Showing results by narrator "Michael Orenstein" in All Categories

After an accident left him temporarily blind, Drew Carter didn't just regain his sight. He now sees what others can't imagine - an entire spiritual realm of mighty beings at war. Forget the gift, Drew just wants his life back. Part of that involves Sydney Carlyle, a woman he is inexplicably drawn to. When he's offered the chance to become a CIA agent, it seems the way to redeem his past. The only problem - his visions of the supernatural realm are increasing in frequency.

A 6,000-year war rages and now the demonic Fallen are coming for him - the one man shrouded in mystery. Only Validus stands in their way. Validus is the last and least of God's angels, but he's seen much across the millennia since his creation. Empires have risen and fallen as angelic and demonic forces battle in a raging war that will determine humanity's fate - and the fate of his defeated brothers.

Tragedy and heartache seem to be waiting for Drew Carter at every turn, but college offers Drew a chance to start over - until an accident during a physics experiment leaves him blind and his genius friend, Benjamin Berg, missing. As his sight miraculously returns, Drew discovers that the accident has heightened his neuron activity, giving him skills and sight beyond the normal man. When he begins to observe fierce invaders that no one else can see, he questions his own sanity, and so do others. But is he insane or do the invaders truly exist?

A mighty empire…a lowly slave…a galaxy to save. Will a hero rise? Nova chronicles the early years of the Aurora Galaxy after the great war between two immortal races known as the Malakians and the Torians. The despot, Zari Treville, is leading the Torians on a campaign to rule the galaxy, but Supreme Chancellor Ell Yon, leader of the Malakians, stands in his way. Both races wield technology far beyond anything the human race has ever seen.

Daeson seeks the counsel of the oracle that propelled him into a life of ruin and terrifying adventure. But the ruthless Chancellor Lockridge offers no quarter to his life-long friend turned traitor. Lockridge’s thirst for revenge spills the blood of thousands of innocent Rayleans, and Daeson bears the burden of global calamity. Rejected by all except the spirited Raviel, Daeson struggles to carry on. When the whispers of the Immortal Ell Yon beckon Daeson to a remote moon of the planet Mesos, he must find the courage to face his deepest fears.

Brae Thornton finally sees her dream to travel the stars come true, but her idyllic adventure shatters as the ominous forces of Lord Dracus transcend the realm of the Ruah and collide with the fate of the galaxy.

Often cited as the best work of short fiction ever written, Joyce's elegant story details a New Year's Eve gathering in Dublin that is so evocative and beautiful that it prompts the protagonist's wife to make a shocking revelation to her husband - closing the story with an emotionally powerful epiphany that is unsurpassed in modern literature."The Dead" is the final short story in Joyce's 1914 collection Dubliners. It is the longest story in the collection and widely considered to be one of the greatest short stories in the English language.

Daeson finds himself a prisoner in a tribal world where the law of survival rules. Gone is the hope of the promised homeworld given by the mighty Immortal, Ell Yon. Daeson must fight to restore a future to the Raylean people, but to succeed, he must overcome the marauders of cruel worlds, the tragedy of quantum peril, and the archenemy of the Sovereign Ell Yon, Lord Dracus. The odds are mounting against him. The relentless loyalty of his friend, Tig, sustains him as he rediscovers the power of the Protector. Can he lead the Rayleans to freedom once more?

Tragedy and heartache seem to be waiting for Drew Carter at every turn, but college offers Drew a chance to start over - until an accident during a physics experiment leaves him blind and his genius friend, Benjamin Berg, missing. As his sight miraculously returns, Drew discovers that the accident has heightened his neuron activity, giving him skills and sight beyond the normal man. When he begins to observe fierce invaders that no one else can see, he questions his own sanity, and so do others.

Unstoppable is the ultimate immigrant story and an epic David-and-Goliath adventure. While American teens were socializing in ice cream parlors, Siggi was suffering beatings by Nazi hoodlums for being a Jew and was soon deported along with his family to the darkest place the world has ever known: Auschwitz. Siggi used his wits to stay alive, pretending to have trade skills the Nazis could exploit to run the camp. After two death marches and near starvation, he was liberated from camp Mauthausen and went to work for the US Army hunting Nazis.

The intellectual and religio-philosophical awakening of young Stephen Dedalus as he begins to question and rebel against the Catholic and Irish conventions with which he has been raised. He finally leaves for abroad to pursue his ambitions as an artist. The work is an early example of some of Joyce's modernist techniques that would later be represented in a more developed manner by Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. The novel, which has had a "huge influence on novelists across the world", was ranked by Modern Library as the third greatest English-language novel of the 20th century.

In our culture, being independent is highly valued. But, being totally independent is impossible. We depend on the many relationships in our lives, not because we rely on other people, but because through relationships we become aware of changes we need to make. The most meaningful and lasting changes do not come from pleasing others. They don’t come about by what others do for us. They come from taking a look at ourselves within the context of our relationships, before deciding what we need to do to improve these relationships. 

A 6,000 year war rages and now the demonic Fallen are coming for him, the one man shrouded in mystery. Only Validus stands in their way. Validus is the last and least of God's angels, but he's seen much across the millennia since his creation. Empires have risen and fallen as angelic and demonic forces battle in a raging war that will determine humanity's fate - and the fate of his defeated brothers.

Lord Dracus’s evil continues to spread across the galaxy, but a glimmer of hope is discovered in the words of an ancient oracle. Daeson and Raviel are torn apart by a rift in the fabric of space. Desperate to find her, Daeson races through time only to discover that Sovereign Ell Yon’s beloved people are on the brink of annihilation.

Some Like It Hot occupies a unique place in American culture. This beloved classic showcases five comic geniuses: Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, I. A. L. Diamond, Billy Wilder, and Marilyn Monroe. It has been honored by the American Film Institute as the funniest film of all time. It has contributed quotes, styles, and stories to film lore. Yet the full story of its making has never been told - until now.

The annual Great Quest is about to be announced in Quendel, which will determine the futures of Marcus and the other boys from the village who are coming of age. The wizard Zyll commands them to find the Rock of Ivanore, but he doesn't tell them what the rock is exactly or where it can be found. Marcus must reach deep within himself to find the powers of magic and the strength to survive the wild lands and fierce enemies he encounters as he searches for the elusive rock.

Niamh O’Rourke Ahern knows she should feel shame. Regret. Remorse. Anything but the deep relief filling her to the depths of her soul. What kind of woman is she to rejoice at the death of her husband? What woman yearns for another’s touch as her husband’s casket is being lowered into the ground? In the end, she knows it doesn’t matter, for she will always be alone. No man will ever fully earn her trust again.

Sensible Kevin O’Rourke does not believe in ghosts, in love at first sight, or in the happily-ever-after type of love. Instead, he is convinced only hard work, dedication to family, and self-sacrifice will bring contentment. When he meets Aileen O’Keefe on the steamboat trip from Saint Louis to Fort Benton, Montana Territory, his world is turned upside down as quickly as she nearly tumbles into the Missouri River. After spending a few moments in her company, he knows his life will never be the same.

On a steaming night in 1977, New York City is plunged into darkness and two boys, Joe and Robbie, are abandoned by their mother, Lois. Forty years to the day after this unforgivable moment, Joe is a hard-drinking ADA and Lois has resurfaced: Joe wakes from another alcoholic fog to learn she’s been found murdered on a Coney Island beach.

Ardan O’Rourke never thought to marry. Not after the heartbreak he suffered as a young man. Not after the years he helped raise his youngest siblings. He never expected to meet Deirdre Finnegan, a spirited woman with a past full of secrets. Deirdre Finnegan is not who she appears to be. A fine cook and a loner, she yearns for so much more. When Ardan and the O’Rourkes befriend her, she cannot deny her desire to be part of the large, wonderful family. Just when she begins to believe in a new future, her past returns to remind her of all she has lost.