Showing results for "The Game" in Fantasy

I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus. Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won’t notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus’ patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god. The worst god. Hades. For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible—the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus.

Experience Ender’s Game as you’ve never heard it before! With an all-new, original script written by Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game Alive is a full-cast audio drama that re-imagines the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning classic.

Scarlett Grey, disgraced assassin, is determined to get revenge. Quinn Adams, medic turned-poisoner for hire, is her deadliest rival. For years, they've stolen each other's clients, sabotaged each other's business, and occasionally… slept together. When the Magician Queen offers an irresistible deal, Scarlett and Quinn are forced to work together. But this is not a simple job. With an impossible heist ahead, they're going to have to trust each other… And that's not easy when they both have secrets to hide. Harder still when those secrets will betray the ones they love.

What's a vampire to do when the fae who made her an orphan is searching for a wife? Make him choose her and end his life on their wedding night, of course. Brynleigh has been carefully planning this for years. Her plan is simple: date Ryker Waterborn, the Fae Representative's son, make him fall in love with her, and kill him after they say, "I do." Unfortunately, it will not be that easy. She won't be the only one going after Ryker's hand.

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer-simulated war games at the Battle School; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. Ender is the result of decades of genetic experimentation, Earth's attempt to make the military genius that the planet needs in its all-out war with an alien enemy. Ender Wiggin is six-years-old when it begins. He will grow up fast. This, the special 20th Anniversary Edition, includes an original postscript written and recorded by Orson Scott Card himself.

The sting of death wasn’t something Xander expected to feel more than once, but now, death seems to have it out for him. Old allies turn into foes. New ones slip through his fingers. It seems this death game is growing crueler with each cycle.

In the second installment of this xianxia series, Kai's gaining power and attracting attention, but can he keep juggling the lies without dropping the act?

One heroic act damned me for eternity. With a name like Tor, I should have been a hero, just like my father and twin. Turns out I’m not. Not even close. Instead I’m the very thing we hunted. A depraved monster. I thought there was no escaping the curse. No hope for a future. And then I met my mate in the unlikeliest of places: Blackwood Asylum. A place for criminals. Power-hungry madmen. Supernatural outcasts. And her, the curvaceous writer who sees ghosts.

Penelope Lee didn't want a new bodyguard, especially not a brooding, battle-hardened vampire who would rather be anywhere else. But when her assigned protector is murdered just before her sister's wedding, she's left with no choice. Enter Dahlia St Clair, commander of the vampire-hunter army and the last person who should be stuck on glorified babysitting duty. She's there to drink, dance, and maybe cause a little trouble—not to shadow a bratty princess through a wedding filled with secrets and unseen threats.

It’s 1624, and the Whitfields finally arrive in England. Eager to spend time with Louisa and Kit, their visit is not the happy reunion they’d hoped for. In the meantime, in 1777, Abbie and Finn go behind enemy lines to spy for the revolution, putting themselves in grave danger. The slightest mistake can mean the difference between life and death, tearing them apart forever. Unexpected revelations, long-buried secrets, and unforeseen reunions threaten to destroy everything the Whitfields and Sheridans hold dear, throwing their lives into turmoil once again.

Bella Blythe, master of lattice magic, is determined to win the Runic Games... If only her greatest rival, Remy Reid, would get out of the way. For years, they one-upped each other in competitions, jobs, and apprenticeships… Until a single kiss changed everything. With the biggest competition of their lives ahead of them, they're going to have to trust each other. A futile task when they're both harboring secrets filled with betrayal… With a reputation and a relationship at risk, they're left with an impossible choice: Do they want to win a competition or a heart?

Stirling Grey, legendary negotiator, is on a mission: to mend her broken heart and avenge its ruin. Morrigan Lee, hidden princess and heir to the throne, is harboring a dark secret. For years, Stirling and Morrigan navigated the perilous games of power and politics, shared clandestine moments, and ultimately fell in love... Until a deal with fate forced them apart. When the Queen sets a formidable challenge, Stirling and Morrigan are thrust into a treacherous labyrinth of danger. The task? Protect the kingdom from a terrifying threat or lose the crown forever. But this is not a simple mission.

Contains books 1 and 2 of The Game of Gods series. The Beginning, book 1: The gods have gotten bored, and humanity is the answer. Charles earns the ultimate surprise one morning when he awakens to discover the world has ended, or rather the gods of old were bored and decided to redesign how it worked. Only Charles gets cursed by the gods. The Death of Champions, book 2: The gods have begun to change Earth, leaving humanity confused and desperate. Charles and Alli have managed to survive the first week of the apocalypse; unfortunately for them, it isn't over yet.

Yoshio is thirty years old, and his life is a mess. A shut-in living with his parents, he has no job, no relationship, and no prospects. When he receives a new sim computer game that boasts characters created with a new kind of A.I., he doesn't think much of it--until he gets drawn into a fantasy world so vibrant and lifelike that its residents can't just be game characters. Suddenly finding himself the benevolent god of a scrappy fantasy village is a lot for Yoshio to handle, but it might be the key to the change he is desperate for.

On the island of Avalon, everyone has magical abilities. Except Selena Pearce. As if being the only nonmagical person on the island isn’t bad enough, her parents happen to be the king and queen of Avalon - and the most magical people alive. She’s never felt like she fit in on Avalon, but that all changes when she leaves the island and meets Julian - a mesmerizing, mysterious human.

Someday, the hero Mazel will battle the Demon Lord with the fate of the realm at stake. But until that day...he better be carrying plenty of potions! While the hero is off saving the kingdom, it's up to Lord Werner—a Japanese office worker reincarnated into the world of a classic RPG—to keep the rest of the world from becoming collateral damage. There's no hero, luminary, or warrior of light who doesn't need a friend like Werner! But can he truly defy the flames of fate and change the bittersweet ending of the game?

Michael has been playing the Game. Growing in strength. Slaying his foes. And avoiding entanglement with the Powers. But the time is fast coming when that will no longer be possible. Almost a Power himself, Michael must answer the question: is he ready? Are his people? And what will they do if the truth is uncovered?

Michael finds himself in the realm of the Forever Kingdom, with no memory of how he got there and who he is. Even so, he must participate in the Grand Game and forge a new destiny for himself. Dropped into a dungeon of monsters and strange magics, would you survive in a game where to lose means death? Alone, and with little more than his wits to aid him, Michael must advance as a player, slay his foes, and gain experience. All while navigating the intrigues around him and discovering his purpose.

Yoshio was a thirty-year-old unemployed shut-in when a mysterious village-building sim, The Village of Fate, showed up at his door. Through watching and caring for the game's intensely realistic NPCs, Yoshio has started getting his life back on track--getting a job to pay for microtransactions, and using the villagers' care for each other as inspiration to reconnect with his family. But despite overcoming the first challenges thrown at him, more complicated issues, both in and out of the game, are closing in. And are the game's monstrous enemies controlled by real humans, too?

Strong-armed into taking a break, Leon kicks back and relaxes with his three boisterous fiancees. When the Roseblades arrive to arrange an inter-house marriage, Leon assumes he'll be offered a fourth bride—Deirdre, his friend and former upperclassman. To Leon's surprise, they want to foist Deirdre's difficult older sister on his brother Nicks! A heartfelt love story begins, but who knows who'll end up holding the leash?