Showing results by narrator "Nick Michaels" in All Categories

Jay-Z: Made in America is the fruit of Michael Eric Dyson’s decade of teaching the work of one of the greatest poets this nation has produced, as gifted a wordsmith as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Rita Dove. But as a rapper, he’s sometimes not given the credit he deserves for just how great an artist he’s been for so long.

The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction—power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends—Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ—meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray—Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn’t have any friends yet.

The glaciers of the Sierra Nevada are melting, destroying the habitat of the mastodons, creating the rich land that will become California. The coastal people struggle to understand the changing world around them: Their seer Sunchaser has lost his way to the Spirit World and mammoths continue to disappear. When a beautiful woman arrives, fleeing from her abusive husband, the people know what they must do - for if the Spirits are already taking the animals away, what will happen if they shelter a stranger?

Goalie Brad Spencer is flying high after his team clinches the Cup and names him their MVP. Like his teammates, he’s ready to celebrate - ideally with someone in his bed. When he slips off to a gay bar, he meets someone who’s gorgeous, willing, and...absolutely the last man he should be touching. Head coach Anthony Caruso just wants to have a few drinks and get laid to soothe the sting of his team losing the Cup.

Life can kick us when we are down. In Shawn Speakman's case, he is fighting back. Lacking health insurance and diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2011, Speakman beat the disease as well as the massive medical debt he amassed from its treatment. He did this by publishing Unfettered, an anthology featuring short stories donated by some of the best science fiction and fantasy writers working today. Speakman has again collaborated with celebrated genre authors to publish Unfettered II.

Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons - bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.

A rookie, his teammate, and his best friend from a rival team. What could possibly go wrong? Seattle Snowhawks rookie Justin Reid has it bad for his teammate Shawn Kelleher. It’s just his luck that Shawn’s got a crush too...on Justin’s best friend, Vancouver Narwhal center Keith Adams. When Shawn lets it slip at the worst possible moment that he wants Keith, Justin is hurt, but what can he do? He steers Keith in Shawn’s direction and lets chemistry do the rest.

Two hundred years after the events chronicled in Deathstalker Destiny, it is a Golden Age for the Human Empire. Lewis Deathstalker is a remote descendant of the legendary Owen and foremost among the Paragons, an elite force of noble warriors in service to a benevolent constitutional monarchy.

In the realm of Imphallion, there once was a nightmare - a living nightmare known only as the Terror of the East. Nigh invulnerable in his magical black armor and aided by unholy minions, he laid waste to all in his path on his all-consuming quest to bring order to the land. His order. Then, at what should have been his moment of triumph, his will failed. And his army fell. Taking a young noblewoman as hostage, he escaped, vanishing into darkest memory.

When an envoy arrives from the secretive Russian werewolf pack, Roanoke alphas Silver and Andrew Dare are instantly suspicious. Tatiana claims she has been sent to locate an heirloom, lost by immigrants centuries ago, but she and the alphas both suspect that Russia fears the strength of the newly-united, continent-spanning Roanoke pack. What Tatiana doesn't realize is that her pack is willing to sacrifice even their own trained spy for their goals.

Mick Oberon may look like just another 1930s private detective, but beneath the fedora and the overcoat, he’s got pointy ears and he’s packing a wand.

In a remote part of Ireland, two archaeological teams dig for the find of a lifetime — the legendary Spear of Lugh. Folklore claims the magical weapon was forged in the time of the ancient Tuatha de Danaan. But as the search intensifies, people begin disappearing from the dig. "Faeries," whisper the locals. The Other Crowd....

A beautiful woman, a powerful Mexican rancher, and an exotic new breed of cattle come to John Slaughter’s San Bernardino Valley ranch, along with the prospect of making a small fortune. While Slaughter’s men are out keeping the peace in Tombstone, an act of betrayal turns up the heat under his own roof, and a killer is stalking Slaughter’s wealthy Mexican guest. Indians suddenly savagely attack Slaughter’s ranch, but it is only the first shot in a bigger, blazing Arizona bloodbath.

When Eric Carter helps a friend with a deadly ritual that could determine the fate of the most powerful mage family in Los Angeles he steps into the middle of centuries-long feuds with people who make the Borgias look like the Brady Bunch. Eric's just fine with the murder, soul eaters, and death magic. He's just having trouble adjusting to being brought back from the grave. If he's not careful, somebody's going to put him right back.

Little Blighty is an idyllic part of the world, with a church, a market, a small school and a pub, The Cock and Bull. Village life is pretty uneventful, though the humdrum happenings include social turmoil, economic upheaval and vicious political squabbles - all presided over by the redoubtable head of the Parish Council and secretary of the Rotarians, Mrs Roberts.

The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that prey upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind half-forgotten symbols of power. Legends tell of a Deliverer: a general who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. But is the return of the Deliverer just another myth? Perhaps not. Out of the desert rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the desert tribes into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer and he carries ancient weapons - a spear and a crown - that give credence to his claim.

Falcon was called to Sorrento by a crusading newspaper reporter trying to expose a conspiracy of greed and corruption — with innocent men dying at the end of a court-ordered rope. As acting US Marshal, Falcon quickly makes some very dangerous enemies. Then he himself is sentenced to hang. But in 24 hours he’ll be out of jail, out on the streets, and shooting lead against a small army of gunmen. Because he knows the three men who have taken over Sorrento. And he sentences them to death — the MacCallister brand....

The complete set of five novellas from Nick Earls. Gotham tells of the encounter between music journalist Jeff Foster and 'boy pharaoh' Na$ti Boi. Venice is about love and the tensions that pull us apart. Vancouver is the story Paul would tell if he were living in plague times - a story that comforts, a story that wards off evil. Juneau captures an acutely observed moment in which we see the universe. NoHo is about living in the shadows of the famous.

Steeped in legend, the Pearl of Palawan has a history marked by destruction, vengeance, and love. But more important, the mythical black pearl is rumored to grant a power long coveted by mankind - immortality. It is a power men would risk dying to achieve. Sun, sand, and scuba diving in the Philippines certainly sounded like and ideal vacation. But after a way-too-close-for-comfort encounter with a tiger shark, Annja Creed finds herself drawn into a group of German divers. They are treasure hunters searching for the fabled pearl.

With more than 10 stories from exciting new voices and a few veterans of the universe, the second anthology highlights the lives and struggles of humanity's best and worst years after system advent.