Showing results by narrator "Gabriel Vaughan" in All Categories

1462: an alien who feasts on the suffering of sentient beings dines off the agonies of Vlad the Impaler's twenty-thousand victims near Targoviste, Romania. 1688: a woman is framed for witchcraft and hanged by the neck in Boston. 1965: a toy store that never seems to run out of special toys is suspected of being the location of a temporal portal. 2022: a grandfather, showing his young grandchildren what remains of the Boston of his youth, is shown that portal by his granddaughters. And they're off! Off through the gate that grants wishes, off to deal with time travel.

These letters are often all that get me through week to week. Even if it’s just random stuff, nothing important, they’re important to me. Gramps is great, and I love working on the ranch. But…I’m lonely. I feel disconnected, like I’m no one, like I don’t belong anywhere. Like I’m just here until something else happens. I don’t even know what I want with my future. But your letters, they make me feel connected to something, to someone.

The Interbeing League had been formed to make contact with new intelligent races in the galaxy and offer them membership. But when the League encountered the Hokas, furry creatures strongly resembling the teddy bears of Earth, the league's agent, Alexander Jones, could have been excused for wishing he had a simpler assignment than making sense out of the Hokas - such as singlehandedly stopping an interstellar war.

The Weltall Tournament’s professional VR games were supposed to be a symbol of cooperation between SysGov and its militaristic neighbor, the Admin. But that was before star Admin player Elly Sako received a death threat, written in blood next to a copy of her own severed head. The Admin’s Department of Temporal Investigation swiftly seizes control of the crime scene, and the tournament transforms into a flashpoint of charged politics and conflicting jurisdictions.

The return to the city of goblins draws ever closer but Ivan Susanin's survival hangs in the balance. It is more than just the monsters. The capture of the Dungeon, creation of the Minor Altar and growth of the Cult of Heresy has attracted the attention of the Earth gods. The number of contenders for the grand prize is growing, hostile gods are joining the race, and the existence of an independent candidate is unacceptable. Nevertheless, the gods cannot sentence one of the Alliance leaders and the strongest player on Earth to death.

When an EMP devastated the nation's power supplies and left the country in ruins, Jack, Wayne, Susan, Emma and Logan all fought to seek shelter in a treacherous first day. But surviving the first day was just the beginning. Jack has found his way home. But when tragedy strikes, he is forced on a personal journey across the country to seek new shelter - and face up to the harrowing demons of his past. Wayne's search for Candice is going nowhere. But when a stunning discovery breathes new life into his journey, he is determined to make one final push through.

With the Wild dungeons finally dealt with, Regan can now turn his mind to the other looming threats that imperil the very existence of the planet that he now calls home. While his influence grows ever more encompassing, he begins to wonder if it might be too much. Should any one being be allowed to possess such power? Even as the world opens around him, he fears that the planet might not survive a clash of such a level. He must do everything he can to protect the planet and the ones he loves.

After surviving the EMP blast that crippled their cruise ship, the exhausted passengers from Rose of the Sea finally reach dry land. But the deserted island has a sinister history, and one wrong step on its sandy shores can mean the difference between life and death.

As Robia Valley recovers from the necromancer attack, Regan and Louella work to increase their strength to meet the coming challenges. In the dark, forces move to unknown means. Adventurers come from far and wide to test their strength in the rumored dungeon. Join them as they make their journey.

The Leviathan is dead. Humanity has won the global mission but the price has been too high. Japan is in ruins, Honshu lies partially underwater, and the capital has been destroyed. The country has been left without leadership and tens of millions have perished, while monsters continue to hunt down the survivors. Ivan Susanin heads to the submerged Toyo as part of an expedition to find the missing raven, help evacuate the civilians and slay as many monsters as possible. And that's only on the surface.

Groundhog Day meets the worst super-spy, ever. Every time Rueben Peet dies, he "returns" to his body with the memories of what's to come. It seems that he gets to "repeat" his mistakes again and again. Good thing, too.... Rueben is the worst super-spy ever. When New York City comes under threat of nuclear destruction, Rueben is the only one who can save the city. But even an infinite number of redos is not enough, for lurking in the background is a nefarious force threatening not only NYC, but also the world.

An Affinity. Most humans never get one, but the Goddess gives everyone the opportunity when they turn sixteen. When Terrence receives his Affinity, he is shocked to discover it has never been seen before within the Kingdom. Worse yet, his Affinity reinforces the thing he was made fun of for his entire life. His weight. Follow Terrence as he uses his Affinity to progress with the hopes of becoming a Dungeoneer—someone who explores and conquers Dungeons.

The horde dealt with, Regan turns his attention to the north. As he works to increase his children's and his power, events in the world seem to be against him. Powers continues to grow all around the continent in response to this new player emerging on the map. Louella only wants a few moments of peace to process the changes happening to her and her valley. No one wants to give her that peace as her valley grows to be the center of the continent.

The remnants of Lecazar are in turmoil. Louella is working as hard as ever to save as many people as possible from the constantly spreading undead taint in the east. With new visitors investigating the Wave of terra mana that swept through the world, she will need to stay on her toes to protect her valley.

Regan turns his full attention to the North to finally deal with the Undead Queen Alara. Challenges and barriers abound that work to keep him from achieving his goal. Magic, technology, and Regan's intelligence are put to the test as he fights his way north.

Within these walls, he became my solace, my sanctuary, and my strength. I am not strong. I am just a survivor of circumstance. Isn't that what we all do? Survive? Each of us has our own set of circumstances to muddle through. Mine are just more.... complicated.

The continent is in chaos as one world-shaking event after another continues to rattle the foundations that the people have lived with for centuries. The flames of all-out war threaten everyone, and few people seem to want to stop it. Louella and Regan work tirelessly to protect their own slice of home from forces that want to bring ruin to everything around them. As secrets and truths come to light, will Regan's intellect and Louella's compassion be enough to lead their people through the troubled time?

The tournament finals are starting, and the group's hard work has finally paid off. Fierce fights await, but they've proven time and again that they have what it takes to push through the pressure. They've trained, they've Ranked up, and they're ready. But when a catastrophe hits, no amount of hard work could have ever prepared them.

In her moving and elegant new collection, New York Times best-selling author Karen Joy Fowler writes about John Wilkes Booth's younger brother, a one-winged man, a California cult, and a pair of twins, and she digs into our past, present, and future in the quiet, witty, and incisive way only she can.

Flint, Wren, and Ace, along with Charles, are now members of the Eureka, a state-of-the-art vessel heading for a world in the far reaches of a new galaxy. Sixty years ago a colony ship was sent there, along with someone close to their benefactor. But when they arrive, they find getting to the surface isn’t as easy as they thought. With a crash-landing, and news that shocks the entire crew, they must collectively find a way to get the Pilgrim off-planet and into the fight against the Watchers.