircled in the surrounding hills, besieged by heavy artillery, overrun, and defeated. Making expert use of recently unearthed or released information, Morgan reveals the inner workings of the American effort to aid France, with Eisenhower secretly disdainful of the French effort and prophetically worried that "no military victory was possible in that type of theater. " Morgan paints indelible portraits of all the major players, from Henri Navarre, head of the French Union forces, a rigid professional unprepared for an enemy fortified by rice carried on bicycles, to his commander, General Christian de Castries, a privileged, miscast cavalry officer, and General Vo Nguyen Giap, a master of guerrilla warfare working out of a one-room hut on the side of a hill. Most devastatingly, Morgan sets the stage for the Vietnam quagmire that was to come. Superbly researched and powerfully written, Valley of Death is the crowning achievement of an author whose work has always been as compulsively readable as it is important.
Valley of the Shadow
by Gen. O. P. Weyland Maj. Ward M. MillarU.S. Major Ward M. Millar was the third and last of three Air Force pilots captured during the Korean War to make his escape from the Communists. This is his story, first published in 1955, simply told, and one of stubborn and single-minded determination. Parachuting down in enemy territory, with two broken legs, Millar was picked up by some Chinese soldiers, treated minimally, interrogated at length, and finally taken to a “hospital,” which was no more than an infirmary. His first escape attempt—crawling on wooden skids—failed; his second, with walking sticks and padded galoshes for shoes, was more successful. He managed to hobble at the rate of a mile a day, lived on raw corn, was gradually weakened by dysentery and hunger, and fell into the hands of Kim—a friendly North Korean who was able to complete his escape and escort him to Seoul....“A modest, matter of fact account—which has (and perhaps needs) no pretensions beyond the bare, spare facts of this experience.”—Kirkus Review