Showing results by narrator "James Patrick Cronin" in All Categories

Tennora would give anything to be a wizard. And Clytemorrenestrix, a strange woman with uncanny blue eyes, whose name means “She Will Thunder in the Sky”, and who claims to be a dragon, promises to make her just that - in return for aid in returning her to her true form. But soon after Tennora seals the deal, a bounty hunter presses a note into her hands claiming the dragon woman is actually a human - a violent, criminally insane human who murders those who fail her.

It’s the 22nd century. The galaxy has opened up to humanity as a hyperactive beehive of stargates and new technologies, and we suddenly find ourselves in a vast playground of different races, environments, and cultures. There’s just one catch: We are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain.

The mission Jonah White Eagle and his Fierce Eagle Company had taken was nearly impossible. Land on the middle of a 7.5-mile-high plateau, walk six miles to the edge of the cliff, and scale down the 39,000-foot-high cliffs to the foothills of the canyon below. Nothing to it, right? But then there was the swamp they had to cross, full of large indigenous life forms that thought Humans made good snacks. And the rivers, full of other killers, they would have to negotiate.

Edited by best-selling authors and universe creators Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy, Tales from the Lyon’s Den includes 18 all-new stories in the Four Horsemen universe by a variety of best-selling authors - and some you may not have heard of...yet.

On a world scoured by demons, even dragons are prey. Gaia Alpha is safe under Steven’s rule. He’s secured his borders, made allies of the remaining Dragonsoul Primes, and retrieved Icharaam’s Gift, the fabled Holy Grail. But Steven’s war is bigger than one world. On Gaia Beta, the Battle World, Spider Finger, and the Zothoric are gathering, and if they find a path to Steven’s home, everything he’s fought to save will be swallowed in the Great Devouring. It’s time to take the fight to the shadows on a road trip between universes.

Sorch is an orc mage in a world where orcs are cursed with stupidity every time they cast a spell. The only spell he can safely cast is Enhance Intelligence, which boosts his IQ for a second before the curse drains it all away again. Normally casting such a spell would be pointless, but Sorch's tribe has found a way to benefit. Magic that is cast near a mysterious artefact called the ‘Voodoo Engine’ causes invisible hands to appear, and these hands get work done for his tribe. Sorch is a slave to the Voodoo Engine, casting a single spell over and over again to avoid being beaten.

Steven Drokharis knew that embracing his destiny as one of the most powerful Dragonsouls to ever live would be difficult, but he had no idea that he’d be pushed to his very limits. Ten days after rescuing Aria and ending the life of an insane Dragonskin, Steven and his escort find themselves going toe-to-toe with Rhaegen Mulk - the deadly Dragonsoul responsible for the death of Steven’s parents. And Rhaegen Mulk doesn’t fight fair. He will pull out all the stops to end Steven before he can grow his escort and establish a primacy of his own.

Three years ago, Earth was attacked by an invading force so devastating, only one ship in the fleet survived. Their hard won victory came from the aid of an alliance of aliens long at war with an aggressive force. With the aid of advanced technology, humanity retrofitted their surviving vessel. The Behemoth became a shield against any future incursions.

Steven Drokharis finally has his own Primacy, and he will stop at nothing to defend it. Luckily, Steven has a new Magician in his Escort, and she’s as beautiful as she is powerful. And yet, they are still on a journey of vengeance: his now dead enemy, Rhaegen Mulk, wasn’t working alone. At the same time, Mouse wants her own form of vengeance against the Prime who now rules the Rocky Mountains.

Steven Drokharis has built an empire that stretches across the United States and around the world. He seems unstoppable - a force of nature and a creature of wrath. But now, he’ll have to deal with something deadlier than enemies...Dragonsoul allies. Exiled from America and on the run, Steven and his escort of beautiful women will have to unravel the secrets of the past to save their future.

Robert Franklin will stop at nothing to avenge the wrongs done to him by the US and Russia. Nate Stout and Broken Arrow Mercenary Force will do anything they have to do to stop him.

When my magical order assigns me to Grimstone, Colorado, on a case, I’m in no hurry to pack my staff and spell books. The outlaw county is a far cry from my academic calling in New York City. And I’m being paired with junior wizard James Wesson. A brash hustler and wannabe cowboy, he’s exactly why I prefer working alone.

With his wife waging the fight of her life, Jason is desperate to get home, Blue Wolf or not. But DAWA, an advanced warning system for doomsday events, has just sounded the alarm. A disease outbreak on tribal land is the latest in an ominous pattern that heralds the imminent end of the world.

Unfortunately for him, the secrets of the giant machines appear to have been lost to antiquity. Still, he has to try. After returning from a lucrative contract, he secures a base of operation for his Cavaliers in the Karma system, then he sets off toward the galactic core. It’s something he feels he needs to do by himself, so he leaves his overprotective mentor Hargrave behind.

Captain Markus "Spartan" Nicolos is one of the Golden Horde’s premier hackers and communication specialists, and a top-tier CASPer pilot. His experimental Hoplite scout CASPer aided significantly in thwarting an attempt by a Besquith general to wipe out the Golden Horde. Now, while most of the Golden Horde goes out on a major contract, Spartan has been given a small team of less than 30 mercenaries - all specialists - to teach a race that has just joined the Galactic Union how to defend itself. And, in his spare time, Spartan is to spy on the Merchant Guild.

Hoping to cure his curse and return to his fiancée, Jason Wolfe agrees to command a corporate monster-hunting unit. But the team isn’t exactly what he had in mind.... A priest, a ninja, a zombie, and a guy who looks like he should be working crew on the carny circuit. To be fair, not all of Jason’s new charges are keen on being trained by a werewolf. But ready or not, the team has just been called to a job. Something is snatching children from a small town in southern Mexico. Worse, all signs point to vampires - and a darker, more malevolent force.

The end of war seems within grasp but terrorists threaten to undermine invasion plans. Orion’s Light has been a thorn in the side of the government for some time but intelligence director Siva Wih’Faren has taken it upon herself to finish them off once and for all. She engages The Behemoth and The Crystal Font to launch a daring plan, an attack on the criminal fleet and their secret base. As they prepare for conflict, special agent Trellan En’Dal infiltrates the Orion’s Light to assassinate their leader, the nefarious Krilan Ar’Vax.

Everson Croft here, professor of mythology and nervous as sin. Tonight's the night I tell Caroline the truth: about my feelings, my magic, everything. So why am I surprised when Detective Vega calls me to a new case? An elusive creature is chewing up residents in a housing project run by rival gangs. One more mangled body and the place will explode into warfare. Problem is, someone's protecting the killer.

Icelin thought she had escaped the horrors of her past - until they come hunting her, forcing her to go to ground. But when things go from bad to worse, and her friends start paying for her mistakes, Icelin learns she has to embrace the talents she fears, accept the past she runs from, and confront those threatening her future. Ed Greenwood, beloved author and creator of the Forgotten Realms, presents the second book in a brand-new series dedicated to showcasing both the City of Splendors and our most talented up-and-coming authors.

When Zuul-led thugs attack members of the Queen Elizabeth’s Own Foresters leaving the Lyon’s Den, the battles on Cimaron 283133-6A and Peninnah become enemy action, not simply mercs fulfilling contracts. What the Foresters don’t realize is that these attacks have been planned for years as part of an even larger series of plots aided by members of the Mercenary Guild.