Showing results by narrator "Todd McLaren" in All Categories

Having destroyed the starkiller located at Aneb-4, the alliance of Goltar, Spine Patriots, and the Midnight Sun Free Company have gained a bit of breathing space from the criminal organization known as the Endless Night. But the Endless Night isn’t done. They have two more starkillers in their possession, and they are ready to use them against a civilization that no one - especially the Mercenary Guild - is going to miss. Their target: Sol. Although victorious on Aneb-4, the alliance only has the façade of combat power; they need time to re-equip and rearm…time they don’t have.

On Earth, the moratorium on mercenary contracts is disrupting Jim Cartwright’s efforts to stand up the new Terran Federation. Making matters worse, Jim has received intelligence that someone is squatting on asteroids in our Solar System...and Sansar Enkh is pretty sure they don’t have Earth’s best interests in mind. Fearing the aliens have plans for another invasion - or worse - Jim takes his ship, Bucephalus, and sets off to investigate.

Bjorn Tovesson III, commander of Bjorn’s Berserkers, has returned to Earth. Bear Town is a smoldering ruin, and the Berserkers’ reputation is in the gutter. As Bjorn tries to chart a course for the Berserkers’ future, ghosts from the past haunt him. Meanwhile, the Information Guild and the Union Credit Exchange clash over the future of the Galactic Union’s economy. The Information Guild seeks to eliminate the red diamond standard, giving it sole control of the currency system, but the Union Credit Exchange harbors ambitions to become a guild in its own right.

The Goltar were marginalized, and the Veetanho did everything they could to make the galaxy forget the Goltar had ever existed. The Goltar went quietly, pretending to sulk and accept their fate but they never did. They worked in the shadows, amassing power and resources, always looking for the right time and right opportunity to re-emerge and strip the hated Veetanho of everything they owned. In the depths of the Spine Nebula, a fly-over region known only for the bad luck of its inhabitants and the dangers that lurks in its fringes, the Goltar have a secret weapon.

Taiki Sato had long been the genius behind the Winged Hussars’ success. He spent years innovating, discovering new technologies, and generally making a nuisance of himself. But when he took his first trip to 2nd Level Hyperspace, everything changed. He created an innovative pinplant design, which he had Nemo, the Hussar’s Wrogul physician, install. A short time later, he executed a perfectly planned escape, disappearing from New Warsaw.

The Dusman offered to let humanity become their servitors, but the leaders of Earth’s Four Horsemen were unified in their decision: No, thanks. With the Dusman returning in strength, though, and steadily growing their influence and armed presence, humanity finds itself in a difficult place. The Guild War continues to rage, with planets becoming increasingly desperate for nonexistent help, while the Mercenary Guild continues to sit on its hands, despite Nigel Shirazi’s attempts to break the deadlock.

Near-purebred home nocturnus Adrian Breze and his human mate, Ellen, thought they had dealt with his twin sister, Adrienne. In fact, they thought she was dead. But she survived and now leads a faction of the Shadowspawn - the ancient, shape-shifting, blood-drinking breed who secretly control the world - that wants to leave just enough of the human race alive to satisfy their hunger and serve their needs

Jeremy Wainman is an archaeologist who has achieved a lifelong dream: to travel to Mars and explore the dead cities of the Deep Beyond.

Teyud Zha-Zhalt is the Martian mercenary the Terrans hire as guide and captain of the landship Intrepid Traveller. A secret links her to the deadly intrigues of Dvor il-Adazar, the City That Is a Mountain, where the last aging descendant of the Tollamune Emperors clings to the remnants of his power.

The Great War is at a stalemate, and the only thing stopping Germany from striking America is the threat of the United States using their own Annihilation Gas against them. But America's supply is quickly decaying and the Central Powers know it. A plant is under construction in the remote highlands of Mexico so that America can make their own supply. President Teddy Roosevelt assigns crack agent Luz O'Malley and her technical genius Ciara Whelan to watch over the plant operating under cover identities.

The Dusman have accepted the Humans as allies but have given no indications as to what their long-term intentions are. Their goals have to be large, though, as they continue to spread their influence across the Human colonies…and beyond. Fighting continues to rage between the guilds, both in the shadows and out in the open for all to see. Although one of the Synthetic Intelligences has been killed, the others are now restive, acting from the shadows to affect events galaxy-wide. As the end of The Guild Wars draws near, one thing is certain—the tempest will rage until the very end.

The planet of Azure is nearly idyllic: There is a high standard of living, industry is booming, and the two races — Human and Wrogul — get along well with each other most days. But underneath it all, there is tension between the races. Despite having no reason for it, the Humans don’t always trust the Wrogul, and there is a faction within the Wrogul community that doesn’t want its young growing up “Human.”

With the Merc Guild opening up contracts again, it’s Zuul eat Zuul to get one, as there are far more companies looking for work than there are contracts to be had. So when Taylor Van Zant gets an inside line on a 30-million-credit contract for Swamp Eagle Security, he races to Karma to throw his hat in the ring. Unfortunately, Taylor arrives to find that the other North Florida mercenary company - the River Hawk Defense Group - is also bidding, and Taylor is forced to watch as they steal the contract out from under the Eagles.

When Ivory Keene landed a job at a prestigious fashion house in New York, she could never have anticipated the challenges and excitement her new position would provide. Chief among them is her exasperatingly sexy boss, Curry Kells. The older, experienced executive can't help but be drawn to Ivory by a desire neither can resist. He sees only a talented young woman whose fresh, exciting designs might just make them both millions. But he soon discovers that Ivory is keeping secrets.

Bodies, strangled and dumped along the interstate, send Agent Hank Rawlings and the rest of his team to Texas. The method of homicide, as well as the locations where the bodies are found, are identical to those from a six-year-old investigation. When the wheels touch down in Dallas, the team is greeted with another body and a possible eyewitness. They quickly put together a suspect profile, a profile that leaves the agents with more questions than answers.

Enjoy two classic Lone Star romances from New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer! Bentley Gruff veterinarian Bentley Rydel has a way with animals. But his bedside manner with people leaves something to be desired! That is, until he meets spirited vet tech Cappella Drake. Can Cappie help...

Now they’re rebuilding, but strange forces are at work. New friends on the ground and mysterious lights in the sky promise "interesting times" for the Humans and hyper-intelligent Wrogul of Azure. Meanwhile, mercenary leader Verne and Peacemaker Harryhausen resume their search for the ancestral home of Azure’s Wrogul. They encounter distrust, deceit, and misdirection from the all-powerful guilds, but they manage to learn of sightings of Wrogul-like aliens.

The Trial tells the story of a man arrested for an unknown crime by a remote, inaccessible authority and his struggle for control over the increasing absurdity of his life. One of Franz Kafka's best-known works, The Trial has been variously interpreted as an examination of political power, a satirical depiction of bureaucracy, and a pessimistic religious parable. Left unfinished at the time of Kafka's 1924 death, The Trial is nevertheless a trenchant depiction of the seemingly incomprehensible nature of existence....

Defeated in battle, the fractious alliance of Goltar, Spine Patriots, and the Midnight Sun Free Company are chased across the Spine Nebula by the Endless Night and their sea-monster allies, the Tyzhounes. Abandoning the nebula is not an option. For the free trader skipper, Lenworth Jenkins, the people of its 15 tormented worlds are the cause he’s been searching for all his life.

"The boss is fading fast. His last request is that a writer compose his memoirs" was Aunt Lillian's plea. Helping the elderly oilman seemed natural to Mari. But Ward Jessup was anything but old and sickly…. "Poor little Mari," her aunt fretted. "I'm worried about her state of mind-deep...

FBI serial killer hunter Hank Rawlings is knee-deep in dead bodies. Prison guards. Inmates. Innocents. A pair of sheriff's deputies. A soccer mom. All murdered by an escaped con named Charles "Chuck" Burr, a man who has cut a bloody path from Louisiana to Texas. For Hank, the assignment is easy: find Burr and bring him to justice. With everything pointing to the Waco area, the bureau is quickly nipping at their target's heels. But Burr will choose death over being put in another cage. He finally has his freedom, and he'll kill anyone that tries to take that from him—FBI agents included.