Showing results by narrator "Ryan Burke" in All Categories

It's been six years since a terrifying breed of seemingly unkillable creatures emerged from the darkness to topple the unprepared governments of the world, in the process knocking mankind down the food chain. Survivors called it The Purge. A few brave souls rose from the ashes of the old world to fight back, often against overwhelming odds. Led by indomitable heroes, they risked everything to achieve a final, stunning victory over the supernatural "ghouls" in The Battle of Houston. Five years later, what remains of the ghouls have fled back into the shadows.

Imperalis has been lost. The Nameless Ones have returned. The Coalition refuses to fight, leaving the Ganog to wage a war they cannot win. Betrayed and cut off, Khar and Zakanna struggle to survive. Nolan and Burke bring Alpha Company to reinforce the Nyar home world, only to be overwhelmed by the mighty Void Wraith Omegas. Fizgig and Takkar are captured by the sadistic Kthul fleet leader, Azatok.

Life is going great for Seaville High senior Erick Rudd. He's a good student, he has a girlfriend he'll probably marry, and he's on a straight path to college. Then his best friend's girlfriend lets him know she's attracted to him. Seventeen going on 25, Nicki Marr is blond, green eyed, and gorgeous. Soon, Erick is seeing her on the sly. Guilt ridden over his deception, Erick isn't prepared for what happens next.

When someone starts killing his fellow bounty hunters in the port of Fairhaven, Drago Appleroot is happy to help his contacts in the City Watch with their investigation - for a reasonable fee, of course. But posing as an assassin-for-hire to draw out the killer attracts the attention of two separate groups from a far-off Elven kingdom whose private war is being fought on the streets of his home town.

Baseball is in the Schneider family blood. Each member of this family, from family founder Felix Schneider in the 1800s to Snider Flint in the present day, has a strong tie to the game and to Brooklyn. Through the years, this family has dodged bullets on a battlefield, pitched perfect games, and dealt with the devastating loss of family and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nine innings - nine generations. One game - one family. Through it all, one thing remains true: The bonds of family are as strong as a love of the game.

How do you know whether a real-world situation calls for a storybook hero? Is there such a thing as a knight in shining armor, or does every good deed come with unintended consequences? With chilling insight, five bestselling crime writers explore what it means to rise to the occasion—and the space between intentions and results.

Suzy Burke, PhD, Ryan Berman, and Rhett Power have devoted their careers to examining how and why our minds work against us. And it’s this expertise that informs Headamentals—a concise, actionable guide that helps leaders silence negative self-talk before it spirals into toxic team-talk.

Time to power up and roll out for the Cygni Corps in book three of this science fiction thrill ride!

Marco and the Deuces are deployed on the front lines of a war with the Ringer Clans, a collection of brutal warriors who blame MEC for the mutant attacks on their worlds. In a series of costly, epic engagements, Marco finds himself in the middle of a biological arms race as each side tries to develop the perfect soldier. But Marco, Hotshot, Meatball, and his other comrades try to be true to themselves as the war, and the serum they’re forced to take, erodes who they are.

Hawke Moonsnow is a brilliant alchemist. He's a prodigy of his time. He knows it. Everyone else knows it. There's just one problem… He has the common sense of a golden retriever. After an accident leaves his old shop in smoking ruins, Hawke takes a loan from the Adventurers' Guild to open a new location in the town square. Now, he has to work to pay back that loan despite charging lower prices to guild members, inventing new cures, and trying to catch the attention of the fetching waitress at the tavern—all while continuing forbidden research into a dangerous plague.

Vexx White is a down on his luck apprentice mage, recently expelled from Fallanden Magical Academy for experimenting with necromancy. With nothing to lose, he becomes a dungeoneer for hire — taking odd jobs in his home town of Cloudbury for pocket change. Nine out of 10 dungeoneers die in their first 10 quests, and to survive Vexx finds himself teaming up with a clumsy elf and a crazed succubus. When they’re not busy trying to kill each other, the dungeoneers drum up all the work they can get, from raiding dungeons to hunting down thieves.

We expected Mars to be an escape, not a trap. A crimson, blasted, frigid trap. Maybe humans were lucky to leave Earth as cowards...or maybe they should have died trying to save it from the aliens. Because what's now arrived on this red rock may be worse than death. Aliens destroyed humanity and seized Earth. Now they have sent a terrible, unstoppable disease to the last human outposts on Mars. The doomsday clock is ticking and only criminal archaeologist Ozzy Mack can decipher the clues buried in the ancient Martian ruins...clues to the cure and the salvation of humankind.

I write software at a San Francisco startup. I have my dream job, but I also have a secret. We are not alone. The last time I was taken I was 14. Three weeks ago I celebrated my 21st birthday, and I know that the grey men will soon come again. I devoted my life to technology so I'd be ready when they returned. Others have prepared too, and I will find them. Together we will harness the abilities they have given us. We are Project Solaris. It's time to fight back.

The Borwyn remain undeterred as they gather hardware and rally their allies. It’s best not to fight from within a vacuum, unless that vacuum is space, and the fight is between starships. The crew of Chrysalis are challenged afresh when their goal is changed in light of new revelations. Jaq, Crip, Max, and the rest continue their fight against the Malibor in this fast-paced continuation of the Starship series.

When World War III erupts on American soil, the chaos ripples across the globe. This anthology explores the untold stories unfolding as civilization's lights go out—from the home front to distant battlefields where the fate of nations hangs in the balance. Across America, ordinary people face extraordinary terror. A government driver on his final day before retirement finds himself protecting the Transportation Secretary in a Christmas Eve ambush. Executive Protection agents in Detroit discover that when the power grid fails, predators emerge from the shadows.

Now a New Yorker, the Pharaoh’s cat—the ancient Egyptian feline with human powers—travels back in time to free Egypt’s legendary Queen Nefertiti from a horrific curse, discovering firsthand why her mummy has never been found and her famous bust is missing one eye.

Reeling from the bitter sting of betrayal, Noah Rivers is out of options when the Solus Hegemony drops the guillotine. All roads lead to death, save one. But is it possible to make an unbreakable empire bleed? One man thought so. He forged a new soldier and set him on the path to singlehandedly destroy an empire. As that path narrows, the only option is to take the fight straight to the heart of the enemy.

Mourning the loss of her father, Gwendolyn Chancey doesn’t know where to go. Everyone she has ever loved was on her home world of Karnack. After burying her father, and with her future uncertain, Gwendolyn seeks refuge with Ambassador Spar and Ceraph, Spar’s Litar Guard. But before they can depart, the Quashai’ attacks. With lives in the balance and nowhere else to run, Gwendolyn makes her final stand with unexpected help from a stranger bearing a striking resemblance.

The Solus Hegemony is an empire without borders, an insidious force of undisputed power with limitless resources at their disposal...and their sights are set on one man. How can one man make a difference against such a dauntless enemy? The mysterious ramblings of a young woman point to an answer; one that is buried deep within the folds of a conspiracy the enemy will stop at nothing to protect. Noah’s attempt to pierce the veil results in a gauntlet of destruction that sets the galaxy ablaze.

Forced to flee from the Confederation, Captain Viar of the Bastian Navy is on the run. Fearing that he is marked a traitor to his people, and facing the same fate which befell his father, he seeks a way to redeem himself to Supreme Commander Freist when a prime target approaches. War is inevitable, and he is in position to execute. On a mission to find Steven Chancey, the prime from which his clone, Garret Cushing derived, Ambassador Spar deploys on a new ship with a member of the Litar Guard.