Ben Schafer

War took everything from Ulysses Walden: his family, his friends, his home. Now he has arrived on the frontier of humanity's burgeoning interstellar empire in the hopes of building a new life. But when he stumbles onto clues leading to the greatest treasure in history, he finds himself sucked back into a world of danger and intrigue. Together with a motley assortment of other outcasts aboard the transport Lucky Rabbit's Foot, Walden must outrun deadly battleships, outwit pirate warlords, and outfight brutal secret police squads hell-bent on his destruction. But the true danger may be one that none of them saw coming. Someone else is out there, and they are willing to kill without mercy in order to keep Newton's Moon a secret...forever. This is the first book in an exciting new series by author Ben Schafer. If you're looking for adventure and action among the stars, you've come to the right place.

If you need a miracle, call Kyle Hoyek. The former Marine turned Vatican agent specializes in hopeless causes. But when he returns to his homeland of Syria, his skills are put to the ultimate test. Kyle plunges into the chaotic civil war to rescue a group of civilians with one thing in common: someone very powerful wants them dead at any cost. What was supposed to be a simple extraction becomes a cross-country scramble to survive. Caught between clashing armies and pursued by a ruthless intelligence officer with a personal vendetta, Kyle struggles to keep his misfits alive. As the pressure mounts, old secrets and fresh betrayals threaten to destroy everything Kyle believes in. Can Kyle overcome the demons of his past and get everyone out alive? Or will the war that consumed a nation devour them, as well? Find out in SON OF SYRIA, Ben Schafer's thrilling debut novel of intrigue and suspense.

The year's best essays and articles on music as selected by Nick Hornby, author of High Fidelity. Welcome to the second volume in an exciting annual series that celebrates the year's best writing about music and its culture, as selected by Nick Hornby, creator of the most famously music-obsessed hero in contemporary fiction. Covering the gamut of contemporary music styles, he has chosen pieces from a dizzying array of sources on topics that range from hip-hop on ecstasy and Cuban rappers to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and MerleFest. The writers will include such distinguished veterans and bright new talents as: Courtney Love, Camden Joy, Rick Moody, Anthony DeCurtis, William Gay, Gary Giddins, M. Doughty, Eddie Dean, Richard Meltzer, Whitney Balliett, David Bowman, Ann Powers, Chuck D:Featuring the smartest, edgiest, richest, funniest, and just plain best work of the year, this collection is a must-have for music lovers and lovers of great writing alike.