Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

Fergus Ferguson, repo-man, has one job: find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. Finding Gilger in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a gas-giant harvesting colony called Cernee, was easy. The hard part will be getting past a field of space mines, hacking into the Sword's compromised AI, and fighting a crew of hostile enemies to take control of the ship. But when a cable car explosion launches Cernee into a civil war, Fergus finds himself caught in the crosshairs.

It isn't enough to keep the Finch family in Twin Falls, caged in by the conspiracy of cults and the elder gods they kill and dance for. The Twelve families want more. They want more power, more control, and to build a foothold for their legacies on Earth. When the Murphy family lost a young son to the Abrahamson family in the battle versus the alien god Knife Eyes they demanded justice, but the council said no. So in service to the ancient god Danu, they seek to usurp the very genetic line of Diggory Finch to amplify their control over the machinations of Twin Falls.

If it wasn't for Diggory Finch, the towns of Twin Falls would've been eaten alive by a incursion of monsters from the unthinkable beyond. Not that he's a hero, per se. It's more than he strung enough mistakes together in a row that something good happened, and wiped them off the face of the planet using the torrent of evil power that channels through him.

Liam Westin has carried a secret crush on his twin sister's best friend for most of his life. When she goes missing and is presumed dead as a teen, it nearly destroys him. Now the newest and youngest CEO of the Westin Foundation, his life is finally on track, until he comes face to face with the woman he's always loved. She has a lot of secrets and isn't the same as he remembers. Can his love mend her wounds? Or are there too many obstacles between them now?

It appeared to be a year of mostly peace, but in the shadows a new enemy was stirring. A fatal threat posed against Westin Pack's beloved Pack Mother proves it's time for Delta to step up and remind them all just why this unit was created in the first place. Each Westin Force team of operatives has a different focus. As the leader of Delta team, Michael's biggest task is to ensure his team protects the Pack, especially the Alpha's family.

Newlyweds Lisa and John's summer drive through the Oregonian wilderness takes a chilling turn when an unexpected blizzard traps their car. Desperate for refuge, they find hope in a sign: WELCOME TO__. Bundling up, they trek through the storm and find that, within the town, the blizzard ceases, though it rages just beyond the town's limits. The streets are eerily quiet, lined with lifelike ice statues. Lisa and John soon realize they are being watched by the wary townsfolk, who reveal a haunting truth: this town is a prison, and the storm is a trap.

After an abrupt and painful summons to Black City, Conryu Koda finds himself before the Reaper. The demon lord has troubling news. It seems that followers of his rival, Lord Abaddon have succeeded in consecrating a temple. This gives them the same access to his hell that Conryu has to the Reaper’s. As the hunt for the enemy temple begins, Conryu is forced to deal not only with demonic foes, but human ones determined to make use of Abaddon’s followers for their own dark purposes.

Editors Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax put the call out to horror writers and editors of extreme stories, the hardcore stuff that breaks boundaries and trashes taboos, the transgressive tales you can't "unread" (as Chuck Palahniuk says). Some of the stories you'll find here are loaded with very graphic descriptions of violence, sex, and depravities, while others may contain only one shocking moment of brutality. In others, the hardcore aspect may be less graphic and subtler than you might expect.

When James witnesses a brutal killing outside his home, he must choose between seeking help or waiting for rescue in a city overrun by the infected. Trapped in his lab as the city descends into chaos, scientist Daniel waits for the infected surrounding the building to disperse. When they refuse to budge even days later, he realizes he's going to be stuck there for a long time.

Finally let go of your negative thoughts and enjoy the emotional freedom you deserve! Are you struggling with anger, regrets, and resentment? Do you feel emotionally exhausted, stressed, and discouraged by painful memories? Are you holding on to things that are making you feel miserable? If so, The Art of Letting Go is for you. Imagine being able to let go of the emotional turmoil that's burdening you. Imagine being able to finally release the negative thoughts and painful memories that are weighing you down.

Dive into the moral philosophy at the heart of all four seasons of NBC's The Good Place, guided by academic experts, including the show's philosophical consultants Pamela Hieronymi and Todd May, and featuring a foreword from creator and showrunner Michael Schur. 

In the tradition of Stephen King's The Stand, acclaimed horror writer Ronald Malfi takes listeners on a nightmarish journey through a post-pandemic landscape, as a devoted father seeks a safe haven for his young daughter, who may hold the key to humanity's survival....

When the Air National Guard receives an emergency call for help from a remote Arctic research station in Greenland, Senior Master Sergeant Dan Cameron is chosen to lead the rescue mission. In an attempt to combat climate change, the scientists have genetically engineered an aquatic biofilm capable of generating oxygen and lowering the temperature of the underlying seawater, producing environmental conditions that awaken an organism that has lain dormant beneath the ocean floor for millions of years.

Karis Begay is the only surviving heir to the Begay wolves of the Alaskan Pack. Someday she will take her place as Pack Mother, which is a lifelong burden she has always carried with pride. It kept her isolated from others and hesitant to let anyone close to her. As she enters her freshman year at Archibald Reynolds College, no one knows who she is or who she is destined to become. It's a chance at a fresh start, and just maybe...the beginning of something new.

He doesn't want to destroy the world. Problem is, he's an Apocalypse. Zeke and his friends are enjoying the city when suddenly, the apocalypse begins. Which one? ALL OF THEM. Lucky (or unlucky) enough to be chosen as an apocalypse himself, Zeke sets off to [Devour] his way to the top! It wouldn't be so bad, but his best friend's out to kill him, that rock has a gun, and everything, literally everything, has gone to hell. Zeke just came out here to have a good time, and honestly, he's feeling so attacked right now.

The peace and calm of Hampton Cove is brutally disturbed when celebrity chef Niklaus Skad, famous for his show Kitchen Disasters, is found cooked in his own oven. The chef wasn’t a well-liked man, and there are plenty of suspects to go around. Odelia Poole, Hampton Cove Gazette reporter and civilian consultant to the police department, teams up with Detective Chase Kingsley to catch the killer, but soon finds this proves a lot harder than she thought. Max, Odelia’s blorange tabby, would love to help out, but is faced with a cat emergency when Odelia takes in a new stray.

Stop enabling, people pleasing, and being so agreeable. The Art of Everyday Assertiveness is a guide for the chronically nice, overwhelmed, and accommodating. It is a deep psychological dive into what makes us lack assertiveness and how to systematically combat those compulsions.

With the Heart of Alchemy in place, the Immortality Engine is complete. Now, all Otto needs is to learn how to use it. The secret to immortality can be found in only one place: the Sanguine Scroll. Written by the first and greatest Arcane Lord Amet Sur, the scroll services as a manual for the engine among other things. But Otto isn’t the only one seeking the scroll.

Gia's red hair and lack of powers set her apart from every other raven shifter witch in existence, and not in a good way. Shunned by her Flock, still living with her parents, and working day in and day out as a waitress, she longs for a change. David is a mimic, one of a kind. Being different isn't always a good thing. The only time he feels like he's fitting in is when he's pretending to be someone else. Alone, jaded, and always hiding, he just wants someone to see him for who he really is.

When Comet Press put out the call for submissions for Stiff Things, we said we were ready to ratchet up the eroticism and visceral intensity with hardcore stories that penetrate new depths of psychosexual horror. But we weren't as ready as we thought we were for the extreme stuff that came flooding in on waves of blood and other bodily fluids we won't mention here. Not that we're complaining. In other words, we got what we wished for...and more.