Showing results by narrator "Kevin T. Collins" in All Categories

A thousand years ago the Heart of the World was shattered, its fragments scattered across the lands. In the chaos that followed, martial orders arose to gather these shards, for it was found that great powers were granted when these pieces were bonded to the flesh of the chosen. These are the Sharded Few, warriors imbued with the divine energies that once coursed through the Heart, and driven to absorb enough fragments to claim godhood.

He left behind the Northern Kingdoms, tired of their wars and schemes. The golden waves of the Sea of Sand didn't drown him in fire, but the Evening Stars ultimately didn't bless him with their light. Despite his many adventures, despite the fact he's already endured enough hardship to last him several lifetimes, his soul was restless. Finally, Hadjar Darkhan and his friend, Einen the Islander, reached the capital of the Darnassus Empire - Dahanatan.

It was a crime that shocked the nation: the brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectuals - too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. When they were apprehended, state's attorney Robert Crowe was certain that no defense could save the ruthless killers from the gallows.

It seems that my former power is gradually returning to me in my new body. I still have all my past experience, however, and everything is proceeding just as it should. How quickly can I earn money and build my reputation? No, I'm not going to resort to killing and looting. I'm an Architect, after all! I'm going to craft and build things! That's how Architects work! The time has come to rebuild my empire. So . . . I might end up having to do some killing and looting, after all. I'm not short of enemies . . .

A group biography of '90s punk rock told through the prism of Green Day, The Offspring, NOFX, Rancid, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, and more Two decades after the Sex Pistols and the Ramones birthed punk music into the world, their artistic heirs burst onto the scene and changed the genre...

It has been four years since Darian saw his village sacked and burned by barbarians. Taking refuge with the Hawkbrothers, he soon finds his life's calling - as a Healing Adept. But even as he learns the mystical ways of this ancient race, Darian cannot escape the dangers threatening his future. Another tribe of barbarians is approaching. The time has come...to stand up and fight.

The White Dragon region has been left behind. His oaths and obligations there have been fulfilled. Now it is time to look ahead. What awaits our dauntless protagonist? A gray sky, one where the stars never shine, is overhead. A white sand made of ground bones is underfoot. That is the horror of the Demon Lands. But the dragon's heart in his chest will not give in, and it will keep beating steadily. He will not falter.

His indestructible will cracked, his advance that no army could've stopped faltered, his sword, raised against the gods themselves, was brought low . . . Who was he? Where was he going? The Ruby Mountains were right in front of him, and his path was clear, but his very soul had been plunged into utter darkness. Will Hadjar be able to find a way out? Will he be able to come back to the light? Or will the endless abyss devour him? His dragon heart was beating slower and slower . . .

Another chapter in the story of the heir to the Morozov mages. It takes place in a cruel world where ancient bloodlines with magical abilities enjoy power and influence, while Normals devoid of magical gifts are of no use to anyone. This depressing fate was in store for our hero, Ivan, too—he was condemned to death by his father, who was sure that he was as magic-less as a puppet. But Ivan was rescued and brought up by an old warrior, and the head of the Morozov bloodline was able to transfer his gifts to Ivan just before his death—leaving an impostor soul from another world in his body.

From out of the clear blue sky, an unknown chunk of rock from the frozen void strikes the Earth with unimaginable force, gouging a wound into the very crust of the planet. Millions die in an instant, and millions more await the end as the looming catastrophe unfolds...Thousands of miles away from the disaster, a call comes in the middle of the night. Families act, and react, and while panic spreads, the world keeps on spinning. Maybe a little slower, and perhaps with a teeny bit more of a tilt, but such things are a mere trifle to the existence of a planet.

Becoming the Hero of the Dragon Lands isn't easy. You have to survive a ruthless tournament. However, even after his victory, one he'd earned with sweat and blood, Hadjar's deadly adventure had just begun. The winner gets everything he could ever ask for: accolades, a wreath that symbolizes his greatness, and the Emperor's undivided attention. His duty is to escort the dragon Princess to the Ruby Mountains, the dwarves' homeland. But the wreath isn't what it appears to be. And the path that leads to the mountains runs through the Red Mist Lands, place only a chosen few could survive.

Hadjar survived the bloody war for the throne of his homeland. He fought against monsters and enemies that made entire generations tremble in fear. He traversed the vast Sea of Sand, found the mythical Mage City, and witnessed the destruction of an ancient civilization. Then, in the pursuit of knowledge, Hadjar came to Dahanatan, the capital of the Empire.

When Boreas died on that surgical table back in his home world, his mortal body remained on Earth, but his soul, striving for something more, was reborn. In another world, he became Hadjar Darkhan, the son of a King and Queen. He had only his neural network and the burning aches and desires from his previous life to guide him.

Why were the American POWs imprisoned at the Hanoi Hilton so resilient in captivity and so successful in their subsequent careers? This book presents six principles practiced within the POW organizational culture that can be used to develop high-performance teams everywhere. The authors offer examples from both the POWs’ time in captivity and their later professional lives that identify, in real-life situations, the characteristics necessary for sustainable, high-performance teamwork.

After centuries of hardship and tragedy, of struggle and toil, he'd finally reached the end of his journey. He'd never faltered, defying all who'd stood in his way. And now, the Seventh Heaven beckoned, the place where both the answers to his questions and justice for all those he'd been forced to leave behind awaited him. Not once had he given in, regardless of the obstacles in his path. Even if all the Ancients banded together to oppose him, he would not yield. His will had been forged into something more than mere iron by the crucible of his life, and nothing would be able to break it.

In this world, I'm the heir to the princely Morozov line, but I don't have any talent for the magical arts. When my enemies find out I'm alive, they'll definitely come looking for me. I think someday I'll have a warm welcome prepared for them, but in the meantime I have to continue my training, kill demons, and juggle my schoolwork on top of that. Wait up, Imperial Academy! Here I come!

The people of the principality of Liechtenstein have long wished for independence, but the Empire has always had its own plans for the country. The neighboring states, meanwhile, have kept a constant eye on the principality, as if it were their own property. What's more, the internal conflicts between the country's aristocrats have shown no sign of abating. Was it really a good idea to stir up this hornets' nest? Well . . . they only have themselves to blame!

In the first book, Hadjar lost it all. His body ruined, parents dead, and his title of Prince replaced by a slave collar. It seemed like Primus had deprived him of everything. But no one can take away a man's will to fight. Even if his heart turns into a bleeding stone due to endless grief and suffering, it won't matter. The most important thing was that he still had the will to go on. The thought of taking revenge on his family's murderers gave him the strength to survive. After receiving a piece of the mighty Dragon's heart, he regained his strength and enlisted in the army, where he made real friends and fought by their side in many battles.

The Second World is a mire of intrigue; the game's creators have left several back doors permitting them to terminate anyone at will, and an unlikely sequence of events has brought someone unsuspecting into their field of attention. One player has managed to upset the game world's balance, and now he's hunted by everyone. Every clan wants to recruit him for his achievements while other powers want him for their own, more sinister purposes.

Superhuman terror incidents are on the rise, riots are breaking out everywhere like a plague spreading across the face of the world, and the unknown enemy still stalks the world. However, Pierson and Hale are determined to bring down the monster that caused this turmoil, no matter what it takes. With violence exploding on all sides, when given a clear shot at the source of the chaos, they determine to take their chance. Hale will throw every bit of power he has at the very source that granted him his strength, backed by a world thrown into chaos looking for someone, anyone, to blame.