The Soul In The Desert

Acclaimed fantasy debut introducing a ripsnorting swords and sorcery adventure, inspired by the tales of One Thousand and One Nights. THE CHRONICLE OF SWORD & SAND: Baghdad, AD 790. Caliph Harun al-Rashid presides over the greatest metropolis on Earth, ruler of an empire stretches from China to Byzantium. His exploits will be recorded in Alf Layla or, as we know it, The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. But The Thousand and One Nights are silent on the deeds and adventures that befell two of the Caliph's subjects: the renowned scholar Dabir ibn Kahlil, and his shield and right hand, Asim el Abbas. For their story, we must turn to the Chronicle of Sand and Sword... THE DESERT OF SOULS: Amid the trackless sands of ancient Arabia, two companions – a swordsman and a scholar – search for the ruins of the lost city of Ubar. Before their quest is over, they will battle necromancers and animated corpses, they will confront a creature that has traded wisdom for the souls of men since the dawn of time and they will fight to save a city's soul.

Naturally, the dessert is not a place most people want to be or to experience. With little or no vegetation because of low rainfall, this region is one of the places that if given the choice, people will do anything to avoid. In spiritual parlance, a desert is a place of challenge, trials, hardships, and of learning- especially in a hard way. Those who have passed through this experience can testify to the pains associated with it.

Soul of the Desert presents paintings by Philippa Nikulinsky of plants and animals from the Australian deserts. Most are botanical but birds and other animals feature, from bull ants to monitor lizards. Stephen Hopper contributes a general introduction and introductions to each section, which focus on the geology and broad ecology of the Australian deserts as the setting for the flora and fauna illustrated. This is informative and enjoyable, and one almost wishes he'd had room to write at greater length. As it is, however, Soul of the Desert is primarily for those who enjoy botanical illustration.

When a powerful desert spirit kidnaps her sister, Cece Rios must learn forbidden magic to get her back, in this own voices middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Storm Runner and Aru Shah and the End of Time. Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. After all, only brujas—humans who capture and control criaturas—consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime. When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself—while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey. With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.

This powerful book draws on the tradition of the prophet emerging from the wasteland to help waken the mystic within each of us, guide our modern spiritual journey into our own inner desert, and there to have a direct experience of God.

Dreams in the Desert is a journey of deep inward reflection to profoundly impact our Spiritual life with God. This Spiritual memoir chronicles a personal inner struggle and the important lessons learned during that time. It is a book to help others learn lessons by seeing how the author applied Scripture, Christian teaching, and dream analysis to his life's struggles. Each chapter discusses an important topic concerning Spiritual growth. Our external life informs our inner journey, while inner awareness influences and impacts our unique external lives. Dream on!

A leading spiritual writer recovers "The Desert Way of Believing" -- the spiritual pathway discovered by early Christian monks who lived in the Egyptian desert that is still relevant to Christians today. Alan Jones distills the elements that made this fully orthodox way of inner transformation a unique and important part of the early church. Refreshingly readable and filled with rich insights, Soul Making draws together the spirituality of modern literature and elements of psychology. Jones shows how the desert way can become for any spiritual seeker a soul-stretching means of experiencing the "wonder, mystery, and awe" at the heart of the Christian faith.

Struggling in the wilderness is often the way that God leads us into spiritual growth, power, and intimacy with himself.