Showing results by narrator "Nick Podehl" in All Categories

Roman was never supposed to escape the locked plane that was his prison. And yet, somehow the impossible task became possible with the help of new friends, and despite the tricks of old enemies. Too intrepid was the demon driven by the fury of battle, the sorrow of defeat, the bonds of unbreakable friendship, and the longing for his beloved. But when gods themselves join the fray, the chances of victory fall from slim to none.

The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden's husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.

Taemon has always known he’s a bit different. But in the walled city of Deliverance, where everyone possesses a form of telekinesis known as psi, being different is dangerous. Being different can get you labeled a freakling. Or worse, see you banished to the Powerless Colony, where even the simplest tasks, like getting dressed or turning on the lights, must be done by hand.

Life for Sterling the vampire is sweet in sleepy Silveropolis. Blood is in easy supply with college kids and cryptid hunters swarming the town for mountain madness, an annual search for an elusive creature known as Smallfoot. But another corpse is discovered in the woods. Are the Everetts back? Is it a ritual killing or a random murder? With the help of a brooding journalist and a jealous storm god, Sterling must investigate before it’s too late. The victim was staked through the heart, after all.

Morning in Whitehorse, and everything is normal. All too normal. A girlfriend who loves him; an evening at the farmer’s market in Shipyard’s Park. Idyllic, relaxing, peaceful. What more could a man want? John Lee isn’t sure, but stray thoughts intrude, and memories of a different time, a different place, a different world keep intruding. Angst-ridden, exhausting memories of a world of pain and struggle. Nothing like the paradise he lives in. Now, if only John wasn’t so attracted to them.

As assistant buyer for the world's second-largest Christmas store, Kelsey Parker feels like a holiday harlot. She's contractually obligated to promote the yuletide season. All. Year. Long. And it's taking a toll on her spirit. But when her clueless, self-absorbed boyfriend goes on their long-anticipated romantic vacation - without her! - Kelsey is beyond disappointed to find herself tromping through the Bell Harbor snow instead of lounging on a tropical beach.

Brothers and gods, Karak and Ashhur created Dezrel to be a paradise of ageless humans. But mortal hubris aroused one god’s wrath, and forced the other to shield the young world’s rebellious denizens from his brother’s murderous retribution. Now, the bloody war between mortal nations and their immortal overlords has reached its tipping point. The city of Mordeina, under siege by the brutal Karak and his armies, fights valiantly against impossible odds. Bardiya - Ashhur’s loyal servant - and his people face a shackled death march across the desert.

Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She's made a promise to herself: don't let anyone in, and don't let anyone love her. She's learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she's focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road--her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

In this dramatic and strange story, Lefty Bill Ranger, an Alaskan mail carrier, travels to Circle City through a terrific snowstorm. There he meets Menneval - a man who is widely feared throughout the territory - and is offered a job. He is to go to Tuckerville, California, and from there to the mountain fastness where Peter Crosson and his son, Oliver, live in total isolation. Menneval wants Ranger to watch and report what he sees for a period of six months. The pay for this espionage will be $6,000 in gold.

Warrior-mage Indris grows weary in his failed attempts to thwart the political machinations of Corajidin, and he faces the possibility of imprisonment upon his return to his homeland. Moreover, Indris’s desire for Corajidin’s daughter, Mari, is strong. Can he choose between his duty and his desire...and at what cost? Left alienated from her House, Mari is torn between the opposing forces of her family and her country - especially now that she’s been offered the position of Knight-Colonel of the Feyassin, the elite royal guards whose legacy reaches back to the days of the Awakened Empire.

During the summer of 1987, from their tree house fort in the woods, neighborhood boys Tim, Scott, and Luke spot a man holding a gun to missing 16-year-old Molly Peterson's back. The problem is, nobody believes their story, not even the police. As search efforts to find Molly dwindle, the boys know that she, and the man with the gun, are nearby - and that they must now find and save Molly themselves.

Con artist Billy Cunningham is no stranger to the casinos of Las Vegas - he's ripped off every single one. But his latest scam - a year in the making - promises his crew their biggest payday yet. Billy has thought of everything down to the last detail...or so he thinks. He hasn't counted on the father-son team of contract killers looking to cash in on Billy's head. Or his old flame, Maggie Flynn, out for payback for her broken heart.

The suitcase looks like a standard weekend bag. But like the man who carries it, it isn't what it seems. Lined with tinfoil to mask the smell, it is a smuggler's bag and will soon be filled to the brim with marijuana bricks. The smuggler is a Harvard student who has come to California to make his fortune. He hopes to score not just with his connection but with his new girlfriend, a Golden State beauty with an appetite for fine weed. When the deal goes south, she takes the fall, and a crooked FBI agent swipes half the stash.

In this second volume of the sprawling dark fantasy epic The Breaking World, gods and armies are on the move as all of Dezrel prepares for war…and nothing short of total subjugation will suffice. In the east, Karak invades Paradise with an army 20,000 strong. Meanwhile, Ashhur travels west along the Gods’ Road, gathering as many of his people as he can against the coming onslaught. In Mordeina, the Wardens raise a massive wall around their settlement with the assistance of spellcasters from the north. And in Dezerea, the Quellan elves move secretly to join the fray.

Tony Prosdocimi lives in the bustling Metropolis of San Ventura – a city gripped in fear, a city under siege by the hooded supervillain, The Cowl. When Tony develops super-powers and acts to take down The Cowl, however, he finds that the local superhero team Seven Wonders aren’t as grateful as he assumed they’d be….

People in Merit, Wisconsin, always said Jimmy was...you know. But people said all sorts of stupid stuff. Nobody really knew anything. Nobody really knew Jimmy. I guess you could say I knew Jimmy as well as anyone (which was not very well). I knew what scared him. And I knew he had dreams even if I didn't understand them. Even if he nearly ruined my life to pursue them. Jimmy's dead now, and I definitely know that better than anyone. I know about blood and bone and how bodies decompose. I know about shadows and stones and hatchets. I know what a last cry for help sounds like.

This CliffsNotes study guide on George Orwell's 1984 supplements the original literary work, giving you background information about the author, an introduction to the work, a graphical character map, critical commentaries, expanded glossaries, and a comprehensive index, all for you to use as an educational tool that will allow you to better understand the work. This study guide was written with the assumption that you have read 1984. Reading a literary work doesn’t mean that you immediately grasp the major themes and devices used by the author....

The hot indie rockers introduced by In the Band return in this compelling second installment of the Luminescent Juliet series. This time the focus is on Justin, the band’s gorgeous lead singer - and a notorious womanizer - who sails through life without a second thought. His only problems stem from the power struggles he has with his band mates, some of whom are living with dark troubles that he wants no part of. Then one night Justin stumbles into a tattoo parlor and meets Allie.

The CliffsNotes study guide on Hinton's The Outsiders supplements the original literary work, giving you background information about the author, an introduction to the work, critical commentaries, expanded glossaries, and a comprehensive index, all for you to use as an educational tool that will allow you to better understand the work. CliffsNotes Review tests your comprehension of the original text and reinforces learning with questions and answers, practice projects, and more.

Ronan Truelove barely survived his first encounter with his father and the Bend Sinister. Now, he's determined to become one of the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect thirty-six pure souls crucial to the world's survival. Eager to prove he's got what it takes to become a Guard, Ronan can't believe that the first mission he, Greta, and Sammy are sent on is to visit a weird-sounding school and take a series of tests called the Glass Gauntlet.