Showing results by narrator "S. S." in All Categories

When the opossum feels threatened, she becomes paralyzed. Her body temperature plummets, her breathing and heart rates drop to a minimum, and her glands simulate the smell of a putrefying corpse. Playing Possum explores what the opossum and other creatures can teach us about how we and other species understand mortality, and demonstrates that the concept of death, far from being a uniquely human attribute, is widespread in the animal kingdom.

Lochlan Brady and his daughters have faced some of those dangers and worked to build a place where they and other survivors can start to rebuild civilization. The new world is one where power rules and Loch has found himself to be the most powerful around. It's thrust him into a position of responsibility for not just his daughters but all the other survivors. It's not one he wants but feels he has to take. They have shelter but now Loch and the other survivors must find sources of food and other resources needed to not just survive but to thrive in the Connected System.

Once more, Jiran dives headfirst into the pursuit of knowledge and power in a world stuck on hard mode. He’ll face beasts and challenges beyond his wildest nightmares, new races, and unexpected twists at every turn. Yet great danger is often accompanied by unimaginable opportunity, and if there's one thing Jiran’s good at, it's turning misfortune to his advantage. And this time, that advantage could very well change the empire forever.

Deep inside Minkalla's depths Matt, Liz, Aster, and Susanne just fought one of the strongest monsters they have ever encountered. But their delve isn't over yet. Three floors remain and each promises to push them past their perceived limits. There is no escape. There is no higher Tier to get them out of trouble. The only things they can rely on are themselves and the rest of the party.

Book 3 of this epic Xianxia Cultivation Progression Fantasy Series from debut author, Plutus. Features detailed world-building, slice-of-life elements, three-dimensional characters, a unique progression system starring an MC who gains power through gifting things to others, and so much more!

You don't become a hero for the money. The money's nice, sure, but you become a hero because something inside compels you, drives you to it. Defending people from monsters simply doesn't pay well enough to make it a good career move. As for hunting dragons goes... well, the money is usually good, but the job really bites. Burnout is all too common. Come along as a group of five professional heroes go into the lair of a dragon. Who will win? Spoiler: The dragon.

Matt plans to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents. But his dreams are crushed when his Tier One Talent is rated as detrimental, and no guild or group will take him.

In the post-Break world of superpowers, necromancy is the one gift nobody wants. But an invitation to the Free States' Academy of Superheroes means that same gift might be Damian Banach's ticket to a brighter future... if only he can avoid the madness ingrained in his powers. There has never been a Crow Cape, but Damian isn't the sort to give up. He'll take control of his destiny or die trying... and he just might bring the post-Break world to its knees along the way.

As the COVID-19 pandemic revealed, we have become not just a hyper-partisan society but also a deeply cynical one, distrustful of traditional sources of knowledge and wisdom. Skepticism about vaccines led to the needless deaths of at least 230,000 Americans. “Do your own research” is now a rallying cry in many online rabbit holes. Yet experts can make mistakes, and institutions can lose their moral compass. So how can we navigate through all this? In The Road to Wisdom, Francis Collins reminds us of the four core sources of judgement and clear thinking: truth, science, faith, and trust.

In an instant, life as it was known is gone, replaced by a System called The Connection. It doesn't come quietly as earthquakes rock the planet, the chosen survivors falling unconscious as the Connection takes their bodies and Adapts them. Lochlan Brady and his family were on their way home from a camping weekend when the Connection appears. He awakens with a new Adapted body, finding his wife missing. Now Loch must survive and thrive in this new world with his two teenage daughters, Harper and Piper. All Loch wants to do is protect his daughters and find his wife.

Five semi-retired adventurers travel to a distant city to attend a wedding. All they wanted was to help their friend celebrate her nuptials, but adventuring is a hard life to give up. While there, they hear of the depredations of a dragon in a nearby land and decide to get in on the action. After all, no one else has done anything about the dragon.

After participating in the empire's vassal war, Matt, Liz, and Aster now have a fire nipping after their heels. Or rather, their new manager, Luna. And she demands their best at all times, or she will drive them off The Path of Ascension. With the Tier-10 tournament looming in front of them, the gang is going to have to dig deep if they want to continue on the path, but Luna isn't the only one who has plans. Can Matt, Liz, and Aster survive the machinations of a Tier-40 who has created several Ascenders before? Or will they simply be another statistic on The Path?

The Connected System has come to Earth and adapted humanity to be able to survive and try to Advance and Thrive in the Connection. With new Classes and Abilities; Lochlan Brady, his family and the rest of humanity will face challenges and threats from myths and beyond. Loch and his daughters have survived their first Dungeon in the newly changed world and come out far stronger. Just wanting to get home, and start searching for the missing Kelly, they come across other survivors in Northwood.

Matt plans to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents. But his dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental and no guild or group will take him. Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple. They give him a chance to join the Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends. With their recommendation and a stolen Skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power. Maybe then, he can get vengeance he seeks.

War rages between two kingdoms, a conflict that will determine the fate of multiple worlds, yet for the Path of Ascension such a battlefield represents nothing but opportunity.

Matt, Liz, and Aster are now Tier 10. That means it's time for the Pather tournament. There they will face people who are as strong as them for the first time. But things are never easy. With years of Luna's guidance they will have to compete twice. Once as themselves and again under a mask with restrictions meant to ensure they really are the strongest.

Our brains do their best to help us out, but every so often they can be real assholes - having meltdowns, getting addicted to things, or shutting down completely at the worst possible moments. Your brain knows it's not good to do these things, but it can't help it sometimes - especially if it's obsessing about trauma it can't overcome. That's where this life-changing book comes in. With humor, patience, science, and lots of good-ole swearing, Dr. Faith explains what's going on in your skull, and talks you through the process of retraining your brain to respond appropriately....

Minkalla, a planet where only those below TIer 15 can enter. A planet where the rules of the realm are changed, where the weaker you are the greater the rewards. Matt and the team intend to conquer it at Tier 11. Seven floors, seven rewards of every increasing power, thousands of chances of death not just from the Tier 14 monsters but from all the others entering the planet.

This groundbreaking book includes four books that will teach you from start to finish, everything you need to know about Narcissistic Abuse, Gaslighting, Codependency and Complex PTSD, as well as how to recover from each one of them.

With an unexpected temporary addition to the team, Matt, Liz, and Aster venture out unto the ever-expanding frontier. There, they'll deal with the challenge of an unexplored planet and all its hidden dangers. Their journey on the path of ascension continues...but do they have what it takes to persevere?