Showing results by narrator "Rob Brinkmann" in All Categories

The first three Starsea Cycle books bundled together. Science got us to space. Magic got us to the stars. The discovery of the Gates opened the stars to humanity—and awakened the Manifold, a force that gave certain people the power to command nature itself. These mages could ignite infernos, reshape matter, move objects with their minds, and even bend the wills of others. But every mage eventually begins to Fray. After their powers nearly destroyed civilization in the Mage War, the League of Worlds took control.

How does a nobody like me become a wizard? There are no nobodies, only people who haven't been placed in the correct story. Mine begins on Earth, where an education in comparative literature prepared me for a distinguished career selling timeshares from a call center. My daughter deserved better than the life I could give her. My wife had long stopped expecting me to provide it. Then an earthquake buried me beneath my office, and amid the rubble appeared a portal of blue light. Naturally, I stepped through.

Justin Talemaker just got kicked out of his online gaming guild for being "that guy." Twenty-five years old, no job, no prospects, living in his mother's basement—and now he can't even keep his raid team together. Then a freak Oklahoma tornado flings him into Eyrth, a world governed by actual LitRPG mechanics, and a strange voice offers him a second chance: choose your class. Any sensible protagonist would roll a warrior or a mage. But Justin makes a different bet: the obscure Socialite class. All in on Charisma, betting everything on the skills that have always let him down.

The destiny of the Worlds rests on the shoulders of one young mage—and he isn't sure he's ready. Lucian Abrantes has survived the impossible, but his greatest trials are still ahead. Marked by the Manifold and drawn into an ancient prophecy, Lucian must search for the lost secrets of magic before they fall into the wrong hands. But he is not the only one seeking them—and there are those who would use their power to reshape the galaxy in their own image.

Lucian has achieved the improbable with his acceptance into the prestigious Volsung Academy. Now, he must do something even more difficult: survive it. As a Novice, he must learn the fundamentals of magic while navigating Academy politics. Lucian must not only pass the grueling Trials but survive other mages' mechanizations. But doing that is difficult when he's being left behind.

Lucian dreams of a new life outside the cesspool of Earth. Unfortunately, his wish comes true when the government identifies him as a mage. No one knows why the mages are being born. No one knows why their powers lead to madness and death in a terrifying disease known as "the fraying". The only solution is to quarantine the mages in academies.

The end of Lucian's journey has begun—and the fate of the Worlds hangs in the balance. Lucian Abrantes has survived impossible trials and claimed powers few mages could ever hope to wield. But becoming the Chosen of the Manifold has brought dangers of its own. A darkness is growing within him, and a powerful rival is willing to embrace forces Lucian fears to touch. Before he can fulfill his destiny, he must master his own magic—and decide how much of himself he is willing to sacrifice. Meanwhile, humanity is running out of time. The Worlds are fracturing. Ancient enemies are closing in.

The Swarmers are on the move. As star systems fall one by one, the League of Worlds begins to fragment. The Dread Pirate Zheng Yang advances her Golden Armada toward the League's core, bringing either death or salvation. The Prophet Sharo Khalin consolidates a theocracy, while the League of Worlds concentrates everything toward a last-ditch defense. Unknown to all these major players, the Worlds' only hope lies in Lucian Abrantes, his crew, their starship, and of course, the powerful Orbs of Starsea. But even these powerful artifacts might not be enough to survive the dark days ahead.

Hounded by the relentless Baron Valdrik, Justin and his companions plunge into the forgotten halls of Drakendir. As the Baron closes in, Justin finds himself thrust into one danger after another: trolls, feuding goblins, mysteries, and creatures of darkness. With no choice but to evolve from a reluctant adventurer into a confident leader, Justin arms himself with newfound skills, boons, gear, and his newly adopted Focus. He may finally stand as an equal to the enemies pursuing him. Somewhere in the bitter cold of the North, his greatest challenge awaits.

Lucian Abrantes and his companions have done the impossible. They have gathered the Orbs, found the First Gate, and entered the Light Realm. But finishing the job has dire consequences never foreseen, and things in the Light Realm are far more complicated than initially thought.

Updated with an introduction by Joe Manganiello and extensive new content for the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the fascinating and authoritative history of Dungeons & Dragons that “tracks D&D’s turbulent rise, fall, and survival, from its heyday in the 1980s…to the 21st...

Lucian may have bested the cunning Sorceress-Queen of Psyche, but his journey of survival is just beginning. When he learns the location of the Prophecy of the Seven, he has no choice but to embrace his destiny as the Chosen of the Manifold and find it. Only the prophecy can lead him to the rest of the Seven Aspects of Magic. But, the prophecy is in the last place he wants to go: the Golden Palace of Dara, the seat of the powerful Sorceress-Queen.

After countless trials, Lucian has collected multiple Orbs, and has almost proven himself to be the true Chosen of the Manifold. Only one person stands in his way: Xara Mallis, the Psion of Darkness.Lucian is not ready to face her. With each Orb he gains, the Shadow that follows him grows ever stronger.

Lucian must do what no mage has ever done before: Escape the Mad Moon. But between frayed mages, violent monsters, and the hostile environment, that may prove impossible. Wandering the brutal surface, every breath is a fight for survival. And things only get worse when Lucian receives visions from the so-called Sorceress-Queen of Psyche, whose Psionic Magic is second to none. Teaming up with a dedicated captain, a frayed mage, and a former Mage-Knight of Dara, Lucian sets off on a quest across Psyche. He needs a way off the moon for good.

Long lost since the disappearance of Arian, the prophecy of the Seven holds the key to finding the rest of the orbs. If Lucian can find it, it would all but assure his position as the true chosen of the manifold. The only problem? He doesn't know where in the worlds it is. When he receives a mysterious vision from an old friend, he drops everything to return to Volsung, the planet he’d hoped to never see again. Only there can he find a clue that might lead him to the true prophecy—the one penned by the hand of Arian himself.

On the moon of Psyche, Lucian Abrantes, the Chosen of the Manifold, must start from humble beginnings, growing his single world into an empire. He must unite disparate factions that don’t recognize his legitimacy.

Jillian Nejat is the only dating and relationship expert on the planet who is incapable of speaking to men. If they’re living, if they’re breathing, it’s game over. With her bank account at zero, her career a dumpster fire, and her dating life in a 10-year slump, she moves into a tiny, dirt-cheap NYC apartment. Unfortunately, the apartment is already occupied. Daniel (no-last-name) is a sexy, shirtless, six-pack wielding heartthrob who is also...dead.

Lucian Abrantes and the Starsea Fleet have driven back the Alkasen. While the Worlds rebuild and recover from the brutal war, the Ancient One threatens to undo the uneasy peace. On the world of Mako, the Ancient One has done the unthinkable. Marshaling the ether of the Source of Power, he has escaped through a Time Gate, an action that threatens to unravel Lucian's heroism and even reality itself.

A tense and atmospheric Midwestern domestic suspense perfect for readers of All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers and All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham. On a warm Fourth of July night in Duck Lake, Michigan, the Wentworths’ world shattered. As fireworks lit up the sky, Richie and...

"Author Shannon Hale narrates as a full cast enacts the drama of her sixth-grade year in this adaptation of the middle volume of her graphic memoir trilogy. Portraying young Shannon, Mia Jenness evokes excitement, uncertainty, and hurt--painfully and exquisitely--as she picks her way through a...