Less than two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, three junior archeologists and their gloryhound advisor arrive at a remote cave in the heart of the Siberian wilderness to carry out the first extensive Western dig on Russian soil since the execution of the Czar.Surrounded by a looming forest with eerie silences and flickering shadows, Valerie, Kit, and Mark begin their dig under the eccentric and charismatic guidance of the venerable George Audobon. The excavation yields...

Brought to you by Penguin.Dame Zandra Rhodes has spent her life rallying against what was expected of her, both as a designer and a woman. Often perceived as too bold for the mainstream, she fought for creativity and individuality, and continues to achieve both in everything she does.In this insightful memoir, Zandra shares her life story for the first time. Told through a variety of mementos collected over the years, it is a vibrant account filled with roc...

The Doctor awakens to discover a universe which is at once all too familiar, and yet completely unlike that which he was expecting. Join him as he argues with himself, his companions, and anyone else near enough to be drawn in - all the while attempting to save a shattered and disintegrating universe. If this seems to be parodying something familiar, which has itself recently fallen apart and lost its shine, it probably is. First published through YouTube beginning in 2019, then published ...

Eleanor Brice Desmarais, she of the cracked glass slipper and unladylike intellectual propensities, has learned that happily-ever-after is as rare as a frozen dragon, even for a happenstance princess. She survived a plot against her life, but her marriage to the alcoholic, womanizing Prince Gregory of Cartheigh remains at best a sham, and at worse, a potential noose around her neck. Gregory is increasingly suspicious of Eleanor’s unusually close relationship with his best friend, Dorian Fi...

When Eleanor Brice loses a glass slipper, she unexpectedly gains a royal fiancé and a way out of her abusive stepmother’s house. Unfortunately, eight years of mistreatment, isolation, and clandestine book learning hardly prepared Eleanor for life at Eclatant Palace, where women are seen, not heard. According to Eleanor’s eavesdropping parrot, no one at court appreciates her unladylike tendency to voice her opinion. To make matters worse, Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, spends...

Four years have passed since Eleanor Brice Desmarais’s darkest secret came to heartbreaking, perilous light. The princess with the cracked glass slipper still mourns unimaginable losses, including the deaths of her son and her best friend. Her lover, Dorian Finley, is in exile in a far northern kingdom. Eleanor and her husband, Crown Prince Gregory of Cartheigh, barely tolerate one another. Her two daughters are the bright stars in what feels like an existence of endless night.Husb...

The Doctor, famous time traveller extraordinaire, has saved the universe once again! With the help of his companions, of course.Now they have finally cleaned up the mess left by the last crisis, standing proudly at the Earth’s South Pole admiring their handiwork, the Doctor is taken by surprise by his companion’s request. Take them as far away from Earth in Time and Space as possible! The Doctor resolves to take them hundreds of thousands of years into the future and megaparsecs fr...

The first time you meet someone, you make eye contact. You smile, say hello. Should be simple, if you're anyone but me. The first time I met Dylan Reed, I found myself making eye contact with a different part of his body. You see, I'm very good at being shy, not to mention extremely well-versed in rambling nonsense and, unfortunately, rather highly skilled at making a fool of myself in front of a guy I'm attracted to.At the time, I knew nothing about him and thought none of what I ...

When you are winning gambling seems very easy. You place a bet and receive your winnings. The thrill is a joyous electric shock of joy and applause. And winnings.If you lose, well, at first you know your luck will turn. It must, you’re a winner. But if your luck fails, and keeps failing, misery endures and then envelops your life. Everything is centered on that next roll of the dice, the turn of the card …. Nothing else matters. You are addicted. These two sides of the coin are exa...

Russia has changed dramatically since the beginning of this decade. This volume presents a unique collection of articles by Russian scholars and experts, originally published in Russian in the journal Kontrapunkt (Counterpoint). The authors include Yulia Bederova, Andrey Desnitsky, Maria Eismont, Aleksandr Gorbachev, Tatiana Nefedova, Ella Paneyakh, Sergey Parkhomenko, Nikolay Petrov, Kirill Rogov, Sergey Sergeev, Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, Andrey Soldatov, Svetlana Solodovnik, Anna Tolstova...