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By the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Clocks *; Now a major motion picture*; Shortlisted for the Man Booker PrizeIncludes a new Afterword by David MitchellA postmodern visionary and one of the leading voices in twenty-first-century fiction, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending, philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick. The result is brilliantly original fiction as profound as it is playful. In this groundbreaking novel, an influential favorite among a new generation of writers, Mitchell explores with daring artistry fundamental questions of reality and identity.Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite. . . . Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter. . . . From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life. . . . And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history.But the story doesn't end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon.Praise forCloud Atlas ';[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel's every page.'The New York Times Book Review ';One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt isand should beread by any student of contemporary literature.'Dave Eggers ';Wildly entertaining . . . a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative.'People ';The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yetnot just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I've never read anything quite like it, and I'm grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds.'Michael Chabon ';Cloud Atlasought to make [Mitchell] famous on both sides of the Atlantic as a writer whose fearlessness is matched by his talent.'The Washington Post Book World

What is the secret of talent? How do we unlock it? This groundbreaking work provides readers withtools they can use to maximize potential in themselves and others.Whether you're coaching soccer or teaching a child to play the piano, writing a novel or trying to improve your golf swing, this revolutionary book shows you how to grow talent by tapping into a newly discovered brain mechanism.Drawing on cutting-edge neurology and firsthand research gathered on journeys to nine of the world's talent hotbedsfrom the baseball fields of the Caribbean to a classical-music academy in upstate New YorkCoyle identifies the three key elements that will allow you to develop your gifts and optimize your performance in sports, art, music, math, or just about anything.*; Deep Practice Everyone knows that practice is a key to success. What everyone doesn't know is that specific kinds of practice can increase skill up to ten times faster than conventional practice.*; Ignition We all need a little motivation to get started. But what separates truly high achievers from the rest of the pack? A higher level of commitmentcall it passionborn out of our deepest unconscious desires and triggered by certain primal cues. Understanding how these signals work can help you ignite passion and catalyze skill development.*; Master Coaching What are the secrets of the world's most effective teachers, trainers, and coaches? Discover the four virtues that enable these ';talent whisperers' to fuel passion, inspire deep practice, and bring out the best in their students.These three elements work together within your brain to form myelin, a microscopic neural substance that adds vast amounts of speed and accuracy to your movements and thoughts. Scientists have discovered that myelin might just be the holy grail: the foundation of all forms of greatness, from Michelangelo's to Michael Jordan's. The good news about myelin is that it isn't fixed at birth; to the contrary, it grows, and like anything that grows, it can be cultivated and nourished.Combining revelatory analysis with illuminating examples of regular people who have achieved greatness, this book will not only change the way you think about talent, but equip you to reach your own highest potential.

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the great masterworks of science fiction. An ingenious blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building, they chronicle the struggle of a courageous group of men and women determined to shield enlightened humanity from a ceaseless threat of darkness and ultimate annihilation.Golan Trevize, former Councilman of the First Foundation, has chosen the future, and it is Gaia. A superorganism, Gaia is a holistic planet with a common consciousness so intensely united that every dewdrop, every pebble, every being, can speak for alland feel for all. It is a realm in which privacy is not only undesirable, it is incomprehensible.But is it the right choice for the destiny of mankind? While Trevize feels it is, that is not enough. He must know.Trevize believes the answer lies at the site of humanity's roots: fabled Earth . . . if it still exists. For no one is sure where the planet of Gaia's first settlers is to be found in the immense wilderness of the Galaxy. Nor can anyone explain why no record of Earth has been preserved, no mentionof it made anywhere in Gaia's vast world-memory. It is an enigma Trevize is determined to resolve, and a quest he is determined to undertake, at any cost.

For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake. The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive. Everyone tells him it's time to move on, to forget the past once and for all. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. Suddenly Beck is taunted with the impossiblethat somewhere, somehow, Elizabeth is alive. Beck has been warned to tell no one. And he doesn't. Instead, he runs from the people he trusts the most, plunging headlong into a search for the shadowy figure whose messages hold out a desperate hope. But already Beck is being hunted down. He's headed straight into the heart of a dark and deadly secretand someone intends to stop him before he gets there.

Diana Gabaldon's brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. In An Echo in the Bone, the seventh volume, Gabaldon continues the extraordinary story of the eighteenth-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall. Jamie Fraser, former Jacobite and reluctant rebel, is already certain of three things about the American rebellion: The Americans will win, fighting on the side of victory is no guarantee of survival, and he'd rather die than have to face his illegitimate sona young lieutenant in the British armyacross the barrel of a gun. Claire Randall knows that the Americans will win, too, but not what the ultimate price may be. That price won't include Jamie's life or his happiness, thoughnot if she has anything to say about it. Meanwhile, in the relative safety of the twentieth century, Jamie and Claire's daughter, Brianna, and her husband, Roger MacKenzie, have resettled in a historic Scottish home where, across a chasm of two centuries, the unfolding drama of Brianna's parents' story comes to life through Claire's letters. The fragile pages reveal Claire's love for battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and their flight from North Carolina to the high seas, where they encounter privateers and ocean battlesas Brianna and Roger search for clues not only to Claire's fate but to their own. Because the future of the MacKenzie family in the Highlands is mysteriously, irrevocably, and intimately entwined with life and death in war-torn colonial America. With stunning cameos of historical characters from Benedict Arnold to Benjamin Franklin, An Echo in the Bone is a soaring masterpiece of imagination, insight, character, and adventurea novel that echoes in the mind long after the last page is turned.BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Diana Gabaldon'sWritten in My Own Heart's Blood.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *; The perfect holiday gift for fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones—an epic history of Westeros and the lands beyond, featuring hundreds of pages of all-new material from George R. R. Martin!If the past is prologue, then George R. R. Martin's masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with The World of Ice & Fire.This lavishly illustrated volume is a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones. In a collaboration that's been years in the making, Martin has teamed with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson, the founders of the renowned fan site Westeros.org—perhaps the only people who know this world almost as well as its visionary creator.Collected here is all the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation, and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers, including   *; artwork and maps, with more than 170 original pieces *; full family trees for Houses Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen *; in-depth explorations of the history and culture of Westeros *; 100% all-new material, more than half of which Martin wrote specifically for this bookThe definitive companion piece to George R. R. Martin's dazzlingly conceived universe, The World of Ice & Fire is indeed proof that the pen is mightier than a storm of swords.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *;From the author of The Power of Habit comes a fascinating book that explores the science of productivity, and why managing how you think is more important than what you thinkwith an appendix of real-world lessons to apply to your life. At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key productivity conceptsfrom motivation and goal setting to focus and decision makingthat explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economicsas well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwritersthis painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don't merely act differently. They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.A young woman drops out of a PhD program and starts playing poker. By training herself to envision contradictory futures, she learns to anticipate her opponents' misstepsand becomes one of the most successful players in the world. A group of data scientists at Google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function, and find that how a group interacts is more important than who is in the groupa principle, it turns out, that also helps explain why Saturday Night Live became a hit. A Marine Corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot campand discovers that instilling a ';bias toward action' can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers. The filmmakers behind Disney's Frozen are nearly out of time and on the brink of catastropheuntil they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. What do these people have in common? They know that productivity relies on making certain choices. The way we frame our daily decisions; the big ambitions we embrace and the easy goals we ignore; the cultures we establish as leaders to drive innovation; the way we interact with data: These are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.InThe Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Charles Duhigg explained why we do what we do. In Smarter Faster Better, he applies the same relentless curiosity, deep reporting, and rich storytelling to explain how we can improve at the things we do. It's a groundbreaking exploration of the science of productivity, one that can help anyone learn to succeed with less stress and struggle, and to get more done without sacrificing what we care about mostto become smarter, faster, and better at everything we do.

Don't miss a sneak peek of Sycamore Row, John Grisham's new novel inspired by A Time to Kill, in the back of the book.The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town of Clanton in Ford County, Mississippi, reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her black father acquires an assault rifle and takes justice into his own outraged hands. For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's lifeand then his own.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *; OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK *; Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, a character who has captured the imaginations of millions.';Strout managed to make me love this strange woman I'd never met, who I knew nothing about. What a terrific writer she is.'Zadie Smith,The Guardian';Just as wonderful as the original . . .Olive, Againpoignantly reminds us that empathy, a requirement for love, helps make life ';not unhappy.''NPRNAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time *; Vogue *; NPR *;The Washington Post*; Chicago Tribune*; Vanity Fair *;Entertainment Weekly*; BuzzFeed*;Esquire *; Real Simple *;Good Housekeeping *; The New York Public Library *; The Guardian*; Evening Standard*;Kirkus Reviews *; Publishers Weekly *; BookPagePrickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is ';a compelling life force' (San Francisco Chronicle).TheNew Yorkerhas said that Elizabeth Strout ';animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,' and she has never done so more clearly than in these pages, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspireusin Strout's words';to bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.'Praise for Olive, Again';Olive is a brilliant creation not only because of her eternal cantankerousness but because she's as brutally candid with herself about her shortcomings as she is with others. Her honesty makes people strangely willing to confide in her, and the raw power of Ms. Strout's writing comes from these unvarnished exchanges, in which characters reveal themselves in all of their sadness and badness and confusion. . . . The great, terrible mess of living is spilled out across the pages of this moving book. Ms. Strout may not have any answers for it, but she isn't afraid of it either.'The Wall Street Journal

Fascinating patient stories and dynamic exercises help you connect to healing emotions, ease anxiety and depression, and discover your authentic self. Sara suffered a debilitating fear of asserting herself. Spencer experienced crippling social anxiety. Bonnie was shut down, disconnected from her feelings. These patients all came to psychotherapist Hilary Jacobs Hendel seeking treatment for depression, but in fact none of them were chemically depressed. Rather, Jacobs Hendel found that they'd all experienced traumas in their youth that caused them to put up emotional defenses that masqueraded as symptoms of depression. Jacobs Hendel led these patients and others toward lives newly capable of joy and fulfillment through an empathic and effective therapeutic approach that draws on the latest science about the healing power of our emotions. Whereas conventional therapy encourages patients to talk through past events that may trigger anxiety and depression, accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP), the method practiced by Jacobs Hendel and pioneered by Diana Fosha, PhD, teaches us to identify the defenses and inhibitory emotions (shame, guilt, and anxiety) that block core emotions (anger, sadness, fear, disgust, joy, excitement, and sexual excitement). Fully experiencing core emotions allows us to enter an openhearted state where we are calm, curious, connected, compassionate, confident, courageous, and clear. In It's Not Always Depression, Jacobs Hendel shares a unique and pragmatic tool called the Change Trianglea guide to carry you from a place of disconnection back to your true self. In these pages, she teaches lay readers and helping professionals alike *; why all emotionseven the most painfulhave value. *; how to identify emotions and the defenses we put up against them. *; how to get to the root of anxietythe most common mental illness of our time. *; how to have compassion for the child you were and the adult you are. Jacobs Hendel provides navigational tools, body and thought exercises, candid personal anecdotes, and profound insights gleaned from her patients' remarkable breakthroughs. She shows us how to work the Change Triangle in our everyday lives and chart a deeply personal, powerful, and hopeful course to psychological well-being and emotional engagement.

#1NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER *;A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justicefrom one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time, as seen in the HBO documentaryTrue Justice ';[Bryan Stevenson's] dedication to fighting for justice and equality has inspired me and many others and made a lasting impact on our country.'John LegendSOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND JAMIE FOXX *;Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times *; The Washington Post *; The Boston Globe *; The Seattle Times *; Esquire *; Time Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn't commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanshipand transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer's coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction *;Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction *; Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award *; Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize *; Finalist for theKirkus ReviewsPrize *; An American Library Association Notable Book';Every bit as moving as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so . . . a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.'David Cole, The New York Review of Books ';Searing, moving . . . Bryan Stevenson may, indeed, be America's Mandela.'Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times ';You don't have to read too long to start cheering for this man. . . . The message of this book . . . is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. Just Mercy will make you upset and it will make you hopeful.'Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review ';Inspiring . . . a work of style, substance and clarity . . . Stevenson is not only a great lawyer, he's also a gifted writer and storyteller.'The Washington Post ';As deeply moving, poignant and powerful a book as has been, and maybe ever can be, written about the death penalty.'The Financial Times ';Brilliant.'The Philadelphia Inquirer

NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER *;NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST *; NAMED ONE OFTIME'STEN BEST FICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE *; NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY AND BUZZFEED*;NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYPeople *; The New York Times Magazine *; NPR *; Entertainment Weekly *; New York *; The Telegraph *; BuzzFeed *; Kirkus Reviews *; BookPage *; Shelf AwarenessOne of the most important and blazingly original writers of his generation, George Saunders is an undisputed master of the short story, and Tenth of December is his most honest, accessible, and moving collection yet. In the taut opener, ';Victory Lap,' a boy witnesses the attempted abduction of the girl next door and is faced with a harrowing choice: Does he ignore what he sees, or override years of smothering advice from his parents and act? In ';Home,' a combat-damaged soldier moves back in with his mother and struggles to reconcile the world he left with the one to which he has returned. And in the title story, a stunning meditation on imagination, memory, and loss, a middle-aged cancer patient walks into the woods to commit suicide, only to encounter a troubled young boy who, over the course of a fateful morning, gives the dying man a final chance to recall who he really is. A hapless, deluded owner of an antiques store; two mothers struggling to do the right thing; a teenage girl whose idealism is challenged by a brutal brush with reality; a man tormented by a series of pharmaceutical experiments that force him to lust, to love, to killthe unforgettable characters that populate the pages of Tenth of December are vividly and lovingly infused with Saunders's signature blend of exuberant prose, deep humanity, and stylistic innovation. Writing brilliantly and profoundly about class, sex, love, loss, work, despair, and war, Saunders cuts to the core of the contemporary experience. These stories take on the big questions and explore the fault lines of our own morality, delving into the questions of what makes us good and what makes us human. Unsettling, insightful, and hilarious, the stories in Tenth of Decemberthrough their manic energy, their focus on what is redeemable in human beings, and their generosity of spiritnot only entertain and delight; they fulfill Chekhov's dictum that art should ';prepare us for tenderness.' GEORGE SAUNDERS WAS NAMED ONE OF THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD BY TIME MAGAZINE

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *;NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BUZZFEED AND THE INDEPENDENT *;Ranking alongside George R. R. Martin as a groundbreaking master of fantasy,Robin Hobb delivers the second book in her long-awaited Fitz and the Fool trilogy.The harrowing adventures of FitzChivalry Farseer and his enigmatic friend the Fool continue in Robin Hobb's triumphant follow-up to Fool's Assassin. But Fool's Quest is more than just a sequel. With the artistry and imagination her fans have come to expect, Hobb builds masterfully on all that has gone before, revealing devastating secrets and shocking conspiracies that cast a dark shadow over the history of Fitz and his worlda shadow that now stretches to darken all future hope.Long ago, Fitz and the Fool changed the world, bringing back the magic of dragons and securing both the Farseer succession and the stability of the kingdom. Or so they thought. But now the Fool is near death, maimed by mysterious pale-skinned figures whose plans for world domination hinge upon the powers the Fool may share with Fitz's own daughter.Distracted by the Fool's perilous health, and swept up against his will in the intrigues of the royal court, Fitz lets down his guard . . . and in a horrible instant, his world is undone and his beloved daughter stolen away by those who would use her as they had once sought to use the Foolas a weapon.But FitzChivalry Farseer is not without weapons of his own. An ancient magic still lives in his veins. And though he may have let his skills as royal assassin diminish over the years, such things, once learned, are not so easily forgotten.Now enemies and friends alike are about to learn that nothing is more dangerous than a man who has nothing left to lose.Praise for Fool's Quest ';A complex tapestry of adventure, betrayal, destiny, and unrelenting peril . . . Hobb's expertise is evident as always.'Publishers Weekly';Glorious and beautiful storytelling . . . Hobb lets rip with revelations, treachery, vengeance, sword fights and full on magical mayhem.'SciFiNow ';If readers have any doubt that Robin Hobb is one of the finest writers in the fantasy genre, then they haven't read any of her work.'SFFWorld

NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES *; #1NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187424one of the millions of people who disappear ';down the rabbit hole' of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman's story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prisonwhy it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they're there. Praise for Orange Is the New Black ';Fascinating . . . The true subject of this unforgettable book is female bonding and the ties that even bars can't unbind.'People (four stars) ';I loved this book. It's a story rich with humor, pathos, and redemption. What I did not expect from this memoir was the affection, compassion, and even reverence that Piper Kerman demonstrates for all the women she encountered while she was locked away in jail. I will never forget it.'Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love ';This book is impossible to put down because [Kerman] could be you. Or your best friend. Or your daughter.'Los Angeles Times ';Moving . . . transcends the memoir genre's usual self-centeredness to explore how human beings can always surprise you.'USA Today ';It's a compelling awakening, and a harrowing oneboth for the reader and for Kerman.'Newsweek.com Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and more.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . . When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail. ';It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.' Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor's chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Mastersand the truest measure of Vader's allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now. On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as ';spice,' an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resourcesby political power or firepowerand he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure his will is done. For Syndulla and Isval, it's the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. And for the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet's surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries.Praise for Lords of the Sith ';A compelling tale [that] gives us new insight into the relationship between Darth Vader and his master, Emperor Palpatine.'New York Daily News ';Endlessly fascinating . . . a tale [that is] not just compelling but completely thrilling.'Big Shiny Robot ';The best novel so far in this new era of official canon Star Wars stories.'IGN ';Packed with action . . . hard to put down.'Seattle Geekly