Taylor Anderson

History of Florence and of the Affairs of Italy is an excerpt from Istorie fiorentine or Florentine Histories by Niccol Machiavelli published in 1532 and translated in 1847 by an unknown author. It is a historical account by Machiavelli of The Florence history which was meant to be a eulogy for the Republic of Florence. Odin's Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind's literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.

An expeditionary force will discover unfamiliar lands, fight deadly foes, and reveal secrets as they explore the mysterious new earth they now call home in this gripping alternate history adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. Ever since the World War II-era destroyer USS Walker was marooned on a strange alternate earth, naturalist Courtney Bradford has been eager to fully explore the planet. Now that the war with the Grand Alliance's enemies has settled into an uneasy peace, he is given leave to organize the Corps of Discovery, a motley company formed of veterans of the Great War from all over the Alliance. On board the rebuilt Walker, now a school ship, they set out to investigate reports of a region in the Pacific where ships have gone missing and a terrible bright flash of light on the horizon was witnessed. But what they find there is beyond anyone's imagination: a great battered fleet made up of strange ships. Courtney suspects the rusty armada may have been transported to this world from another, the same way the Walker was almost five years ago. But the Alliance's enemies are already aware of these lost ships--and the deadly technology they can harvest from them--and are willing to go to any lengths to steal them. Courtney, a crew of inexperienced cadets, and a handful of lethal commandos are all that stand in the way of another global war--one that the exhausted Alliance simply can't win.

Lost in a mysterious world, far from all they knew in 1847 America, Colonel Lewis Cayce and his soldiers must face the unimaginable might of the Dominion once and for all in this gripping alternate history from the New York Times bestselling author of the Destroyermen series. Colonel Lewis Cayce and his forces were a group of American soldiers bound to fight in the Mexican-American War--until they were stranded in a strange new world inhabited by vicious monsters, new friends, and deadly foes. Now Cayce has brought his army of displaced Americans and their indigenous allies into the heart of the loathsome, blood-drenched Dominion's stronghold. If he can take the enemy's holiest city and support the elevation of a new "Supreme Holiness" who seeks to moderate the Dominion's thirst for expansion, slavery, and blood sacrifice, Cayce's own goal for his army and new people to live in security and freedom will be assured. But no matter how good of a soldier he is, Cayce is ruled by reason, and the madness and seemingly suicidal treachery of his adversaries, not to mention the sheer titanic scope of the force arrayed against him, might finally be more than he can cope with. Which side will ultimately discover that even victory can end in defeat?

Marooned on a deadly alternate Earth, Colonel Lewis Cayce and his soldiers find themselves outnumbered and outclassed in this riveting adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. After being stranded on a very different and more perilous Earth, Colonel Lewis Cayce led his small army of displaced Americans, natives of the Yucat n, and Jaguar Warriors to defeat the biggest host the Dominion general Agon could assemble. Most unexpectedly, General Agon came to recognize the inherent evil of the Dominion and its depraved Blood Priests and turned on his former leaders. Awkwardly at first, Lewis Cayce and Agon join forces to press their common enemy back toward the dark heart of the Dominion in the Great Valley of Mexico. But more Dominion troops have been drawn from the west to stop the Allied march on the Holy City, and a grueling race has begun. Worse, the Gran Cruzada--a vast Dom army that was marching on the far Californias to eject yet another heretic foe--might've already been recalled to face Cayce's soldiers. Time has become more precious than ever, and before Lewis Cayce can even try to implement his plan for total victory, he and his force must brave their greatest challenge yet: a brutal fight against a larger, better-trained army whose commander has a gift for strategy to rival Cayce's own. The struggle to keep all his soldiers alive--new friends and old comrades alike--will test Cayce like never before, and, win or lose, nothing will be the same.

Marooned on a deadly alternate Earth, Colonel Lewis Cayce and his soldiers find themselves outnumbered and outclassed in this riveting new adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. After being stranded on a very different and more perilous Earth, Colonel Lewis Cayce led his small army of displaced Americans, natives of the Yucat n, and Jaguar Warriors to defeat the biggest host the Dominion general Agon could assemble. Most unexpectedly, General Agon came to recognize the inherent evil of the Dominion and its depraved Blood Priests and turned on his former leaders. Awkwardly at first, Lewis Cayce and Agon join forces to press their common enemy back toward the dark heart of the Dominion in the Great Valley of Mexico. But more Dominion troops have been drawn from the west to stop the Allied march on the Holy City, and a grueling race has begun. Worse, the Gran Cruzada--a vast Dom army that was marching on the far Californias to eject yet another heretic foe--might've already been recalled to face Cayce's soldiers. Time has become more precious than ever, and before Lewis Cayce can even try to implement his plan for total victory, he and his force must brave their greatest challenge yet--a brutal fight against a larger, better-trained army whose commander has a gift for strategy to rival Cayce's own. The struggle to keep all his soldiers alive, new friends and old comrades alike, will test Cayce like never before, and, win or lose, nothing will be the same.

Major Lewis Cayce will need to use every weapon in his arsenal to keep his stranded men alive on a deadly alternate Earth in this gripping new adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. It is 1847, and almost a full year after being shipwrecked on another, far stranger and more dangerous Earth on their way to fight Santa Anna in the Mexican-American War, Lewis Cayce and his small group of artillerymen, infantrymen, and dragoons have made friends in the Yucat n, helped build an army, and repulsed the first efforts of the blood-drenched Holy Dominion to wipe their new friends out. As an even more radical cult of Blood Priests arises and begins to pursue its own path to power, the Dominion can't let its defeat stand. It must crush the heretics and expel them from the land it has claimed. Fortunately, Lewis Cayce is a professional. He understands defense can only result in a stalemate at best, and a stalemate with the more populous Dominion will only lead to defeat in the end. The lucky few will be enslaved. The rest will be sacrificed in the most horrific way imaginable. The only hope his new allies have is to win--and to do that, his little army must attack the most powerful and diabolical enemy on the planet in its own territory. Achieving victory will take all Lewis's imagination, the courage and trust of his soldiers--and all the round shot and canister his tiny band of artillerymen can slam out.

Major Lewis Cayce will need to use every weapon in his arsenal to keep his stranded men alive on a deadly alternate Earth in this gripping new adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. It is 1848, and a full year after being shipwrecked on another, far stranger and more dangerous Earth on their way to fight Santa Anna in the Mexican-American War, Lewis Cayce and his small group of artillerymen, infantrymen, and dragoons have made friends in the Yucat n, helped build an army, and repulsed the first efforts of the blood-drenched Holy Dominion to wipe their new friends out. As an even more radical cult of Blood Priests arises and begins to pursue its own path to power, the Dominion can't let its defeat stand. It must crush the heretics and expel them from the land it has claimed. Fortunately, Lewis Cayce is a professional. He understands defense can only result in a stalemate at best, and a stalemate with the more populous Dominion will only lead to defeat in the end. The lucky few will be enslaved. The rest will be sacrificed in the most horrific way imaginable. The only hope his new allies have is to win--and to do that, his little army must attack the most powerful and diabolical enemy on the planet in its own territory. Achieving victory will take all Lewis's imagination, the courage and trust of his soldiers--and all the round shot and canister his tiny band of artillerymen can slam out.

On their way to fight in the Mexican-American War, a group of American soldiers are swept away to a strange and deadly alternate Earth in this thrilling new adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. The United States, 1847. A disparate group of young American soldiers are bound to join General Winfield Scott's campaign against Santa Anna at Veracruz during the Mexican-American War. They never arrive. Or rather . . . they arrive somewhere else. The untried, idealistic soldiers are mostly replacements, really; a handful of infantry, artillery, dragoons, and a few mounted riflemen with no unified command. And they've been shipwrecked on a terrible, different Earth full of monsters and unimaginable enemies. Major Lewis Cayce, late of the 3rd US Flying Artillery, must unite these men to face their fears and myriad threats, armed with little more than flintlock muskets, a few pieces of artillery, and a worldview that spiritually and culturally rebels against virtually everything they encounter. It will take extraordinary leadership and a cadre of equally extraordinary men and women to mold frightened troops into an effective force, make friends with other peoples the evil Holy Dominion would eradicate, and reshape their manifest destiny into a cause they can all believe in and fight for. For only together will they have any hope of survival.

On their way to fight in the Mexican-American War, a group of American soldiers are swept away to a strange and deadly alternate Earth in this thrilling new adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. The United States, 1847. A disparate group of young American soldiers are bound to join General Winfield Scott's campaign against Santa Anna at Veracruz during the Mexican-American War. They never arrive. Or rather . . . they arrive somewhere else. The untried, idealistic soldiers are mostly replacements, really; a handful of infantry, artillery, dragoons, and a few mounted riflemen with no unified command. And they've been shipwrecked on a terrible, different Earth full of monsters and unimaginable enemies. Major Lewis Cayce, late of the 3rd US Flying Artillery, must unite these men to face their fears and myriad threats, armed with little more than flintlock muskets, a few pieces of artillery, and a worldview that spiritually and culturally rebels against virtually everything they encounter. It will take extraordinary leadership and a cadre of equally extraordinary men and women to mold frightened troops into an effective force, make friends with other peoples the evil Holy Dominion would eradicate, and reshape their manifest destiny into a cause they can all believe in and fight for. For only together will they have any hope of survival.

After being transported to a strange alternate Earth, Matt Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker have learned desperate times call for desperate measures, in the return to the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series. Time is running out for the Grand Human and Lemurian Alliance. The longer they take to prepare for their confrontations with the reptilian Grik, the Holy Dominion, and the League of Tripoli, the stronger their enemies become. Ready or not, they have to move--or the price in blood will break them. Matt Reddy and his battered old destroyer USS Walker lead the greatest army the humans and their Lemurian allies have ever assembled up the Zambezi toward the ancient Grik capital city. Standing against them is the largest, most dangerous force of Grik yet gathered. On the far side of the world, General Shinya and his Army of the Sisters are finally prepared for their long-expected assault on the mysterious El Paso del Fuego. Not only is the dreaded Dominion ready and waiting for them; they've formed closer, more sinister ties with the fascist League of Tripoli. Everything is on the line in both complex, grueling campaigns, and the Grand Alliance is stretched to its breaking point. Victory is the only option, whatever the cost, because there can be no second chances.

Only a few months ago, Krystal Peterson had been a Punk, held in high esteem. But she was also a Changer. The two don't mix. So she was branded and banished from the Punks' organization. But today was a new day, and Krystal had chosen sides.Punk headquarters at Checkpoint One remained in shambles. Word of the Punks' defeat had spread quickly through the Bystander grapevine. As the Bystanders accept free homes and technology from the Changers, they question the necessity of a Punk presence.The world was in a new stage of disarray. The eternal Changers were preparing to launch the next phase of their quest for global dominance. The wounded Punks were picking up the pieces of their once-formidable war machine.Banishment from the Punks had forced Krystal to seek friends within the Changers' Underground. Defection from the Changers had cast her as one of many Rogues. But courtesy of Dr. Felix Yaz, she was a special Rogue. Felix's experimental procedure reversed the Change and gave her enhanced eyesight, hearing and physical prowess. Forcing her way back into the Punks would give Krystal access to Curtis Dyer, her reason for living.Only a few months ago, Krystal Peterson had been a Punk, held in high esteem. But she was also a Changer. The two don't mix. So she was branded and banished from the Punks' organization. But today was a new day, and Krystal had chosen sides.Punk headquarters at Checkpoint One remained in shambles. Word of the Punks' defeat had spread quickly through the Bystander grapevine. As the Bystanders accept free homes and technology from the Changers, they question the necessity of a Punk presence.The world was in a new stage of disarray. The eternal Changers were preparing to launch the next phase of their quest for global dominance. The wounded Punks were picking up the pieces of their once-formidable war machine.Banishment from the Punks had forced Krystal to seek friends within the Changers' Underground. Defection from the Changers had cast her as one of many Rogues. But courtesy of Dr. Felix Yaz, she was a special Rogue. Felix's experimental procedure reversed the Change and gave her enhanced eyesight, hearing and physical prowess. Forcing her way back into the Punks would give Krystal access to Curtis Dyer, her reason for living.

Only a few months ago, Krystal Peterson had been a Punk, held in high esteem. But she was also a Changer. The two don't mix. So she was branded and banished from the Punks' organization. But today was a new day, and Krystal had chosen sides.Punk headquarters at Checkpoint One remained in shambles. Word of the Punks' defeat had spread quickly through the Bystander grapevine. As the Bystanders accept free homes and technology from the Changers, they question the necessity of a Punk presence.The world was in a new stage of disarray. The eternal Changers were preparing to launch the next phase of their quest for global dominance. The wounded Punks were picking up the pieces of their once-formidable war machine.Banishment from the Punks had forced Krystal to seek friends within the Changers' Underground. Defection from the Changers had cast her as one of many Rogues. But courtesy of Dr. Felix Yaz, she was a special Rogue. Felix's experimental procedure reversed the Change and gave her enhanced eyesight, hearing and physical prowess. Forcing her way back into the Punks would give Krystal access to Curtis Dyer, her reason for living.

The crew of a WWII destroyer face their greatest challenge yet as they try to survive in a strange new world in the next thrilling book in the New York Times bestselling series. Commander Matt Reddy and his crew are afraid it may finally be the end of the USS Walker. Ever since their ship was transported to another world, and they became embroiled in a deadly conflict between the Lemurians and the vicious Grik, the Walker has been taking a pounding. With Walker out of commission for repairs, Reddy takes command of a different ship and joins a desperate battle to block the Grik swarm. Meanwhile, the humans and their allies face a deadly second front in the Republic to the south. All of Reddy's forces are committed, and there's no turning back. Either they'll win--or lose--everything...

In a world where the high-tech Changers rule and the average person is expendable, Krystal Peterson was at the bottom of the bottom. Friendless, ugly, blemished and scarred, Krystal was a loner living on the street, destined to die young. She would have agreed to anything to change her miserable existence.When the Changers offered her redemption, good looks and immortality, Krystal made the deal of a lifetime. The assignment was easy: Infiltrate the Punks. Absorb a high-ranking commander. Life was good until she began to question her feelings for her target victim. Krystal found out forever is a long time when you're indebted to the Changers.Dion, the backbone of the Punks, has a monkey on his back the size of an AI mutant Chybrid. The elite Changers bring everything in their high-tech arsenal to the Perimeter Gate. With blurring loyalties and spies in his ranks, Dion must face the battle head-on--without Krystal and without his top field commander.Now, rejected by the Punks and banished by the Changers, Krystal must choose a side. She doesn't know she holds a winning hand that will bring her to new heights, scars and all. Before she finds that place inside herself, she finds a new depth of despair she had never seen.Fighting against all odds with a rag-tag group of misfits and society's rejects, the Punks hold the fate of civilization in their hands.Hang on for the ride This high tension, fast paced story of redemption, the elite vs the oppressed and discovering self-worth, will have you turning pages deep into the night.Absorbing Lives is a YA dystopian sci-fi urban thriller featuring a strong female lead and a diverse cast of characters.