Showing results by narrator "Gary Bennett" in All Categories

Enjoying his childhood, he paid no attention to the world, its secrets, or to those around him. Little did he know that his ignorance would be his undoing. Now, as an outcast looked down upon everyone, he has to endure humiliation as he stares into the eyes of the one who took everything from him. Life had taught him that the strong wouldn't hesitate to stab the weak in the back. But what if he became one of the strong?

Two weeks, two nuclear blasts. The world is careening straight toward the abyss, and Washington is powerless to stop it. After an emergency mission deep into war-torn Georgia, the CIA's elite Prosecution Force has vanished without a trace. The chain of events leading to their disappearance and the detonation of a second nuclear weapon in two weeks remains a mystery. Langley is paralyzed, unable to inform a scrambling White House desperate to prevent global war.

He had survived a spaceship crash, alien slave traders, space pirates, and fierce gladiatorial combat. Hell, he’d even faced an actual fire-breathing dragon and lived, but now, he was presented with an even greater challenge. Domestic living, captive on a strange world. Charlie almost had to laugh at his changing circumstances, having seen it all since a wormhole spat him out in a distant galaxy. He learned to fight, he learned to use magic, he even learned to kill - to survive at all costs.

Is a witch throwing curses your way? Something scary scratching at your window in the night? Then, I've got just the charm for you. Mostly, though, I find things. Lost treasures, missing loved ones...if you need something found, I'm your guy. So, when a grieving father hired me to track down a family heirloom stolen by a sticky-fingered hobgoblin, I was happy to help.

On the run from the ruling houses in Caesea, Kincaid struggles to honor the wishes of his former teacher. Unstable magical power leads to rejection in the ancient capital of the Empire of a Thousand Spears and leaves the young magi without a purpose. Scrabbling to stay alive, Kincaid finds company in a group of misfit sorcerers bent on uncovering the darkest depths of power. Facing impossible moral challenges, Kincaid, with new companions at his side, must make a stand against a new generation of magicians.

Across America, TV screens are dominated by a smooth-talking man with an Arabic accent. He claims responsibility for the attacks, identifying himself as the head of a brand-new terrorist network who will hold America accountable for her sins. With the promise of further attacks hanging over the nation, Reed prepares to abandon retirement and hunt his enemies, no matter the cost. But with the White House unwilling to reestablish the Prosecution Force, Reed is pushed to act alone.

The Mexican civil war had been grinding on for so long that the United States resorted to using private contractors—mercenaries—to prop up the failing Mexican Army. One of the many things the Mexican Army failed to protect was Pangaea, the famed animal park in remote northeast Mexico, a symbol of rampant capitalism. All the creatures inside were killed at the time. At least, that's what was reported.

Have you ever been in love? Truly, madly, deeply? Only to lose it? Your tether suddenly snapped. How broken can you become? And how can you ever hope to piece yourself back together? This is a love story.

Who is more dangerous, supernatural foes or enigmatic allies? That's on Magnus' mind a lot while the thousand-year-old "Chosen Warrior" deals with bikers, cartels, a Yaqui shaman, visitations, explosions, crashes, brawls, and the occasional gunshot wound. Being an Einherjar hiding out from Odin and his Valkyrie is hard enough without having to wonder who is on your side and who is just waiting with a knife for your back. To make matters worse, it's one of Odin's own immortal wolves that Magnus, a.k.a. Mouse, is sworn to rescue.

In a world on the brink of nuclear war, one man stands between peace and global chaos. Following the devastating aftermath of a nuclear detonation in the Panama Canal, the world teeters on the edge of war. The Russian president's claims about a hidden Soviet weapons depot in Georgia escalate tensions, pushing the globe closer to the abyss of conflict. Acting U.S. President Jordan Stratton faces a nation in turmoil, grappling with the shadows of recent terrorist attacks and the critical condition of President Maggie Trousdale.

The war rages on, sparking the worst wildfires the country has ever seen. The descendants of the genetically engineered animals once filling Pangaea, the former dinosaur park, are forced by the fires to flee throughout Mexico, causing chaos. In the midst of this, La Fuerza struggles for a victory, for its very existence, and its brutal soldiers are willing to do whatever it takes to get a win. A mercenary with a bounty on his head and the billionaire's daughter he protects seem like easy targets.

Trapped in a distant galaxy run by magic instead of technology? Check. Kidnapped by space pirates and alien slave traders? Check. Nearly eaten by wild dragons in gladiatorial combat? Check. Locked in an interstellar war spanning galaxies? Check. Charlie had faced it all, and yet somehow he and his friends had managed to come out on top. But now, at the peak of his powers, something new was coming over the horizon, and it was a threat the likes of which he’d never imagined. Facing a desperate struggle against all odds, Charlie found himself forced to dig deeper than ever before.

Like poop on your shoe, bad luck had a knack for sticking Charlie wherever he went. And it sure did stink. Wormholes to a distant galaxy? Done it. Alien slavery? Yup. Forced gladiatorial combat? That too. Space pirate and eventual rebel leader? Check. Rising to the pinnacle of power as Dragon King? Uh-huh. Charlie, it seemed, had seen and survived it all, and at long last it looked like he’d finally earned himself a little peace and quiet. That is until a whole new threat reared its ugly head.

A bounty hunting survivor. A Galactic dark elf. A woman who has given up her humanity to become something more. These stories and more are available in the first short story anthology for the System Apocalypse, covering year one on Earth. When the world ends, humanity steps up, finding new ways to survive in a world with classes, magic, and monsters. The anthology features exciting, new stories by five new writers and a new, never publicly released short story by Tao Wong.

It’s been a year since the explosive events in Nevada. Adrian Hell has kept a low profile, continuing to earn good money killing bad people. But a simple job in San Francisco is about to turn his world upside down.

Could a magic wielding astronaut fight off an alien invasion with just his vampire assassin and space dragon friends? Amazingly, Charlie thought they might actually pull it off... that is if Lady Luck decided to play nice for a change. Unfortunately, knowing his fortunes, the odds of that were slim to none. The aliens were coming, that much was certain. What they could do to stop them, however, remained up in the air. Having joined forces with the mighty AIs overseeing the planet and its defenses, at least their toys had been upgraded accordingly.

When your luck just plain sucks in not one galaxy, but two, most people would throw in the towel. But not Charlie. In fact, it almost seemed like he was a glutton for that sort of misery. His friends were spread across two distant galaxies, separated by a heavily guarded magical portal and struggling to deal with a war now spilling over into both the technological realm as well as the magical one. And it was beginning to look like they’d reached their breaking point. But Charlie wasn’t about to give up, nor would he give in.

Julian Kessler, the visionary CEO of NOVA AI, has pushed the boundaries of artificial intelligence, blurring the lines between human and machine. But progress comes at a price, and Kessler has made enemies—ones closer than he realizes. And when a ruthless smear campaign threatens to destroy his reputation, he turns to ex-CIA officer turned private investigator Matt Gage to uncover who's orchestrating his downfall and why.

Charlie had a constant companion everywhere he went. Unfortunately, its name was trouble. Space portals to another galaxy were just the beginning of the worries piled high on Charlie's plate. Not only was he facing a hostile band of alien mercenaries, hell-bent on capturing his home and enslaving his people, but now, it seemed, there was something more afoot. With his homeworld, solar system, and even the entire galaxy at risk, Charlie and the great AI minds of Earth had to make a decision.

Elite assassin Reed Montgomery's private war with the criminal underworld is spilling across the country and leaving carnage in its wake. After identifying his enemy as a shadowy shot caller known only as Gambit, Reed is ready to end the war with a well-placed bullet. But Gambit is one step ahead. After kidnapping Reed's father, Gambit proposes an exchange: He'll release David Montgomery if Reed completes one last kill. The target? An innocent public servant. With his father's life hanging in the balance, Reed must outmaneuver Gambit if he ever hopes to end this war.