Of course it did fit a pattern of not being able to decide what she wanted to do with her life since grammar school. In college she had tried a variety of subjects, played sports, and partied, excelling at each, but she had graduated as undecided as she had been in grammar school. And the Ad, interview, and current speaker made the training sound like hard work and the job dangerous. But they had dangled two worms in front of her: the chance to see the lives of the rich and powerful up close and to protect important people. And she could quit if she decided it wasn’t what she was looking for—whatever that was. To everyone’s astonishment, can't-make-up-her-mind and party-girl Kate Mathis survives the training, makes agent, enjoys her job, and finds something she loves—outmaneuvering the terrorists.

    Four mini-subs are sunk or captured. The fate of the fifth sub, I-16, is unknown.Late at night, nearly three quarters of a century later: Marine biologist Jack Ferrell sails into a mysterious fog off of Kauai’s Na Pali coast.Dense fog banks don’t form in Hawaii . . . or so he thought. They certainly don’t glow in the dark.Concealed within the mist is the sloop Julie Ann floundering in a rogue remnant of drift net. A young woman’s scream pierces the damp air, and he rushes to her rescue.The next morning, Jack dives to check the damage done to the reef by the net and discovers a sunken WWII Japanese mini-sub and the answer to a Pearl Harbor enigma: the fate of I-16. But in a depression in the coral, lies a greater mystery: a human skull the size of a grapefruit.Through a colleague, he learns the skull is from an extinct species of child-sized human being that lived 12,000 years ago on the remote Indonesian island of Flores. But this skull is no 12,000-year-old fossil.In search of answers, Jack, the woman from the Julie Ann, two close friends, and a select team of scientists plunge into a subterranean world deep within the rugged mountains of the mystical Na Pali coast. And what should have been a routine scientific excursion becomes a deadly encounter with the unknown and a race against time when the expedition battles the elements, personal fears, and even one of their own to unearth the key to the origin of the skull and the surprising truth behind one of Hawaii’s famous legends: The Menehune. This is a new release of a previously published edition.

    The object, the “Cradle,” isn’t a mythological container filled with the evils of the world as the Greek poet, Hesiod, once described. Pandora’s Box is, in reality, an advanced energy core mightier than any weapon imaginable.Shortly after the Cradle’s unearthing, its discoverer, Special Forces veteran turned archaeologist, Elliot Oxley, is thrust into a centuries-old war that still rages on within the shadows of the world’s governments. He and a small team are forced to survive attacks by murderous zealots and well-armed mercenaries while also preventing the Cradle from falling into the hands of someone who intends to use it to fulfill a terrible prophecy.Matt James’ CRADLE OF DEATH is Indiana Jones, James Bond, and the X-Files rolled into one. This action-packed adventure is an exciting experience for all audiences, especially those that enjoy the “what if” of ancient history.

    Chapters: Ranger's Apprentice Books, Ranger's Apprentice Characters, List of Characters in Ranger's Apprentice, the Ruins of Gorlan, Oakleaf Bearers, Erak's Ransom, the Icebound Land, the Sorcerer in the North, the Kings of Clonmel, the Siege of Macindaw, the Burning Bridge, Will Treaty, Halt, Halt's Peril. Excerpt: Ranger's Apprentice is the title of a series of fantasy novels written by Australian author John Flanagan. The first book in the series, titled The Ruins of Gorlan, was released in Australia on 1 November 2004 and in the United States on 16 June 2005. So far, nine books have been released in Australia and New Zealand, with other countries including the United States and United Kingdom following behind. The series follows the adventures of Will, an orphan who is taken as an apprentice Ranger, as he strives to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors and threats. He is joined on his adventures by his mentor Halt and his best friend Horace among others. The series has been sold to over 20 countries and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Will was an apprentice throughout the books The Ruins of Gorlan, The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Land, Oakleaf Bearers and Erak's Ransom. The first four books told the story of Will at his first two years as an apprentice while Erak's Ransom told about Will's final mission as an apprentice. Will grew up as as orphan in Castle Redmont by the charity of Baron Arald. The orphans there are educated and given food. When the orphans turn 15, they will become an apprentice to a craft of their choice. However, if they are not chosen, the child is sent to help grow crops. When the day comes for Will, no one is willing to accept him as an apprentice until the Ranger Halt gave the Baron Arald a p... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=5750241

    Hidden in its vast superstructure is a murderous creature that severs the right hands of its victims. A rebellious young aviatrix and a secretive scavenger boy are about to come face to face with a robotic Stalker that is terrifyingly out of control.

    These aging giants, calling themselves the ‘freakin’ old guys’ are hard-working leaders in their respective fields and have a menagerie of skills to show for it. But what starts out as a dream quickly turns into a nightmare.With these guys, the action never stops.While preparing to set sail, they have a run in with a teenage troublemaker that plagues the locals. The son of a senator, Sean has no respect for authority and is a little lost. The FOGs come from an era where a little rough handling never hurt anyone, and so strike a deal with Sean’s mother to have him sail along with them. She agrees, hoping that two weeks of hard work alongside six respected, intelligent men will get Sean turned around. Things quickly take a turn for the worst when the six small boats get caught in the crossfire of a mafia drug deal. It soon becomes clear that some of the group’s members may be hiding secrets and past lives from the others… Suddenly, the six boats are caught in an odd fog bank, and when they come out the other side, things are not as they seem. Their radios and compasses no longer work and time seems to have lost its way. Where are they? Things quickly start to defy the accepted order of things. Suddenly dropped into their own Odyssey, they fight against strange creatures and demi-goddesses as they try to find a way back home. Together, they must navigate this strange new land. Caly’s Island is a rip-roaring pseudo-fantasy thriller of a modern quest to conquer the unknown amongst seas of turmoil. Dick Herman retired from the US Air Force in 1983 with the rank of Major after serving for twenty- one years. He has flown over 200 combat missions himself and was stationed in Vietnam, West Germany and Great Britain. He has flown the F-4 and C-130 and received five medals, including the Bronze Star. He and his English-born wife now live in Fair Oaks, California. He is the author of several aviation thrillers from Endeavour Press.Venture Press is a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK’s leading independent digital publisher. We are committed to the discovery and rediscovery of immensely talented authors in the SFF genre, and continue to push boundaries in search of great literature. Join us as we venture across universes and unknown landscapes – past, present and future. Sign up to our newsletter: http://bit.ly/1LUVI4n Follow us on Twitter @venture_pressFacebook: http://on.fb.me/1NnFow7

    It is an enigma that a long-dead scientist called the Fermi Paradox."Where are they?" A brave crew will take humanity's first starship, Endeavour, on an epic journey that spans light years and centuries to solve this mystery. As Commander Tom Hites and his crew searches amid long-abandoned worlds and ancient relics, the question they seek to answer becomes: "Where are they now?"ErebusThe sparsely populated moon Io is destroyed in a terrorist attack. Hundreds are dead in the cataclysmic explosion. Thousands become refugees as the shattered remnants of the moon threaten the Jupiter Alliance. Billions throughout the solar system are wondering, "Where next?"Those responsible must be found and brought to justice. The explorer ship Erebus is reassigned from its mission and sent to Jupiter to investigate this atrocity with Trent's international team onboard. And what Trent discovers among the relics of the alien Sleeping Gods will change humanity's place in the universe forever.

    A little work, a little luck, and a kid goes home to his parents and Ray moves on to the next job. When the job becomes bigger than he realized, and bigger than he can handle, Ray is faced with horrors he'd never imagined, a world that by rights should not exist... and only one number to call.Thirteen.

    Imagine if you had the ability to change your appearance at will. To alter the color of your hair, eyes, lips, and nails; maybe even your skin? Perhaps give yourself a tan, freckles, or a tattoo. And then swap it again, all in the blink of an eye.What if you could change your clothes to anything you wanted – that dress you saw in the window; those boots you just couldn’t afford – all with a simple thought?Suppose your senses were perfect. Better than perfect. You could see and hear and smell more acutely than you ever thought possible. On occasion, you could even glimpse into the future.You were stronger. Healthier.You were a Princess. An heir to a Kingdom in a beautiful land.What if the most powerful warriors in the land wanted you dead, and would stop at nothing to kill you?In Princess of the Gods: Descendant, a peaceful Kingdom is turned upside down when a teenage Princess discovers her true lineage: She comes from an ancient bloodline that traces straight back to the Old Gods.But this makes her a threat to the New Gods.After an attack on her home destroys the world she knows, every moment of her life becomes a fight for survival.Armed with a pair of energy weapons powerful enough to cut into solid stone – and the ability to change her clothing and appearance with a simple thought – the girl fights back, knowing that it's the only way she’ll ever be able to save her Kingdom.But will her energy blades and superhuman powers be enough to save her from the forces that want her dead?

    That is, until she meets an old man who entrusts her with a package containing a mysterious item that has unbelievable powers. It is a meeting that will change her life.

    A horde of beasts known only as the scourge has ravaged the land, leaving only the village of Terreas to survive. Hemmed in on all sides by the scourge, the denizens of Terreas eke out a lonely existence, trying to survive in a land that is all but dead. Jasen Rabinn is a teenage boy trapped in Terreas but with a mind rooted outside the boundaries of his village. He longs for adventure, and when the mysterious Baraghosa – a sorcerer of a sort not native to Luukessia – comes to Terreas, a chain of events is set in motion that will carry Jasen beyond his simple town. To adventure. To danger. To his destiny.

     THIS BOOK CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT DANGEROUS BEAUTY... This first novella in an exciting new series will take you to a future unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The world of BRIGAND is as beautiful as it is cruel - a landscape of sharp edges and sharper characters. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes harsh, always sexy, it's a world filled with people who play power games that span multiple planets and the life of a scut can be bought for a few ounces of fresh water. Genetically modified and cybernetically augmented before she even left the womb, Subject 11 was to be one of the Mandate of St. Nicolo's most potent tools of statecraft. With her contract bid out to one of the great families of Marajo Lift, she would become a crucial wheel within the many thousands of wheels that formed the Mandate's legendary engine of intrigue. But 11 had other plans... NOTE: The cover illustration for this novella has been changed to more accurately reflect the main character. DO NOT buy it if you have already purchased The Wraith's Story. ~22,000 words

    ONE GUARDED REVELATION THAT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE SEEN. AND A CALAMITY ABOUT TO BE UNLEASHED. In the jungle cities of the Amazon, thousands of tribal descendants suddenly drop dead at the exact same moment for no apparent reason. Strange truths start to emerge that lead respected ecologist, Antonio Medina, into the deepest reaches of the rain forest, to a tribe that has seen virtually zero contact with the outside world. On the other side of the planet, in the Indian Ocean, anthropologist Stel Foster is on a similar quest. When he learns of unlikely ties to the tribe in Brazil that his long-time professional rival, Antonio Medina, is investigating, he agrees to work together with the ecologist. Antonio isn’t sure he can trust Foster, but together they are forced to solve a perilous puzzle, with the most alarming piece being two halves of a strange artifact safeguarded by both tribes for thousands of years. Even worse, a powerful secret society will stop at nothing to control the ultimate truth the artifact holds. With options running short and time even shorter, our comprehension of what it means to be human is about to shift forever. PRAISE FOR UNCONTACTED AND RICK CHESLER: "Uncontacted is everything you want in an action/adventure novel: races of unknown people, mysterious technology, and plenty of questions. What if? Rick hit it out of the park with this one, and what a ride it is!" --Nick Thacker, author of the bestselling Harvey Bennet Thrillers series "A jungle romp with undiscovered tribes and legendary artifacts…A threat to the very existence of humanity. It’s all here and more. UNCONTACTED by Rick Chesler is a fantastic science-thriller in the best tradition of Michael Crichton and James Rollins." --Sean Ellis, author of CAMP ZERO and ASCENDANT "Over the top, inventive and scary fun!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of PATIENT ZERO "Great scientific concepts that are based in reality..." --ScienceThrillers.com "Chesler melds science and adventure with the brilliant command of the late Crichton." --Douglas Corleone, author of Robert Ludlum's THE JANSON EQUATION "The perfect combination of great research and impossible to put down writing." --Jeremy Robinson, international bestselling author of APOCALYPSE MACHINE and PROJECT NEMESIS

    All this seems far removed from Kami, a boy who quietly goes about his everyday life in his farm village until one day he trips over the unconsious body of a warrior hidden in the long grass.That discovery will lead him on an adventure across the warring kingdoms, facing assassins and enemy soldiers as he journeys to the capital to face the new Shogun. Through his travels he aspires to become a samurai, and in his many challenges he eventually comes to understand what it means to be one.