Today, it is too easy to amass a fortune at others' expense, and there are no comebacks.

In a world where people serve ideas and causes because they care, the very same people are exploited for their apparent weakness, a gross lack of respect. Values of honour and rights have been lost or tarnished, voices drowned by the noise of money.

Somewhere, it has been decided that the world has lost its moral compass, and the time has come to provide the stimulus to create a new direction, and a fresh level of responsibility to others.

Watch out .... You don't know us. But we know you..... We harness global communications systems to watch closely when values of honour and rights have been lost or tarnished, voices drowned by the noise of money. And we use the cyberpower at our fingertips to take swift and slick action. With or without your approval. Take care. We have the resources to implement a new religion of Respect.

Piece by piece the puzzle builds up to an uncomfortable awakening. Someone out there is taking steps to dispense with the people exploiting others and showing lack of respect for the society they live in. If you are on the List, be prepared to listen to the Message, or take the consequences.

This work speaks of a new and different age, drawing on the power of science and technology to prompt ethical change. Where those don't address their own moral shortfalls, there are other people whose role it is to step in with a message, and the results can be terminal...

The novel unfolds as a compelling five act drama. Each of the first four acts probes the lives of a distinctive character in turn, exploring their mindset, their inner dreams and aspirations, and the fascinating face they put on for the world to see. We see at first hand what goes on behind the rigid mask that they each present, and, as the story unravels, how their attitudes and behaviour come to be shaped by a set of intriguing circumstances, both within and outside their control. Along the way, we encounter disturbing vignettes of a contemporary world that celebrates fame and wealth, and shows only contempt for those struggling to keep their life together from day to day. The turbulent characters in the novel present some harsh insights into the realities of winning or losing in Western societies today. The final act throws light in the darkest of places, and uses it to tear off the actors' masks. It lays bare egos and selfishness, victimhood and survival, as it portrays the complexities of being human in a modern world. It sets a turbulent scene of conflicting ideas and values, virtues and sins, where there can only be one winner.

Em, the mysterious and mischievous art maven, is at the heart of this captivating tale. The action takes place over 24 hours, but the illusionary Em has mastered the skills of time travel, and leads us to several places at once, across different centuries. He deals in Arts with the power to influence the life and work of artists like Monet ...while dealing with hungry customers in the art world of the 21st century. This story is about how ideas are planted, shaped and passed on to others. And just as some ideas travel faster than others ... twisted light can travel faster than normal light, according to the physicists. When you look at something in the light, what do you see? What is it that makes you see things the way you do? Is it all simply a play on perception and perspectives? Seeds of ideas will linger to haunt you long after you've finished reading. We follow Em's magical trail from one focused point in Portugal, across continents and through centuries, desires and dreams, real and imagined characters, all the way back to where we started. Some say that light is simply packets of information ...like mEMes ... See how Em twists light to his advantage.

How do you survive when you are considered to be an outsider? You can try and fight and conquer and change ways, or you can try and find ways to fit in without changing your own beliefs and values. In a world where many people have no time for the promises of old established religions, politicians and officials, they seek solace in other hopes and faiths, delivered by people with unofficial but often revered status. Here is a family, and a whole place, that serves to provide those who are missing solutions or opportunities with exactly what they need. For many these are believed to have worked for millennia, and will continue to survive around the whole world. Here is where we witness the adventures of one extended family's many providers of alternative hope in a credulous cruel world. It embraces over two hundred and fifty years of magical, real and invented activity.

Gibson the bear has travelled the globe far and wide as the companion of a high-flying senior executive. For a bear who has seen so much of the world, along the way he has developed a very unworldly philosophy of life. These are the delightful stories of his adventures, rich with words of wisdom, sweet humour and rules to live by that will appeal to the child in all of us - whatever our age. Escape into a world of kindness and fun, with a new perspective on reality, through the musings of this adventurous furry explorer. "We all need to follow his little code a bit more - Think, Care, Do, and help each other out. There's no-one else who's going to do it." www.merlincullinan.com

The novel unfolds as a compelling five act drama. Each of the first four acts probes the lives of a distinctive character in turn, exploring their mindset, their inner dreams and aspirations, and the fascinating face they put on for the world to see. We see at first hand what goes on behind the rigid mask that they each present, and, as the story unravels, how their attitudes and behaviour come to be shaped by a set of intriguing circumstances, both within and outside their control. Along the way, we encounter disturbing vignettes of a contemporary world that celebrates fame and wealth, and shows only contempt for those struggling to keep their life together from day to day. The turbulent characters in the novel present some harsh insights into the realities of winning or losing in Western societies today. The final act throws light in the darkest of places, and uses it to tear off the actors' masks. It lays bare egos and selfishness, victimhood and survival, as it portrays the complexities of being human in a modern world. It sets a turbulent scene of conflicting ideas and values, virtues and sins, where there can only be one winner.

How do you survive when you are considered to be an outsider? You can try and fight and conquer and change ways, or you can try and find ways to fit in without changing your own beliefs and values. In a world where many people have no time for the promises of old established religions, politicians and officials, they seek solace in other hopes and faiths, delivered by people with unofficial but often revered status. Here is a family, and a whole place, that serves to provide those who are missing solutions or opportunities with exactly what they need. For many these are believed to have worked for millennia, and will continue to survive around the whole world. Here is where we witness the adventures of one extended family's many providers of alternative hope in a credulous cruel world. It embraces over two hundred and fifty years of magical, real and invented activity.

Em, the mysterious and mischievous art maven, is at the heart of this captivating tale. The action takes place over 24 hours, but the illusionary Em has mastered the skills of time travel, and leads us to several places at once, across different centuries. He deals in Arts with the power to influence the life and work of artists like Monet ...while dealing with hungry customers in the art world of the 21st century. This story is about how ideas are planted, shaped and passed on to others. And just as some ideas travel faster than others ... twisted light can travel faster than normal light, according to the physicists. When you look at something in the light, what do you see? What is it that makes you see things the way you do? Is it all simply a play on perception and perspectives? Seeds of ideas will linger to haunt you long after you've finished reading. We follow Em's magical trail from one focused point in Portugal, across continents and through centuries, desires and dreams, real and imagined characters, all the way back to where we started. Some say that light is simply packets of information ...like mEMes ... See how Em twists light to his advantage.

Today, it is too easy to amass a fortune at others' expense, and there are no comebacks.

In a world where people serve ideas and causes because they care, the very same people are exploited for their apparent weakness, a gross lack of respect. Values of honour and rights have been lost or tarnished, voices drowned by the noise of money.

Somewhere, it has been decided that the world has lost its moral compass, and the time has come to provide the stimulus to create a new direction, and a fresh level of responsibility to others.

Watch out .... You don't know us. But we know you..... We harness global communications systems to watch closely when values of honour and rights have been lost or tarnished, voices drowned by the noise of money. And we use the cyberpower at our fingertips to take swift and slick action. With or without your approval. Take care. We have the resources to implement a new religion of Respect.

Piece by piece the puzzle builds up to an uncomfortable awakening. Someone out there is taking steps to dispense with the people exploiting others and showing lack of respect for the society they live in. If you are on the List, be prepared to listen to the Message, or take the consequences.

This work speaks of a new and different age, drawing on the power of science and technology to prompt ethical change. Where those don't address their own moral shortfalls, there are other people whose role it is to step in with a message, and the results can be terminal...