Showing results by narrator "Eric Martin" in All Categories

The curse of the lost goddess Inanna would not allow Lukas Aguilar to hide out in obscurity for long. To become the conquering invader, the protective monster, and the selfish Outsider who would risk the end of the world itself, he must instead embrace audacity.

Imagine a warm, beautiful country populated by friendly and happy people who live in harmony under a true democratically elected government. In a feudal world dominated by a small cohort of ruthless nobles, that would indeed be a bright spot, right? It sure would—except keep dreaming, folks. Where our hero is going this time is the exact opposite of the above—a slum of a city in the middle of a dry, inhospitable desert, pervasive corruption, and all kinds of formidable enemies.

New Arcadia is growing. Across the river, the borough of Brookline is now ready for players. That’s where the hottest new nightclub is opening for business - Club Re-LOVE-ution. They spelled it that way on purpose. Blaze and his friends must team up to infiltrate the club and stop the deadly Drug X menace from taking over the city. Standing in their way are Berta and Beata, two German pop superstars who have teamed up with a mysterious benefactor for their big comeback. If Blaze’s team fails, it’s Game Over.

From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call - the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the 36 anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history.

Most of us have heard of such popular butterflies as the Monarch or Painted Lady. But what about the Fender's Blue? Or the St. Francis' Satyr? Because of their extreme rarity, these butterflies are not well-known, yet they are remarkable species with important lessons to teach us. The Last Butterflies spotlights the rarest of these creatures - some numbering no more than what can be held in one hand.

Nox’s time at Woodson University didn’t just come with progress in academia, artisanry, and magic. He’s swiftly grown into one of the richest people in the city and holds political influence. The rapid developments haven’t gone unnoticed, and not all attention is positive. Business is booming. Nox is in a healthy relationship. His academic accolades are adding up. And familial tears are in the mending process. But he can feel something big is coming to ruin everything. Nox’s friends and family call it paranoia, but he disagrees and his preparations don't feel swift enough.

Darwin developed the theory of sexual selection to explain why the animal world abounds in stunning beauty, from the brilliant colors of butterflies and fishes to the songs of birds and frogs. He argued that animals have "a taste for the beautiful" that drives their potential mates to evolve features that make them more sexually attractive and reproductively successful. But if Darwin explained why sexual beauty evolved in animals, he struggled to understand how.

With the threat of another Divine Element Cultivator and the looming presence of a Shadow Immortal, Calron must prepare an army if he's to survive the future. His Cultivation will not be enough as he enters the political sea of the royal court with sharks swimming all around him. No one can be trusted... even the Tower Lords.

Somalia was Tom Pecora's first deployment as a CIA Protective Operations Cadre (POC) officer, responsible for providing protective operations support in hostile areas of the world. He later headed up a series of the Agency's undisclosed protective operations teams. From 1989 until his retirement in 2013, he was assigned to multiple war zones across Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, doing the kind of work few are even aware exists.

With the battle for Earth over, Zax and Kalare are forced to deal with the repercussions of its outcome. They enlist their closest allies to take back the Ship from enemies both new and old, and along the way, they discover a most unexpected source of help.

Nick Antosca's The Girlfriend Game is a tumble through the looking glass into a vortex of violence and desire. The 12 stories in the newest collection by the Shirley Jackson Award-winning author are brutal, urgent and unforgettable. In "Predator Bait", a decoy in a sex-sting news show questions her job and the man who shares her bed. An undependable son watches his mother become a creature he hardly recognizes in "Amphibian". A young man plots the death of his girlfriend's killer in "Winter Was Hard".

From the cup of coffee that jump-starts the day to dangerously addictive drugs, the recreational use of plants with psychoactive properties has a long history among humans. But, as with many things, it turns out that other animals got there first. From parrots to primates, consuming medicinal chemicals is an instinctive behavior that helps countless organisms fight infection and treat disease. But the similarities don't end there: Like us, many creatures also consume substances that have no apparent benefit...except for inducing intoxication.

In a grim, not-so-distant future, humanity is in crisis. A deadly pandemic has confined billions to their homes, leaving society completely isolated in their homes and utterly dependent on the mega-global Chum Corporation. For some lucky beta testers, the only escape is to log into New Arcadia—a real-as-life role-playing game set in a gleaming 1990s-inspired city. There, they can enjoy the freedoms denied to them in the real world—like Prime Beta Tester John Chambers, who has reinvented himself in New Arcadia as street-fighting hero Blaze.

The ancient portals have been unlocked, restoring fast travel to Isle of Mythos. No longer the outsider, Chod enjoys his newfound acceptance as a hero and troll. New lands and adventures await with the promise of gold and glory. But every opportunity offers the chance of misfortune. Several portals still remain closed, hiding dire threats behind their veils of dark energy. Enemies have disappeared into parts unknown, and rumors of the return of the greatest villain Mythos has ever known grow louder by the day. Chod has one goal - unite the heroes of Mythos.

Eric lives a normal life. He has a job. A girlfriend. He owns an apartment. He matters. And then he dies. A couple of centuries later, Eric wakes up inside an advanced infantry robot whose AI core harbors his consciousness. Eric is soon thrust into an experimental army unit known as the Bolt Eaters. Thrown into the latest cesspools of war and conflict across the world, the Bolt Eaters make short work of any opponents. When aliens decide to invade, stranding his unit in the middle of nowhere, Eric is forced to face the ultimate test with the machines he has come to know as brothers.

For Hudson, the virtual world of PrimeVerse isn't all bad. It's beautiful; much nicer than overpopulated Earth. It almost feels like a vacation except for the volatile wildlife, lack of any amenities, and - oh yeah - the inability to log out. Exploring the world, learning his class, and leveling skills is all fun and games until a powerful rogue player with a vendetta shows up to wipe out Hudson and his primitive tribe. Thrust into a conflict he didn't create, Hudson is forced into a cycle of respawning where he learns that even death can be used as a tool. So much for that vacation.

Thirteen months after Trump allegedly captured the allegiance of "the white working class", a strike wave - the first in over four decades - rocked the United States. Inspired by the wildcat victory in West Virginia, teachers in Oklahoma, Arizona, and across the country walked off their jobs and shut down their schools to demand better pay for educators, more funding for students, and an end to years of austerity.

Widely regarded as a classic on the Vietnam War, Decent Interval provides a scathing critique of the CIA's role in and final departure from that conflict. Still the most detailed and respected account of America's final days in Vietnam, the book was written at great risk and ultimately at great sacrifice by an author who believed in the CIA's cause but was disillusioned by the agency's treacherous withdrawal, leaving thousands of Vietnamese allies to the mercy of an angry enemy.

James Howard Kunstler's critically acclaimed and best-selling The Long Emergency, originally published in 2005, quickly became a grassroots hit, going into nine printings in hardcover. Kunstler's shocking vision of our post-oil future caught the attention of environmentalists and business leaders alike, and stimulated widespread discussion about our dependence on fossil fuels and our dysfunctional financial and government institutions.

Jack Nolan believes he has finally settled into a comfortable routine owning his South Florida bar, Cap's Place. He's put the end of his law career and his divorce behind him and is enjoying the relaxed pace around Cap's Place, when an organized crime boss decides to take over the bar. Jack suddenly finds his life in danger and his bar in jeopardy. Running from one threat to another Jack attempts to navigate his way out of this rapidly deteriorating crisis.