Western Exploration

In 1980, I was thirty years old, and my son, ten, when we traveled to Guinea, then a closed country in West Africa. My fiancé was a geologist working in a diamond exploration camp in Baoule Valley, near Kérouané. During my time there I kept a diary. Once back in the United States, I wrapped the diary in a silk scarf and tucked it away. I had had planned to return to Guinea and the diamond camp, but life took me in a different direction. I didn't open and read the diary until autumn of 2023, forty-four years later.

Dive into an exhilarating journey of man and his loyal dog in the wild west! Experience the thrill of exploring the uncharted territories of the United States with “Spirit of the West”, a Western Adventure book set in Mustang Valley, far beyond the frontier settlements of the "far west," during the era of early American pioneers. Synopsis Our epic tale revolves around Rover, a Newfoundland dog, and his young master, John Smith residing in Mustang Valley, a fertile region under threat from settlers and territorial Native American tribes. Filled with behemoth achievement and heart-rending...

Rayas offers a singular prize - the Dream. Last-settled of the Diaspora colonies, Rayas was privately funded by California refugees in Mexico. They couldn’t bankroll the immense settler ships that bore a quarter million souls apiece. And the terraformers were long gone. Instead they sent teens, trained en route using an AI, the Dream. This virtual reality teaches every science and technology, quickly. Students also relive Earth history first-hand as a video game. In Renaissance Florence, beat the Black Death and study under Michelangelo. Sail the Caribbean smuggling drugs, or master the ...

Thrive’s home system tour concludes on freaky Luna, where the hidden agendas of three worlds collide. Will their expedition end in triumph, or a rout? Sass and Ben team up to tackle Luna, final world of their Earth junket. Disgraced, Sass seeks redemption. Cautious Ben haggles for life-altering technology in exchange for saving Mars. Luna is the elder space colony, crowded and weird. Wage slaves scurry to pay air taxes, bombarded by augmented reality ads. Corporations rule, led by frail eunuchs old as Sass, cruel and cunning. Ben finds the jaded Loonies hard to relate to. Yet the team is ...

By the mid-15th century, the Byzantine Empire had collapsed and the various Crusades that had taken place in the region had largely disrupted the overland routes of the Silk Road and trade. Compounding the difficulties of trade was the rise of the Ottoman Empire in place of the Byzantines and the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe. This audiobook chronicles the early efforts by the Portuguese that helped initiate the Age of Exploration, and the ramifications the colonization had across the world.

Thrive’s next generation is put to the test. Dark-humored Frazzie, and stolid engineer Tiktok, win rank and cadet berths on Sass Collier’s exciting mission to investigate the dead colony world of Aden. Eerie ruins nestle among Aden’s dark rugged canyons, and a quarter million settlers are gone. What destroyed Aden colony? Meanwhile Frazzie’s father, admiral Ben Acosta, migrates Rayas Colony. Cadets can transport the people. But the Rayans also need their precious space station transferred. That engineering feat requires Ben. Do they have the League’s blessing? No. Do they care? ...

Discover high-tech prizes, and horrors, in the series finale! Tripping through terrifying futures, Ben Acosta strives to regain his home universe and timeline. But is he truly the one piloting his lost starship? Or does someone else have an agenda? Meanwhile on the home timeline, the Colony Corps limps along bereft of its star players. Led by Ben’s struggling son Nico and daughter Frazzie, the B team reopens the last known colony world of Gandhi. With breeding habits like rabbits, Gandhi proves the most populous colony yet. Their tech solution to the terraforming problem can revolutionize...

A giant invasion ship abuilding. An envoy from Earth. And a relic from Earth’s AI Wars… Buffeted by advice, Ben refuses to fire on Moby Prick, as they dub the new colony ship. He won’t surrender his home world Mahina, either. There must be another way! Ben has time. Surely the Prick can’t reach Mahina for a decade? Two things are clear. They need more ships, and trained crew to fly them. Sass founds the new Colony Corps Academy, assisted by Ben’s space-resistant daughter Frazzie. Can Sass lure her namesake to the stars? As for the invasion, Ben has one slim hope. That between the ...

Atomic Divide A Sci-Fi Adventure Set in Post-Apocalyptic North America during the Year 2230Atomic Divide is a gripping post-apocalyptic science fiction novel set in the desolate landscapes of North America during the year 2230. In this thrilling narrative, Captain Emmett Logan of the International Patrol unexpectedly breaches the impenetrable Atomic Curtain, a radioactive barrier that has isolated the Western Hemisphere for nearly 270 years. Logan's journey takes him through the abandoned cities and radioactive wastelands of a once-thriving civilization now lost to time. As he navigates ...

Are the boat nations Earth’s last hope? Stranded without her starship, Captain Sass Collier takes refuge in Earth’s criminal underworld. Her sole sponsor, Northern League agent Melkor, shelters them with family among the vibrant floating cities and cruise ship hulks of drowned Florida. But lively hurricanes at sea postpone pursuit only briefly. Because League ruler Voronin desires Sass’s pint-sized but powerful digital sentient, her robotic pet mink. The Russian controls his own weapon AI, a relic of dire wars. And he offers rich bounties to tempt Melkor’s gangster relations. Yet ...

A spiritual and philosophical book set across various geographical locations during humanity's evolution. Embark on a transformative journey with "The Living Mysteries," where the essence of spiritual awakening intertwines with the rich tapestry of humanity's beliefs. This profound exploration invites readers to delve deep into the heart of initiation, revealing that true spiritual insight is not a commodity, but a personal, lived experience. Set against a backdrop of diverse cultures and spiritual practices, this book challenges the norms of conventional initiation and invites you to ...

The history of the Caribbean is an exciting ride, but few outside of the region know much about it in depth beyond Columbus’s discovery. This audiobook will lead you through the history of the region, which witnessed some of the world’s most important events. We will begin with Christopher Columbus’s accidental discovery and the race for control over the islands of the Caribbean.

In this last book in the trilogy about Gabrielle Allan, the listener finds Gay and her great-aunt, Belle, about to start a new life in a setting far different from their much-loved Drovers Road. The sheep station of Cape Lost is now Gay’s responsibility, and regardless of her three years’ study at the Massey Agricultural College, both the isolation and tasks ahead seem alarming. Despite its remote and nearly inaccessible location, a surprising cast of new and old characters converge on the station’s windswept, sea-edged expanse.

A historical adventure book set in the American wilderness during the early 19th century. This gripping narrative captures the triumphs and tribulations of early American explorers. "Frontier Footsteps" unfolds the awe-inspiring journeys of Lieutenant Pike and Governor Cass as they traverse the unexplored American wilderness in the early 1800s. From the icy treachery of the Mississippi River to the dense, enigmatic forests of the Chippewa territory, this book vividly recounts the relentless pursuit of knowledge and discovery. Join these intrepid explorers as they map uncharted territories, ...

Unsettled tells the story of two hundred Highlanders who flee the Scottish Clearances in 1813 to establish a settlement on the Red River in what eventually became Winnipeg. They are sponsored by the Earl of Selkirk, a man who has never been west of Montreal. Families who have never left their Highland crofts take an epic journey over ocean, up wild rivers, and through boundless wilderness, surviving disease and brutal winter only to face the determined opposition of fur barons who want no sodbusters threatening their trade and are prepared to stop at nothing to destroy their dream.

Cambridge professor and renowned historian Anthony Pagden covers a vast subject in a compact package with Peoples and Empires. This wide-ranging and intellectually stimulating work examines the origins and history of the West with terse, efficient prose. With a captivating narration by Robert O'Keefe, listeners will find this work enjoyable and utterly absorbing.

Sadie is a restless teenager with a thirst for adventure. When her father mysteriously vanishes, she discovers his assistant, Gus, and her father's time machine and sets off on a journey through other time dimensions in search of him. With each jump through time, Sadie finds herself immersed in iconic moments and encounters legendary figures, from ancient civilizations to the medieval era to the American Wild West. But her mission to find her father is not without its challenges, and Sadie must use her wit, bravery, and determination to overcome the obstacles she encounters. Join Sadie as ...

In the early 16th century, Spanish adventurers swarmed over the islands of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Portuguese explorers and merchants pushed into the Indian Ocean and beyond to the Spice Islands of the South Pacific. The names of the leaders of these overseas conquests are well known: Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando de Soto, Afonso de Albuquerque, and Ferdinand Magellan. This audiobook explores the details of their incredible lives in service of their monarchs and personal wealth.

The Family Legacy: Ancestral Echoes of Greatness is a powerful, soul-stirring journey that traces the generational roots of Dr. Marshall J. Cowell, born in Phenix City, Alabama, through centuries of African heritage, slavery, survival, and excellence. The book integrates genealogy, DNA science, West African culture, and historical research into a compelling family narrative that bridges continents and time periods.

Mankind’s wanderlust will eventually carry our species to the stars. Earth’s pioneers have always risen to the challenge of exploring our planet’s remote rain forests, highest mountain peaks, deepest ocean abysses, and deadly frozen polar caps. Answering the wanderlust deep within us is exactly what motivated the colonists of Byanntia to brave the dangers of space travel. Their reward is the opportunity to test their mettle against an alien planet - to explore an unknown environment and attempt to survive on their own terms.