Showing results by narrator "Luke" in All Categories

That’s the flummoxed state of Edward Stanton, a 42-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome. His job, his therapist, and his best friends are all gone. Even his nightly ritual of watching Dragnet reruns has short-circuited. But a call from his friend Donna in Idaho, telling him that her son Kyle is in trouble, launches Edward from his rigidly scheduled existence in Billings, Montana, to the open road. He and Kyle, a sweet little boy turned sullen adolescent, debate football, music, and bodily functions (“Why do you pee so much?” Kyle asks).

One morning, traveling salesman Gregor Samsa wakes from an anxious dream to discover that he has inexplicably changed into a monstrous insect. Nonetheless, life goes on, and poor Gregor is left to deal not only with the existential questions of who or what he now is but also with more mundane concerns: his job (which he fears he’ll lose), his loved ones (whom he fears he disgusts), and the daily indignities of everyday life (which continue apace). Soon, even those who sympathize with his bizarre predicament begin to lose their patience....

Exclusive interview. Luke Smitherd discusses his new book, Kill Someone, a novel with an impossible choice: kill a random stranger - one of Chris' choosing - within 12 days in order to save the lives of five kidnapped siblings. Refuse, and they die slowly and painfully. How did Luke come up with this concept? What is it like to have a book published? What's next? Luke answers all these questions and more.

"Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey" is a novel by Ingersoll Lockwood, first published in 1893. The story follows young Baron Trump, who, along with his dog Bulgar, discovers a hidden portal within the family castle, leading to a subterranean world known as the "World within a World." The narrative unfolds as Baron encounters peculiar characters, engages in extraordinary adventures, and unravels mysteries in this fantastical realm.

On the battlefield of the future, armored mechs can turn the tide of any battle. With a nation under threat, a single small force of Armor joins the fight to hold the line against a merciless horde bent on total domination. Chief Amos Roy - a young soldier haunted by the loss of his brother to the enemy - is thrust into the fight before he's ready. War is a harsh teacher, and his fellow Armor are just as wary of him as they are the foe.

The Xaros broke against Earth's defenses, but the war may be lost. The alien ships of former allies rule Earth's skies, threatening to obliterate cities and turn the planet into a barren wasteland if humanity refuses their demands. With their backs to the wall, the scattered crew of the Breitenfeld must work together to foil the enemy's plan before time runs out.

In this version of London, there is a small, private clinic. Behind its layers of security, procedures are taking place on poor, robust teenagers from northern estates in exchange for thousands of pounds - procedures that will bring the wealthy dead back to life in these young, supple bodies for 14 days. It's an opportunity for wrongs to be righted, for fathers to meet grandsons, for scientists to see their work completed. Old wine in new bottles. But at what cost?

After a surprise visit to Earth, Dean and his crew travel to Proxima Centauri, home of humanity’s first colony world. Once again, Dean’s efforts to lead a normal life are cut short when his sister is threatened by deadly creatures at Terran Five, Spero’s northernmost outpost. There, Dean stumbles on an ancient secret, buried deep in the snow-covered mountains, that will change his life forever. And when communication with Earth ends, he realizes his worst nightmare has come true. The Bhlat have arrived.

In Rise Like Lions, Booker Prize winning writer Ben Okri has compiled a collection of poems that celebrate the many voices of politics, from polemics and rallying cries to lyrics and meditations. Many of these poems have resonated with readers over lifetimes and through generations, from William Blake to Marvin Gaye. In exploring the impact political poems have on ideas, vision, protest, change and truth, Okri demonstrates how the need for this strand of poetry is as great as it has ever been, and its inspiration just as powerful.

The Terran Union must launch one last desperate assault to save itself, but the enemy is legion and ready to crush the battle-weary human forces. Earth needs the Ibarra Nation to join the fight, but Stacey Ibarra has other plans. She hunts for a super weapon that will forever alter the balance of power in the galaxy, all the while her mind teeters on the brink of insanity. Roland, her loyal Armor soldier, must decide if she can be trusted to wield the Ark, or if she’s too dangerous to rule the nation he swore to defend.

Addisyn leads her band of Sparrows, clashing with other groups in a daily struggle for dominance. Stranded here against his will, Trew searches for a way to leave this reality and continue searching for his daughter. Danielle ensures the Game and society run as intended, all the while wondering if her husband and daughter are safe. A field of orbs glow brightly as an old man wearing pop bottle cap gloves watches them with keen interest, and a young woman learns that she is much more than a sentient computer program…

Second in the Tales of the Duskwalker series. The lone gunman Three is gone. Wren is the new governor of the devastated settlement of Morningside, but there is turmoil in the city. When his life is put in danger, Wren is forced to flee Morningside until he and his retinue can determine who can be trusted.They arrive at a border outpost to find it has been infested with Weir in greater numbers than anyone has ever seen.

On a map redrawn by the rampant sea-level rise of the twenty-second century, survivors war over the ruins of high-ground whilst pirates and slavers plague the vast new seas that surround them. But amidst the ashes of the world there remains a place for the young and the brave to call home: The Archon — a ship crewed by orphan thieves, escaped prisoners, and heretic runaways.

Elvis Cole is hired to find a woman who’s disappeared, a seemingly ordinary case, until he learns the missing woman is an explosives expert and worked for a Defense Department contractor. Meanwhile, LAPD K-9 Officer Scott James and his patrol dog, Maggie, track a fugitive to a house filled with explosives - and a dead body. As the two cases intertwine, they all find themselves up against shadowy arms dealers and corrupt officials, and the very woman they promised to save may be the cause of their own deaths.

If there’s anyone who can prevent a bar or restaurant from going belly-up, it’s Jon Taffer. Widely considered the greatest authority in the food and beverage, hotel, and hospitality industries, he runs the biggest trade show in the business and has turned around nearly 1,000 bars and at least that many restaurants.

Against the turbulent backdrop of war torn Europe and India in the final days of the Raj, Adam Cullworthy, a British army officer, is introduced to the, romantic and often treacherous life of his school friend Rindi Debrahm. The story, which spans 30 years from 1928 to 1959, opens Kushnapur Palace in the foothills of the Himalayas. Home to Rindi’s father the Maharajah of Kushnapur, it holds secrets of family conspiracy, religious conflict and a multi-layered web of intrigue surrounding a precious, bejewelled Indian sculpture.

Something has stolen the darkling mage's face. Reports of arcane theft and violence are pouring in from all over Valero. They all have one thing in common: a perpetrator who looks exactly like Dustin Graves. But Dust has been hanging in the hideout, barely out of sight of his bloodthirsty companions. An impostor is clearly on the prowl, and soon a vampire clan, the Lorica, and even Dust's own allies are giving him hell for crimes he didn't commit.

Cassie Angel is used to taking care of herself. With a spirit of adventure, and a need to stay out of harm's way, she departs a dying Nevada town for the golden opportunities that await in California - along with a new life. When charming Sam Ridgeway shows up, claiming to know her uncle, and offers her protection in her travels, she has no idea there is an ulterior motive involved.

People like Ig are born from life-threatening trials that bind periodic elements to the human body, forged in the boiling volcanoes and subterranean passages under Mira's frozen lands. One of the most powerful known elementals, he is forced to work as an enforcer for Magnate Sorrelo Adriann—cursed with a flesh binding—magic that will kill him at the first sign of disobedience. When Sorrelo is overthrown, Ig quickly learns he can do worse—far worse—than what has been asked from him so far.

Lieutenants Lance Baker and Sofia Jimenez saved Earth in the fateful battle against the aliens who’d been intent on its destruction. But there’s a problem: One of the enemy carriers got away. Not only that, but it jumped to a star that’s out of reach of Terran jump technology, and it’s probably going for reinforcements. The final battle to save Earth resulted in the destruction of most of Terra’s defensive forces, and Lance and Sofia still have no idea what’s waiting for them among the stars.