Glimmer of The Other by Heather G Harris

SPFBO8

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx. As a private investigator, being a walking, talking lie detector is a useful skill – but let’s face it, it’s not normal. You’d think it would make my job way too easy, but even with my weird skills, I still haven’t been able to track down my parent’s killers. When I’m hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar – yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish soul who’s as likely to go off the rails as Mother Theresa. Secondly, I’m not the only one on her trail; she’s also being tracked by the implacable and oh-so-sexy Inspector Stone. Stone and I team up, and he shoves me into a realm where magic is real – a place where there are vampyrs and werewolves, dragons and trolls. And where my skills are more than just detecting lies… Oh, and my dog? He’s a freaking hellhound who can manipulate the magical realms themselves. I need to find the girl. I need to discover who killed my parents. And I need to find out more about the attractive but mysterious Zachary Stone…

Help! My Dog Is The Chosen One! by Ronit J

Kunal is forced to adventure… Because his dog is the Chosen One! Kunal is just your average guy living on rent in Mumbai, working from home, and suffering from anxiety. His world is turned upside down when his girlfriend asks him to foster a rescued street dog. Despite his qualms, Kunal agrees because ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ That’s when the extra-dimensional dark lord attacks. The dog is the only one who can stop the dark lord, but he can’t do it without Kunal’s help. Can Kunal overcome his many anxieties or will our world suffer for eternity?

Jiao Tu’s Endeavour, Episode 1: The Kidnapped Mousling by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt

On a multigenerational colony ship five hundred years off course, a lagomorph warrior must survive using only his wits and his sword. Jiao Tu has been hired to rescue a young kidnapped mousling. A tip leads him to the Below, home to the engines that keep the world in motion. His mission has hardly begun when an encounter with a monstrous being plunges him into the midst of a struggle not only for control of the Below but for the world itself. Teamed with an untested ratling warrior and the ratling leader of a gang of thugs, Jiao Tu must stop the monster and save the mousling—and the world—before it is too late. Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Leigh Brackett’s planetary romances, Gene Wolfe’s Book of the Long Sun, Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane stories, Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D, Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo, and the wuxia tradition starting with Water Margins and Journey to the West, Uitvlugt has created a world all his own that promises a far-future adventure unlike any other.

Sixteen to One by Rhys Hylton

SIXTEEN PILOTS ONE ARENA NO SECOND CHANCES Weylin Bryna wasn’t supposed to be here. A street kid from nowhere with a beat-up mech and a broken home. He was only called up when a last-minute scandal left a desperate team scrambling. But now he’s inside the most brutal competition in the world: the Basilton Bash, a three-stage elimination tournament where glory is earned one round at a time, and survival means pushing others out before you’re thrown out yourself. Sixteen to One is a high-octane, emotionally charged sci-fi sport drama. A story of underdogs, fierce rivalries, found family, and the fight to hold onto your humanity in a machine built for war. In the Bash, friendships are forged in silence, enemies wear smiles, and every round brings you closer to the edge. In the Bash, pilots go head-to-head in high-impact, close-quarters mech combat, not to destroy, but to outmanoeuvre, overpower, and force their rivals out of bounds. Sixteen pilots enter each stage, and after every five rounds, the lowest scorers are eliminated. It’s a game of aggression, agility, and strategy, with reputations, careers, and entire futures on the line. Victory isn't about being the strongest, it's about staying in the fight longer than anyone else.

Obsidian: Awakening by Sienna Frost

An epic tale of humanity that survives its ugliest and most admirable moments, one that will change your perception on love, life, and what it means to be human forever. When Hasheem, a legendary male-escort-turned-assassin finally escapes the city that enslaved him as a child, he finds himself trapped in the centuries-long war between his nomadic race of desert warriors and an empire that seeks to rule them. There, a new set of shackles awaits him in the form of a fifteen-year-old girl and her oracle brother whose agenda plunges him into the blood sport of power and politics. As warfare exacts its price and the line between good and evil gets put to the test, the men and women from both sides are forced to fight a common enemy that remains the greatest threat to mankind: humanity and all its flaws.

A Dirge for Cascius by Calum Lott

SPSFC 2024

Chaos seeps into the Valsollas Galaxy. Cascius Carcyde is on the brink of letting his addiction to reliving his sorrows claim his mind. When the Sages demand he take a new partner, Cascius must forfeit his old ways in order to solve the twisted Red Hand murders. To unravel an interstellar mystery and stop the Red Hand, Cascius must pull himself from the very depths of despair and learn to change before the entire Velutra falls into oblivion. Stare too long into the abyss, and the abyss peers back. True Detective meets Hyperion in this epic space opera debut, perfect for fans of James S.A. Corey and Christopher Ruocchio.

How To Sell Your Blood and Fall In Love by D.N. Bryn

Kraken Collective

No romantic story has ever lived up to Dr. Clementine Hughe’s reality but at least he has his steamy two-million-word fanfic and a prestigious research position at Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceuticals, where their benefits are superb and their experimentation on vampires highly unethical. When a mysterious accident turns Clementine into a vampire, discovery would demote him to lab rat and his growing thirst for his coworker’s veins forces him to the streets to hunt. Justin Yu is usually the one attacking villains in alleys, not the other way around. After the tragedy he brought upon his local vampiric community in his youth, he’s struggled tirelessly to keep their vampires safe. So when a panicking Clementine botches a bite attempt, Justin takes pity—and advantage—and offers the vampire a trade: his blood in exchange for an exorbitant fee. In desperation, Clementine accepts. Justin’s blood is bland and unappealing, but the more Clementine learns to appreciate the man’s sharp humor and persistent compassion, the more he acquires a taste for Justin. Justin is determined not to let Clementine’s good looks and thoughtful intellect distract him as hunters from Vitalis-Barron close in on Justin’s neighborhood, and it turns out someone there knows Clementine’s vampiric secret…

Privilege: A Trilogy by Bharat Krishnan

SPFBO7 WriteHive Book Club

In this epic saga about privilege and power, Rakshan Baliga will have to choose between the American Dream… and his own. New York’s drug problem is Rakshan's solution. Getting his hands on a super drug called WP could earn him glory, power, and a chance to win back his ex. But stealing it from the Top 1% is costly, and if Rakshan isn’t careful he’ll pay with his life. Discover how Rakshan’s journey sets off a chain of events that changes his city, his country… and the world. This OwnVoices political thriller is perfect for fans of Ocean’s 11 and House of Cards.

The Price of Power by Michael Michel

SPFBO9

Prince Barodane could not hold back the darkness. Not even in himself. He laid an innocent city in its grave and then died a hero. In his absence, war whispers across the land. Power-hungry highborn dispatch spies and assassins to the shadows as they maneuver for the throne, while an even greater threat rises in the South. Monsters and cultists flock to the banners of a mad prophet determined to control reality…and then shatter it. Destiny stalks three to the brink of oblivion. A dead prince that isn’t actually dead. Barodane buried his shameful past in a stupor of drugs, drink, and crime, and now, he’d rather watch the world fall apart than wear a crown again. An orphan with hero’s blood who is forced to make a harrowing choice: betray her country or sacrifice her first love. And a powerful seer who has no choice at all–her grandson must die. If any of them fails to pay the price… The cost will be the world’s complete annihilation. "For fans of Joe Abercrombie's First Law and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire." - Grimdark Magazine.

Sigils of Spring (Inheritance, 7) by AK Faulkner

SFFOasis

We all fall down. When Quentin is accosted by YouTube ghost-hunters with a crackpot theory about his mother, he writes it off as nonsense — until they kidnap him right off the street in broad daylight. Not even his psychokinesis can save him, but Laurence will. He must. Except Laurence can't find Quentin. His powers have never failed him like this before. There's only one hope left: a stranger called Angela is willing to teach him more magic than he currently knows. Normally he'd write her off as bad news, but Quentin is running out of time, and Laurence is all out of options. He has less than 48 hours to save Quentin's life, and no price is too high. The clock is ticking.

The Wife in the Attic by Rose Lerner

Goldengrove’s towers and twisted chimneys rose at the very edge of the peaceful Weald, a stone’s throw from the poisonous marshes and merciless waters of Rye Bay. Young Tabby Palethorp had been running wild there, ever since her mother grew too ill to leave her room. I was the perfect choice to give Tabby a good English education: thoroughly respectable and far too plain to tempt her lonely father, Sir Kit, to indiscretion. I knew better than to trust my new employer with the truth about my past. But knowing better couldn’t stop me from yearning for impossible things: to be Tabby’s mother, Sir Kit’s companion, Goldengrove’s new mistress. All that belonged to poor Lady Palethorp. Most of all, I burned to finally catch a glimpse of her. Surely she could tell me who had viciously defaced the exquisite guitar in the music room, why all the doors in the house were locked after dark, and whose footsteps I heard in the night…

Beyond the Aching Door by Victoria Mier

A mortal journalist. A mysterious series of drownings. An exiled Fey king. A forgotten Fatesong. A single, desperate chance to save magic from extinction. All Raegan Maeve Overhill wants is to survive another October. It's the anniversary of the worst thing that ever happened to the unsolved disappearance of her father nearly two decades ago. But when mysterious drownings grip the city of Philadelphia, Raegan sets her mourning rituals aside for a career-making opportunity to lead her newspaper's investigation. Her hunt for answers takes her to the city's shadowy places where magical beings appear in puddles, the Fair Folk offer bargains, and magic is very, very real. When Raegan uncovers a startling connection to her father’s disappearance, she knows she can’t just return to her normal life without finding the truth. To get it, though, she’ll need to make a deal with the dark, deadly and alluring Unseelie Fae King—and do her best to ignore their dangerous attraction to one another. Inspired by Welsh mythology, Slavic folklore and Arthurian legend, Beyond the Aching Door is an adult urban fantasy romance for fans of A Discovery of Witches and Dark Night, Golden Dawn. This spicy fae romantic fantasy is intended for readers 18+.

Bring Her Home by R.N. Barbosa

Forbidden love… If Susana’s sister knew she was dating, she’d sequester her ass to the tallest tower so fast her head would spin. Her boyfriend is everything Cassandra hates, an Outcast and a biker, and it’s only a matter of time before their clandestine rendezvous blows up in her face. A missing sister… Fighting professionally might be Cassandra Dayan's livelihood, but it's her sister that's her life. When she comes home to a wrecked house and a missing sister, her desperate search upsets the brutally maintained balance of the North Californian coast. At any cost… Going against the Order is a death sentence, but doing nothing is not an option. Cassandra will find her sister even if it means endangering the lives of everyone who crosses her path or joins her cause. She doesn’t care who gets hurt or what promises get broken. All that matters is bringing her sister home.

Caroline's Heart by Austin Chant

Caroline is dead, leaving her lover with nothing but the clockwork heart that once beat in her chest. But Cecily, a witch of unconventional reputation, is not one to be defeated by the laws of nature. After years of careful assembly, her resurrection spell is nearly complete and grows more powerful by the day. When Cecily meets Roy, a soft-spoken cowboy who shares a strange kinship with Caroline, Cecily thinks she's finally found the key to bringing her lover back-but when Roy is mortally wounded, she finds herself torn between finishing the resurrection spell and saving the life of a stranger. A queer Weird West romance by the author of Peter Darling in a new, expanded edition.

Worse Than Dying by Brett Van Valkenburg

After his father suffers a nervous breakdown, Noah Barnes is tasked with caring for his family in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. A dark novella about fight and family, as one survivor confronts untold loss and struggles with unimaginable choices. Worse Than Dying takes place in a small town in upstate New York toward the beginning of an inexplicable uprising of the living dead. This powerful story is a more adult take on the zombie horror genre with fast pacing, mature themes, and, of course, plenty of disfigured, flesh-eating corpses. "Beautiful. If a sequel isn't forthcoming, it's a shame." -talesofworldwarz.com

Those Once Forgotten by N. C. Scrimgeour

They were a memory once forgotten. For millennia, they waited. Now, they are coming. The galaxy has been plunged into chaos, left reeling from the trap Alvera Renata triggered around the ancient alien waystations. As the leaders of the allied systems desperately try to prepare for what might be coming, Ridley and Kojan go on the hunt in search of answers. But the one person who might hold the key—the rogue starship captain who started it all—is missing in action, and her old friends aren’t the only ones looking for her… Meanwhile, tensions between the Coalition and the Idran-Var are at breaking point in the aftermath of a brutal attack. The only hope for peace may lie in a fragile alliance between Rivus and Niole, old enemies thrown unwillingly onto the same side. But even if they can bury their past, what will it take to overcome the centuries of bloodshed dividing their people? As the mysterious signal coming from the waystations counts down, only one thing is for certain: something is coming, and if the fractured factions of the galaxy can’t find a way to stand against it together, it may be the end for them all.

Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke

In the wake of his infant daughter's tragic death, Steve Brannigan is struggling to keep himself together. Estranged from his wife, who refuses to be inside the house where the unthinkable happened, and unable to work, he seeks solace in an endless parade of old sitcoms and a bottle of bourbon. Until one night he hears a sound from his daughter's old room, a room now stripped bare of anything that identified it as hers...except for her security blanket, affectionately known as Blanky. Blanky, old and frayed, with its antiquated patchwork of badly sewn rabbits with black button eyes, who appear to be staring at the viewer... Blanky, purchased from a strange old man at an antique stall selling "BABY CLOSE" at a discount. The presence of Blanky in his dead daughter's room heralds nothing short of an unspeakable nightmare that threatens to take away what little light remains in Steve's shattered world. Because his daughter loved Blanky so much, he buried her with it. A new novella from the Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of SOUR CANDY and KIN.

The Legend of Black Jack by A. R. Witham

SFFOasis SPFBO9

Thrilling fantasy adventure debut from Emmy-winner A. R. Witham. Jack Swift can tell you every element on the periodic table, recite Treasure Island verbatim, and would remember in perfect detail every word you’d ever say to him. He has been alone for a long time, so he has buried himself in books, using them to plan his escape. But no textbook could ever prepare him for the land of Keymark. At 3:33 a.m. on his fourteenth birthday, Jack is kidnapped by a hideous monster to another sphere of existence. Now there are two moons in the sky, and he is surrounded by grotesque creatures and magical warriors training for battle. They want the impossible: Jack must use his abilities to save a life or be trapped in this bizarre world with no chance of rescue. Jack doesn’t have secret magic, a great destiny, or any experience. So why do they all expect him to become a legend?

The Dragon’s Reign: Heart of the Depths by Tim Mullins

After his mother suffers a life-altering brain injury during a tragic accident, Andy books two tickets aboard The Heart - a luxury cruise ship built for the super-rich, to give her the holiday she had always dreamed of. Shortly after the ship sets sail, catastrophe hits the mainland and the pair can only watch as the life they left behind is turned to ash. The Heart continues out to sea, hoping to put some distance between its passengers and the devastated mainland, but as the ship ventures into deeper waters Andy soon realizes that the ocean may not be the safe haven the ship's Captain first thought... For something lurks below, and now it's rising from the depths... Set during the events of The Dragon’s Reign, this short-story will tell a heartfelt tale about a mother and son that will test their definition of love as they learn just how far they will go for family.

Sleeping Celeste by Alana K. Drex

It is October 1885, and Marie Maecott seems to be the only one who knows what has happened to her daughter, Celeste. She is angry that no one else understands her daughter's condition, as any mother would be. Then one chill night, groundskeeper for Heathridge Cemetery, Jacob Willis, tells her a dark secret in his family's past that just may hold the key to her problem. Marie will need to set off on a journey to find out--one in which she will discover terrible parts of herself--parts that would have been better off left buried. And some are going to find out the truth of the timeless adage: it is best not to come between a mother and her child.

Legacy (Scion Book 1) by Jay Reace

Years after fleeing their homeland, Xolani and Raine have finally been able to find peace. However, that peace is shattered when receiving a royal command to return and answer for what they've done for so long age. Do they take their children and flee or do anwser the call and fight?

Dark Bloom by Molly Macabre

When a disease runs rampant, turning people into cannibalistic horrors, society comes to a halt. Kate manages to escape the sadistic captivity she has endured and collides with Nick, a Marine haunted by the scars of war. They join forces to navigate a treacherous landscape, battling the undead and hostile survivors. But what happens when the monsters outside are the least of their worries? Nick’s shame is crushing, and Kate’s distrust is swallowing her whole. Will they overcome the darkness that threatens to consume them from within? And what will become of a world overrun with creatures that cannot seem to stop…laughing?

Racing with the Serpent by A.R.K Horton

You can't ignore destiny when it breaks down your barriers, even if that means defeating a god. Eya has found safety among friends, but she knows it's only temporary. The battle is far from over, and she has a duty to protect Telverin from the power-hungry. With true allies by her side and unique abilities, it's only a matter of time before she wins back her home and rescues the Goddess Winds. Yet, Eya's recklessness might mean her ruin. Can she learn to control her impulses, the way she's learning to control the elements? Racing With the Serpent is the third and last book of The Telverin Trilogy, a fantasy war story that takes place between several countries in the world of Telverin.

Heart of Dust by H. L. Moore

Doran had a problem, and it wasn't that he'd been stabbed. Iole City is in turmoil. Doran Ó Seanáin, leader of the Black Lung Gang, is determined to challenge the Archon, Arajon’s tyrannical ruler, for his brutal treatment of the miners. But Doran has more to deal with than getting stabbed and a city-wide lockdown that’s seeing his gang of ex-miners slowly starved out of their base. His daughter Grace has turned against him, and the death of his wife haunts them both. Although he finds reprieve in Nathaniel Morgenstern, the apotheker with a mysterious past to whom he owes his life, the clock is ticking. The fate of the mines hangs in the balance and the Archon is closing in. Doran’s plan to break the cycle may very well be his last.

She Is Coming by Midori Anzai

Salt merchant Seijiro doesn't know how he ended up alone and far from the Japanese Salt Road... ...nor why a yuki-onna is hunting him. As Seijiro braves freezing temperatures, he must piece together what has happened to him if he is to escape the yuki-onna's clutches. But the truth might just be colder than the air he breathes.

The Long Lost War by Jeff Walker

SFINCS

Far from Earth, in a distant solar system, clone soldiers are stuck in an on-going battle against colonial separatists. John 999801 must battle against an enemy that refuses to give up, and dreams of a woman he feels he's seen before. The life of this low ranking clone soldier is about to take a turn for the worst. Or is it going to open his eyes to the truth? Can one clone soldier make a difference? And who is the woman in his dream? Answers and horrors await him as he joins his fellow replicas to the surface of a planet called... Hell.

Blood Moon Rising by Amelia Faulkner

A pack in turmoil. A ray of sunlight. A moon that demands blood... Randall Carter is in love. If only he could say it to Ellis’ face, but he’s been too busy - or too much of a coward - and now he may never get that chance. With the threat of a blood moon looming in the night sky his Alpha is on the warpath against both a new pack invading his territory and the vampire lover he ordered Randall to destroy. Ellis O’Neill’s problems are mounting fast. Randall’s Alpha wants to kill him, a vampire neighbour invites him to join some sort of coup, and his secrets are stacking up like firewood waiting for a single spark to set them ablaze. The last person he expects to betray his trust is the man he’s fallen in love with. Torn between love and obligation, Randall soon realises that he can’t satisfy both. He’ll have to choose, but the cost may well be more terrible than he can imagine.

Unknown Number by Victoria Hyder

On a dull Wednesday evening, Lucas receives a text from an unknown number. He ignores it, only to have more messages spam his phone. With nothing better to do, he finds himself diving into a rapid-fire back and forth text chain with a young man he has no business speaking to. To his surprise, the stranger messages him again. He doesn't know why he replies. Something about this guy is coaxing his barriers down with his witty banter, sarcastic remarks and damned emoticons! Lucas, however, is not a people person. Never was, never will be. He has a small circle of friends, no contact with his family and has been single for a very long time. He suffers deeply with dark, personal traumas that manifests in behaviour that usually pushes everyone away. So, why is this kid sticking around? Lucas wishes he would be braver with what he can feel growing between them. Is it just one sided? Should he take a risk on a literal stranger? And what will happen when the kid finds out his age?

The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyne Kiste

Something’s happening to the girls on Denton Street. It’s the summer of 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Phoebe Shaw and her best friend Jacqueline have just graduated high school, only to confront an ugly, uncertain future. Across the city, abandoned factories populate the skyline; meanwhile at the shore, one strong spark, and the Cuyahoga River might catch fire. But none of that compares to what’s happening in their own west side neighborhood. The girls Phoebe and Jacqueline have grown up with are changing. It starts with footprints of dark water on the sidewalk. Then, one by one, the girls’ bodies wither away, their fingernails turning to broken glass, and their bones exposed like corroded metal beneath their flesh. As rumors spread about the grotesque transformations, soon everyone from nosy tourists to clinic doctors and government men start arriving on Denton Street, eager to catch sight of “the Rust Maidens” in metamorphosis. But even with all the onlookers, nobody can explain what’s happening or why—except perhaps the Rust Maidens themselves. Whispering in secret, they know more than they’re telling, and Phoebe realizes her former friends are quietly preparing for something that will tear their neighborhood apart. Alternating between past and present, Phoebe struggles to unravel the mystery of the Rust Maidens—and her own unwitting role in the transformations—before she loses everything she’s held dear: her home, her best friend, and even perhaps her own body.

Renia by Karl Forshaw

The Halls of Venn are the seat of both knowledge and power in the great continent of Luna Ruinam. Renia, a scribe with a tragic past, spends her days expertly copying books that do little to satiate her desire for knowledge. When a fateful commission lands on her desk, she finds herself tasked with transcribing a book coveted by assassins from the southern continent. Its theft throws the scribing halls into chaos and threatens to destroy the fragile peace that exists between their nations. Haunted by dreams of her past, Renia must learn to master her impulses and awaken her long dormant magical abilities if she is to prevent war. Fate, it would seem, is eager to grant her wishes. Yet she must risk everything to pursue it, and pay the bloody price it demands.

The Beast Hunters by Christer Lende

When a monster brutally kills her parents, Ara is saved by two beast hunters. Becoming their apprentice, she discovers serums, secret bestiary knowledge, and remarkable abilities-all to save unsuspecting souls from the same fate her parents suffered. But, terrifying creatures lurk everywhere and Ara must master the art of beast hunting quickly if she is to uncover the elusive creature plaguing the village of Cornstead. An epic monster-slaying story starring an orphaned girl turned beast hunting apprentice named Ara. This is the ultimate in escape fiction.

Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows

SPFBO8 Indie Recs Indie

A girl full of heart A thief touched by darkness A boy with a fiery temper An unwitting servant of evil The era of magic was once thought to be a myth, but after the Reemergenceushered forces both dark and light into the mundane world, it has sincebecome a harsh reality. Now those affected by this strange power—aspecialized group of Empowered called Jokers, known collectively asCardplay—must protect their world from the darkness that threatens toconsume it, all the while fighting for equality in a society clinging to normalcy. But the Reemergence was only the beginning. When another influx occurs on the seventh anniversary of that fateful event, an unfortunate encounter at ground zero lands Iori Ryone, a teenage boy in possession of a corrupt and legendary magic, in the care of recentJoker graduate Ellen Amelia Jane. From him, she learns the Reemergencemay not have been the inevitable natural disaster it first seemed. Someone is trying to tear down the barrier that separates the magical realmsfrom the mundane. The question is, can Cardplay stop them before it'stoo late Bloody Spade is the first installment in anurban fantasy duology that follows a cat-eared thief and a spirited girl as they try to navigate his wild magic, her hotheaded brother, asinister plot, and the feelings they're developing for each other.

The Blood of the Spear by Mark Timmony

SPFBO7 SFFOasis

Two brothers. One prophecy. A world in peril. When Kaiel loses his chance to become part of the legendary Daemon Hunters, joining the Bronze Guard mercenaries seems like the logical alternative. It is an opportunity to put his training to use and, more importantly, as the company is currently in the employ of Prince Alesandr, it will allow him to keep an eye on his younger brother, Darien, who's determined to follow his dream of becoming a Ciralys magic-user. But the broken continent of Athmay still bears the scars of the war between the Summoners some three-thousand years ago, and an unexpected battle with a daemon - a remnant of that ancient war - reveals the brothers' connection to a forbidden bloodline. Soon they find themselves on the run from the prince, daemonic hordes, and a prophecy that could break the world anew.

Chivalry Will Get You Dead by Ed Robins

“All I wanted was to drink until I couldn’t remember Madelyn anymore, but a former detective can’t ignore a murdered dame in his compartment. Why would someone kill such a beauty and why’d they choose me to take the fall? "It'll be generations before the Starship Australis reaches Tau Ceti, but I only have days to clear my own name. To find the killer, I'll have to dive into the ship's seedy underworld of prostitutes, dealers, assassins and one seriously pissed off crime boss. Then, once it's over, maybe I can make time with my gorgeous bartender, or at least get back to drinking enough to forget what a mess my life’s become.” Inspired by the hardboiled grit of Mickey Spillane and the concision of Elmore Leonard, Chivalry Will Get You Dead is a sci-fi / mystery mash-up devised in the best traditions of the dime store paperback. It is the first in the Murder on the Starship Australis series, itself part of the 10 Cent Universe – a genre-bending macrocosm. This book contains adult language, themes and content.

We Men of Ash and Shadows by HL Tinsley

SPFBO7 SPFBO Finalist

‘We Men of Ash and Shadow’ is the first book in the Vanguard Series and follows the journey of protagonist, John Vanguard, through the dark and corrupt city of D’Orsee. A Grimdark gas lamp novel, ‘We Men of Ash and Shadow’ explores themes of redemption, loyalty, and betrayal against the backdrop of a world where survival often means compromising your values. Amidst the gas lamp shadows former soldier-turned-mercenary John Vanguard hunts criminals at the behest of his corrupt employer, Captain Felix Sanquain. Shamed by his deserter past and seeking to make amends for his many misdeeds, a chance encounter with Tarryn Leersac – a skilled young would-be-assassin fallen from the graces of high society – leads Vanguard to become an unlikely mentor. Charged with hunting down the killer of two guards left washed up on the banks of the canal, the further Vanguard delves into the underbelly of the city the more he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets and lies. A prominent aristocrat is missing. Crime lords, con men and harlots run amok and the city teeters on the brink of another revolution. With his already precarious reputation hanging by a thread, Vanguard must piece together how and why the last war came to pass, find a way to earn redemption for his mistakes and come to terms with the past in a city where few survive, and even fewer can be trusted.

The Concealed by SK Horton

Sometimes destiny is written. Hers was concealed. When Cate travels from Oregon to university in England, she expects her gravest dilemma to be finding coffee instead of tea, but she’s got bigger problems—much bigger. At Staton University, nothing is quite what it seems. Even her own identity. Unbeknownst to Cate, a prophecy deems her as destined to defeat a ruthless enemy in a magical land, placing a target squarely on her back. Now, someone on campus is stalking her, and a narrow escape sends her through a mysterious portal, assisted by two irresistible boys. Yet the fantastical new world is even more treacherous with rival kingdoms and imminent war. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan, but what’s a girl to do? A fresh start was all she wanted—a few new friends in the dorms with a trusty latte in hand—not war, an estranged biological father who is king, or a star-crossed love straight out of Romeo and Juliet (hopefully without the dying part). As the battle looms, Cate must solve the mystery of the prophecy and decide who in her circle is trustworthy before the place she now calls home is destroyed. Don't miss this new Young Adult Romantic Fantasy from debut author SK Horton about first love in a fantastical new world. Featuring swoon-worthy romance, court intrigue, backstabbing villains and so much more, it's perfect for fans of Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood, Lauren Roberts' Powerless, and lovers of all things romantasy!

Envoy by Andr Moș

SFINCS

When two descendants of a formerly lost people suddenly reappear in Sol System, Kep, an inexperienced guide with few aspirations, is handed the task of showing them around… and figuring out their true motives. But convoluted bureaucracies, hungry corporations and corrupt guilds conspire to acquire any advantage in a technologically stagnant system. So when a secret is revealed, it’s up to Kep to make sure that it doesn’t land in the wrong hands.

Cutting Your Teeth by Caylan MacRae

Ezra Santos is tired of running. Of burning bridge after bridge and going through new names like used matches. He desperately wants something he was never destined to have—a future all his own. Having escaped his hell of a home two years ago, he can’t go a day without looking over his shoulder. Putting down roots was never in the cards when the family that raised Ezra relentlessly hunts him across the country. Right as he’s about to restart the cycle—new name, new life, the whole nine yards—his plans come to a screeching halt when he crosses paths with a mysterious and charismatic vampire, Killian Hale. He promises a way out from a life on the run. Ezra knows there's no helping a man with the devil on his heels—but there's something about Killian that makes him believe he could finally break free of the Espinas once and for all. It’s only a matter of time before the clock winds down and the rest of Ezra's troubles come home to roost. There's something sinister in his blood—a dark fate passed down through generations. Can the two survive an ancient family curse or will Ezra doom them both?

Isolation by Jared Grace

Russell Tolliver is an accomplished author who has found himself with a bad case of writer's block. Needing to move away from the hustle and bustle of Boston, Russell and his family- his wife Marie and young son Sam- move to the picturesque town of Isolation in northern New Hampshire. Their home in Isolation is everything they ever wanted. A few months after their arrival the locals begin seeing a creature that is stalking the woods around town and suddenly the bodies begin to pile up. Terror replaces serenity in the small town as people begin dying seemingly at random. Four friends- Russell, his neighbors Tom and Mitchell, and an old town historian named Bryce- take it upon themselves to discover what this monster that is lurking around town is, why it is destroying the small town one mutilated body at a time and most importantly, how to stop it and save their home. Uncovering the horrors of history, these men battle their own demons in an attempt to save their futures. History remembers.

Head Like a Hole by Andrew Van Wey

When you bury your past, make sure that it’s dead. It’s the mid-nineties. Grunge and flannel are fading as the Spice Girls and Hot Topic conquer the malls. Cherry gloss glistens on the lips of the youth. Modems hiss as America comes online. And in a fog-drenched cove at the edge of New England, something terrible awakens when a fisherman reels in a gruesome catch: the remains of a young woman. Remains still pulsing with furious life. For Megan Monroe and her friends, this is how their nightmare begins: a wet whisper over their shoulder, a dark hand reaching out from the edge of their sight, and a name clawing at the back of their minds. A young woman scratched from their memory. To stop this devouring terror, Megan will need to mend broken friendships and reassemble her fractured past, for what stalks them hungers to remake itself in their image… piece by bloody piece. Dig into the haunted past with Head Like a Hole, a novel of malignant secrets, shattered friendships, and twisted bodily horror. ★★★★★ "This is a brilliant read. A wonderful well-written plot and a story line that had me engaged from the start." ★★★★★ "A quick, fun read that will be enjoyed by true crime, horror, and sci-fi fans." ★★★★★ "A beautiful, gritty tale that engages you to piece it all together while being deliciously entertained at the same time."

World Running Down by Al Hess

Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City—a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream, until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric. Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer—an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is a visa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine's always dreamed of. Finding the androids means navigating both pirate territory and Val and Osric's growing feelings for each other. And as they attempt to recover the "merchandise", they encounter a problem: the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives. The prize is tempting, but carrying out the job would go against everything Valentine stands for, and would threaten the fragile found family that's kept him alive so far. He'll need to decide whether to risk his own dream in order to give the AI a chance to live theirs.

Phantom by Helen Power

Would you sell your hand for a million dollars? Regan "Roz" Osbourne is broke. Her ex-boyfriend won't take no for an answer, and no one is taking her artwork seriously. So when a mysterious stranger offers her a million dollars and safety from her unstable ex in exchange for her left hand, she can't afford to refuse. ​ Immediately following the amputation, she's racked with insufferable phantom limb pain. Desperate for relief, she enrolls in an experimental drug trial. But this drug has a peculiar side effect—she develops a psychic connection to her missing limb. She soon discovers that Chicago's long-dormant Phantom Strangler is now wearing her hand and is using it . . . to kill.

I Found Christmas Lights Slithering Up My Street by Ben Farthing

Something festive is growing in the sewer... After last year’s tragedy, Douglas’ parents are ignoring Christmas. But when Douglas finds an eerie strand of lights slithering through the sewer, he unwittingly unleashes merry terror upon his neighborhood’s tacky lights contest. String lights spread like invasive kudzu, turning festive decorations into surreal, predatory nightmares. Determined not to lose both Christmas and his family forever, Douglas gathers his courage to confront the source of the holiday horror: deep in the concrete pipes beneath the street. I Found Christmas Lights Slithering Up My Street is a horror tale from the “darkly inventive” purveyor of uncanny places and wondrous evils, Ben Farthing.

The Yellow Oak by Victor Vahl

Trapped in never-ending terror. Isolated from the outside world, with mysterious beings feasting on their sanity. How can they survive long enough to find their escape? Find out in this thrilling psychological tale. Rye Davidson, a third-generation woodworker, relocated his family to a small town near the dense forests of Oregon in the 1980s to make a better life and escape his troubled history. Starting a new job at an old factory, he meets Spencer Mills, a veteran worker who's isolated himself from the rest of the town. When Rye is sent out on his first job with Spencer, they're transported to an unknown forest far unlike their normal reality. Soon, they realize there's no path out, and the path they stumbled through has disappeared. Their job is now a journey of survival. A journey quickly spiraling into psychological suspense, mystery, and horror. The odds to stay alive are slim. The odds to escape are even slimmer. Discover the enigmas and tap into the fears buried within...The Yellow Oak. The Yellow Oak is Victor Vahl's sophomore novel, a psychological thriller inspired by the mind-bending essence of Lovecraftian horror, the bone-chilling atmosphere of Robert Egger's films, and heart-pounding scenarios. If you like The Lighthouse, House of Leaves, Lovecraftian horror, and The Shining, then you'll love Victor Vahl's psychological thriller. Order your copy today!

The Gifts of Pandora by Matt Larkin

SPFBO7

The winding road of fate unfolds … In the last days of the Silver Age, the tyrant god Zeus takes whatever and whomever he wants with impunity. He has already torn Pandora from one home and now he threatens to destroy another. When he turns his wrath upon Atlantis, Pandora flees with the Titan Prometheus. Despite her bitterness, Pandora finds a friendship she never imagined possible. But Zeus is not done with Prometheus, and what Pandora will face next will make all she has endured pale in comparison. But Pandora has considerable gifts of her own, not least her cunning mind. When Zeus binds Prometheus, Pandora swears to turn all those gifts toward bringing Zeus down and saving her one true companion.

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire by G.M. Nair

SFFOasis SPSFC

Michael Duckett is fed up with his life. His job is a drag, and his roommate and best friend of fifteen years, Stephanie Dyer, is only making him more anxious with her lazy irresponsibility. Things continue to escalate when they face the threat of imminent eviction from their palatial 5th floor walk-up and find that someone has been plastering ads all over the city for their Detective Agency. The only problem is: He and Stephanie don’t have one of those. Despite their baffling levels of incompetence, Stephanie eagerly pursues this crazy scheme and drags Michael, kicking and screaming, into the fray only to find that they are way out of their depth. They stumble upon a web of missing people that are curiously linked to a sexually audacious theoretical physicist and his experiments with the fabric of space-time. And unless Michael and Stephanie can put their personal issues aside and fix the multi-verse, the concept of existence itself may, ironically, no longer exist.

Honu Book One: Waterborn by Dawyone Combes

When magic enters Koldair Noa's life the world he once knew will never be the same. Someone whom was thought lost forever to the land of Lanrete returns to hunt Koldair and burn down Hawai'i. Koldair must make a choice to be the hero or the villain of his own story.

Nightmare Tenant by Richard Holliday

WHERE OCCUPANCY BECOMES POSSESSION… The chilling prologue left me hanging and I had no idea what was going on – so I just had to read on! I know the world, I spent most of my life driving past those flats, so I totally get the inspiration! Top notch horror with some brutal but satisfying scenes. Really enjoyed it, didn’t see some of the twists coming! Very effective! Loved the setting and reasons behind its hauntedness. I finished reading Nightmare Tenant in one sitting. That’s one block I wouldn’t want to live in! For years, Chivron Tower was abandoned and left to rot as the world turned. It loomed in the skyline a desolate, abhorred ruin; a forgotten relic of the past. That was how it should have stayed. But now, the Tower has been resurrected and shown a renewed lease of life, ready for a new generation of families to move in. Everyone in the community is celebrating this achievement. Councillors, developers, residents all applaud the regeneration of this unloved eyesore. Except for one member of the community. The one who still lives in Chivron Tower, unknown to all. The one who never left. The lone occupant’s way of life is under threat by these new invaders with their new ideas – sullying their idea of urban perfection cast in steel and concrete. Great hope for this restoration is soon to be extinguished. The mysterious tenant is angry, is without mercy and is hungry. It feeds on suffering, making things go bump in the night. It brings more victims to its lair. The warnings it gives turn to torment it revels in. Joel Barton and his family find they are trapped, with the last remaining residents, good and bad, as they realise escape means confronting a… NIGHTMARE TENANT

Worthy of Fate by A.N. Caudle

The Gem Marked by the Gods, Kya is forced to partake in a Trial for a chance to be deemed Worthy. If she succeeds, she'll be gifted great powers. If she fails, she could lose her life or worse. But that's only the start of her worries. Now, the same plague that took her home is spreading and threatening the fate of the realm. Can Kya survive the Trial of the Gods and gain the needed power to rid the world of the growing threat before it's too late?Or will she be drawn to what awaits her in the shadows? The Shadow Ryker has waited a long time for her-his mate. Now he's found her. He plans to claim what is rightfully his, but dark forces threaten to destroy his Nation should he embrace the bond he so desperately desires. Unable to escape the drive to be near her, he waits for his precious gem, lingering in her shadow. Worthy of Fate is the first book in a new adult, dark fantasy romance series with an intriguing magic system, dark forces, Spirits, and forbidden fated mates.

The Aqua Human by J. Elizaga

A teenager in the Pacific during World War II, evades capture by escaping to sea. She survives a tragedy and discovers new physical abilities underwater. Alone, she grapples to survive on land. But under the sea, she finds friendship from the most intelligent marine creatures. Over the decades, Amaya searches for the answer about her mysterious transformation while hiding her secret. But her secret may have finally been captured on film.