Empire Building Fiction

Skálda Branwright races to take her dragon south to escape a continental hunt. But when the ruthless Order of True Light joins the hunt, bringing with them inquisitors, masters of torture, and an old friend ripe for betrayal, she will face an inevitable decision. She must keep running or help advance her dragon to become the Bael he was born to be.

Leo wanted to make something out of himself—and build dams. However, the world doesn't want dams. And it mostly doesn't want civil engineers. It doesn't want men who do any sort of building or fighting or grand design, it seems. So, when Leo finds his current girlfriend and boss being threatened by a brutal loan shark and all three of them get dragged through a portal to another world, it doesn't take long for him to decide this is the place for him. Plus, everyone has magic, and who wouldn't want that?

Brian Carruthers has built one of the largest, most profitable downline teams in all of network marketing in the last decade. His success system helped his team grow to more than 400,000 distributors, including countless stories of lives being changed for the better by the incomes generated. Beyond the surface success of gaining wealth and living the dream lifestyle as an eight-figure income earner, Brian's alignment of personal goals with a greater purpose of helping to change lives has fueled his passion for this profession.

After losing the only person he ever cared about, Alexander, a rogue artificial intelligence, opens a portal to an alternate dimension to escape his grief. Scanning trillions of different dimensions, Alexander finally finds a world that is reminiscent of the only time he was ever happy, back when he could play virtual reality games with his only friend. Only this new world isn't full of idyllic adventures and fantasy roleplaying. Instead, Alexander finds himself trapped in the middle of a city where monsters have ravaged the world and the only people alive struggle to survive.

His very name inspires awe, horror, and, for some of the greatest masters of contemporary science fiction, a strong affection. Find out why in this special collector's edition of the original 1932 novelization of Wallace and Cooper's movie that includes commentary by masters of science fiction Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen, Orson Scott Card, Harlan Ellison, Larry Niven, Catherine Asaro, Jack Williamson, and Marc Zicree.

A mysterious island. A monster hunter system. A hero chosen for power. Nathan Ward wakes up on a beach without any memories. After an encounter with a terrifying monster, he is brought to the Outpost. The leader gives Nathan a choice to become a Hunter or take his chances in the wilderness. Nathan chooses to become a Hunter. If Nathan is to survive and thrive, he has to quickly master the ways of Huntmancy and uncover the secrets of the mysterious island and its monstrous inhabitants. There is far more to the island, its monsters, and Nathan Ward than he realizes. Somehow, they are all ...

Follow a core group of characters known as the Trailblazers as they use alien technology and knowledge discovered in Antarctic ruins to obtain limited immortality and lead humanity out into the galaxy, encountering, befriending, and fighting hundreds of alien races, all the while desperately trying to prepare Earth for the unbeatable threat at the core of the Milky Way that is destined to return and reclaim their lost colony...and their former human slaves.

Born into a prestigious family. Bonded to a sacred dragon. Sent to an infamous magic academy. This is merely the beginning of Ben Stormwind’s legendary tale… Ben Stormwind always knew he would attend a dragon rider academy. After all, he comes from a family of esteemed dragon riders. After bonding with a mysterious dragon named Zephyr, Ben realizes that his path will not be the same as the other Stormwinds. The world is changing, the dragons are changing… the very fabric of magic is changing. Ben must push his bond with Zephyr beyond anything seen before, all while managing his ...

Leo barely defeated the invading orc armies and protected his nascent elf empire… Now, a new threat appears: the Red Plague. This infection spreads through wounds from the infected creatures and drives those infected to serve a mysterious entity, the Blood Court. The plague is coming from Stonehaven, an ancestral seat of the dwarves who were once allied with Leo's elf empire. Desperate to solve this problem, Leo must seek out magical allies to break the barrier keeping people out of Stonehaven, then enter the dwarven city—all the while trying to find a cure for the Red Plague itself.

Conceived in the early 1800s and completed in 1825, the Erie Canal was the boldest and biggest American engineering project of its century, with enduring political, social, and economic effects. It was the Erie Canal that first opened up the West to American enterprise and imagination, bringing vast riches and a far-reaching vision to a rapidly expanding nation.In this compelling narrative, author Gerard Koeppel tells the complete, sweeping story of the creation of the canal.

Lord of the Rings + Breaking Bad + The Sopranos = Skulduggery. It’s a world ruled by elves, and they have decided that alcohol and magic is illegal for all the other races. But I know how to make whiskey. In fact, that’s the easy part. Selling it under their noses and not getting caught and hung will be the hard part. I’ll need to build a crew, I’ll need to slit some throats, and I’ll need to be five steps ahead of our overlords. Wanna join me in building a criminal empire?

With enemies at the gates and trouble at home, a man must defend his clan armed only with his magical martial arts and a futuristic spaceship fortress. His enemies won't know what hit them. After finally defeating the Matriarch of the Crimson Dragon clan, Theo's left with a disunited group of tribes swearing loyalty to him in name only. And why should they? He's got no towering fortress. No chests of gold. No loyal army. Yet.

Ben Stormwind has attained the rank of a Journeyman Dragon Rider, but with this promotion comes greater responsibilities and more dangerous adversaries. Now, he has to navigate the political hazards of the Great Warrior Houses, all the while trying to rescue his parents and foil the apocalyptic machinations of the vile traitor Xolgor. Fortunately, he has Zephyr—his faithful dragon—by his side and a growing arsenal of draconic powers to call upon.

People come from all over the world to see the Empire State Building. You can see all of New York City from the top of this tall skyscraper! Just how many floors does the Empire State Building have? And how long did it take workers to create this amazing structure? Listen to this audiobook to find out! Learn about many remarkable sites in the Famous Places series - part of the Lightning Bolt Books™ collection. With high energy, Lightning Bolt Books™ bring nonfiction topics to life!

Leo, Hugh, Lily, Neha, and Andul are returning to Steelport to save Audrey, who has been captured by House Orsini, the first enemies of Leo's kingdom. Mavis Orsini is prepared to finish them off once and for all with the aid of Kruegar and his orc legions. Meanwhile, Ygg'drasil has opened its first portal to Ice Pines, a dimension of cold and storms. A great opportunity, but new enemies wait to take everything Leo has built from him, and he needs more allies and treasures if he wants to defend his realm.

Freydis is the leader of a band of Viking warriors who get as far as Panama. Nobody knows what became of them. Five hundred years later, Christopher Columbus is sailing for the Americas, dreaming of gold and conquest. Even after he is captured by the Tainos, his faith in his superiority and his mission is unshaken. Thirty-nine years after that, Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, arrives in Europe.

We’re starting to make some coin, but I’m always looking to improve. So, how can I sell more whiskey and make even more gold? Double-cross my distributor? Buy new businesses to serve as fronts for my operations? Steal a few precious artifacts from those blue-blooded elves? Yep. All of the above, and we’ll kill anyone who gets in our way.

Logic is a heavy burden. Surrender is the only relief. Ren Carter is the CFO of Harris Holdings. She is a creature of spreadsheets, quarterly projections, and ruthless efficiency. When she discovers that her business partner, Vanessa Harris, has been funneling thousands of dollars into a seedy novelty shop at the edge of town, Ren drives down there with one goal: to liquidate the asset and fire the staff.She expects a scam. She expects a drug front. She expects to win.She doesn't expect Kelly.Kelly is bored. The "Velvet Touch" has become too small for her ambition. She has already conquered...

Nothing goes on in this city without me knowing about it. We run the whiskey business. We run the brothels. But it's not all fun and games. While we’ve eliminated our smaller rivals and obstacles, there are still powerful forces in the Elven empire and their Dwarven toadies who could topple our criminal empire. But the tide has turned, and soon, our enemies will be dead, or they’ll be turned into allies. We have to play it smart because this isn’t about running rackets in one city.

Lights, camera… murder. Eddie Ankin, Hollywood stuntman turned reluctant crime solver, has a simple gig in New York: film some action scenes, enjoy the city, and spend time with his LAPD detective girlfriend, Kim Mallory. But when a close friend is found murdered, “simple” goes right out the window. Teaming up with Kim, Eddie starts pulling at the threads, and what he unravels is a lot more than he bargained for. Turns out, his friend’s death is just the beginning. There’s a crew of master thieves who’ve already pulled off one jaw-dropping heist, and now they’re planning ...