Against A Darkening Sky


Book Description

From the author of the acclaimed Our Daily Bread and The Empty Room comes a rich and fascinating new novel of mysterious, magic-riddled 7th-century England: Against A Darkening Sky transports the reader to a rich yet violent past where a young woman is torn between her deepest beliefs and her desire to belong in a changing world. Wilona, the lone survivor of a plague that has wiped out her people, makes her way across the moors to a new life in the village of Ad Gefrin, where she is apprenticed to Touilt, a revered healer and seeress. She blossoms under Touilt's tutelage and will one day take her place, but as an outsider, she is viewed with suspicion by all except Margawn, a warrior in the lord's hall. When the king proclaims a conversion to the new Christian religion, Ad Gefrin becomes a dangerous place for Wilona and Touilt. Their very lives are at risk as the villagers embrace the new faith and turn against the old ways, even as Wilona's relationship with Margawn grows. Wilona's fate becomes intertwined with that of Egan, a monk sent to Ad Gefrin as part of the Christian mission; both will see their faith and their loyalties tested. Torn between her deepest beliefs and a desire to belong in a confusing, changing world, Wilona must battle for survival, dignity and love against overwhelming odds. Seamlessly combining timeless choices and struggles and rich, nuanced historical detail that brings pagan Britain to life, Against a Darkening Sky is an exquisitely rendered work of fiction from one of Canada's most acclaimed and celebrated novelists.




Against a Darkening Sky


Book Description

Against a Darkening Sky was originally published in 1943. Set in a semirural community south of San Francisco, it is the story of an American mother of the mid-1930s and the sustaining influence she brings, through her own profound strength and faith, to the lives of her four growing children. Scottish by birth, but long a resident of America, Mary Perrault is married to a Swiss-French gardener. Their life in South Encina, though anything but lavish, is gay, serene, and friendly. As their children mature and the world outside, less peaceful and secure than the Perrault home, begins to threaten the equilibrium of their tranquil lives, Mrs. Perrault becomes increasingly aware of a moral wilderness rising from the physical wilderness which her generation has barely conquered. Her struggle to influence, while not invading the lives of her children, is the focus of this novel of family life during the Depression years.




Under a Darkening Sky


Book Description

A poignant and powerful portrait of Europe in the years between 1939 and 1941—as the Nazi menace marches toward the greatest man-made catastrophe the world has ever experienced—Under a Darkening Sky focuses on a diverse group of expatriate Americans. Told through the eyes and observations of these characters caught up in these seismic events, the story unfolds alongside a war that slowly drags a reluctant United States into its violent embrace. This vibrant narrative takes these dramatic personalities and evokes the engagement between Europe and a reluctant America from September 3, 1939—when Britain declares war—through the tragedy of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Robert Lyman's distinctively energetic storyline brings together a wide range of encounters, conversations, and memories, including individuals from across the social spectrum, from Josephine Baker to the young Americans who volunteered to fight in the RAF, as part of the famous “Eagle Squadrons.” Hundreds of young Americans—like the aces James Goodison, Art Donahue, and the wealthy playboy Billy Fiske—smuggled themselves into Canada so that they could volunteer for the cockpits of Spitfires and Hurricanes, as they flew against the deadly Luftwaffe over ever-darkening skies in London.




Dark Against the Sky


Book Description

Dark Against the Sky: Sweeping the Shadows continues the tale of Tommy Simpson, a climbing boy (or your chimney sweep) in the streets of London in 1834, that began in Dark Against the Sky: A Climbing Boys Story. Tommy has been re-united with his father, who is working again as a cobbler while Tommy helps his costermonger friends, the Meechams. Yet the shadow of the master sweep Kelly looms over their lives. When Kelly decides to rob Dr. Merriweather, he gets Tommy and his street friends to trail Kelly to his hide-out but they cannot find the silver. As Kelly threatens Tommy by seizing his friend Peter and his girlfriend Jenny, Tommy must use all his skills to rescue them and put Kelly in gaol. Author Hauge again displays the sweep of adventure, range of characters and sure sense of period that enabled Dark Against the Sky: A Climbing Boys Story to deliver such enjoyment: This endearing story details the adventures of Tommy Simpson and his winsome and supportive band of brothers . . . the action scenes and descriptions are nicely blended, and the entire book has a smooth cadence. . . . The language used to describe these scenes chimes with bell-like accuracy and vivid images. . . . All ages will become entranced by this fast-paced historical tale. Foreword Reviews Hauge is a skillful storyteller. He renders the squalor of 19th century London in prose that is as precise as it is palpable. . . . Dark Against the Sky is an authentic, evocative and classic portrayal of the human capacity to endure. It is a winning tale. Blueink review




Against a Darkening Sky


Book Description

Against a Darkening Sky was originally published in 1943. Set in a semirural community south of San Francisco, it is the story of an American mother of the mid-1930s and the sustaining influence she brings, through her own profound strength and faith, to the lives of her four growing children. Scottish by birth, but long a resident of America, Mary Perrault is married to a Swiss-French gardener. Their life in South Encina, though anything but lavish, is gay, serene, and friendly. As their children mature and the world outside, less peaceful and secure than the Perrault home, begins to threaten the equilibrium of their tranquil lives, Mrs. Perrault becomes increasingly aware of a moral wilderness rising from the physical wilderness which her generation has barely conquered. Her struggle to influence, while not invading the lives of her children, is the focus of this novel of family life during the Depression years.




The Poland Trilogy: Push Not the River; Against a Crimson Sky; The Warsaw Conspiracy (The Complete Historical Saga) (Box Set)


Book Description

An IPPI GOLD MEDAL WINNER, Best Regional E-book (Box Set) Based on the diary of a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution years, 1791-94, PUSH NOT THE RIVER paints a vivid picture of a tumultuous and unforgettable metamorphosis of a nation--and of Anna, a proud and resilient woman. AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY continues Anna's saga as Napoleon comes calling, implying independence from her neighbors would follow if only Polish lancers would accompany him on his fateful 1812 march into Russia. Anna's family fights valiantly to hold on to a tenuous happiness, their country, and their very lives. Set against the November Rising (1830-31), THE WARSAW CONSPIRACY depicts partitioned Poland's daring challenge to the Russian Empire. Brilliantly illustrating the psyche of a people determined to reclaim independence in the face of monumental odds, the story features Anna's sons and their fates in love and war.




Race Across the Sky


Book Description

Who would you run one hundred miles for? Caleb Oberest is an ultramarathon runner, who severed all ties to his family to race brutal 100-mile marathons across mountains. Shane Oberest is a sales rep for a cutting-edge biotechnology firm, creating new cures for the diseases of our time. Shane has spent his life longing to connect with his older brother, but the distance between them was always too vast. Caleb’s running group live by strict rules, but Caleb is breaking one of them. He has fallen in love with a new member and her infant daughter. When Caleb discovers that the baby has a fatal genetic disease, he reaches out to Shane. On the verge of becoming a father himself, Shane devises a plan that could save this baby and bring his lost brother home. But to succeed, both brothers will need to risk everything they have. And so each begins a dangerous race that will push them past their boundaries, and take all of Caleb’s legendry endurance to survive. Derek Sherman’s authentic, compelling story of ultramarathons, biotechnology, and family takes us deep into new worlds and examines how far we will go for the people we love.




The Man Against the Sky


Book Description




Called Out of Darkness


Book Description

The first memoir from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Interview with a Vampire—a "very affecting story of a well-known prodigal’s return ... [a] vivid, engaging tale of the journey of a soul into light” (Chicago Sun-Times). Anne Rice was raised in New Orleans as the devout child in a deeply religious Irish Catholic family. Here, she describes how, as she grew up, she lost her belief in God, but not her desire for a meaningful life. She used her novels—beginning with Interview with a Vampire—to wrestle with otherworldly themes while in her own life, she experienced both loss (the death of her daughter and, later, her beloved husband, Stan Rice) and joys (the birth of her son, Christopher). And she writes about how, finally, after years of questioning, she experienced the intense conversion and re-embracing of her faith that lie behind her most recent novels about the life of Christ.




The Darkening


Book Description

There are two swords long thought to be fable. One is the Zyn Blade, legendary sword of the centuries dead King of Zyntrolm, Ilian Zyn. The other is its more powerful sister sword, the Korlan Sword, both forged by the legendary Venenae sorcerer, Korlan. Shown the location of the Zyn Blade in a vision, King M'lerek Zyn retrieves the sword and decides that if the Zyn Blade exists, so must the Korlan Sword. The young king sets off in quest of the Korlan Sword. Little does he know that dark forces are gathering far to the north in the Gnydron nation of Shokkuhl, forces that will set in motion a time known as The Darkening. So it is written in Vergama's Book of Destiny.