Books with author Joe Williams

The Northern gods watch over them.Valrin and his companions narrowly escaped their deaths and flee east. By chance, they have learned of a gaseous poison in the hands of the dwarves capable of slaughtering thousands. How will the Stormborn, with the power of the ancients at his command, find a way to stop them?Now, he must trust his shadow elf friend in seeking out the mysterious daughter of the Ice Mage. With her power of elemental magic and sorcery unlike any before her, she could prove a powerful ally. But will her own dark secret hinder his own task as Stormborn?He struggles to trust the one person they risked their lives to save as shadows descend upon the crew. Calling upon every ounce of his courage to survive the coming bloodshed, he may have no choice but to go to the one place that could ensure the death of them all. But will courage be enough?This is not your typical coming of age adventure. The explosive conclusion to the sword and sorcery novella trilogy Stormborn Saga is packed with some of the darkest scenes of the trilogy!

The elves have been called to war. As his parents leave, Kealin and his siblings stay behind to continue to train for the inevitable bloodshed that will reach their shores. For all their lives they have been persecuted for being half-elf. Kealin has never questioned his mother's true lineage but she has been in hiding and he will soon discover why. A prophecy is revealed that foretells doom for all the warriors who departed. In order to avert the disaster, Kealin and his half-blood siblings embark into the frigid seas of the north aboard an enchanted ship. In a perilous journey, Kealin discovers a power not at all elven in nature. He is changing. As the blood of the race of a long dead people surges in his veins, a power awakens within his mind tying him to a lost and powerful culture. But what else is waking in the long frozen north, will risk all of them and Kealin is playing into the hands of a master deceiver. He must learn to control this ancient power before a hidden plot destroys all he seeks to save. Half-Elf Chronicles Half-Bloods Rising Seer of Lost Sands (April 16th) Shadow of the Orc Star (May 2016) Book 4 and 5 (Fall 2016)

From the bestselling author of Eyes on the Prize, here is the definitive biography of the great lawyer and Supreme Court justice.Thurgood Marshall stands today as the great architect of American race relations, having expanded the foundation of individual rights for all Americans. His victory in the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, the landmark Supreme Court case outlawing school segregation, would have made him a historic figure even if he had not gone on to become the first African-American appointed to the Supreme Court. As a young lawyer, Marshall dealt with criminal cases in which blacks were routinely sent to their deaths with barely a trial, and he was once nearly lynched while defending a client. Remembered as a gruff, aloof figure, Marshall in fact had great charisma and a large appetite for life. Away from the courtroom, he was a glamorous figure in Harlem circles, known as a man-about-town who socialized with prizefighter Joe Louis, singer Cab Calloway, and other black luminaries. He lived in every decade of the century and knew every president from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, becoming a respected member of Washington's power elite, known for his savvy and quick wit.But beneath Marshall's charm was a hard-nosed drive to change America that led to surprising clashes with Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and Malcolm X. Most intriguing of all was Marshall's secret and controversial relationship with FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, revealed here for the first time. Based on eight years of research and interviews with over 150 sources, Thurgood Marshall is the sweeping and inspirational story of an enduring figure in American life, a descendant of slaves who became a true hero for all people. As Juan Williams shows, in page after vivid page, Thurgood Marshall fulfilled the promise of democracy and changed our history.

Summer is winding down and strange days have hit the town of Needles, Massachusetts. Barry Drinkwater, a pool-boy for his parents, is unsure how to proceed when cryptic messages land in his lap while floating in the backyard. Whenever Barry thinks he is alone, he catches someone spying on him from behind shrubbery, gazing at him from around the corner, or peering at him over a newspaper. Then, one day, he happens upon a peculiar help wanted ad: an open position for a Courtroom Abstract Artist via Mirro Enterprises. Meanwhile, his guilt-ridden, morbid, and eccentric friend, Wayne, is obsessed with preparing for the impending apocalypse and introduces Barry to a fantastical realm – a realm that raises more questions than answers. While pursuing the truth, Barry finds himself haunting the local cemetery, wandering through an abandoned mental hospital, and exploring a mysterious highway off-ramp. Important questions remain: Can Barry exist as a pool boy forever? Will Wayne perish as he fears? Will their fates intertwine? And, most importantly, what is the story behind Exit-Thirty-Three-B?

Parents - Do you want your children to realise there is also a world away from their console? If you have to surgically remove the controller from their grasp, you'll love this book.Kids - Don't worry, you'll also love this book. It's absolutely hilarious.For some kids, playing their game console was a matter of life and death... But for ten-year-olds Luke and Conor, it was more important even than that!In fact, the topic of conversation on every boy’s — and even a fair few girl’s — lips was the latest shoot-em-up survival game called Hundred-to-One.The prospect of competing in the Hundred-to-One world championship tournament, with untold riches in prize money and international bragging rights, was simply irresistible.The only thing standing in Luke and Conor’s path to victory was the Isle of Man regional heat they’d have to win. Oh, and the fact that every kid in every school everywhere had exactly the same dream they did. So, yeah, there was that as well.But Luke and Conor wouldn’t let anything stand in their way! Well, okay, apart from homework, maybe, and the school bully, and a younger boy with a watery eye and a gammy leg... and along, of course, with their mums’ rubbish insistence that they set the game controller down and (*gasp!*) venture outside for fresh air on occasion. The lads were determined, though. And their obsession for gaming glory in a virtual world, as it happened, could also open up the possibility of new friendships and new adventure in the real world. A hilarious, feel-good book that's genuinely one for the whole family.

Fun with Cooking provides children with the means of creating their own culinary feasts and all the information they need to get started; including safety tips on what to do and what not to do in the kitchen, plus lots of information about tools and equipment.Every recipe is clearly illustrated with step-by-step photographs and safe, easy-to-follow instructions. They range from the simplest of ideas to those that require a little more experience and, therefore, appeal to all ages and abilities. All the essential cooking techniques have been included in one recipe or another, so children will learn lots of useful skills. There is a guide to cooking terms so the different techniques will be easy to understand and this is accompanied by useful tips and helpful hints throughout.With its wide range of recipes, easy-to-read style and practical approach, Fun with Cooking guarantees hours of creative -- and of course, tasty -- fun for kids of all ages.

Half a century after brave Americans took to the streets to raise the bar of opportunity for all races, Juan Williams writes that too many black Americans are in crisis—caught in a twisted hip-hop culture, dropping out of school, ending up in jail, having babies when they are not ready to be parents, and falling to the bottom in twenty-first-century global economic competition.In Enough, Juan Williams issues a lucid, impassioned clarion call to do the right thing now, before we travel so far off the glorious path set by generations of civil rights heroes that there can be no more reaching back to offer a hand and rescue those being left behind.Inspired by Bill Cosby’s now famous speech at the NAACP gala celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Brown decision integrating schools, Williams makes the case that while there is still racism, it is way past time for black Americans to open their eyes to the “culture of failure” that exists within their community. He raises the banner of proud black traditional values—self-help, strong families, and belief in God—that sustained black people through generations of oppression and flowered in the exhilarating promise of the modern civil rights movement. Williams asks what happened to keeping our eyes on the prize by proving the case for equality with black excellence and achievement.He takes particular aim at prominent black leaders—from Al Sharpton to Jesse Jackson to Marion Barry. Williams exposes the call for reparations as an act of futility, a detour into self-pity; he condemns the “Stop Snitching” campaign as nothing more than a surrender to criminals; and he decries the glorification of materialism, misogyny, and murder as a corruption of a rich black culture, a tragic turn into pornographic excess that is hurting young black minds, especially among the poor.Reinforcing his incisive observations with solid research and alarming statistical data, Williams offers a concrete plan for overcoming the obstacles that now stand in the way of African Americans’ full participation in the nation’s freedom and prosperity. Certain to be widely discussed and vehemently debated, Enough is a bold, perceptive, solution-based look at African American life, culture, and politics today.

Valrin was born of the sea, or so he was always told. Orphaned on a desolate island, he knows nothing of his true past and wonders of his future. . . until the unexpected arrival of a mysterious ship changes everything.For a fleeting moment, he feels like he might have an answer to everything and then his life is suddenly ripped apart. The one person that loved him is killed protecting him and a wanted sea-captain and his misfit crew become the only hope Valrin has. If he is to survive the coming darkness, he must learn who he truly is.But there is someone that will hunt him. Someone that will want him dead to prevent the mere chance of what he could become. He has a destiny to unlock but will he get there before he is destroyed?

Could any story be more inspiring than that of Joan of Arc, the courageous maiden who fought for the glory of France and God? Guided by what she firmly believed were visions of saints, this young Frenchwoman—still just 16 years old—led her people in battle against the British occupiers. Though she proved victorious in war, Joan ultimately became a martyr when some of her own countrymen betrayed her to the English. Jay Williams captures all the tragedy and pathos of the fearless country girl who was finally recognized as a saint herself.

Deemed "the greatest American novel you've never heard of" by The New Yorker, and similarly celebrated in most major publications in America and Britain (and increasingly in other countries where it has been translated), this novel by the National Book Award-winning author of Augustus and Butcher's Crossing all but disappeared after its 1965 publication

King Gregor of Eriari is on the verge of his sixtieth year. The kingdom is tense, awaiting the selection of his heir from among the three royal siblings. Kari understands the feeling all too well. She has only recently learned that she will not inherit her family’s smithy, despite her skill being far superior to that of her younger brother. Everything is a mess and nothing seems fair. Princesses can inherit the kingdom, but village girls can’t even take over a forge. Kari wonders if she will ever find a place for herself. That is, until she stumbles upon something in the royal forest that changes everything…A fantasy reimagining of the Hans Christian Andersen classic, The Nightingale is an epic tale of magic and intrigue, courageous heroes and cunning villains. Fast-paced and filled with colorful characters, this is one you won’t want to put down.From readers of the First Edition:“Williams stays true to the fairytale style of the source material, adding a dash of magic and palace intrigue for good measure. This could be a great book for young readers though it's also enjoyable for adults.”“The characters are warm and relatable, and the action is believable. If you like a slash-em-up, this isn't for you. If you like real people working to make their world better, give it a try.”“This reimagination is awesome, and its fast pace keeps you hooked to the end.”“This retelling of the fairy tale 'The Nightingale' is filled with deception, intrigue and a cool cast of characters.”