Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock was young, handsome, athletic, an excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of Man . . . so why wouldn't anyone at Court trust him? It wasn't surprising that he became spoiled, self-centered, and petulant. After all, what else did he have to do with his life? But that was before his mother the Empress packed him off to a backwater planet, a saboteur tried to blow up his ship, and he found himself shipwrecked...

A tale of one family's ambition and of Europe's struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. The Medici used charm, skill and ruthlessness to garner unparalleled wealth and power, ruling Europe for more than 300 years.

Explores the period between the 16th and 19th centuries in Japan by examining the lives of shoguns, samurais, geishas, and the very few westerners allowed into Japan . Japan was then a world unto itself, closed to outsiders, and ruled by shoguns with absolute control. During this period, Japan transitioned from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace.