Showing results by narrator "Graham Halstead" in All Categories

As the end of the world rapidly approaches—both figuratively and literally—Astra Epsilon seems to be the last hope humanity has of sidestepping that awkward thing called death. With only a few weeks to spare, two brothers and a trio of roommates arrive at the local Ascension Port, intent on unloading their minds into the game—rather than waiting idly for their inevitable doom. The two groups find themselves joined together by random chance to make the obligate team of five. They Ascend, leaving their Earthly bodies behind.

Taking its inspiration from Great Expectations, this novel teases us with the question of what Pip might have been like had he grown up in the American South of the 1960s and 1970s. A guilty encounter with an escaped felon, a summer spent working for an eccentric man with a mysterious past, conflicted erotic feelings for his employer’s niece and nephew—these events set the stage for a journey of sexual and moral discovery that takes Newt Seward to New England, Rome, and Paris—all before returning home to confront his life’s many expectations and disappointments.

Whether it’s playing through blockbuster-esque adventures, diving deep into hidden bits of story and lore, or building relationships that change the fate of the world itself, video games are bringing stories to life in ways that are immediate, interactive, and immersive. Focusing on some of the best and most memorable experiences in gaming, The Greatest Stories Ever Played examines the relationship between gaming and storytelling in a new way.

Prince Alexander's mind has been touched by an incomprehensible evil, even as his betrothed travels from afar to unite their kingdoms against a terrible darkness that threatens both realms: the Spirit Eaters. From the distant shores of Illyria to a small deserted island, the deadly consequences of Smoke Blood magic loom, and lost civilizations emerge to reveal the existence of a weapon that may do the impossible - kill the last living god.

In this installment of the Ask the Experts series, Chemistry, our professors, scientists, and researchers tackle reader questions about the substances that compose all matter, their properties, and how they interact and change. Queries range from elementary questions, such as why some elements change color over a flame, to how chemistry works in everyday life, to how certain substances affect the body and more.

The fourth book in our Ask the Experts series, The Environment tackles questions about the world around us. In this book, our experts field queries on the weather, natural disasters, natural resources, climate change, and unusual phenomena.

Vicken has a plan: throw himself into the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal and end it all for good, believing it to be the only way out for him after a lifetime of depression and pain. But, stepping off the subway, he finds himself in an endless, looping station. Determined to find a way out again, he starts to explore the rooms and corridors ahead of him. But no matter how many claustrophobic hallways or vast cathedral-esque rooms he passes through, the exit is nowhere in sight. The more he explores his strange new prison, the more he becomes convinced that he hasn't been trapped there

Rion Castle: Alex and Enea are facing a serious test of courage if they want to keep this unique citadel built by the lost civilization of the Founder Gods. Abounding with mystery and powerful artifacts, its dungeons are a complex maze of tunnels swarming with creatures of Inferno. What's even worse, Alex's "impulse buy" risks to trigger the first clan war in the Crystal Sphere. And they don't yet know that the donjon's dark bowels harbor a nightmare that's about to become the new curse of Rion Castle.

Adelaide - heiress to the wealthiest man in the Ceithren Empire - has felt a void since her sister's death. Just as she's resigned herself to the empty life her father chose for her, a relic from a world that shouldn't exist plunges her into chaos. Clark - son of the greatest terrorist the empire has ever known - is still reeling from his father's death. Since then, his life has boiled down to two things: his brothers and his next mission. When his mission to bring back a mystical artifact goes awry, he's forced to choose between getting the job done and saving the life of a socialite.

Roland Stang never intended to become the caretaker of 30 abandoned children. He was just looking for a place to get out of the rain. His plan was to lay low and allow the world to reset itself after a worldwide economic collapse. But things do change. An orphan himself from an early age, the former soldier can't simply walk away and leave the children he finds. Leading a handful of teens and a busload of orphaned children, Roland sets out to find a safe haven for them. Along the way, he'll make friends, enemies, and the odd mistake or two. Or more.

It's been three years since Emma Cochran endured the worst possible tragedy - the sudden, unexpected death of her two-year-old son. The emotional trauma tore her marriage apart, but now her divorce is final and she wants to begin again. She's found happiness at last with her fiancé, Luke, who is eager to start a family with her.

After a disastrous attempt at a one-night stand, Eliott Rayne is content with never seeing the wildly confident and ridiculously handsome Dane Clarke again. Two years later, she's mostly pushed him from her mind when he barrels into her life once more as the best man at a wedding she's been hired to photograph. Her first instinct is to run, cancel the job, and get as far away from Dane as possible. But Dane has other ideas. When Eliott reveals the embarrassing reason behind their failed night together, Dane is undeterred

The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this engrossing story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads. "Vacker's easily distinguishable voices and Halstead's clear readings combine for an enjoyable...

The essential guide book to the biggest mobile game in history, Pokémon Go! Pokémon GO! The Ultimate Unauthorized Guide is a must-read companion to the hit mobile game that has taken the world by storm. This essential guide will teach gamers all they need to know to become the ultimate...

Carla Matthews is a single mother struggling to make ends meet and give her daughter Kaleigh a decent upbringing. When Kaleigh's absent father Seth - a famous alpine climber who never wanted to be tied down - begs for a second chance at fatherhood, Carla is hesitant because she doesn't want to pin her hopes on a man who is always seeking another mountain to scale. A man who was never willing to stay put in one place and raise a family.

Alex and Enea are back in the Crystal Sphere, where, in their absence, a catastrophe has struck. Virtual reality is now controlled by the Reapers: hybrid identities evolved from high-level NPCs who kill human players to harvest their neurograms. Reapers are constantly on the prowl for more neurograms. No one is safe from their cannibalistic greed. Survival in this new world becomes an ever-increasing challenge. A Reaper army is about to invade the Agrion cluster. Rion Castle has become the players' last outpost - but the struggle is too unequal.

After two months in Skyhome, Alex and the crew are ready to depart for the next phase of their mission - convincing Emperor Augustus of the Nova Roman Empire to join them in their attack on the Great Blight. But when they enter the Empire's borders, they find far more than they bargained for: slavers, deadly beasts, and the cunning and powerful Emperor himself. And even the far-reaching Empire is not immune to the effects of the deadly xenovirus and its newest evolutions....

After four grueling years, the Great War has finally ended. Now Ernst and the few men left from his company cannot help wondering what will become of them. The town they departed as eager young men seems colder, their homes smaller, the reasons their comrades had to die even more inexplicable. For Ernst and his friends, the road back to peace is more treacherous than they ever imagined. Suffering food shortages, political unrest, and a broken heart, Ernst undergoes a crisis that teaches him what there is to live for - and what he has that no one can ever take away.

A dying man stumbles into a police station and collapses. In his fist is a mysterious coin with strange markings. He tells the police he's from the future, and when they uncover the coin's hidden message, they're inclined to believe him. Daniel Rice never asked for fame, but his key role in Earth's first contact with an alien civilization thrust him into a social arena where any crackpot might take aim. When the FBI arrives at his door and predictions of the future start coming true, Daniel is dragged into a mission to save the world from nuclear holocaust.

After rushing to the hospital for the birth of their third child, Riley and Lois James anticipate one of the most joyful days of their lives. But things take a dark turn when their newborn daughter vanishes from the hospital. Is this payback for something in Riley's troubled past? Or is it something even more mysterious?