The Great Depression tore countless American lives, families, and dreams apart. As the country struggled to survive against unimaginable domestic challenges, tensions across the sea would soon draw the world into a war beyond imagination. The stories of bravery and sacrifice made by those who fought in that world war are familiar to us, but it is often in the smaller stories that aren't told that a new perspective can be found. The Quinn family of Illinois has suffered alongside their neighbors during the Great Depression, but unlike many, they have never lost sight of the promise of better times ahead. The Depression is showing signs of lifting, and the family risks it all for their own dream. Together for whatever the future might bring, the family moves into a primitive farmhouse on their newly acquired land, hoping for salvation and independence. Life is bleak in those first years, as no amount of hard work can create a profit from the unyielding land. Over his wife's objections, Milburn Quinn makes a bold decision to present his children with a gift. Although it is intended to keep them grounded and entertained, this gift comes with dire consequences for all. Set in a time when the world's norms are being turned upside down like the sod behind a plow, Fate Rode the Wind tells a story of one family's undying patriotism, unending trials, and unconditional love.

The Last Dragon of Steeple Morden is an incredible story of survival. Chicago's Top Fighter Pilot in World War II is shot down, deep behind German lines, in the apocalyptic twilight of the war. What happens over the subsequent two weeks tests the young pilot's resolve to survive and affirms mankind's propensity for severe brutality as well as its overwhelming capacity for compassion in the face of death. One of the most fantastic aspects of this story is that it is all true.

When I was a youngster growing up in Texas my dad worked in a number of fields. From the Oil Patch of West Texas, to farming in the Panhandle or in security in central Texas the family usually enjoyed evening meals together. After supper Dad enjoyed drinking a cup of coffee and telling us stories ranging from his experiences in the army during World War II, where he was wounded during a German artillery barrage, or his dreams for our futures or sometimes stories from his childhood. On one such occasion he told of two young men who were separated during the Civil War. One was raised by a family in the North and the other was raised by a family in the South. Years later when both boys were grown and had families of their own they were reunited. I have taken this event to construct the story of Josh and Jim, two young boys who were separated by the Civil War. The names, characters, locations and events are entirely fictitious and are presented for the readers' enjoyment. I hope that you enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Including brand-new paintings, this is a fully illustrated new edition of the forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, telling the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron. The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth, through the Second Age and the rise of Sauron, to the end of the War of the Ring. They are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-earth, and the Elves made war upon him in his impenetrable fortress in Angband for the recovery of the Silmarils, three jewels containing the last remaining pure light of Valinor, seized by Morgoth and set in his iron crown. Accompanying these tales are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Numenor at the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as told in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien could not publish The Silmarillion in his lifetime, as it grew with him, so he would leave it to his son, Christopher, to edit the work from many manuscripts and bring his father's great vision to publishable form, so completing the literary achievement of a lifetime. This special edition presents anew this seminal first step towards mapping out the posthumous publishing of Middle-earth, and the beginning of an illustrious forty years and more than twenty books celebrating his father's legacy. Also included is a letter by J.R.R. Tolkien written in 1951 which provides a brilliant exposition of the earlier Ages, and almost 50 full-colour paintings by Ted Nasmith, including some which appear here for the first time.

Set during the turbulent era of the Vietnam War, "Counters" is a quirky, thrilling story of air combat and of the young fighter pilots who blend the harsh reality of war with youth's untamed urges.

As the pilot of a sleek F-4C Phantom II, self-doubting Lieutenant Steve Mylder fights for his life in the skies above Vietnam in 1967 but battles for his soul against the Red Baron of his imagination. His cocky friend Avery-womanizer and master of the art of combat seduction-thunders fifty feet over a North Vietnamese beach, looks down, locks eyes with an improbable woman, and falls into hopeless love.

Steve and Avery count their missions, hoping against the odds that they'll make it back home alive instead of in a body bag. But liberating the recklessness in their souls is sometimes the only way to deal with the unknown, and the two friends soon realize that growing up is a lot harder than they thought.

In "Counters," humor and whimsy counteract with authentic details of air combat brought to life by former air force pilot Tony Taylor, illuminating a brooding yet fanciful look at the hormones and "warmones" that impel young men to war and stupidity.

When terrorists loyal to Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union win control of the Honde Valley on the eastern border of Rhodesia, the government must decide whether to concede defeat or take a stand.

Prime Minister Ian Smith decides to fight back, and he calls upon Jamie Ross, a district commissioner, to relocate 21,000 people into protected villages. To restore the Honde Valley, Ross must first re-establish authority, win over the hearts and minds of the people, and create conditions necessary to re-open the tea estates-a source of vital foreign exchange.

Meanwhile, Josiah Makoni, one of Mugabe's most terrifying lieutenants, is winning followers and accumulating power with a series of vicious terrorist acts. As the war escalates, Makoni faces setbacks, and cannot escape the internal conflicts that plague his nights and lead him to question whether life is worth living.

Find out whether Jamie and his team can overcome the unbridled fury of the terrorists while learning about the history of Rhodesia from multiple perspectives in Dawn of Deliverance.

Learn what has happened to the country of Zimbabwe under one of the most brutal dictators in modern history.

It's 1968, and Herb Royce, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Military Police, has been married for less than two weeks when he receives his orders to ship out. To his surprise, he's not heading off to fight in the jungles of Vietnam; he is being sent to Korea instead.

Not willing to be left behind, his wife, Joyce, a headstrong Canadian nurse, follows him and gets a job in a Korean hospital next to Herb's camp. But little do the two realize just what they've got themselves into. North Korea's dictator is desperate to start a second Korean War in parallel with the Vietnam conflict. The snatching of a U.S. Navy ship, the "USS Pueblo," is just the beginning of a murderous yearlong struggle.

Unfortunately, Herb has more than a maniacal dictator to deal with. His unstable, alcoholic colonel commands a tactical nuclear rocket outfit and clearly hates Herb's guts. It's soon evident that the colonel wouldn't mind sending Herb back to the United States in a body bag.

In as increasingly hostile environment, Joyce and Herb find their relationship tested in a strange and deadly world filled with spies, black marketeers, thieves, prostitutes and murderous North Korean army commandos. But when Herb rescues an abandoned Korean infant, the couple embarks on a truly extraordinary journey, one that will define them in ways they never thought possible.

As leader of the Israeli submarine Tekumah, Commander Gilad has the sole authority to launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles against cities housing millions. But while out at sea, the unthinkable occurs. Devastating nuclear explosions in Israel and attacks against Israeli embassies destroy any chance of peace in the Middle East.

Following the attacks, Gilad has no way to receive orders from civilian or military authorities, and must draw on all his training to lead his men and decide how and when to retaliate. Faced with a lengthy mission, food and fuel shortages, a fire, and an attack by a surface ship, Gilad struggles to maintain order.

As tensions rise, Gilad must persuade his own officers and crew, as well as the vengeful commander of a second Israeli submarine, of the path he has chosen. Sharon, a feisty female intelligence officer onboard, staunchly supports him as well as heroic crew members who stand ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with millions of lives at stake, Gilad has some hard choices to make, ones that may very well decide the fate of the free world.