Showing results by narrator "Grant Cartwright" in All Categories

Once there were three worlds, each with their own human species. Then, fleeing out of the void came a fourth species, the Charon. Desperate, on the edge of extinction, they changed the balance between the worlds forever. Karan, a sensitive with a troubled heritage, is forced to steal an ancient relic in repayment of a debt. It turns out to be the Mirror of Aachan, a twisted, deceitful thing that remembers everything it has ever seen.

Santhenar is on its knees. The war with the alien lyrinx drags on, and humanity is losing it, but there is worse to come. The Aachim have invaded with an irresistible force - a fleet of battle constructs. Cursing humanity for the loss of Aachan and his own clan, the embittered Aachim leader, Vithis, demands half the world in reparation. The council is in no position to resist. But even if they agree to his demands, can anything satisfy his thirst for vengeance?

Captain Iridius B. Franklin accidentally destroyed the planet Earth, but then he totally on purpose saved the galaxy, so you know, you win some, you lose some. Fresh in command of the advanced stealth ship the FSC Deus Ex, Iridius and his crew of misfits are sent on a reconnaissance mission to observe a suspected weapons development program being undertaken by the Federation's longtime enemy, the Planetary Alliance. When they discover the Alliance has created an incredible weapon - a bomb capable of manipulating time - Captain Franklin must stop them from releasing it.

To me, that's all Lucian Aston is—a highly sophisticated, posh Englishman who stars in my daydreams. Mostly because of the way he views me as a loud, boisterous, no-nonsense surgical nurse he's stuck touring London and Paris with up to the day of his groundbreaking surgery. Until then, we've got a lot of downtime to kill. So, it's only natural that I put my best foot forward to get to know him a little better. Problem is Lucian has no intention of taking a single step in his fancy wingtips to meet me halfway. That is until we strike our deal.

Rulke the Great Betrayer is free at last, to use the deadly construct he has spent a thousand years perfecting. To succeed he needs just one thing – Karan's sensitive talent. Karan and her lover Llian are lost in the Nightland, in an alien palace that is collapsing around them. Only Rulke can open the gate and send them home to Santhenar, but Karan is terrified that he will corrupt Llian first.

As humans compete for work against faster, cheaper, and smarter technology, the flood of AI-generated information undermines traditional expertise, eroding essential skills like writing, analysis, and decision-making. Despite these challenges, AI presents immense opportunities for those who master its intricacies, such as driving innovation, improving efficiency, and creating new markets. Can we thread the needle balancing the immeasurable benefits with the profound risks that AI presents to our future?

In a few minutes of overwhelming violence the Council's air-dreadnought fleet has destroyed Fiz Gorgo's defences. Xervish Flydd, Irisis and their allies have been condemned to die in a brutal aerial spectacle designed to reinforce Chief Scrutator Ghorr's power and majesty. Nish is their one remaining hope. But Nish is trapped in a burning watchtower, and hunted by both the scrutators and his former lover, Ullii, whose twin brother he accidentally killed.

Vincent Stanley, Patagonia's director of philosophy, with Yvon Chouinard, founder and former owner of Patagonia, draws on fifty years' experience to challenge all business owners and leaders to rethink their businesses in a time of cultural and climate chaos. The authors describe the current impact of manufacturing, commerce, and traditional capitalism on the planet's natural systems and human communities, and how that impact is forcing business to change its ways.

The once beautiful land of Hightspall is being carved up by warring armies led by figures from out of legend. One army is headed by the charismatic brute, Axil Grandys, and the other by Lyf, resurrected sorcerer-king and Axil's ancient nemesis. Only the escaped slave Tali and her unreliable magic stand in their way, but Tali's gift grows more painful every time she uses it.

There is a dark full moon on midwinter's day. The foretelling has come to pass. Rulke the Charon is unstoppable now. Karan is held captive in desolate Carcharon tower. Rulke plans to use her to find the Way between the Worlds. On the mountainside below, the allies await their fate. Karan's lover, Llian, is in chains, falsely accused of betraying her to the enemy. As the dark moon rises, Rulke begins to open the Way. If he succeeds, the world will be overwhelmed by the dread armies of the void.

Thurkad has fallen and Karan, driven into madness by a forbidden spell, is left for dead. Her dearest friend, Llian the Tale-Spinner, is abducted by the renegade Aachim leader, Tensor, who plans to use the Twisted Mirror for an act of millennial vengeance. And he knows how to take advantage of Llian’s fatal weakness – his hunger for his own Great Tale. But Karan is determined to recover and rescue Llian, and the stolen mirror must be retaken.

In the year 2035, humanity broke the dimensional barrier and attached its world to another. Unfortunately, something was waiting on the other side. Nearly 150 years later, humanity is in a never-ending war to hold what is left of its world. Vic is a military asset for the United Forces of Humanity (UFH), and his job is to kill the Invader Orcs and their kin.

In the dead of night, a figure flits through the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, searching for a hidden document he knows could change the course of history. The journal he discovers, by a young soldier, David Erskine, records an extraordinary story.

War Transformed provides insights for those involved in the design of military strategy, and the forces that must execute that strategy. Emphasizing the impacts of technology, strategic competition, demography, and climate change, Mick Ryan uses historical and contemporary anecdotes to highlight key challenges faced by nations in a new era of great power rivalry. Just as previous industrial revolutions have advanced societies, the nascent fourth industrial revolution will have a similar impact on how humans fight, compete, and build military power in the twenty-first century.

Through the skillful application of being barely competent, Captain Iridius B. Franklin and the crew of the FSC Deus Ex have managed to triumph in not just one adventure but two. Unfortunately, despite being assured this sort of thing doesn't happen to space adventurers nearly as often as is assumed, Iridius and his crew have been flung almost a year back in time. Now, in order to stop an existential threat to the galaxy and ensure they don't cause irreparable damage to the space-time continuum, the crew of the Deus Ex must set out to find their way back to the future.

As an operative of the United Forces of Humanity and its secret covert group known as the Knight Hunters, we join Vic as he digs even deeper into the underbelly of humanity's survival. In doing so, he uncovers even more nefarious activities that go beyond the horrors he's already unearthed. And as always, the threat from the Invaders is a constant risk that could end everything he holds dear.

Authoritarianism is one of the buzzwords of our age. But what is it exactly? This Very Short Introduction provides a comprehensive overview of the world of authoritarian regimes, including military, single-party, and personalist regimes. It considers how understandings of authoritarianism have evolved over time, as well as the curious fact that many authoritarian regimes today hold elections. Drawing on examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, James Loxton examines the life cycle of authoritarian regimes.

With acuity, humor, and respect for human diversity, The Shortest History of Sex reveals where the many facets of our sexuality—chemical, anatomical, behavioral, social—come from. Chasing down our evolutionary family tree, from the first aquatic creatures to primate societies, David Baker sheds light on our baffling array of passions, impulses, and fetishes, and guides us toward a clear understanding of one of the deepest, most abiding forces of human nature.

The node has failed, rendering humanity's battle clankers and the Aachim's constructs useless. The battle has been lost. Now hordes of alien lyrinx are swarming out of the tar pits of Snizort, intending to fall upon the survivors and destroy them to the last man. Tiaan is held prisoner by a vengeful Vithis, who is determined to extract her geomantic secrets at any cost. For his failings, Nish has been cast out and branded a traitor while Irisis, accused of high treason, has been forced to flee for her life.

All Work No Play: A Surprising Guide to Feeling More Mindful, Grateful and Cheerful is a practical and rewarding handbook for reconnecting with joy and happiness daily. The book shares strategies for play-based mindfulness, empathy, and gratitude exercises that will help listeners rediscover their inner child; promote good mental health; build and foster more meaningful connections with others; and help combat loneliness and deep-rooted toxic behaviors and thoughts.