Showing results by narrator "Vikas Adams" in All Categories

Famine. Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the end of the world. In science fiction the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm.

Lacking health insurance when he was diagnosed with cancer, Shawn Speakman asked friends in the science fiction and fantasy writing community to donate short stories he could use to counter mounting medical debt. The result was Unfettered, an anthology offering tales from some of the best authors working today. Now, in Unfettered III, Speakman continues to pay forward the aid he received, raising money to combat medical debt for SF&F artists and authors.

The modern lifestyle with its excesses and worldly desires, the constant need to be connected, and the rapid development in technology, has made stress and lifestyle-related diseases the norm. The need for meditation, thus, is more acute. Meditation calms the mind, brings focus and enhances the senses, resulting in a better quality of life and work. And with the right Mantras, meditation becomes a highly effective tool in unleashing the immense potential within oneself.

To save his family from his tyrannical mother, Julius had to step on a lot of tails. That doesn't win a nice dragon many friends, but just when he thinks he's starting to make progress, a new threat arrives. Turns out, things can get worse. Heartstriker hasn't begun to pay for its secrets, and the dragons of China are here to collect. When the Golden Emperor demands his surrender, Julius will have to choose between loyalty to the sister who's always watched over him and preserving the clan he gave everything to protect.

Twenty-one-year-old, foul-mouthed Olympian Sullivan Meadows just made a huge mistake. She told her bodyguards - her buddies, her pals - they could take her virginity. Words forever engrained in her brain. And theirs. Akara Kitsuwon and Banks Moretti are best friends, sworn to protect each other and their client Sullivan. But upon hearing her confession, their reactions aren’t what Sulli expects. As the three embark on the road to Yellowstone, tension builds and close quarters leave no secrets behind.

Trapped aboard the Undying's ancient spaceship and reeling from the truth they've uncovered, Mia and Jules are desperate to warn their home about what's coming. After a perilous escape, they crash-land on Earth's surface - but Jules and Mia can hardly fathom their new predicament: No one believes them. Because the threat against Earth is hiding in plain sight. A mounting global crisis is taking shape, starting with a mysterious illness that seems to reduce its victims to a regressed state.

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. Until half-human, half-fey Meghan Chase won his icy heart and bound him to her with his oath to be her knight. But Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive. With an unlikely band of allies, Ash seeks a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan’s side. To stay in the Iron Realm, he must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must endure to earn these things are impossible.

Launch day. That was what they called it. The day when over four million people vanished in an instant from the island of Manhattan. The day earthquakes ravaged the east coast. The day a 101-kilometer tall tower rose from the wreckage of the now empty city. The day every screen, newspaper, and smart phone displayed a single message from an unknown source: The Great Emperor has issued his challenge.

An alien invasion comes to one man’s doorstep in the form of a story-creature, followed by death and rebirth in a transformed Earth, in this Tor.com Original science fiction tale from Jeff VanderMeer, the New York Times best-selling author of the Southern Reach trilogy.

In Power, Freedom, and Grace, Deepak Chopra considers the mystery of our existence and its significance in our eternal quest for happiness. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where do I go when I die? Chopra draws upon the ancient philosophy of Vedanta and the findings of modern science to help us understand and experience our true nature, which is a field of pure consciousness.

1893: Newlyweds Captain Jim Agnihotri and Diana Framji are settling into their new home in Boston, Massachusetts, having fled the strict social rules of British-ruled Bombay. It's a different life than what they left behind, but theirs is no ordinary marriage: Jim, now a detective at the Dupree Agency, is teaching Diana the art of deduction he’s learned from his idol, Sherlock Holmes.

Rome, 58 AD. Aemilius Valerius is on the up and up. His reputation has been rehabilitated, he has established a fledgling career, and he has new friends in very powerful places. When one of those new friends, the poet Lucan, is attacked, Valerius is given an offer he can’t refuse: find the culprits before they strike again. But when every man in Lucan’s circle of poets and playwrights and artists is potentially a suspect, each one of them competing for the emperor’s favor, how is Valerius supposed to tell the difference between petty jealousy and murderous rage?

The capital lies in ruins and Damien is no closer to finding Connor Blackman. Now word has come Damien's invincible father has fallen in battle. Damien and Jen set aside everything to hunt down the monster responsible. Meanwhile in the haunted lands, Connor is busy building an army of unstoppable soldiers. With Connor and Damien on a collision course, Jen and a handful of allies struggle to hold the pass that separates the kingdom from the haunted lands.

Aaron and Sarah have defeated the High King, but the danger of war is far from over. As they relentlessly hunt down rogue Elitesman strongholds, they know General Halcylon and the Zekara won't stay in hiding for long. Battles of terrifying proportion are imminent, and it will take the combined forces of all the kingdoms to stop the Hythariam army. Little do they know that their actions could have disastrous and apocalyptic consequences.

Riadne’s bloody coup on the Summer Solstice changed Arlo’s life forever. In one fell swoop and a fool’s bargain, she lost both her family and free will to the newly crowned High Queen. Now, with Arlo forced to use her powers as Luck’s Hollow Star to help summon the rest of the seven deadly sins, Riadne stands closer than ever to achieving her dark goals. And Arlo isn’t the only one trapped in a frightening new role. Her ex-Fury girlfriend, Nausicaä, is determined to do whatever it takes to stay by Arlo’s side, even if that means becoming Riadne’s pet assassin.

Aboard a freighter bound for Baltimore harbor, an Iranian terrorist prepares to unleash an unimaginable horror upon the United States. The "Wrath" is an undead plague - an infection that consumes its victims with a maddening rage and turns them into mindless bloodthirsty killers. Jack Cutter is just an ordinary guy dealing with a dreadful guilt when the virus tears through his home town. Before it's too late, Cutter will have to find a way to survive, and find a reason to fight: his redemption.

The fruit of the long history of John Brockman's profound engagement with the most important scientific minds who have been thinking about AI - from Alison Gopnik and David Deutsch to Frank Wilczek and Stephen Wolfram - Possible Minds is an ideal introduction to the landscape of crucial issues AI presents. The collision between opposing perspectives is salutary and exhilarating; some of these figures are deeply concerned with the threat of AI, including the existential one, while others have a very different view.

Snagging a date? Not a problem. But one that meets my special requirements? As the premier best-man-for hire in all of Manhattan, I promise discretion, so when I need a plus one for a couple of I dos, she needs to be A-Plus in reliability. Fortunately, I have a brilliant solution in asking my best friend's sister to go on my arm. Truly is my good friend, too, and I trust her completely.

Damien St. Cloud is a failure. Born with the most powerful soul force anyone has ever seen, he can't get it to work. The next in a long line of warlords, Damien is a disappointment to his legendary father and a weakling compared to his perfect sister. Everything changes when a visiting sorcerer proclaims Damien isn't a warlord at all but a sorcerer! Damien is thrust into a world of magic and intrigue, war and death. Behind the scenes a dark and ancient evil is rising once more, intent on destroying everything Damien cares about.

RuPaul Andre Charles always knew he was meant to be a performer. Even as a young child, he loved to dress up and imitate the glamorous women he saw on television. When he turned 15, he began studying theater in a performing arts school in Atlanta and never looked back. Ru developed his drag-queen personality and launched his career in the 1980s. He now hosts and judges the widely popular and long-running show RuPaul's Drag Race, which has raised the profile of the art of drag and drag queens around the world.