Big, bold military science fiction action from New York Times bestselling author, Ian Douglas. Marines are still the toughest sons of guns in the galaxy. As Bravo Company defuses a hostage crisis on an orbiting mining station, Navy Corpsman Elliot "Doc" Carlyle not only saves the lives of a wounded Marine and two extraterrestrial friendlies-he averts a terrorist strike intended to kill billions. His reward? Deployment on a recon mission into the darkest depths known to man. Abyss Deep is a foreboding ocean planet torn by extremes: boiling storm world on one side, unbroken glacier on the other. Humans established a research colony there to study the planet's giant sea serpents-but the colony has gone ominously silent. When Carlyle's team arrives, they discover a vessel belonging to a warlike alien species hovering above the atmosphere. But below the ice lurks a mystery so chilling it will make even Elliot Carlyle's blood run cold.

The fourth bookin the epic saga of humankind'swar of transcendence

Humanity had appeared to fend off theSh'daar assault once and for all, though they never learned why the alien empire was driven to halt Earth's advancement toward technological Singularity.

But in this war of worlds, victory is always elusive.And now a new battle begins.

After twenty years of peace, not one but two fragiletruces are unraveling. Alexander Koenig, the former Navycommander whose heroics forced the Sh'daar intosubmission, has won a second term as President of theUnited States of North America. But pursuing hismandate--sovereignty from the centuries-old EarthConfederation--becomes a risky proposition dueto events taking place on the other side of the galaxy.A Confederation research vessel has been ambushed.Destroyers are descending on a human colony. It seemsthe Sh'daar have betrayed their treaty, and allnations must stand united--or face certain death.

It all comes down to this… From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ian Douglas comes the jaw-dropping finale to his adrenaline-fueled military sci-fi Solar Warden series. The Saurians have an agenda: dominance over Earth. Operating from the shadows, they plant conspiracy theories and instil fear among the human population. Too weak in numbers to militarily conquer a world they believe to be their own, they seek to revive Nazi ideologies to gain absolute control. With his species in danger, Commander Mark Hunter and his Joint Space Strike Team must join forces with time travelers and government psychics if they stand a chance at saving their planet. As if that weren’t challenge enough, Hunter’s girlfriend has been kidnapped in a bid to control him. Now he has just one chance to find her before the Saurians bring the entire base crashing down around him. Hunter and his crew will require a miracle, and even that might not be enough . . .

This fully revised second edition reflects the great expansion in urban ecology research, action and teaching since 2015. Urban ecology provides an understanding of urban ecosystems and uses nature-based techniques to enhance habitats and alleviate poor environmental conditions. Already the home to the majority of the world’s people, urban areas continue to grow, causing ecological changes throughout the world. To help students of all professions caring for urban areas and the people, animals and plants that live in them, the authors set out the environmental and ecological science of cities; linkages between urban nature and human health and urban food production in cities and how we can value urban nature. The book explores our responsibilities for urban nature and greening, ecological management techniques and the use of nature-based solutions to achieve a better, more sustainable urban future and ensure that cities can climate change and become more beautiful and more sustainable places in which to live. This text provides the student and the practitioner with a critical scientific overview of urban ecology that will be a key source of data and ideas for studies and for sound urban management.

This fully revised second edition reflects the great expansion in urban ecology research, action and teaching since 2015. Urban ecology provides an understanding of urban ecosystems and uses nature-based techniques to enhance habitats and alleviate poor environmental conditions. Already the home to the majority of the world’s people, urban areas continue to grow, causing ecological changes throughout the world. To help students of all professions caring for urban areas and the people, animals and plants that live in them, the authors set out the environmental and ecological science of cities; linkages between urban nature and human health and urban food production in cities and how we can value urban nature. The book explores our responsibilities for urban nature and greening, ecological management techniques and the use of nature-based solutions to achieve a better, more sustainable urban future and ensure that cities can climate change and become more beautiful and more sustainable places in which to live. This text provides the student and the practitioner with a critical scientific overview of urban ecology that will be a key source of data and ideas for studies and for sound urban management.

New York Times bestselling author Ian Douglas delivers the action-packed second military sci-fi adventure in his Solar Warden series set in a wildly imaginative alternate present where conspiracy theories are terrifying realities and reptilian aliens team up with Nazis in space. By exposing the sinister Saurians, Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Mark Hunter and his team have more than proven themselves. Yet the war between humanity and the intergalactic aliens has only begun—now they must save themselves and all of civilization.   The JSST—the Joint Space Strike Team Hunter has put together from all branches of the U.S. military—is again deployed on board the Earth starcraft carrier Hillenkoetter on a mission to probe a possible historical connection between the Saurians and the Nazi Third Reich. At a planet called Paradies orbiting the red giant star Aldebaran, they discover a long-rumored colony of expatriate Nazis... and the beginnings of a plan to enslave Earth under Nazi—and Saurian—rule.    With Earth at stake, governments deeply compromised, and evil at the door, Solar Warden must fight together to end it all…even if it means sacrificing everything.

The tropics provide the key to understanding much biological and Earth science. This is particularly true for the study of landforms, which in higher latitudes suffer great seasonal contrasts in process intensity and type, and which often in the past underwent the dramatic changes of glaciation and periglaciation. Yet studies in the tropics have shown that the legacy of past climate changes is much more dramatic than was formerly believed. This book, first published in 1985, brings together the variety of evidence about such environmental changes, over a variety of timescales, and sets it against the current knowledge of the nature of geomorphic processes in the tropics.

The sixth book in this action-packed, New York Times bestselling science fiction series - STAR CARRIER. The clock is ticking in the struggle for galactic independence Once rebels themselves facing off against the Earth Confederation, the United States of North America is now the dominant force in negotiations with the interstellar Sh'daar Collective. But just as the Marines root out the last violent dissenters, an alien ship of unknown origin suddenly flees Earth's orbit. Is it mere coincidence . . . or a terrifying omen? President Alexander Koenig watches with great interest as USNA forces chase the runaways down. But upon first contact, it's not apparent where-or when-the crew is headed. For this bizarre species has somehow mastered the power to manipulate time itself. Now Koenig must decide whether he's dealing with angels of astonishing technological prowess . . . or the agents of humanity's destruction.

Gangs and militias have been a persistent feature of social and political life in Indonesia. During the authoritarian New Order regime they constituted part of a vast network of sub-contracted coercion and social control on behalf of the state. Indonesia's subsequent democratisation has seen gangs adapt to and take advantage of the changed political context. New types of populist street based organisations have emerged that combine predatory rent-seeking with claims of representing marginalised social and economic groups. Based on extensive fieldwork in Jakarta this book provides a comprehensive analysis of the changing relationship between gangs, militias and political power and authority in post-New Order Indonesia. It argues that gangs and militias have manufactured various types of legitimacy in consolidating localised territorial monopolies and protection economies. As mediators between the informal politics of the street and the world of formal politics they have become often influential brokers in Indonesia's decentralised electoral democracy. More than mere criminal extortion, it is argued that the protection racket as a social relation of coercion and domination remains a salient feature of Indonesia's post-authoritarian political landscape. This ground-breaking study will be of interest to students and scholars of Indonesian and Southeast Asian politics, political violence, gangs and urban politics.

Gangs and militias have been a persistent feature of social and political life in Indonesia. During the authoritarian New Order regime they constituted part of a vast network of sub-contracted coercion and social control on behalf of the state. Indonesia's subsequent democratisation has seen gangs adapt to and take advantage of the changed political context. New types of populist street based organisations have emerged that combine predatory rent-seeking with claims of representing marginalised social and economic groups. Based on extensive fieldwork in Jakarta this book provides a comprehensive analysis of the changing relationship between gangs, militias and political power and authority in post-New Order Indonesia. It argues that gangs and militias have manufactured various types of legitimacy in consolidating localised territorial monopolies and protection economies. As mediators between the informal politics of the street and the world of formal politics they have become often influential brokers in Indonesia's decentralised electoral democracy. More than mere criminal extortion, it is argued that the protection racket as a social relation of coercion and domination remains a salient feature of Indonesia's post-authoritarian political landscape. This ground-breaking study will be of interest to students and scholars of Indonesian and Southeast Asian politics, political violence, gangs and urban politics.

Urban Ecology: An Introduction seeks to open the reader s mind and eyes to the way in which nature permeates everyday urban living, and how it has to be understood, cared for, and managed to make our towns and cities healthier places in which to live and more resilient to environmental and other changes. The authors examine how contact with nature can improve our health, the air we breathe, the waters we use and our enjoyment of parks and gardens. The texts sets out the science that underlies the changing natural scene and the management tools used to ensure that cities become both capable of adapting to climate change and more beautiful and more resilient places in which to live.

The work begins with a discussion of the nature of urban places and the role of nature in towns and cities. In Part 1 the authors consider the context and content of urban ecology, its relationship to other foci of interest within ecology and other environmental sciences, and the character of city landscapes and ecosystems. In Part 2 the authors set out the physical and chemical components of urban ecosystems and ecological processes, including urban weather and climate, urban geomorphology and soils, urban hydrology and urban biogeochemical cycles. In Part 3 urban habitats, urban flora and fauna, and the effects of disturbance and succession, of pests and predators, and deliberate and inadvertent human action on urban biota are examined. Part 4 contains an exploration of the identification and assessment of ecosystem services in urban areas, emphasising economic evaluation, the importance of urban nature for human health and well-being, and restoration ecology and creative conservation. Finally, in Part 5 the tasks for urban ecologists in optimising and sustaining urban ecosystems, providing for nature in cities, adapting to climate change and in developing the urban future in a more sustainable manner are set out.

Within the 16 chapters of the book in which examples from around the world are drawn upon - the authors explore current practice and future alternatives, set out procedures for ecological assessment and evaluation, suggest student activities and discussion topics, provide recommended reading and an extensive bibliography. The book contains more than 150 tables and over 150 photographs and diagrams.."

This second edition covers recent developments around the world with contributors from 33 different countries. It widens the handbook's scope by including ecological design; consideration of cultural dimensions of the use and conservation of urban nature; the roles of government and civil society; and the continuing issues of equity and fairness in access to urban greenspaces. New features include an emphasis on the biophilic design of homes and workplaces, demonstrating the value of nature, in order to counter the still prevalent attitude among many developers that nature is a constraint rather than a value. The volume explores great practical achievements that have occurred since the first edition, with many governments increasingly recognizing and legislating on urban nature and green infrastructure matters, since cities play a major role in adapting to change, particularly to climate crisis. New topics such as the ecological role of light at night and human microbiota in the urban ecosystem are introduced. Additional attention is given to food production in cities, particularly the multiple roles of urban agriculture and household gardens in different contexts from wealthy communities to the poorest informal settlements in deprived communities. The emphasis is on demonstrating what can be achieved, and what is already being done. The book aims to help scholars and graduate students by providing an invaluable and up-to-date guide to current urban ecological thinking across the range of disciplines, such as geography, ecology, environmental science/studies, planning, and urban studies, that converge in the study of towns and cities and urban design and living. It will also assist practitioners and civil society members in discovering the ways diff erent specialists and thinkers approach urban nature.

The tropics provide the key to understanding much biological and Earth science. This is particularly true for the study of landforms, which in higher latitudes suffer great seasonal contrasts in process intensity and type, and which often in the past underwent the dramatic changes of glaciation and periglaciation. Yet studies in the tropics have shown that the legacy of past climate changes is much more dramatic than was formerly believed. This book, first published in 1985, brings together the variety of evidence about such environmental changes, over a variety of timescales, and sets it against the current knowledge of the nature of geomorphic processes in the tropics.

The first book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence

There is a milestone in the evolution of every sentient race, a Tech Singularity Event, when the species achieves transcendence through its technological advances. Now the creatures known as humans are near this momentous turning point.

But an armed threat is approaching from deepest space, determined to prevent humankind from crossing over that boundary--by total annihilation if necessary.

To the Sh'daar, the driving technologies of transcendent change are anathema and must be obliterated from the universe--along with those who would employ them. As their great warships destroy everything in their path en route to the Sol system, the human Confederation government falls into dangerous disarray. There is but one hope, and it rests with a rogue Navy Admiral, commander of the kilometer-long star carrier America, as he leads his courageous fighters deep into enemy space towards humankind's greatest conflict--and quite possibly its last.

In the vein of the hit television show "Battlestar Galactica" comes the fourth book in this action-packed, New York Times bestselling, science fiction series in which humankind is in a vast power struggle to bring down an evil empire. 20 years after the fragile truce with the Sh'daar, Koenig is now President of the USNA, and Gray is skipper of the CVS America... soon to be promoted to commander of the entire battle group, Koenig's old position, and one which he might not be ready for. The truce with the alien Sh'daar is unravelling as many predicted, and Humankind still knows little about them, or what they are.

Big, bold military science fiction action from one of the genre's biggest names. In the 23rd Century, war is still hell... Corpsman Eliot Carlyle joined the Navy to save lives and see the universe. Now, he and Bravo Company's Black Wizards of the interstellar Fleet Marine Force are en route to Bloodworld - a hellish, volatile rock, colonized by the fanatical Salvationists who desired an inhospitable world where they could suffer for humanity's sins. However, their penance could prove fatal - for the mysterious alien race known as the Qesh have just made violent, bloody first contact. Suddenly, countless lives depend upon Bravo Company as the Marines prepare to confront a vast force of powerful, inscrutable enemies that unless stopped threaten the fate of homeworld Earth itself. And one dedicated medic, singled out by an extraordinary act of valour, will find himself with an astounding opportunity to alter the universe forever...

The third book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence There is an unseen power in the universe-a terrible force that was dominating the galaxy tens of thousands of years before the warlike Sh'daar were even aware of the existence of Sol and its planets. As humankind approaches the Singularity, when transcendence will be achieved through technology, contact will be made. In the wake of the near destruction of the solar system, the political powers on Earth seek a separate peace with an inscrutable alien life form that no one has ever seen. But Admiral Alexander Koenig, the hero of Alphekka, has gone rogue, launching his fabled battlegroup beyond the boundaries of Human Space against all orders. With Confederation warships in hot pursuit, Koenig is taking the war for humankind's survival directly to a mysterious omnipotent enemy.

The first book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence There is a milestone in the evolution of every sentient race, a Tech Singularity Event, when the species achieves transcendence through its technological advances. Now the creatures known as humans are near this momentous turning point. But an armed threat is approaching from deepest space, determined to prevent humankind from crossing over that boundary-by total annihilation if necessary. To the Sh'daar, the driving technologies of transcendent change are anathema and must be obliterated from the universe-along with those who would employ them. As their great warships destroy everything in their path en route to the Sol system, the human Confederation government falls into dangerous disarray. There is but one hope, and it rests with a rogue Navy Admiral, commander of the kilometer-long star carrier America, as he leads his courageous fighters deep into enemy space towards humankind's greatest conflict-and quite possibly its last.

Series Information:
Routledge World Reference

Urban Ecology is a rapidly developing area of research and study. Drawing on the work of many disciplines-including geography, planning, landscape architecture, sociology, economics, anthropology, engineering, and climatology-urban ecologists argue that an understanding of the relationships between living organisms and their urban environment as an integrated social-ecological system is an essential component of the decision-making and planning needed to create viable-and sustainable-cities around the world. Now, Ian Douglas, one of Urban Ecology's founding fathers (and editor of Routledge's Handbook of Urban Ecology (2010), has brought together in four volumes the canonical and the very best cutting-edge research. The collection enables users readily to comprehend the philosophies, theories, and history of Urban Ecology, and make sense of the biophysical character of the urban environment, and the diverse habitats found within it. Urban Ecology also assembles essential works exploring how science can be put into practice to generate significant health, economic, and environmental benefits. With a full index, together with a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context, Urban Ecology is an essential work of reference. The collection will be particularly useful as a database allowing scattered and often fugitive material to be easily located. It will also be welcomed as a crucial tool permitting rapid access to less familiar-and sometimes overlooked-texts. For researchers, students, practitioners, and policy-makers, it is a vital one-stop research and pedagogic resource.

The last installment in the Star Carrier series, where first contact, space opera, and military adventure combine, from New York Times bestselling author Ian Douglas! Will this be the end? Or a new beginning… Having battled aliens to prove humanity’s worth as a star-faring species, Admiral Trevor Gray has a new mission: follow the directives of the super-AI Konstantin and lead the star carrier America on a mission through time and space to determine if humanity can truly transcend into Singularity … and avoid the pitfalls that have plagued so many of the aliens Earth has encountered since it gained faster-than-light travel. But there are those out there who don’t want an answer, who wish to maintain their own power with the status quo. Beyond the dangers of star travel, Gray must contend with politicians looking to end the influence of artificial intelligence on human decisions, a secret fleet out to destroy him, hostile aliens, and the vast, uncharted space full of clues but short on answers. A species must evolve to survive into the future. But that species must have a vision of the future. Gray hopes to find that vision for humanity … 800,000 years in the past.

The Big Idea shortlisted for series design in the British Design and Production Awards Modern technology has enhanced our lives in numerous ways - we can now communicate in real time with friends and colleagues around the world, and do our shopping and banking without leaving home. But, as technology crowds further into our personal lives, is it doing us more harm than good? Are we becoming anxious, depressed and socially isolated, unaware of the manipulating influence of algorithms designed to keep us engaged and to filter the picture of the world we see? Has our online gaming or gambling unwittingly developed into a disturbing addiction? This rigorous and insightful volume assesses the impact of our increased screen time and daily interactions with personal technology on our individual choices, our relationships, and our mental and physical health, and suggests how best to mitigate any adverse effects.

The concept of usability has become an increasingly important consideration in the design of all kinds of technology. As more products are aimed at global markets and developed through internationally distributed teams, usability design needs to be addressed in global terms. Interest in usability as a design issue and specialist area of research and education has developed steadily in North America and Europe since the 1980's. However, it is only over the last ten years that it has emerged as a global concern. Global Usability provides an introduction to the important issues in globalizing design and an insight into the development of usability expertise around the world. The book is divided into two sections. The first section deals with the general issues in cross-cultural design and the methods for conducting usability design and evaluation across geographical boundaries. The second section describes the state of usability development in fifteen countries. The descriptions include a history and review of activities and include some unique perspectives that have developed in relation to usability work. Researchers and practitioners from a variety of design-related disciplines will find the book a useful guide for understanding the issues and an excellent reference source for working in any of the countries covered.

The concept of usability has become an increasingly important consideration in the design of all kinds of technology. As more products are aimed at global markets and developed through internationally distributed teams, usability design needs to be addressed in global terms. Interest in usability as a design issue and specialist area of research and education has developed steadily in North America and Europe since the 1980 s. However, it is only over the last ten years that it has emerged as a global concern.
"Global Usability" provides an introduction to the important issues in globalizing design" "and an insight into the development of usability expertise around the world. The book is divided into two sections. The first section deals with the general issues in cross-cultural design and the methods for conducting usability design and evaluation across geographical boundaries. The second section describes the state of usability development in fifteen countries. The descriptions include a history and review of activities and include some unique perspectives that have developed in relation to usability work. Researchers and practitioners from a variety of design-related disciplines will find the book a useful guide for understanding the issues and an excellent reference source for working in any of the countries covered."

The seventh book in this action-packed, New York Times bestselling science fiction series - STAR CARRIER. The civil war might be over, but war for the galaxy might just be beginning... 2425. The civil war between the United States of North America and the Pan-European Confederation is over. But before a new era of peace on Earth can begin, humankind must martial its interstellar forces as one fleet to engage in a war against an alien entity in Omega Centauri. Without provocation, it destroyed a Confederation science facility inhabited by 12,000 people, and it must be neutralized before it sets its sights on Earth. But Admiral Trevor 'Sandy' Gray of the USNA star carrier America has his own mission. The enigmatic AI known as Konstantin has convinced him that humanity's only chance for survival is technology found in a distant star system. Now, Gray must disobey orders as well as locate and create a weapon capable of defeating a living sphere the size of a small planet...