Written in the thirteenth century, Njal's Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems-from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law's inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. It is populated by memorable and complex characters like Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a powerful warrior with an aversion to killing, and the not-so-villainous Mord Valgardsson. Full of dreams, strange prophecies, violent power struggles, and fragile peace agreements, Njal's Saga tells the...

A powerful and moving account of the campaign for civil rights in modern America. Robert Cook is concerned less with charismatic leaders like Martin Luther King, and more with the ordinary men and women who were mobilised by the grass-roots activities of civil-rights workers and community leaders. He begins with the development of segregation in the late nineteenth century, but his main focus is on the continuing struggle this century. It is a dramatic story of many achievements - even if in many respects it is also a record of unfinished business.

What about Iran Pulse, a national security thriller, by Robert Cook Pulse describes the complex process of preventing Iran from deploying nuclear weapons that are likely to destroy Israel, destabilize the Middle East and threaten world peace. Pulse opens in Morocco, passes to Washington at the White House and then Camp David, passes again through Morocco and ends in Tehran. The interwoven back story is about how to bring the transformational lessons of the Enlightenment to the Middle East, with inexpensive, technology-enabled, mass education as the catalyst. Pulse is a -thriller for the...