Are there aliens among us? Have the highest echelons of power already been breached?

The U.S. government knows--but they're not telling....

For thousands of years it has harbored mankind's greatest secret. Now someone or something has found the key to...The Sphinx.

No place is safe from alien infiltration. Not even top secret Area 51. Scientist Lisa Duncan and Special Forces officer Mike Turcotte know that better than anyone. Secrets have been revealed. Codes have been broken. A countdown has begun. Using alien technology, a group has gained control of a Star Wars satellite that could engulf the planet in a nuclear fire. With no room for error, Turcotte and Duncan must race to solve an ancient riddle and prevent a global catastrophe.

Joined by a secret band of renegades, Mike and Lisa must travel to Egypt in a frantic search for answers. There they make a startling discovery: the key to the mysterious Ark of the Covenant, a true record of mankind's origins. But the artifact is hidden deep within the inner sanctum of the Great Sphinx of Giza. And Lisa and Mike are not alone in their quest. An anthropologist is one step ahead of them, and aliens close behind, as hunters and hunted race to uncover the secret of the Sphinx. Even if it means Armageddon...

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (325 pages)

In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.

The Legend of Luke by Brian Jacques(374 pages)

Brian Jacques and his tremendous Redwall books never cease to amaze: this is the 12th book in a series that just gets better and better. This time, the interweaving story of a father and a son is told in three parts, starting with a visit to Redwall Abbey by a young hedgehog maid who, by singing a half-remembered song recounting the adventures of a warrior called Luke, begins to unlock some of the mysteries behind the Abbey's early years.

As deftly executed as all the other Redwall books, The Legend of Luke is a truly magnificent, rampaging, rip-roaring adventure story that gives the heart and mind the kind of aerobic workout normally reserved for a sprint round a playing field. From the very first page the readers know they're in for a treat, and as Jacques skillfully builds his story, cleverly interweaving intricate, imaginative detail with a vast cast of incredible characters who each play a vital role in the unfurling of the tale, there can be no doubt that he is still the true master of his genre.

Excellent as a stand-alone read for anyone new to Redwall, and even better as part of the amazing saga that has captured the imagination of millions since its inception, The Legend of Luke is an absolute must-read for anyone--young or old--who likes their fiction fast and fantastical. This story will certainly leave them breathless for more.