Most Popular Books by Charles Wilson

A behind-the-scenes look at the fast food industry.

A spectacular new SF novel of immense scope

The sequel to the Hugo Award-winning SF epic Spin

2017 Aurora Awards Best of the Decade Finalist 2004 Hugo Award Finalist for Best Novel Robert Charles Wilson, says The New York Times, "writes superior science fiction thrillers." His Darwinia won Canada''s Aurora Award; his most recent novel, The Chronoliths, won the prestigious John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Now he tells a gripping tale of alien contact and human love in a mysterious but hopeful universe. At Blind Lake, a large federal research installation in northern Minnesota, scientists are using a technology they barely understand to watch everyday life in a city of lobster like aliens upon a distant planet. They can''t contact the aliens in any way or understand their language. All they can do is watch. Then, without warning, a military cordon is imposed on the Blind Lake site. All communication with the outside world is cut off. Food and other vital supplies are delivered by remote control. No one knows why. The scientists, nevertheless, go on with their research. Among them are Marguerite Hauser and the man she recently divorced, Raymond Scutter. They continue to work together despite the difficult conditions and the bitterness between them. Ray believes their efforts are doomed; that culture is arbitrary, and the aliens will forever be an enigma. Marguerite believes there is a commonality of sentient thought, and that our failure to understand is our own ignorance, not a fact of nature. The behavior of the alien she has been tracking seems to be developing an elusive narrative logic--and she comes to feel that the alien is somehow, impossibly, aware of the project''s observers. But her time is running out. Ray is turning hostile, stalking her. The military cordon is tightening. Understanding had better come soon.... At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

He was designed to be the perfect man. And at first the experiment seemed a success. John Shaw - the product of secret government research into enhanced intelligence - was from birth far beyond anything human. Brilliant and charismatic, John could have been anything he wanted - except that which he longed for more than anything. To be normal. So John created Benjamin: an alternative persona, a way of coping with people who hated what they could not understand. He was everything that John wasn''t - but now those very differences are killing him. Benjamin has become the dominant personality, more and more often in control. John''s altered body has left his mind at risk - and unless he can discover the truth that will fuse both parts together, both he and Benjamin will die. Robert Charles Wilson spins one of his most stirring, tightly woven tales with The Divide. Reminiscent of Flowers for Algernon, it is at once an adventure story and a sensitive look at the consequences of man''s actions - and of one man''s quite literal search for himself.

"Vortex" tells the story of Turk Findley, the protagonist introduced in "Axis," who is transported 10,000 years into the future by the mysterious entities called "the Hypotheticals."

“Astute, romantic, philosophical, compassionate, and often uproariously funny, Julian Comstock may be Wilson’s best book yet.” —Cory Doctorow In the reign of President Deklan Comstock, a reborn United States is struggling back to prosperity. Over a century after the Efflorescence of Oil, after the Fall of the Cities, after the False Tribulation, after the days of the Pious Presidents, the sixty stars and thirteen stripes wave from the plains of Athabaska to the national capital in New York. In Colorado Springs, the Dominion sees to the nation’s spiritual needs. In Labrador, the Army wages war on the Dutch. America, unified, is rising once again. Then out of Labrador come tales of the war hero “Captain Commongold.” The masses follow his adventures in the popular press. The Army adores him. The President is . . . troubled. Especially when the dashing Captain turns out to be his nephew Julian, son of the President’s late brother Bryce—a popular general who challenged the President’s power, and paid the ultimate price. As Julian ascends to the pinnacle of power, his admiration for the works of the Secular Ancients sets him at fatal odds with the Dominion. Treachery and intrigue will dog him as he closes in on the accomplishment of his lifelong ambition: to make a film about the life of Charles Darwin. “It’s like Margaret Atwood meets The Wild Wild West.” —SciFiDimensions “A sprawling, gorgeous meditation on the inexplicable ways that history mutates culture . . . It may be the best science fiction novel of the year so far.” —io9

“The style is rich, lucid, and literate . . . Hideous creatures mass and threaten in an ending reminiscent of Stephen King . . . remarkable indeed.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A Hugo Award Finalist In 1912, history was changed by the Miracle, when the old world of Europe was replaced by Darwinia, a strange land of nightmarish jungle and antediluvian monsters. To some, the Miracle is an act of divine retribution; to others, it is an opportunity to carve out a new empire. Leaving an America now ruled by religious fundamentalism, young Guilford Law travels to Darwinia on a mission of discovery that will take him further than he can possibly imagine . . . to a shattering revelation about mankind''s destiny in the universe. “In the best tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and H. G. Wells . . . A page-turner.” —The Globe and Mail “A remarkable book, worthy of the highest honors of our field. Don''t miss it.” —Locus

Bursting with ideas, replete with human insight, Bios is science fiction in the grand tradition: a novel of bravery, exploration, and discovery in a universe charged with awe. In the 22nd century, humankind has colonized the solar system. Starflight is possible but hugely expensive, so humakind''s efforts are focussed on Isis, the one nearby Earthlike world. Isis is verdant, Edenic, rich with complex DNA-based plant and animal life. And every molecule of Isian life is spectacularly toxic to human beings. The entire planet is a permanent Level Four Hot Zone. Despite that, Isis is the most interesting discovery of the millennium: a parallel biology with lessons to teach us about our own nature. It''s also the hardest of hardship posts, the loneliest place in the universe. Zoe Fisher was born to explore Isis. Literally. Cloned and genetically engineered by a faction within the hothouse politics of Earth, Zoe is optimized to face Isis''s terrors. Now at last Zoe has arrived on Isis. But there are secrets implanted within her that not even she suspects--and the planet itself has secrets that will change our understanding of life in the universe. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The South Louisiana Sleep Disorders Institute promises to let you live out your dreams in your sleep—to experience them so strongly that afterwards you won''t be able to tell the difference between them and real memories. The Institute Director claims to use these lucid dreams only as therapy for her clients. But when one of the clinic''s clients and two of its neighbors are murdered, Detective Mark French finds that the institute also has more sinister purposes.

Robert Charles Wilson''s time has come. His first novel from Tor, Darwinia, was a finalist for science fiction''s Hugo award, and a #1 Locus bestseller in paperback. His next novel, Bios, is a critical and commercial success. Now Wilson''s brilliant short science fiction is available in book form for the first time. Beginning with "The Perseids," winner of Canada''s national SF award, this collection showcases Wilson''s suppleness and strength: bravura ideas, scientific rigor, and living, breathing human beings facing choices that matter. Also included among the several stories herein are the acclaimed Hugo Award finalist "Divided by Infinity" and three new stories written specifically for this collection. "Beautifully observed, skillfully worked out: stories that flow subtly, almost imperceptably, from the prosaic to the preternatural."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Scott Warden is a man haunted by the past--and soon to be haunted by the future. In early-twenty-first-century Thailand, Scott is an expatriate slacker. Then, one day, he inadvertently witnesses an impossible event: the violent appearance of a 200-foot stone pillar in the forested interior. Its arrival collapses trees for a quarter mile around its base, freezing ice out of the air and emitting a burst of ionizing radiation. It appears to be composed of an exotic form of matter. And the inscription chiseled into it commemorates a military victory--sixteen years in the future. Shortly afterwards, another, larger pillar arrives in the center of Bangkok--obliterating the city and killing thousands. Over the next several years, human society is transformed by these mysterious arrivals from, seemingly, our own near future. Who is the warlord "Kuin" whose victories they note? Scott wants only to rebuild his life. But some strange loop of causality keeps drawing him in, to the central mystery and a final battle with the future. The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson is a 2002 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel and the winner of the 2002 John W. Campbell Memorial Award. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Building effective state institutions before introducing democracy is widely presumed to improve different development outcomes. Conversely, proponents of this “stateness-first” argument anticipate that democratization before state building yields poor development outcomes. In this Element, we discuss several strong assumptions that (different versions of) this argument rests upon and critically evaluate the existing evidence base. In extension, we specify various observable implications. We then subject the stateness-first argument to multiple tests, focusing on economic growth as an outcome. First, we conduct historical case studies of two countries with different institutional sequencing histories, Denmark and Greece, and assess the stateness-first argument (e.g., by using a synthetic control approach). Thereafter, we draw on an extensive global sample of about 180 countries, measured across 1789–2019 and leverage panel regressions, preparametric matching, and sequence analysis to test a number of observable implications. Overall, we find little evidence to support the stateness-first argument.

Since its inception in 1865, the Detroit Police Department has been a trailblazer and pioneer in adopting revolutionary advances in law enforcement that are essential to policing today. The Detroit Police Department was among the first police departments to put its officers on bicycles and developed one of the earliest motorized forces using motorcycles, ultimately becoming the first department to utilize Harley Davidson motorcycles. Of its firsts, arguably the most important and synonymous with the city of Detroit being recognized as the "Automotive Capital of the World" is the department''s deployment of its first patrol car in 1909. This photographic book highlights the Detroit Police Department''s rich history, resplendent with groundbreaking advancements in the field of law enforcement. Over the years, many of the issues that proved challenging to large metropolitan cities, such as urban unrest, school busing, labor disputes, crime, and poverty, also produced challenges for the department. This book illustrates how the department met those challenges and continued to serves its community with the utmost professionalism, respect, and pride. The vision of the Detroit Police Department is "building a safer Detroit through community partnerships," a with the unquestioned dedication and hard work exhibited by Detroit''s fi nest, this vision has become a reality.

Every book in this series has earned the classic status due to its popularity, durability, and uncompromising quality. All books in the Unity Classic Library series feature hardcover binding with gold engraving, colorful endpapers, library nameplate page, author photograph, and biography. The series makes a beautiful display on a library shelf, and each book is a respected addition to any metaphysical collection.This book gives a new perspective on forty-seven events of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, and is presented in the form of daily lessons. A study guide is included.

Botschaften aus der Zukunft Rätselhafte Artefakte erscheinen eines Tages auf der Erde – doch sie stammen nicht von Außerirdischen, sondern von uns selbst, von einer zukünftigen Menschheit, die Botschaften in die Vergangenheit schickt. Doch was haben diese Botschaften zu bedeuten? Ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit beginnt ...

"The First Peace; My Search for the Better Angels" is a spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and perhaps educational memoir that spans fifty-plus years, eleven states, three countries, military and seminary, birth and death, marriage and divorce, three Christian denominations, and a monastery. This memoir is a journey through faith and knowledge, hope and reality, love and experience. The author attempts to reconcile what he has been taught, what he believes, what he experiences, what he knows, what he wants, and what he perceives. His unacknowledged question: What do we do when we evolve beyond the "faith of our fathers" (and/or mothers)? After a life of seeking to understand through the lens of Christianity (and other religions), the author comes to understand that religious beliefs and dogma may become a barrier to faith and understanding. The author learns that liberty entails responsibility, faith requires self-reliance, and enlightenment is found within. Liberty and freedom entail responsibility, responsibly that no other person or institution can assume for use. We remain responsible for our actions and inactions. No person, government, or religious institution can assume or remove our responsibility for our actions, for our lives. "The First Peace; My Search for the Better Angels" is an attempt to weave a tapestry of stories, ideas and ideals, ethics, experiences, and expressions - with the goal (and hope) to entertain, inform, educate, persuade, stimulate, and even challenge. Perhaps "The First Peace; My Search for the Better Angels" will remind you of your own experiences, thoughts, and feelings that provide some measure of contentment, but also some measure of challenge, even conflict. The silence beyond those reminders is where we find "the first peace" and where we are "at liberty to be real" and where "the better angels of our nature" touch us.

Charles Wilson has received the highest praise from authors such as John Grisham and from reviewers, including being termed "Wizard Plotter" by the Los Angeles Times. Now, he has created his most chilling story yet-- a fast-paced thriller so realistic it will take your breath away and keep you riveted to the page. From the Gulf of Mexico''s warm shallow waters...to the deepest parts of the Pacific...terror comes to the surface... Six-year-old Paul Haines watches as two older boys dive into a coastal river...and don''t come up. His mother, Carolyn, a charter boat captain on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, finds herself embroiled in the tragedy to an extent she could never have imagined. Carolyn joins the marine biologist Alan Freeman in the hunt for a creature that is terrorizing the waters along the Gulf Coast. But neither of them could have envisioned exactly what kind of danger they are facing. Yet one man, Admiral Vandiver, does know what this creature is, and how it has come into the shallows. And his secret obsession with it will force him, as well as Paul, Carolyn and Alan, into a race against time...and a race toward death.

Young ER doctor Michael Sims feels too many of his patients are dying without cause. Shannon Donnelly, the Congressman''s beautiful daughter, believes the police are wrong in ruling her father''s death a suicide. Now they''re teaming up uncover the truth about a terrifying medical experiment involving nerve regeneration and organ transplants. It''s backed by millions of dollars. It''s protected at the highest levels of government. But there are no volunteers, no donors. There are only ordinary people who check into this Mississippi hospital...and discover that death isn''t he worst thing they have to fear. Getting "chosen" is....

As child sexual abuse investigation and intervention in the United States has evolved over the past decade, it has become clear that no single discipline or agency can meet the needs of abused children and their families. Coordinated investigative teams, involving an alliance between a wide range of professionals - such as criminal justice professionals, social workers, medical practitioners and mental health clinicians - are needed for fact-finding, child protection and criminal prosecution. This practical book focuses on how to design, develop, operate and maintain effective teams. It begins with examinations of how to build teams and the roles and responsibilities of the professionals involved. Investigative interviewing

This title is part of UC Press''s Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1970.

After becoming a part of the Tau, one of twenty-two large global network Affinities in the near future, young Adam Fisk thinks his life has improved for the better until the different Affinities begin to go to war with one another in a conflict that will change Adam''s world forever.

From the Hugo Award–winning author of Spin, an early classic of time-travel and human transformation. Originally published in 1991, we are bringing this back as a reprint.

In an alternate world, peace comes at a terrifying cost—as aliens kill to maintain their secret—in this novel by the Hugo Award–winning author of Spin. Cassie Klyne, nineteen years old, lives in the United States in the year 2015—but it’s not our United States, and it’s not our 2015. Cassie’s world has been at peace since the Great Armistice of 1918. There was no World War II, no Great Depression. Poverty is declining, prosperity is increasing everywhere; social instability is rare. But Cassie knows the world isn’t what it seems. Her parents were part of a group who gradually discovered the awful truth: that for decades—back to the dawn of radio communications—human progress has been molded, made more peaceful and benign, by an extraterrestrial entity. That by interfering with our communications, this entity has tweaked history in massive and subtle ways. That humanity is, for purposes unknown, being farmed. Cassie’s parents were killed for this knowledge, along with most of the other members of their group. Since then, the survivors have scattered and gone into hiding. Cassie and her younger brother Thomas now live with her aunt Nerissa, who shares these dangerous secrets. Others live nearby. For eight years they have attempted to lead unexceptional lives in order to escape detection. The tactic has worked. Until now. Because the killers are back. And they’re not human.

The Hugo Award–winning author of Spin, praised as “a hell of a storyteller” by Stephen King, gives time travel his own mind-bending twist . . . Two events made September 1st a memorable day for Jesse Cullum. First, he lost a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Second, he saved the life of President Ulysses S. Grant. In the near future of Robert Charles Wilson’s Last Year, the technology exists to open doorways into the past—but not our past, not exactly. Each “past” is effectively an alternate world, identical to ours but only up to the date on which we access it. And a given “past” can only be reached once. After a passageway is open, it’s the only road to that particular past; once closed, it can’t be reopened. A passageway has been opened to a version of late 19th-century Ohio. It’s been in operation for most of a decade, but it’s no secret, on either side of time. A small city has grown up around it to entertain visitors from our time, and many locals earn a good living catering to them. But like all such operations, it has a shelf life; as the “natives” become more sophisticated, their version of the “past” grows less attractive as a destination. Jesse Cullum is a native. And he knows the passageway will be closing soon. He’s fallen in love with a woman from our time, and he means to follow her back—no matter whose secrets he has to expose in order to do it. “Wilson’s prose is beautifully constructed in this intelligent and gripping novel.” —Chicago Review of Books

Kids love fast food. And the fast food industry definitely loves kids. It couldn''t survive without them. Did you know that the biggest toy company in the world is McDonald''s? It''s true. In fact, one out of every three toys given to a child in the United States each year is from a fast food restaurant. When Eric Schlosser''s best-selling book, Fast Food Nation, was published for adults in 2001, many called for his groundbreaking insight to be shared with young people. Now Schlosser, along with co-writer Charles Wilson, has investigated the subject further, uncovering new facts children need to know. In Chew On This, they share with kids the fascinating and sometimes frightening truth about what lurks between those sesame seed buns, what a chicken ''nugget'' really is, and how the fast food industry has been feeding off children for generations. This edition features a new introduction by Eric Schlosser.