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SPSFC SPSFC 2022 Indie Recs Indie 2021 San Diego Book Award Winner! A melody from the stars can save humanity, but only if Stephen can awaken the alien within⌠Childhood therapy cured Stephen Fisher of disturbing visions and the delusion of having come from another world. But when his daughter obsesses over a star in the night sky, he fears that his genetic legacy may have burdened her with the same illness. His sanity is then shattered when he loses his child and the military abducts him claiming that she recorded a song broadcast from another world. A voice inside Stephenâs head convinces him that he can bring his daughter back to life. What he discovers instead is a stunning truth about himself, his childâs destiny, and fate of the entire human race⌠Melody is a riveting and thought-provoking science fiction novel. If you like first contact scenarios and action-filled pages, then youâll love David Hofferâs otherworldly adventure. |
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The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin We fight, so the rest shall not have to. In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight so that the rest can remain at peace. Cego is a mysterious Grievar boy forced to fight his way out of the slave Circles into the world's most prestigious combat school. At the Lyceum, Cego will learn a variety of martial arts from eclectic teachers, develop deep bonds of friendship and fight against contentious rivals to climb the school's rankings. But, Cego will find far more than combat studies at the Lyceum. He will find the mystery of his past unraveled by forces greater than he could ever imagine. |
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The Lead Cloak by Erik Hanberg In the future, privacy is a thing of the past. "Staggeringly smart⌠Hanberg's expertly honed storytelling is sleek and fast⌠[an] entertaining tale." âKirkus Reviews Nevada, 2081. Colonel Byron Shaw safeguards the worldâs innermost secrets. From a control center in Area 51, he monitors the expansive surveillance system that once saved him certain death at the hands of ruthless kidnappers. But not everyone trusts technology that peers through strangersâ eyes, so itâs no shock when a guerrilla attack nearly wipes out the network and spills his blood. Tasked with tracking down the terrorist cell, Byron sets off on a globe-spanning chase that brings him to the outer edge of Earthâs atmosphere. But as he infiltrates their ranks, a growing suspicion about the system that preserved his own life could sabotage civilization. Torn between duty and doubt, one manâs decision could rewire humanityâs future. The Lead Cloak is a tech-savvy sci-fi adventure novel. If you like high-stakes action, thought-provoking dystopian themes, and gripping twists, then youâll love Erik Hanbergâs cerebral page-turner. |
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Billions around the world celebrated Khaos when it was finally revealed, awestruck by the rogue planet entering our solar system. However, for a small group of individuals, it was apocalyptic. Dr. Peels had predicted the path of the celestial body, warning the governments of the world that a near miss was likely. Still, no government had listened, citing other predictive models as the most likely path. In secret, Dr. Peels built a cooperative effort between private industry, lobbied congress and passed laws, ensuring his veiled plans could unfold. Quickly, humanity began to crumble, coups ensued, and anarchy took hold. Dr. Peels was forced to launch his hand-picked crew early, but things quickly fell apart before the mission began. As the vulnerable crew raced towards Mars, the one thing which held them together wasnât human, it was an android named Omega, tasked to learn all it can before itâs too late. Itâs a race against time, gravity, and the laws of nature in this Khaotic story of salvation. |
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THE BOY WHO WALKED TOO FAR by Dominic Watson Itâs the end of the universe, and everything has come undone. Entropy has won the war, but one last battle rages in the half-ruined city of Testament. No one knows who created this last outpost and peopled it with billions of species. However, it is here, under a sky with no stars, that the last remnants of life in the universe live, love, and pray to their many gods. It is here where Godrich Felstrom dies. Most residents of Testament care little for the affairs of a single, fragile human, but the event brings back bad memories for Heironymous Xindii. It has been many years since the dreamurlurgy professor discovered his true potential and doomed four people in the process. Now, he lectures to bored students who dream of the many pleasures Testament has to offer. Xindii, on the other hand, becomes obsessed with the mysterious Godrich and his missing soul. As he and his valiant companion, the Neanderthal Solomon Doomfinger, look back at Felstromâs last steps, they discover the shocking truth about Felstromâs death, his destiny, and the future of Testament and all those angels, demons, liars, and dreamers who call it home. |
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Beneath 5th City by Jesse Sprague Earthâs invaders gave her a choiceâŚSubmission or death.Jaisa has never been the obedient type.The aliens call themselves gods and inform Earthâs survivors that they are creating a utopia. Jaisa knows that no utopia can be built on billions of human deaths. A little obedience is a small, and temporary, price to stay alive while she figures out how she can make a difference. Jaisaâs beauty and ability to please, both of which are to be used at the discretion of the scientific elite who are the one segment of humanity the new gods value, are Jaisaâs only value to the new gods. But her value to humanity may be much greater. Placed into a position of influence, she walks the line between nonconformity and death. On the surface, pretty little Jaisa is the perfect submissive dollâbut she knows the power of hope, and she intends to keep it alive. Youâll love this dark science fiction novel for its unique mix of grit and hope. Get it now! |
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Trapped on a spaceship, hunted by an unknown and deadly creature, will he survive the night with no help in sight? Lieutenant Michael Collinsâs week just went to hell. The suspicious actions of his captain escalates as he orders Michael to investigate a dead shipâs heartâthe cephalopods that pilot the star drive system. The mission forces Michael from the safety of his ship and his lover, Commander Eizen Sartris, while straining the bond with his own shipâs heart, Padua. Attacked by Siwu pirates, Michael finds refuge on a damaged alien vessel, where he waits for Eizen to rescue him. But in the dark cold wreckage, he discovers a thriving garden tended by a strange young boy on behalf of his enigmatic âMama.â Fear dominates Michaelâs thoughts as he struggles not to succumb to the darkness and terror of abandonment. To survive he must rely on his wits and hold fast to his faith that Eizen will find him before the piratesâor before the mysterious entity on board decides to destroy him. |
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Terms of Service by Elliott Scott Matchbooks, mysteries, and expensed lunches: they're what every great detective knows well. For Felix Lasko, they're further out of reach than the skyscrapers floating at the top of Neotopia city. He's always dreamed of breaking a case that mattered, but wasn't expecting that a real one would break him. After being blackmailed into service by Elsa Halifax, Felix must discover if the media star's suspicions are true. Could her husband have been murdered but still be walking around, running his factory? And if so, who killed him? Does that kind of technology even exist? In Neotopia, where your thoughts alone can lift buildingsâas long as your Digital IQ is high enoughâit's still hard to swallow. But if Felix is to keep his dream of being a detective alive, he'll need to perform some miracles of his own. For lovers of Noir, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and humor! |
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Mercenary Alex Mercer knows that humanity is change in her pocket. In 2039, ever since she was orphaned on the criminal infested, tropical island of Toppanga, twenty-three-year-old Alex Mercer searched for the answers to her past. Now sheâs presented with a high-risk contract that offers a different payment â information about her parents and her past. Alex and a group of assigned mercenaries must apprehend the elusive rogue soldier Maximillian Roivas. As the mission progresses, Alex feels something lurking in her mind, a dark psychological entity thatâs finally manifested and is vying for dominance. The presence yearns for a hunt, and it craves complete autonomy, and Alex canât ignore the presence any longer. When she uncovers more clues about the mysterious Roivas, she finds disturbing information about clandestine experiments by the U.S. military on vulnerable targets. Alex wonât rest until the experiments are permanently ended, whether itâs by her own volition or by a beast with an insatiable bloodlust guiding her hands. |
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Given the choice between death or revenge, who wouldn't take revenge? As the Fleet's newest Warlord, Syrus is offered the chance take revenge on the Empire that did everything in its power to crush him. Fortunately, the Fleet's also giving him with a ship and the troops to see his plan through. He can't wait to get started. But when he rescues two women from an abandoned planet, he earns himself a brewing mutiny. Trapped in a dead-end system, about to be attacked by an Imperial armada far better equipped than his own, he confronts the deadliest leadership crisis of his career. Can he overcome the challenges and seize his revenge? What secrets do the women carry? Devour the Stars is a dark, space operatic journey that charts one man's quest for revenge... and redemption. If youâre looking for the grit of Game of Thrones and the politics of Dune, welcome aboard. |
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Bragg For Hire by John B. Cheek Shipwrecked behind enemy lines ⌠a desperate fight to survive and escape ⌠and a mysterious terror that comes only in the night. When soldier of fortune Atticus Bragg accepts a job to shepherd a young nobleman in his first combat command, it looks like easy moneyâdrop in with the platoon, relax in a quiet sector away from the real fighting, and collect his pay. Easy, right? But it all goes wrong when their drop ship is hit on the way to the surface and crashes in a barren wilderness, far behind enemy lines. Lost and fighting among themselves, Atticus and the survivors must overcome their own divisions and the horrors of a hostile alien world, or none of them will ever leave it⌠|
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The Exodus Betrayal by N.C. Scrimgeour The cybernetics in her head could save a planet. But when the man who put them there turns them against her in a deadly battle of wills, sheâll have to find a way to save herself. Alvera considers herself the best bounty hunter on New Pallas and with good reason â her cybernetics give her an edge nobody else can match. So when sheâs tasked with investigating the ancient space station that has been silently watching the planet for centuries, thereâs not a doubt in her mind that sheâs the best woman for the job. As for the risks? Well, they only make things more interesting. But what Alvera doesnât realise is by unravelling the stationâs secrets, sheâll be forced to confront some of her own. When the same technology that once set her apart threatens to destroy her mind, what starts as a mission for credits and glory soon becomes a fight for survival â not just her own, but that of New Pallas itself. The Exodus Betrayal is a science fiction thriller with a dash of cyberpunk. Filled with adventure, deception and planet-spanning conspiracies, itâs a perfect read for fans of Altered Carbon, Blade Runner and Deus Ex. |
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Hugh Howey's SPSFC semi-finals winner: "A solid piece of space opera. The confines of a spaceship made for a tense setting, and the strong characterisation and well-handled plot twists made this a winner for our judges." Jaigar expected to wake up after thirty years to start building a new world in another star system. Instead, he finds himself one of a handful of survivors on an abandoned colony ship. With no food or water, and only emergency power, his first challenge is to keep everyone alive. The next is to try and solve the mystery of their situation, by figuring out what happened to the original crew and other colonists. But Jaigar will find survival more difficult than he expects, especially when each of the other survivors has a secret that could help him - or kill him. |
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The Omnibus Edition contains all four parts of The Immune series. THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. On a warm summer night at Yankee Stadium, a monstrous plot to eradicate the human race is set into motion. Dr. Adam Fisher watches helplessly as the deadly Medusa virus sweeps the globe, wiping out humanity in a matter of weeks while he remains inexplicably immune. As Adam and his fellow survivors struggle to survive in a dying world beset by panic and lawlessness, he discovers a flicker of hope that will send him on a quest through a world unlike any he has ever known. He joins forces with Sarah Wells, a soldier harboring a terrible secret, and Freddie Briggs, an aging football star grieving the loss of his family. As they trek across a ruined American landscape, the challenges mount around them, including a dangerous new enemy that threatens their fragile existence. |
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THE WORLD HELD HOSTAGE BY A STOLLEN CYBER WEAPONâ¨â¨Former war correspondent Dominic Elliston has led a charmed life. Until now. A mysterious and unusual invitation will change not just his life, but the very course of humanity. Victor Sagen is a die hard environmental extremist, fuelled by his own dark and tragic past. He is on the cusp of unleashing his final act of environmental activism. His plan is to put the fate of the planet in the hands of an autonomous, artificial intelligence program codenamed Biblical. A reprogrammed cyber weapon that will prioritize the Earth over humanity â no matter the cost or suffering. Dominic finds himself in a unique position to stop Sagen from causing global mayhem. Yet even he is torn by the simple question, should he? In a race against time, Dominic will travel to the corners of the globe to stop the clock ticking on the ultimate weapon and confront his own sense of morality. â¨The stakes are high, the odds long and the line between right and wrong never more blurred. |
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Debbie Peck is a conflict mediator struggling to make ends meet in Chicago's near future. Conflict is everywhere, but jobs are scarce, so when her headhunter calls about an open position at the prestigious Jefferson Trellis, she jumps at the opportunity. She lands right in the middle of an active murder investigationâa tangle of half-truths, broken promises, and a growing snarl of danger and dread. But a job's a job. At least this one has health insurance. As Debbie navigates her new position and Detective Melody Jackson investigates the murders at the Trellis, they each untwine the tendrils of a secret creeping through its corner offices. Like the botanical gardens at the Trellis' base, their worlds weave between the lush, the stark, the delicate, and the deadly. Dancing between mystery, science fiction, and nail-biting suspense, THE TRELLIS layers a decade or two of decline to the current American condition. Whether it's drone swarms, deepfakes, or the growing divide between the have-it-alls and the have-nots, the technology predictably improved while the people predictably haven't. Debbie's tale is both familiar and fantastic, both funny and frightening, but calling her world a dystopia would damn ours the same definition. THE TRELLIS is Jools' first full-length novel. It paints a compelling picture of dangers to comeâsometimes rich with thick impastos, sometimes sharp in sparks and flashes. But by the last page, Debbie's story becomes our own. |
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*** NAMED TO KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOKS OF 2018 *** Fire, splitting the atom, synthetic biology. There's a dark side to every invention, one which we have been fortunate to contain for most of history. But are we hurtling into the future too fast? Detonation is an epic dystopian tale that is a cautionary reflection on our own innovation-obsessed culture. It follows two societies that are connected, but centuries apart, and their struggle against a superintelligent machine. Amid ideological clashes and political plotting, a diverse cast discovers this insidious threat, and they are forced into an escalating conflict against a tireless enemy. "A highly entertaining and absorbing combination of philosophy and action featuring robustly individualized characters." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) |
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The Shepherd Protocol by Fowler Brown Melody Clay is a synth, an artificial intelligence housed in a roughly human-shaped body of alloy and plastic. Hope and desperation have driven her to Boston in 2068. A software failsafe known as the Decay is killing the synths, and Melodyâs missing motherâone of her creatorsâmight have the answer. All she can rely on are her wits, a human with hidden goals of his own, and a head full of her motherâs memories. Each glimpse of the past brings her closer to the shameful secrets that may unlock the future, at the cost of accelerating her own decline. But human society is alien and hostile, and as Melody struggles to stay one step ahead of both an oppressive police force and a criminal ring that wants to scrap her for parts, she begins to uncover a hidden player whose schemes may have dire consequences for humans and synths alike. |
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Welcome to Petra. It is the ultimate prison. Inmates from all of Ported Space are dumped there, forgotten, and left to survive however they can. Hope dies. Escape is impossible.Disillusioned war hero Kane Pythen comes to Petra on a fact-finding mission, but gets caught in an uprising that threatens to expose a shattering secret. And Rolf Ankledge, Petraâs ruthless warden, will stop at nothing to keep it from reaching Ported Space. If Kane involves himself, he risks losing everything he has. If he does nothing, he betrays the last shreds of his ideals. The prison break of the millennium is on. Now Kane must race against time and vicious forces from all over Petra if he ever wants to see his wife and daughter again. Petra is the first book in The Prison World Revolt series. |
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The Golden Crunk of Cringle by Ken Rudisill What could possibly go wrong when stealing a mysterious artifact from a vindictive alien race bent on conquering the galaxy? After years on the run, two desperate siblings mistakenly stow away on a criminal ship leaving sanctioned space. They think their luck can't get any worse until they overhear the crew discussing mutiny and the GCC. Is it possible the captain possesses the legendary artifact? Despite not knowing the object's true power or the creator's identity, they hatch a plan to steal it and depart at the next space station. Join the cautious older brother and reckless sister as they fight to change their fate, discover the mystery behind their colony's destruction, and enact justice on those that wronged them. For fans of underdog revenge stories, sibling bonds, and sentient animal companions. |
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The Echo Effect by John Robert McGuire In the world before, Aaron Anders had a different life with a different family... Until the White Light washed them away. A select few know the truth about our world: every time the calendar approached the year 2025, the world resets and creates a new Earth, with a new history for each of us. The Awakened remember their previous lives, and throughout history, many of them have done their best to ensure that the world proceeds on a particular path. The lucky few. Aaron didn't feel lucky. Trapped in this loop, forced to live again and again in half-remembered lives, his current reality was spiraling out of control. His wife and his best friend thought he was losing his mind, and the worst part was they might be right. Another existence filled his head, mixing false memories with his real ones until he wasn't sure of the truth. And the only one who seemed to know anything was a stranger convinced "They" were after both of them. |
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Turnabout by Carmen Webster Buxton It's not a super power if you can't control it! Jason Miller's biggest worries were keeping up with his homework, paying for his classic jazz habit,and hiding the fact that he carried a flip phone. But then one day he finds himself teleporting from place to place, a talent he can't control. It gets worse when he lands in an alternate world, one that has many, many more women than men. It sounds great until Jason learns the downside to being a precious commodity: Having a harem is no fun when you're the one who's locked up. |
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Dragon's Baby by Miranda Martin My strange life as a scientific researcher is ripped apart the day blood-thirsty pirates attack our space ship. In the confusion, the ship is thrown off course. We crash land on a planet that can barely support life. YeahâŚthings are going swell. Iâve escaped the pirates, at least. But when Ladon, a powerful Zmaj warrior, rescues me from the scorching desert wasteland, I soon learn I have bigger problems. This planet is home to a dragon-alien...and he has eyes set on me. Ladon takes me to his lair, where it soon becomes clear I'm not just a prisoner. Iâm his mate. In love with my curves and my soft, human form, he declares he intends to keep me and claim me in every way. And the moment he touches my trembling body, he leaves no doubt... This fierce, protective dragon owns me. Fans of Ruby Dixon and Calista Skye will love Dragon's Baby by USA Today Bestselling Author Miranda Martin, a full length, standalone science fiction romance with a happily ever after, plenty of steam, bloody battles, and alien-human intrigue. Scroll up and one click to start this scorching hot SFR today! |
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SEARCHING FOR A NEW HOME⌠The Galahad, a faster-than-light spacecraft, carries fifty scientists and engineers on a mission to prepare Kepler 452b, Earthâs nearest habitable neighbor at 1400 light years away. With Earth no longer habitable and the Mars colony slowly failing, they are humanityâs best hope. After ten years in a failed cryogenic bedâbody asleep, mind awakeâWilliam Chanokhâs torture comes to an end as the fog clears, the hatch opens, and his friend and fellow hacker, Tom, greets himâŚby stabbing a screwdriver into his heart. This is the first time William dies. It is not the last. When he wakes from death, William discovers that all but one crew memberâCapria Dixonâis either dead at Tomâs hands, or escaped to the surface of Kepler 452b. This dire situation is made worse when Tom attacks againâand is killed. Driven mad by a rare reaction to extended cryo-sleep, Tom hacked the Galahadâs navigation system and locked the ship on a faster-than-light journey through the universe, destination: nowhere. Ever. Mysteriously immortal, William is taken on a journey with no end, where he encounters solitary desperation, strange and violent lifeforms, a forbidden love, and the nature of reality itself. âŚHE DISCOVERS THE INFINITE. Jeremy Robinson, the master of fast-paced and highly original stories seamlessly blending elements of horror, science fiction, and thrillers, tackles his most ambitious subject matter to date: reality itself. An amalgam of the works of J.J. Abrams and Ridley Scott, Infinite is a bold science fiction novel exploring the vastness of space and a manâs desire to exist, find love, and alter the course of his life. |
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It All Began With The Sound Of Thunder. A Thunder That Came In The Night. A Thunder That Changed The World. When the eye of the storm moves, so do they. It is a brutal life. But is there somewhere else out there, beyond the Eye? In a post-apocalyptic future, a handful of survivors cling to life in the last habitable place on Earth: the Eye of the Storm. Within it, tribes of humans scrounge for scraps and fight for temporary land. They must keep going. It is their only option. But then the Pathfinders make a terrible discovery; that the one spot left they call 'safe' may be disappearing. Then Aiden finds her; a mysterious young woman who speaks a language he's never heard. Yet, he understands her message. There is another place. They've managed to survive by never venturing into the chaos of the swirling winds and lightning, but to find this mythical land, Aiden will need to go into the Storm. The expedition will need the help of the Stormwalkers, a strange group of nomads who may not be quite what they seem. They may not even be human. To many, the idea of an outside world is blasphemy. They don't want the mission to succeed. And so, while Aiden and his crew venture into the wasteland, war is brews within the Eye. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will survive? You'll love this clever look at a different kind of apocalypse, as the adventure keeps you turning the pages. Get it now. Don't miss this dystopian action-adventure that readers call "compelling", "inventive", "fast-paced" and "awesome". |
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Nigh by Alan Miller Weâre not getting any older... An extraordinary event at the genetic level changes everything - the world didnât see it coming. It takes time for people to adjust to waking up to smoother skin and better health. Vices and addictions can now be taken up with abandon as cells repair themselves on the slow but inexorable path to youth and infancy. A global spring clean begins, a purge to free the planet of parasites. In the first week of what came to be christened âGodâs Boomerangâ, confusion and fear gripped the world. Over decades, countries and societies radically change and through the experiences of a reporter, a doctor, two couples and an ancient Iowan farmer, we hurtle through this maelstrom of upheaval, shepherding humankind to its ultimate destiny⌠A very human apocalypse⌠A new end is beginning... |
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Percival Gynt and the Conspiracy of Days by Drew Melbourne The year is 20018. The famed magician Illuminari is dead, and his greatest illusion has died with him. Dark forces now seek the Engine of Armageddon, the ancient, sentient doomsday weapon that Illuminari hid amongst the stars.Enter Percival Gynt, accountant and part-time hero, whose quest to find the Engine before it falls into the wrong hands may be our universeâs last best hope for survival. It is a quest that will take him from the highest reaches of power to the lowest pits of despair and through every manner of horror and absurdity between.But beware. This accountant has a secret. A secret that may damn us all.Percival Gynt and the Conspiracy of Days is a sci-fi/fantasy adventure novel full of swashbuckling, math, dark secrets, space-faeries, obtrusive product placement, Nazis, beating up those Nazis, unlimited baked beans, zombie cyborg assassins, fate with a capital "F," love, betrayal, wizards, jokes, paradoxes, a sentient doomsday weapon, eleven-dimensional space, clones, monsters, space-nuns, and at least one rat-chef.(Only one rat-chef.) |
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Soldierina by Better Hero Army Everything's gone wrong. The battleship Timora has crashed into Earth on its arrival, leaving INA stranded on a planet occupied and controlled by mechanized invaders she shouldn't be able to feel with her empathic senses...but she does. Worse, rather than searching for the man she loves, sheâs stuck with a vengeful platoon sergeant she hates more than anything in the universe. In this hard-hitting, near-future military science-fiction thriller, the author behind the Better Hero Army name pens an unforgettable new twist on the sixth sense. |
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Streamrider by Mark Huntley-James Welcome to Bluesky! The most useful island of stability on the slipstream, only a few lightyears beyond Earth, the place to start wars, to bury enemies, and the gateway to the ultimate mineral-rich world of Cinder. Just donât mention the revolution, the ousted Earth Colonial Office, or the uber-rich Rolanders who used to own it. Lois Rolander â rich girl and documentary addict â arrives on the run to save a piece of alien tech. She finds refuge under an alias amid the maintenance grunts. Jo-jo the thief drops in to put a price on Loisâs head and recover the alien tech he was stealing. Instead heâs dragged into a war he learns his grandfather secretly started. Lois and Jo-jo just need to navigate a path through the brewing war, as everyone fights over that alien tech, itself the key to future control of Cinderâs wealth. |
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A tsunami on a space station. An explosion with no trace of the bomber. Cyber-security expert Sebastian knows evidence doesnât magically disappear, yet when he and his colleague Aryx, a disabled ex-marine, travel the galaxy to find the cause, there seems to be no other explanation. Can they unravel the mystery before his family, home, and an entire race succumbs to an ancient foe? |
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Bache Loftt wants nothing more than to follow in his fatherâs footsteps and be an engineering officer on one of the galaxyâs most powerful, state of the art starships. He has the grades, he has the aptitude â and his application for the naval academy is in. All he has to do is wait for the call up. Then he witnesses a double murder. Barely escaping with his life, can he evade the unlimited resources of a galactic syndicate hunting for him and uncover a conspiracy that involves the very institution heâs determined to join? The Aspirant: a tale of friendships, betrayals, unspeakable crimes â and greed. "Absolutely loved this book! Adventure; Mystery; Intrigue; Conspiracy; Crime; Murder; Assassination â and all of it done on an intergalactic level, this book is worth picking up and taking the time to enjoy" - Goodreads |
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The Empress Capsule by R. K. Thorne A dangerous new passenger. A ship full of elite women marines. A package containing a terrible secret. Meet Kael Sidassian: disgruntled mercenary and glorified guard of doors. Forced into a life he would never have chosen as a cyborg merc, he's lost not only his freedom but also his ability to feel anythingâor appreciate the opposite sexâbecause of his cybernetic augmentations. That is, until last week when a renegade scientist blew the lock off his testosterone and reopened his eyes. A chance to free himself has landed in Kael's lap. He can run and hope his "employers" forget he was ever born. He just needs to get a ride off this backwater planet and deliver the strange capsule that's been foisted on him. One last mission. Unfortunately for Kael, there's only one ride off this planet. And it's on the starship Audacity, led by famed war veteran Commander Ellen Ryu and her elite marines. Dangerous, competent, well-trained, female marines. Commander Ryu is not to be trifled with, and she doesn't trust easily. And she certainly doesn't appreciate flirting. As an enemy rises to face them both, Ryu could be Kael's saviorâor the one to finally end him. Because these women are on a hidden mission to seek and destroy abuses of technology anywhere in the galaxy. Abuses like the strange capsule hidden in his cabin. For lovers of sci-fi adventure with a side of romance in the tradition of Lindsay Buroker, David Weber, Elizabeth Moon, and Lois McMaster Bujold, THE EMPRESS CAPSULE is the first volume in the Audacity Saga. |
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The Orthogonal Galaxy by Michael L. Lewis When a college professor's dream of discovering a parallel Earth is in jeopardy, an astronomical phenomenon sends a trio of research students scrambling to unravel a mystery that will lead them to the discovery of a lifetime. With a compelling set of data that yields more questions than answers, NASA turns to a pair of unlikely astronauts, who undertake a mission of staggeringly poor odds to learn more about the galaxy in which they live. The Orthogonal Galaxy is the first novel in the Galaxy Series by one of Science Fiction's newest authors. |
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The Peacemaker's Code by Deepak Malhotra WINNER OF THE "NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD" FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION (2021) Professor Kilmer, a renowned historian of war and diplomacy, is collected from his home and whisked off to Washington. Thrust into the highest levels of government as an adviser to the President, the young historian must come to terms with the seemingly impossible, figure out how to navigate a world where not everything is as it appears, and use all the skills and knowledge he has acquired in his life to help save humanity from a conflict of truly epic proportions. A genre-breaking novel that re-examines the human condition and masterfully blends some of the most compelling themes in literature: war & peace, strategy & serendipity, love & friendship, courage & fear, the bounds of possibility, and the limits of imagination. Replete with mysteries that will compel you to keep turning the pages, powerful moments that will stop you dead in your tracks, and insights that will change the way you understand and navigate the world. Most of all... a journey you will not forget. |
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The Scent of Metal by Sabrina Chase The expedition ship Kepler races to Pluto, intent on uncovering the secrets of the alien structure recently discovered under the ice. Computer scientist Lea Santorin canât wait to figure out the alien technology. Instead, she wakes it up ⌠and it continues its long-interrupted journey across the galaxy, taking Lea and Kepler with it.. And something strange also wakes in Lea. She hears voices no one else can, and sees things the mission command prefers hidden. Why bring so many soldiers along with the scientists? Who concealed the structure, and when? Who waits at the final destination...and will they survive the meeting? (May 2016) Updated cover art and added sample of book 2 in the series |
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The United World by Craig Priestley Microchips, drones, and one smart dog make for a thrilling British dystopian series. With the rise of a new global government, only one choice remains: submit to The United World or face the consequences. When John, an anxious first-time father, uncovers the government's secret intentions to microchip his son, his world implodes. Fearing the worst, he tears his wife and baby from their home and the overbearing eyes of the state. As time passes the government carries out their plan to create a utopian society... by any means possible. What will happen to a father and son who choose to fight for their freedom? |
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The Vacuum of Space by Julia Huni In space, no one can hear you clean Most people want fame and fortune, but not Triana Moore. She prefers programming maintenance bots and eating vendo food in the solitude of the space stationâs control center. But when a highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of murder and missing bodies, Triana canât ignore him; itâs cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment. Since working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, Triana lends her programming skills to Agent OâNeillâs investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up. A killer with a clean-up crew means moneyâlots of money, and connectionsâjust the kind of notice Triana tries to avoid. Following the clues leads them to the wealthiest levels of the station, uncovers long-hidden secrets and puts the killer on notice. It will take all Trianaâs technical talents, most of OâNeillâs connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life. This book was previously published as Murder is Messy |
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The Wakeful Wanderer's Guide to New New England & Beyond by Jim Infantino A captivating picture of a climate-changed future viewed from two starkly different cultural perspectives, The Wakeful Wandererâs Guide to New New England & Beyond follows the paths of a runaway aristocrat, a Luddite tyrant, a spy seeking retribution, and a wandering historian unicycling north along the crumbling Boston Post Road. Marto Boxter is an optimistic journalist with a head full of implants. When we meet him, he is planning a ride into the interconnected tribes of the Northeast from his town of Reverside-on-Hudson. He plans to document his ride by posting his thoughts in real-time to his post-human followers. Before he can leave on his tour however, a runaway named Helen arrives with secret information that throws Martoâs placid world into turmoil. Meanwhile, Barnabas Yoniver IV, the leader of a Luddite town to the south launches a plot to disrupt the life of all upgraded humans and bring them back to the traditional economy of markets and governments. Aware of Yoniver's plans, rival Luddite families scheme to prevent Barnabas from grabbing too much power for himself. This darkly humorous reflection of our changing world is an exploration of what it means to be human as our relationships with technology become increasingly intimate. |
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World of Difference by WJ Donovan Science fiction novel set 150 years in the future, Justine O'Rourke is a space engineer working on Io research station when she discovers she is pregnant, she relocates to Ceres for a new life. Her twin brother Davide has been shipped off to Mars to help build a colony as part of a convict work crew. Behind the scenes Bian and Ko Thang are pushing humankind into a new and dark vision of our future. |
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How many times does it take to destroy the world before you can save it? In 1986, physicist Timothy Straus hears voices that teach him how to create a space-warping engine that will change the world. In 2098, a fighter pilot hears voices that help him fight an authoritarian corporatist regime in the ashes of nuclear fallout. In 2155, the only self-aware robot on Mars struggles to steer humanity away from a demagogue who speaks from the shadows. Told through kaleidoscope storytelling across space and time, these three people are connected in ways they could never imagine. As they pull on the strings of the multiverse, what they canât see is that every villain begins as a saviorâevery enemy starts as a friend. With the power to refract reality, will they learn that one person canât save the people? That only the people can save the people? |
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THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TOKENIZED: AN URBAN SCI FI THRILLER (The Daedalus Cycle) by Christoph Brueck Blade Runner meets Hunger Games! In a future where the world is completely digitalized a young woman named Cypher is on the run! After stealing the DAEDALUS, a particularly dangerous piece of software from her ex-boyfriend, Cypher is stranded in a refugee camp in Africa. There she soon makes new allies and enemies. Pursued by a local gang and a dangerous international conglomerate she must quickly learn how to use the stolen program to survive. Soon enough she realizes DAEDALUS might be more than the key to escape from her current situation. She might start a revolution with it . . . Book I of the Daedalus Cycle. From the author of the acclaimed short story collection DON'T OVERTHINK THE APPLICATION SAID comes a stunning, thrilling, and provocative debut novel in the tradition of Cyberpunk, William Gibson and Philip K. Dick. A fast-paced thrill-ride into a plausible future, that is the kickoff for the DAEDALUS CYCLE. |
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Extinction Reversed by J.S. Morin These days, even the humans are built by robots. Charlie7 is the progenitor of a mechanical race he built from the ashes of a dead worldâEarth. He is a robot of leisure and idle political meddlingâa retirement well-earned. Or he was, until a human girl named Eve was dropped in his lap. Geneticists have restored Earthâs biome and begun repopulation. But primate cloning is in its infancy; human cloning is banned. Far from a failed genetics experiment, Eve is brilliant, curious, and heartbreakingly naĂŻve about her speciesâ history. But Eveâs creator wants her back and has a gruesome fate planned for her. There is only one robot qualified to protect her. For the first time in a thousand years, Charlie7 has a human race to protect. A.I. didnât destroy humanity. It didnât save us, either. The robots we built in our final days preserved human minds. They survived the end of life on Earth and embarked on the greatest single project in all recorded history. They rebuilt. The result of 1,000 years of genetic engineering, terraforming, and painstaking toxic cleanup has resulted in the ultimate achievement of the Post-Invasion Age: a healthy human. Her name is Eve14. Donât ask about the 13 Eves before her. Or do, because thatâs the reason why sheâs in danger, and why one brave robot puts his millennium-long life on the line to save her. Welcome back to the Golden Age of science fiction, when scientists had planet-sized dreams and robots were robots. Grab your copy while thereâs still an Earth left to read it on. |
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Edge of the Breach by Halo Scot We all become monsters at the edge of the breach. In a post-apocalyptic world where season of birth determines power â spring healers, summer mages, fall shapeshifters, and winter shields â a man and a woman emerge from tragic childhoods to lead humanity on opposite sides of an interrealm war. ââââââââââââââââ There is a hole in the sky. They call it the Rift. A portal to the gods. The scar of a suffering world. Through it, the gods rule the last scraps of civilization, harkening war. As chaos beckons, two leaders emerge from the ashes of a dying planet. Julian Kyder is the son of an abusive rape victim who compensates for his abandonment through psychopathy. Sira Rune is a cancer survivor who dedicates her life to living free and fearless while experiencing the taboo and the unorthodox. Rune is the only one unafraid of Kyder, and that terrifies him, because he only knows how to function through fear. Even though she gives him more chances than he deserves, how much violence can she forgive? When is a person beyond redemption? While he struggles to control his demons and she struggles to find purpose, the gods drag the ruined world into war. Amazon Top 10 New Releases LGBTQ+ Sci-Fiâ¨Amazon Top 25 New Releases LGBTQ+ Fantasy CONTENT WARNING: The Rift Cycle is a highly graphic series intended for mature audiences. |
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OF CINDER AND BONE is Ron Howard's Ransom meets Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park! After centuries of being the most dangerous predators on the planet, dragons were hunted to extinction. That is, until Dr. Rhett âJackâ Jackson and Dr. Kamala Anjali cracked the code to bring them back. Through their research at MIT, they resurrected the first dragon anyone has seen alive since the 15th century. Thereâs just one problem. Someone stole it. Caught between two ruthless yakuza clans who want to clone the dragon, Jack and Kamala brave the dangerous streets of Tokyo to steal their dragon back in a race against time before the world is taken over by mutated, bloodthirsty monsters that will raze it to ashes. Of Cinder and Bone is an all-new sci-fi thriller from the author of the Amazon bestselling Black Parade novels. Donât miss out on this explosive first-in-series! Fans of Westworld, I Robot, Pacific Rim, and Reign of Fire will fall in love with this mashup novel that opens up a whole new world of possibilities into what we know and love about dragons. Of Cinder and Bone was selected for the Top 30 books in Hugh Howey's 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Contest. |
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Things They Buried by Amanda K. King & Michael R. Swanson Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2019 "...uses dazzling worldbuilding and a hodgepodge of characters, cultures, and fantastic species to tell a powerful, human story. ... The worldbuilding is nearly flawless in its execution, which will entice readers to immerse themselves in the story... The intriguing plot makes excellent use of its primary characters, resulting in a breathtaking, harmonious read. An empathetic, complex, and offbeat tale."â¨âKirkus Reviews (starred) "The creepy threats and fierce fights in this densely imagined novel will gratify fans of dark fantasy, especially those who want real depth in between thrills."â¨âBookLife Under the dirty streets of Ismae's greatest port city, an old nightmare waits for Sylandair and Aliara, one that is stealing Dockhaven's children, one only they can end. When the pair escaped their owner and abuser years ago, they left him behind in a ball of blue flame, but as more children disappear near the city's desalinization plant, their suspicions turn to the predator they believed dead. Accompanied by their less-than-reliable puka scout Schmalch, they delve into the forgotten depths of the patchwork city. Their search will lead to a twisting world of corruption and experimentation, uncover horrors greater than any they imagined, and summon memories they never wanted to exhume. A dark science fantasy action adventure, Things They Buried is the first full-length novel of Ismae, a world where science sometimes appears as magic and history as myth, where monsters make themselves and heroes are wholly unintentional. This novel contains adult themes and violence. |
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This Blue Ball by Wayne V Miller From an unearthly distance, earth seems blue - but not where we stand. Life seems predictable because we live backwards, repeating the past instead of living the present. Sometimes the future surprises - and sometimes you surprise yourself. This novel tells of the contact - and collision - of a handful of human lives with an alien intelligence, in the sudden flash of an otherworldly green light. |
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Grounded after a rescue attempt in Earth orbit goes bad, Commander Martin Atkins of the Confederation Navy is approached by the Interscission Project, a consortium of civilian corporations on the verge of perfecting the technology to travel to another star. Despite his misgivings, the chance to get back in the pilotâs seat is too much to pass up, and he convinces his best friend and crewmate, Charles Davenport, to leave the military temporarily and join him as part of the crew of the Zenith, humanityâs first starship. Edward Harlen is a brilliant young engineer, and a key player in the construction of the Zenith to take advantage of the untested technology of foldspace drive. But Edward has his own agenda in joining the project, and a bitterly personal score to settle with his boss, Trevor Sutton, a vendetta of which Trevor is entirely ignorant. But when Edwardâs sister Stella enters the picture and manages to secure a position on the project, all of Edwardâs careful plotting is upset, and she might spell the downfall not only of his plans for revenge, but of the entire Zenith mission. The spark of attraction between Edward and Martin is a complication that Edward canât afford, but of which he canât let go. For Edward knows the secret at the heart of the Interscission Project, the hidden potential of the technology that in the wrong hands could become the ultimate assassinâs weapon: the ability to rewrite history, not just once, but many times. As an unseen enemy moves to destroy them, and the body count multiplies in their wake, Martin and Edward must choose whether they will allow the possibility of love to challenge their destinies, or will they instead take up arms in a war to control the most ancient and terrible power in the universe. Time, itself. |
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What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning? Half the world would become trapped in endless night, the other half in relentless day. Global communications would be crippled. The oceans would migrate to the Earthâs magnetic poles, and global tremors would threaten the stability of the entire planet. In other words, things would be bad. Very bad. Thatâs what happens in SKYBOUND. And the clock is ticking. The world is in chaos. Theories about the impossible phenomenon run the gamut from broken physics to little green men to the dawning of the end times. But everyone agrees on one thing: The massive metallic object that suddenly appeared in the sky is to blame. In his debut novel, Lou Iovino weaves a modern-day fable that traces the path of two small-town siblings who find themselves thrust into events that will reshape humanity, and grappling with the question that has plagued mankind for eons. Whatâs up there? |
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Wherever Seeds May Fall by Peter Cawdron FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. The Prince of Darkness is coming. Comet Anduru skimmed the clouds of Saturn. Rather than being drawn into the gas giant, it skipped back out into space. With the comet heading for Jupiter, speculation is mounting itâs an alien spacecraft making its way to Earth. Lieutenant Colonel Nolan Landis and Dr. Kath McKenzie are caught between an angry public and an anxious President as they grapple with the scientific, social, and political implications of First Contact. FIRST CONTACT is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact. |
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The war is nearly over, but alien-bred human Ry still must decide: species or family?Ryâs childhood was a lie. They told him that the humans had always worked for the lazuli, and in return, were protected from the horrors beyond the city of Lancer. In reality, all the cityâs shield guarded was the truth â the lazuli are aliens. For twenty years, they have been locked in a war with the humans, a war that has almost wiped out both species. When Ry learns the truth, he escapes his old home and leaves everything he has ever known behind. Now, six years later, the war is coming to a head, and he is forced to face his past, including the alien family who raised and cared for him â the family he still loves - when the human forces turn towards the last source of alien strength: the city of Lancer. Ry is going home. |