Showing results by narrator "Ryan Burke" in All Categories

Heinrich de Gramont's petition to the king to release Max Renard from his duty to serve at Westerly Fort has been signed. Max's debt to the crown has been paid. And now his "doting" uncle expects his wayward and petulant nephew to come to the capital at once so he can be wed to Viscountess Aurelie de Marbot. Max knows there's no getting out of a trip to the capital this time. Also, beyond personal affairs, he has a lot of questions both for his father's brother and a number of maternal relatives.

It's the Hollywood of the future, where moviemaking's been computerized and live-action films are a thing of the past. It's a Hollywood where Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe are starring together in A Star Is Born, and if you don't like the ending, you can change it with the stroke of a key. A Hollywood of warm bodies and sim-sex, of drugs and special effects, where anything is possible. Except for what one starry-eyed young woman wants to do: dance in the movies.

The real world is gone.... Now Clay's digital home is under threat. An army of powerful NPCs is on the approach, a whole nation determined to enslave the players from Earth. Clay has been given the one rare quest that might be able to stop them. He has four days to complete the task. His second chance is on the line. There won't be a third.

Captain Dominic Holland leads a crew of skilled covert operatives and talented scientific personnel. He's taken them to all corners of the Earth to protect the United States from biological and chemical warfare. When his CIA handler, Meredith Webb, gives him a mission to investigate a disturbing lead on a laboratory based out of an abandoned oil rig, they discover the most terrifying threat to mankind they've ever faced - a genetically engineered biological weapon called the Oni Agent.

Digitally reincarnated into the world's most powerful online video game, Clay must now find out what's happening on the outside to save those living in his world. On top of this, he's been pushed into a quest by a young paranoid king, nations are preparing for war, and a malevolent glitch continues its path of destruction.

When Pete Etchells was 13, his father died from motor neurone disease. In order to cope, he immersed himself in a virtual world - first as an escape, but later to try to understand what had happened. Etchells is now a researcher into the psychological effects of video games, and was co-author on a recent paper explaining why WHO plans to classify "game addiction" as a danger to public health are based on bad science and (he thinks) are a bad idea. In this, his first book, he journeys through the history and development of video games via scientific study....

Having returned to Herouxville, capital of Vestonia, Max Renard has found himself drawn into the dangerous game of courtly intrigue. King Carl III is ill and weakened by his wounds. This leads to tensions between the various princely parties at court. The struggle for influence inside the country is spilling over onto a whole new level. Carl III's foreign enemies are taking advantage of his weakness and ramping up their pressure.

Konung Bjørn Sharptooth, ruler of Vintervald, has announced a Great Trial. Whoever emerges victorious shall be wed to the Konung's daughter, Princess Astrid. In accordance with ancient custom, for the duration of the Great Trial, a ceasefire is declared in Northland. Sworn enemies in the midst of bloody war must put down their weapons, and all those worthy of the princess' hand may come to the capital to try their luck.

Why would a collector of ancient American artifacts hand over his prized pieces to a historian and then shoot himself in the head? And why does an ancient Templar scroll in his possession refer to Jesus as "The Thief on the Cross"? The answers place historian Cameron Thorne at the dangerous intersection of secret American history and modern geopolitical intrigue.

A pyramid predating all known cultures appears without warning. Its discovery throws into question everything we know about the origins of mankind. Inside lies incredible technology, proof of a culture far more advanced than our own. Something dark lurks within, eager to resume a war as old as mankind. When it is unleashed it heralds the end of our species’ reign.

Crime reporter Joe Carpenter lost his wife and two daughters in the crash of Flight 353. Joe is unable to work, think, or do anything but grieve, and wait for his own death. Then Joe meets Rose, a woman who claims to be the crash’s sole survivor. But before Joe can probe further, the elusive Rose slips away and Joe is left with haunting questions: If Rose lived through the crash, is it possible his family could have survived it, too? Did the authorities conspire to hide what really happened that night? Joe’s search for the truth will shatter him - and force him to question everything he thinks he knows about life and death.

Log-in or die. Those are the only choices left for Clay Hopewell. Infected with the ZERO virus, he has less than 24 hours before he bites the dust. With no cure available, there's only one option left: digitally reincarnate himself in the most advanced virtual reality game ever, the mysterious and newly released Arcane Kingdom Online. But cheating death and gaining immortality isn't that easy. If Clay survives the risky cognitive upload process, he'll still have to contend with a fantasy world teetering on the brink of crisis.

Fighting, apocalyptic quests, endless danger—it's nice to get a break from that kind of thing sometimes. Why not escape into a world where fighting isn't the only way to level up? Come to a place where you'll get a mug of tasty beer and a bowl of hearty winter stew to warm your belly. A place with bookstores owned by grouchy satyrs, and bakeries where delicious sweet treats are guaranteed. Does that sound like just what you need? If so, you're in luck.

Jason McKay and Shannon Stark, two young Republic Space Fleet Intelligence officers, are given the leadership of a new special ops unit. The mission? Guard the spoiled daughter of an important senator. Neither thought the mission would be anything more than babysitting....Until the aliens invaded the colony. Implacable, relentless, merciless - the armored creatures will slaughter anyone. Survival will be the least of their challenges, as Jason and Shannon are forced to weigh the lives of the people they lead, and the ones they love, against their duty, honor, and planet.

Technical Chief "Pappy" Gunther is a grizzled, burning out commando in the United Earth Armed Forces. He ponders a return to civilian life, yet feels a strong sense of belonging to his elite team. When colonists on a far-flung world request aid, a task force from several allied systems is assembled. Pappy and his crack unit are sent to investigate and to engage a mysterious alien force from beyond.

When the Solus Hegemony’s profit margins are threatened, expendable soldiers are called in to foot the bill—one bloody conquest at a time. Noah Rivers is one such soldier. Raised from birth with a single objective—obtain eternal glory through death in service to the galaxy’s most notorious corporate empire.

Congo already faced the extreme ravages of war before the outbreak. Deep within the militia-controlled jungles, Captain Dominic Holland and his covert group, the Hunters, follow a lead in a desperate race to uncover who is responsible for the biological weapon turning humans into the monsters known as Skulls. But what they uncover may be far more dangerous and frightening than they ever expected. Back in the US, a lost member of Dom's team faces a relentless tide of Skulls alone. The fate of the Hunters and their mission may rest in his hands.

The Purge decimated the planet almost a year ago, leaving small bands of humanity scrambling to find sanctuary from the hordes of unkillable monsters that reside in the darkness. Keo is one of the few who made it through that harrowing first night. Trapped in a small town in Louisiana, he finds himself joining forces with a group of strangers to make sense of what's happening.

Now, shattered and stuck behind enemy lines, the remnants of Alpha Company struggle to survive. Between them and escape stand three Planetstriders, thousand-meter monstrosities capable of destroying an orbiting capital ship. In order to survive, they must disable these titanic war machines, an impossible task made even more difficult by the discovery of a terrible secret - one that must reach fleet command, no matter the cost.

How do you know whether a real-world situation calls for a storybook hero? Is there such a thing as a knight in shining armor, or does every good deed come with unintended consequences? With chilling insight, five bestselling crime writers explore what it means to rise to the occasion—and the space between intentions and results.