Many may underestimate their importance in history, but it can be said that no other animal has contributed to the rise of human civilization as much as horses. From being a source of food to a power that could determine the victor of a battle, horses have long been prized possessions of common folk and emperors alike for millennia. David Chaffetz’s Raiders, Rulers, and Traders takes the reader on a journey to learn about many ancient civilizations and how power was exchanged through the importance of horses.
Hyperspace by Michio Kaku explores the concept of higher dimensions and how they could revolutionize our understanding of the universe. Kaku explains how string theory, which relies on multiple dimensions beyond the familiar three, might unify the laws of physics, including relativity and quantum mechanics. He discusses historical and modern theories about extra dimensions, their potential role in black holes, time travel and parallel universes, and how they could explain fundamental forces like gravity.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is a thriller book that combines two timelines: World War II and the late 1990s. The book explores cryptography, war and the rise of digital currencies. During WWII, mathematicians and codebreakers like Lawrence Waterhouse and soldier Bobby Shaftoe worked to break Axis codes while maintaining the secrecy of their successes.
In the sixth book of the Wheel of Time series, we still follow the same group of ragtag adventurers while they explore and try to find a better their world. It is set in a very typical deep fantasy setting, complete with magical beasts and intense world building. As the sixth book in the series, new plotlines and adventures come to light. While the nobles under his rule try to curry favor with Rand, he starts to discover more about his past, namely his birth parents.
The seventh book in the Wheel of Time series follows the same group of adventurers through their quests to better their world. Its set in a very classical deep fantasy setting, complete with magical beasts and intense world building. In this book, Rand is attempting to stop the rebellions beneath him while also dealing with the upcoming attack against the Forsaken. Meanwhile, Egwene and Siuan are in the White Tower investigating into suspicious affairs.
“Always leave a way out, unless you really want to find out how hard a man can fight when he’s nothing to lose.”
Danger creeps in when the villains of the past form an alliance to defeat their main enemy, Rand. Meanwhile, attacks are coming in everywhere, and the group fights shadowspawns and other monsters constantly. How can the group face their newest challenge?
Now Rand grapples with the weight of being a ruler, but quickly things go wrong. Evil strikes, and a series of inanimate objects turn rouge, attacking their owners. Egwene and Elayne attempt to find the rest of the group, and to make up their minds about Rand. What happens in the fourth installment of the Wheel of Time series?
“We rode on the winds of the rising storm; we ran to the sounds of the thunder. We danced among the lightning bolts and tore the world asunder.”
After Rand leaves into the mountains, separating from his group, the band splits up and embarks on a myriad of different adventures. Perrin seeks to understand his inner wolf, after meeting a man gone savage to it. Mat is healed of his bond to the dagger while Egwene and Nynaeve run to a new city where they are seen as abominations before finding a secret within. Can the group find each other again?
“Knowing serves no real purpose, but then, neither does not knowing. Myself, I always prefer knowing too not.”
After infecting himself with the tainted magic, Rand stays to train with a band of warriors, but his close friend from his original town is hurt, and only a specific dagger can heal him. Now Rand has to travel out to the world, armed with magic he doesn’t yet understand. Meanwhile Perrin is grappling with his wolves but will be forced to call upon their help in service of his friend.
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.”
This book follows a group of adventurers, starting with the perfectly normal sheepherder Rand, who delves into the world of adventure after encountering the strange beings entering his town. Enlisting the help of his friends, they begin traveling around the world, collecting more strange people in their ragtag group, before stumbling upon a strange kind of extremely dangerous magic. Thus begins an adventure over 14 books.
