Showing results by narrator "Neil Hellegers" in All Categories

Space is a dangerous place. Here, you're either a predator or soon to fall prey to a ruthless neighbor. And if you aren't tough enough to make it on your own, you'll need the backing of a formidable power to keep you safe from bigger fish. Earth used to have such protection—the great Geckho race. But unfortunately, the Geckho fell to an enemy onslaught, leaving planet Earth to fend for itself. And now, Earth humanity has precious little time to prove to their galactic neighbors that they are not to be trifled with.

To be on a starship that's just sustained serious damage in a space battle and lost its thrusters and to find yourself in a totally different galaxy.... You might think that would be cause for panic or, at the very least, despondency, right? Not at all! Gnat maintains optimism, gradually gets his space frigate back in working order, and even finds upsides to what happened.

Angie is awakened by a midnight call from an officer with the Boise Police Department and thinks there must be a misunderstanding. The officer tells her that her husband was involved in a shooting at a local bar, but how can that be when her husband is sleeping right next to her? But when she turns to wake him, he isn’t there. Tessa is the 23-year-old bartender who escapes to a backroom storage closet during the shooting. When it comes to light that five people were killed, she is burdened with the question of why she survived.

Say hello to the new and improved Clyde Hatchett...who's only a level-four nothing. He's on a (seemingly never-ending) quest to get back to his life in Glaton. And now, all that stands in his way are the Empire-hating Carchedonians, a death cult, and a traitorous party member. Oh, and a mythical city that very probably doesn't exist.

As Azure and the gang complete quests to obtain the Life Stone, they learn many new lessons about the history and mechanics of The Realm. Danger lurks around every corner, and it's not always in the form of monsters. Mysteries deepen and relationships are altered as Azure and his companions are sent on a quest to broker peace between a businessman and a village on the brink of war. Some injuries are deeper than flesh, and warnings of the future threaten to split Azure's party apart.

Humanity is facing its greatest crisis yet, and there is only one frontier left for them to explore. Join John as he travels through time and space, though not together, to save all that he holds dear. There may also be a good deal of escaping reality involved as well. You have been warned!

The thing about Artem... It's a damn hard city to live in if you haven't got creds, and for creds, you need opportunities. The thing about opportunities... They're thin on the ground for Orcs, one of the most reviled races in the sprawling city. If you happen to be an Orc left for dead on the frontlines of Artem's roving monster problem and stranded outside its immense city walls, then you're doubly screwed—like Oshbob. The thing about Oshbob... He's tough, and he's pissed! With a will to survive like few others, he's determined never to be subject to the whims of the elite ever again.

Charles and his allies of the Commonwealth were facing their toughest challenge yet with the Northern Collective forcing them to bend the knee or face a terrible and costly war. But once again, Charles turned the financial tools at his disposal into a ruthless weapon and managed to defeat his enemies without even landing a single blow.

Gnat the Devourer is becoming a more prominent figure in grand space politics. Sure, he may not be totally independent yet, but he has enough leeway to be able to differentiate Earth's interests from those of its Geckho suzerains and act exclusively for the good of his own kind. Gnat must balance obligations to his almighty suzerains against a desire to advance humanity's position in space, and his home planet's search for ever more allies.

From revolutionary to Cold War adversary, Fidel Castro was one of the world's most controversial leaders and perhaps its most enduring. As Cuba's president for nearly 50 years, Castro's influential leadership captivated allies and enemies alike. By virtue of passionate oration and committed sense of purpose - good or bad - Castro kept the Cuban people devoted and the world enthralled.

Fresh from their victory in the scavenger hunt, Shane and his team face a new threat: a rival Wishmaster candidate vying for control of their home planet. With alliances shifting and danger lurking in every corner of the Wish Curse Palace, Shane must uncover the true motives of his mysterious relative. Powerful factions move in the shadows, with all of G District in their crosshairs. Shane and his friends must confront their own limitations and make difficult choices.

Azure and his companions face their greatest challenge yet as they're put through Luuq's Fun House. Looking in a magic mirror, many are surprised by what they see. Separated and forced to endure personal trials of their own will be less harrowing than what happens when they're brought back together. And Azure discovers that no party ever meets the God of Death without paying the ultimate price.

Land-ho! Clyde and co. have finally—finally—made it to the City of Darkness. Which turns out to actually exist! One small problem though. Anyone and anything that sets foot on the island immediately disappears. Ceases to exist. Poof. To complete the quest, Clyde needs to figure out how to actually enter the city and steal the crown jewels . . . without getting stuck in the town forever. It's a foreboding, dark place (obviously), where corruption is rampant. And maybe worse: the game rules Clyde's gotten so good at bending to his will? They don't seem to apply.

Before being promoted to detective, Carrie Santero was given a rare glimpse into the mind of a killer. Through her mentor, Jacob Rein - a seasoned manhunter whose gift for plumbing the depths of madness nearly drove him over the brink - she was able to help capture one of the most depraved serial killers in the country. Now, the discovery of a small human foot buried in the Pennsylvania woods will lead her to a decades-old cold case - and the darkest secrets of her mentor's youth.

It was supposed to be just another Sunday night fantasy role-playing session between friends.... But after years of playing, the game had become so real to David, Tyrone, Scott, and Melanie that all their creations now had existences of their own. And when the four outside players decide to end their game, the characters inside the game world - warriors, scholars, and the few remaining wielders of magic - band together to keep their land from vanishing.

Famine, known as Petor in his previous life, joins forces with the legendary figures of Conquest, Death, and War. Together, they form the resurrected Four Horsemen, their lives reignited by a devil’s pact. Resurrected in the bowels of a forgotten temple, buried under a city in the midst of a siege, they’ll have to find a way out. The devil’s deals are always double edged, while they breathe once more their cultivation is gone. To recover it, they’ll have to use all of their skills to craft and fight.

After uncovering a conspiracy that shakes his beliefs to their foundation, Glenn Graybreaker chooses to become a Truth Seeker: an elite Blazer tasked with investigating crimes and solving mysteries that baffle others. When a Blazer encounters a mystery they can’t solve, they call in a Truth Seeker.

Was there any particular reason that, near the end of your lives, you suddenly stopped buying Bounty paper towels? So begins the first question from Bounty’s market research representative to Paul and Maggie. In this unique short story, a couple who died suddenly in their 50s recounts their use of Bounty paper towels and their sudden switch to a bargain brand near the end of their lives. What appears to be a run-of-the-mill spat between spouses at the Stop & Shop is revealed to be a defining moment of a marriage years in decline.

Ben Travers has gone missing, and Ben Travers needs to find him. Returning home from his harrowing adventures through time, Ben just wants a normal life with the girl he loves, but tying up the loose threads of his fragmented existence is proving more difficult than he ever suspected. Someone is attacking time-travel labs - threatening the safety of the Quickly family - and Ben is getting messages from a version of himself that he thought was dead.

Jack Jupiter knows zombies. He's written about them for years. So when Jack's mother passes away in a freak car accident involving a half-eaten deer and a pack of cigarettes, he also knows something's up. Now, Jack and his fiancé, Darlene, are forced to go back to the dreadful town of Woodhaven, Ohio, for his mom's funeral. But what he doesn't know is it might be their funeral, too. A few months before Jack and Darlene's arrival, a mysterious flu-like virus swept through the town, infecting nearly every citizen.