Showing results by narrator "RJ Bayley" in All Categories

In the future, the leaders of Hive nations–nations without fixed location–clandestinely committed nefarious deeds in order to maintain an outward semblance of utopian stability. But the facade could only last so long. The comforts of effortless global travel and worldwide abundance may have tempered humanity's darkest inclinations, but conflict remains deeply rooted in the human psyche. All it needed was a catalyst, in form of special little boy to ignite half a millennium of repressed chaos.

The Witch Queen's reign nears its end—but only if Karn can survive the final battle. Branded a traitor and hunted by the kingdom he once served, Karn must return home, where the past he abandoned and the future he fears collide. His adopted father, Banar, remains a prisoner of the Witch...

Fear is universal—a shared human experience that provokes awe, curiosity and terror. It feeds our anxieties, elevating our heartbeats and driving the instinct to survive. But what are we afraid of—and why? Each story in this anthology seeks to answer that question, blurring the boundaries between horror and fantasy fiction.

Reece Quaid doesn't want to be known as "The Man Who Killed Smoke Jensen." But when the legendary mountain man shows up in the middle of a stagecoach robbery, Quaid has no choice but to shoot him. He didn't even know his victim was the famous Smoke Jensen—until he goes through his pockets and finds his papers. That's when Quaid comes up with a plan. Since he resembles Smoke, he'll simply assume his identity. Rob some banks. Hold up more stagecoaches. And shoot anyone who tries to stop him. Soon the whole world will be asking. Has Smoke Jensen gone bad?

Helena Littledean has a secret, a most scandalous painting she bought in discretion and keeps hidden from prying eyes. She’s a young lady after all, and the Adam in her painting isn’t hiding a thing behind his fig leaf. When she finally meets the Earl of Norwalk, her heart catches in her throat. It’s her Adam—the embodiment of her closely held dreams standing before her… Adam Waterbury, the Earl of Norwalk, has been trying to find Adam in the Garden of Eden for over twelve years. The artist, his maternal uncle, promised he’d never sell it, not to Adam or to anyone else.

The Hand that Casts the Bone is the second book in the Vanguard Series and continues the journey of protagonist, John Vanguard, as he negotiates his way through a city rife with crime and corruption. A Grimdark gas lamp novel, The Hand that Casts the Bone follows We Men of Ash and Shadow in its themes of redemption, betrayal, and revolution. It was funny how everything came down to resources. Who had them, who wanted them, and who would die for them.

As evil ravages the north and the dead walk, all eyes fall to Arn.... The apprentice journeys south, home to the College, unaware of the dark events that transpired in the High Passes after his departure. His leg in ruins, and haunted by watching shadows, the College council in Arn awaits him, but he does not travel south alone.

The Prime Sovereignty, a land divided into five kingdoms, is home to many people of power. Seventeen-year-old Lox is powerful in his own right, although he doesn't fully understand how. All he knows is that - like his mentor, Ember - he has a gift that is both rare and deadly. Lox learns that people like him are born to do only one thing: kill. Just not for free, of course. hus, with Ember leading the way, Lox begins working in the Prime Sovereignty's oldest, and most fearsome, profession: he becomes an assassin.

Pavane has lived a sheltered life on a mist-shrouded island far away from the world and titles that should have been his by birthright. The alternative was death. Born chaos-marked, a demon in the eyes of his kin, the child was stolen away on the eve of his execution and kept safe. With only the old woman for company, Pavane has lived a strange life, learned to share minds with the birds and the histories of the world through the tales Mistral has spun for him. Can they be true?

COVID-19 transformed many things: business landscapes, home life, international travel, the meaning of the word “quarantine.” This rapid upheaval caught many of us unawares, and now we’re tasked with reinventing our lives and redefining success. As we navigate this new reality, we must ask ourselves, how do we move forward from here? Amidst the challenges of the pandemic, Rick Yvanovich presents Business As UnUsual. Yvanovich outlines the mindsets, daily habits, and skills required to break free from any ruts and get back in the game—your action today determines your success tomorrow.

For Josh, falling in love does not fit in with his rock and roll lifestyle. And falling for someone who believes in mermaids? Who wants to be one? Well, he wasn't expecting that, either. But the sea is deep with mysteries. Sometimes they wash ashore, whispered in the hush of a quiet tide, and all you have to do is listen. Other times you have to explore the dark beneath the surface yourself, unsure of what you might find....

Emilia Glasbarr doesn’t want to be a country miss with a yard full of geese and a scant handful of neighbors. She wants the music, theater, and art found in Scotland’s capital city. She’s sunk her every resource into finishing school to find a city-dwelling husband. Unfortunately, the only man interested wants her for a far less savory purpose. Her virtue or her dreams…which must she abandon?

The island nation of Ferranda is the jewel of the Acrarian Kingdom, and its Founder, Aritz a Mata, is revered as a god amongst men. But twenty-five years ago, Aritz was merely a man, a colonizer, an Invader seeking glory and fame in the name of his King and Queen, and Ferranda was a nameless union of indigenous Tribes, reverent of the heightened powers and aptitudes granted to them by their Animal Deities, but sundered by the foreigners claiming their lands to the south.

From the hosts of This Is Horror podcast comes a dark thriller of obsession, paranoia, and voyeurism. After relocating to a small coastal town, Brian discovers a hole that gazes into his neighbour’s bedroom. Every night she dances and he peeps. Same song, same time, same wild, and mesmerising dance. But soon, Brian suspects he’s not the only one watching, and she’s not the only one being watched.

We appear to find ourselves in a crisis of polarization and failed communication. What can we do about it? This essay argues that part of the solution may be to aspire for more nuanced and balanced perspectives, by engaging charitably with many different viewpoints.

Lancelot Nowlton, Viscount Lakehurst, writes gothic novels. The widow Lady Cassandra Tidemark, Marchioness of Darkford, is living a gothic nightmare. The young marchioness is haunted by nightmarish visions of a past she can't escape. The memory of her husband's death, shrouded in a ritualistic mystery reminiscent of Sir Francis Dashwood's notorious Hell Fire club, casts a chilling pall over her life. By chance, Cassandra reads a bestselling gothic novel penned by the elusive ‘Anonymous’ that describes what happened that night.

A prequel to the bestselling Jon Hunt series based on the actual war time experiences of one man. It’s 1939 and war with Germany is inevitable. Already qualified as a pilot, John Hunt can see the writing on the wall and decides to join the Royal Naval Air Service. He goes through the training system but at the end is asked to volunteer for service with the RAF who are desperately short of pilots as the Battle of Britain ramps up. At the same time Heather, his fiancé, joins the Air Transport Auxiliary and also qualifies as a war time pilot.

In Cellagor—a land segregated between humans and Elves—fear, manipulation, and war are inevitable. Nearly 100 years have passed since the War of the Fallen, a cataclysmic battle between human and Elf which left both races teetering on the brink of extinction. Now, the Age of Tranquility is finally nearing its end, and the northern King of Havelmir is hungry for power and revenge.

Dr. Ramin Manshadi is a practicing Sport Cardiologist, interventional Cardiologist, and the founder and president of Manshadi Heart Institute, Inc. He is also Clinical Professor at UC Davis Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and Adjunct Professor at Stanford. He is the immediate past President of California chapter of American College of Cardiology. He is the team Cardiologist for the Sacramento Republic Professional soccer team. He is also the founder and Co-Chair of Exercise Health and Sport Cardiology Committee for the CA Chapter of American College of Cardiology.

Here we have a clutch of stories by award-winning and number one best-selling author Paul Kane (Hooded Man), including another one of his popular horror fairy tales and a Mortis-Man prequel, proving once again that there’s more to this world than can be seen by the naked eye. With an introduction by Sunday Times best-selling author Cavan Scott (Doctor Who: The Shining Man) and cover by Christian Francis (Wishmaster: The Novelisation), you might just find yourself taking another look at what you thought was possible.