Showing results by author "Thomas K. Carpenter" in All Categories

When Alex joins Gamemakers Online, she finds there are no newbie areas, no tutorials, and nothing but vicious critters hunting her down. This seems like an impossible task, but Alex is a veteran platinum achievement hunter who has solved previously unwinnable scenarios. She won't give up now. As she delves deeper into the game, she discovers it hides sinister secrets. If she can't survive the first year in Gamemakers Online, then she'll lose more than her own life.

The greatest mystery of the ancient world remains the identity of whoever set fire to the Great Library in Alexandria. One hundred years later, Heron of Alexandria - the city's most renowned inventor and creator of Temple miracles - receives coin from a mysterious patron to investigate the crime. Desperate to be free of the debts incurred by her twin brother, she accepts and sets in motion a chain of events that will shake the Roman Empire and change the course of history forever.

A towering genius who'd already solved the problem of death by making memory recording possible, Cassia leads a team of scientists and problem solvers to a station floating in the harsh winds of Saturn. Their mission: to grow interstellar ships using nanobots in the planet's material-rich environment. She called them "monsters" to help sell the project to a skeptical public. Little did she know how prophetic that name would become.

Earth lies abandoned. When the Makers left for the stars, civilization descended into ruin. Asp, one of the last remaining sentient cities, fights against the ravages of time, but his resources are dwindling. When at last he swallows his pride and seeks the help of the primitive peoples that remain, he learns the true meaning of courage.

Breaking into an impenetrable alpine fortress. Double-crossing a dangerous friend. Stealing the world's most illegal substance because you're bored. Just another day in the life of the world's most talented - and dysfunctional - reality thief. But this time Zel Aurora may learn her abilities have limits. This story is a novelette.

For 300 years it was believed Alexander the Great had no heir. The Roman armada descends on Alexandria. Friends flee, allies bicker, and foes multiply in the night. The fragile city-state teeters on the brink of annihilation. As the naval blockade looms and palace intrigue thickens, Heron must find the heir of Alexander the Great or nothing will stop the Romans from overrunning the wondrous city.

Life is a game, unless you're not the one winning. Gabby DeCorte, top student and reality-hacker extraordinaire, has been doing whatever it takes to keep her best friend, Zaela, from falling behind in LifeGame. Zaela has gifts of artistry that amaze Gabby, but none of those skills translate in LifeGame and with final exams coming up, they can't afford to waste a single minute. But when a mysterious group called the Frags contacts Gabby claiming to know what really happens to the losers of LifeGame, she must choose between winning and what she believes in.

When the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District calls Heron of Alexandria - the greatest inventor the city has ever known - to help him solve the mystery of a rain of frogs, he learns what value there is in the virtues of madness. This is a "Heron of Alexandria" short story.

When the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District calls Heron of Alexandria - the greatest inventor the city has ever known - to help him solve a curious disturbance involving the Temple of Bacchus and an agitated numerologist, he learns the true cost of numbers.

When religions spread like computer viruses, even atheists have to take notice. An old enemy seizes control of the newly expanded Wiki-religion to create a new world order. To stop him, Zel must join forces with a mega-celebrity doing penance and an orphan girl out for revenge. However, mired on a thawing city in Greenland, she cannot just use her considerable powers to bend reality and fix the problem. Instead, she must turn her greatest weakness - understanding people - into a strength or doom the planet to endless religious war.

When the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District calls Heron of Alexandria - the greatest inventor the city has ever known - to help him solve the mystery of a dismembered human forearm, he learns what value there is in the weight of gold. This is a Heron of Alexandria short story.

When the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District calls on Heron of Alexandria - the greatest inventor the city has ever known - to help him solve a series of crimes, he learns the unexpected value of the inventor's unique knowledge. While the "Alexandrian Saga" books detail the clash of empires over technologies unleashed from the Temples never-ending pursuit of coin, these five tales are from a quieter - and earlier - time when Heron helped her friend, the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District, solve strange and varied crimes.

It's 2052. A new reality is just a download away. Decay is ubiquitious as the world's population shrinks under Sagan's Law. But no one cares, as their lives are consumed by the Digital Sea: an immersive augmented reality that's always on, seen through eye-screens and controlled by the mind. Zel Aurora, a skilled reality-hacker, can change the Digital Sea with a thought, but all that power can't save her daughter from a deadly disease. So Zel makes a deal with the Djed, a powerful crime lord that she's betrayed once before, to stop the new realities threatening his global empire.

When the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District calls on Heron of Alexandria - the greatest inventor the city has ever known - to help him solve the murder of a young noble in love, he learns what dangers lurk in trusting the gods.

When the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District must solve a dubious crime involving a wretched family of Alexandrian nobility without the help of Heron - the greatest inventor the city has ever known - he learns the true horror of family curses.

Visiting the galaxy's only Cageless Zoo should be a special treat for Melandre and her children. Except she's still trying to reckon with her husband's recent death and how she's going to raise two highly independent children on her own. As their visit quickly falls to chaos, Melandre learns that family is the only thing left she has to rely on.