Showing results by narrator "Gareth Richards" in All Categories

To date, more than a million insect species have been described, with probably at least another 5-8 million species waiting in the wings for a name. Insects are a fascinatingly diverse and beautiful spectrum of animals. They range in size from the tiny parasitic wasp, measuring a mere 139µm, to the aptly named Titan beetle, which can reach lengths of up to 17cm. They can be found on all continents of the world, from the Sahara Desert to the frozen wastes of Antarctica. While no insects live beneath the waves, the intrepid sea skaters skim the surface of some of the world's oceans.

The names of few medieval monarchs and their queens are better known than Eleanor of Aquitaine, uniquely queen of France and queen of England, and her second husband Henry II. Although academically labeled "medieval," their era was the violent transition from the Dark Ages, when countries' borders were defined with fire and sword. If princes fought for their succession to crowns, the princesses were traded—usually by their mothers—to strangers for political power without the bloodshed.

For more than a millennium, the Byzantine Empire presided over the juncture between East and West, as well as the transition from the classical to the modern world. Rather than recounting the standard chronology of emperors and battles, leading Byzantium scholar Jonathan Harris focuses on a succession of archetypal figures, families, places, and events.

An inviting and accessible new translation of Aristotle's complete Poetics—the first and best introduction to the art of writing and understanding stories.

The Black Plague's terrible toll never ends, unleashing a new wave of zombies with disastrous consequences. Low on hope, Knight Alaric von Mertz and his companions flee their crumbling sanctuary, and soon come under the unlikely wing of murderous pirates. There, they learn of a legendary artifact called Mournshroud that could destroy swathes of the undead, but to claim it they must defeat an evil sorceress on an isolated island. Guarded by a dragon! A knight's honor demands he defend his kingdom, no matter the cost.

2024 marks both the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Churchill himself. This book brings together General Lord Dannatt, one of Britain's most respected contemporary military leaders, and former head of the British Army, with Allen Packwood, one of the world's foremost Churchill experts, the archivist responsible for the holdings at the landmark Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge. Together they take us through the decision-making for the planning and execution of D-Day.

A group of unlikely heroes are all that stand in the way of humanity's demise as the zombie apocalypse engulfs the kingdom in this high fantasy adventure set in the world of Zombicide: Black Plague.

In our spine-chilling homage to the late, great Dennis Wheatley and the inimitable Hammer Horror films spawned from his works, HellBound Books presents 20 superlatively satanic stories guaranteed to have you fearing for your very soul. A whole host of hell's denizens skulk within this audiobook, waiting with growing impatience for the brave of heart - or the relentlessly foolhardy - to make their otherworldly acquaintance, so please, do venture inside. If you dare....

When Knight Alaric von Mertz loses his family to a ravenous zombie horde, he swears revenge on the necromancer responsible. But a quest for vengeance is no easy matter in a world overrun by the walking dead. Joined by a rogue, a witch hunter, a novice wizard, and a dwarf demolition master, Alaric's journey leads him from fire moats to the zombie-ridden catacombs of the witch hunters to uncover a spell book of insurmountable power. As zombies claw and bite, Alaric fears he will never avenge his family. For in this age of the undead, betrayal and magic lurk around every corner.

Explore the deadly elegance of finance's hidden powerhouse. The Money Formula takes you inside the engine room of the global economy to explore the little-understood world of quantitative finance, and show how the future of our economy rests on the backs of this all-but-impenetrable industry. This book traces the development of financial derivatives from bonds to credit default swaps, and shows how mathematical formulas went beyond pricing to expand their use to the point where they dwarfed the real economy.

Heaven's Gate was a video game Alfred didn't intentionally join. In fact, it wasn't technically a video game. Alfred had somehow ended up on a planet millions of miles away from Earth, but with dungeons, hot girls, and strange creatures appearing at every turn...It almost seemed like a normal world until he discovered that in the planet, Heaven's Gate, your dreams could come true if you were brave enough to enter into the hardest dungeons.

Spicy never wanted anything more than to spend his days in the goblin library as the sage’s apprentice. But his sister Thistle already had the job. Spicy’s dreams are shattered when a human army burns down his village. His sister is abducted and the sage vanishes.

Caught within the horror that has become his life, Lucius Benedict waits patiently for his savior to come, preferably an angel who can ease his heart and release him from his cursed existence. When the sudden appearance of a russet-haired beauty postpones his execution, Lucius can not quite believe his luck. However, he will not waste his freedom and makes plans to prove his estranged wife died by the hand of another.

Burned-out chef, and a bit of a hippy at heart if he's honest, Max Effort has had enough. He's packed in his job at a swanky Michelin three-star restaurant, grown his hair, berated his parents yet again for giving him such a "go get 'em" name, accepted he's never going to get his ex-wife back, and he's hitting the road.

The streets of Whitechapel are a savage place to grow up, especially during the terrible winter of 1895. Even before she was brought into the world, the odds were stacked against Effie Wilson. Born to two irresponsible, alcoholic parents, Effie is the eldest of five children - none of whom really stand a chance. Matters are made even worse when Effie’s parents disappear one day, never to return. Her only hope could rest in Willie Green, a sweet boy with bright hazel eyes who comes and goes from Effie’s life. If only she knew when he might appear again...

Alone, unprepared, and weak. These are generally the words used to describe Britain's position in 1940, part of a narrative that has been built up ever since the end of World War II. However, the reality is very different. On land, sea, and in the air, Britain was prepared. It had the most powerful navy in the world; the RAF was relatively strong, but more importantly, was operating as part of a plan and a joined-up group system that was in reality never in any real danger of being defeated; even the post-Dunkirk British Army was better armed than the post-war narrative tells us.

5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia during a terrible drought, Jomar and Zefa's father must send his children away to the city of Ur because he can no longer feed them. At fourteen, Jomar is old enough to apprentice with Sidah, a master goldsmith for the temple of the moongod, but there is no place for Zefa in Sidah's household. Zefa, a talented but untrained musician, is forced to play her music and sing for alms on the streets of Ur.

Anxious the Jack Russell Terrier has a poorly paw. Burned-out chef and van life convert Max Effort will do anything for his best friend, even if that means a visit to the vets and the inevitable whining. Stopping in Harlech on the Welsh coast means they can get the little guy sorted out and take in the sights, too, even if Anxious is less than keen on visiting the doctor!

Josh Ridley is an overworked, underappreciated accountant caught up in life’s grind. All that changes when he is offered an adventure vacation that allows him to be miniaturized and placed in an unforgiving terrain filled with demons and demon lords, or to laymen...killer insects. In Betaloome, an infested terrarium with a land area equivalent to hundreds of square miles, Josh’s new god-like abilities make him adored by women, admired by men, and able to slay monsters.

Max Effort never thought he'd find himself at The Dead Crow's sixth annual pickled onion festival, but serendipity is a peculiar thing, so here he stood. He didn't care, because his two best friends-Min his ex-wife, and Anxious the Terrier-were with him so life was sweet. When the pub's chef goes missing, Max reluctantly agrees to step in and save the day. Having vowed never to enter a commercial kitchen again, he soon regrets the decision, especially when the chef is found dead in a broom closet with a jar of pickled onions.