Having already lost his mother and only brother, twenty-four-year-old Will Boast finds himself absolutely alone when his father dies of alcoholism. Numbly settling the matters of his father's estate, Boast is deep inside his grief when he stumbles upon documents revealing a secret his father had intended to keep: He d had another family before Will's a wife and two sons in England.

This revelation leads to a flood of new questions. Did his father abandon this first family, or was he pushed away? Still reeling from loss, Boast is forced to reconsider the fundamental truths of his childhood and to look for traces of the man his father might truly have been. Setting out in search of his half brothers, he attempts to reconcile their family history with his own, testing each childhood memory under the weight of his father's secret. Moving between the Midwest and England, from scenes of his youth to the tentative discovery of his new family, Boast writes with visceral beauty about grief, memory, and his slow and tender journey to a new kind of love.

With the piercing gaze of a novelist, Boast transforms the pain and confusion of his family history into an achingly poignant portrait of resilience, revising the stories he's inherited to refashion both his past and his present. Heartbreaking and luminous, Epilogue is the stunning account of a young man s struggle to understand all that he has lost and found, and to forge a new life for himself along the way."

Ordinary People is a tale set in Middlewapping, a fictional rural village somewhere in the south of England. It follows the fate of the various people who live there-their loves, conflicts, dreams, and events that shape their lives. Among them are Will and Emily, the young lovers who finally meet and make their lives together; Percival, the former city banker and drug addict who has taken refuge in this apparently quiet backwater; Daphne, the would-be poet and self-ordained village elder; Keith and Meadow who live on a bus outside the village with their children Tarragon, Rosemary, and Basil; and a host of others including Victoria, only daughter to the lord and lady of the manor. It has been a long time since the people from the village and those living in the manor house have had contact, but events unfold that bring them together in ways that they would never have imagined and that will change their lives forever. And of course, running throughout the story as it unfolds is that most English of institutions, the village cricket team.

Part V of our story takes us back in history to a time before the Tillington dynasty began. This is the 16th century, King Henry VIII is on the throne of England, and his chance meeting with a shepherd boy heralds the beginning of events which will change the young man's life completely, and will shape the lives of all who come after him. Our story begins, however, a little further forward in time, and here we meet two young women, one of whom is bored and frustrated with her life, and goes in search of adventure, and fulfillment of her young desires, with ultimately devastating consequences. Out of this devastation, however, is born a dynasty, although as we will see as our story enters the present day, everything is by no means as it seems, or as history would have it. Percival struggles to come to terms with his recent past and with his immediate future, and is persuaded to go on a journey to face his tormentor one last time. Alice meanwhile considers undertaking a journey of a very different kind; should she risk the safety of her two infant children, Bronwyn and Elizabeth, in order to return to the rainforest which she so loves? Miles and Florence continue their desperate quest to find their daughter, Rebecca, who herself becomes privy to information which will make her see her life, her parents, her beloved Victoria, and her entire future in a quite new light. Keith is given the chance to express his musical ability in a way that he would never have imagined, and once again Victoria and her brother Michael are central to our story. Michael has a decision to make of the most fundamental nature, and Victoria is left to wonder how to reconcile her own future when so much uncertainty haunts her past. Here we encounter death and rebirth, love and bitter hatred, as these two most extreme emotions do battle within the lives and souls of our characters. Ultimately, underlying the day to day lives of the people who live near to and around the village Green is a search for a better life, and a search for truth. For all that certain people in our story can be sure of is that somebody is lying.

Book III of the series of 'Ordinary People' follows the mixed fortunes of our already established characters, from the financial affairs of Lord and Lady Tillington to the performance of the village cricket team. In this part of our saga, Daphne will form an unlikely alliance, as will Will Tucker and Victoria; an alliance which leads them to a most terrible discovery in Victoria's quest to further understand the past life of her beloved Rebecca. Meadow will also make a discovery of a most fundamental nature; something which has been close to her but which she has not seen, and Percival delves deeper into matters which he had perhaps better have left well alone. For there are dark forces at work, and slowly these forces come to bear on the residents of the seemingly quiet village of Middlewapping.

In this, the fourth part of our unfolding drama, we witness the renewal of old and forgotten love, the beginning of new relationships, the reforging of old bonds of friendship, and the beginning of new life. Certain young dreams are fulfilled, certain truths are revealed, and a trip to Paris proves to be definitive for those who take it; a fact which in itself will have consequences which neither party can foresee. A discovery at the Manor House, a terrible secret which has lain buried and forgotten for centuries, will in the fullness of time have far - reaching implications, which are inexorably tied to events which unfold in this part of our tale. By sheer chance, Rebecca's parents happen upon news of their daughter, and their search for her which has lain cold for so long is rekindled. What they cannot know is that their unwitting and innocent intervention forces their beloved daughter to risk everything for her ultimate safety, and the safety of others who now share her fate. In doing so she must at last confront the demons which have haunted her for so long, but first she must betray those who are closest to her, in order to finally meet and confront her tormentor.

During part I of 'Ordinary People', we have been introduced to the leading players who reside in the village of Middlewapping, and whom we meet again here, to see how their lives, loves and relationships are developing. During much of part II, however, centre stage is taken up by another young lady, who's name is Victoria Tillington, only daughter to the Lord and Lady of Middlewapping Manor. One morning she takes it upon herself to walk the family dogs into the village; the morning itself is of little significance, but her action eventually sets off a chain of events which nobody in this apparently sleepy backwater of England would have imagined. Victoria's life is about to crash; to be broken on the rocks of her loneliness, and she comes to see the village as perhaps her last hope of redemption; a way back to a happier life. And waiting in the wings is another person; somebody whom she has not seen or heard from for over ten years, and the only person that she has ever really loved. In the end it takes the death of two people to set in motion something which could be her only salvation, and dark forces are brought into play in order for this to become possible. For in part II of our tale we are introduced to another character whom we have yet to encounter; we are about to meet Rebecca.

The village of Middlewapping, a small and ancient rural backwater of southern England, forms a stage upon or within which the characters in this tale live out their various lives. Each has come to the village via a very different road; for some, such as Sally who works in a bank in the town, to own a house around the village Green has fulfilled a lifetimes' ambition, whilst others such as Rose, a prostitute from one of the less salubrious parts of London, arrive here quite by chance and not of their own volition. And each brings to the tale the manifestation their own experience, and how they now see the world. They are as disparate in age as they are in background; from Will and Emily who are on the cusp of adulthood, to Daphne, in the twilight years of her life. In their middle years are Percival, a former city banker and drug addict, who has come to seek refuge from his former life, and Keith, who with his lady, Meadow, lives on a bus on the outskirts of the village, and yet all are or become in their own way dependant upon one another to gain passage through the business of life, and alliances are formed which would seem unlikely, unless one knew the story. And so, from the very mundane to the very significant, 'Ordinary People' attempts to chart the progress of these people; their loves, their ambitions, and their own very individual ways of living out their lives. There may be irony in the book title, the reader will decide this for themselves, but however this may be perceived, the author has done his best to bring each character to life, and to present them in their stark manifestation, and in their collective manifestation of the human spirit.

The application of fractals and fractal geometry in soil science has become increasingly important over the last few years. This self-contained and timely book was designed to provide detailed and comprehensive information on the current status of the application of fractal geometry in soil science, and on prospects for its future use. With a detailed and specific introductory chapter, particular attention is paid to comparing and contrasting "fractal" and "fragmentation" concepts. Some uses of fractals, such as to quantify the retention and transport properties of soils, to describe the intricate geometry of pore surfaces and macropore networks, or to elucidate the rooting patterns of various plants, are discussed. Applications of fractals in soil science are both relatively recent and in constant evolution. This book reflects accurately existing trends, by allowing sharp differences among the viewpoints expressed in contributed chapters to be presented to the reader in one self-contained volume.

The application of fractals and fractal geometry in soil science has become increasingly important over the last few years. This self-contained and timely book was designed to provide detailed and comprehensive information on the current status of the application of fractal geometry in soil science, and on prospects for its future use. With a detailed and specific introductory chapter, particular attention is paid to comparing and contrasting "fractal" and "fragmentation" concepts. Some uses of fractals, such as to quantify the retention and transport properties of soils, to describe the intricate geometry of pore surfaces and macropore networks, or to elucidate the rooting patterns of various plants, are discussed. Applications of fractals in soil science are both relatively recent and in constant evolution. This book reflects accurately existing trends, by allowing sharp differences among the viewpoints expressed in contributed chapters to be presented to the reader in one self-contained volume.

Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation reports on the science and conservation of the cheetah. This volume demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of research and conservation efforts to study and protect the cheetah. The book begins with chapters on the evolution, genetics, physiology, ecology and behavior of the species, as well as distribution reports from range countries. These introductory chapters lead into discussions of the challenges facing cheetah survival, including habitat loss, declining prey base, human-wildlife conflict, illegal trade, and newly-emerging threats, notably climate change. This book also focuses on conservation strategies and solutions, including environmental education and alternative livelihoods. Chapters on the role of captive cheetahs to conservation and the long-term research of the species are included, as are a brief discussion of the methods and analyses used to study the cheetah. The book concludes with the conservation status and future outlook of the species. Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation is a valuable resource for the regional and global communities of cheetah conservationists, researchers, and academics. Although cheetah focussed the book provides information relevant to the study of broader topics such as wildlife conservation, captive breeding, habitat management, conservation biology and animal behaviour. Cover photograph by Angela Scott

Daphne suffers from a rare medical condition; her body shuts down when she feels strong emotions. As a result she has built strong walls between herself and the world, avoiding passion, anger, disappointment and surprise. But when she meets Ollie, who seems to see through her armour, who seems to want to know the real Daphne, her carefully built defences begin to crumble. In this gripping and tender modern myth, Will Boast explores the unexamined assumptions we make about our bodies and our relationships through the prism of a soulful contemporary love story.

Places water at the centre of a new approach to literary criticismWater is a major global issue that will shape our future. Rarely, however, has water been the subject of literary critical attention. This book identifies water as a crucial new topic of literary and cultural analysis at a critical moment for the world's water resources, focusing on the urgent context of Israel/Palestine. It argues for the necessity of recognising water's vital importance in understanding contemporary Israeli and Palestinian literature, showing that water is as culturally significant as that much more obvious object of nationalist attention, the land. In doing so, it offers new insights into Israeli and Palestinian literature and politics, and into the role of culture in an age of environmental crisis. Hydrofictions shows that how we imagine water is inseparable from how we manage it. This book is urgent and necessary reading for students and scholars in Middle East Studies, postcolonial ecocriticism, the environmental humanities and anyone invested in the future of the world's water.

'The Best British Poetry 2014' presents the finest and most engaging poems found in literary magazines and webzines over the past year. The material gathered represents the rich variety of current UK poetry. Each poem is accompanied by a note by the poet explaining the inspiration for the poem.

Void Studies, Rachel Boast's extraordinary new collection, realizes a project that the French Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud had proposed, but never written. Etudes neantes was to consist of poems written as musical etudes; these would not convey any direct message - but instead summon the abstract spirit of their subject. This 'impossible project' has been completed by Boast in the most astonishing way, and in doing so she has increased the expressive possibilities of poetry itself. These tone poems are indeed works of pure music - but despite their esoteric nature are by no means 'difficult' in the usual sense: instead they conjure the recognizable states, emotions, moods, ambiances and strange atmospheres that lend our lives meaning, and together comprise a kind of lexicon of feeling. Void Studies is an airy and beautiful book - one in which Boast has spun a pure music to both ask and answer the most profound questions poetry can frame.

Hotel Raphael, Rachael Boast’s fourth collection, charts a journey through heat, drought and pain, and describes not only the reality of chronic illness, but living with it at a time of global crisis.

Raphael is the patron saint of travellers and pilgrims, and also of healing; in the search for remedy, we pass through the balm of landscape, and brush against the worlds of artists, writers and filmmakers, whose angels broadcast to us from other rooms. We also encounter the biblical figure of Job, who poses the question of a terrible forbearance: how much suffering can we take, and what can we realistically change?

While we fight to relieve our own pain, address the planet’s ecological imbalance and make efforts, large or small, to right its shocking injustices, we must also simply find a way through. Hotel Raphael sees Boast compose an extraordinary travelling song, one that shows us how to bear our pain without trying to erase its source.

Water is a major global issue that will shape our future. Rarely, however, has water been the subject of literary critical attention. This book identifies water as a crucial new topic of literary and cultural analysis at a critical moment for the world's water resources, focusing on the urgent context of Israel/Palestine. It argues for the necessity of recognising water's vital importance in understanding contemporary Israeli and Palestinian literature, showing that water is as culturally significant as that much more obvious object of nationalist attention, the land. In doing so, it offers new insights into Israeli and Palestinian literature and politics, and into the role of culture in an age of environmental crisis. Hydrofictions shows that how we imagine water is inseparable from how we manage it. This book is urgent and necessary reading for students and scholars in Middle East Studies, postcolonial ecocriticism, the environmental humanities and anyone invested in the future of the world's water.

Rachael Boast's first collection, Sidereal, was one of the most highly regarded debuts of recent years, winning the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize. Her second, Pilgrim's Flower, richly confirms and dramatically extends that talent - but where Sidereal's gaze was often firmly fixed on the heavens, Boast's focus here has shifted earthward. The book sings life's intoxicants - love, nature, literature, friendship, and other forms and methods of transcendence - and sees Boast's pitch-perfect lyrical metaphysic challenge itself at every turn. Pilgrim's Flower gives an almost Rilkean attention to the spaces between things - the slippage between what we think we know, and what is actually there - and in doing so brings the language of rite, observance and rune to the details of our daily lives.