The Ring of Life: Book One: the Assembly

Publisher Marketing: On the island of Alkuai, humans, Elvian, Gelvian, Nivian, and Onivian alike are all recuperating from the Nivian Conflict, an ordeal five years in duration with a treaty signed merely twenty years ago. With Eldin's and Barin's father, Marik Kostic, off on his duties to the Council of Elders in Halic City, the brothers are left to manage the Elite Guard and maintain peace in the city. With that in mind, Barin sends Eldin, and Eldin's good friend, Darean, off past the city outskirts to investigate strange happenings. Walf Orlich sets off on a routine journey with Fylene Cylebryan. Their trip takes an unexpected turn when they stumble across Eldin and Darean in the midst of a battle with a fearsome spider. As Walf rushes to save the men, he uses a power he never knew he had. A kind thief named Silvre Ledor comes across a young beauty, Arianna, in the woods. Arianna has only the remnants of an explosion and a bracelet bearing her name tying her to her forgotten past. Her former life suggests something magical, but Arianna remembers nothing. As the unlikely friends unite in the city, they come to realize that its law keepers aren't what they once seemed. Why does the Elite Guard attack without provocation? Who is behind the unfounded accusations against Fylene and her mother? If justice is not being held, then who in the city is free from its wicked arm? About the Author Jim Ross is actively involved in his community, coaching multiple youth teams over the years. In the past he has used his time with many individuals to forward the character development for his own novel. This novel, which has been the result of over a decade's work, was encouraged by a group of players on one particular team he coached. Contributor Bio:  Ross, Jim Jim Ross has more than 34 years experience in science education, both in private and public school systems. For six years he was the Coordinator of Investigative Studies at Nicholson Catholic College, Belleville, ON, where his portfolio included science, math, history, geography, and the social sciences. In 1988, Jim Ross and Mike Lattner founded Ross Lattner Educational Consultants, a small, independent publishing company, to meet the need for high quality curriculum materials in the de-streamed common curriculum. Ross Lattner continues to publish innovative instructional strategies. Jim's M. Ed. thesis, The Graininess of Everyday Thinking, examined the cognitive structure of students' everyday language, and how it is related to students' natural reasoning about physical phenomena. From 2001-2005, Jim taught the pedagogy courses in Chemistry, Physics and Intermediate Science at the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario. In that capacity, he was awarded the honour of Teacher of the Year by the the Faculty of Ed. Jim has served as president of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers, and has been an active member of STAO. He has contributed to the writing of the Ontario senior physics curriculum documents. Entering an active retirement in 2008, Jim contributed to McGraw-Hill Ryerson's Grade 9 and 10 "ON Science" texts. As he continues to study and write, he has been constructing the new approach to chemistry learning and teaching with Edvantage Press, and is an active member of the Edvantage Chemistry Interactive online community.