Product Description
50 KIDS ARE ABOUT TO DIE: Mac thought he’d seen every human evil. A former Company man, he’d witnessed mass murder and systematic torture. And he’d meted out justice to the perpetrators whenever he had the chance. But now that he was living the idyllic life of a Boca Raton beach bum, he figured that was all behind him. Then his housekeeper’s granddaughter was kidnapped and Mac was plunged into a conspiracy born from the hells, involving an exiled Central American dictator, the Company, and fifty innocent children. By the time he finds out it’s almost too late and Mac must become a one-man army to save the day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

"Only the Young Die Good"
I agree Dying Good has the flavor of steamingly authentic Florida color and history, both in setting and in anecdotes of Mac's ancestors and relatives. From beach house to swamps, it sets a nice stage for an edge-of-your-seat mystery and suspense tale (some exciting chases) and some wonderfully evil foils for Mac. I'm also looking forward to the return of Mac and Stormy, who's a feisty heroine in her own right.A fun read!

High Praise From Bookloons.com
[...]

Although Allan Cole has previously written mysteries for television and movies, Dying Good is his first mystery in book format. Set in Florida's Boca Raton, it opens on a thirteen-year old shrimper's daughter, Marie, paddling her dugout with every ounce of energy she can muster, as she attempts to escape from pursuers, Tampa and Bonita.

This pair is involved in many dubious money-making capers. We see them luring children onto an 'Angel Clinic' bus, promoting free medical and dental care from the State of Florida Board of Health. Parents, seduced by a $10 voucher for store goods, sign-up their kids for a ride to the Clinic. Though young Leslie lacks the required permission slip, the duo allow her to board anyway. We learn that the Angel Clinic is a scam, that has missed being indicted 'by a whisker of a bribed assistant DA's moustache'. Upon arrival at the Clinic, Bonita is handed a twenty-dollar bill for each child stepping off the bus. But there are different plans for little Leslie, who is transported by boat to Senor Angel Navarro, and added to a roomful of fifty sedated children to be delivered to Honduras. When clinic bus driver William returns the other children to their pickup point, Leslie is missing.

The child's grandmother Stormy, with 'a hard-mouth for enemies and a soft heart for those close to her', is a force to be reckoned with. Stormy is housekeeper for Addison Mizner Flagler Titus Broward MacGregor (known as 'Mac'). After many years as a criminal agent, witnessing mass murders and torture, and bringing his share of perps to justice, Mac has settled for a less stressful life on the beach of Boca Raton. Defender of the wronged, Mac leads the search for young Leslie. The hunt sends him into a maelstrom of danger, where Mac encounters an old nemesis. The unscrupulous Senor Navarro (an exiled dictator) holds positions on company boards and the U.S. Trade Commission. Navarro says of Max, 'MacGregor's like that French detective in 'Les Miserables'. A true Javert. Once he gets his teeth into you he never lets go.'

Allan Cole, a reader's writer, delivers a fresh, suspenseful mystery, with unique phrasing, colorful characterizations, masterly dialog, and chilling portrayal of evil deeds. Each chapter's high momentum action scenes add to the powerful, loathsome plot - which as Mac says is 'so much tougher with kids' involved. And, despite their nefarious deeds, the reader can't help but take a liking to the loving wrong-doers, 'honey pie' and 'sweetie pie' (Bonita and Tampa) with their oft humorous antics. Mac's support cast also deserves recognition -- Stormy, astute heroine Lupe Martinez, police officer Lieutenant Snow, Jack Talbot, and lake-dweller 'Mad' Albert with his parrot Marsha. I thoroughly enjoyed Dying Good and look forward to Allan Cole's second suspense novel, Drowned Hopes, in Spring 2005.

Mac is Great!
I have just found a new detective, and this one's great!

Mac is a welcome addition to the field - he's seen it all, had enough, and is semi-retired in Boca Raton, Florida. But when he stumbles into a "child kidnap for profit" ring run by a particularly nasty villain, Mac has to get involved - even if it kills him.

Just as in all good South Florida detective/crime fiction - Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard and John D. MacDonald come to mind - Mr. Cole has done his research well. Locals will recognize the color and flavor of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and points south to Miami.

Added to this is a wonderful supporting cast of characters - Stormy the housekeeper is so colorful and alive, I cannot help wondering if she's based on a real person.

This book left me waiting eagerly for Mac's next appearance, and I hope he'll still have Stormy working for him.
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Product Description
For those who thrill to the adventure and wonder of The Anteros, here is the book where all the secrets from KINGDOMS OF THE NIGHT are finally, dazzlingly, revealed.For new initiates, this tale stands alone, entry to a world of intrigue, high drama, derring-do . . . and, most of all, magic!

All of Orissa believed that Rali Emilie Antero, legendary warrior and sorceress extraordinaire, was dead, lost at sea during some grand adventure gone wrong. In fact, Rali was not dead, but left entombed in ice to dream for eternity--until a goddess needed her for one last quest . . .

Novari, a beautiful succubus intent on achieving ultimate power, had swept the world by storm.All the Anteros had been assassinated--save one : a golden, magical child named Emilie.Novari had succeeded in taking Orissa.Now she had only to sieze little Emilie, as well.

She never counted on the return of Rali Antero . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Warrior Returns
Well, it's Allan Cole, it's another book in the Antero saga (the last one, and that's probably a good thing), it's got Rali, it's got a new villain and some magic and some slam-bang action scenes.That, in the final analysis, is all you need to know.The tempo is off at times, with too much attention getting placed on insignificant scenes while other more important developments are rushed through.And characters other than Rali are all stultifyingly one-dimensional.But for all that, "The Warrior Returns" does have big vision and a sort of magnanimous energy, so three stars for this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Addison Mizner Flagler Titus Broward MacGregor has roots buried deep in Florida soil, and given his choice he'd spend his days enjoying the sand and surf and the pleasures of Boca Raton. Unfortunately, too many years on the dark side as a CIA operative have given him a need to help when no one else will.When his housekeeper's granddaughter is kidnapped, it's a given Mac will step in. Before too long he's a target for a pair of ruthless, if somewhat clumsy, killers whose one assignment is to make sure he doesn't live long enough to discover a secret plan, condoned by the CIA, to use kidnapped children as bribes to gain the cooperation of third-world dictators.Time is running out as Mac enlists the help of his frog-obsessed cousing, Mad Albert, to track down the kidnapper's lair before the children are shipped offshore to a fate straight out of a horror movie. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Best of Both Worlds
Allan Cole is a book author with years of experience writing films and television, and his expertise at getting to the point without wasting any damn time is evident in MacGregor, a solid actioner with a strong theme and lots and lots of guns, girls, and guts. From the opening sequence where two low lifes do a young girl bad to a climax at sea that is Titanic meets Bad Boys, the pace never lets up. I read the book literally in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. If you like your pulp with a dash of Florida orange juice and blood, you'll love this thing. It reads so fast you get wind burns.

Give us more MacGregor
I have just found a new detective, and this one's great!

Mac is a welcome addition to the field - he's seen it all, had enough, and is semi-retired in Boca Raton, Florida. But when he stumbles into a "child kidnap for profit" ring run by a particularly nasty villain, Mac has to get involved - even if it kills him.

Just as in all good South Florida detective/crime fiction - Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard and John D. MacDonald come to mind - Mr. Cole has done his research well. Locals will recognize the color and flavor of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and points south to Miami.

Added to this is a wonderful supporting cast of characters - Stormy the housekeeper is so colorful and alive, I cannot help wondering if she's based on a real person.

This book left me waiting eagerly for Mac's next appearance, and I hope he'll still have Stormy working for him.

Keep the sutures and bandages handy!!
Former spook for the Company, MacGregor (Company men never retire) is related to nearly everyone in Florida and he goes to the wall for his (friends and) relatives.

When his housekeeper's granddaughter goes missing, MacGregor doesn't hesitate:he sets a plan of search into motion that opens a very large can of Agency worms.Really bad-- bad guys (and gals) and really tough good guys (and gals) come together with a resounding crash that doesn't stop till the last page is turned.

Allan G. Cole's characters are more than words on paper.While readying MacGregor they jump off the pages and terrify you with their cold blooded determination--and those are the good guys--the bad guys are just plain cold blooded.

Review by Wanda C. Keesey
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Product Description
LUCKY IN CYPRUS is a coming-of-age story set in the Middle Eastduring the height of the Cold War. An American teenager – son of a CIA operative – is inspired by grand events and a Greek Cypriot teacher. He witnesses earthquakes and riots and terrorist attacks, but in the end it is his teacher’s gentle lessons that keep him whole. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book, Allan Hugh Cole Jr. offers insights on the topic of prayer, explaining prayer and describing its spiritual and physical effects. This book is for those who are not comfortable with prayer or who have reached an impasse in their prayer lives. Cole demonstrates different kinds of prayer, helps the reader find ways to pray in various situations, and provides sample prayers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Study Guide
We are currently using this book in our ladies Sunday School class.It is a wonderful study guide as it provides a lot of thought and discussion as well as hope and inspiration.

Best Resource on Prayer I've Read
The Life of Prayer: Mind, Body, and Soul, by pastor theologian Allan Hugh Cole, Jr., was released in April 2009 from Westminster John Knox Press. Cole serves on the faculty of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and holds a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. The author or editor of five books, Cole is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). You may learn more about The Life of Prayer here and about the author here.

Cole is to be commended for packing such insightful and lasting words into such a succinct, timely, and highly readable book. Cole has received excellent praise for his work, including endorsements from Phyllis Tickle and Walter Brueggemann. The Life of Prayer just barely surpasses 130 pages and is divided into six chapters: What is Prayer, Why Do We Pray, What Are the Benefits of Prayer, With Whom Do We Pray, How Do We Pray, and How Do We Keep Praying.

In the first chapter, which serves as a brief introduction to the book and his approach, Cole notes this book offers an alternative approach to the two types of prayer books circulating--New Thought prayer, or meditative prayer that combines tenants from a multitude of world religions, and Prosperity prayer, which promises health and wealth and success. Cole chooses to use as his basis the classical biblical and theological points of view, while incorporating applicable insights from psychology. Cole describes his intention the following way:

This book examines what prayer is and what it does. It considers questions of what motivates prayer, including why you feel the need to pray even when you think that you don't know how to go about it. It also takes a close look at some of the effects of prayer, helping to deepen your awareness and understanding of what happens when you pray. With these concerns for motivations and effects in mind, this book also suggests ways for learning how to pray, by yourself and with others, so that prayer welcomes a more central part of your life. (3)

In Chapter two, Why Do We Pray, Cole notes that all questions related to prayer begin with a healthy understanding of what God does. He suggests three reasons for us to pray: "First, we pray because God acts graciously toward us. Second, we pray because Jesus prayed and invited his followers to pray. And finally, we pray because the Holy Spirit empowers us to pray" (13). As we healthily acknowledge the relationship between God and our prayer life, we become more able to make holy and unselfish requests during prayer--rather than selfish requests that attempt to make God an extension of our own desires and needs.

In relation to our effect on God during prayer, Cole quotes Karl Barth (as he does repeatedly through the book), who suggests that our prayer life does have an effect on God's actions and effects influence over him. However, it is important to distinguish between having an effect and having control. Cole even encourages the reader to "keep in mind that not calling on God can mean missing out on what God offers. Not approaching God in prayer resembles a hungry person's passing by a feast that awaits her" (26). Just as Jesus believed in God's power and approached him in prayer, so too should we.

In Chapter three, which discusses the benefits of prayer, Cole asserts that prayer is in essence "an end in itself, as opposed to a way to achieve something more significant. Prayer sometimes gets portrayed foremost as an agent for helping to secure something that we desire...In this case, we pray with at least one eye toward some greater good" (35). This approach to prayer eliminates the joy of simply existing in the presence of God. Remaining focused on God also prevents us from becoming angry and frustrated when results from prayer seem off balance. As Cole points out, this is a sure sign we have placed too sharp a focus on ourselves in prayer. "A faithful approach to prayer," says Cole "involves recognizing that God has charge over our lives and then relishing the freedom that follows" (37).

A benefit of prayer is certainly a greater awareness and knowledge of God, even though he remains a mystery, and our enhanced familiarity also causes us to continually clarify our relationship, deepen our awareness, and recognize and fulfill our responsibilities to God (42). Self-knowledge also results from our increased knowledge of God. Cole provides detail on how prayer increases our awareness of Jesus and encourages us to live more like him.

Chapter four addresses the question of whom we pray with. Cole notes that many are ambivalent about praying with other people and he attributes this in part to the assumption that the spiritual life must be a private life. However, the example of Christ highlights the importance of joining together in prayer and shows the connection between faithfulness and community. In addition, Cole lists five benefits derived from communal prayer: promotes capacities for intention, attention, and reflection, draws us deeper into the Christian story, reminds us of our shared identity in Christ, provides other examples of Christ's faithfulness, and encourages us to share other's burdens.

In Chapter five, Cole addresses the question of How do we pray? In this chapter, he offers several methods of prayer: praying the Lord's Prayer, praying Scripture (with special attention to the Psalms), the memorization of Scripture, contemplative prayer, and liturgical prayer. Praying the Lord's Prayer and other portions of Scripture allow us to slow down and make application from the text; in the same way, memorizing scripture allows the text to internalize and be readily available to apply. The last two methods mentioned, contemplative prayer and liturgical prayer, may be new to some readers and Cole provides applicable detail for this reason.

Cole provides two approaches to contemplative prayer: open prayer and centering prayer. The effectiveness of each approach seems to be determined to some degree on one's personality. Open prayer encourages you to become silent and allow your mind and prayers to be completely guided by the Spirit. In this method you are freeing "yourself up from setting any sort of agenda for prayer other than opening yourself entirely to God, such that you make receiving God, experiencing God's presence, and following God's lead your singular object of concentration" (97).

In centering prayer, you focus on one particular sacred word, such as God, love, peace, joy, guidance, forgiveness, etc. Whereas in opening prayer you eliminate focus on any one thing, centering prayer does just the opposite. Though you are focusing on one particular sacred word, the focus remains upon God and how he answers and works and guides through the word you have chosen.

Lastly, Cole mentions liturgical prayer, which uses set prayers or patterns of prayer. These patterns are typically found in prayer and worship books and other devotional style books. Perhaps the most well known is the Book of Common Prayer. This approach utilizes the process of familiarity, as words are repeated over and over each day with the goal of internalizing the promises of God or others faithful to him. I have personally found The Valley of Vision to be helpful.

The final chapter sums up the advice given to the readers and speaks to the importance of faithfulness in prayer. Cole notes that experience is the best teacher of prayer. "We are not born knowing how, nor do we become capable of prayer automatically. Instead, we must be taught to pray; we must be instructed in how to do it" (113). A persistent prayer life allows it to become a central activity of life--forming a life habit of prayer. Cole gives advice on the importance of determining helpful places or postures for prayer and how variety can aid commitment to prayer.

The Life of Prayer: Mind, Body, and Soul is a valued resource for several reasons; Cole is effective at leading the reader to application, keeps the Gospel and the example of Christ as the central focus, demonstrates the balance between private and communal prayer, and provides programs of prayer that will fit a multitude of needs. This book should be on the shelf of every person looking to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ and seeking to close the gap that the busy world creates. The best book on prayer I've read. ... Read more

Product Description
THE YEAR IS 1778 and the Revolutionary War has young America trapped in the crossfire of hatred and fear. Diana, an indentured servant escapes her abusive master with the help of Emmett Shannon, a deserter from the desperate army at Valley Forge. They fall in love and marry, but their happiness is shattered and Diana Shannon must learn to survive on her own. From that moment on she will become a true woman of her times, blazing a path from lawless lands in the grips of the Revolution, to plague-stricken Philadelphia, to the burning of Washington in the War of 1812. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Daughter of Liberty
A Daughter Of Liberty By Allen Cole & Chris Bunch
This is my second copy of this book. I have worn the first copy out.I believe that the history and life style, in my oppinion, is very accurate. I always seem to find some little fact the I missed in the miny times I have read the book. People looking for a fictional but I believe correct time line in history will enjoy this book.

High Praise From Bookloons.com
This is the review that appeared in Bookloons.com, which is quickly becoming one of the best book review sites on the web:



Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allan Cole and Chris Bunch spin a significant historical saga dating from 1778 to 1814, using original sources of diaries and letters wherever possible. The story is told in a five-book format beginning in Valley Forge, and continuing to Cherry Valley, NY, to Philadelphia, PA, and Washington. The authors credit the women and minorities who played a vast role in shaping history.

Among these women is Diana Jameson, a 15-year-old indentured servant, escaping an abusive master with the assistance of Emmett Shannon. Emmett is a deserter from the Continental Army at Valley Forge. Diana and Emmett fall in love and marry en route to his family in Cherry Valley. But Emmett is mortally wounded while pursuing renegades bent on pillage and destruction. Alone, Diana continues to Cherry Valley where, with the birth of a son, she assumes leadership of the Shannon homestead, surviving the war, attacks of rebels, and vengeful Seneca Indians. Diana's natural instinct for business leads her to establish a successful inn upon the Shannon homestead. From the sale of the Cherry Valley inn, Diana resourcefully progresses to Pennsylvania with stepson Farrell and son James Emmett. Taken under the wing of Michael and Anne Walsh in the city of Philadelphia, Diana strategically establishes new business ventures.

But, her Philadelphia success is not without pain. Hundreds of refugees arrive at the city's docks of the already well-populated Philadelphia. The seasons take their own course with too-warm winters, and low rainfall causing dried crops, and cracked dirt streets. When the rain does come harshly, it leaves paths of mud and stagnant water where mosquitos breed. Yellow fever devastates the city. Diana comes to the aid of the sick, saving as many as she can with natural remedies. She vehemently fights the city doctors, who believe that bleeding the stricken is the only way to purge them of disease. From a population of 55,000, Philadelphia dwindles to 30,000 residents after the plague. On leave from her Philadelphia businesses, Diana travels to Boston for the marriage of Farrell to Constance O'Hara. With the failing of the chandlery owned by inlaws Ruth and Isaac in that city, Diana brings the family to Philadelphia to join her enterprises.

In Philadelphia, 'golden times' were with the Shannons. Isaac says of his sister-in-law, 'Elm Court as her engine and the family at her back ... Diana built a glorious machine I ain't seen the likes of in all my years of wander.' And to add to the family name, Farrell and Constance presented Diana with seven grandchildren. The humane Diana is strongly against slavery. Knowing she will be faced with the issue, Diana hesitantly travels to Virginia to attend the marriage of son James Emmett to Eliza Hope Beecham. It is here that she meets John Maguire, who becomes a friend and companion. From Virginia, Diana ventures to Washington at the request of her good friend Dolly (Todd) Madison, wife of President James Madison. Of Washington Diana thinks, 'What could one expect in a city that produced nothing but government ... It seemed to Diana that everybody she met was here to serve his own purpose.' Again, there is no safety in Washington as the Royal Navy attacks the States.

Diana is stalwart, concerned for all classes, rich and poor - she works from her heart. She's an independent woman, generous, and caring, and a true 'Daughter of Liberty'. Cole and Bunch begin with a leisurely-paced story that gains momentum with each succeeding chapter. Their novel tells of courage, love, hardship, sadness, and joy through war, plagues, destruction, and rebuilding. I recommend the book, whose ending left me longing for a continuation of the story. For readers who enjoy rich, historical fiction, Cole and Bunch successfully deliver.
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Product Description

What if the Cold War never ended? What if a demonic cabal altered history to feed off a hatred that could never end? And then kept Americans and Russians on the razor-edge of war for a thousand years to satisfy that hunger? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A very successful fusion!
While I could make the case that the long delay in the release of this book to U. S. fans of Alan Cole supports one of the novels premises (someone's playing the U. S. off of the Russians), I suspect that the situation is simply a result of publisher politics.This isn't the Timuras and it isn't Sten...But then, those stories are told, so it shouldn't be.(And if you haven't read either of those series, I highly recommend that this particular order with Amazon be a large one!)

Undoubtedly a result of the international collaboration between Cole and Perumov, Lords of Terror shows Cole in a new light, with a new writing style, quite distinct from his previous collaborative efforts.Bringing elements of science fiction, fantasy, political thriller, and espionage novels together the two authors have crafted a labyrinthine read that is well worth huddling down on the sofa - provided you have no plans to get up for a while.

In some ways, the tone of the novel is reminiscent of a 'Golden Age' Sci-Fi read (think the Lensman series), but with the added spice of pulling in modern politics, cabal conspiracy theory, and more than a few dashes of flat out fantasy.And, of course, Cole's unique sense of humor and understanding of the intelligence and espionage world.

Readers will find new characters to make friends with, new enemies to root against, and not a few individuals that they won't know how to categorize until they delve deep into the plot.What more could one ask for?Lords of Terror will draw you in, keep you there, and even after the last page refuse to let go.You'll find yourself going back for a second or third read, and finding new details at each turn.

Bravo to Cole and Perumov for a jolly good ride!

Get Terrorized!
I am immensely pleased to see "Lords of Terror" finally released here, being a longtime Cole reader and knowing the book was already a hit in his co-author's native Russia.

Wow, what a ride, and a tough book for a quick summary! One part alternative history, starting from a rough equivalent to contemporary times with political figures you'll know, and extending a thousand years into our future. A mysterious disaster in deep space. A deadly game of wits between two assassins. An eon of national antagonism, its occult source unmasked by a small group of unlikely allies. Lots of good suspense and a mystery to unravel.

Cole's sense of humor is also well in evidence - from a Kipling-quoting devil, one of my very favorite new characters, to a sly reference to one of his previous book series. And, through the suspense and fun, some sober commentary on political tensions, twisted theocracy, and our impulses to destroy, with some jingoistic figures you'll love to hate.

It's hard space sci-fi with an audacious fantasy twist; it's a thriller; it's got romantic complications; but most of all it's a read that's a lot of fun! (And juuust possibly the hint of a sequel perhaps?) Greatly recommended! "godblessamerica!"

Talk About Your New World Order!
Lords of Terror is a fascinating book. I have been an Allan Cole fan for a long time and was, quite frankly, curious to see what the collaboration between he and Nick Perumov would produce. The novel starts out fast and does not let up, introducing the reader to a variety of characters and subplots. Each time I thought I had a handle on where the book was going, the authors' peeled away another layer of the onion, revealing more of the plot's complexity and leaving me firmly hooked. By the time the book hits its stride, I was amazed at the demon-powered universe they had created. Demons are not particularly new, but what I found fascinating was the operating laws that Cole and Perumov created to support their universe. Another thing I liked was the seamless writing. It is impossible to distinguish between the two authors' writings. The writing style remains consistent throughout the book. Those of us you who are fans of the Cole sense of humor will not be disappointed. There are some very, very funny and well-done scenes, but the humor is such that it does not detract or in anyway lessen the work. All-in-all, I am very impressed with this work. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Cole-Perumov writing marriage works and works very well. I can only hope we see more from these two.

Talk About Your New World Order!
Lords of Terror is a fascinating book.I have been an Allan Cole fan for a long time and was, quite frankly, curious to see what the collaboration between he and Nick Perumov would produce.The novel starts out fast and does not let up, introducing the reader to a variety of characters and subplots.Each time I thought I had a handle on where the book was going, the authors' peeled away another layer of the onion, revealing more of the plot's complexity and leaving me firmly hooked.By the time the book hits its stride, I was amazed at the demon-powered universe they had created.Demons are not particularly new, but what I found fascinating was the operating laws that Cole and Perumov created to support their universe.Another thing I liked was the seemless writing.It is impossible to distinguish between the two authors' writings.The writing style remains consistent throughout the book.Those of us you who are fans of the Cole sense of humor will not be disappointed.There are some very, very funny and well-done scenes, but the humor is such that it does not detract or in anyway lessen the work.All-in-all, I am very impressed with this work.I thoroughly enjoyed it.The Cole-Perumov writing marriage works and works very well.I can only hope we see more from these two.

"...Multi layered writing and keep you on your toes action.."
This review is from the prestigious Canadian literary site, Bookloons.Com. Written by their top reviewer J. A. Kaszuba Locke

Dateline: August 13, 2004, Olympics Games, Athens, the opening ceremony, where leaders of two nations display a united front against the Cold War. Gunshots fire simultaneously, and two presidents are assassinated - American George H. W. Bush, and Russian Vladimir Putin. Dateline: One thousand years forward, the Cold War continues, a third force behind it - a demonic cabal of evil. It is the end of natural physics, and the beginning of a dominance by magic.

Dateline: 2006 publication of Lords of Terror. Welcome to an imaginative, mind-gripping world that challenges the reader to assemble pieces of a puzzle. A multitude of enemies vie for survival and power. Three agents, representing different organizations, come to a meeting of minds, compounded by personal attraction. Just as American and Russian authors, Allan Cole, and Nick Perumov, combined forces to write this unusual novel. Cole, the proud son of a (late) CIA operative, is a former investigative reporter. His published books include the science fiction series Sten, the Tales Of The Timuras fantasy trilogy, and his Vietnam War classic, A Reckoning For Kings. In 2004, Perumov, a microbiologist and physicist, was voted best European author and best Russian fantasy writer at EuroCon. His books have been translated into a dozen languages.

In Uttermost Space, entering the first phases of SpellDown, old Scratch (member of Engine Devils Local 666) maneuvers the HolidayOne honeymoon-liner in its last stretch to home base. Thousands of partying Russian and American couples prepare to enjoy a Costume Ball. Scratch welcomes the trip's ending and a long-overdue vacation. Engine Devils 'dislike things connected with human (softskins) masters. Yet they served them well ... as decreed in The Great Spell, cast a thousand years before'. As in a shadow, Scratch senses someone or something, lightly brushing by, and loses consciousness.

In one of the liner's compartments, a half Russian, half American ten-year-old accompanies his grandparents on their second honeymoon. Billy is a budding mage who can find lost objects. In a half-awake stupor, Billy senses a beast with slavering jaws, and throws out one of his spells to destroy it. On Russian battlestation Borodino, combat officer Igor Dolgov reports to Commander Rusinov that the HolidayOne appears to be a Class A destroyer, vixed as a civilian cruise liner. Igor depresses the firing knob, killing thousands. While one faction blames another, Billy Ivanov and Scratch, the lone survivors of the explosion, are under treatment in Borodino's Hospital Section.

Tough and unrelenting United World Police Major Tanya Lawson shuns magic, preferring the technological gadgets of centuries past. However, she has sorcerous power. Lawson and Ogre-Mage Kriegworm arrive at Borodino to interrogate Igor Dolyov, who takes full responsibility for the accident. Tanya replies, 'It was no accident'. Major Vlad Projogin, a top-agent of the Russian SPETZNAZ strike force, is a free fire stalker, who needs no one's permission to shoot when on a mission. When Vlad travels to Borodino to interrogate survivors and Igor, Lawson rocks his senses. Vlad also feels a presence, 'a vague shadow crawling on the very edge of his mind and sight ... aboard the battlestation.'

Davyd Kells is sent by his superior Father Zorza to interrogate survivors of the explosion, under the guise of a med tech. Davyd, too, feels 'a touch of immense fire' at the sight of Tanya Lawson. But he wouldn't dare an attempt to break through Lawson's armor without an entire heavy tank regiment behind him! Tall, powerful ogres Infeligo, Mamri, and the Council of Eight also choose one of theirs to infiltrate and hunt down the traitor amongst them, and to destroy Scratch and Billy. Later, as a military guard and his dog skirt the perimeters of Borodino, the ground shakes and heaves, and the fires and creatures of Hell arise around the battlestation, consuming all in the way.

The cast includes large beasts with scaly skin, who wear suits, and both humans and non-humans with sorcerous powers. Computers, cars, and the like are run by minute servants, including 'Brownies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Peaceful Spirits'. Readers who welcome the challenge of multi-layered writing, and keep-you-on-your-toes action, will enthusiastically absorb Cole's and Perumov's joint venture, a resounding story that combines espionage and warfare, science fiction and fantasy, earth and space.

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Product Description
During the Vietnam war, GIs who managed to survive their tour of duty in one piece – more or less - were flown home in chartered airliners. They called those planes “Freedom Birds.” This is the story of three young men – fromwildly different backgrounds – who meet on such a plane and make a pact to spend three days together in San Francisco. Their goal: to spend every cent oftheir mustering out money in a party ofa lifetime. And they’ll get more than they bargained for: because when they land, it is July 1967 – in a time that would come to be known as “The Summer Of Love.” A place and time where each young man will have to confront the ghosts who followed them home from the jungles of Vietnam and contemplate a future none of them had imagined. ... Read more

Product Description

50 Rooms is a collection of short stories based around a cast of characters who live in and around an abandoned hotel just off Hollywood Boulevard—two homeless teenage punk rockers who roam the streets of Los Angeles, scamming and stealing just to survive another night in a brutal and unforgiving city; a man who works in a slaughterhousedesperately fighting to keep his sanity and find some kind of meaning in his life; an emotionally abused small person who reaches his breaking point in a convenience store; a maniacal Hollywood stuntman and his neglected girlfriend and a writer who is visited by the ghost of Charles Bukowski.

These are just a few of the inhabitants of the dark corners of this forgotten world.

The stories explore the lives of people most of us never come in contact with and would prefer not to know. They travel into environments we will likely only ever experience in the pages of 50 Rooms. This is an excursion into the darker side of life: in the underground Los Angeles punk scene of the mid-eighties, the slaughterhouse, the car of an addict driving to a murder, the barroom haunted by a literary legend and the halls and rooms of an abandoned Hollywood hotel. 50 Rooms takes you places you’ve never been before—and will leave you with memories you need no photographs to remember.

Customer Reviews (4)

Enter "50 Rooms"
Jason Allan Cole's "50 Rooms" is filled with the heartbreak, loneliness and anger of the alienated souls who live in Los Angeles--or any other city in America.The book consists of Jasons thinly disguised autobiographical experiences, as well as stories of misfits and outcasts who are shunned or ignored by mainstream society.Nevertheless, there is redemption, perhaps too little or too late for some, but lasting for others."50 Rooms" is a secular "Pilgrim's Progress" for the latter 20th century.

Great Debut
This is amarvelous collection of short stories. But don't take my word for it, after all, Jason is my son. Instead, check out what J.A. Kaszuba Lock, reviewer for the prestigious Canadian literary site Bookloons.comhad tosay about the matter:

Bookloons.com - Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Lock - Jason Allan Cole, son of author Allan Cole, makes his debut with 50 Rooms - eleven short stories set in Los Angeles, California. They are eye-openers to a part of society that many try to forget - the homeless who dwell in the 'stinking alleys, and the condemned, abandoned buildings', down-and-outers, alcoholics, drug addicts, and dealers, and young Santa Monica girls lured willingly from their rich homes bordering Hollywood Boulevard.

Cole brings out that it isn't only the homeless who use these buildings, but also what he refers to as Playboy Gangster Crips who bring in their whores as well as drugs to sell. Sixteen-year old me, who has his space in one of the rooms, tells us, 'When you're homeless you get possessive. Much more than a person with many things of value ... when you have next to nothing, which in reality is nothing, you don't want to give it up to any man. What you have in your pockets is all that stands between you and the final insult of death and dishonor.'

The Quality of Mercy is narrated by Frank, a worker at the meatpacking plant. In the boss's office is a new secretary named Mercy, whose appearance brightens his outlook. Off to the Tattle Tale Room after punching out, and there she is - with the company foreman. Frank fancies taking her to dinner at a nice restaurant. He gets a new suit, a haircut, is off drugs for three weeks, and further into debt buying a new vehicle - all to impress Mercy. All Frank's efforts end in vain.

Another story begins, 'I was fifteen, and this would be the last year I would live at home.' With his parents and their friends, young Ethan does coke, drinks until all hours of the night, smokes pot, and takes Quaaludes. In a week he's homeless after a very drunk dad chases him down the street. 'The future was now. It still is', he muses.

In Short People we meet a midget named Carl, a mini-mart employee. Carl was never adopted from the county home, which he left at age eighteen. Carl hates his customers who have 'eyes with no souls behind them'. Anger gets out of hand - on both sides. Joe's story is earthshaking in He Drove. Joe seeks the whereabouts of Molly; he's been with others but cannot forget her. Anger turns to rage as he approaches her door.

The author - whose dedication to his wife Hiroko Cole reads, 'You taught me how to live again' - portrays the reality of street life. Common threads run through these stories that lean toward open endings, leaving readers pondering intent and meaning. 50 Rooms is not a light read but the characters, their world, and placement in society, are not promptly forgotten.

Oh, the Brilliance of Darkness!
Jason Allan Cole's 50 Rooms is a journey into the seedy underbelly, grungy nooks and filthy crannies of Los Angeles... or to put it more accurately, the City of Fallen Angels.A must read in Punk literature, and if you have Bukowski on your shelves, then you must have Cole too.This collection of Fictional Shorts will send you reeling through the minds and faculties of the utterly peccant, the inebriate, the unhinged and even the psychotic.Scary, humorous and graphic, Cole makes a focused effort that is fascinating to read.Congratulations sir, on a great piece of work!

Bravo!
With 50 Rooms, Jason Allan Cole has made his mark on the world of modern fiction with a book of short stories that rivals West, Vonnegut, or Hemingway, and is sure to impress even the toughest critics. Like a fly on a filthy paint peeled wall, the reader is given a little corner of every room in which to view the inner workings of the minds of its characters; the desperate, the marginalized, the insane, the alcoholic and drug addicted. They are all seeking something... a way out...a way in... a way forward...until the cruel irony of this world chokes the life out of them. Bravo! I can't wait to read the next one. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Fun Sci-Fi that doesn't take itselt too seriously.
Book two in Sten series and I am craving more.The first book set up our main character and trained him.Wolf Worlds lets him do his thing.The authors create a really interesting challenge for Sten as he gets to defuse a conflict between some sects of a religious group.These folks just happen to live right in the way of a new mineral that the Empire needs.

So, Sten gets to go without use the toolsthat his Mantis Section training has given him.Instead he has to be a bit creative to keep the mission moving in the right way, but without all of the support he might have grown used to.

I like the story, but I really like Sten.He remains a somewhat conflicted hero who isn't comfortable with every decision he has to make nor is he guaranteed to succeed at everything he tries.Things work out, but there are bumps in the road that threaten the mission.It's good stuff and worth buying from someone used.

I loved this book.
This is the second "Sten" Book I read, ("Fleet of the Damned" being first), and I thouroughly enjoyed it. Sten, Alex, and the rest of Mantis Team 13 show off their stuff in the Lupus Cluster. Readit, you'll like it. If not, we'll have you brainscaned! ... Read more