Rory MacLean Poradie kníh

As head phoenix keeper at a renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila's dream of conserving endangered firebirds is within reach, but her zoo's breeding program has been inactive for a decade. Following a tragic phoenix heist at a neighboring zoo, Aila must demonstrate that her facilities can take over the initiative. Saving a species from extinction demands more than just animal handling skills; it requires inspiring zoo patrons. However, seeking help from the zoo's hotshot griffin keeper, Luciana—Aila's college rival—is daunting. Luciana, a brooding know-it-all, believes Aila's beloved phoenix would be better as a performer than a conservation exhibit. With poachers threatening and the world watching, Aila's success is crucial not only for her job but for the future of the phoenix species. She must remember that she is not alone in this endeavor. Set against a vibrant fantasy backdrop filled with mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns, the narrative weaves cozy fantasy elements with heartwarming contemporary romance, creating a tale rich in adventure and emotional depth.

The Phoenix Keeper is an irresistible queer romantasy standalone set in a magical zoo of mythical creatures by ecology professor and ornithologist S. A. MacLean.

"A universal story about the power of place to shape families: in the spirit of his father's ... classic A River Runs Through It, comes John N. Maclean's meditation on fly fishing and life along Montana's Blackfoot River, where four generations of Macleans have fished, bonded, and drawn timeless lessons from its storied waters"--

Das Buch der Stunde Was ist Wahrheit, was ist Fiktion? Die Frage drängt sich auf, wenn der kanadisch-britische Autor Rory MacLean von seiner Reise durch Europa berichtet. Sie führt ihn durch Länder, die wieder gespalten sind, aber anders als vor dreißig Jahren, als er diese Reise in umgekehrter Richtung von Berlin nach Moskau unternommen hat. Oft begegnet er den alten Geistern, vor allem aber neuen Ängsten. MacLean zeigt auf, wie Europa in eine gefährliche neue Zeit schlafwandelt und Opportunisten – von Putin bis Johnson– aus der Wahrheit einen Witz machen. Er untersucht aber auch, wie wahr und verlässlich erzählte Geschichte in Reportagen, Literatur und Fake News ist. Die Menschen, denen er begegnet, fragt er, was aus dem Optimismus des Jahres 1989 geworden ist und wird – im Schatten des Brexits – zum Chronisten des zerbröselnden europäischen Traums.

In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. In that euphoric year Rory MacLean travelled from Berlin to Moscow, exploring lands that were, for most Brits and Americans, part of the forgotten half of Europe. Thirty years on, MacLean traces his original journey backwards, across countries confronting old ghosts and new fears: from revanchist Russia, through Ukraine's bloodlands, into illiberal Hungary, and then Poland, Germany and the UK. Along the way he shoulders an AK-47 to go hunting with Moscow's chicken Tsar, plays video games in St Petersburg with a cyber-hacker who cracked the US election, drops by the Che Guevara High School of Political Leadership in a non-existent nowhereland and meets the Warsaw doctor who tried to stop a march of 70,000 nationalists. Finally, on the shores of Lake Geneva, he waits patiently to chat with Mikhail Gorbachev. As Europe sleepwalks into a perilous new age, MacLean explores how opportunists, both within and outside of Russia, from Putin to Home Counties populists, have made a joke of truth, exploiting refugees and the dispossessed, and examines the veracity of historical narrative from reportage to fiction and fake news. He asks what happened to the optimism of 1989 and, in the shadow of Brexit, chronicles the collapse of the European dream

A city devastated by Allied bombs, divided by a Wall, then reunited and reborn, Berlin today resonates with the echo of lives lived, dreams realised and evils executed. No other city has repeatedly been so powerful and fallen so low. And few other cities have been so shaped and defined by individual imaginations. Through vivid portraits spanning five centuries, Rory MacLean reveals the varied and rich history of Berlin, from its brightest to its darkest moments. We encounter an ambitious prostitute refashioning herself as a princess, a Scottish mercenary fighting for the Prussian Army, Marlene Dietrich flaunting her sexuality and Hitler fantasising about the mega-city Germania. The result is a uniquely imaginative biography of one of the world's most volatile yet creative cities.

Coverage of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) all too often focuses solely on nuclear proliferation, military parades, and the personality cult around its leaders. This book goes beyond official North Korea to unveil the human dimension of life in that hermetic nation.

Kréta – ostrov splněných snů. Jednoho větrného jarního rána v prastaré krétské vesnici obklopené horami, spadl Rory MacLean na zem. Před několika měsíci mu zemřela matka, a ze žalu se zrodila touha: touha postavit létající stroj, lehký jako pírko. A tak se MacLean na ostrově, ze kterého vzlétli Daidalos a Ikaros, vrátil zpátky ke kořenům, do dávných řeckých mýtů, a s pomocí velkorysých, avšak nepředvídatelných sousedů a spousty vína postavil letadlo, na němž se pokusil vzlétnout…