Ancient Games

Sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre is the descendant of traitors and like all Du orphaned after the war, Kellan is forbidden by law from practicing makecraft, the trade of carving magic into metal. No one can know that Kellan has been using makecraft in secret and that, in the wake of a tragic miscarve, she’s been helping her adopted father Edgar run his celebrated makeshop. Kellan is thrust into the Guild’s twisted web of political intrigue and ancient secrets when she strikes a dangerous deal with one of its members to save Edgar and his shop.

At long last, Michael emerges from isolation. The Kingdom has not changed much since his last venture, but he has. Will he be able to conceal the truth of what he has become? Will he be able to fulfill his many obligations? And most importantly, can he reconnect with his old allies?

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It's a story that's literally burning to be told. What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution? For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she's never had much of a choice.

In The Chess Revolution, the acclaimed Chess.com journalist Peter Doggers explores chess as a cultural phenomenon from its influence on popular culture, the arts and science to its biggest stars and most dramatic moments, culminating in its meteoric rise in the digital age and a new peak in popularity.

AD 916. In the Orkney Isles, a young woman flees her home to save the life of her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that evil from her past is reaching out again to threaten her son. Outlawed from his home in Iceland, Einar Unnsson is thrown on the mercy of his Uncle, the infamous Jarl Thorfinn 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He joins forces with a Norse-Irish princess and a company of wolfskin-clad warriors to become a player in a deadly game for control of the Irish sea.

If you want to discover the history of the Roman Games, then pay attention...What were the Roman games? What was it like for gladiators in the arenas of ancient Rome? How thrilling was it to see chariot races on the Roman race track? Were the condemned really thrown to lions at the Circus Maximus? These are a few of the questions that will be explored in this audiobook. The Romans were known for their extensive civilization, but at the heart of Roman power was a penchant for the Roman games.

When her sister is bitten by a poisonous spider, Mulan does everything she can to help, including seeking out a renowned healer. However, it quickly becomes apparent that there is more to both the mysterious spider bite and the healer than meets the eye. On a quest with the Jade Rabbit of legend, Mulan visits extraordinary places, meets Immortals, and faces incredible obstacles while searching for an antidote for her sister.

Many popular modern board games were invented in the United States. But some of our favorite games came from other countries and have deep historic roots.

Curious and drawn to adventure, Mulan struggles to meet her village’s traditional standards. After a disastrous visit with the matchmaker, Mulan worries she will never be able to bring her family the honor they deserve. But when the emperor decrees that one man from every family must join the army to face a dangerous threat to China, Mulan decides to disguise herself as a man and take her father’s place. Now Mulan must hide her secret as she trains alongside her fellow soldiers. With the enemy drawing nearer, will Mulan become the hero China needs?

An action-packed tale of betrayal and revenge set amid the war between Alexander the Great's generals and climaxing in the most spectacular battle of the ancient world. Satyrus and Melitta, twin heirs to a rich kingdom on the Black Sea, become desperate fugitives when their mother, the Scythian warrior-princess Srayanka, is cut down in a savage act of betrayal. Accompanied by their tutor, the Spartan Philokles, they must make a perilous journey west, pursued by ruthless assassins, to find sanctuary with the army of their father's closest friend, Diodorus.

It is the Olympics of 460 BC. Nico's best friend, Timodemus, is a competitor in the pankration, the deadly martial art of ancient Greece. Timo is the hot favorite to win. His only serious rival is Parmonos, from Sparta. When Parmonos is found beaten to death, it is obvious Timodemus must be the killer. The Judges of the Games sentence Timodemus to be executed in four days' time. Complicating everything is the fact that Athens and Sparta are already at each other's throats. If an Athenian is found to have cheated by murdering a Spartan, it will be everything the hawks in Sparta need to declare open war.

Macy Moreno meant to spend a few months backpacking around Europe. Instead, she’s ended up in an ancient castle belonging to international soccer sensation Nicolo Buonaccorsi. Macy thought it might be fun to meet a celebrity—especially one as hot as Nicolo, but things at Nic’s house are a bit… strange. For one thing, she’s only one of many girls there, and all the others seem to be under some sort of spell. And while their exotic “hosts” are generous and intensely beautiful, they’re also a little terrifying.

While they are still well-known, the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece are more relevant today than most people know, and the ways in which athletic sports pervade contemporary culture is comparable only to the spirit of athleticism in Hellenic Greece. Today, a large section of the media industry is devoted exclusively to sports, and in some nations sports even figures as a critical component of their identity.

From the moment his father was executed in the arena for an act of treason, former military tribune and condemned gladiator Marcus Valerius Pavo has burned with the desire for revenge. Now all that stands between Pavo and victory is a man considered by many to be the greatest gladiator to have ever lived: Hermes. But even with Optio Macro as his trainer and the help of the snakish imperial secretary, defeating Hermes appears an impossible task.

The Pan-Hellenic Games is the collective term for the four major sports festivals held in ancient Greece. These include the Olympic Games, held in honor of Zeus at Olympia every four years; the Pythian Games in honor of Apollo, held at Delphi every four years; the Nemean Games, held to celebrate Zeus and Heracles at Nemea near Corinth every two years; and the Isthmian Games, honoring Poseidon at Isthmia every two years. The main events at all of the games were chariot racing, wrestling, boxing, the pankration, the stadion, various other foot races, and the pentathlon.

In ancient Greece and across the Mediterranean, kingdoms strive for dominance. The great powers of Carthage and Egypt look on with avarice as the might of the Greeks is spent warring between themselves, oblivious to external dangers. Year in and year out, the people suffer at the hands of their rulers and the famine and pestilence that comes with conflict. The great rulers of the day are themselves helpless to end this cycle of destruction. While life on the battlefield is cheap, the slave trade flourishes through the years of interminable battle and death.

Karn Korlundsson is a gamer, not a riddle solver. But in order to rescue his best friend, Thianna Frostborn, he will need to travel to the faraway city of Castlebriar (by wyvern), learn how to play a new board game called Charioteers (not a problem), decipher the riddle of the horn, and tangle with mysterious elves.

What is Go? Go is a deceptively simple two-player game, played on square boards of various sizes. According to legend, the Chinese Emperor Yau invented this game to teach his son concentration, balance, and discipline. Over time, this game spread to Japan and across the globe. For over four millennia, war leaders and sages have consulted this game to learn strategy, wisdom, and mental mastery. In How to Play Go, you’ll discover everything you need to know to play this ancient game.

The game of Go has been played for thousands upon thousands of years. In fact, it is one of the oldest board games in the world. This book describes the history of Go, and how you, too, can enjoy this phenomenal board game! Covering everything, from the rules of go to popular strategies, you, too, will be a Go expert in no time!

为何读史？君从故乡来，应知故乡事。不读史，不知天地之大，不晓人生之难。 读史何用？读史知兴替，以史悟道……為何讀史？君從故鄉來，應知故鄉事。不讀史，不知天地之大，不曉人生之難。 讀史何用？讀史知興替，以史悟道……