Showing results by narrator "Simon Vance" in All Categories

The third novel in the Palliser series, The Eustace Diamonds is a satirical study of the influence of money and greed on human relationships in Victorian society. The story follows two contrasting women and their courtships. Lizzie Greystock and Lucy Morris are both hampered in their love affairs by their lack of money. Lizzie’s trickery and deceit, however, contrast with Lucy’s constancy.

In the cramped quarters of the city of Yenara, humans, orcs, mages, elves and dwarves all jostle for success and survival while understaffed watch wardens struggle to keep the citizens in line. Enter Rem. New to the city, he wakes bruised and hungover in the dungeons of the fifth ward. With no money for bail - and seeing no other way out of his cell - Rem jumps at the chance to join the Watch.

Uniquely among the world’s religions, the central claims of Christianity concern not just timeless spiritual truths, but tangible historical events. At the heart of the of the Christian faith are things that are meant to have happened in Palestine between 5 BC and AD 30. It’s as if Christianity happily places its head on the chopping block of public scrutiny and invites anyone who wants to come and take a swing.

In London in 1735, 11-year-old Forrest Harper is living with his family at the Tower of London. There he helps his father tend the ravens and guard the prisoners. Still, life is lonely. When vicious Scottish Rebels are captured, Forrest is delighted. Perhaps now he can prove his courage and impress the local bullies who torment him. His happiness is short lived, though, when the Harpers are only given custody of Maddy, a Scottish Rebel's daughter.

Having fled Spinesend following a calamitous encounter atop one of the city’s towers, Rew and his companions face a long journey across a dangerous land to the city of Carff, the seat of Prince Valchon. In the third book of the King’s Ranger series, the shroud of secrecy around the king, his sons, and the terrible necromancy that has kept the family in power is yanked away. The Investiture is just the beginning of a terrible truth that endangers all who know it. The stakes are revealed, and failure means an eternity of damnation.

How can biblical authority be a reality for those shaped by the modern world? This work treats the First World as a mission field, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between the gospel and current society by presenting an outsider's view of contemporary Western culture.

"The North" is simultaneously a location, a direction, and a mystical concept. Although this concept has ancient roots in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales, it continues to resonate today within modern culture. McIntosh leads listeners through the magical and spiritual history of the North, as well as its modern manifestations, as documented through physical records, such as runestones and megaliths, but also through mythology and lore. This mythic conception of a powerful, mysterious Northern civilization was known to the Greeks as "Hyberborea" - the "Land Beyond the North Wind".

"If a fable is a legendary story of supernatural happenings," Mr. Swann says, "or a narration intended to enforce a useful truth, then these four are fables - which shouldn't be confused with fairy tales targeted only for children. These, then, are tales for kind and loving people of all ages." These fables came to Ingo Swann as a gift from a part of himself: He awoke four mornings in a row and literally had to write them.

Solving one mystery opened the door to another. In book two of the fan-favorite Cartographer series, Duke Oliver Wellesley and the priestess-assassin Samantha will delve deeper into a world of sorcery and secrets. They will travel to the abandoned, haunted parts of the world, looking for answers. The blood will flow as the puppet-masters step from the shadows to enact a horrific occult ritual they’ve spent two decades fashioning. Oliver Wellesley will have to confront terrible secrets that will shatter the core of who he is.

When a disgraced politician is found dead at his London flat, there are few people who mourn his demise. George Dent’s reputation was in tatters, and his suicide surprises nobody - except one. Dent’s childhood friend Peter Timms is certain the MP’s downfall was a set-up; why else was he being stalked in the weeks before his death? Timms can even name the culprit - the only problem is, he’s been dead for seventy years. But broke PI Kenny Gabriel can’t afford to be cynical. He agrees to round up Dent’s old school gang, although some of them are less than keen to be found.

Set against the backdrop of peaceful southwest England, where Thomas Hardy spent much of his youth, The Mayor of Casterbridge captures the author's unique genius for depicting the absurdity underlying much of the sorrow and humor in our lives. Michael Henchard is an out-of-work hay-trusser who gets drunk at a local fair and impulsively sells his wife, Susan, and baby daughter.

Great men of God in Scripture are the focus as E.M. Bounds demonstrates powerful lessons on the need for and art of effective prayer. Paul, Ezra, Moses and Daniel are only a few of the men he gives examples of. God's desire is for men to be on their knees in full subjection to Him. His life was devoted to praying 3 hours a day beginning at 4 a.m. in the morning. E.M. Bounds himself is a wonderful example of the power of a praying man.

L. M. Boston's thrilling and chilling tales of Green Knowe, a haunted manor deep in an overgrown garden in the English countryside, have been entertaining readers for half a century. This is the sixth book in this classic series. While eagerly following each stage of the new stone manor house his father is building to replace their old wooden Saxon hall, a young boy, part Saxon and part Norman, becomes involved with ancient magic that carries him through time.

Such a long life of killing has left plenty of dangerous enemies in its wake. An ancient witch coven, a jealous assassin, and even a demon lord all have old scores to settle. With one last contract to fulfill, Yrlissa hopes to be free from her past and her guild forever so she can disappear with her husband and young daughter. But the past doesn't forget so easily, and neither will a betrayed guild of magical assassins. Yrlissa's only concern is to keep her new family safe, but with enemies closing in on all sides, will they become a distraction she cannot afford?

Rew, the king’s ranger, leads his young companions on a deadly journey to find their father. On a path that twists across the Eastern Territory, they fight toward the prison where Baron Fedgley is held. The party will face bandits, assassins, treacherous noblemen, spellcasters, and Rew’s fellow rangers to get there.

Kenny Gabriel is three years away from turning sixty, has forty-three quid in the bank and is occasionally employed to find people who would rather not be found. Broke, clientless and depressed, he knows things can't get much worse. Then he's summoned to the office of London media magnate Frank Parr, whose daughter, Harry, is missing - and there's ten grand on the table to get her back. But he and Frank have a history he'd rather not revisit.

It is the year 2010. Her Divine Majesty, Queen Elizabeth XXX sits upon the throne. Great Britain’s vast Empire is run by alchemy and superstition. Now Sir Rupert Triumff, dashing swordsman, has uncovered a vile plot to dethrone her glorious majesty. For the honour of the nation: to arms! Multi-million selling author Dan Abnett whips up a furious maelstrom of incredible swordfights, wild invention and truly outrageous jokes.

What really happened back in the first century, in Jerusalem and around the Sea of Galilee, that changed the shape of world history? Who is this figure that emerges from history to have a profound impact on culture, ethics, politics, and philosophy? Join historian John Dickson on this journey through the life of Jesus.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus would say to Mohammed? Or Buddha? Or Oscar Wilde? Maybe you have a friend who practices another religion or admires a more contemporary figure. Drop in on a conversation between Jesus and some well-known individuals whose search for the meaning of life took them in many directions - and influenced millions. Popular scholar Ravi Zacharias sets a captivating scene in this first in the intriguing Conversations with Jesus series.

Prepare to meet the most seductively female and the most shockingly fatal of femmes fatales, brought to you by 17 of today's finest authors of mystery and suspense fiction. Award-winning editor Otto Penzler presents a collection of short and sizzling masterpieces of kisses and kiss-offs, gams and gats, published for the first time anywhere.