Böcker av Derek Harrison

The Carter family has lived for countless generations in the same rural Mississippi town, hours out from Jackson. Their situation is marred by death: Mr. Carter's sister, Emma, had killed herself in heartbreak many years ago, and later his wife had suffered a miscarriage. Now they live with their nine-year-old daughter, Sophia, but Mrs. Carter would never recover from the past. Though she is inconsolable, Mr. Carter attempts to save his neighbor, Herbert, from the same emotional ruin as he struggles with the guilt of Emma's death.

We are living in troubled times. At least, that is what we are constantly being told: times that are uncertain and frightening, threatening, dangerous, often even deadly. We need, though, to think about what we mean when we say that. For one thing, the point has been made so often-a commonplace now of political or social conversations - that it is in danger of losing its force and becoming little more than a way to get attention. In any case there is nothing new being said by the observation. Times have always been troubled for some people somewhere, while being not so difficult, or even enviously easy, for other people in other places. Suffering is highly personal. We may feel genuine compassion for the difficulties of people far away from us, or because of their particular tragic circumstances when they are close to home, but we truly suffer only when hard times arrive at our own doors. And they sometimes do. This is a work of non-fiction. The various narratives correspond to actual events as closely as notes, journals, pictures and memory allow. The same can be said for the people found here. In most cases their names and some of their descriptions or characteristics have been changed, for obvious reasons of privacy. Above all, it should be stressed that these people and the work they did or are still doing represent only a tiny fraction of the many people and the many kinds of work being done by millions who have decided to move against suffering in their own places and in their own ways. Outside of these pages, they will likely never be recognized for what they achieved. They would be the first to admit that their efforts were only marginally effective, usually short-term in their material benefits, and to some degree even self-serving. For all of that, they provide a sampling of good news that can be stored away for encouragement when the world seems to have become so filled with trouble that all effort seems hopeless. It is to these people that this book is dedicated.

Pain. Rage. Loss. Ada Aust's journey back to her mother is about to be a lot more complicated than expected. The glorified Phoenix Stone--the single source of all the power the Infinity Sea produces--is in the possession of Ada and Flynn. But it wouldn't stay like that. Governor Averill and the British Navy still lurk their vicinity, and Dion and the Seekers pose a complication against getting the money Ada needs to save her mother. Conflict is also beginning to grow within the credit, giving Firuzeh the chance to reclaim some of her previously-held influence. Flynn's crew now finds itself in a chase across the globe, as far south as Bermuda Island and as far north as the Arctic Circle--and eventually back into the Infinity Sea. In this drastic sequel to The Isles of Phoenix Point, Ada will find herself in an aggressive game of finding out who will be the heir to the Phoenix Stone's infinite power.

In the first years following the turn of the 20th century, much more is happening than what is in the conventional world. In the small archipelago in the North Sea known as Shetland, a gate exists that connects this world to another known as the Infinity Sea, the endless body of water sprinkled with small islands. However, after a long series of events, this world met an era of turmoil, after Flynn Russel stole the Phoenix Stone from Firuzeh, the former Persian Emperor of the realm. This Phoenix Stone gives the beholder complete power over the Infinity Sea. Nevertheless, the Phoenix Stone was eventually lost, and its location was forgotten even to Flynn himself. Now, a young girl living in the Port of London has a dying motive to discover this legend, which brings her into meeting the intrepid Flynn Russel. In doing this she finds herself in the middle of the effects of the Infinity Sea's long backstory, and also discovers her own true backstory in relation to this mystical place.

In a magical world of the past, a realm maintained for centuries is now facing decline, as the king has been assassinated in the midst of a fierce sea battle. In this supernatural place known as the Four Kingdoms, the Great King's son, Hunter Kahler, is still alive. However, the group that had killed his parents three years ago, the Society of Skotos II, sees him as a target that still has yet to be killed along with his parents. Hunter must fight to survive and hopefully reclaim the royal throne that he rightfully deserves by birthright. Despite the hostility in this world, the most unlikely earthly saviors accidentally stumble upon the magical Four Kingdoms. With these unexpected companions, Hunter will need to embark on the most treacherous journey through the Kingdoms he had ever known.