Showing results by narrator "Stephen Bel Davies" in All Categories

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the modern world. It is ubiquitous-in our homes and offices, in the present and most certainly in the future. Today, we encounter AI as our distant ancestors once encountered fire. If we manage AI well, it will become a force for good, lighting the way to many transformative inventions. If we deploy it thoughtlessly, it will advance beyond our control. As AI policy experts Ben Buchanan and Andrew Imbrie show in The New Fire, few choices are more urgent—or more fascinating—than how we harness this technology and for what purpose.

While Blake Masters is elated he's found his mate, convincing Greer Caspian that they are destined for each other is another matter. Between dealing with his now ex-girlfriend to battling an evil that seems to have many faces, there's never enough time to explore the depths of his desire for her. Fate's timing couldn't get any worse. Just when Greer is ready to admit that Blake and she belong together, some strange transforming werewolf from Earth breaks into her house and robs her. They decide the only way for any peace and quiet is to go after this guy.

Although consciousness is at the very center of who we are, its exact nature continues to confound modern science. From where does consciousness originate? At our core, are we material bodies or immaterial conscious minds? Many assume that consciousness is a product of our complex brains, a product of evolution—and yet, there is no evolutionary reason that a mechanical function of the brain should allow us to enjoy the beauty of a sunrise or become intoxicated with the smell of rain on dry earth.

This volume contains ten stellar short stories by Clifford D. Simak. In "Grotto of the Dancing Deer," a man carrying an ancient secret finally speaks up, unable to bear any longer the loneliness he has experienced for millennia. In "Over the River," which Simak wrote in memory of his beloved grandmother Ellen, children from an embattled future are sent back for safekeeping to their ancestors in the peaceful past. And in "Day of Truce," the inhabitants of a suburban subdivision must barricade themselves against bands of roving attackers.

Victor Faust's new Order is growing. Business is good, as there is no rest for the wicked in an underground world of hardcore criminals and contract killing. Relationships among the operatives have changed little over the past year - but things are about to change now, and all six high-ranking members of the new Order will be blindsided by an unlikely enemy. Loved ones whose only ties to Victor's organization are their relationships with its members are abducted.

Within this book, twenty-one timeless insights from Neale Donald Walsch, NY Times bestselling author of Conversations with God, offer clear, uplifting wisdom for anyone seeking greater peace, clarity, and purpose. Drawn from a lifetime of spiritual exploration, each insight is delivered in a...

Lily Harper needs protection - a lot of it. Just her rotten luck, some crazy human trafficking Lord wants her for himself. If that doesn't bite enough, Lily ends up with Birk, a dragon shifter, as her bodyguard. Her last boyfriend was a dragon and that was a total disaster. That puts Birk definitely off limits. Too bad his teal eyes, his glorious body, and his tender touch, really light her fire.

The twentieth century's so-called golden age of science fiction produced many great writers, yet none is greater than Clifford D. Simak, named Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America. His bold visions of and ingenious speculations about humankind's future, always enriched with empathy and a deep understanding of human strengths, foibles, and failings, have stood the test of time, remaining powerful, affecting, and relevant.

No science fiction author was more highly regarded than Grand Master Clifford D. Simak, winner of numerous honors. One of the genre's premier literary artists, Simak explores time travel and time engines; examines the rituals and superstitions of galactic travelers who have long forgotten their ultimate purpose; and even takes fascinating detours through World War II and the wild American West in a wondrous anthology that no science fiction fan should be without.

In the collection's title story, Frederick Gray is closing in on seventy and has outlived his usefulness as a professor of law. He has no family; his best friend, fellow faculty member Ben Lovell, has recently died. Before Gray moves into a retirement home, he takes a final canoe trip to a favorite fishing spot he and Lovell had visited many times, only to find that someone has built a house on the remote riverside. When an accident leaves Gray stranded and in pain, he returns to the shelter seeking aid and instead finds a new reason for living.

Twelve classic tales of the unknown from the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Way Station.

In the stories of Havana Noir, current and former residents of the city - some international sensations such as Leonardo Padura, others exciting new voices like Yohamna Despestre - uncover crimes of violence and loveless sex, of mental cruelty and greed, of self-preservation and collective hysteria.

In this propulsive history, constitutional law and political science professor Corey Brettschneider provides a thoroughly researched account of assaults on democracy by not one such president, but five.

Red Team Alpha. An elite military unit. Twenty highly trained veteran warriors, Mars' best. They are capable, dedicated, armed with the best technology Mars has to offer. And they don't exist, at least not officially. Now the team will be called upon to face its greatest test. On a planet in a newly discovered system, there is a mysterious wreck, the remains of an ancient ship. The discovery is a momentous one, first contact and proof that mankind is not alone in the universe.

Sword-Singer once again unites Del and Tiger - she among the greatest of Northern sword masters, he a Southern warrior of legendary skills - on a new and perilous journey into the North, to the Place of Swords, where Del must submit to trial-by-combat for the slaying of her sword-master.

There's a bold decision in your life you've been waiting to make, and every day passing by is a reminder of what hasn't happened. Conveniently tucked in a box labeled "someday", the fear of the unknown has taken a grip on your life and put your dreams on hold. Until now. Whether your leap is quitting the soul-sucking job and starting your own business, taking a bold chance on love or finally going all in on your dreams, The Leap of Your Life is the ticket to get you there - all while having the time of your life....

In 1997, Daniel Trush, a bright, active, outgoing twelve-year-old, collapsed on the basketball court and fell into a deep coma. Rushed to the hospital, he was found to have five previously undetected aneurysms in his brain. One had burst, causing a massive cerebral hemorrhage. While Daniel remained comatose, the uncontrolled pressure inside his skull caused him to suffer multiple strokes.

A handsome young tribal warrior and sage, Yikaas has traveled across the sea to hear stories of the Whale Hunter and the Sea Hunter peoples. Around the fire, Qumalix, a beguiling and beautiful storyteller, barely old enough to be a wife, catches the eye of Yikaas, and so begins their flirtation through storytelling, which brings to vivid life tales of the Near River and Cousin River tribes.

Keaton and his monster girls have defeated their first rival dungeon lord, but there are many more out there. One in particular seems eager to get his hands on Cassia, and when he demands the lieutenant under penalty of invasion, Keaton must think fast. The quest to undermine that greater evil leads Keaton to ally himself with an alluring succubus who feeds on the sexual energy of wayward mages. Bonding with her may damage his relationship with Adriana and Cassia, but if they're going to stop Cassia's former master, they'll need all the help they can get.

When an alien craft stalled Stewart Bench's truck on a back country road, he tried his best to just forget about it. But then they came back and made it personal. In A Cosmic Encounter, for the first time, Stewart tells the incredible true story of being encountered and then abducted by aliens.