Showing results by narrator "Jake Urry" in All Categories

With the thunder and lightning outside increasing in ferocity, Charles read and re-read the words. Like his name on the envelope, the words of the message within had also been typed - this communication contained no actual handwriting whatsoever. At length, Charles allowed his hand to fall to his lap, the message still held between his fingers. Had there been anyone else present in the room, the words would now have been visible to all. The message read: "We know your secret".

With his dying breath, the tomb-raiding rogue Stagger confesses his love to his long-time companion, the swashbuckling swordswoman known as Infidel. With his ghost now bound to the blade that killed him, Stagger bears witness as Infidel launches into her most dangerous adventure yet, a quest to slay the dragon Greatshadow. Dragons exist on two planes of existence, residing in both the material realm and the spirit world.

London’s East End has over the centuries been a magnet for immigration, innovation, culture, crime and a vast spectrum of other things. It is often seen as both part of and yet very distinct from the vast metropolis of London. Today it has been transformed from the often grimy, derelict and overcrowded area, that many of these stories describe, into a landscape of gentrification, sleek and shiny buildings and a booming economy. But here such noted talents as Arthur Morrison, Henry W. Nevinson, William Pett Ridge and Thomas Burke show the East End as it really was.

Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, CBE, was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 13, 1884. His father was an Anglican clergyman which involved postings abroad. Walpole’s early education was by a Governess until, in 1893, his parents decided he needed a better education and the young boy was sent to England. He first attended a preparatory school in Truro followed by Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow in 1895, where he was bullied, frightened and miserable.

William Pett Ridge was born at Chartham, near Canterbury, Kent, on 22 April 1859. His family’s resources were certainly limited. His father was a Railway Porter, and the young Pett Ridge, after schooling in Marden, Kent became a Clerk in a railway clearing-house. The hours were long and arduous, but self-improvement was Pett Ridge’s goal. After working from nine until seven o’clock he would attend evening classes at Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institute to follow his passion: the ambition to write.

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5th, 1850 near Dieppe in France. Maupassant’s early life was badly torn when at age 11 (his younger brother Hervé was then five) his mother, Laure, a headstrong and independent-minded woman, risked social disgrace in order to obtain a legal separation from her husband. After the separation, Laure kept custody of her two boys. With the father now forcibly absent, Laure became the most influential and important figure in the young boy's life.

Arthur Morrison was born on November 1st, 1863, in Poplar, in the East End of London. From the age of eight, after the death of his father, he was brought up, along with two siblings, by his mother, Jane. This volume comes to you from Portable Poetry, a specialised imprint from Deadtree Publishing. Our range is large and growing and covers single poets, themes and many compilations. 

George Robert Gissing was born on November 22, 1857, in Wakefield, Yorkshire. He was educated at Back Lane School in Wakefield. Gissing loved school. He was enthusiastic with a thirst for learning and always diligent. By the age of 10 he was reading Dickens, a lifelong hero. In 1872, Gissing won a scholarship to Owens College. Whilst there, Gissing worked hard but remained solitary. Unfortunately, he had run short of funds and stole from his fellow students. He was arrested, prosecuted, found guilty, expelled and sentenced to a month's hard labour in 1876.

A tormented past. An infernal legacy. The fires of hell await a new master.... Once the chief exorcist for the Vatican, Blake Rossi spent years of his life battling the minions of hell. But when his latest demonic target reveals a dark secret from his past, Blake finds his entire life turned upside down. He is shocked to learn that a demon was responsible for the death of his mother. Determined to journey to hell and slay the creature responsible, Blake reluctantly enlists the help of an escaped demon.

The carnival is back in town, and for Jack Heldon, that's not a good sign. Since the last time it had come to the small and quiet town in Lensfield, Connecticut, he’s been plagued with nightmares of burning walls, raspy chuckles, and fiery red eyes in the dark. Ted Barton’s killing spree is still fresh in his mind, and Jack knows the carnival was behind it all. Now, it’s back for more.

An exiled priest. A demonic knight. The war between heaven and hell has begun.... Once the chief exorcist for the Vatican, Blake Rossi was thrown out of the church when an exorcism ritual went horribly wrong. And he’s been haunted by his failure ever since. Now, Blake wallows in guilt, and drinks himself to sleep every night. But the former priest knows there are people still plagued by evil. People who need his help. When an old friend offers a chance for redemption, Blake agrees and becomes a freelance exorcist.

London. A candidate for global capital. Centre of an empire. The swift-beating heart of culture. A sprawling metropolis of life’s rich tapestry. And a bewildering Escher cityscape of overlapping and colliding forces. People, streets, buildings interweaving and interchanging. And our eminent writers have the talent and focus to reveal the story that lies beneath the words.

Benton Bertrand is a banshee, a supernatural harbinger of doom. Each night he is plagued by terrifying dreams, prophecies of death seen through the eye of killers. And this time, the face he sees in his nightmare is his own… After countless brushes with the paranormal, Benton returns home and struggles to reconnect with his parents. But his efforts to build a relationship with his estranged family are quickly overshadowed by another premonition of death. Something evil is stalking him. He can feel it watching, waiting, closing in.

Signed over 200 years ago, the Blood Contract ensured the sanctity of the Blood lands. In return, the Blood family dedicated their lives, and their deaths to the protection of the town of Thorne. For many years, the town of Thorne was nothing more than a picturesque New England village. But in modern day, the town is enjoying a boom in real estate development. To satisfy the developers with enough land, the town has decided to break the Blood Contract...and the people of Thorne are going to learn that there is a price for ignorance.

Evil cries out in the night...Benton Bertrand is plagued by nightmares. But the horrifying images he sees in his dreams are not mere fantasy. Benton is a banshee, a harbinger of doom. His visions are premonitions of death. And only he has the power to stop them from coming true...When Benton and Nicole travel to the Fort Wayward tribal festival, they hope the wisdom of the Siksika tribe elders will help Benton come to grips with his terrifying abilities. But they soon learn they are not the only ones drawn to the sacred grounds.

Philip Edward Thomas was born on 3rd March 1878 at 14 Lansdowne Gardens in Stockwell, Lambeth, which was then a part of Surrey. His family had a rich Welsh heritage. Thomas was educated at Battersea Grammar School before proceeding to St Paul's School in London and then becoming a history scholar, between 1898-1900, at Lincoln College, Oxford. Whilst still studying for his degree he married Helen Berenice Noble in June 1899, in Fulham, London.

Robert Laurence Binyon, CH, was born on 10th August 1869 in Lancaster in Lancashire, England, to Quaker parents, Frederick Binyon and Mary Dockray. He studied at St Paul's School, London, before enrolling at Trinity College, Oxford, to read classics. Binyon’s first published work was Persephone in 1890. As a poet, his output was not prodigious, and, in the main, the volumes he did publish were slim, but his reputation was of the highest order. When the Poet Laureate, Alfred Austin, died in 1913, Binyon was considered alongside Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling....

William Cowper was born 26th November 1731 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Traumatically he and his brother, John, were the only siblings, out of seven, to survive infancy. His mother died when he was six. In 1763 he was offered a Clerkship of Journals in the House of Lords. With the examinations approaching, Cowper had a mental breakdown. He tried to commit suicide three times, and a period of depression and insanity seemed to settle on him. The end of this unhappy period saw him finding refuge in evangelical Christianity, becoming the inspiration behind his much-loved hymns.

Benton Bertrand is no ordinary teenager. He is a banshee - cursed with the ability to sense death and see through the eyes of killers. Benton’s powerful scream can destroy supernatural evil. And it’s about to be put to the test. Recovering from their last ordeal, Benton and his friend Nicole are horrified to discover a young girl plagued by malevolent spirits. Piece by piece, the helpless child’s body is harvested by an unseen presence.

The human race prides itself on being the most organised of animals. We manage the fate of all other species. All other animals bow to our control or suffer. In diminishing numbers we allow some to live in the wild, but in increasing numbers we domesticate them, and whether they become part of the family, a best friend or wonderfully decorative accessory, we take their compliance for granted.