John Malam

#2

2003

Begun in the reign of George IV and ended in that of Edward VII, her life more than spanned the whole Victorian era. "Do you think you are improving?" had asked the Aga Khan. She would not have hesitated for an instant in her reply. Life for the majority had improved, was improving and would continue to improve. Grieved greatly by his imperfections, she still believed in the ultimate perfectibility of man. Few of the great Victorians brought about by their personal efforts more of the material improvements of the era than Florence Nightingale. Probably in her own mind the betterment of the soldiers' lot, in sickness and in health, that she had helped to bring about would have rated highest. Next to that would have come her efforts to better the health of the peasants of India. Today she is remembered first and foremost as the founder of the nursing profession in its modern form. Her 38 ragtag-and-bobtail women, who coped with the shambles at Scutari, and the 15 young ladies introduced into St. Thomas' in 1860, were the start of one of the greatest of all services to mankind. This was her achievement, and almost hers alone. - p. 246.

#3

Ever since his classic debut, The Tar-Aiym Krang, the first of the wildly successful Pip and Flinx adventures, New York Times bestselling author Alan Dean Foster has captivated readers around the world. Now this writer of bold imagination and stunning originality has created an electrifying space epic set in a universe at once strangely familiar and starkly terrifying. Familiar because the universe is ours; terrifying because the human condition might soon be. . . .Not so long ago Marcus Walker was just another young commodities trader in Chicago, working hard and playing harder. But that's all in the past, part of a life half forgotten--a reality that vanished when he was attacked while camping and tossed aboard a starship bound for deep space.Desperately, Walker searches for explanations, only to realize he's trapped in a horrifying nightmare that is all too real. Instead of being a rich hotshot at the top of the food chain, Walker discovers he's just another amusing novelty, part of a cargo of "cute" aliens from primitive planets--destined to be sold as pets to highly advanced populations in "civilized" regions of the galaxy.Even if he weren't constantly watched by his captors, Walker has few options. After all, there is no escape from a speeding starship. Another man might resign himself to the inevitable and hope to be sold to a kindly owner, but not Walker. This former college football star has plenty of American ingenuity and no intention of admitting defeat, now or ever. In fact, he's only just begun to fight.The adventure will continue with two more novelsFrom the Hardcover edition.