Dark Universe

Brightness Falls isn't just the name of the TV show that womanizing man-child Andrew Ware has been painstakingly creating for the last couple years, it's also his hometown. A town that he loves as much as he hates. By request of no one, Andrew returns home to help his sister separate from her husband, only to become sidetracked by a beautiful woman. A few drinks and few compliments later the woman is dead, killed in a tragic oral sex accident. In which Andrew would have lost his own life if it weren’t for the dapperly dressed, antler-headed, human skeleton named Doug.

After a decade spent claiming a throne for himself in the seething violence of the criminal underbelly, all Donatello Vanici craves now is peace. Only a union forged between his heir and the most powerful mafia family in existence could ever be strong enough to end the bloodshed for good, but the Stepanov head resists his overtures at every turn...Until tragedy strikes, and forces Donatello’s hand.

An outcast prince. A captive healer. A single night that changes their destinies. She lives a nightmare. As a Mender, Renna is held captive to an endless cycle of receiving and recovering from the physical ailments of others - a cycle that led her mother to an early grave. When her father becomes deathly ill, Renna is desperate to save her only remaining family. Even if it means allying with criminals and taking an illegal mission into the royal palace on the night of their greatest ball.

In the year 2255, Ellie Ovis finds herself in the unenviable position of being loved by Woden, the Nephilim prince of the New York region, staring lovingly into her eyes. A member of the Creed, Ellie wants nothing to do with this being, whom she considers demon spawn. But the upcoming annual Balance ritual and an incomprehensible prophecy declares that a stubborn Scarred Woman will bring disruption to the Nephilim community. There is no one more stubborn or scarred than Ellie. But could she really be the one who is fated to save the various humanoid populations of Earth?

Luke Gillis is barely dragging himself through college. Of course, if he wrote term papers the way he thrashed bank robbers, he’d probably be a doctor by now. His mentor is the Miracle Worker. Yes, that Miracle Worker. Some say he’s more outlaw than hero, but beggars can’t be choosers. Still, Luke must be doing something right. The U.S. Army has invited his alter ego—the dashing speedster Spitball—on a top-secret mission. With the country’s premier superhero team missing-in-action, this could be his big break.

Cursed to be eternally forgotten, Cabernet grew up walking a dangerous, lonely line between the world of mankind and the world of fairy. Now known only by a faceless reputation as a rogue and fairy aficionado, he wanders ceaselessly with the cat Maugrim as company. Then, the king dares order him to eliminate a magical foe in northern waters, and threatens to attack fairy lands if Cabernet refuses.

Invisible to the man she loves, Reeve Lennox fights to reclaim him from a dark world. As her wedding day nears in Acarsaid, her betrothed Arden offers only his wayward soul and saucy tongue. At night she desperately tries to reach Bran, the young soldier of nightmarish Tenebris who holds her heart. However, her king insists that the realms of Tenebris and Acarsaid must remain separate, lest the evil wizard Rancore brutally conquer all. But the dark magic of Tenebris defies mere distance.

With all hope of peace shattered beyond redemption, Donatello Vanici is waging his most violent, bloody war yet. And caught in the heart of the carnage is Willow Stepanova, the adopted daughter of his dangerous enemy and the girl who once adored him to the depths of her soul. Torn between her loyalty to her family and her volatile connection to Donatello, Willow quickly realizes that it’s not just her life at stake in this vicious battle.

Joyful and blessed are Voice-bearers, for the Heavens have set them apart. As Whisperers gifted with the Voice, Betka and her people are enslaved. Only they can control the dangerous spirits that haunt the waters, but they are forced to serve under cruel taskmasters. Betka has little hope of freedom from her service or her own bitterness. A powerful water spirit terrorizes the castle where Betka’s sister is serving. Betka is assigned to the crew sailing to face the foe, and she fears for the only family she has left.

When a sudden storm slams Katy’s boat into the shore, she’s forced to enter the lawless wasteland she’d avoided since the world ended. The horror she discovers among the ruins is far worse than she could have imagined. The masked warriors of the Venganza clan chase Katy through the post-apocalyptic landscape, forcing her to decide between her past or the survivors’ future - a decision that could determine the fate of the human race.

A decade of blood stained his hands. None of his victims had ever weighed down his conscience. He was merely the tool, the living weapon wielded by his employers. His victims had begged for their lives, had cursed him with their dying breath, and stared in uncomprehending disbelief. But none had ever been calm in their final moments. None had ever stared up at him with such serenity.

The universe is rapidly expanding. Of that much scientists are certain. But how fast? And with what implications regarding the fate of the universe? Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop follow Dr. Alex Fillippenko and his High-Z Supernova Search Team to Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, where they will study space phenomena and look for supernovae, dying stars that explode with the power of billions of hydrogen bombs. Dr. Fillippenko looks for black holes--areas in space with such a strong gravitational pull that no matter or energy can escape from them--with his robotic telescope.

When Abigail Taylor has frightening visions, she struggles to find her place between hallucination and reality. After waking up in several random places with no recollection of how she got there, she notices that the same man is among the onlooking witnesses. Isaac Nelson has a secret he can’t escape, instincts he can’t ignore, and a bad habit of disappearing at night. When visions and instincts bring them together, they must learn to survive in a place where there is no mercy for the strange.

Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs is Lisa Randall’s most popular science book and proposes a new theory about the extinction of dinosaurs. The famous physicist and Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne commented on the book: “Although it is a popular science book, it reads like a detective story. The writing uses scientific facts, coupled with rigorous logical reasoning, and reaches a shocking conclusion.”