Showing results by narrator "Matt Franklin" in All Categories

Author Joseph Paul Wright amazes us again with this collection of his most popular stories, including one never before released. Not for the faint of heart, or to be read at night (unless you're into that), these stories will terrify and disturb even the most seasoned horror fan!

Trained in his youth for war and politics, Sumto is interested in neither. As the son of a Patron, he should gather clients, acquire wealth, learn magic, husband a political power base and take his place amongst the Assembly of Patrons, the rulers of the city. Sumto would rather gather friends, acquire books, learn history, husband a hangover and take his place at the gambling tables. That is not going to be an option for much longer.

My name is Sumto and I was once content to drink and gamble and idle my days away in the company of good books, dubious friends, and casual women. Still, money and power have their lure and I have accepted I must acquire them as a matter of survival. As the son of a Patron, Sumto has set his feet unsteadily upon a path that will one day allow him to take his place amongst the Assembly of Patrons, the rulers of the city.

The necromancers power base is destroyed and the source of their power, the Grave, is flooded. Darklake is crammed to bursting with refugees after I sacked the Grave and destroyed Learneth by fire. Darklake, Learneth, the Grave are mine by right of conquest. Now I have to decide what to do with them. I just hope I decide wisely.

At first, Kelly Davis can't believe Hudson Industries is coming to her small town of Cedar Grove. But the rumors are true. Luke Hudson, roguish son of billionaire Crawford Hudson, has invaded her little city with his infuriating swagger and a profiteering style that could change her beloved community forever. Luke Hudson doesn't only have his eye on Cedar Grove, though. Kelly has also caught his attention. And it doesn't bother him one bit that she already has a fiancé.

My name is Sumto. I have met the enemies of the city and prevailed against them, admittedly as much by luck as judgement. I could not have garnered the little success I can boast had I been alone: there is Sapphire, an assassin in the employ of my father; Meran, my former slave; and there is Jocasta, a sorceress of unexpected skill and strength. They all seem to care about me more than I probably deserve.

Long before their award-nominated and awarded stories and novels, these two writers word jammed together, learning the music of story writing and the blood and bones of distinctive prose. And all these early efforts were published! Here they are again, together in one place - 10 riveting stories of science fiction, as entertaining as they were fun to write, including the previously unpublished tale "The Standard Crisis Scenario"!

The lady SnowRaven sets out to claim the fabled treasure of Okra-Bane, hidden amongst the mysterious circle of stones - the ancient remnants of a long forgotten civilization deep in the snow covered mountains of Andora. But little does she know that a swarm of vengeful Vosharian are stalking her, awaiting the ideal moment to strike, or that the circle of stones holds many, deadly secrets to ensnare treasure seekers.

The lady Snowraven, fallen out of favor with the duke's inner circle, returns to the simple life of a humble shepherdess... But to lead her flock through the very heart of the mighty Andereke mountains, she must either cross the fabled bridge of Nelchatta... and pay the troll's terrible price... or risk being trapped by the nightmarish Thian Oil pits... a dark and terrible fate from which few escape... The putrid sludge from centuries of nexil-orbs - haunted by the vile creatures transformed by its insidious evil.

A city under siege…. An ancient book of forbidden magic…. A power that will save or destroy all! The ancient desert city of Al-zora is under siege by a swarm of man eating insects - unleashed by a deposed queen's vengeful curse. But on the eve of total destruction hope for salvation comes…. In the form of Princess E’feena - the renegade princess who enlists the help of the noble swordsman Alcar, her sworn protector, and Jzemlek the alchemist and thief. To

Angels of the Quantum Gate is science fiction with a twist. It is certainly science fiction with fantasy elements, but it is encapsulated in a wry, ironic, satirical first person narrative that is very convincing. It involves a simple man who is swept into galactic encounters, universal truths, and purposes that are beyond understanding. The sardonic evolves into the spiritual in a work that, somewhere, may require belief.

The lady Snowraven becomes entangled in a tempestuous industrial revolution that promises to liberate the bleak mountaintop kingdom of Arkel-nia from the dominance of the Vosharian - a race of cunning and cruel bio-luminescent insects who have drained the kingdom's wealth for centuries. Nightmarish creatures whose taste for human flesh has decimated countless generations of Arkel-nian maidens - human sacrifices given in exchange for the glowing orbs that only the Vosharian can create.

Armageddon by Insanity. Everything changes when the world goes mad. Dana has spent her life fighting to conserve the rain forests against the rapacity of civilization. When the world goes mad, Dana is forced to attempt to supply civilization to those who are too mad to know the task is impossible. One of Four stories of various lengths set in the same world gone mad.