Showing results by narrator "John Pirhalla" in All Categories

This is the final stand for Vale and its system against the Komran Empire. The council doesn’t even want to call it a war, but the Vale General and Sergeant of the Army have a plan. They needed one ugly marine when the Komran were getting aggressive, but now that the enemy are here in force, they need as many as they can get. Much to his chagrin, Joe is pulled from the fighting. His help is needed as the older soldiers and technicians are thawed out from the cryo storage.

A Cold War attack by Soviet helicopters on an Afghan village. A knife-edge CIA operation that goes wrong. And a vengeful mujahideen tribesman, armed with Stinger missiles. When CIA officer Joe Johnson is handed the tough task by his boss of capturing a Soviet helicopter and forging better contacts among the mujahideen, he unknowingly finds himself up against a sinister KGB rival who wants him dead.

Every light casts a shadow. Ronan Renzo is that shadow. Ronan Renzo lives a somewhat pampered life as the son of a merchant, but all that changes when his family home is visited by a strange, black-clad man. This man's clothing is so dark that it seems to swallow light, and he bears the symbol of the crescent moon upon his breast. He is, according to Ronan, a member of the Night Guild. A guild of thieves and assassins, who commit dark deeds in homage to the one they serve: the Night God.

From the Great Depression to Pearl Harbor, from high school to the combat zone, from boot camp to the end of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan, here are more of the stories that we can’t afford not to hear, from a vanishing generation speaking to America today. World War II brought out the worst in humanity, but it also brought out the best; in these narratives you will draw your own lessons. Here are the stories that a special generation of Americans told us for the future when we took the time to be still, to listen, and to draw strength.

Young elf prince Drynn has always lived in the shadow of his athletic and popular elder brother. But, when the bookish boy’s mother dies from a mystery illness and he receives the Queen’s Opal, he’s plagued by visions of the past and a growing power. And, with the gem supposedly cursing those who possess it, he must enter the human realm to hunt down the cure…or become the next to die. Outside the forest, Drynn finds much has changed with the world now ruled by greedy wizards coveting more magic.

From the deserts of North Africa to the mountains of Italy, 15men and women veterans of the Italian campaign open up about a war that was so brutal, news of it was downplayed at home. Here are the stories from a vanishing generation speaking to America today. The war in the Mediterranean, and particularly the Italian Campaign, is one that for many Americans is shrouded in mystery and murkiness. Yet it was here that the United States launched its first offensive in the west on enemy soil.

In the small town of Montgomery, Arizona, Kyle Decker's book shop is barely breaking even. When a bank opens in the empty storefront next door, he hopes the new establishment will bring in more foot traffic. Trouble is, nobody has ever heard of the First People's Bank, and the local branch has appeared mysteriously overnight. Their incentives for new customers seem reasonable...at first. But is it a coincidence when Kyle's wife has her identity stolen and his son receives emails that seem to know his private thoughts? Or when the manager of a competing bank dies a gruesome death?

Torian Ranth is no longer the struggling student he once was. Now a skilled sahir to be reckoned with, Torian arrives at the devastated university. It still stands amid the remnants of the Rusav onslaught.

At the height of World War II, LOOK Magazine profiled a small American community for a series of articles portraying it as the wholesome, patriotic model of life on the home front. Decades later, author Matthew Rozell tracks down over thirty survivors who fought the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to the surrender at Tokyo Bay. Rage is instantaneous. He's looking at me from a crawling position. I didn't shoot him; I went and kicked him in the head. Rage does funny things. After I kicked him, I shot and killed him. ~Thomas Jones, Marine veteran, Battle of Guadalcanal

Something wicked is going on in the village of Ascension. A mother wasting away from cancer is suddenly up and about. A boy trampled by a milk cart walks away from the accident. A hanged man can still speak, broken neck and all. The dead are not dying. When Rabbit and Sadie Grace accompany their friend Rose to Ascension to help take care of her ailing cousin, they immediately notice that their new house, Bethany Hall, is occupied by dozens of ghosts. And something is waiting for them in the attic.

To catch a Florida Man, you have to become one, and that’s what Officer Jeff Babauta did. As his ponytailed, whiskey-soaked alter ego, he established Sunshine Alligator Farm. His goal? Infiltrate the shady world of illegal poachers in the Florida Everglades in order to protect the natural world. A head-spinning adventure soon unfolds.

Venture into the shadows of Anger, New Hampshire, where a teenager with a unique ability fights a war hidden from the naked eye. This anthology features Jimmy Hsu’s chilling encounters with entities beyond the grasp of ordinary men. Join Jimmy as he races against time to save his friend from a vengeful spirit, comes face to face with the horrors of a haunted pet cemetery, and confronts the undead in an abandoned neighborhood.

Huon has less than one week to save those he cares about most. But in the world of Temtoria, time moves at a different rate, and those days are turned into months. Though Huon has managed to defeat a High Celestial, he still isn't ready to face the Everlasting King. But he has a plan. Reunited with people from his past, he has to teach them all he knows—whether he wants to or not—as when the time comes, they'll only have one chance to defeat their enemy.

How do you stop an invasion force that just defeated the most powerful person on the planet? Chances are, you don’t. But the world’s greatest heroes and villains are going to team up and make their best attempt. After the Tuldarians—a race of dinosaur-like aliens—invade the Earth with overwhelming numbers of ships and soldiers, the world’s governments finally repeal the Anti-Vigilante Acts. Now, the masked crimefighters and criminals who haven’t been allowed to use their powers are being asked to fight to save humanity. And to think, I was just put in prison for just trying to be a good guy.

Out of work and on the run after a shocking betrayal by his brothers-in-arms, the ex-Special Forces commando hasn’t stopped moving for months. He can’t. Some of the same soldiers who left him for dead in the Middle East still want his head. And they’re getting closer. So far, he’s been lucky. But Dak is low on money and nearly out of time. All he needs is an easy gig. A place to lie low, bank some cash, and quietly figure out his next move.

Hazard King finally managed to win peace with the Swarm, and he stabilized the Marxist Federation and helped create a more democratic new government on Lenin. The Black Dragon virus, though, continues to kill thousands there, and Imperial Scientists have finally admitted that antidotes are beyond their ability. Worse, it is only a matter of time before the virus makes it off planet, an event that is sure to kill billions and bring down the empire. But there is hope. If they can find the original virus, the creation of a vaccine may be possible.

After the United Nations of Terra (UNT) Fleet Frigate Nelson reported an encounter with an alien spaceship, she disappeared without a trace. An alien race called the Maltaani have made their presence known by landing a mass of troops on Balfan-48, a desert planet located far too close to Terra Earth for comfort. Tensions are rising and tempers are growing short. The UNT responds by deploying ISMC’s Ninth Division aboard the flagship Atlas to the scene to investigate the Maltaani aggression.

We’ve come a long way since the days of Wholesome Grandpa streaming. Transitioning from those blissful, quiet nights, Artorian finds himself in a heap of trouble, turmoil, and change. Plus that tiny detail which involves a burning need to Incarnate, while the Heavenly of Copyright chases him with a rolled up newspaper.

Torian Ranth wants nothing more than to master his sahir magic. Having spent years training, he still can’t form even his primary patterns consistently, let alone attempt any higher tiered power. His continued failures mean that his time in school must come to an end.

When Carson Flint traded his Commonwealth military badge for the quiet life, he thought he'd left his battles behind. Two years of running a saloon called the Bulwark, a volatile hub for refugees, smugglers, and the occasional war-weary soldier, was the peace he'd been looking for. He's never had it easier, or been so bored. But when a fugitive Commonwealth operative arrives with dangerous secrets and a war criminal on his tail, Carson's sanctuary quickly becomes a target.