Showing results by narrator "Michael A. Smith" in All Categories

Most of the human race believes in a life beyond the here-and-now. Religious writings have put such beliefs into words - often esoteric, mysterious words - for thousands of years. Among such writings are those which form the Christian Bible: the 66 books commonly called the Old and New Testaments. Strangely, the Bible doesn't say much about what the life which lies beyond is like - that is, how it is actually lived.

Like most families, the Jensens gather together to celebrate the holidays. This year, since half the clan is scattered across the American West, they've decided to split the difference and meet up in Tucson. Matt and Luke will be there, for sure, and maybe Ace and Chance, too. That leaves Sally, Preacher, and Smoke Jensen, who've reserved three seats on a westbound stage to make sure they don't miss out on the festivities. What could possibly go wrong?

Whether you are planning to start your first business, or are growing an existing business, having a mentor who has been there and done it before is an invaluable tool.

It’s the early days of the Mexican revolution. J. T. Latham is about to be killed by a Yuma Prison gang when an old nemesis, Deputy Del Buchman, intervenes. Latham will get a pardon if he uses his knowledge of the area and his experience with the Yaqui to guide Buchman’s posse deep into the Sonoran desert to rescue rich man’s kidnapped wife and children. The guerrilla general responsible wants machine guns for their safe return, but there is more to the ransom than guns.

With Tyvian Reldamar feigning his death, the forces that still carry his banner are left to fight a vicious battle against the warlord Banric Sahand and the noble houses that flock to his side. Led by Myreon and Artus, this band of freedom fighters and angry rebels is faced with an enemy the likes of which they’ve never faced before: one who will do anything, no matter how brutal, to secure victory.

Several baronies have disappeared, as if swallowed by the Earth. Strange disturbances lead Kane and the others to a giant sinkhole in a remote and wild area of Mexico, where reality merges with an ancient culture of sorcery. Here, a beautiful, mysterious guerilla leader wages war against a terrifying army of demons spiriting humans into the subterranean netherworld. Joining the fight, the Cerberus rebels invade the cavernous chambers of a hidden world, and confront a self-styled warlord using predark nuclear tech to rule the depths of the planet.

As a young man, Kelvin Knight Hackleberry proved to be the Roundear of the Prophecy: He liberated his own Kingdom of Rud from the cruel usurper Zoanna, and then went on to defeat the evil king Rowforth in the alternate world of Hud. But now Zoanna and Rowforth have joined forces to take revenge on Kelvin -- and they intend to have it through his unborn child.

A late-night visit to his Shanghai laneway house by China’s notorious secret police triggered a diplomatic storm which abruptly ended Michael Smith’s stint as one of Australia’s last foreign correspondents in China. After five days under consular protection, Smith was evacuated from a very different China to the country he first visited 25 years earlier.

For 17 years, Ty Mattson never knew if his father survived the Mexican War. But when he receives news that his father is alive - and he's joined the Confederate forces of General John Morgan - Ty leaves home to enlist with Morgan's Raiders. Owen Mattson turns out to be everything Ty imagined he would be: a good man, a true mentor, a great soldier. But a Confederate assassin's bullets nearly divide father and son yet again. 

Daniel Provost is the son of a farmer. Living up to his father's high standards for the farm is very hard work, but his life is basically comfortable and a loving woman is waiting to become his wife. When a well-traveled stranger, bearing a story of Jim Bowie's legendary silver mine, appears at the farm, Daniel might just throw away everything for the chance at adventure he thought had passed him by.

Almost everyone is guilty of playing the blame game. It's satisfying and easy to do. If we despise our work, we can blame our manager or even our short-sighted organization for its inability to recognize our genius. If our personal lives are a disaster, we can blame our spouses, partners, the economy, or even our ancestors. We all know on some level that we are pointing our fingers in the wrong direction, but we just can't seem to help ourselves.

Would you like to dialogue with God just like Moses, Abraham, Elijah, Daniel, and others did? These men from Bible times are not uniquely qualified to talk with the Father. God is desperately waiting at your heart's door, wanting to strike up a conversation with you. This practical, easy-to-understand book will take about 45 minutes to listen to, but the simple truths revealed inside will unleash the infinite depths of Heaven's wisdom to you as you begin to commune with the Heavenly Father every day.

Griffin is a scientist who theorizes that if a person's refractive index is changed to exactly that of air, and his body does not absorb or reflect light, then he will be invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself but cannot become visible again, becoming mentally unstable as a result.

For fans of Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx, “a wonderfully cinematic story” (The Washington Post) set in the post-Katrina South after violent storms have decimated the region. It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it hadn’t rained, when the...

The occult seduces in many ways. It promises secret knowledge and magical powers. It teases of enlightenment and transformation. It enchants with mysteries and wonders. But therein lies the trap. Once the shiny bait is taken, the hook is pulled. The prey is left to slowly perish, gasping for breath in a metaphysical dream that has turned into a nightmare. The occult is nothing if not dangerous. It opens channels that are best left closed. It attracts entities that don’t play by the rules. And it demands more – always more – than what was bargained for.

With a handful of murderous rogues, Captain Jed Foster has run off with four wagons containing new Springfield rifles, bayonets, and ammunition meant to resupply the troops at Fort Bowie in Arizona Territory. Foster plans to sell the weapons to the highest bidder — whether it’s Apaches, Mexican revolutionaries, or Confederate veterans who still dream of destroying the Union. But that’s the least of Foster’s problems.

Aging investigative reporter Jack McMorrow is tired and finding it harder and harder to keep faith in a society with seemingly no rules except “don’t get caught.” In Robbed Blind, Jack’s world is turned upside down with cops protecting weed shops, militias on the march, podcasting replacing newspapers, and his pre-teen daughter dancing on TikTok. Do the old ways still make sense?

Think the Ouija board is just a game? Think again. For over a century, the Ouija board has lured in everyone from thrill-seeking teens and tipsy party guests to curious skeptics. Usually, the planchette creates nothing more than nervous laughter. But sometimes, the board answers back. Ouija Board Nightmares collects the most terrifying true accounts of those who opened a door they couldn't close. From nightmarish manifestations to physical assaults and demonic possession, these stories serve a dual purpose: to provide a scary good read, but more importantly, to warn.

The Tao Te Ching, Daodejing, Dao De Jing, or Daode jing, also simply referred to as the Laozi, is a Chinese classic text. According to tradition, it was written around 6th century BC by the sage Laozi, a record-keeper at the Zhou dynasty court, by whose name the text is known in China. The text's true authorship and date of composition or compilation are still debated, although the oldest excavated text dates back to the late 4th century BC.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first...