Showing results by narrator "Ryan Burke" in All Categories

When Morgan got hit by a car and died on Earth, he never imagined that he would be chosen by a god, little g, to be taken to another planet - a World governed by game-like rules. Especially since said god liked to have people call him the Great Lord, and had basically created an entire World to run experiments in. Nor could Morgan have ever imagined that he would find one thing that he had never really had on Earth: a real family. It's been years since Morgan started his second chance at life on that world, and both he and his friends have achieved great power as part of a Great Raid.

Four centuries ago, the Stewards rained ash on the heartland of an empire for a year and a day, murdering the Elentian Empire and orphaning the Hasran Imperium where I was born. The stories say the ash drains magic and that any who venture into the Ashlands will need to contend with the armies of unliving swimming beneath the ash—unliving as old as the Mad Imperator Jhordil himself.

Morgan used to be a pretty normal guy. He went to college by day and played online games by night, leading his guild into new conquests - until he got hit by a car and a dude wearing a wet suit appeared in front of him. The man offered him a new chance at life in a world he had created, a world with similar rules to the games Morgan loved to play. There is the promise of great rewards and power, he says, if Morgan manages to complete the Tower of Power.

Captain Dominic Holland and his group of covert operatives are charged with uncovering the whereabouts of the fleet and stopping them before they reach land. On a mission that takes them around the crumbling strongholds of Europe, they uncover a plot more sinister than they could have possibly imagined. With few resources and little time, Dom and his Hunters put their lives on the line to save the world from utter destruction. But even that may not be enough.

Melody St. Germain, the leader of the Arcadia Village Adventurer's Guild and one of the kingdom's strongest adventurers, desperately needs a vacation. Ordered by one of the king's advisors—her own power-hungry father—to host a tournament in four weeks, Melody faces a series of obstacles he's devised to ensure her failure. Her friends and the rest of Arcadia Village come together to help, and she finds that just might be enough to overcome her father's tests.

Years ago, Morgan and his team entered the Tower of Power. By the time they left, their raid group was reduced to only a handful of its members. They had faced the Tower and forces that they were never supposed to know about, and they had paid a high price to survive, but they had prevailed. Within the Tower they had learned the secrets and achieved great power. But now, they were in the Tower so long, and the world on the outside was different from what they had faced in the Tower. Morgan had been given a choice: to stay in the Tower or to leave the World and join his father - Oxylus.

Nick Collins vows to uncover the truth behind an accusation of murder, but as the trial progresses, the only truth he discovers is that his big-city client doesn’t stand a chance against small-town beliefs. If the accused is found guilty until proven innocent, the real killer could still be out there, and there won’t be any heroes left to catch them.

Wonderbook has become the definitive guide to writing science fiction and fantasy by offering an accessible, example-rich approach that emphasizes the importance of playfulness as well as pragmatism. The book features sidebars and essays from some of the biggest names working in the field today, including George R. R. Martin, Lev Grossman, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, and Karen Joy Fowler. For the fifth anniversary of the original publication, Jeff VanderMeer has added writing exercises, creating the ultimate volume of inspiring advice.

Waking up in a strange world with a spear in his chest was not on Glenn's bingo card. Then again, neither was being possessed by a sarcastic demon who insists they're partners. But that parasitic nuisance becomes the least of his worries when he discovers the place he's been tossed into is filled with bizarre monsters, overzealous cults, and other entities hell-bent on making his life... Hell. Now, Glenn must uncover the reason he's here and satiate his new partner if he wants to survive long enough to do something about it.

Fighting, apocalyptic quests, endless danger—it's nice to get a break from that kind of thing sometimes. Why not escape into a world where fighting isn't the only way to level up? Come to a place where you'll get a mug of tasty beer and a bowl of hearty winter stew to warm your belly. A place with bookstores owned by grouchy satyrs, and bakeries where delicious sweet treats are guaranteed. Does that sound like just what you need? If so, you're in luck.

Some enemies just won’t die.... Return to the star-spanning human Republic of Duty, Honor, Planet as Chief of Fleet Intelligence Jason McKay and his deadly Executive Officer Shannon Stark take on another dire threat to humanity! General Antonov’s Protectorate returns to menace the Republic from without, while a possible military coup gestates within its borders. Are the two connected? Will McKay and Stark be able to put the pieces together before it’s too late?

Efrem "Coleslaw" White is a video game tester and college student. He was on a tropical vacation with a diverse group of strangers, classmates, and friends when disaster struck. The next thing he knew, he was standing before a huge, floating man introducing himself as the god Dolos, and being given a second chance at life. There was a catch, though. There is always a catch.

The last time Thread attacked Pern, the world was unprepared for the fight - until the Oldtimers appeared. These courageous dragonriders arrived from the past, traveling 400 years to help their descendants survive. But the collision of past and present took its toll. While most of the displaced rescuers adapted to their new reality, others could not abide the jarring change and found themselves in soul-crushing exile, where unhappiness and resentment seethed.

The war has begun, and we are losing. The grey men and their agents pursue us relentlessly. Our only hope is finding the mythical Hall of Records, where we hope to uncover the secrets of the Builders. Our journey begins in Cairo, and will take us further than anyone could imagine. If we succeed, the human race has a chance. If not, our race will be extinguished.

What would happen if our world turned into a computer game? It might sound tempting at first, but there's one small detail you should know: in this game, people are nothing but non-playable characters, useful only for the service they provide to the real players. Experience, development, loot, levels—none of that is for us. Our role is merely to dance to the tune of our masters, who have come to our world to turn it into a character farm and a space for their own entertainment.

Crime reporter Joe Carpenter lost his wife and two daughters in the crash of Flight 353. Joe is unable to work, think, or do anything but grieve, and wait for his own death. Then Joe meets Rose, a woman who claims to be the crash’s sole survivor. But before Joe can probe further, the elusive Rose slips away and Joe is left with haunting questions: If Rose lived through the crash, is it possible his family could have survived it, too? Did the authorities conspire to hide what really happened that night? Joe’s search for the truth will shatter him - and force him to question everything he thinks he knows about life and death.

Max Fowler's time on the world of Nava has been short—but he's already made waves. Touching on power he can hardly understand, Max is forced into responsibilities few could ever know. From befriending cultists to dancing with alien beings, secrets find him more than he'd ever care for. When war comes knocking, will Max be able to use these secrets to protect Lesterwood? Or will he have to run, hiding from the individuals who wish him dead?

Microsoft project veteran Scott Berkun offers a collection of essays on field-tested philosophies and strategies for defining, leading, and managing projects. Each essay distills complex concepts and challenges into practical nuggets of useful advice, and the new edition now adds more value for leaders and managers of projects everywhere.

Come to a place where you'll get a mug of tasty beer and a bowl of hearty winter stew to warm your belly. Relax in a tavern on a cozy winter evening with the gentle flames of a hearth flickering nearby. Does that sound like what you need right now? If so, you came to the right place. Josh and his fellow builders are expanding Blade's Rest with the dream of achieving "town" status one day. This means there's a lot of work to do, problems to solve, ales to savor, and pies to enjoy. But as Josh discovers, the bigger your settlement, the bigger your headaches.

Humanity faces extinction. A few stubborn governments fight back, caught on the defensive. But even their concerted efforts may not be enough to stem the tide of the biological weapon sweeping the world. As people succumb to this genetically engineered weapon, they devolve into weaponized monstrosities hell-bent on destruction. But humanity hasn’t breathed its last breath yet. Those that are determined to vanquish these abominable creatures and the fanatical organization behind them still fight.