Showing results by narrator "Josh Innerst" in All Categories

There is something undeniably thrilling about the idea of 300 Spartans holding off tens of thousands of invading Persians, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the fascinating history of the Greek city-state of Lacadaemonia, or Sparta. Sparta was a force of military power and philosophical might, and it continues to enthrall us. Learn more about the rise and fall of Sparta, about the fierce discipline and training of the Spartan military, and why we are still amazed with the Spartans thousands of years later.

In August, 2014, years before the legalization of sports betting in the United States, when a mob-connected bookie named Zany is murdered, Eddie O’Connell is assigned to take over Zany’s operation and find the killer. The trail leads to an exclusive, private gambling club where simulcast wagering on horse racing is used as a front for illegal sports betting. With the assistance of Paula “Rudi” Rudinger, the manager of Zany’s bookie operation and former lover, Eddie meets those who owe gambling debts. Eddie had run up a gambling debt of his own, but now finds himself doing collection.

Despite Dorothy's many tales of her adventures in Oz, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry never quite believe her stories. Upon finding out the tornado that destroyed their farmhouse in book 1 (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) is the cause of her Uncle Henry's horrible debt, Dorothy is determined to help her family. She makes plans with Ozma to bring her aunt and uncle to Oz where they may live happily ever after. Unbeknownst to Ozma and our friends in Oz, the Nome King is plotting to take over the Land of Oz and retrieve his magic belt that Dorothy took from him in book 3, Ozma of Oz.

Several months after Aurik and his team freed a prison camp, enlisting its occupants into their cause, the battle escalates into an all-out war for dominion over the planet. Losses are heavy, morale is low, and the revolution is on the brink of falling. What happens next will change the fate of the galaxy forever.

Southern California, 1996: a peaceful, scenic day in the coastal community of Santa Monica, except that there is a meter maid lying next to the sidewalk–dead. Fresh from a messy divorce case, North Hollywood private investigator Clive Wilts is on the case to find the killer before the bodies start stacking up and the city streets become a parking free-for-all.

Poe in Prose is a collection of short stories from one of the original kings of horror, Edgar Allan Poe. One of America's first practitioners of the short story and considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre, Poe is the first well-known American writer to earn a living through writing alone.

What happens when a man drinks a gallon of rum per day for a year? Many things. He falls in love with a bar. He befriends the homeless. He goes broke. He ends up in jail. He convinces himself that the world is burning. He turns into a bluebird. Most importantly, though, he laughs. He laughs because he has to, because it’s the only way to fight off the truth: Yes, the world is ablaze, but I am holding the torch. My fellow bluebirds will understand. Look at those flames, so bright and warm. There will be words in the ashes.

Young Rachel Verinder inherits a sacred Indian moonstone from her uncle. This extremely valuable gem disappears from Rachel's bedroom soon after a party is thrown in her honor to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. Believed to be stolen, a series of narratives unfold to solve the mystery of the missing moonstone. In true Collins fashion, one cannot get enough of the twists and turns in this intriguing detective story.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a well-known classic that never seems to lose its magic. Dorothy Gale and her trusty little dog Toto are swept away when a cyclone hits the family farm. Along with her new friends The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman, and The Cowardly Lion, Dorothy follows the yellow brick road in search of The Emerald City to meet the Great Oz. He is a powerful wizard with the ability to send her back to her dear Aunt Em and Uncle Henry...but at what cost? The first book in the Oz series, this novel introduces us to the strange Land of Oz and its odd inhabitants.

Five military officers wake up from stasis 200 years into their future to discover that the human race has been enslaved. They soon set out to free humanity from their alien oppressors, finding danger and resistance at every turn.

Meet the indomitable lady detective Loveday Brooke. Able to assume a multitude of disguises and possessed of analytical powers rivaling those of the great Sherlock Holmes, she masters every baffling situation and solves each perplexing crime in these seven atmospheric and entertaining Victorian mysteries.

A heartfelt companion novel to the critically acclaimed Chester and Gus about inclusivity, autism, friendship, and family, perfect for fans of Sara Pennypacker and Kate DiCamillo. After being separated from his family, Franklin becomes an independent cat, until he meets a goofy dog named Chester...

A brave knight wakes up and is surprised to be in the middle of an enchanted forest, with no memories of the previous night and only a bunch of mysterious herbs as a clue to what the evening consisted of. That brave knight is you. Try to escape from the forest while piecing together what you did last night.

Henry James' 1898 novella is one of the world's greatest ghost stories. Told by an unnamed governess who accepts a position looking after two children at a remote English country manor, the story is famously ambiguous. The governess gradually comes to believe that the house - and the two seemingly angelic children, Miles and Flora - are haunted by the ghosts of her predecessor and her brutish lover. But are the ghosts actually real? Or is the governess slowly going mad?

Empire Paladin is a dark and brutal historical fantasy series. The year is 1241. The Holy Roman Empire is torn apart by war and invasion. The Pope has died, and the Holy Church is in turmoil. A devout, holy knight, Camila Chastaine, receives an urgent summons from Rome: A traitorous fellow paladin has corrupted his divine powers to raise an army of the undead, bent on destruction. But Camila will soon face an even greater threat: The battle for her very soul.

When Marianna was spirited away by unknown raiders, everyone expected a ransom demand to soon follow. Such was the peril of everyday royal life in the chaotic times following abandonment of the misty isles of Albion by indifferent Rome. But when weeks went by without word her father, High King Mattheus, dispatched teams of trusted warriors to find her and bring her assailants to account.

Spoon River Anthology is a collection of poems that describe life - and death - in a small town. Each poem is a monologue delivered by a resident of Spoon River, describing events in their lives, and the circumstances that led to their occasionally untimely end. Edgar Lee Masters wrote this theatrical masterpiece to highlight the typical small town. The fascinating characters and realistic imagery make it easy to see why this is an American classic.

This is the second novella detailing the continuing adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the world's first consulting detective, and his friend and colleague, Dr. John Watson. In The Sign of Four, Holmes and Watson are hired by Mary Morstan to investigate the mysterious circumstances of her father's death, which will set them on the trail of a lost Indian treasure and in pursuit of two of the strangest criminals in the Holmes canon.

Virginia Woolf's 1925 novel takes place over the course of a single June day in the lives of some very different Londoners: wealthy society hostess Clarissa Dalloway, who is preparing for a party; her old friend Peter Walsh, recently returned from India, whose proposal of marriage Clarissa rejected years ago; Septimus Warren Smith, a WWI veteran suffering from shell shock; and his Italian-born wife, Rezia, who is trying to care for him as best she can. Woolf's beautiful prose captures the minds and souls of these vivid characters.

On the run from a detachment of Azkateri soldiers, Draven and his band of aimless rogues stumble across the ruins of an ancient temple complex, hidden within the forests of Istel`dar. Tempted by the prospect of treasure, Draven and his men find themselves deep within the necropolis, only to discover much more than they had bargained for.