How it happens is still up in the air.Every god has a nanoverse, but only one will give its wielder the ability to end the world. After years of searching, it has finally been found, with the power to kick start the apocalypse.They never thought to look in a gift store's box of Knick-knacks. Ryan Smith didn't expect anything interesting to happen to him. He was a boring guy. The only remotely interesting thing about him was the man in a suit that no one else could see. Always watching, always taking notes. Ryan didn't know it meant he was one of the candidates to find the last nanoverse. Now that he has it, he has the power of a god, and it’s up to Ryan to try and save humanity, even though he can’t save the world. At least things have stopped being boring.Now Ryan finds himself in a fast paced adventure, caught in the power struggle between gods as he is forced to battle for his life against forces he can barely comprehend as gods try to stop him from fulfilling his duty. Foremost among them is Enki, a villain so terrible he...wants to save the world.A high octane battle between good and evil ensues, where the heroes’ best hope is a kinder, gentler Armageddon.

    He doesn't do it to cheat; he does it to survive. And with the launch of a mysterious new game, Avarice Online, his hopes for a better life finally seem within reach. Living in a Slab City trailer with his foster family is not the end of the line for him; he will see to it, if it's the last thing he does.The day the game launches, his life turns to shambles, leaving him desperate and at a new low. He must now put everything he has into dominating this new RPG. Too bad the makers of Avarice Online have other plans for their players--blurring the line between virtual and reality.Join Josh and his new in-game friends, Gor and KILLian, as they immerse themselves in this new world, filled with NPCs who are almost too real, and where the challenges and rewards are greater than any of them could have imagined.

    I recommend you read this book in full before beginning your journey, as approximately six out of ten villains are captured or killed before completing their third extra-legal activity. Any portion of these instructions you neglect to read before then will represent a small waste of money on your part. - excerpt from Villainy for Dummies! by Professor ParasiteShawn Simmons lives in a world of superpowers. Until now he's always been content to walk beneath as his Heroes fly over, happy in the knowledge that he was making a contribution. But when his job hands him an opportunity for some much-needed heroics of his own, Shawn finds himself press ganged into the company of the world's largest villainous organization. Before long he's on the wrong side of both the super-powered and the powers that be. Now caught in the cruel clutches of a comic book cabal, Shawn is trapped between the criminal intentions of the planet's most feared supervillains and a woman with even higher aspirations. Can he escape from his poor decisions before he loses his family, his identity, and his life?Good Intentions: A Supervillain Story is a novel that celebrates and lampoons the conventions of superhero comic books, while approaching the subject from a completely new angle. It's full of interesting bad guys, kick-ass women of both virtuous and dubious nature, heart-pounding action, and a protagonist who would really prefer to avoid it.

    Only five hold back what waits on the other side. Once the Oversight, the secret society that policed the lines between the mundane and the magic, counted hundreds of brave souls among its members. Now their numbers can be counted on a single hand. When a vagabond brings a screaming girl to the Oversight's London headquarters, it seems their hopes for a new recruit will be fulfilled - but the girl is a trap. As the borders between this world and the next begin to break down, murders erupt across the city, the Oversight are torn viciously apart, and their enemies close in for the final blow. This gothic fantasy from Charlie Fletcher (the Stoneheart trilogy) spins a tale of witch-hunters, supra-naturalists, mirror-walkers and magicians. Meet the Oversight, and remember: when they fall, so do we all.

    As the founder of Biogineers, he is on the cusp of revolutionizing brain therapies with microscopic nanorobots that will make certain degenerative diseases become a thing of the past. But after his research is stolen by an unknown enemy, seventy thousand people die in Las Vegas in one abominable moment. No one is more horrified than Peter, as this catastrophe sets in motion events that will forever change not only his life but also the course of human evolution.Peter’s company is torn from his grasp as the public clamors for his blood. Desperate, he turns to an old friend, who introduces him to the Phoenix Club, a cabal of the most powerful people in the world. To make himself more valuable to his new colleagues, Peter infuses his brain with experimental technology, exponentially upgrading his mental prowess and transforming him irrevocably.As he’s exposed to unimaginable wealth and influence, Peter’s sense of reality begins to unravel. Do the club members want to help him, or do they just want to claim his technology? What will they do to him once they have their prize? And while he’s already evolved beyond mere humanity, is he advanced enough to take on such formidable enemies and win?

    In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called "brilliants," and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in - and betray his own kind.From Marcus Sakey, "a modern master of suspense" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "one of our best storytellers" (Michael Connelly), comes an adventure that’s at once breakneck thriller and shrewd social commentary; a gripping tale of a world fundamentally different and yet horrifyingly similar to our own, where being born gifted can be a terrible curse.

    Some say they are the golden generation; some say the devil's spawn. But everyone knows they are something to be revered - and feared.Four and a half centuries on, cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I and still bound by its ancient laws, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history.Then an Outsider arrives, a man of unparallelled wealth and power, enough to buy the whole of Rotherweird - deeply buried secrets and all...

    The remains, found in a rusted car in the East Lothian woods, not far from Edinburgh, quickly turn into a cold case murder investigation. Rebus' old friend, Siobhan Clarke is assigned to the case, but neither of them could have predicted what buried secrets the investigation will uncover. Rebus remembers the original case--a shady land deal--all too well. After the investigation stalled, the family of the missing man complained that there was a police cover-up. As Clarke and her team investigate the cold case murder, she soon learns a different side of her mentor, a side he would prefer to keep in the past. A gripping story of corruption and consequences, this new novel demonstrates that Rankin and Rebus are still at the top of their game.

    In a split second, Frank Sawyer’s car drifts and clips a passing van on the otherwise empty Montana highway. In the aftermath of the wreck, Sawyer encounters a gruesome scene: the van’s passenger did not survive. But it isn’t the crash that took his life—he’s been shot. Before Sawyer can assess what’s happened, he’s struck from behind. When he regains consciousness, he discovers that his attacker is gone, his car is missing—and the police have named him their prime suspect in the dead man’s murder. The harsh winter weather bears down as the chaos unfolds, and Sawyer finds himself trapped in the small town of Cluff. And law enforcement is keeping him firmly in their sights, so there’s no possibility of escape. As he struggles to clear his name, Sawyer looks to the past for answers, becoming embroiled in a decades-old mystery that may hold the key to proving his innocence.

    While the revenge taken is not fully or graphically detailed, it is extreme.“He had certainly formed such a plan, and without meaning that it should effect his endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it might add something to his lively concern for the welfare of his friend.” Pride & Prejudice, chapter 45This vagary proposes an alternate path for the characters of Pride and Prejudice. Some character aspects are embellished, and longstanding plans change, fail, or are realized and perhaps regretted in this fanciful twist.Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s plan to avoid being compromised by Miss Caroline Bingley leads to an unexpected friendship with Miss Elizabeth Bennet. In this tale, the two of them work together on one plan to help his sister, and another, which, with the aid of his friend Mr. Charles Bingley and her elder sister Jane, will assist her family in correcting some of their most embarrassing behaviors. The plan, if brilliant in its execution, has results which are beyond any they could have imagined. After Mr. Darcy dashes her plans to become the next mistress of Pemberley, Miss Bingley chooses to leave Netherfield, take her mother’s maiden name of Northwood and control of her dowry, and returns to town. What machinations will she resort to in order to force Mr. Darcy to marry her? Miss Mary Bennet, at her sisters’ encouragement, devises a plan of her own to win the future she wants for herself. Sent by his mother to Meryton in order to assist his cousin, to what lengths will Colonel Fitzwilliam go in order to persuade Miss Charlotte Lucas that she is exactly the woman he has been searching for? And which plans of that scoundrel George Wickham's can be thwarted using the infamous gossip chain of Meryton, and to what measures will he resort if they succeed?CAUTION: This vagary does have some uses of profanity. In defense of Mrs. Bennet, however, sometimes an indolent husband needs to be told to get off his arse.CAUTION: For those who are on Team Richard, I do hope you enjoy him in this tale as much as I have. For those of you who prefer to look at Darcy as the man above all men, I preemptively apologize. While an almost perfectly proper gentleman who makes a decision or acts on a plan only after considering all angles, a situation sometimes requires a man whose strengths include quick, strategic action.NOTE from the author: The whole of the book takes place between Jane and Elizabeth’s sojourn at Netherfield and the ball. I confess that I find the journey to the courtship or altar, whichever comes first, the most exciting part of a variation/vagary/retelling. The original novel, and the movies derived from it, end quite quickly after all pertinent parties have chosen their partner for their HEA. So, too, do I hope that when this tale ends, there is no doubt that they will ever after be happy.NOTE from the author: Readers may notice what would be considered an improper use of capitalization when referring to members of the militia throughout this novel. These capitalizations were not made in error, they simply demonstrate respect for the rank earned by the characters portrayed in this novel, a form of deference and respect that could not be overlooked by the author.

    The book that finally cracks the case. Ben Smart. Olivia Hope. Scott Watson. Unmissable. Undeniable. Unprecedented. Unexpected. Note from author: "This book contains quotes from original police witness statements. No two witnesses ever see the crime from exactly the same angle, so differences between statements are expected. Sometimes one statement can have a crucial detail that others have missed. That's why I included what appear to be 'repetitive' statements by a number of witnesses. So you can see the overall similarities and weight of evidence, but also any unique details. Sometimes witness statements are relevant to different parts of the story, so just as in a murder trial, readers may find a statement being referred to more than once.In a crime story, the devil can be in the detail. The statements are quoted in the authentic spelling of the witness - as important legal records they don't get 'proofed'. The court trial lasted 12 weeks and involved 30,000 pages of documents. I have distilled that down to 372 pages but it is still a complex story. Think of yourself as a juror, sifting the evidence."Previous books on this case have concentrated on picking apart the police version of events given in Court. That's a legalistic technique of creating 'doubt'. I ask a different question: Forget about the court case, do the original witness statements including ones never used in court show us what happened? The answer, I suggest, is "Yes", and you are about to find out for yourself..."

     No Choice: McKenna Largo loves police work and hates being in the spotlight. But when the California cop transforms into a cougar in the middle of a bank raid, she knows there’s no dodging the publicity. Now a viral video sensation, she’s the reluctant public face of a newly created race of shifters. Scared by her strange new impulses, Largo worries she's a monster. But when criminals capture innocent young shifters, the cougar and the cop combined must leap into action. Commander: Discovering an Artificial Intelligence lives in your head, strike one. Having the Artificial Intelligence explain aliens are the origin of shifters on Earth, strike two. Having it announce you are the commanding officer of the earth shifters, strike three. Finding herself in a situation she never imagined, McKenna must step up and be the leader they need, a true commander. Now if she could just devise a plan that won’t get them all killed. Incoming: Getting back home with the knowledge that aliens are coming for your planet is one thing.  Figuring out how to get anyone in a position of power to listen to you is something else.  With the knowledge that the Elentrin are weeks away from Earth, McKenna must persuade the government that she isn’t crazy and that aliens are coming.  When the aliens land and her fears come true. How many chances will she take, lives will she risk, to give Earth a chance against the incoming aliens?  When everyone’s life is on the line, how much is hers worth?  And what can one person, on a planet of billions, do to stop an invasion? Allies: When a member of the Drakyn race, the ones the Elentrin want to destroy, shows up to offer aid in Earth's fight for survival, McKenna has hope. Their visitor unlocks information buried in her friends' heads and gives them a chance against this enemy. Calling in the government seems like the best idea, after all it's a worldwide battle. Because not only are more Elentrin coming, but when they are done, they'll destroy the Earth with asteroids. The window is running out to save the captured shifters on the ships above and convince the Elentrin to leave before Earth is reduced to rubble. Family: Being in the middle of creating history isn't a comfortable place. Toni Diaz has dealt with a lot in her life, but turning into an animal, meeting aliens, and trying to save the world wasn't anything she'd ever seen in her future. Trying to do the best thing for everyone she'll need to balance the good of her family with what is best for Earth. Toni will need to decide exactly what family means, and why sometimes the craziest option is the best one. Even as she prepares to do the impossible, she'll try to keep her loved ones safe, and pray the choices they have made are the right ones. Not just for her, but for all Kaylid left on Earth. Elen's Eviction: The story of the Drakyn and Elentrin and how the war started, at least from the Drakyn's point of view.

    Why does this superhero without superpowers fascinate us? What does that fascination say about us? Batman and Psychology explores these and other intriguing questions about the masked vigilante, including: Does Batman have PTSD?  Why does he fight crime? Why as a vigilante? Why the mask, the bat, and the underage partner? Why are his most intimate relationships with “bad girls” he ought to lock up? And why won't he kill that homicidal, green-haired clown?Gives you fresh insights into the complex inner world of Batman and Bruce Wayne and the life and characters of Gotham CityExplains psychological theory and concepts through the lens of one of the world’s most popular comic book charactersWritten by a psychology professor and “Superherologist” (scholar of superheroes)

    But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: a sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as “the radio people,” Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena. Now, as she wanders deeper into the English countryside, visions and coincidences reorder her reality until they assume the aura of a nightmare brought to life.For Holly has caught the attention of a cabal of dangerous mystics—and their enemies. But her lost weekend is merely the prelude to a shocking disappearance that leaves her family irrevocably scarred. This unsolved mystery will echo through every decade of Holly’s life, affecting all the people Holly loves—even the ones who are not yet born.A Cambridge scholarship boy grooming himself for wealth and influence, a conflicted father who feels alive only while reporting from occupied Iraq, a middle-aged writer mourning his exile from the bestseller list—all have a part to play in this surreal, invisible war on the margins of our world. From the medieval Swiss Alps to the nineteenth-century Australian bush, from a hotel in Shanghai to a Manhattan townhouse in the near future, their stories come together in moments of everyday grace and extraordinary wonder.

     Now they must figure out how to survive waves of players trying to steal their Dungeon Core, all the while dealing with psychotic Dungeon Guardians and powerful guilds. Using the creatures that Devin captures as a dungeon monster himself, Krista combines them into unique and powerful hybrids that help defend against the intruders. Contains bonus content such as some of my notes and maps, as well as an additional story starring Devin and some of his friends that takes place after the events of the last book!