Showing results by narrator "Mark Rice-Oxley" in All Categories

The Empire rules with an iron fist. The Valeroot elves have barely managed to survive, but at least they’re not Arthali witches like Elmerah. Her people were exiled long ago. Just a child at the time, her only choice was to flee her homeland, or remain among those who’d betrayed their own kind. She was resigned to living out her solitary life in a swamp until pirates kidnap her and throw her in with their other captives, young women destined to be sold into slavery.

Life has the capacity of great moments and attainment, of lives well lived, fulfilling for ourselves and for those we touch. But for others life is arduous. There is no spark to ignite the curiosity, to explore and achieve a stability and a growth to their lives. Indeed their lives, in their own eyes, become almost meaningless, their sense of themselves subsumed under a myriad of problems, whether real or imagined. Seismic events in a life might crush them; the loss of a loved one for instance. Coping is difficult, support hard to find and isolation abounds.

Guy de Maupassant is justly revered as one of the strongest proponents of the short story. The miniature gems he created are woven from the many worlds and strata of society that surrounded him. From feuds and revenge to tales of avarice and friendship de Maupassant is the master of all and second to none.

Stefan Zweig was born on the 28th November 1881 in Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and into a wealthy Jewish family with interests in banking and textiles. Zweig first published in 1900 and two decades later was a popular and highly regarded author in many parts of the world, although not in England. He was also the librettist with Richard Strauss of two operas and a keen collector of autographed musical manuscripts. His collection of over two hundred pieces was later donated to the British Library.

Finn thought she had found her happy ending, but she hadn’t considered the consequences of breaking the barrier to the in-between. The land is in chaos. Mages are pitted against non-magical humans, and the Faie are a threat to all. A powerful magic as old as time itself has returned to the land, and its sole intent to is to restore balance...and to punish those who threw everything off to begin with. Finn is one such person. Will she be powerful enough to stand up to an ancient god, or will the ones she loves pay the price for her actions?

One of the greatest cities has fallen, betrayed by its own people. Yet Saida’s loss is even greater, and for her pain, someone must pay. Though the events of the battle were orchestrated by the Emperor, her heart casts blame on only one elf. While Elmerah and Alluin work toward the next step in their plan, Saida can think of only him.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. The zenith of Empire is bookended by two catastrophic wars that slaughter vast swathes of humanity. And yet authors manage to record and create fragile libraries of humanity, its talents, its dreams and increasingly its nightmares.

A storm is brewing, pitting dragons against mortals, gods against Faie, and in the middle is Finn. Her magic is changing. Traps seem to lurk around every corner. The greatest trap of all, perhaps, is making a deal with a dragon, but she sees no other choice. If she doesn’t stand against the gods, no one will. Even if it means destroying who she is to become something else in the process.

Faerune is running out of time. With the threat of the Dreilore nipping at their heels, our unlikely companions have only one choice: to move forward with Alluin’s mad plan to overthrow the Empire. The emperor must be killed, and the Dreilore defeated, but first, Isara Saredoth must be located. She’s the only rational choice for empress, someone both humans and elves alike can support. Elmerah, Alluin, and Saida will brave the Akkeri temples to find their empress, but Isara may not be exactly what they expected. In fact, some think her quite mad.

The heartbeat of the land thrums louder and faster, like soldiers charging into war. Finn drew a line in the sand when she used the faie to attack her enemy. There is no going back from what she has become. And she’s done running.

Our ‘fight of flight’ response is something hardwired into the primitive part of our brain. Our need to survive, to outlive whatever danger poses, that immediate threat to our lives is little short of a marvel. Everything else is abandoned in order to survive. Whilst in modern times that ability has been somewhat modified and ‘reasoned’ away to an extent, in past years it’s what usually kept you alive. In this volume people struggle valiantly to survive and to exist no matter the extent of the threat they face.

When you find out your best friend and business partner is secretly sleeping with your wife, it may be time to move on.... From your job and your marriage.... Which is precisely what happened to Jamie Newgent. A change of lifestyle is what’s needed, and a bachelor pad on the fourth floor of a jutting tower provides a new home, a fresh start, and a new chapter in his life.

This audio study guide for Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis includes detailed summary and analysis of each chapter and an in-depth exploration of the book’s multiple symbols, motifs, and themes such as identity, obsessive love, and faith. Featured content also includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay questions, and discussion topics.

This audiobook is written for startup founders to prepare them for successful fund raising for their company. From working on the core components of the startup to preparation of right documents and pitching to the investors, this audiobook covers all key aspects of fund raising. Atal Malviya, the founder of Spark10 has built and exited VC funded companies and has also helped hundreds of startups in raising investment globally.

At an advanced academic institute in Canberra, Josh and Alice meet scientists Henry and Vanessa Jones who are experimenting with mind transference. The four of them combine their technology to try and project their minds back through time into their younger bodies, thus achieving immortality. After some initial success, unforeseen implications become apparent.

Since first contact with the Vehni, an alien race, the human colonists of New London, Mars, have been enjoying the benefits of shared Vehni technology. But when ambassadors from Earth attempt to hijack the Vehni ship in orbit, everything the colonists thought they knew about their alien allies is thrown into question.

Franz Kafka was born on 3rd July 1883 in Prague, then in Bohemia, the eldest of 6, into a middle-class Jewish family. Life for the young Kafka and his passion for literature was often made an ordeal by his over-bearing and domineering entrepreneur of a father. His literary works are few in number but towering in influence. His masterpieces include ‘The Trial’, ‘The Metamorphosis’ as well as a number of short stories which reveal facets of humankind that truthfully could only be born from Kafka’s brain and pen.

The tantalising brief of a secret government project from the Cold War era. But, it can’t be real, can it? Toby Steele is a typical night shift tech support guy, working alone, mostly in peace, until something strange happens on the night of the 22nd of February, 2022. At 22:22:22—One moment that changes his life, forever. How will he deal with the new skills he’s acquired, and what do they mean for his future? What secrets has a one-hundred-year-old lady in a care home kept from the world for more than half a century?

Discover unspeakable acts of brutality and violence in this volume of 12 shocking true crime cases. If you’re fascinated by the stories of both killers and victims, and how police work with forensics and evidence in pursuit of coldblooded murderers, this captivating book is for you, taking you on a journey through some of the most unforgettable murders in recent times.

The promised cure for obesity turned out to be the catalyst that made the Black Death look like a quiet Sunday stroll. It infected hundreds, then thousands, then millions, until the world was all but consumed by the ravenous hordes it created. They found their way into every safe haven and fortress and massacred the few remaining survivors at will.