Books published by publisher Mountainside Press

The vaunted power of the Mage’s College. Unbounded freedom among the Wolfmen. The best of both worlds.Recent college grad Sam King was hoping for a backpacking trip across Europe as a graduation present. Instead he’s going to get a different kind of trip: a three-month stint in the ultimate immersive gaming experience. As a lifelong geek, gamer, and outsider, it’s a better gift then he’d ever dreamed.But when he jumps feetfirst into the world of Eternium, run by CAL, the Certified Altruistic Lexicon, it’s not exactly what he expected. All he wants is to quest, game, grind some levels, and get his hands on awesome loot. You know, have fun! But the Mage’s College seems to have a very different definition of fun, one involving study, blisteringly strict regulations, aristocratic hierarchy, and tons of pay to play.Sam crosses the College and finds himself running for his life with a back-talking book that is far more than it seems and a class that no one has even heard of. If he can navigate the deadly College politics and the looming war with the barbaric Wolfmen, he might just find the fun and adventure he was looking for.

Visions of the war to come. Alliances on the open water. Sink or swim.Zeke and the team are one step closer to their goals of defeating War’s generals and freeing Brindolla for good. Storm Company’s return from the Great Below was harrowing, nearly as bad as the time they had to spend there.Though they bear the scars of their journey, it’s finally time to sniff out War’s Generals wherever they might hide—including across the ocean in the mysterious continent of beasts.Plots thicken like the clouds over the water, and the group begins to realize the currents and intrigue they will have to navigate successfully if they want to survive sailing Into the Storm.

Why do a tree's leaves change color in autumn? How can mushrooms suddenly appear overnight? What made those tracks in the snow? You Can Be a Nature Detective helps you delve into these and other intriguing mysteries of the natural world. With the goal of getting kids outside and exploring, author Peggy Kochanoff uses breathtaking watercolors and informative text to spark readers' interest in investigating the wonders of Mother Nature.Learn which moth or butterfly a caterpillar will turn into. Use clues left behind on the bark of trees to figure out what animal has been there. Study tiny holes in the ground to discover which creatures have been burrowing in the soil. Part field guide and part whodunit, You Can Be a Nature Detective has something for naturalists of all ages.

The dead walk the land. The dungeon rises. War will move the Heavens and the Earth.Powerful necromancers are on the move, and the dungeon has become a battleground. Without his faithful Wisp, Cal's mind slips—he begins creating traps and monsters that go against his already loose morals.A direct threat from an unexpected force causes Cal's mind to stabilize, but he doesn’t know for how long. Using every resource at his disposal, he works to keep his mind clear while he funds a search for his lost companion. When others fail him again and again, Cal takes matters into his own hands.Deadly situations remind Dale that no matter how well he does in his secluded community, he is still considered a weakling in the greater world. Deciding that his physical and mental training are not enough—Dale resolves to gain strength by any means necessary.Both are aware that they need to keep moving. If they stop, their choices could kill them.

Every product we use, every new invention we create, every single thing we surround ourselves with comes from this Earth, with one exception―meteorites. These exotic rocks have experienced journeys of cosmic proportions by the time we lay eyes on them. In the bitter cold temperatures of space, powerful collisions between asteroids scatter rocky debris in all directions, and some of it ends up on Earth. Authors Richard and Dorothy Norton explain where these mysterious rocks come from, what they’re made of, and what happens when asteroids strike Earth. Explore how radiant fireballs are cataclysmically related to impact craters, discover helpful hints that guide readers on the dos and don’ts of meteorite hunting, and learn how to properly distinguish meteorites from “meteorwrongs” with examples that are truly out of this world. This third book in the What’s So Cool About Geology series is sure to pique your interest as you learn what these extraterrestrial rocks tell us about the origins of our solar system.

An academy that scrapes the sky. Blight that fills the earth. Two codgers duking it out.Artorian has decided to live, all in order to save his lost village children. His recent battle against a simple raider Captain has proven that if he tries to charge ahead... he'll die.With the help of his captors, who quickly turn into close friends, Artorian takes the first steps onto the path of a true cultivator. Finesse, skill, fine-tuned cultivation techniques, and more is within his grasp. Artorian is more than willing to learn; after all, that's his specialty!This knowledge has strings attached. After meeting the ancient enemy of his trainers, Artorian returns to the place he first studied his true passion of philosophy: the Skyspear. It's under new management, and the alumni have very different ideas about how the students should be trained.

Retirement means immortality. Immortality means adventure. Life begins at seventy.Running on the world's fastest quantum computer is a very special game: one where retirees leave their flesh-and-blood lives in search of endless adventure. Weapons, spells, gold, experience points… These are the marks by which life is now measured.Ethan Crane wants none of it. In fact, he never wanted to retire at all, let alone play a game for all eternity. But now he's on a mission to find his wife—a wife he just discovered is still alive and inside the game.Nothing will stop him from reaching her. Not even himself.

In Camas and Sage: A Story of Bison Life on the Prairie, kids are invited to explore and discover the northern plains in a truly unique way: through the eyes and ears of a bison calf. From Camas�s first attempt to stand on wobbly legs, this tale of an adventure-filled first year will have young readers hooked. Full-color illustrations splash across the page, illuminating each of Camas�s firsts, including encounters with rascally prairie dogs, a crackling and booming thunderstorm, and irritable bulls. Kids won�t want to wait to turn the page to see what happens next!Seasoned writer Dorothy Patent doesn�t leave anyone out of the fun. Sidebars brimming with interesting historical and natural history tidbits about the plants, animals, and humans with which the bison shares the prairie will intrigue older kids and adults. Topics range from the usefulness of dewclaws to the threat of wolves to the answer to whether the animals are actually bison or buffalo. Part fun narrative, part natural history, Camas and Sage: A Story of Bison Life on the Prairie clearly illustrates why the bison is North America�s most iconic prairie animal.

Every child learns about the water cycle in school, and with the help of this book, they will come to love every aspect of it, from mighty rivers rushing downhill to the sea to rainbows formed by the sun shining on water droplets in the sky. Using pictures and language that children will understand and enjoy, author Catherine Weyerhaeuser combines her talents as a geologist, educator, and illustrator to describe how water moves around the Earth.Detailed illustrations of watery landscapes with lush ferns and aquatic creatures will thrill preschoolers, and straightforward explanations of the water cycle, such as where water goes when it soaks into the ground, will satisfy the curiousity of elementary-age children. The final pages tell the stories of several well-known rivers and aquifers and the challenges we face in providing clean water to future generations. Beyond a simple teaching tool, Where Do Rivers Go, Momma? inspires its readers to become stewards of the blue planet.

Return to the turbulence of ancient Canaan in Book Three of The Stones of Gilgal. Even the raging floods of the Jordan could not stop the Israelites from crossing the river and setting up camp near Jericho. Canaanite kings and kingdoms--even the Anakim giants--are in turmoil. Former enemies jostle for power in new alliances, united only intheir determination to destroy the Israelite invaders.When the massive fortifications of Jericho collapse, Salmon rushes into the ruins to save Rahab, the beautiful harlot who had rescued him and his fellow spy from certain death. But saving her from her own city is not so easy. And that is only the beginning of the trouble, treachery and devastating ruins they and their friends face as they settle into their new life in the Promised Land.

Before it became a national park, the Big Bend was home to a number of ranches and mining operations. On the Wilson ranch, which stood at the center of the current park, Patricia Wilson Clothier spent her youth exploring the wonders of ranch life in the Chisos. Patricia´s richly detailed memories, coupled with a backdrop of Depression era hardships, bring the Big Bend to life in this original and vivid description of a childhood spent Beneath the Window.Big Bend has been a National Park since the mid 1940´s. Thus it is preserved for visitors to enjoy, however almost all signs of earlier ranches and homes have disappeared. It is difficult today to imagine crops growing, peach trees bearing fruit and fenced pastures and shearing sheds. The Wilson ranch alone had some 40 miles of fence with careful attention paid to preserving water sources and using them carefully. Being a stone´s throw from the Rio Grande made Mexico and its people close and friendly neighbors to the American community in Big Bend. If you ever have a chance to visit Big Bend National Park, this memoir is a must."