Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

See You At San Diego is the comprehensive chronicle of Comic-Con International and modern geekdom itself as told through countless stories by nearly fifty of the most integral members of the Comic-Con and fandom scene. This full-fledged oral history—bursting with intimate reflections, hilarious observations, and at times, heartbreaking stories—is about how the geek at last inherited the earth and the story of the transformation of mainstream American pop culture into comic book culture over the past century. 

Of all the white American pop music groups that hit the charts before the Beatles, only the Beach Boys continued to thrive throughout the British Invasion to survive into the 1970s and beyond. The Beach Boys helped define both sides of the era we broadly call the sixties, split between their early surf, car, and summer pop and their later hippie, counterculture, and ambitious rock. 

On December 26, 1973, The Exorcist was released. Within days it had become legend. Moviegoers braved hours-long lines in winter weather to see it. Some audience members famously fainted or vomited. Half a century later, the movie that both inspired and transcends the modern horror genre has lost none of its power to terrify and unsettle. The Exorcist Legacy reveals the complete story of this cultural phenomenon, from the real-life exorcism in 1949 Maryland that inspired William Peter Blatty's bestselling novel on which the movie is based, to its many sequels, prequels, TV series, and homages.

Sadie was just an average teenager, or so she thought. The night of her senior prom everything changes leaving her beautiful dress in rags strewn across her front lawn while she cowers under the porch terrified and covered in fur. As a halfbreed human/wolf shifter, the Pack Alpha put a gag order in place on the night of her birth. If she never got a wolf, she would live her life oblivious of her father's heritage. But if her wolf surfaced, only then would she be told of their world.

Achemiss is a thousand-year-old necromancer with potent shadow magic and a trove of artifacts. To save his world and honor his deal with Karanos, Ian has one task. Assassinate him. With Maria, Karanos, and the ever-charming Crystal at his side, Ian seeks out artifacts to level the playing field. He explores treacherous planes and participates in a trial run by the white faction. He’ll learn that the upper limit on power is far greater than he thought.

Dallas Corso is on top of the world. With millions of adoring subscribers, devilish good looks, and business savvy as developed as his six-pack abs, he enjoys unparalleled success on social media. As the king of men's fitness influencers, he's cultivated a polished image—hard-working, motivational and honest. But there's another side to Dallas Corso, one you won't find in a magazine. Greedy, self-obsessed and tirelessly judgmental, it's only a matter of time before his true colors show.

At six years old Tyler Klein made a promise to his best friend Josie. "When I grow up and get my wolf, I'm gonna make you my mate." Back then he didn't know a lot about mating, but he thought he knew a thing or two about love. Josie's family changed allegiances to a new pack shortly after that and the memory faded long ago, that is until Josie shows up at the ARC to visit a friend.

Diggory Finch had a mother that didn’t seem to want him and a father that chose to run from every struggle the family ever had. The same father lied about the family fortune. But now Grandma Beatrice is gone, and Diggory has inherited Finch Island in Twin Falls, as well as millions of dollars, a house, an old mill building, and the profound, evil darkness that dwells at the center of his family’s heart.

For the four years Kaitlyn has been at Archibald Reynolds College, she has been watched over and cared for without question by each and every member of Delta Omega Gamma. Most don't even know why and they never ask. Now, she's about to graduate and leave the safe haven they've created for her. She can't go back home. She's not sure she can survive on her own in the human world. But it's time she stands on her own two feet. Scared and alone, Kaitlyn must face her life head on if she is ever going to rise above the demons of her past.

Stories of famous monsters in a new horror anthology featuring Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, and many others.

The first issue in the second century of Weird Tales features a new HELLBOY story by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden. Editor Jonathan Maberry has built a collection of cosmic horror that will destabilize your worldview.

In the spring of 1981, Parker City is rocked by a series of brutal murders. Unthinkable crimes the likes of which are unheard of in the close-knit community. Under great pressure from the powers-that-be, it is made clear to newly minted Parker City Police Detectives Ben Winters and Tommy Mason that their first case could very well be their last if they can't catch the killer. Decades later, after distinguished careers in law enforcement, Ben and Tommy find themselves on the eve of retirement. But in their final days on the job, their very first case comes back to haunt them.

The blizzard begins pummeling the Midwest on Christmas Eve, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Todd Curry doesn't need another reason to disappoint his son, so he joins three other people in renting the last four-wheel drive available and they set out into the blinding snow. Only two hours into the treacherous trip west, Todd swerves to avoid a man in the middle of the highway. The stranger claims his daughter is lost somewhere out in the snow.

Six months after he almost died in a caving accident, sculptor Tim Overleigh spends his time crutching his broken body from bar to bar in downtown Annapolis. He has told no one that it was his dead wife, Hannah, who helped him survive—and that he's still seeing her . . . But a chance meeting with an old friend—and a plane ticket to Kathmandu—reawaken Tim's passion for adventure.

When two teenagers go missing from the small, rural town of Sallow Bend, the residents come together to search for them. Little do they suspect that finding the wayward girls will be the start of their problems. An old evil is rising, and only one man seems to realize that everyone is in danger and this is not the first time it’s happened. With the carnival in town, people want to have a good time, but for many, this will be the worst time of their lives.

A seasoned invader with multiple home invasions under their belt recounts their dark victories while offering tutelage to a new generation of ambitious home invaders eager to make their mark on the annals of criminal history. From initial canvasing to home entry, the listener is complicit in every strangling and shattered window. The fear is inescapable. Examining the sanctuary of the home and one of the horror genre's most frightening tropes, Anybody Home? points the camera lens onto the quiet suburbs and its unsuspecting abodes.

Since the late 1980's, The Square had been one of the most important clubs in New York for the alt-comedy scene. But before that it was something much darker and is now a place where evil lingers, waiting for a chance to spill blood. After a night of killing on stage, four comics find themselves in a desperate situation as the spirits of the past come out to play, and a fight for laughs becomes a fight for survival in the most unlikely of places.

At seventeen, Mia Rose Ellis is haunted by a tragic summer and painful secrets. Seeking refuge in the forest behind her house, however, she finds two things that change everything: a rotten corpse and an archaic journal filled with horrifying tales. As Mia begins to read the eerie stories of a terrifying, malicious creature, she begins to realize the forest surrounding her house is more dangerous than she could've imagined.

Marie Crenshaw hates nothing more than to disappoint people, especially those she cares about. When she lands herself in a bind having made a promise on behalf of a friend, she finds herself stuck to fulfill the duty herself.

What if decemancy isn't enough? Powerful forces threaten the stability of both the West and the entire world. The Eldemari's ambition, a descendant vanquisher: everyone is out for Ian's head. The odds are long, even with Euryphel's Regret and End affinities shifting the rhythm of war. Ian must plumb the depths of a new area of magic, one he swore off years ago: the forbidden study of the soul—necromancy. But first, he needs to find a teacher.