Showing results by narrator "Ian M. Hawkins" in All Categories

Although we know little about the ancient Druids, their reputation for wisdom and harmony with nature lives on. Today, Druidry is a vibrant, diverse movement with groups and practitioners on every continent but Antarctica. Spiritual rather than religious—more an attitude than an ideology—it can be embraced by people from different faiths and backgrounds. Archdruid John Michael Greer explores the history and basics of Druidry; how to perform Druidic rituals, meditation, and divination; elements of the lifestyle; and advice for placing less of a burden on the Earth.

Twelve-year-old Gan dreams of becoming a Lamplighter, one of the young heroes with their flaming spears who light the city's streetlamps and keep the darkness at bay. Gan's dream comes true—until his lamplighter crew gets ambushed beyond the wall, and his beloved brother Brall is carried away by vexors. Gan vows to get him back, but his only remaining companion is Lyona, the ill-tempered daughter of the city's most notorious miscreant.

Moderate Conservatism: Reclaiming the Center by John Kekes is a response to attacks on the United States' 300-year-old constitutional democracy by extremists on the left and the right. It makes a reasoned case for moderation and the defense of a political system that has endured because it has balanced the often-conflicting claims of justice, liberty, equality, prosperity, and security. That balance is now threatened by extremists who ignore all else but their grievances.

Twelve-year-old Porter would much rather spend his weekends playing soccer than channeling spirits in the parallel universe of Pericael. Unfortunately for him, Porter's family has guarded the gate between Earth and monster-filled Pericael for generations, so he's not getting out of Gatekeeper lessons anytime soon.

School isn’t easy when you’re the son of the world’s greatest stage magician, but Nathan has always managed to get along - until now. Not only is he having dodgeball problems, he’s got to sing in front of the whole school and learn to drive a tractor. And when his father disappears during his latest world tour, it’s up to Nathan to track him down. Can he get through to the Bureau of Missing Persons? Can he escape the strange figures who keep appearing outside his window? And can he persuade a group of birds to help him get to the faraway land where his father is captive?

Twelve-year old Caleb Wallace has spent his summer at Autumn Springs, coaxing his papa out of his room when he's grumpy, attempting to gain the affections of a certain nurse, and pulling himself together when his grandpa looks right into him with nothing but a dull stare. Seems the only thing that puts a light in Papa Clem's eyes is a family heirloom - an old folktale involving Robert Johnson's harmonica down in Arkansas. Caleb is happy to listen; two things Papa Clem can still do well are tell a story and play the blues.

I’m not like those other freaks. The kids who can look inside your head and bring your nightmares to life. The weirdos who can steal your luck or make a thing true just by wishing it. The outliers born from the mess that followed Armageddon. The ones you call Moonflowers, half mockingly and half afraid. They’re the mistakes that humanity hates - and needs. I’m not like them. I’m worse. And I’m the only thing standing between you and the legions of heaven and hell. (Petal - The Armageddon-Lite Archives)

Samuel has grown accustomed to the mindless routine of the last human colony. Life is good for him and the other survivors: prefabricated meals three times a day, a freshly made bed each night, and hours in between with nothing to do but play and relax. But when the machines that regulate their community begin to malfunction, Samuel and the other colonists face a test for the first time in their existence.