Showing results by narrator "Graham-Halstead" in All Categories

As the end of the world rapidly approaches—both figuratively and literally—Astra Epsilon seems to be the last hope humanity has of sidestepping that awkward thing called death. With only a few weeks to spare, two brothers and a trio of roommates arrive at the local Ascension Port, intent on unloading their minds into the game—rather than waiting idly for their inevitable doom. The two groups find themselves joined together by random chance to make the obligate team of five. They Ascend, leaving their Earthly bodies behind. 

Taking its inspiration from Great Expectations, this novel teases us with the question of what Pip might have been like had he grown up in the American South of the 1960s and 1970s. A guilty encounter with an escaped felon, a summer spent working for an eccentric man with a mysterious past, conflicted erotic feelings for his employer’s niece and nephew—these events set the stage for a journey of sexual and moral discovery that takes Newt Seward to New England, Rome, and Paris—all before returning home to confront his life’s many expectations and disappointments.

Addie and Clark have just defeated one evil, only to have another closer to home than they thought possible. They thought they were finally safe, but Spectrum has been waiting for them. And this time, there are more lives at stake than anyone could've imagined. Will they be able to work together to stop the spread of RyLand's forces? Or will they have to sacrifice everyone they've ever loved for the sake of the rest of the world?

Welcome! Please, make yourselves at home! Dungeon Rules are posted over there. You break 'em, and Baron Grimes will break your kneecaps. Piss him off badly enough, and he'll cave your head in. Really piss him off, and he'll string up your friends and family in front of you as you bleed out to death. Please disregard any ideas that we Alexes are people or something. We have no souls inside our hollow shells, for we are merely walking piles of meat sculpted by the dungeon to serve as its proxies. 

Clark thought he knew what grief was. Addie thought she understood the dangers of the Tempest Sea. They couldn't have been more wrong. When their only chance at survival lands them on opposite ends of an island that shouldn't exist, they will both be forced to contend with the consequences of their latest mistakes—and each other's. Will they be able to keep the promises they made one another, even as loss and circumstance morphs them into the very people they never thought they would be? Or will their relationship be the next casualty in this never-ending battle?

In Nebula Award-winning author Sam J. Miller’s devastating debut short-fiction collection—featuring an introduction by Amal El-Mohtar—queer infatuation, inevitable heartbreak, and brutal revenge seamlessly intertwine. Whether innocent, guilty, or not even human, the boys, beasts, and men roaming through Miller’s gorgeously crafted worlds can destroy listeners, yet leave them wanting more. 

It’s the late 1980s, and Matthew Carnap is awake most nights, afflicted by a potent combination of insomnia and undiagnosed ADHD. Sometimes he gazes out his bedroom window into the dark; sometimes he wanders the streets of his small Southern Minnesota town. But more often than not, he crosses the hall into his stepfather Russ’ roller rink to spend the sleepless hours lost in music. Russ’s record collection is as eclectic as it is extensive, and he and Matthew bond over discovering new tunes and spinning perfect skate mixes. Then Matthew’s mother divorces Russ.

Georges Blanchard is revered in the small French town of Mireville both as a master serinette maker and for a miraculous incident in his childhood that earned him the title "The Sun-Bringer". As his firstborn son, Henri Blanchard is expected to follow in his footsteps, but Henri would rather learn to make lace than music boxes. When Henri discovers a stash of American letters in his father's drawer, he learns he's not the firstborn son of Georges Blanchard at all: Henri has an older half-brother born to one of Georges' American customers. 

Olivia Hamilton is married to the love of her life, Dean, a charismatic pilot who flies private jets for the rich and famous. But when he vanishes over the Bermuda Triangle, Olivia’s idyllic existence unravels. After years of waiting, Olivia must eventually let go of the fragile hope that her beloved husband might still be alive.

When novelist Andy Drake returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father, a reconnection with his childhood friend Rachel escalates into a secret love affair. For Rachel, struggling to maintain the facade of a picture-perfect life, it’s an escape from an emotionally abusive marriage. Then Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair. Or else.

Whether it’s playing through blockbuster-esque adventures, diving deep into hidden bits of story and lore, or building relationships that change the fate of the world itself, video games are bringing stories to life in ways that are immediate, interactive, and immersive. Focusing on some of the best and most memorable experiences in gaming, The Greatest Stories Ever Played examines the relationship between gaming and storytelling in a new way.

The world-renowned architect I. M. Pei is the twenty-fourth hero in the New York Times bestselling picture book biography series, adapted for audio. This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live...

A profoundly beautiful memoir about disability, difference, and living as a vulnerable body. Jan Grue had just become a father when he inherited a stack of his childhood medical records. Following a diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy at the age of three, the raft of doctors' notes, clinical descriptions and case histories defined his body as defective and his future as bleak and limited. They conjured a childhood nothing like the one he remembered, that failed to anticipate the life he lived now. "I Live a Life Like Yours" is Grue's beautiful, groundbreaking search for a literary language that could better tell his story.

With the amulet still stuck around her neck, Addie must outwit her powerful captors who will do anything to get to the power held within the ancient artifact. If they find out she doesn't know how to use it, she's dead.

There has been a major upheaval at Mount Weather. The president has been assassinated. Her running mate, who was her husband, is sworn in as president in order to preserve democracy, but in only a short time his behavior has put the Mount Weather community in a state of turmoil. If that wasn't bad enough, Chinese soldiers have been discovered on American soil and the zeds, already an ever present danger, are continuing to show signs of cognition and teamwork. The motives of both are unknown but do not bode well for the survivors.

On a long, cold Icelandic night in March 1920, Gunnar, a hermit blacksmith, finds himself with an unwanted lodger - Sigurd, an injured stranger who offers a story from the past. But some stories, even those of an old man who can barely walk, are too dangerous to hear. They alter the listeners' lives forever...by ending them. Others are keen on changing Gunnar's life as well. Depending on who gets to tell his story, it might lead toward an unwanted marriage, an intervention, rejoining the Church, letting the elf drive him insane, or succumbing to the demons in his mind. 

A bicycle crashes into me one night, and the next thing I know, I’m a baby? Getting reincarnated in another world populated by humans, demi-humans, and mythical beasts is certainly not the turn I thought my life was going to take. I especially didn’t expect to be carried off by a wolf and given into the care of a one-armed former knight. Now, I’m trying to repay him by rebuilding the family inn and healing his arm with alchemy.

No one expected Ragnarok. The miles-wide meteor fell from the sky in 2030, taking most of humanity with it. The lucky ones took refuge in the Bunkers. The unlucky ones had to deal with the meteor's aftermath...and the alien virus it unleashed. Now, that virus is evolving, creating an army of mutants and monsters, mixing Earth genetics with something...not Earth. As humanity struggles in the wastelands of what's left, it might already be too late...unless a band of young heroes can rise up, and fight.

National bestselling author Phil Stamper crafts the perfect summer friendship story, starring four queer boys with big hearts and even bigger dreams. It’s the summer before senior year. Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small, rural town by their queerness, their...

"Fun, funny, hot, and heartfelt...The apocalyptic beach read that everyone needs." - Alix E. Harrow, Hugo Award-winning author A paranormal romantic comedy at the (possible) end of the world. From New York Times bestselling author Gwenda Bond, Not Your Average Hot Guy is a hilarious romantic...