Showing results by narrator "Ryan Burke" in All Categories

Modern-day markets do not arise spontaneously or evolve naturally. Rather they are crafted by individuals, firms, and most of all, by governments. Author Steven Vogel builds his argument upon the recognition that all markets are crafted then systematically explores the implications for analysis and policy. In modern societies, there is no such thing as a free market. Markets are institutions, and contemporary markets are all heavily regulated. The "free market revolution" that began in the 1980s did not see a deregulation of markets, but rather a re-regulation.

A mysterious pyramid appears in Chicago, oozing fantastic creatures and sucking humans into our own mythological past. It's an alien invasion from within! When a special forces team sent to capture an AWOL official gets into deep trouble with a certain one-eyed Norse god, redoubtable comparative mythologist Jerry Lukacs must rescue them, strike a deal with the droll and dangerous Loki, and risk bringing on Ragnarok itself to once again save human myth from alien domination.

Valdar, heir to the throne of Dhulon, was in the fabled city-state of Schaerisa to pay his kingdom's respects to the recently deceased co-emperor. But then he ran into his old mentor, the sorcerer Nyrthim - who was supposed to be dead. The sorcerer's death had been faked so that he could be free to investigate tales that demons, once banished, were returning to the world. And unfortunately, the tales understated the danger.

The availability of big data, low-cost commodity hardware, and new information management and analytics software has produced a unique moment in the history of business. The convergence of these trends means that we have the capabilities required to analyze astonishing data sets quickly and cost-effectively for the first time in history. These capabilities are neither theoretical nor trivial. They represent a genuine leap forward and a clear opportunity to realize enormous gains in terms of efficiency, productivity, revenue and profitability.

The race for Resurrection City begins with an earthquake, a rare class, and a portal to the Spirit Realm. In the aftermath of waking the game system known as the Cipher, the newly-minted council of 11 must learn to wage war with new skills in a world that’s been cut in half. It's a race against time...and new enemies to fulfill prophecy and activate the first Rune they need to survive. The alien Osuna are coming, and scripture says that only the Runelords will stand a chance when they arrive.

Who is The Horoscope Writer? It’s not Bobby Frindley. He’s an ex-Olympic athlete who has fast-talked his way into an entry-level position at a dying newspaper. He’s supposed to be writing horoscopes, but someone has been doing his job for him . . . On his first night on the job, Bobby receives an email with twelve gruesome, highly-detailed horoscopes, along with a chilling ultimatum: print them and one will come true, or ignore them and all of them will.

John Abbott is all in. He's up to his eyeballs in debt to pay for school, and he's just moved his small family forty light-years from Earth for a plum job with the wealthy interstellar corporation, The Sarovar Company. John's first assignment is to discreetly investigate possible corruption at the remote Arrowhawk Station, where Company traders buy the famous Sarovari Weave from the three-sided, crablike Weavers.

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.

Kril Granger has gathered a good crew and managed to finish a profitable job. But things are a little too hot in their usual regions, so it's time to pick up stakes and head coreward. Along the way, they'll be passing through the dark spaces of the galaxy and turning up threats ranging from overprotective AIs to invasive nano-using overlords. All this while dealing with a mixed, quarrelsome crew that would rather die than give up their secrets. It's a hard life being a scrapper. It's a harder death if they get it wrong...

Melody St. Germain, the leader of the Arcadia Village Adventurer's Guild and one of the kingdom's strongest adventurers, desperately needs a vacation. Ordered by one of the king's advisors—her own power-hungry father—to host a tournament in four weeks, Melody faces a series of obstacles he's devised to ensure her failure. Her friends and the rest of Arcadia Village come together to help, and she finds that just might be enough to overcome her father's tests.

The preliminaries are out of the way. The real fight begins. The Malibor are putting up staunch resistance, fighting as if their lives depend on it. Which they do and they don’t. The Borwyn aren’t using a scorched earth approach. They’re not destroying everything in their path. They’re willing to live in peace with the Malibor. Which is something the Malibor have no interest in. Victory or death! They will defeat the Borwyn, or they will die trying.

The end is in sight. The Borwyn dig deep into their reserves. In space. On the ground. Different environments. The same engagement. One final battle to determine who will survive to lead Septimus. Jaq, Crip, Max, Deena, Brad, Bec, Teo, and the rest of the team giving everything they have, bending the fabric of the universe to their wills to overcome the ultimate weapon the Malibor deploy.

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.

Kill or be killed. Take the fight to the enemy, only until you can't. Then repair, regroup, rearm, and return to the fight. Unless the enemy shows up before you're ready. Then you get ready. There are no do-overs in war. While the battle rages in space, the Borwyn decide to put boots on the ground in a daring, risk-all return to Septimus. The combat team is tasked to disrupt strategic communications. Is it even possible?