The Farmer And The War

Lieutenant Craig Youngly has only ever wanted one thing in his life -- to join the illustrious Golden Guard. In pursuit of his goals, he has found himself protege to Raylynn Westwind, notable Guard member and favorite of Prince Baldair. He has fought for two years in the sweltering North and now prepares to embark on a mission on behalf of the Guard that could secure his long-sought membership. It's the opportunity Craig has been waiting for, until Raylynn's attention turns toward another swordsman, Daniel Taffl. Daniel has always been a man of modest aspirations. As a farmer's son from the East, he seeks a soldier's wage to support a future for the woman of his dreams when he returns from the front lines. It isn't until he's conscripted into Craig's mission that he learns his sword-craft has caught the eyes of the powers above him. Craig sees his mission as an opportunity to impress the guard and exert his authority over Daniel. Daniel sees it merely as the chance to secure a more financially stable future. Their goals seem too simple to go awry. But, in the perilous jungles of the North, luck is something both men find to be in short supply. THE FARMERS WAR is the final installment in the Golde Guard Trilogy, prequel stories to the AIR AWAKENS SERIES: Book One, THE CROWN'S DOG Book Two, THE PRINCE'S ROGUE Book Three, THE FARMER'S WAR

The second book in an Air Awakens prequel trilogy about the Golden Guard. The Empire has declared war against its neighbor to the north, the country of Shaldan. Prince Baldair is summoned to lead, but the untested royal harbors secret reservations about his ability to inspire confidence in troops his senior in both age and experience. The memory of his first kills the summer prior still weigh heavy on his shoulders, and he flees to his friend Erion's home near the Crossroads to wait for the army before marching north. Raylynn Westind had never held a responsibility in her life. After losing her mother years ago, she wanders from town to town in search of a challenge, honoring the sacred song of the sword her mother taught her. She never backs down from a fight, not when her opponents are the deadly Knights of Jadar, mysteriously insistent upon her death. And certainly not when the opponent is the Empire's young playboy prince. Baldair has never met another person as gifted with the sword as he, and is insistent on seeing a golden bracer grace Raylynn's forearm. But the woman lives a mercenary's life, and Baldair quickly learns that her loyalty comes at a high price. When he discovers the bounty on her head, the prince must choose between his responsibilities to his father's Empire, and the woman who has captured his heart as a soldier, and as a man.

“Paul Farmer brings his considerable intellect, empathy, and expertise to bear in this powerful and deeply researched account of the Ebola outbreak that struck West Africa in 2014. It is hard to imagine a more timely or important book.” —Bill and Melinda Gates "[The] history is as powerfully conveyed as it is tragic . . . Illuminating . . . Invaluable." —Steven Johnson, The New York Times Book Review In 2014, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea suffered the worst epidemic of Ebola in history. The brutal virus spread rapidly through a clinical desert where basic health-care facilities were few and far between. Causing severe loss of life and economic disruption, the Ebola crisis was a major tragedy of modern medicine. But why did it happen, and what can we learn from it? Paul Farmer, the internationally renowned doctor and anthropologist, experienced the Ebola outbreak firsthand—Partners in Health, the organization he founded, was among the international responders. In Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds, he offers the first substantive account of this frightening, fast-moving episode and its implications. In vibrant prose, Farmer tells the harrowing stories of Ebola victims while showing why the medical response was slow and insufficient. Rebutting misleading claims about the origins of Ebola and why it spread so rapidly, he traces West Africa’s chronic health failures back to centuries of exploitation and injustice. Under formal colonial rule, disease containment was a priority but care was not – and the region’s health care woes worsened, with devastating consequences that Farmer traces up to the present. This thorough and hopeful narrative is a definitive work of reportage, history, and advocacy, and a crucial intervention in public-health discussions around the world.