Historical Survival

In 1946, after five years as a prisoner - first as a Soviet POW in Nazi concentration camps, then as a deportee in the Arctic Gulag - 29-year-old Lev Mishchenko unexpectedly received a letter from Sveta, the sweetheart he had hardly dared hope was still alive. Amazingly, over the next eight years, the lovers managed to exchange more than 1,500 messages and even to smuggle Sveta herself into the camp for secret meetings. Their recently discovered correspondence is the only known real-time record of life in Stalin's Gulag.

In September 1943, as America began advancing from its foothold on Guadalcanal, a young American airman was lost in heavy weather over the South Pacific on what was expected to be a routine flight. In examining that loss and the events leading up to a rescue attempt on an island in the South Pacific, and bringing together societies utterly alien to each other, Survival in the South Pacific brings together the big themes of the Pacific War.

Sourced from Pierre-Esprit Radisson’s journals, which are the best firsthand accounts of 17th-century Canada, Bush Runner tells the extraordinary true story of this protean 17th-century figure, a man more trading partner than colonizer, a peddler of goods and not worldview - and with it offers a fresh perspective on the world in which he lived.

"The Cloak of Night" is a historical thriller set in England during the dramatic and tumultuous late 17th century. The story ranges across London and Aylingford Abbey, creating an intricate tapestry woven from political unrest, enigmatic highwaymen, and the sublime yet treacherous charm of old-world aristocracy.Our adventure starts at the secretive Punch-Bowl tavern, the hidden haven of the notorious Gentleman Jack, whose thrilling tales of danger and deceit set the stage for a deeply riveting narrative. Jack's capture and the ensuing rumors about the elusive highwayman, Galloping Bob, ...

Caesar is dead. Revenge has armed his hand. His name is Octavian. Though little more than a boy, Octavian, Caesar's heir is determined to avenge his adoptive father's death. Battling against some of Rome's most imposing political figures, Octavian surrounds himself with a group of loyal allies who are as determined as himself to succeed: Maecenas, Agrippa and Rufus. They become known and feared as the 'Invincibles'; dedicated to vengeance, with the aim of punishing, one by one, all those who have Caesar's blood on their hands.

Christchurch, New Zealand. September 2010. A city sleeps. In the early hours of the morning came the noise of a freight train and a ferocious shaking the likes of which this South Island city had never before experienced. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake came without warning or prejudice and transformed a city forever, setting off a string of devastating events that were to have a lifelong impact on all who experienced them. This is a personal account of the lasting effects of that day and the effects of all the earthquakes that were to follow. This is the story of how the fury of Mother Nature ...

"Memoirs of a Disguise" is a rich Literary Fiction book set prominently in New York City and various locations during the early 20th century. The tale commences with the introduction of Kerry Mackintosh, a man burdened by his failing music shop. This plight leads to the fateful encounter with Horatio Bottomfield - a compelling stranger seeking employment, marking the inception of an intense and complicated narrative. Join the JourneyFollowing his hiring, Bottomfield embarks on a dynamic journey through the harsh realities of life in the early 20th century, filled with intriguing characters,...

In 1884, descendants of an ancient colony of pirates and their brutal tribal allies capture a scientific research vessel and its occupants who are then shipwrecked together on a remote atoll of the Seychelles Archipelago, where they evolve, over time, into a heinous, bloodthirsty cult with a wide sphere of influence. A century later, they are encountered by a divided expedition of modern-day travellers who must unravel the age-old mystery of the ‘Kolony’, its dark past and terrible secret, before they become the latest in a long line of its victims.

A historical fiction book set in California during the Gold Rush of 1848. Embark on a thrilling adventure in "Gold and Grit," where dreams of fortune meet the harsh realities of the untamed West. Follow a young man's desperate search for meaning as he joins his friend Malcolm on an exhilarating journey from Oregon to California, responding to the euphoric whispers of gold discovered in the fertile Sacramento Valley. As excitement grows and the stakes rise, the duo quickly learns that the path to striking it rich is fraught with peril and unpredictable twists at every turn. As they navigate ...

During the summer of 1823, fortune called from the frontier of North America’s Great Plains. Alternately rowing or tromping along the Missouri River from Saint Louis through Fort Mandan and then beyond to Fort Henry and the Upper Missouri Breaks, countless traders gambled their lives to exploit the bounty of an untamed wilderness. All dreamed of easy profits. Through a hundred years, a plague of such interlopers had traveled there to procure beaver, mink and marten pelts via trap or trade. Herds of buffalo perished to feed them. Whole populations uprooted to serve them. Virulent diseases ...

He fought and beheaded three Turkish adversaries in duels. He was sold into slavery and then murdered his master to escape. He was captured by pirates--twice--and marched to the gallows to be hanged, only to be reprieved seconds before the noose dropped over his head. And all this happened before he was thirty years old. This is Captain John Smith's life.

A maritime adventure novel set in the unforgiving seas around Kerguelen predominantly during the late 19th century. To Hell from the Sea is a visceral narrative plumbing the depths of a dangerous nautical journey, the gritty life of sailors, and the machinations of high society. Following the lives of worldly seamen and aristocrats alike, this novel delivers hard-hitting truths about survival, human resilience, and enduring love, no matter the odds or societal norms. The heart of the story revolves around the lives onboard the Albatross, a vessel on a treacherous voyage. Axel, a grizzled ...

The Last Refugee by Zahara Schara is a powerful and deeply moving novel that spans generations, weaving together the lives of two families forced to flee their homes in search of safety. Elijah, an aging man living a quiet life by the sea in Calais, rarely dwells on his past—on the horrors of fleeing Nazi persecution as a child or the sacrifices that ensured his survival. But when his garden is mysteriously disturbed night after night, he stays awake to catch the culprit, expecting a rabbit. What he discovers instead stirs long-buried memories, forcing him to confront the past he thought ...

James Capen Adams roamed the Sierra Nevada when California was wild. He slept on the ground, ate what he could kill, mended his own wounds, and made friends with the Native Americans he encountered. Adams captured animals in elaborate traps he built by hand and delivered his prey to zoos, museums, and certain famous exhibitions. Many of his stories became the inspiration for a popular TV show in the 1980s, featuring a mountain man and his pet bear. This is the true story behind the legend, as told by Adams to respected California historian Theodore Hittell.

A western novel set in the rugged terrains of the American West during the late 19th century. In the dust-choked valleys and towering mountains of the late 1800s, a quest for gold sends four men down a treacherous path that tests their limits and their souls. Cottonwood weaves a gripping tale of ambition, betrayal, and the consequences of desperate choices in an unforgiving landscape. As they search for wealth, the harsh realities of survival begin to fracture their fragile bonds, pushing each man to confront his darkest fears and deepest regrets. The narrative follows Ray Alistair, an ...

In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally got his chance by recasting himself as a champion of the downsized "safety-bicycle" with inflatable tires, the forerunner of the modern road bike that was about to become wildly popular. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover 20,000 miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. He never made it....

Like Anne Frank, Flory Van Beek was a young girl caught in the ruthless Nazi occupation of Holland. But Flory survived to recount her extraordinary story of persecution and survival. Flory and her husband, Felix, endured the sinking of a ship bound for safety in the New World, the increasing danger of the occupation, and finally a life in hiding. This inspiring account vividly captures the terror of the Holocaust while telling a poignant story of love and courage.

Roma Victrix. The Republic of Rome is on a relentless march to create an empire - an empire built on the backs of the conquered, brought back to Rome as slaves. Attia was once destined to rule as the queen and swordmaiden of Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world had seen since Sparta. Now she is a slave, given to Xanthus, the Champion of Rome, as a sign of his master’s favor.

Set in the time of the first Barons war this tells the tale of three unwanted young children who are left orphaned and then discarded by their village, driven away by the constable they roam from town to town until they meet a woman of the forest who they strike bargain with she teaches the young girl spells and potions and survival skills and in return they forage for food, the boys hunt a dangerous occupation and the eldest is captured by Normans, branded and mutilated his mind broken he is cast out to die. The witch repairs his mind and builds his body to that of a giant, fighting ...

In 1856 Paul Du Chaillu marched into the equatorial wilderness of West Africa determined to bag an animal that, according to legend, was nothing short of a monster. When he emerged three years later, the summation of his efforts only hinted at what he'd experienced in one of the most dangerous regions on earth. Armed with an astonishing collection of zoological specimens, Du Chaillu leapt from the physical challenges of the jungle straight into the center of the biggest issues of the time.