Showing results by narrator "John Pirhalla" in All Categories

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. With no trace of Ali after she is abducted, a cloud of suspicion hangs over him, though he is never charged. Trying to put his past behind him, Ryan changes his name and enters law school. It’s on a summer trip to Italy that he gets the call: his missing car has finally been found, in a lake in his hometown. But inside the car are two dead men. The only trace of Ali is a cryptic note, the envelope in her handwriting: If something happens to me…Reeling from the news, Ryan sees the man who has haunted his nightmares.

After capturing the sorcerer called the Apostle, Gavin decided to remain in the city of Yoran where he’s become comfortable. Work that had been plentiful has dried up and comfort becomes complacency. While new friends help to find jobs, they’re not the kind of jobs an assassin trained to be the Chain Breaker should take. He’s trained to kill, not track down relics in a city that long ago banished magic.

The Moonlight Relic sits high atop the Western Reaches, an ancient fortress against invasion from beyond. An age ago, its enchantments were designed to stabilize the dimensions and defend those who lived there, as well as to be a model for other relics of the same type. Not long after it was built, it was shattered in a cataclysmic war.

In the Void beyond Aster Fall, Sam stands watch at the fortress of Silverguard, protecting the world from an ancient enemy. His strength as an Astral Titan is all that stands between it and destruction. Meanwhile, dimensional cracks are spreading through the World Seal, the barrier that protects Aster Fall from invasion by the Outsider galaxy. Flaws are appearing with increasing frequency as demonic armies flood through, including old enemies from the First War. If the seal fails completely, Aster Fall will break and disaster will follow.

Astral threads cut across the world, drawing Sam to them like a fire from the past. He discovers that his new race is intrinsically tied to the Void and the stars. Meanwhile, hints of the First War are returning to Aster Fall as the dimension trembles. Flaws are appearing more rapidly than ever, putting pressure on cities across the kingdom. In the shadows, dangerous artifacts related to Outsiders reveal a troubling connection. The relic also holds ancient secrets, some of them powerful enough to change the balance of power in the land.

Reborn in a world of Cultivators. He'll study hard and master it's strange magic. Unfortunately for Liu Feng, he died. Now, he's stuck in a new world, surrounded by arrogant young masters who seek to advance their power by any means necessary. But Liu Feng is smart. He would rather absorb texts and master techniques in this new place filled with magic that clearly doesn't obey the laws of physics.

When a known Komran outpost that has recently been upgraded shows signs of staging an invasion, there are only two options: commit to a full-force assault and lose many lives and ships to take the base, or send in a small, elite team to take on an entire base by themselves. The council believes the barbarian has done well so far. Why not risk his team’s necks first and see how it goes before scheduling that assault? Joe and his team must make their way to a planet that has been under Komran control for decades.

The Lord of Silver Stars is rising and his allies are rising with him! Sam's strength as an Astral Titan is greater than anything seen on Aster Fall since the First War shattered the world. He commands three armies and the fortress of Silverguard stands firm in the Void, but enemies surround him on every side. The Avatar of Blood stands inside the World Seal, an enemy whose strength is equal to the Titans of old. He holds Asenya in his grasp, the caretaker of Aster Fall.

Zarinth is a dangerous city at the edge of the kingdom, illuminated by the constant fire of the nearby volcano Ishantil. For thief Ty, it’s more than a city filled with valuable ancient dragon relics. It’s the home he could never leave. When Ishantil threatens to erupt and put the city in chaos, Ty wants one last score before finally leaving it - and his past - behind. All while the notorious Dragon Thief chases the same prize. The Dragon Thief has a reputation for a reason, but Ty begins to think there’s more to the job than just the prize.

Being a supernatural assassin and bounty hunter had its perks...until the Trust’s bloody assignments made me question everything. When I found my sister lying in a coma, I became a mercenary, killing vampires to pay her hospital bills and searching desperately for a cure. When my handler offers me a job that could clear my debts and give me answers about what really happened to Cat, I’m all in.

Artorian welcomes home old friends, glad for their company. Having finally returned Cal to the seat of his sanctuary, he must cast aside other whims and assume the mantle of Administrator, continuing the diplomacy that came with the creation of Accords. Regardless of agreements, some diplomacy must always be spoken with fists. To prepare for the second coming of Eternium, Cal’s space must stand firm, resolute, and without danger...even if Artorian must contend with a city of tears to attain that result.

It's 1900, and Louise Wilk is taking her dying husband home to Buffalo, where he grew up. Dr. Edward Wilk is wasting away from an aggressive and debilitating malady. But it's becoming clearer that his condition isn't exactly a disease but a phase of existence that seeks to transform and ultimately possess him.

Poverty-stricken Finn Jagger would give anything to heal his ailing mother. With his father imprisoned, Finn has joined a thieving crew to earn the money he needs to save her. When the latest heist turns to disaster and lands him on death row, Finn’s future seems to be tied up with a noose. Until the king’s executioner claims him as an apprentice.

How do you imprison the world’s most powerful supervillains and make sure they can’t escape? The Trench, a supermax prison at the bottom of the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean—toss them in and throw away the key. “Inescapable” doesn’t even begin to describe this place. Even if I could get past the power dampeners and multiple layers of security, where am I going to go? Oh yeah, did I mention I am now the Trench’s newest inmate because I refused to give up being a masked crimefighter?

Vincent Donnelly has faced pain, death, and madness. His past is a haze of fractured memories. A host of restless spirits inhabited his tortured psyche once. He has inherited their powers, their magic. But all he wants is to be free of the nightmares that plague him. Fleeing from the confines of a demonic asylum, Vincent and his allies take refuge in a remote mountain cabin. Lost, wounded, unable to access his supernatural abilities, Vincent struggles to sever the link between himself and the personification of Chaos itself. But it is not so easy to destroy.

Hazard King had always wanted to be an Imperial Fleet officer, just like his father. But he’s a Prince of the Realm, which make things a bit more… complicated. And when Hazard’s parents tell him that they don’t trust his older brother and want Hazard to be the Crown Prince—the heir to the throne—things go from bad to worse. Just when it seems they can’t get any worse, the Empress is attacked.

As apprentice to the master executioner, Finn struggles to understand his place in the city as he searches for truth in those sentenced. The job is more complicated than he had ever imagined. He’s proven his understanding of the basics, but for him to serve as an executioner - if that’s what he wants - he needs mastery. Distracted by his search for a way to heal his still ailing mother despite the hegen magic, he finds himself at odds with the master executioner.

In his introduction, guest editor S. A. Cosby observes that writing short stories is “a special skill that combines brevity with wit and cleverness and the hint of the existential malaise that imbues crime fiction with its gravitas.” The stories in this collection overflow with gravitas in the most unexpected ways: a cryptic note left on a windshield, a murder for hire meets a game of Mouse Trap, a swipe right on a dating app goes horribly wrong.

Aldo Cassidy, formerly a low-born freelancer, finds himself at the heart of a desperate operation to save humanity. With the threat of a seemingly mindless alien force looming at the borders of the human empire, a brave group of military personnel works to form an alliance that may give them a chance against an invasion. Heading to a beleaguered outpost, Aldo and his team must rescue an alien delegation. Success gives a union a chance, while failure could lead to war. Meanwhile, a conspiracy threatens to upend the inner workings of human civilization.

Searching the battlefield after a major battle, Sgt. Eli finds a dead Union Army messenger. In the messenger's bag is a message saying the South had surrendered, the war was over. Along with the Union Messenger was a dead Union Captain carrying his discharge papers, and 8,000 dollars. Sgt. Eli decides now is a good time to seek other opportunities, away from the stink of war. While buying supplies from his friend the quartermaster, he is advised to go to St. Louis. Those opportunities may lie there and a crowd to get lost in.