Books with author P.M. Thomas

Terrorists are known to use the Internet for communications, planning, recruitment, propaganda, and reconnaissance. They have shown interest in carrying out cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructures, although no such serious attacks are known publicly to have occurred. The discovery of the Stuxnet malware in July 2010, and its analysis over the next several months, was widely believed to have been a landmark event in cybersecurity, because it showed that cyberattacks against industrial control systems, hypothesized for a long time, are actually possible. After Stuxnet, there were public concerns that terrorists might be encouraged to acquire capabilities for similar cyberattacks.This monograph examines cyberterrorism before and after Stuxnet by addressing questions of:1.Motive—Are terrorists interested in launching cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructures?2.Means—Are terrorists building capabilities and skills for cyberattacks?3.Opportunity—How vulnerable are U.S. critical infrastructures?It is noted that no serious cyberterrorism attacks have occurred after Stuxnet. This can be explained from a cost-benefit perspective that has not changed since Stuxnet. It can be argued that U.S. policies can really address vulnerabilities only by strengthening defenses of critical infrastructures.

The War of the Spider Queen spreads...A hand-picked team of the most capable drow adventurers begin a perilous journey through the treacherous Underdark, all the while surrounded by the chaos of war. Their path will take them through the very heart of darkness, and the Underdark will be shaken to its core. If the powerful dark elves falter, the world below is open for Insurrection.

One Marine's gripping story of the bloody battles, the Surge, and the Awakening of Sunni tribes that changed the tide in Iraq's Anbar provinceSeven minutes into the first patrol a firefight erupts. Quickly, the Marines of Rage Company became acquainted with the nature of counterinsurgency. Every day, more IEDs were planted than the Marines could clear. They avoided taking the same route twice, they never walked out in the open, and they steered clear of roads that hadn't been ""swept"" in the last hour. They were in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province and one of the deadliest cities in Iraq.In November 2006, then First Lieutenant Thomas Daly arrived as part of the ""surge"" in Ramadi, to take part in Operation Squeeze Play, a division-size effort to remove al Qaeda from Anbar province. In this powerful memoir, he describes the successful clearing of southern Ramadi's Second Officer's district, the Qatana, and the uprising of local citizens against al Qaeda on the eastern edge of the city (the result of an unlikely alliance between Daly's company and Thawar al Anbar). From the first patrol to the last in the spring of 2007, he takes you inside the daily successes and struggles of the operation and the stressful challenge of trying to discern who was a terrorist and who was a civilian. He tells the powerful and very human story of a people who want to free their country, yet have no basis on which to trust the American forces in helping them succeed.""So vivid are Daly's descriptions that the reader can sense the tipping point and can anticipate that al Qaeda in Iraq will strike back savagely. What a tale Daly tells! You won't read this in textbook theories about counterinsurgency."" —Bing West, author and retired Marine general, from his foreword to Rage Company ""Rage Company will stand apart from the many Iraq memoirs and histories already published."" —Nathaniel Fick, author of the New York Times bestseller, One Bullet Away ""Tom Daly captures the uncertainty, chaos, fog and friction inherent in all combat. . . . In particular, he provides an inside, street-level look at the emergence of the Anbar Awakening. . . . Definitely belongs on the bookshelves of professionals."" —T. X. Hammes, Colonel, USMC (Ret) author of The Sling and the Stone A Marine's personal story of fighting an insurgency and overcoming a siege mentality to work with Iraqis to rout a common enemy, Al Qaeda Captain Daly's unique perception of the battlefield has been shaped while operating with units of the United States Army, Navy SEALs, ANGLICO (Air, Naval Gunfire Liaison Company), Iraqi Army and Police Units, and anti-Al Qaeda guerrillas Filled with on-the-ground details and insights on military operations and strategy, Rage Company cements the accurate history of the unlikely alliance that redirected the Iraq War and set the course for operations in the future.

Ever wonder what could bring a demon to the gates of heaven? Aliisza and Kaanyr Vhok have returned from their attempted invasion of Menzoberranzan and turned their sights on Sundabar. But before she can complete a mission in that beseiged city, Aliisza finds herself in the one place a demon would never want to go, no matter how sure she is of her wits and cunning: the very heart of Celestia! Join everyone's favorite succubus and her half-fiend boyfriend, introduced in the War of the Spider Queen series, in the first installment of their own exciting new trilogy!

The last in the trilogy of Forgotten Realms novels from Thomas M. Reid. This is the concluding novel in a trilogy exploring the political intrigue of a mercenary society in the Forgotten Realms world. Author Thomas M. Reid has written the entire trilogy, which takes place in an area of the world little before explored in novels. AUTHOR BIO: THOMAS M. REID held numerous positions with TSR and Wizards of the Coast, Inc., including brand manager for the D&D® brand and creative director for Star Wars® RPGs. Besides the Scions of Arrabar trilogy, his most recent novel is Insurrection, the second book in the New York Times best-selling R.A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen series.

Kevin the little crane helps mend engines at the Sodor Steamworks, but has a lot to learn. Can he show that he’s more than just a clumsy crane? Find out in this new engine adventure featuring Thomas and his friends from the Island of Sodor! Engine Adventures is the newest series in the Thomas Range. Children will love meeting Thomas and his engine friends. From Thomas to Gordon to Harold the Helicopter, there is a railway adventure to thrill every Thomas fan. These fun, short stories come with a fun, bonus spot-and-see activity at the end. Thomas & Friends have been teaching children lessons about life and friendship for over 70 years. Thomas ranks alongside other beloved character such as Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage.

An epic novel of war and courage set in Ancient Greece, Fortress of the Sun brings to life one of the most stunning campaigns of antiquity, a tale every bit the sibling of the 300 Spartans' Battle of Thermopylae or the Macedonian wars against Persia...It's 243 B.C. and Greece is ready for a revolution.Eighty years have passed since the death of Alexander the Great, the man who first cowed free Hellas into submission. His successors have only tightened their grip in the interim, the present king no exception. Spartan rebellions, opportunistic usurpers, foreign invaders – for five decades, King Antigonus has seen them all and crushed them all. He stands alone astride Greece; he fears no one.Aratus of Sicyon plans to change that. Burning with a passion for freedom and hatred for the King, he takes aim at Macedon when no one else would dare; takes aim at its crown jewel in the south, the linchpin of its control, the symbol of its domination—Corinth.Outfunded, outmanned, and outarmed, Aratus embarks on one of the most audacious campaigns in ancient history, one destined to change Greece forever.

The first in a new trilogy of Forgotten Realms novels from Thomas M. Reid.This is the first title in a new trilogy exploring the political intrigue of a mercenary society in the Forgotten Realms world. Author Thomas M. Reid will be authoring the entire trilogy, which takes place in an area of the world little before explored in novels.The Sapphire CrescentA mercenary order sworn to defend a god, but bent to the will of mortals.When family turns on family, it's buisness as usual in Arrabar, but when a family turns on itself, an entire nation may be torn asunder.

For love. For war. For honor. For vengeance.Spanning vistas from majestic mountains, pristine lakes, and barren plains in the north to sweltering deserts, raging seas, and rain-soaked shrublands in the south, The Bulls of War is the first book of E.M. Thomas's epic Chronicles of the Andervold Thrones.Follow this sweeping tale of an empire on the precipice of war with its hated rival, a fragile truce teetering on the edge of a sword. Watch as tens of thousands of troops stand at the ready, only an order away from battles on a scale unseen in centuries. Beware as some factions within the Imperial capital fight to keep the peace, while others shirk no scheme, murder, or terror in their quest to trigger war - a war some fear could rend their divided empire apart.It is in the midst of this dangerous game of brinksmanship that Generals Tyghus and Kyrus soon find themselves. Against a backdrop of deceit and suspicion, of blood and tears, of power and glory, their friendship is put to the ultimate test as they struggle to save their country, themselves, and those they love - all while battling their own tortured pasts.