Eric Jason Martin has narrated 75 audiobooks on Listento.it by 95 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 679 ratings. The most-rated is The Dutch Wife.
Eyewitness to the Gods
Summary
The father of the ancient alien theory with more than 65 million books sold reveals everything he has withheld for years. In all his years of service, why didn't Erich von Däniken ever doubt his theory that inhabitants of other planets had come into contact with humanity ages ago, and that they still observe us today? How could von Däniken in all these years say firmly that the UFO phenomenon is real and that people are being abducted by aliens? Why does he repeatedly criticize the official historiography and our religions and thus accept scorn and hostility? The answers to these questions are: Because Erich von Däniken spoke to people who supported his theories. Because people who saw UFOs or were kidnapped by aliens trusted him. And because experts and insiders inaugurated secrets known to only a few people. In this audiobook, the now 81-year-old presents selected eyewitnesses and insiders for the first time, reveals secrets and stories that he has hitherto kept private, and presents reports and revelations that leave one speechless!
©2019 Erich von Daniken (P)2019 Tantor
Trial by Magic
Summary
R. K. Billiau presents book three in the PrimeVerse series.
©2020 R. K. Billiau (P)2020 Tantor
The Other Slavery
Summary
A landmark history - the sweeping story of the enslavement of tens of thousands of Indians across America, from the time of the conquistadors up to the early 20th century. Since the time of Columbus, Indian slavery was illegal in much of the American continent. Yet, as Andrés Reséndez illuminates in his myth-shattering The Other Slavery, it was practiced for centuries as an open secret. There was no abolitionist movement to protect the tens of thousands of natives who were kidnapped and enslaved by the conquistadors, then forced to descend into the "mouth of hell" of 18th-century silver mines or, later, made to serve as domestics for Mormon settlers and rich Anglos. Reséndez builds the incisive case that it was mass slavery, more than epidemics, that decimated Indian populations across North America. New evidence, including testimonies of courageous priests, rapacious merchants, Indian captives, and Anglo colonists, sheds light too on Indian enslavement of other Indians - as what started as a European business passed into the hands of indigenous operators and spread like wildfire across vast tracts of the American Southwest. The Other Slavery reveals nothing less than a key missing piece of American history. For over two centuries we have fought over, abolished, and tried to come to grips with African-American slavery. It is time for the West to confront an entirely separate, equally devastating enslavement we have long failed truly to see.
©2016 Andrés Reséndez (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
The Age of the Vikings
Summary
The Vikings maintain their grip on our imagination, but their image is too often distorted by medieval and modern myth. It is true that they pillaged, looted, and enslaved. But they also settled peacefully and developed a vast trading network. They traveled far from their homelands in swift and sturdy ships, not only to raid, but also to explore. Despite their fearsome reputation, the Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets, and even the infamous berserkers were far from invincible. By dismantling the myths, The Age of the Vikings allows the full story of this period in medieval history to be told. By exploring every major facet of this exciting age, Anders Winroth captures the innovation and pure daring of the Vikings without glossing over their destructive heritage. He not only explains the Viking attacks, but also looks at Viking endeavors in commerce, politics, discovery, and colonization, and reveals how Viking arts, literature, and religious thought evolved in ways unequaled in the rest of Europe. He shows how the Vikings seized on the boundless opportunities made possible by the invention of the longship, using it to venture to Europe for plunder, to open new trade routes, and to settle in lands as distant as Russia, Greenland, and the Byzantine Empire. Challenging the image of the Vikings that comes so easily to mind, Winroth argues that Viking chieftains were no more violent than men like Charlemagne, who committed atrocities on a far greater scale than the northern raiders. Drawing on a wealth of written, visual, and archaeological evidence, The Age of the Vikings sheds new light on the complex society and culture of these legendary seafarers.
©2014 Princeton University Press (P)2014 Audible Inc.
The Killing of Osama Bin Laden
Summary
Electrifying investigation of White House lies about the assassination of Osama bin Laden In 2011, an elite group of US Navy SEALS stormed an enclosure in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden, the man the United States had begun chasing before the devastating attacks of 9/11. The news did much to boost President Obama's first term and played a major part in his reelection victory of the following year. But much of the story of that night, as presented to the world, was incomplete or a lie. The evidence of what actually went on remains hidden. At the same time, the full story of the United States' involvement in the Syrian civil war has been kept behind a diplomatic curtain, concealed by doublespeak. It is a policy of obfuscation that has compelled the White House to turn a blind eye to Turkey's involvement in supporting ISIS and its predecessors in Syria. This investigation, which began as a series of essays in the London Review of Books, has ignited a firestorm of controversy in the world media. In his introduction, Hersh asks what will be the legacy of Obama's time in office. Was it an era of "change we can believe in" or a season of lies and compromises that continued George W. Bush's misconceived War on Terror? How did he lose the confidence of the general in charge of America's forces, who acted in direct contradiction to the White House? What else do we not know?
©2016 Seymour M. Hersh (P)2016 Random House Audio
Donovan
Summary
The fascinating biography of the man who laid the foundation for the CIA. One of the most celebrated and highly decorated heroes of World War I, a noted trial lawyer, presidential adviser and emissary, and chief of America’s Office of Strategic Services during World War II, William J. Donovan was a legendary figure. Donovan, originally published in 1982, penetrates the cloak of secrecy surrounding this remarkable man. During the dark days of World War II, "Wild Bill" Donovan, more than any other person, was responsible for what William Stevenson, author of A Man Called Intrepid, described as the astonishing success with which the United States entered secret warfare and accomplished in less than four years what it took England many centuries to develop. Drawing upon Donovan’s diaries, letters, and other papers; interviews with hundreds of the men and women who worked with him and spied for him; and declassified and unpublished documents, author Richard Dunlop, himself a former member of Donovan’s OSS, traces the incredible career of the man who almost single-handedly created America’s central intelligence service. The result is the definitive biography that Donovan himself had always expected Dunlop would write.
©1982, 2014 Richard Dunlop (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Upstairs at the White House
Summary
A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at life on Pennsylvania Avenue with America's first families, by the man who spent nearly three decades in their midst. J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - and coordinated its daily life - at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings, funerals, gardens, playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For 28 years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests - including friends, relatives, and heads of state. In Upstairs at the White House, West offers an absorbing and novel glimpse at America's first families, from the Roosevelts to the Kennedys and the Nixons. Alive with anecdotes ranging from the quotidian (Lyndon B. Johnson's showerheads) to the tragic (the aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination), West's audiobook is an enlightening and rich account of the American history that took place just behind the Palladian doors of the North Portico.
©1973 J. B. West (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
The Emperor's New Road
Summary
A prominent authority on China's Belt and Road Initiative reveals the global risks lurking within Beijing's project of the century. China's Belt and Road Initiative is the world's most ambitious and misunderstood geoeconomic vision. To carry out President Xi's flagship foreign-policy effort, China promises to spend more than one trillion dollars for new ports, railways, fiber-optic cables, power plants, and other connections. It touches more than 130 countries and has expanded into the Arctic, cyberspace, and even outer space. Beijing promises that it is promoting global development, but Washington warns that it is charting a path to global dominance. Taking listeners on a journey to China's projects in Asia, Europe, and Africa, Jonathan E. Hillman reveals how this grand vision is unfolding on the ground. As China pushes beyond its borders and deep into dangerous terrain, it is repeating the mistakes of the great powers that came before it, Hillman argues. If China succeeds, it will remake the world and place itself at the center of everything. But Xi may be overreaching: All roads do not yet lead to Beijing.
©2020 Jonathan E. Hillman (P)2020 Tantor
Nova Terra: Kingbreaker
Summary
Having defended Moon Wolf Citadel from the super guild, Ragnarok, and carved out a place for himself in Nova Terra, Thorn stands on top of the fantasy world. But Nova Terra is not as simple as it seemed. Thorn quickly discovers that the political leaders in the capital of Northern Angoril are turning jealous eyes on him. The young Titan is forced to take a step back, beset by complications on every side. With players flocking to Greymane Valley the pressure of ruling the Wolfkin grows, not helped by Ragnarok’s unrelenting attempts to destroy his fledgling guild. Balancing the threats to Greymane Valley, pressures from an aggressive super-guild, and his own need to rebuild relationships with his reformed team, Thorn must step up in a way he has never before, or risk everything he has built falling apart. Under the continent of Angoril an ancient race stirs. Courdum the Stone King has woken and desires to reforge his empire. The evil mage gathers his cursed brethren and the Stone Legion is on the march.
©2021 Seth Ring (P)2021 Podium Audio
Lord High Executioner
Summary
Umberto "Albert" Anastasia was born in Italy at the turn of the century. Five decades later, he would be gunned down in a barber shop in New York City. What happened in the years in between - and why every crime family had reason to want him dead - is one of the most brutal and fascinating stories in the history of American organized crime. This in-depth account of the man who became one of the most powerful and homicidal crime bosses of the 20th century from Mafia insider Frank Dimatteo is the first full-length book to chronicle Anastasia's bloody rise from immigrant to founder of the notorious killer's club Murder, Inc. They called him "The One Man Army." "Mad Hatter." "Lord High Executioner." But Albert Anastasia was a man who defied description. He was Albert the gentleman thief: a polished stick-up artist who would apologize to his victims - and kiss their ladies' hands - as he robbed them at gunpoint. He was Albert the killer: whose merciless assassination of Mafia godfather Vincent Mangano is recounted here in chilling firsthand detail. He was Albert the record breaker: the first man in the history of American justice to be charged with four separate murders - and walk free after each one. But in the end, he was last obstacle in rival Mafia hoodlum Vito Genovese's dream of becoming the boss of bosses - and paid the ultimate price.
©2020 Frank Dimatteo and Michael Benson (P)2020 Tantor
Sentenced to Troll 3
Summary
The ancient portals have been unlocked, restoring fast travel to Isle of Mythos. No longer the outsider, Chod enjoys his newfound acceptance as a hero and troll. New lands and adventures await with the promise of gold and glory. But every opportunity offers the chance of misfortune. Several portals still remain closed, hiding dire threats behind their veils of dark energy. Enemies have disappeared into parts unknown, and rumors of the return of the greatest villain Mythos has ever known grow louder by the day. Chod has one goal - unite the heroes of Mythos. Fail, and he loses everything.
©2020 Steven Rowland (P)2020 Steven Rowland
Sentenced to Troll 2
Summary
Big, blue, and ugly. Who says a troll can’t be the hero? Chad’s 30-day sentence may be over, but his trolling has just begun. Forsaking his old ways, he fully embraces a future as Chod, the hero of the forest trolls. But life in Isle of Mythos isn’t easy for the barbarian summoner. Chod has angered more than one felon on his quest to save his people from extinction, and they’ve sworn vengeance. With a target on his back, Chod is about to find out how difficult the world can be for a hero that looks like a monster.
©2019 Steven Rowland (P)2019 Steven Rowland
Collusion
Summary
Number one New York Times best-selling author Newt Gingrich returns with this rollicking tale of high-stakes international intrigue - the first audiobook in a contemporary series filled with adventure, betrayal, and politics that captures the tensions and divides of America and the world today. Valerie Mayberry comes from the kind of wealthy family that would be royalty in any other country. Obsessive and compulsive, she’s also the FBI’s counterintelligence expert on domestic terrorism. Brett Garrett is a dishonorably discharged ex-Navy SEAL coming off a secret opioid addiction. A brusque, fiercely independent operative who refuses to play by the rules, the seasoned pro is now a gun for hire working as a security contractor in Eastern Europe. When a high-ranking Kremlin official with knowledge of a plan to attack the US must be smuggled out under the nose of a kleptocratic Putin-like Russian president and a ruthless general, Mayberry and Garret are thrown together to exfiltrate him and preempt a deadly poisonous strike. As these unlikely partners work to protect their human asset, their mission is threatened by domestic politics: leftist protests, Congressional infighting, and a culture riven by hatred. Collusion raises many of the most significant issues facing America in real life today. Is Russia our ally or our enemy? Are American leftist activists susceptible to influence from aboard? How far will our enemies go to disrupt our politics and weaken the nation? Can we trust the media to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys? Newt Gingrich and Pete Earley have entertained and educated people with three previous novels of Washington scandal and foreign interference. From its explosive opening through several twists and turns to its heart-stopping end, Collusion is their most timely and powerful novel yet.
©2019 Newt Gingrich and Pete Earley (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers
Domesticated
Summary
Without our domesticated plants and animals, human civilization as we know it would not exist. We would still be living at subsistence level as hunter-gatherers if not for domestication. It is no accident that the cradle of civilization - the Middle East - is where sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, and cats commenced their fatefully intimate associations with humans. Before the agricultural revolution, there were perhaps 10 million humans on Earth. Now there are more than seven billion of us. Our domesticated species have also thrived, in stark contrast to their wild ancestors. In a human-constructed environment - or manmade world - it pays to be domesticated. Domestication is an evolutionary process first and foremost. What most distinguishes domesticated animals from their wild ancestors are genetic alterations resulting in tameness, the capacity to tolerate close human proximity. But selection for tameness often results in a host of seemingly unrelated by-products, including floppy ears, skeletal alterations, reduced aggression, increased sociality, and reduced brain size. It's a package deal known as the domestication syndrome. Elements of the domestication syndrome can be found in every domesticated species - not only cats, dogs, pigs, sheep, cattle, and horses but also more recent human creations, such as domesticated camels, reindeer, and laboratory rats. That domestication results in this suite of changes in such a wide variety of mammals is a fascinating evolutionary story, one that sheds much light on the evolutionary process in general. We humans, too, show signs of the domestication syndrome, which some believe was key to our evolutionary success. By this view human evolution parallels the evolution of dogs from wolves, in particular. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2015 Richard C. Francis (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
The Shadow Commander
Summary
Until his assassination by US drone strike in January 2020, commander Qassem Soleimani was one of the most powerful men in Iran and the military spearhead for Iranian foreign policy, enacting the wishes of the country's Supreme Leader in the region. A widely popular but also feared maverick operator, he helped to establish the Islamic Republic as a major force in the Middle East, with interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. This was a long way from where he began as a youth, living on the margins in a country ruled by a monarch supported by the United States. In this engaging account, historian Arash Azizi examines Soleimani's life, regional influence, and ambitions. The Shadow Commander breaks new ground through interviews with Iranians, Afghans, Iraqis, and Syrians who knew Soleimani for years, including his personal driver, the aides who accompanied him to his Moscow meeting with Vladimir Putin, and his brother. Ultimately, Azizi uses the story of this one important figure to make sense of the global ambitions of Iran, a country whose actions are much talked about but seldom understood.
©2020 Arash Azizi (P)2020 Tantor
Growth
Summary
Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations. Smil takes listeners from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to adulthood. He examines the growth of energy conversions and man-made objects that enable economic activities - developments that have been essential to civilization. Finally, he looks at growth in complex systems, beginning with the growth of human populations and proceeding to the growth of cities.
©2019 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (P)2020 Gildan Media
Dose of Chaos
Summary
A mysterious village. A huge secret. A powerful new resource. And chaos threatens it all. Hudson, Madison, and Kai are thrilled when they come across something that shouldn't even exist yet in the new world of PrimeVerse: a village! Finally, they will have time to slow down and take a break. Or not. They can't gain entry without first completing a challenging quest that the villagers couldn't. Nothing is ever easy, is it? Especially when their quest takes them into uncharted territory: a dungeon with a hard and fast death limit. Even if they survive the dungeon, how will they handle the competition between the Archons of PrimeVerse?
©2020 R. K. Billiau (P)2020 Tantor
PrimeVerse: Forced Login
Summary
No matter how many times you die, it still sucks. For Hudson, the virtual world of PrimeVerse isn't all bad. It's beautiful; much nicer than overpopulated Earth. It almost feels like a vacation except for the volatile wildlife, lack of any amenities, and - oh yeah - the inability to log out. Exploring the world, learning his class, and leveling skills is all fun and games until a powerful rogue player with a vendetta shows up to wipe out Hudson and his primitive tribe. Thrust into a conflict he didn't create, Hudson is forced into a cycle of respawning where he learns that even death can be used as a tool. So much for that vacation. It's not like he signed up for this. Or even went willingly. but when life hands you lemons...use them to kill the dog-size spiders that are trying to eat your face.
©2019 R. K. Billiau (P)2020 Tantor
Catholicism All-in-One for Dummies
Summary
Grasp the beliefs and practices about one of the world's oldest religions Catholicism All-in-One for Dummies is your all-inclusive guide to the Catholic Church and its billions of followers. You'll learn how Catholicism came to be, how it's practiced, and where it stands socially and politically as you explore the rich history and diverse culture surrounding this major religion. Clear, friendly writing takes you inside a mass to understand what happens there, and walks you through a tour of the saints, holidays, the Bible, and the Vatican. Special coverage includes the role of women in the Church and in the Bible, and the tremendous popularity of Pope Francis, who has quickly become one of the Vatican's most-loved leaders. You'll dive into the beliefs and practices of Catholicism and get answers to the most common, confusing, controversial, and worrisome questions. Catholicism is quickly expanding beyond its 1.2 billion followers, with growing numbers of priests and new baptisms every year. Attendance at papal events has tripled to 6.6 million since Pope Francis' election in 2013, and Catholicism has become the largest religious denomination on the planet by a wide margin. This audiobook explains what makes Catholicism so alluring, giving you insight into the religion and everything it entails.
©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (P)2019 Tantor
The Last Butterflies
Summary
Most of us have heard of such popular butterflies as the Monarch or Painted Lady. But what about the Fender's Blue? Or the St. Francis' Satyr? Because of their extreme rarity, these butterflies are not well-known, yet they are remarkable species with important lessons to teach us. The Last Butterflies spotlights the rarest of these creatures - some numbering no more than what can be held in one hand. Weaving a vivid and personal narrative with ideas from ecology and conservation, Haddad illustrates the race against time to reverse the decline of six butterfly species. Many scientists mistakenly assume we fully understand butterflies' natural histories. Yet, as with the Large Blue in England, we too often know too little and the conservation consequences are dire. Haddad argues that a hands-off approach is not effective and that in many instances, like for the Fender's Blue and Bay Checkerspot, active and aggressive management is necessary. With deliberate conservation, rare butterflies can coexist with people, inhabit urban fringes, and, in the case of the St. Francis' Satyr, even reside on bomb ranges and military land. Haddad shows how, through protection and restoration efforts, we might face conservation issues for all animals and plants.
©2019 Princeton University Press (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books