Ken Davies Knihy

Wandering aft, the fading light was now allowing the first stars to appear and give further perspective to understanding his place and his purpose. He reached the guardrails and took in lungfulls of the welcome cool breeze. Lowering his eyes he witnessed the white tumult rapidly moving away from him - a powerful disturbance to a deep blue tranquil sea, now churning white - courtesy of the tramping of eighty thousand galloping horses. The culmination of those many energy and force transfers taking place below decks; moving him and the twelve thousand tons of ship forward at half a mile a minute. Soon it would be his turn again to play his part in creating and keeping control of all that awesome power. The next port of call though, would be his, and the ship's; first visit to Malta. He had no more expectancy about it, than there had been with any of the other places visited. He felt privileged to have seen so much already in his young life; and often thought about what life could have been like if he had stayed in his hometown. The range and boundaries of experiences he'd been so lucky to have had thus far though, were about to be vastly expanded: and the time frame in which it would be lived, so compressed; it would test the endurance of everything he consisted of. There was not an inkling of what emotional joy he would find there - in the arms of someone so unimagined - nor the depth of despair that was to await him.

James Barker, born in the year 2057, is a rich kid, a fact which has changed the way of life for people at every level in the United Kingdom. His status as 'rich kid' was brought about by his grandfather's work. A stunningly innovative inventor, Grandfather Barker worked on solar panels and glitter balls, leftovers from the twentieth century, to create cost-free energy solutions for the whole world. James, heir to a business that cannot fail, decides to travel around the globe, meeting a series of memorable women including the enigmatic Yolanda, who has three pet lions; Mia, the adorable Chinese restauranteur and best of all, the fascinating Anna. Life goes on happily, until the year 2101, when all four major political parties make an announcement that will change the future of the U.K. Can a rich kid with a brilliant business rescue the country?

The aeroplane grew up very quickly during World War I. From being a novelty flown by rich schoolboys it matured into an effective weapon in less than four years. With over 450 contemporary and many previously unpublished photographs, this is the story of the formation of the world's first independent air force, from the early years through to 1918.