Showing results by narrator "Mikael Naramore" in All Categories

Khorramshahr, Iran, May 1982 - It was the bloodiest battle of one of the most brutal wars of the twentieth century, and Najah, a 29-year-old wounded Iraqi conscript, was face to face with a 13-year-old Iranian child soldier who was ordered to kill him. Instead, the boy committed an astonishing act of mercy. It was an act that decades later would save his own life.

When a man’s body is discovered in a Swiss glacier thirty years after he went missing, his son, Foster Treherne, hopes he’ll finally have closure on what happened to the father he never met. But then the autopsy reveals signs of a struggle, and what was assumed to be a tragic accident suddenly looks more sinister. Foster tracks down his father’s old friends, but when he starts to ask questions it becomes clear that there’s something they don’t want to tell him.

Space station Echo Niner remained neutral in the Earth/Mars civil war. For a pair of fugitives on the run from both sides, it sounded like the perfect place to regroup. But Eric and Jessie Ramsey barely set foot aboard Echo Niner before getting embroiled in local disputes.

At the edge of known space, Marine Lieutenant Gant Maker continues his vengeful pursuit of the alien race known as the Vacra. Now confirmed to have stolen weapons and tech so advanced that it can’t even be classified, the Vacra represent a menace unlike anything mankind has ever faced. For Maker, the threat is also personal, as the treacherous and cunning insectoids - still smarting from their stunning defeat at his hands during their last encounter - have specifically targeted him for capture, along with his exotic alien companion, Erlen.

Master Sergeant Gant Maker was a highly decorated and well-respected marine - until his last mission left him as the sole survivor of an encounter with a vicious race called the Vacra. Served up as a scapegoat and drummed out of the military, he has since lived a life of seclusion with only an adopted alien as a companion. Now the Vacra have returned.

Tartarus is a dangerous place, every child knows that. But when a new soul finds his way there with no memories and no name, he gets to learn the harsh truth firsthand. Who is he? Why is he there? Why are entities beyond his understanding taking a personal interest in him? And why does everyone have a level? He doesn't know, but he's going to find out, even if it kills him.

Recruited by a colleague for a mysterious mission and transported to a realm beyond space and time, Jim finds himself thrust into the company of Incarnates - individuals with powers and abilities so vast that they can do almost anything, including warp reality. But these esteemed personages are plagued by a dark issue, for which they turn to Jim for help: One amongst them is a murderer. Charged with finding this killer, Jim soon realizes the inherent folly of pursuing an individual who is power personified and able to alter reality with the wave of a hand.

Alien spies, bloody politics, and apocalyptic world war action in this stunning conclusion to the Lives of Tao trilogy. Five years have passed since the events in The Deaths of Tao. The world is split into pro-Prophus and pro-Genjix factions and is poised on the edge of a devastating new world war. A Genjix scientist who defects to the other side holds the key to preventing bloodshed on an almost unimaginable scale.

Humanity's last encounter with aliens saw 16.2 billion people killed in a war with the Merkiaari that had spanned decades. Two hundred years later, the Alliance is cautiously exploring beyond its borders again, but the survey corp is considered a mere gesture by some. General Burgton of the 501st Infantry Regiment believes a lack of expansion is leading the Alliance into stagnation. So when one small ship discovers a new alien race, it should be an easy decision to make contact, but what if the aliens are like the Merkiaari?

Arnold O'Connor is a gamer who just lost his office job to AI. Short on cash, he can appreciate the irony of taking a job at an indie gaming company looking to train their monster AI. But Anachronism Interactive isn't looking for players to copy from, they're interested in gamer brains to scan. After being run through a series of psychological tests while hooked up to a brain scanner, Arnold finally gets a chance to check out the game these scientists have been making.

Doctor David Lephmann wants nothing more than to learn about and help the less fortunate, and his new post at Mercy Hospital is the perfect place to do both. His mentor is desperate for the help, and welcomes him to a world of nonhuman customs and strange magics. One night after a long day at the hospital, David is confronted by the reality of life among monsters, when he intervenes in a fight he knows nothing about. He takes a side, and his life is changed forever.

Cameron Tan wouldn't have even been in Greece if he hadn't gotten a 'D' in Art History. Instead of spending the summer after college completing his training as a Prophus operative, he's doing a study abroad program in Greece, enjoying a normal life - spending time with friends and getting teased about his crush on a classmate. Then the emergency notification comes in: a Prophus agent with vital information needs immediate extraction, and Cameron is the only agent on the ground, responsible for getting the other agent and data out of the country.

In 1955, on a visit to South Africa, Robert Ardrey became aware of the growing evidence that man had evolved on the African continent from carnivorous, predatory stock - ones who had also, long before man, achieved the use of weapons. A dramatist, Ardrey's interest in the African discoveries sprang less from purely scientific grounds than from the radical new light they cast on the eternal question: Why do we behave as we do? Are we naturally inclined towards war and weapons?

In a world where everyone has a superpower, his was charm. Brock Stevens didn't want to be a superhero. All he wanted was to turn his looks and charm into a successful acting career, but the petty revenge of a diva ex-girlfriend crushed his dreams. Returning to native Seattle in shame, he found himself at the center of a world gone mad. This is the story of the first Patriot. The man who would become the seed from which the West Coast Protectorate grew. This is the story of Mr. Handsome.

Factories toil in the darkness of space. To build weapons, to build armadas. Sphere World’s arrival brought changes that still ripple through human space. Orion Belt Enterprises has grown from a gaming company to a system-spanning corporation with fleets to rival the largest factions of human space.

When your mother disappears without a trace, it carves a gash that bleeds a long time. Jordan has never given up hope that her mother is alive. So when Jordan's old nanny shows up with a mysterious locket containing a portrait of Jordan's mother, Jordan believes her hope was not in vain. When the locket opens a portal to an alternate universe and a stranger hurtles through to Earth, it's not her first clue that something very strange is at play.

To rise, one must be prepared to fall. Reeling from the gulf between himself and the gods, Arche goes to greater lengths than ever before to close the gap. As time presses against him and more gods stir, he must look to the past in order to face the future. Lyssa struggles to find her place in Myriatos, but as she comes to terms with what it means to be The One Above All, one thing is startlingly certain: the Huntress from Dawnwood is no more. She is who remains.

Sam has finally accepted a position with Ron Thomas, Harry Winslow's former DHS Computer Wiz. He's now the Chief Investigator for Windlass Security Services, and his very first case is one of the most incredible of his entire career! He's got to solve the mystery behind the theft of one of the most innovative new technological advances in the world: a Brain-Computer Interface chip that can literally perform miracles. But this isn't science fiction; this case is coming straight out of the headlines of today!

Earth has fallen and Mars is in chaos. With their coup behind them, the Arete crew regroups and plans for life beyond the civil war. There's only one problem: one of their number has yet to return from his undercover mission.

Anton Chekhov is now justly celebrated as one of Russia’s greatest writers, but this reputation was hard won in his time. His work consistently challenged expectations, and his insights were not always easy to see. The continued relevance of his stories, however, has shown that Chekhov was ahead of his time, and the nine short stories collected here showcase his very best writing.