Books with author Beth Thompson

The old world of technology has fallen and a new world, filled with magic, has risen from the ashes. Humanity, decimated by massive dragon attacks, is now on the brink of extinction. Those who have survived have been Changed, altered by the gods to enable them to exist in a world thick with magical energy. But a handful have become more and the greatest of these is Simon O'Toole.Simon, once a heavy-set, middle-aged IT worker had been Changed into a slight young man brimming with power: a wizard. Trying to master his new magical skills and fighting to survive against the dragons that are hunting down the few remaining Changlings, the young wizard now faces the greatest threat of his new life. Brown dragons, led by an arrogant and incredibly powerful primal dragon, have invaded the land of the elves, one of humanity's only allies. On the New Earth, the red dragons are aggressively searching for the last of the Changlings. And now Simon has to choose: protect his own people from the ravages of the dragons on this world, or travel to the elven realm to try to save his allies. He is only one man, faced with a terrible choice, and if he makes the wrong decision, it could mean the extinction of the human race and the rise of the gods of Chaos.

The home world of the elves is known as Trillfarness. It was created millennia ago for the elvish race by the lords of Light as a safe haven when they were threatened by the ancient gods of Chaos. Hidden away from the mortal realms, the elves were safe from evil. They lived in harmony with nature, far from the conflicts that plagued the Earth. But now something has changed. Trillfarness has come closer to the plane of Earth than it has ever been and some elves fear that the old evil gods have found them once again. Darkness is stirring in remote corners of their planet and the peaceful elves are threatened. But their race hasn't known war for ages uncounted. Can they stand against the old gods who seek to wipe out their kind? Or will they fall and be lost in the dust of history?

History comes alive for kids like no textbook can in this epic account of the time of the Vikings that's perfect for history buffs and reluctant readers! Contains awesome illustrations! From battle-axe-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview that will amaze kids with tales of a people so incredible...it's hard to believe they were real. History buff and popular blogger Ben Thompson's lively storytelling style brings the Vikings back to life in this second book in the exhilarating Guts & Glory series!

Over 3 years ago, the old Earth began to die. Technology started to break down. Electricity failed. Machines stopped working. Planes, trains and cars became useless hunks of metal. And then the dragons came.On the Night of Burning, the world's great cities were reduced to slag and rubble by dragon fire. Civilization, as we knew it. ceased to be.But before the end came, the Changlings appeared. A few humans, children and adults alike, began to mutate into...something else. Ears became pointed, fingers fused or elongated. Their old languages were lost to them and they began to babble in unknown tongues. Perhaps one in a hundred thousand Changed. Simon O'Toole was one of them.Back then, he was a rather large, middle-aged man. Now he's a skinny, awkward teenager.Simon has lost everything; his family, his friends, the world that he once knew. But he has gained something as well. Through hints in dreams, he has learned to use magical runes that can summon elementals. He can cast fireballs and lightning. In short, Simon has become a wizard.Slowly, carefully, he is learning to use this new power. It might take years to master his magic. Years that Simon may not have.The dragons are still on the hunt. They search for the scattered survivors of their invasion and, when these mundane humans have been exterminated, the dragons will then track down and kill those few who became Changlings. And that means that Simon is rapidly running out of time.

2019 INDEPENDENT BOOK AWARD WINNER FOR POLITICAL THRILLER & RELIGION-FICTION!For over two thousand years there have been whispered rumors of a vast treasure hidden somewhere in Israel. Using the prophecies of Isaiah as their basis, many believe there is a cavern where a thousand golden objects – the sacred relics of the Second Temple – lay strewn about in disarray where they were hurriedly tossed the night the Romans burned Jerusalem.Television personality and antiquities dealer Brian Sadler and his wife arrive in Jerusalem and find danger and uncertainty everywhere they go. In a controversial move, the U.S. president has moved the American embassy to West Jerusalem, inciting riots and anger from the Palestinians.Brian’s colleague, a Syrian who owns a shop in the Old City, offers to show him a cache of wondrous objects, but everything isn’t as it appears. Brian questions if the treasure exists and in a dank underground room, he learns that danger and deceit must be overcome before he can learn the answer. He faces both a ruthless terrorist and someone he once trusted, both of whom want the same things he does. If the words of the Bible are correct and if Isaiah’s prophecy is about to be fulfilled, who will find the hidden treasure of Jerusalem’s Second Temple? An imminent war and a kidnapping put Brian’s mission in peril. It’s a race to find the relics before ISIS does, and the sacred icons are lost forever.

Less than four years ago, Simon O'Toole was a middle-aged I.T. specialist. Now, after the fall of technology and the rise of magic, he has been Changed. He has become a young wizard, struggling to use his new-found powers and trying to survive in a world rich in magical energy and filled with reborn, legendary evil. The world itself has changed. Humans, the few that are left, are being hunted down and destroyed by dragons, the agents of darkness. Only when the last of humanity is destroyed can the ancient ones, the gods of Chaos, return and reclaim the New Earth.Simon, with the help of a handful of allies, managed to destroy a great evil and has now attracted the attention of the Chaotic gods themselves. Only by becoming a powerful wizard and making more allegiances can Simon hope to save the last few remnants of the human race. Time is short and the darkness is growing ever stronger.

Everything’s been quiet in the bayou town of Jeanerette, Louisiana for years. The last big news was when those rich people burned to death at their plantation in 2003. Most people have forgotten the details, but no one can forget Amelia House, the beautiful old home on Bayou Teche where the Morisset family lived.Craig Morisset grew up in Jeanerette and started a company when he was in college. He sold it for almost a billion dollars and became the town’s most talked-about product. When his parents died in the fire, he never returned and didn’t even afford them a funeral. Instead, he ordered Amelia House shuttered. Since then, only the occasional caretaker goes inside, and they make sure to be out before nightfall.For years people have whispered about the awful things Craig’s parents did in the name of science, and some brave teenagers who went up to the house after dark reported ghostly wails coming from somewhere on the upper floors. Famous ghost hunter Landry Drake comes home to Jeanerette to interview Craig, who is in town for a class reunion. Craig regrets coming back and when a hurricane heads their way, he makes a fatal mistake. Since they have no place to stay, he invites three classmates and Landry to spend a night inside Amelia House. The mansion may have been closed up for years, but Craig’s mother and father have patiently waited to resume their life’s work. The operating room’s all prepared; all they need is a patient. When Craig and his friends arrive, they can at last resume the experiments.

Fourteen year old Justin McLeod has learned that he is a new Titan, born five thousand years after that mythic race disappeared. Forced to flee from his home by unknown adversaries, he escapes to Sanctuary, a huge, hidden base where other teens like himself have taken refuge. There he begins to learn about his race's past, why he and the other young Titans have appeared at this moment in history, and about his powers and how to use them.But other Titans have also come into the world; older, more powerful and bent on world domination. They see Justin and the new Titans as a threat to their plans. They attack Sanctuary but, thanks in part to Justin's powers, are driven back.Soon after the failed attack, Justin learns that a family friend is being held captive by government forces. So he and his new friend, Aaron, decide to leave Sanctuary on their own to try to save him. However, they are tricked by their enemies and trapped along with six other young Titans.Following a daring escape, the eight teens find themselves stranded on the lowest level of Sanctuary, faced with a daunting task; to travel through the countless levels of this huge complex in the hope that they can reach the top level and safety. Unless, of course, Sanctuary has already fallen.

"Remember the Titans." Three enigmatic words received in an anonymous email that will change fourteen year old Justin McLeod's life forever.Smaller and slighter than the other teens in grade nine, Justin is the perfect target for bullies. But their taunts and abuse don't bother him, because he has a secret. After an accident at the age of twelve left him unharmed, Justin realized that he had become almost totally immune to physical pain and damage.Now he wants to stand up for himself, prove that he isn't afraid. But his mother won't hear of it. She fears that if his unique gift is discovered, the government would take him away from her and use him for their own purposes. He thinks that she's just being paranoid.And then Justin receives that mysterious email. 'Remember the Titans'? What does it mean? He's intrigued enough to research these Titans online. Once that resource is exhausted, he heads for the local library. And there things take a turn for the worse.Justin is confronted by a menacing group of brown-suited men who follow him home. Terrified, he finds himself trapped in his apartment with his mother and the custodian, Mr. Wilson. And when the strangers begin battering down the front door, Wilson offers Justin his one chance to escape to safety...using his own bathtub.

o The Pope hears the confession of a senior official of the Vatican Bank. What he learns could shake the foundations of the Christian faith. o A suicide bomber destroys a Fifth Avenue antiquities gallery. A dozen people die and an eighteenth-century manuscript is whisked away. Who went to such lengths to obtain an old Knights Templars diary, and why? o A Mafia godfather with a deadly agenda escapes from a Guatemalan prison and plots revenge on those who put him there. o A Cardinal decodes pages of ancient symbols to learn the secret of Oak Island and its enigmatic Money Pit. In 1795 three teenage boys dug in an old pit on Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. They wanted to find out whose engineering expertise created a shaft nearly two hundred feet deep and if it contained treasure as the local people believed. The boys eventually gave up but syndicate after syndicate was formed over the next two hundred years to find the answer to its secrets. Millions of dollars were spent and several lives were lost in the treasure hunt. None of the searchers found riches. A mysterious rock inscribed with a symbolic clue turned up. It said, “Forty feet below two million pounds are buried.” But as excavations in the pit went deeper and deeper those backing the project faced bitter frustration. A set of elaborate traps caused the Money Pit to flood each time someone neared the prize at the bottom. Brian Sadler and a devious Cardinal of the church are pitted against each other in a race to learn secrets protected by the Knights Templars for a thousand years. A former kingpin of the New York mob, dethroned and disgraced, plans a systematic elimination of his enemies. Sadler and his girlfriend Nicole Farber become targets of the ruthless killer as this story careens to its incredible conclusion. Does the Money Pit contain relics that could shake the very foundations of Christianity? The Pope himself becomes involved as Brian Sadler discovers the startling answer to the secret of Oak Island.

Chris Wright ran away to live on the streets when his parents were killed only a few days apart. He had no family and didn't want to be left in the care of strangers. Three years later and now almost fourteen, Chris has discovered that he has the power to heal...and the power to harm.A gang of thugs who call themselves 'Talon' want to use Chris and his powers, but he refuses to be used, by anyone. Unfortunately, the gang won't take no for an answer and has tried to force him to join them. He escaped, barely, but now he realizes that he has to either run and hide or leave town to get away from them. And that's when he meets a man named Judge Hawkes who offers him protection...for a price.In return for a safe haven, the judge wants Chris to use his powers to fight the forces of evil. Chris is skeptical to say the least. But according to Judge Hawkes, the end of days is coming and Chris, and those like him, may be humanity's only hope of survival.So now Chris had to make a choice. Run from Talon and spend his life looking over his shoulder, waiting for them to strike, or join the judge and his crazy plan to stop the Apocalypse. Time is short and he has to choose now.

Thirteen year old Christopher Wright was a kid from the streets. When word got out that he could heal with a touch, a gang known as Talon tried to recruit him. When Chris turned them down, the gang attempted to take him by force. On the run, Chris met Judge Hawkes, the head of a mysterious group known as the Angelic Dominion. The judge informed the skeptical teen that he was one of a group of young people who had been born with the souls of angels. They had been sent to Earth to stop the forces of Hell from bringing about the Apocalypse.To escape Talon, Chris reluctantly accompanied the judge back to his home to learn that he had, in fact, been telling the truth. He met others like himself and discovered that he wasn't simply the bearer of an angel's soul. His was the soul of one of the very first archangels: Sariel, brother of Michael and Lucifer.Doomed to dwell in Purgatory and guard the Gates of Heaven, Sariel is determined to stop his Fallen brother's forces here on Earth before they can destroy humanity and march on Heaven itself.