Books with title The Standard-bearers

Fifteen-year-old Ashira just received the worst coming-of-age prophecy imaginable. After years dreaming of oceans, princes, and fairies, she expected the diviner to speak the words that would finally whisk her away from her ordinary desert village. Instead Ashira hears, “you will live a life of no renown.” Ready to choose her own fate, she discovers a djinni’s bottle and starts making wishes. When the djinni proves uncooperative and annoying, Ashira sets out to the great city of magicians to learn magic and free herself from an uneventful life as a potter's daughter. But there is another prophecy being whispered in the shadows. It is said that among the great magicians, there is a demon on the rise with the power to destroy the world. The djinni might be Ashira’s only chance to become someone important, or he just might be the very demon that triggered the dark prophecy. With the world on the brink of destruction, can Ashira fight her fate and stop the forces that threaten to upset the balance of the universe?

An international coalition is planning a return to the gold standard.Meanwhile, a network of drug cartels and financial speculators are preparing to launch Operation Blackout: an attack against gold depositories that would give them control over the global economy.With both US and UK pitted against a worldwide criminal enterprise, MI-6 assigns William Shanahan to disrupt Operation Blackout with the help of Jack Gawain, of the Ulster Defense Association. As the operation moves forward with full force, Shanahan and Gawain face an array of moral issues and deadly enemies.With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the two enter a race against time and insurmountable odds.Praise from readers:★★★★★ - "A thoroughly compelling read with some very interesting commentaries on personal ethics and morality and what we as a society are willing to sacrifice in the name of safety. You'll find yourself wondering where you would draw the line."★★★★★ - "A James Bond style thriller, but with grit rather than glamour. The author has thrown an enormous amount of plot into this book; there is never a dull moment."★★★★★ - "John Reinhard Dizon weaves an intricate tale of espionage and intrigue into an excellent read."

An international coalition is planning a return to the gold standard.Meanwhile, a network of drug cartels and financial speculators are preparing to launch Operation Blackout: an attack against gold depositories that would give them control over the global economy.With both US and UK pitted against a worldwide criminal enterprise, MI-6 assigns William Shanahan to disrupt Operation Blackout with the help of Jack Gawain, of the Ulster Defense Association. As the operation moves forward with full force, Shanahan and Gawain face an array of moral issues and deadly enemies.With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the two enter a race against time and insurmountable odds.Praise from readers:★★★★★ - "A thoroughly compelling read with some very interesting commentaries on personal ethics and morality and what we as a society are willing to sacrifice in the name of safety. You'll find yourself wondering where you would draw the line."★★★★★ - "A James Bond style thriller, but with grit rather than glamour. The author has thrown an enormous amount of plot into this book; there is never a dull moment."★★★★★ - "John Reinhard Dizon weaves an intricate tale of espionage and intrigue into an excellent read."

Fifteen-year-old Ashira just received the worst coming-of-age prophecy imaginable. After years dreaming of oceans, princes, and fairies, she expected the diviner to speak the words that would finally whisk her away from her ordinary desert village. Instead Ashira hears, “you will live a life of no renown.” Ready to choose her own fate, she discovers a djinni’s bottle and starts making wishes. When the djinni proves uncooperative and annoying, Ashira sets out to the great city of magicians to learn magic and free herself from an uneventful life as a potter's daughter. But there is another prophecy being whispered in the shadows. It is said that among the great magicians, there is a demon on the rise with the power to destroy the world. The djinni might be Ashira’s only chance to become someone important, or he just might be the very demon that triggered the dark prophecy. With the world on the brink of destruction, can Ashira fight her fate and stop the forces that threaten to upset the balance of the universe?

Fifteen-year-old Ashira just received the worst coming-of-age prophecy imaginable. After years dreaming of oceans, princes, and fairies, she expected the diviner to speak the words that would finally whisk her away from her ordinary desert village. Instead Ashira hears, “you will live a life of no renown.” Ready to choose her own fate, she discovers a djinni’s bottle and starts making wishes. When the djinni proves uncooperative and annoying, Ashira sets out to the great city of magicians to learn magic and free herself from an uneventful life as a potter's daughter. But there is another prophecy being whispered in the shadows. It is said that among the great magicians, there is a demon on the rise with the power to destroy the world. The djinni might be Ashira’s only chance to become someone important, or he just might be the very demon that triggered the dark prophecy. With the world on the brink of destruction, can Ashira fight her fate and stop the forces that threaten to upset the balance of the universe?

In the not too distant future, a coalition of international groups is planning a return to the gold standard in resolving a global recession. A criminal network of drug cartels and financial speculators are plotting to convert their holdings into bullion before launching attacks against major gold depositories in three countries to give them a monopoly in the new market. MI6 assigns William Shanahan to disrupt Operation Blackout with the help of Jack Gawain, a Ulster Defense Association volunteer serving a life sentence in Northern Ireland. Their target, Enrique Chupacabra, is an assassin for the Medellin cartel who is coordinating a nuclear attack on the American mainland. The morality theme resonates throughout the novel as Shanahan struggles with the complexity of legal and moral issues presented by the mission. It gives place to the action/adventure main event pitting the UK and the USA against the criminal enterprise. The team must foil Operation Blackout lest the cartel gains control over the global economy by destroying the Anglo-Americans’ financial infrastructure. For action/adventure fans and suspense/thriller buffs, The Standard is a tale not to be forgotten.

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