Showing results by narrator "Eric Jason" in All Categories

Serial killer Gary Heidnik's name will live on in infamy, and his home, 3520 North Marshall Street in Philadelphia, is a house tainted with the memory of unbelievable horrors. What police found there was an incredible nightmare made real. Four young women had been held captive - some for four months - half-naked and chained. They had been tortured, starved, and repeatedly raped. But more grotesque discoveries lay in the kitchen: human limbs frozen, a torso burned to cinders, an empty pot suspiciously scorched....

Deep in space lies the black hole known as Angelmass, so called because it emits enigmatic particles with the unusual ability to render humans calm, reasonable, and incapable of lying—which would normally be seen as a good thing. But not by everyone. Academic Jereko Kosta is pressed into service by the Pax to spy on the Empyrean, joining the crew of a ship actively hunting the particles. But what he learns turns out to be both scientifically fascinating and morally frightening.

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.

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.

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.

The inside story of Biden’s foreign policy team and their struggle to restore America’s global influence in the aftermath of Trump When Joe Biden assumed the United States presidency, he brought with him a team of all-star talent, perhaps the most experienced ensemble of policy experts in...

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.

From facial recognition—capable of checking us onto flights or identifying undocumented residents—to automated decision systems that inform everything from who gets loans to who receives bail, each of us moves through a world determined by data-empowered algorithms. But these technologies didn't just appear: they are part of a history that goes back centuries, from the census enshrined in the US Constitution to the birth of eugenics in Victorian Britain to the development of Google search.

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.

Former detective Elijah Wade faces a two thousand mile trek across a lawless, decimated country to rescue his daughter. If she's still alive. Meanwhile, astronomer Hannah Redman must survive this brutal new world while she attempts to unravel the startling truth behind the appearance of the deadly aurora. Two sisters struggle to survive at their family cabin deep in the woods, having rescued a potential killer. An old woman finds she's not quite as prepared for the end of the world as she thought. Mankind is on its knees, and the clock is ticking.

Without our domesticated plants and animals, human civilization as we know it would not exist. We would still be living at subsistence level as hunter-gatherers if not for domestication. It is no accident that the cradle of civilization - the Middle East - is where sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, and cats commenced their fatefully intimate associations with humans.

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.

The Outward Path refers to the central insight that our true desire as human beings is not really for "happiness," a fleeting mood. What we really want is a rich and worthwhile life, which we can only achieve by pursuing an outward path of engagement with other people.

Hudson, Madison, and Kai are thrilled when they come across something that shouldn't even exist yet in the new world of PrimeVerse: a village! Finally, they will have time to slow down and take a break. Or not. They can't gain entry without first completing a challenging quest that the villagers couldn't. Nothing is ever easy, is it? Especially when their quest takes them into uncharted territory: a dungeon with a hard and fast death limit.

In Politics: A Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Minogue begins with a discussion of issues arising from a historical account of politics and goes on to offer chapters dealing with the Ancient Greeks and the idea of citizenship; Roman law; medieval Christianity and individualism; freedom since Machiavelli and Hobbes; the challenge of ideologies; democracy, oligarchy, and bureaucracy; power and order in modern society; and politics in the West.

I had a plan; a good one that I thought through really well. But it only took a single cunning dwarf accompanied by two goons to force me into acting earlier than I’d planned to.

R. K. Billiau presents book three in the PrimeVerse series.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE A shocking, groundbreaking oral history of the infamous Rikers jail complex and an unflinching portrait of injustice and resilience told by the people whose lives have been forever altered by it “This mesmerizing and gut-wrenching book shows the brutal...

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.

In a world of monsters, dungeons, and dragons, Chod has finally found a place to call home. More than that, he’s found a tribe worth fighting for. A colossal battle is brewing, and the fate of Mythos hangs in the balance. With the forces of darkness primed to make their move, Chod finds himself in a race against time. The Mythos Rehabilitation Program will soon be terminated, and the era of heroes is coming to an end. As the clock ticks down, Chod must make a stand if he wants to prevent a future cast in perpetual shadow.