Showing results by narrator "Thomas James" in All Categories

Before being conscripted to fight in the Total War, Private Hector Park had a shattered family, a collection of old video games, and a promising career as a motorcycle stuntman. Now, he is dying from a virus threatening humankind with extinction. He has three days to live. When Hector’s brother contacts him after years of hostile silence, Hector goes to try and make peace. But his brother has an offer even more unbelievable than reconciliation: the chance to cheat death by joining him in Archemi, a full-immersion fantasy VR-RPG video game.

After experimenting with an exploit, Vincent begins to develop new spells that will take him higher in the game than he ever thought possible. Unfortunately, he crosses paths with the last moderator, a young man named Lucas that uses his mod abilities to torture and subjugate other players. Lucas is willing to abuse his power to conquer the World-Tree, but Vincent’s exploit might just be the key to stopping him.

Go to the big city. Hang out with the bigwigs. Have fun. That was the plan, right? Right! Except, our hero was supposed to be the guest of honor and the mob was not supposed to be invited. Daniel was running out of places to lay low, however. Something needed to be done, or he’d be caught in the ever-tightening net of his pursuers.

Lawmen don't last long in the town of Doubtful, Wyoming Territory. The last one quit, another ended up in a hangman's noose, and one more was backshot by the hired guns at the Circle L Ranch. But the town of Doubtful has never seen the likes of the man who's known only as Cotton, who aims to take the badge for $125 a month, save himself a nice chunk of money over the next year, and be on his way. At least, that's his plan.

Gun Meister Online is a recently released virtual-reality combat simulator. Players assume the role of a Meister; fighting in matches and ranking up into higher divisions. Within the game, weapons take on human shape. These NPC's use a new Dynamic Distributed Personality System recently implemented, and many are excited by how life-like the AI characters are becoming. Charlie has only just begun to play, and he struggles to grow as a Meister. At the same time, he starts to take charge of his real-life outside.

Despite his victory against the Guild, Kers soon learns that there is now an even greater target upon his cloudy back. Typical. Then there’s the small matter of Marwan, the Dark Lord who wants to take over the world, and the Jade Citadel sortie that is on the verge of collapsing. Not to mention the fact that he now has to ‘get along’ with his neighboring core and deal with a mysterious orca-like monster that has started flying nearby…

With the Summoning Gate under threadbare control and the Stranger defeated, Tira’s sights turn now to the war with Amedia. Their raiding party is en route with the sole intention of crushing what they think is the last surviving Kholvenic Dungeon—her.

Daniel's Guide to Early Retirement: 1. Intercept illegal money transfer from mafia boss. 2. Hide out in super-exclusive Full Immersion Virtual Reality game until the heat is off. 3. Roll a bard. Max out charisma. Live it up. 4. Profit. With all the pesky planning out of the way, Daniel set out to realize his ultimate dream: gaining enough money to buy a tropical island and spend his days playing the violin and RPGs. What could possibly go wrong?

"Your child can achieve great things". A few years ago, pregnant women in four corners of the world heard those words and hoped they could be true. Among them were Esther Okwir in rural Uganda, where the infant mortality rate is among the highest in the world; Jessica Saldana, a high school student in a violence-scarred Chicago neighborhood; Shyamkali, the mother of four girls in a low-caste village in India; and Maria Estella, in Guatemala's western highlands, where most people are riddled with parasites and moms can rarely afford the fresh vegetables they farm.

For more than 150 years I've served the Kingdom of Sena. Through four kings and a queen. Two wars and a rebellion. I've founded and taught at a magic school. I've fought against beast waves and dungeon breaks. But now? Now, the one close friend I had left has passed. So, I'm done with their politics and their economics. The short and busy lives of humans are more burden than benefit on the weary soul of this half-elf.

Intimidated by corporate finance? The numbers (and the jargon) can feel overwhelming—but you have to understand them to manage effectively. Finance Basics explains the fundamentals simply and quickly.

The NPCs in one small corner of the map now seek their own path instead of remaining content with what they were born knowing. While some choose to look inward and explore themselves, others reach outward into new lands and untapped resources. However, many more mysterious corners remain where a cosmic infection that abhors such displays of self-consciousness still twists and writhes throughout Mother Sana.

What lies beyond Blackmoor Cove and its connected Tower? When two displaced Heroes from the recently fallen Town of Emberstone seek refuge from the advancing corruption, some people begin to believe that Jack’s brazen defiance of traditional ways has terrible consequences. New Buildings, new Townsfolk, and new Heroes bring new opportunities for everyone, and as Jack continues pushing them forward, the virtual entities around him begin to explore the limits of Subroutine Sana.

Who will be the next to die? They've taken the children. And the son of a general. But that isn't enough. More horrors must come…

Arbor, now a member of the Nobility, heads off to his manor to begin his new life as a Viscount. The fate of his sister, whose search is now aided by his noble status, plagues his every waking moment. When a nearby village head pleads for his aid in dealing with a dangerous monster, Arbor jumps at the opportunity, glad for the distraction.

As a long-time gamer and guild leader, Cerys has always wondered what it would be like to live in virtual reality. When her guild members convince her to try a new VRMMO, she discovers reality is far more complex than she knew. Chosen by the gods of another world, Cerys finds herself trapped between warring factions: a tyrannical human empire and an oppressed kingdom of demons.

For more than two decades, Winning at New Products has served as the bible for product developers everywhere. Robert G. Cooper demonstrates why consistent product development is vital to corporate growth and how to maximize your chances of success. Citing the author's most recent research, Winning at New Products showcases innovative practices by industry leaders to present a field-tested game plan for achieving product leadership.

My team of supers have proven themselves, taken down enemies greater than I could have ever imagined, and formed powerful allies. But now it's time to meet back up with old friends and family, to take the battle to new levels. And when that involves an invasion of Earth, my team of super-hot ladies and I are more than happy to do the job.

As a particle physicist, William Jenkins is as unsuited to survival on an alien world as any normal 30-something post-doc could be. Thankfully, he’s not alone. With an AI, magic, scientific curiosity, and, most improbably, a deity on his side, Will must come to terms with his new reality before otherworldly terrors forever extinguish the light of hope on this new world.

Book 3 left us on a cliffhanger, when in the middle of a superpower-infused battle with the CBGs, Mother took control of Dorian Gray’s mind and had her teleport Gideon and an unconscious Stella to the middle of nowhere in an empty Nevada desert. Well, nearly empty. It turns out that "the middle of nowhere" happens to be the home of a man Gideon has never met, but who is inextricably tied to his fate.