Showing results by narrator "Gareth Richards" in All Categories

Olive Wickes knew a better life once. Before their old master died, her family lived in comfortable servants' quarters beside a garden where birdsong echoed through the day. But the new young master turned them out, and now Olive, her parents, and her five-year-old brother Jimmy are struggling to get by. In their cold and desolate tenement, Olive sings to Jimmy about the birds of the garden, trying to cling on to hope.

Spicy the goblin is the first creature Fath the dragon has trusted in generations. Now the dragon’s apprentice, Spicy has a chance to learn lore hidden away from human and goblin-kind alike. But Spicy has a dilemma. Five children were kidnapped from his village, along with his best friend Rime. Saving them means bringing the dragon and Hog, the ever-hungry troll, with him on an unplanned detour. His journey will lead them into lands where few of his kind have ever gone.

It wanders through space in fiery temperatures that make Hades look like a vacation spot by comparison. The first planet in our Solar System that races around the Sun once every 88 days. Named after the Roman god of commerce, eloquence, messages, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves, he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld. These, then, are the tales of Mercury.

Philosophy, art, democracy, language, even computers—the glories of Greek civilization have shaped our world even more profoundly than we realize. Pericles and the Parthenon may be familiar, but what of Epaminondas, the Theban general who saved the Greek world from Spartan tyranny? Alexander the Great's fame has rolled down the centuries, but the golden Hellenistic Age that followed is largely forgotten. "Byzantine" conjures decadence and deadly intrigue, yet the thousand-year empire that ruled from Constantinople and saved Europe twice from invasion was, in fact, Greek.

In the filth-ridden streets of East End in London, Young Elsie Griggs knows little more than grueling poverty and constant hunger. When Mama becomes ill, Elsie must get a job to support the family. But working as a personal maid in Whiston Manor proves a constant challenge for Elsie. The only good thing about the manor is Mrs. Whiston's grandson, the kind and charming Andrew - who is out of bounds to Elsie. She has no way of knowing a series of tragedies are barreling toward her that will rip her entire world apart, setting her on a new path. But will this new path include Andrew?

The streets of Whitechapel are a savage place to grow up, especially during the terrible winter of 1895. Even before she was brought into the world, the odds were stacked against Effie Wilson. Born to two irresponsible, alcoholic parents, Effie is the eldest of five children - none of whom really stand a chance. Matters are made even worse when Effie’s parents disappear one day, never to return. Her only hope could rest in Willie Green, a sweet boy with bright hazel eyes who comes and goes from Effie’s life. If only she knew when he might appear again...

An inviting and accessible new translation of Aristotle's complete Poetics—the first and best introduction to the art of writing and understanding stories.

Humans have countless dirty tricks up their sleeves. It’s a good thing Spicy the goblin is a fast learner. He’ll need every wile and skill to survive what’s coming. Two pirate crews know about the dragon Fath’s presence in the secluded delta village, and both will go to any length to recover the bomb recipe Alma and Blades stole. Spicy will have to race to be the first to catch the thieves, all while deciding who among the gangs of criminals he can trust. His journey will take him deeper into the heart of the world of humanity.

Hidden deep within the sewers of our world roosts a vile creature known only as the Dark Goblin. He holds in his possession the Spellmaster’s Book, a text with the power to make him practically immortal. He fears no one and turns all those who dare cross him into brainless goblins who obey his every command.

After the Crown Prince of Ponderia starts behaving strangely, his best friend Pettic discovers that the prince has been replaced by a doppelganger, and the real prince kidnapped. Unable to accept the loss of his friend, Prince Torren, nor the cruel impostor to become the new king, Pettic sets on a quest to rescue his friend. After he sees the fake prince meet a mysterious man, Pettic discovers that the prince has been imprisoned in another plane of existence. With the help of Blundo, the court magician, Pettic finds out that the only way to enter this another world are four keys.

Chaos magic emerged only a few decades back, but it has already grown into a magical tradition embraced by many. Chaos magic started under the influence of renowned artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare; it was then codified by Peter J. Carroll and a few others. This Is Chaos delves into the history the magical system has come from, but more importantly looks at its use and what the future holds. Chaos magic has always been about pushing boundaries with a focus on belief utilizing aspects of magic.

A city of rogues. A seedy bar. A thief who stole the wrong prize. When Isabel sought refuge in the Dragon and Rose with a jeweled watch in hand, Digger’s biggest mistake was hiding her. After all, the treasure in her possession looked like an easy score. But the gang of mercenaries on her heels want it for themselves. Soon assassins and lawmen join the pursuit and begin scouring the city in their efforts to capture the thief. Isabel and Digger must race to discover who the watch really belongs to - and why they’re willing to kill anyone in their way to get it back.

Fritjof Capra, scientist, educator, activist, and accomplished author, presents the evolution of his thought over five decades in Patterns of Connection. First introduced in the late 1950s to the work of Werner Heisenberg, a founder of quantum mechanics, Capra quickly intuited the connections between the discoveries of quantum physics and the traditions of Eastern philosophy - resulting in his first book, the best-selling The Tao of Physics.

The Black Plague's terrible toll never ends, unleashing a new wave of zombies with disastrous consequences. Low on hope, Knight Alaric von Mertz and his companions flee their crumbling sanctuary, and soon come under the unlikely wing of murderous pirates. There, they learn of a legendary artifact called Mournshroud that could destroy swathes of the undead, but to claim it they must defeat an evil sorceress on an isolated island. Guarded by a dragon! A knight's honor demands he defend his kingdom, no matter the cost.

London. 1854. For years, Fern Hall has lived in an orphanage in the East End of London. It’s a brutal life of endless chores and punishments for even the smallest infractions. She’s able to escape it for a time when she’s hired out as a temporary maid to the wealthy Hawk family, but a servant’s lot is little better. Gerard Hawk, the second son of the prosperous merchant, is drawn to Fern from their very first meeting when she comes to work for his parents.

The zealot army is coming. The winter raid has earned the goblins an enemy they can’t hope to beat. Eris, the leader of a reclusive goblin village, promises he can deliver them. But as Spicy and Thistle soon discover, this charismatic newcomer is maneuvering goblins and men alike towards a disastrous showdown.

Thistle will go to any lengths to get payback on the humans who murdered her family and to ensure that such a tragedy will never happen again. Leading the goblins is the warrior Noe. Her solution to the human problem? Kill them all, or at least drive them away from the goblin homeland. As Thistle will discover, the world has changed since the goblins isolated themselves in the hills north of the Inland Sea.

In 45 BCE, the Roman statesman Cicero fell to pieces when his beloved daughter, Tullia, died from complications of childbirth. But from the depths of despair, Cicero fought his way back. In an effort to cope with his loss, he wrote a consolation speech—not for others, as had always been done, but for himself. And it worked. Cicero's Consolation was something new in literature, equal parts philosophy and motivational speech.

We decided upon the shopping list theme for this particular volume of horror short stories as an antithesis to those wildly successful writers (they know who they are) of whom it is often said "we would read their shopping list if they published it!" Well, we have given 21 of the hottest new horror authors in the independent scene the unique opportunity to have their own shopping lists listened to by you - along with their most terrifying tales, of course!

From the thought-provoking whimsical, the horrifying “what if”, and the wonderfully macabre to the downright terrifying--Joe Pasquale delivers a dozen tales guaranteed to have the listener glancing over their shoulder as nighttime approaches, and those long, dark shadows begin to creep in.