Derek Shoales has narrated 28 audiobooks on Listento.it by 26 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 130 ratings. The most-rated is Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains.
Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains
Summary
Eric was born in a world governed by the Great System, in the family of Aren Bergman, a respected miner from Orchus. But the joy of gaining a son was overshadowed by the newborn's terrible affliction. Eric was completely nulled-level zero and no characteristics points. The only things keeping him from dying were his tiny base supplies of "life" and "energy". The medicine woman who delivered Eric believes this to be the work of the evil spirit, Bug. Due to the peculiar laws of the Great System, Eric cannot use experience essences or characteristics tablets, so he risks having to spend his whole life confined to a bed. But his father finds a solution. He takes out a large bank loan and goes to the capital where he buys a few artifacts of the Ancients on the black market, which have no level restriction. Despite having the artifacts, Eric is still very feeble, and everyone in town thinks him a freak. But at least he can move on his own, and that gives the Bergmans hope. But alas, it isn't for long. On Eric's 14th birthday, his father and mother die in a mining accident. The bank takes their house, and Eric is left with no choice but to work off the remaining debt in the Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains. And so begins the story of a nulled boy's struggle to survive....
©2019 Alexey Osadchuk; English translation copyright 2019 by Andrew Schmitt (P)2019 Tantor
The Wastes
Summary
Eric has survived where people much stronger than him have found their deaths. And not just that: He's managed to activate his magic supply, tame one of the most dangerous dungeon monsters, find the ancient city of monster hunters, and rescue Jay, the girl abandoned by the scouts in Gulper's lair. He left the Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains behind him. Now his path leads him to Orchus, where our freshly-minted mage intends to finally free himself of his debt-repayment oath. But as soon as Eric and Jay descend into the valley, they discover that the local barons have been attacked by young Corwin's men who have swept through their neighbors' estates, pillaging and plundering. This makes Eric's task all the more difficult: he has to return to his home city without ending up in his enemies' clutches. You'd think his natural cautiousness and the acute instincts of his pet Gorgie would make this journey a walk in the park - but fickle Lady Luck has her own ideas.... Once again Eric is being pulled into a bloody vortex of dangers.
©2019 Alexey Osadchuk; English translation copyright 2019 by Andrew Schmitt (P)2020 Tantor
The Dark Continent
Summary
Eric Bergman used to be treated like an outcast, cripple, and freak. Some pitied him, others squirmed in his presence, while others still mocked him to his face. He himself even thought he was born cursed by the gods. But bit by bit, all that changed. That which was once considered a flaw or defect transformed into an advantage. And Eric slowly learned to use it to his benefit. Eric and his friends escape Master Chi's Hive and journey over the orcish steppe and through the Stone Forest, which tempers them and makes them a lot stronger. During his travels, Eric discovers that his elder brother never went to the Wastes and that his parents were lied to about what happened to him. Eric promises himself to uncover the truth about his long-lost brother. Beyond that, the more he encounters the grim heritage of the Order of Monster Hunters, the more he realizes just how perilous a game the foxman has drawn him into. Moving through the borderlands toward his home city no more than a few days ahead of the orcish horde, Eric still has yet to guess that his adventure is just getting started.
©2020 Alexey Osadchuk; English translation copyright 2020 by Andrew Schmitt (P)2020 Tantor
Farmer
Summary
Eddie Hunter is about at the end of his rope, so when he stumbles across an ad looking for people to farm in Long Term Immersion in the game Light Online, he can't believe his luck. Once hired he enters the game as soon as he can. Unbeknownst to him, though, the person that hired him is also doing illicit research on the pods that he and the other farmers are using. The research is rapidly discovered by the AIs that monitor the game and shut down, forcefully, by the company that runs Light Online. But the code that runs those pods has been altered, and until it's fixed Eddie and the others can't log out. Although the devs assure him that it won't take long to fix, Eddie's not so sure of that himself. Eddie entered the game to make money in real life, and as he tries to do that he finds himself getting entangled deeper and deeper in the game and with the people he meets there. But when he discovers a side of the game that the previous players had apparently never even considered, he knows he has to find a way to stay in the game.
©2019 Thomas Larcombe (P)2020 Tantor
The Otherworld
Summary
After battling the hyenas, Eric gets a notification that something called a Place of Power has been found. That is the only clue that might help him get back to his native world. But there's a problem. The system needs mana to calculate a route. Eric simply doesn't have any, and he doesn't know when he will. That is because, due to the strange laws this world lives by, Eric's mana supply isn't filling up. But the Great System also exists here, though its laws are only partially functioning. Having found himself in this alien and dangerous world without magic or the support of his loyal Gorgie, Eric understands that the kid who saved him, Badger, is currently his only source of useful information. That is a chance to understand and gain knowledge about this world and, in all likelihood, find a way to rustle up some mana.
©2020 Alexey Osadchuk; English translation copyright 2020 by Andrew Schmitt (P)2021 Tantor
Keeper
Summary
Eddie Hunter isn't stuck in the game Light Online, but if he wants to keep his job, he needs to stay there. It's not a hardship for him as he increasingly believes that his in-game life is far preferable to his out-of-game life. Working on a hidden development quest that he discovered by accident has him becoming more and more entrepreneurial even while running his own inn, but between him and his party, the Meadowlands is rapidly developing. The goblins from the Forest of Fools have noticed the Meadowlands growing stronger as well and start attacking out of the forest. They seem to be growing stronger as the Meadowlands do. The Meadowlands themselves are changing also, offering more challenges and rewards, as Eddie completes more of his quests. Eddie finally decides that he can't keep everything going on his own. Between running an inn, building the things necessary for his quest, adventuring, and more, he's getting to the point where important things are slipping his mind. When a dungeon is discovered in the Meadowlands, where there was never one before, he gives in and relegates himself to an assistant in running his own inn so that he and his party can test themselves against it in an attempt to grow their own power levels.
©2019 Thomas Larcombe (P)2020 Tantor
Defender
Summary
Eddie Hunter just wants to keep building his settlement, but somehow there's always something in the way. His good ties with Freyja have made him a target for one of the other AIs in the game. One of the other less savory AIs, who isn't too picky about how he expresses his displeasure. On defense against the opponents being hurled at him, the support of his party and the other adventurers in the area is critical, and beyond his expectations. But even in the midst of the attacks he still manages to continue building, which is lucky since his current building project is the defensive walls of the castle he intends to create.
©2020 Tom Larcombe (P)2020 Tantor
Leader
Summary
Eddie Hunter has discovered that he loves building. Creating things with his own hands satisfies him. Fortunately, his job in the game Light Online allows for that. It also requires that he do all the other things the rest of the players in the game do, so he can't just build. Balancing his time between adventuring and building would be easy if it didn't seem like there were always 27 more things he felt he should be doing at the same time. To make matters worse, there's good evidence supporting a fellow player's theory that Eddie's efforts to increase the settlement level of the Meadowlands cause the game to add new content in the area. So now Eddie has even more things to add to what he's already doing.
©2020 Thomas Larcombe (P)2020 Tantor
The System Apocalypse Short Story Anthology, Volume 1
Summary
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. The System Apocalypse world was first introduced in 'Life in the North' and is a LitRPG science fiction and fantasy post-apocalyptic work that features monsters, science fiction technology, character sheets, supernatural races and ancient myths in one heady, LitRPG brew Stories and writers featured in this anthology include: Craig Hamilton - "Hunting Monsters" has our protagonist doing what he does best. Finding those who would exploit the System and the people within. Except this time, there are even more complications than normal. Alexis Keane - "Tooth and Claw" is a heart-warming tale of friendship that knows no bounds of race or distance. Ix Phoen - "Rebel Within" tells a tale of hardship in South America, where the monsters are not always the ones outside the walls. Tao Wong - “Debts & Dances” covers the arrival of the System from the perspective of our favorite Truinnar Lord. R.K. Billiau - “Phoenix Rising” covers an unconventional hero, one whose mind is slipping from him before the apocalypse. Will the apocalypse be his salvation? Or doom? L.A. Batt - “Overture to Obliteration” brings us to far-off New Zealand to glimpse the wreckage the System has wrought.
©2019 Tao Wong (P)2020 Tao Wong
Lead from the Future
Summary
We all know a visionary leader when we see one. They're bold and prophetic and at the same time pragmatic. They don't just promote change - they drive it, while inspiring and mobilizing others to do the same. Visionaries like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos possess a host of innate qualities that make them extraordinary, but what truly sets them apart is their ability to turn vision into action. In Lead from the Future, Innosight's Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz introduce a new way of thinking and managing, called "future-back", that enables any manager to become a practical visionary. Addressing the many barriers to change that exist in established organizations, they present a systematic approach to overcoming them that includes: the principles and mindset that allow leadership teams to look beyond typical short-term planning horizons; a method for turning emerging challenges into the growth opportunities that can define an organization's future; a step-by-step approach for translating a vision into a strategic plan that teams can align around and commit to; and ways to ensure that visionary thinking becomes a repeatable organizational capability. As practical as it is inspiring, Lead from the Future is the guide you and your team need to develop a vision and translate it into transformative growth. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz (P)2020 Gildan Media
Back to the Moon
Summary
THE SECOND TIME AROUND - IS HARDER.... Decades after the last footprints were left on the Moon, the US was preparing to return to the Lunar surface in a new class of rockets, when the mission suddenly became much more urgent. It would have to be a rescue mission. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world China had sent its own Lunar expedition. A manned expedition. Until a distress call was received, no human outside of China even knew that the mission was manned - or that their ship had crash-landed and couldn't take off again. Time was running out, and if the four Chinese astronauts were to be rescued, the American lunar mission would have to launch immediately, with only a skeleton crew. Once the heroic US astronauts were underway the army of engineers and scientists back home had the daunting task of deciding what equipment could be left on the Moon to permit the Lunar lander vehicle to lift safely from the Moon with the two US astronauts and the four stranded Chinese taikonauts! Could the US mount such a mission successfully - and would thousands of years of instilled honor "allow" the Chinese astronauts to accept a rescue?
©2010 Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson (P)2020 Tantor
Dark: Fearless Pioneer
Summary
It started with a girl. One he had seen many months past, and only for a few evenings. Her father, as it turned out, was a barbaric maniac, straight out of the foulest dungeons of the Middle Ages. Decades into the 21st century, the madman seemed terribly out of place. Yet he was also a powerful mogul - and determined to turn the life of every man who had ever been romantically involved with his daughter into a particular variant of hell only made possible by the latest VR technology. All 17 of his girl's former lovers would suffer in virtual reality until they snapped. The torturers had considered every possibility and taken every measure to assure their success. Not even death would offer their victims an escape. No harm would come to their bodies, of course. Only their minds. For the first 16, the project succeeded. But the 17th was different. The 17th was Dark.
©2019 Arthur Stone (P)2019 Tantor
Next Level Sales Coaching
Summary
Next Level Sales Coaching offers insights to sales executives, customer-service managers, business owners, and other professional managers on strategies to overcome common challenges in building a "best in class" sales team. Sales performance can impact a company's revenue, profits, market share, and employee retention. The question is, how do you positively impact those goals? The answer is simple: Sales improve when your team is better trained, coached, and supported. When a sales team is led the right way, there is an increased probability they will feel better about themselves, their jobs, stay longer, and become a future sales leader in the company. Many books focus on the symptoms of poor sales performance, but they don't tell you how to solve the problems. Next Level Sales Coaching gives you a proven, step-by-step process and methodology on how to resolve the most common challenges you will face when leading your sales team. The strategies are built on the best practices of more than 10,000 sales managers that we have interviewed, researched, and observed in action over the last 35 years. This book covers how to connect with, train, coach, and inspire your sales team. Ultimately, it will help you to reduce turnover, improve performance, and increase retention of top performers.
©2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (P)2020 Gildan Media
Anger Management for Dummies, 2nd Edition
Summary
Anger is a completely normal, healthy human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems - at work, in personal relationships, and in the overall quality of life. Anger Management for Dummies provides trusted and authoritative information on anger management methods, skills, and exercises that will help you or a loved one identify sources of anger and release them healthily. Anger has become one of the most intimate issues in today's world - as life, in general, has become increasingly stressful.... Anger Management for Dummies shows you how anger is often a bi-product of other more primitive emotions, such as fear, depression, anxiety, and stress, and arms you with the strategies that can help you conquer them. Inside, you'll discover how to overcome obstacles to change, rethink rage, confront anger head-on with healthier responses, and much more. With the tools, tips, and strategies provided in this hands-on guide, you'll find everything you need to overcome anger and live a happier, more productive life.
©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (P)2019 Tantor
Sacrificial Weapon
Summary
Taylor and the rest of the crew are back. It's time to kill some Cryptids and explain life and how it works to each other. So long as that discussion is not between Taylor and Special Agent Banks. The Cryptids have started to kill a large amount of humans in the Upper Midwest. Banks' bosses told her not to call in the Cryptid Assassin.... He's too expensive. Now, the showdown between Taylor and the creatures will stop when one or the other is dead...and it isn't looking good for Taylor.
©2020 Michael Anderle (P)2020 Tantor
Silent Death
Summary
Special Agent Niki Banks has called in a favor, and now Taylor has a young hacker with an attitude as an employee. Along with new monsters to kill, a business to get off the ground, a relationship with an annoying FBI handler to...deal with, Taylor is becoming a surrogate male figure for a role he didn't want. But he may be the best man for the job.
©2020 Michael Anderle (P)2020 Tantor
Head Hunter
Summary
Taylor McFadden is in a military hospital recovering, and Niki is on the warpath, with Jennie visiting him in the hospital. Will Taylor live through an operation in which a helicopter dropped on him only to die when Niki gets hold of him? Further, he has decided to have the final word with the crime lord attacking his people. You know, his friends? Like...Vickie?
©2020 Michael Anderle (P)2020 Tantor
In the Palace of Shadow and Joy
Summary
Indrajit Twang is the 427th epic poet of his people, the only person alive to carry their entire epic history and mythology in his head. His people are dwindling in number, and if he can't find a successor in the great city of Kish, their story will disappear with them. Fix grew up a foundling on the ancient streets of Kish and is making his living as a mercenary. The woman he loves married someone else, and Fix has turned to buying and selling risk on the black market - but is he trying to impress her, or prove something to himself? Indrajit and Fix have been hired by a powerful risk-merchant to protect the life of opera star Ilsa without Peer for the duration of a risk contract he's taken on. When an attempt is made on Ilsa's life, Indrajit and Fix find themselves hunted by multiple mercenary squads and targeted by some of the most powerful men in Kish. Will they be able to save themselves, not to mention protect Ilsa, in the Palace of Shadow and Joy?
©2020 D. J. Butler (P)2021 Tantor
Reinvent Your Business Model
Summary
In his pioneering book Seizing the White Space, Mark W. Johnson argued that business model innovation is the most proven path to transformational growth. Since then, Uber, Airbnb, and other start-ups have disrupted whole industries; incumbents such as Blockbuster, Sears, Toys "R" Us, and BlackBerry have fallen by the wayside; and digital transformation has become one of the business world's hottest (and least understood) slogans. Nearly a decade later, the art and science of business model innovation is more relevant than ever. In this revised, updated, and newly titled edition, Johnson provides an eminently practical framework for understanding how a business model actually works. Identifying its four fundamental building blocks, he lays out a structured and repeatable process for reinventing an existing business model or creating a new one and then incubating and scaling it into a profitable and thriving enterprise. In a new chapter on digital transformation, he shows how serial transformers like Amazon leverage business model innovation so successfully. Reinvent Your Business Model is the strategic innovation playbook you need now and in the future. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2018 Mark W. Johnson (P)2020 Gildan Media
Rare Earth
Summary
A lost mining crew, 400 million miles from Earth. A retired miner journeys to find out why. "There's something out there...." Waldo Packwood has had a rough time of things lately. He's lost his job, his friends, and finally his family. At 50 years old, he's living alone in a small apartment wondering what's happened to his life. He's unexpectedly asked to travel to Hector 1, a lone asteroid in the Jupiter Trojans, to investigate the missing crew. "That's just it, Waldo", sighed the director, "we don't know what happened." His trip is a struggle from the beginning, as he discovers more about those around him and what they're willing to do to keep Hector 1 to themselves. Instead of answers, he's cast into the fight of his life as he struggles to uncover the secrets and lies that have been built around this distant world. Rare Earth is a gritty science-fiction thriller and debut novel about an unconventional hero and second chances. "It's going to be that kind of story, so buckle up."
©2019 Kurt Allan (P)2020 Tantor