Ken Folletts captivating third novel in the Kingsbridge series &i>A Column of Fire&i> returns to the setting & story that began & continued in the multi-million copy bestsellers &i> The Pillars of the Earth&i> & &i> World Without End&i>&i> &i> Christmas 1558 & the world is in turmoil as a new queen takes her throne & one man pledges to protect her life at all costs Follett Ken ...

The saga that has enthralled the millions of readers of The Pillars of the Earth & World Without End now continues with Ken Follett's magnificent gripping A Column of Fire Christmas 1558 & young Ned Willard returns home to Kingsbridge to find his world has changed The ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn by religious hatred Europe is in turmoil as high principles clash bloodily with friendship loyalty & love & Ned soon finds himself on the opposite side from the girl he longs to marry Margery Fitzgerald Then Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen & all of Europe turns against England The shrewd determined young monarch sets up the country's first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots rebellions & invasion plans Elizabeth knows that alluring headstrong Mary Queen of Scots lies in wait in Paris Part of a brutally ambitious French family Mary has been proclaimed the rightful ruler of England with her own supporters scheming to get rid of the new queen Over a turbulent half-century the love between Ned & Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva With Elizabeth clinging precariously to her throne & her principles protected by a small dedicated group of resourceful spies & courageous secret agents it becomes clear that the real enemies
- then as now
- are not the rival religions The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance & compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else
- no matter the cost


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The saga that has enthralled the millions of readers of The Pillars of the Earth & World Without End now continues with Ken Follett&s magnificent gripping A Column of Fire Christmas 1558 & young Ned Willard returns home to Kingsbridge to find his world has changed The ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn by religious hatred Europe is in turmoil as high principles clash bloodily with friendship loyalty & love & Ned soon finds himself on the opposite side from the girl he longs to marry Margery Fitzgerald Then Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen & all of Europe turns against England The shrewd determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots rebellions & invasion plans Elizabeth knows that alluring headstrong Mary Queen of Scots lies in wait in Paris Part of a brutally ambitious French family Mary has been proclaimed the rightful ruler of England with her own supporters scheming to get rid of the new queen Over a turbulent half-century the love between Ned & Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva With Elizabeth clinging precariously to her throne & her principles protected by a small dedicated group of resourceful spies & courageous secret agents it becomes clear that the real enemies – then as now – are not the rival religions The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance & compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else – no matter the cost ...

Within the domains of criminal justice & mental health care critical debate concerning care' versus control' & therapy' versus security' is now commonplace Indeed the hybridisation' of these areas is now a familiar theme This unique & topical text provides an array of expert analyses from key contributors in the field that explore the interface between criminal justice & mental health Using concise yet robust definitions of key terms & concepts it consolidates scholarly analysis of theory policy & practice Readers are provided with practical debates in addition to the theoretical & ideological concerns surrounding the risk assessment treatment control & risk management in a cross-disciplinary context Included in this book is recommended further reading & an index of legislation making it an ideal resource for students at undergraduate & postgraduate level together with researchers & practitioners in the field ...

The third edition of Terence Wade s A Comprehensive Russian Grammar newly updated & revised offers the definitive guide to current Russian usage Provides the most complete accurate & authoritative English language reference grammar of Russian available on the market
Includes: up-to-date material from a wide range of literary & non-literary sources including Russian government websites Features a comprehensive approach to grammar exposition Retains the accessible yet comprehensive coverage of the previous edition while adding updated examples & illustrations as well as insights into several new developments in Russian language usage since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
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Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction Twenty-three-year-old Zhuang (or Z as she calls herself
- Westerners cannot pronounce
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John M Carroll's engrossing & accessible narrative explores the remarkable history of Hong Kong from the early 1800s through the post-1997 handover when this former colony became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China The book explores Hong Kong as a place with a unique identity yet also a crossroads where Chinese history British colonial history & world history intersect Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule the consequences of Hong Kong's reintegration with China & significant developments & challenges since 1997 ...

Since its formation in 1861 Italy has struggled to develop an effective political system & a secure sense of national identity This new edition of Christopher Duggan's acclaimed introduction charts the country's history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the west to the present day & surveys the difficulties Italy has faced during the last two centuries in forging a nation state Duggan successfully weaves together political economic social & cultural history & stresses the alternation between materialist & idealist programmes for forging a nation state This second edition has been thoroughly revised & updated to offer increased coverage of nineteenth- & twentieth-century Italy as well as a new section devoted to Italy in the twenty-first century With a new extensive bibliographical essay & a detailed chronology this is the ideal resource for those seeking an authoritative & comprehensive introduction to Italian history ...

Highlighting the most important events ideas & individuals that shaped modern Europe this text provides a concise history of the continent from the Enlightenment to the present day focusing on the causes & consequences of revolution; the origins & development of human rights & democracy & issues of European identity & integration 256 pages 8 Maps; 28 Halftones black & white Mason David S ...

Now in a fully revised & updated edition this comprehensive & balanced history of modern Korea explores the social economic & political issues it has faced since being catapulted into the wider world at the end of the nineteenth century Placing this formerly insular society in a global context Michael J Seth describes how this ancient culturally & ethnically homogeneous society first fell victim to Japanese imperialist expansionism & then was arbitrarily divided in half after World War II Seth traces the postwar paths of the two Koreas-with different political & social systems & different geopolitical orientations-as they evolved into sharply contrasting societies South Korea after an unpromising start became one of the few postcolonial developing states to enter the ranks of the first world with a globally competitive economy a democratic political system & a cosmopolitan & dynamic culture By contrast North Korea became one of the world's most totalitarian & isolated societies a nuclear power with an impoverished & famine-stricken population Considering the radically different & historically unprecedented trajectories of the two Koreas Seth assesses the insights they offer for understanding not only modern Korea but the broader perspective of world history All readers looking for a balanced knowledgeable history will be richly rewarded with this clear & cogent book ...