Showing results by narrator "Eric Summerer" in All Categories

My end goal's been the same from day one, and that is to build my Merchant Empire. Although I've now become the new Governor of Karlton—a position I had to accept to appease the King and keep Lord Reinley in power—unfortunately, that did nothing to advance my plans. What I need is to unlock the Merchant Class, but the requirements are steep to say the least. If I do have the infrastructure needed, as well as the levels, I'm far from generating enough revenue to qualify. And that's a bummer because I'm currently sitting on a good chunk of XP that I saved for after I've gained my new class.

The more Devin Cain learns about Gaea, the more dangerous it appears. After finding a hidden shard of the broken Demigod Parfanel, Devin has become more powerful than ever—but that same power has also drawn the ire of the Demigods and the System. He's already united humanity and won the dwergar to his side, but even an alliance of thousands won't be enough. When Devin and his friends decide to risk it all and escape Gaea's death games, they'll find themselves in a struggle unlike any they've faced before.

William Gibson's dark visions of computer cowboys, bio-enhanced soldiers of fortune, and hi-tech lowlifes have won unprecedented praise. Included here are some of the most famous short fiction and novellas by the author of Count Zero and Neuromancer.

It's time to remember. Dr. Kelly Flanagan is known to millions for the letters he writes to his children and shares on his blog. Loveable is written to the little one in each of us, who is all too ready to be reminded: You are enough, you are not alone, and you matter. In Loveable, Dr. Flanagan reveals the core insight gleaned from his years of clinical work - you are here for a reason, yet you cannot truly awaken to it until you have first embraced your truest, worthiest self and then allow yourself to be truly embraced by others.

In Earth's distant future, Tyndel is both teacher and mentor, a staunch devotee to his conservative and rigidly structured religious culture. Then a rogue infection of nanotechnology transforms him into a "demon", something more than human, and he is forced into exile, fleeing to the more technologically advanced space-faring civilization that lies to the north, one that his own righteous people consider evil. Although shaken by his transformation, he has the rare talent required to become a space pilot.

To his dwarven captors, Zeke Blackwood is just another slave working the mines. They're unaware he's a Cambion, or human-demon hybrid, who's been charged with increasing his power as he battles the monstrous beings beneath the mountains of Min Ferilik. Forced by the dwarves into hard labor, gladiatorial games, and dangerous quests, Zeke continues to grow more powerful, becoming a champion meant for deployment in a forthcoming war between good and evil.

For over a hundred years, Chisholm, a Rim World colony, has produced beef for most of Human Space, raising vast herds of a breed of Giant Longhorns. Things are changing, and land reform is demanded by small ranchers and farmers, placing restrictions on the existing open range policy. The wealthy large ranchers will stop this, any way they can, to preserve their profits. Passions are high and the opposing sides have turned violent.

Welcome to Waterdeep: Here, everything imaginable is for sale. Even dreams can be purchased if one is willing to pay the price. So when the sale of dream spheres threatens the life of his newfound half-sister, Danilo Thann joins forces with Airlyn Moonblade to uncover the source of this deadly trade. Their search leads them into the dark heart of Waterdeep, and to personal secrets that could destroy them both.

Arilyn Moonblade has always feared the elfshadow, the essence of her sword's magic. When she learns the terrible truth behind her inherited moonblade, she vows to find a way to escape her fate. What begins as a means to an end becomes a deeply personal commitment. Determined to succeed in her quest, Arilyn will risk all she holds dear.

Alex - a.k.a. Jack Alltrades - just wanted to play a game and make some money for himself and his family. After a string of incredible luck and a few wise decisions, he finds himself responsible for an entire company based in the game. It's not all rainbows and gold coins, though. Real life threats, angry NPC merchants, and shady deals with the elves and dwarves are giving Jack a massive headache.

From master anthologist Ellen Datlow comes an all-original of weird tales inspired by the strangeness of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, Alice has been enjoyed and savored by every generation since its publication. Datlow asked 18 of the most brilliant and acclaimed writers working today to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland.

Kandri Hinjuman was never meant to be a soldier. His brother Mektu was never meant for this world. Rivals since childhood, they are drafted into a horrific war led by a madwoman-Prophet, and survive each day only by hiding their disbelief. Kandri is good at blending in, but Mektu is hopeless: impulsive, erratic - and certain that a demon is stalking him. Is this madness or a second sense? Either way, Kandri knows that Mektu's antics will land them both in early graves. But all bets are off when the brothers' simmering feud explodes into violence, and holy blood is spilled.

The great hunt is over. In the end, Timothy managed to keep his invaluable prize. A victory? Perhaps. But glory and adrenaline are very powerful narcotics, and tolerance builds quickly. Once deprived of them, life immediately becomes gray and bleak. What's more, his beautiful lover is beginning to transparently hint that she could find herself a more interesting beau. What is a talented player to do in this case? The solution suggests itself: rush headlong into the most dangerous adventures, taking risks and walking the blade of a knife.

Zeke Blackwood was one of the most powerful beings in the Radiant Isles, wielding supernatural abilities earned through countless battles. A unique fusion of human and demon, he waded through oceans of blood as he fought against a tide of undeath that consumed the hearts and souls of everyone it touched. Now, with the Isles lost, Zeke and his companions have ascended to the Eternal Realm. Transformed by their ascent and scattered across the lands, each must endure their own trials as they struggle to cope with their new powers in an unfamiliar world.

Jack was told that, one day, he'd have to fight to protect what he and the others have built. That day just knocked on his door and said it was time to retire. Men representing a real-world corporation have shown up in the game, and they are all but demanding Jack sell All Trades, Inc. for a fraction of what it's worth. Not realizing how big his operation is, Jack has to figure out who they are and what they're planning before they realize just how much he's worth...and what he has to lose.

Against all odds, former geneticist Benny White has survived the first Wave of the Game of Souls. But the rewards have come at a cost, and the games are far from over. New enemies have been introduced with eyes set on those calling the Blackstone Keep home. Not only do the contestants have to struggle against the Arketh-Takshi—a group of intergalactic vampiric pirates residing within scattered portals—but also with private outworlder factions whose motivations are anything but clear. Not to mention some threats that originate a little closer to home.

The artifact is found seven miles below the surface of the sea and beneath 40 more feet of sand. The Navy's efforts to raise a wrecked submarine uncover it - and set in motion a scientific race to retrieve it, to discover just what it is and where it came from. Denser than any substance known to man, it has broken every drill bit they've tried on it and will not budge an inch. It resists every effort to breach it - or communicate with it.

Interstellar, from acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan, takes us on a fantastic voyage far beyond our solar system. Yet in The Science of Interstellar, Kip Thorne, the physicist who assisted Nolan on the scientific aspects of Interstellar, shows us that the movie's jaw-dropping events and stunning, never-before-attempted visuals are grounded in real science. Thorne shares his experiences working as the science adviser on the film and then moves on to the science itself.

Why can't he commit? Many women find themselves asking this question when in love with a man who won't get married, won't stop womanizing, or refuses to give up his sex addictions. Often this kind of man is bound by an unhealthy attachment to his mother. This phenomenon is called mother-son enmeshment. In When He's Married to Mom, clinical psychologist and renowned intimacy expert Dr. Kenneth M. Adams goes beyond the stereotypes of momma's boys and meddling mothers to explain how mother-son enmeshment affects everyone: the mother, the son, and the woman who loves him.

While his home rebuilds, Valian finds himself in chains, headed to the imperial capital, Soltar. There, he's to either die in the sands of the arena or stand trial for the death of an imperial princess. Not all is as it seems, though. A dark shadow moves while corruption eats away at the heart of the greatest city in the empire. Can Valian escape the dark machinations in which he finds himself surrounded, or will he become the tool by which the empire falls?