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When the Colonial Marines set out after their deadliest prey, the Xenomorphs, it’s what Corporal Hicks calls a bug hunt—kill or be killed. Here are fifteen all-new stories of such “close encounters,” written by many of today’s most extraordinary authors. Set during the events of all four Alien films, sending the Marines to alien worlds, to derelict space settlements, and into the nests of the universe’s most dangerous monsters, these adventures are guaranteed to send the blood racing—one way or another.

Nearly three billion years into the future, the solar system is a very different place. Earth is long gone, and the sun is a gray, shrunken dwarf. All that remains of humanity and conscious thought is Jonathan - the last machine.

As the bassist for the band Caged, the last three years have been one, long non-stop party. Sure, I've had some regrets. Everyone does. But getting trapped in a relationship isn't one of them. I know good and well what happens when the attraction fades. I've seen it firsthand. Love is a zero sum game, so why play? As long as I'm upfront about my feelings, no one gets hurt. Besides, I'm never in one place long enough to worry about tomorrow. That is, until the band decided to take an extended hiatus in our hometown. That's when I met Melody Sullivan.

The gathering was supposed to have been a perfunctory media exercise on retiring Senator Jackson Ridge's last day in office. When a grieving mother slips in and poses that simple question, though, everything from Ridge's own legacy to American interests in Afghanistan all get called into question. Racing against a ticking clock and powerful figures that would prefer to keep things happening across the globe a secret, Ridge must call on every last favor he has accumulated over the course of his time in office in search of answers.

Ayn Rand's philosophical novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged made her the most controversial author of her age. Her works have drawn millions of fans and continue to sell at a breathtaking pace. Their impact on American culture runs from libertarian politics to the self-esteem movement in psychology to the rugged individualism of Silicon Valley and the Internet. Rand also launched a movement of intellectuals committed to her philosophy of Objectivism.

Philosophy professor and entrepreneur Stephen Hicks takes a critical look at unquestioned assumptions in the arena of business ethics.

Meghan, my little love. She is my son’s young girlfriend and my ex-best friend’s daughter. She came to my home with Ethan for a visit. Nineteen, untouched, angelic, and wanting. The moment I saw her, I wanted her. I needed to make a thrusting appearance deep inside her untouched walls.

Since the 2008 recession began, sales of Atlas Shrugged have surged and the novel (and author Ayn Rand) have landed at the center of American politics. Whether you decide to embrace Ayn Rand's ideas, reject them, or simply want to be able to participate in an informed way in conversations about Rand's ideas, this slim volume will help you understand her revolutionary philosophy and identify the myths circulating about her ideas. Four authors identify some prominent myths, show why they are false, and state the plain facts that the myths conceal.

John isn’t known for having the perfect gift for everyone at Christmas. He usually hits the malls in the final hours before they close, grabs the last thing on the shelf, and cringes as the gifts are unwrapped. But this year is different. He’s determined to do better. However, on his way to a store in downtown Salem, he spots a crowd of people and sees a woman on the rooftop of a five-story building, about to jump to her death.

Son of a wealthy importer, Galen Merriweather lives to broker deals, and he’s damn good at it. But it’s getting harder to ignore the kind of man his father is - a man who would pay Galen’s brother’s lover to leave...a man who’d demand Galen retrieve a quarter-million-dollar check from a struggling homeless shelter. Robert Kotke knows the money is too good to be true, but it’s a godsend that could help so many people. Still, he hands it over when Galen shows up. But he isn’t done with Galen yet, and he’s going to challenge everything Galen ever believed.

Best-selling author and six-figure online entrepreneur Brad Jones will show you how to achieve what you want in life by following a simple, yet highly effective, goal-setting formula. This book was created for the person who is starting to recognize their dissatisfaction with life. It's for those people who want an easy-to-follow system, which will lead them from their current position to a customized, ideal existence. Not only will you feel more satisfied with your renewed drive and direction, you'll also discover an increase in well-being and confidence that everyone will benefit from.

Before becoming disillusioned with political militancy and retiring to a quiet rural life where he wrote the majority of his historical and metapolitical texts, Dominique Venner was heavily involved in the fight for French Algeria, both during and after the war. While serving a prison term for his involvement with the dissident paramilitary group the Organisation armée secrète , he sought to write a text that would synthesize the vast domain of right-wing thought into a coherent political doctrine, a right-wing manifesto in the same vein as Vladmir Lenin's What Is to be Done?

In the peace following the Great Mage Hunt, the king’s long-time mistress is revealed as a sorceress. Locked away for the safety of the kingdom, bounties are placed upon the heads of the seven children she birthed. Before they can be found by the kingdom’s mage hunters, the seven turn to in-fighting and murder, stealing each other’s magics to grow stronger. After the battle on the stone plains, only three of the mage-born bastards remain alive.

Contemporary views of business ethics often show businessmen and women in a bad light. Egoism, profits, and competition are branded as immoral, while social consciousness is praised. Atlas Society Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, PhD, disagrees with this point of view. Most contemporary business ethics does business a disservice. Worse than that, its proposed cures are plagued with unintended consequences that are often much worse than the problems it is attempting to solve. Hicks defends the egoism that drives successful business people and the morality of free-market capitalism.

Ayn Rand’s novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged gave birth to a movement based on her philosophy of objectivism. In The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand, philosopher David Kelley explains why he broke ranks with orthodox objectivists and created an independent branch of the movement. Originally published in 1990 as a manifesto, the work has been revised as an analysis of the principles of the intellectual collaboration, toleration, and responsibility. It is an engaging introduction to the objectivist movement, its core ideas, and its central fissures.

Attorney Scott Winslow and CIA agent-turned-investigator Lee Henry are back with another extraordinary case. Scott must prove that a powerful company CEO raped his subordinate, Sarah Willis, on a business trip. Investigator Lee Henry employs his CIA background, and unorthodox practices, to chase evidence and help Scott prosecute the case. While Scott goes all in on the case, Lee reaches behind opaque curtains to search for clues. But can they piece it all together and win the case?

For paramedic Adam Carson, his world is lights and sirens and saving lives. Pressures at work keep him firmly in the closet, and life is too busy to contend with the complications that come with dating and relationships. When a familiar face from his past turns up where he least expects it, Adam starts to question whether or not there is room in his life for those complications. The last person forensic pathologist Sam McKenna expects to see at pub night is Adam, the guy who made his life hell in high school.

Do you wish you could lead a mindful life where you're completely present for yourself, completely aware of what you're doing and not reactive to the noise and distractions of your surroundings? No matter where you lie on the spectrum of life, mindfulness is always the end goal - and it should be. The good news is that you can be mindful regardless of how busy your schedule is: all you need is a few minutes to find quietude and joy in your frantic life.

This guide to energy drinks tackles the three most common questions about these controversial products: Are they safe? Do they work? How do they work? Within this guide, you'll meet the 20 most common ingredients found in energy drinks. For each ingredient, you'll find information on a safe/effective dose, as well as helpful stories, puns, and metaphors to learn the science behind what these ingredients do. You'll also discover the key factors that make energy drinks safe or unsafe, and how unsafe products are regulated and reported.

In Neil deGrasse Tyson's delightful journey through the cosmos, his fictional character Merlin responds to popular questions asked by adults and children alike. Merlin, a timeless visitor from Planet Omniscia in the Andromeda Galaxy, has observed first-hand many of the major scientific events of Earth's history. Merlin's friends include the most important scientific figures and explorers of all time - da Vinci, Magellan, Newton, Einstein and Hubble.