Showing results by narrator "Michael Kramer" in All Categories

Sent with a contingent of knights to reinforce the Thousand Lakes Kingdom against the aggression of the normally peaceable Soreshi, Anskar DeVantte learns that the Necromancer Queen Talia’s reach is longer than he could have believed. Cajoled into procuring the components of the Armor of Divinity that will bring Talia back from the realm of the dead, Anskar must put her demands to one side when the real threat facing the kingdom is revealed.

At a time when the edge of American settlement barely reached beyond the Appalachian Mountains, two visionaries, President Thomas Jefferson and millionaire John Jacob Astor, foresaw that one day the Pacific would dominate world trade as much as the Atlantic did in their day. Just two years after the Lewis and Clark expedition concluded in 1806, Jefferson and Astor turned their sights westward once again. Thus began one of history's dramatic but largely forgotten turning points in the conquest of the North American continent.

As early as 1941, Allied victory in World War II seemed all but assured. How and why, then, did the Germans prolong the barbaric conflict for three and a half more years? In The German War, acclaimed historian Nicholas Stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of primary source materials - personal diaries, court records, and military correspondence - to answer this question. He offers an unprecedented portrait of wartime Germany, bringing the hopes and expectations of the German people to vivid life.

The Navy SEAL teams' elite K9 warriors do it all - from detecting explosives to eliminating the bad guys. These powerful dogs are also some of the smartest and most highly skilled working animals on the planet. Mike Ritland's job is to train them. This is the tale of how Ritland discovered his passion and grew up to train these elite dogs. After becoming a SEAL, he was on combat deployment in Iraq when he saw a military working dog in action, and he instantly knew he'd found his true calling.

Tracy Whitney never thought she wanted to settle down. With her suave and handsome partner, Jeff Stevens, she'd been responsible for some of the world's most astounding heists, relishing the danger and intensity of life on the wild side. Together, she and Jeff have made enough money for several lifetimes conning the rich, corrupt, and greedy out of their ill-gotten fortunes. But there is still one thing missing from Tracy's perfect life: a baby.

It starts in a laboratory. A man-made strain of flesh-eating virus. Created by a power-hungry cartel. Capable of turning victims into brain-dead carnivores. Smuggled aboard a cruise ship that's about to set sail . . .One by one, the passengers are exposed. A U.S. senator. A young couple. An undercover agent. A beautiful assassin. Some will be infected. Others will survive. But no one will be spared if the outbreak isn't contained and the dead outnumber the living.

Names and faces he thought he'd left behind in Liverpool resurface in London, bringing Felix far more trouble than he'd anticipated. Childhood memories, family traumas, sins old and new, and a council estate that was meant to be a modern utopia until it turned into something like hell.... These are just some of the sticks life uses to beat Felix Castor with, as things go from bad to worse for London's favorite freelance exorcist. See, Castor's stepped over the line this time, and he knows he'll have to pay. The only question is: How much?

A terrorist bomb explodes during a South Korean celebration of the anniversary of the election of its first president. Alarms are raised in Washington. No one is claiming responsibility. The first suspect is North Korea. Could it be making a power play against South Korea and unification? If so, how will the U.S. respond? Paul Hood, Director of the Op-Center, must answer these questions. The Op-Center, a largely autonomous new agency which takes on the government's toughest security problems, is only six months old, and has never been given a foreign crisis until now.

Banding together with the remnants of the Ghoul’s Tooth gang, Garrett finds himself thrust into a power struggle he wants nothing to do with. The city is filled with warring factions, each bent on using every means possible to come out on top, and they all seem to think Garrett is the perfect tool to achieve that.

A dramatic and revelatory account of Joe Torre’s 12 years as manager of the New York Yankees. Joe Torre is the most successful - and most respected - baseball manager of the modern era, steering the Yankees to six American League pennants and four World Series championships. When he left the team in 2007, it was front-page news around the country. Famously diplomatic during his tenure with the Yankees, Torre finally speaks out about what it was like building and managing the dynasty during those 12 glorious and tumultuous years.

In Niyas, the new Seneschal plans to use Anskar to further the Church’s aims and grind the Niyandrians and their culture to dust. But having thrown off the shackles of both the Church and his mother Queen Talia, Anskar is no longer a hapless pawn. Driven to seek the final component to complete the Armor of Divinity, he falls in with the Niyandrian rebels and forges his own path.

War is coming, and she must decide how badly she wants the vampires on her side. Or as a thorn in her side. When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I'm the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot. Bringing my allies together as war approaches is my number one concern. But that means I have to play nice with a vampire who is blackmailing me. If I don’t, I’m screwed and my family is dead. But I don't play nice. And I have a backup plan. Kinda.

The prologue of the long-awaited conclusion to Robert Jordan's fantasy masterpiece. This selection features a bonus recording of Robert Jordan's widow and longtime editor, Harriet McDougal, discussing the process of continuing the Wheel of Time series after Jordan's death, and how they came to select Brandon Sanderson to carry the torch.

Night has fallen and the dead have begun their march. Garrett’s power is growing, and with it the influence of the dream flowers. But with power comes enemies, and Garrett’s enemies outclass him by a large margin. To make matters worse, one of the Great Rulers of the Dream has launched his attack on the budding Klein Family, intending to consume Garrett and expand his territory. With the March of Lesrak underway, the gangs of the city have a simple choice. Band together or die under the claws of the wave of zombies sweeping the city.

Take a deep dive into the real-world history and mythology that inspired the world of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time®. This companion to the internationally bestselling series will delve into the creation of Jordan’s masterpiece, drawing from interviews and an unprecedented examination of his unpublished notes. Michael Livingston tells the behind-the-scenes story of who Jordan was, how he worked, and why he holds such an important place in modern literature. Origins of The Wheel of Time will provide exciting knowledge and insights to both new and longtime fans.

From stories about time-traveling assassins, to Black Mirror-esque tales of cryptocurrency and internet trolling, to heartbreaking narratives of parent-child relationships, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories is a far-reaching work that explores topical themes from the present and a visionary look at humanity’s future. This collection includes a selection of Ken Liu’s speculative-fiction stories over the past five years - 17 of his best - plus a new novelette.

With the Order knights of Branil’s Burg defeated, the victorious Niyandrian rebels bend the knee to Anskar, their Melesh-Eloni—“godling”—and the true heir to the throne. But despite their victory, time is running out. Anskar’s powers are unpredictable, and to some, terrifying. Already, the mainlanders plan vengeance: An armada is being prepared, not for colonization this time, but for slaughter. And the ever-looming spirit of Queen Talia still seeks to return from the dead to begin a new necromantic empire, with her as the ever-living ruler.

After suffering physical abuse at the hands of his stepmother, James Garner left home at fourteen. He became Oklahoma's first draftee of the Korean War and was awarded with two Purple Hearts before returning to the United States and settling in Los Angeles to become an actor. Working alongside some of the most renowned celebrities, including Julie Andrews, Marlon Brando, and Clint Eastwood, Garner became a star in his own right, despite struggles with stage fright and depression.

When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life. An assassin has left the Emperor Ashravan without consciousness, a circumstance concealed only by the death of his wife. If the emperor does not emerge after his hundred-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos. Shai is given an impossible task: to create - to Forge - a new soul for the emperor in less than 100 days. But her soul-Forgery is considered an abomination by her captors.

The consistently best-selling What Works on Wall Street explores the investment strategies that have provided the best returns over the past 50 years - and which are the top performers today. The third edition of this BusinessWeek and New York Times best seller contains more than 50 percent new material and is designed to help you reshape your investment strategies for both the post-bubble market and the dramatically changed political landscape.