stories in and

The Shareholders

The Shareholders by H.S. Down

In the late 21st century, Earth has been ravaged by climate change. Seeing it was time for decisive action, the billionaires bioengineered immortality, purchased the last habitable biospheres on the planet as their personal shares, and fled to Mars. For everyone left behind, life on a dying planet isn't easy. The lucky ones live in enclosed cities eating bug protein and saving up for passage to Mars. The rest of humanity exists as climate refugees passing through worlds that are perpetually on the brink of ecological collapse. Ian Gateman, one of Earth's last bureaucrats, works on the settlement of ecological refugees while he, his wife, Anne, and their son, Alex, look forward to life on Mars. When Anne becomes terminally ill, she decides to upload her consciousness and live forever in Lotus: a corporate-run virtual reality simulation. To keep up with the monthly payments for Anne's digital residency and stop Lotus from deleting her consciousness, Ian takes on a special assignment. Tasked with finding a buyer for a fledgling colony of newly settled ecological refugees, Ian travels to the estates of several visiting immortals. As Ian tries to flog the colony to a brooding class of bored immortals, it becomes clear they have their own plans for humanity's future.


Dungeon Crawler Carl

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

It's the most-watched game show in the galaxy! In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth--from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds to all the trucks and cars--collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground. The buildings and all the people inside, they've all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe. Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your views and your followers. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style. You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big. You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game, with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.


Silent Sounds

Silent Sounds by Annait LJ

AFTER HER PARENTS GO MISSING, SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Zillayah Andrews wants nothing more than to finish her last year of school. She’s almost out the door. Almost able to find the truth about Ameslan’s dirty little secret. This new world may look perfect with its fae creatures, two suns, and ecological advancements. It may be exactly what the human ancestors hoped for when they found this planet so many centuries ago. It might just be the utopia to beat all utopias… Until you speak. One sentence. One word. One mistake. That's all it takes to shatter the balance between everyday life and a never-ending hunt. Zillayah knows this better than anyone. It’s the one thing her parents engrained in her head before they disappeared. Sooner than later, Zillayah falls into the custody of her eccentric aunt, Emriah Cohn, a teacher that doesn’t realize she’s on a short leash. How will they navigate the annual tests to find people of the Old Tongue? People like Zillayah? Speaking is already a death sentence for anyone caught. What will they do when Zillayah’s skills extend far beyond the imagination?


The Training Grounds: Mystery of the Immortals

The Training Grounds: Mystery of the Immortals by Jason Clark

SPSFC 2023

Debut author Jason Clark presents an exciting new genre-bending sci-fi/fantasy story set in a brutal future world, where swords settle disputes and those who can control the elements are the most feared warriors. Get ready for a fantastic escape from reality. When Darius receives an invitation to attend the Training Grounds, he wonders why an insignificant farm boy would be asked to join the most elite training academy in Merchant Valley. The only thing special about him is that he has unsettling visions he can’t understand. Despite the unknown, he accepts this privilege, and with his best friend, they set out on this new adventure. While there, they quickly form alliances with a skilled archer, a talented blacksmith, and a powerful wielder of the elements. Together, this new band of friends will learn that not all is as it seems at this new school. In fact, secret plots abound. It makes them question everything and everyone, including the head of the school, Dean Anders. Now it’s up to this adventurous group to uncover the truth about their world and find out the meaning of Darius’s vision. Visions that include a weapon known as the reaper that carries with it apocalyptic repercussions. But between classes, finding love, and training, will he and his friends be able to discover the truth before it’s too late?


Yesterday's Gone

Yesterday's Gone by Alice B. Sullivan

When the world falls apart, it doesn’t matter how. It’s who’s left to rebuild." -Sadie Gallagher Ten years after the Collapse, humanity rebuilds around a world teeming with infected. Determined to prove herself, Sadie’s only concern is turning eighteen so she can finally help keep her community safe. When an outsider shows up, fraying the threads of trust and security, Sadie's past comes undone, and her quaint life is ripped apart. In a world ravaged by the Collapse, a viral outbreak that turns its victims into flesh-eating monsters, eighteen-year-old Sadie Gallagher harbors an unshakable determination to prove her worth and help protect her community…until an unwelcome guest saves her from the hands of the undead, and her life takes an unexpected turn. Standing alone in her belief that her heroine is innocent despite her leader’s insistence of something sinister going on, Sadie wonders if her faith is well-placed or if this stranger has a hidden agenda of her own. A revelation looms on the horizon—one that will unravel a conspiracy involving the virus' origin and shatter Sadie's world. Yesterday’s Gone is a gripping tale of resilience, deception, redemption, and survival in a world where trust is scarce and danger lurks at every turn.


Plain Striders: An Amboy Novella

Plain Striders: An Amboy Novella by Steven Healt

**This novella is best read after Amid the Maelstrom** Uncertainty has settled over the Perimeter town of East Edge. The Knights of Amboy who were tasked to protect the citizens have abandoned their post. News of an attack on the Council in Central Amboy called the Knights away, and it is this same news that has caused a rift in East Edge’s fledgling Amber Waves Company chapter. With a newly formed town council struggling amid these events, East Edge finds itself in a precarious position. Owain Meadows and his twin brother, Dion, believe it is their responsibility to fill the void left by the Knights’ departure, despite orders from their guardian, Victor Aymin, to keep themselves out of the matter. But with the confidence of youth comes naivety. Their misunderstanding of their situation’s gravity could prove fatal, not only for themselves, but also for the townspeople they seek to protect. Will they find their place and be able to protect the town they call home, or will their inexperience lead to disaster?


Amid the Maelstrom

Amid the Maelstrom by Steven Healt

The Amber Waves Company has suffered a devastating loss. Members from across the New Ring gather to mourn, and celebrate those who fell during the atrocities that occurred within Central Amboy. Whispers are spreading of the Amber Wave's involvement. Some within the Company believe it is time to strike out against the new Council that has seized power. But who will be the one to lead them into this uncertain future? Cordelia Faucher has been tasked with the protection of a mysterious Amboian. A settlement within the Haze would be the last place the Council would expect to find them, but Mountain Station is already overwhelmed with refugees from failing settlements, and the world beyond the Perimeter is filled with dangers of its own. The status quo of Central Amboy has been shattered, and the Jorogumo are poised to take advantage of the chaos while the Amboians clamor to restore order…


Haze and Shadow

Haze and Shadow by Steven Healt

Driven by her task to bring Dimitri Endano to justice before the Elders of Mountain Station, Cordelia Faucher joins Gaelcean on his journey back to the capital city of Amboy. All she has to do is separate one of the most wanted men under the Shield from one of Central Amboy's most influential Councilors. Obligated by their contract, the Amber Waves are forced along as well. When dire news from Port Amboy reaches them, they use the opportunity to distance themselves from Gaelcean. Will it be enough to escape his grasp? The political engine of Central Amboy hasn't ceased, and the Amboian Councilors continue on in Gaelcean's absence. What lies in wait for him upon his return, and how will it impact those who follow him? Ahead of them lies the uncertainty of their return, and behind them, remnants of Dimitri Endano's followers pursue. Who is the strange woman leading them, and what is her connection to the Upper Districts?


The Wasp Child

The Wasp Child by Rhiannon Rasmussen

SFINCS Chipped Cup

Kesh is afraid-of his classmates, his abilities, and his prospects for the future. Born into Meridian Colony, where corporate values dictate human worth, Kesh longs to escape. Then, his classmates kidnap and dump him in the middle of the alien rainforest. Alone. Faced with certain death, Kesh locates the sansik, giant bugs native to the planet. Though the sansik seem to care for him at first, they set off a horrific metamorphosis in Kesh, and when they trade him back to Meridian, he becomes a living scientific curiosity. A bleak future of analysis without autonomy awaits him. Trapped between the grasp of Meridian's laboratories and a harsh alien world, Kesh must escape to have any chance of finding his purpose-and place-in the world.


All Orbits Decay Homeward

All Orbits Decay Homeward by Matthew Zakharuk

Before xe died, M-741 was human—but a starship’s systems won’t run themselves. Remade into a maintenance synthetic, xe is stripped of all but xir labour, to keep the rich in orbit while Earth festers. Or rather, that’s what should’ve happened. M-741 has an error in xir programming. A glitch of xir past, a call from someone xe once knew. To answer it is to risk being recycled. To ignore it is to forsake the only thing that remains of xem.


Broken Wings

Broken Wings by L. Stoddard Hancock

After an ancient war that left the outside air toxic, the shielded city of Utopia is the only safe place left in the world. Or so its citizens are taught to believe. Many dismiss the lies fed to them by a familial line of crooked presidents and choose to live outside the city's walls. But when a new president takes control, he wages a war on these Outsiders, and their leader's daughter Deryn Leon is caught in the crossfire. Five years later Deryn is a slave. Beaten and starved, she has little will to go on. But when a chance encounter leaves her with a means for escape, the forgotten fire inside of her ignites once more and she takes the opportunity with one swipe of a knife to her owner's throat. But escaping Utopia isn't easy. While hiding in plain sight, Deryn is discovered by Xander Ruby, the Utopian Guardian inadvertently responsible for her capture in the first place. Xander, who is guilt-stricken by everything he has done as a Guardian, wants nothing more than to get Deryn home. He takes her in and they soon form a powerful bond that will not be broken, even when the reality of this cruel and beautiful world threatens to tear them apart.


Eclipse

Eclipse by Herman Steuernagel

SPSFC 2023

Django and Mikka's paths collide as they embark on a journey that will shape the fate of a civilization built on half-truths and the backs of others. Rumors of civil war circulate through the Syndicate's orbital empire, catching both Django and Mikka in the crossfire, where the stakes are far higher than they realize.


Far Removed

Far Removed by C.B. Lansdell

SPSFC 2023 SPSFC 2024

On the moon of Knyadrea, the sea yields intelligent life. For a species shaped by tides, change is the only constant. Charismatic and innovative, Oklas Sayve has risen to prominence in Apidecca, the moon's capital city. A politician and college director, he has the resources to effect the changes he envisions for the world. But the sovereigns he serves oppose him at every turn and his status cannot protect the low-strata students attending his college. After a young knyad is wrongly linked to insurgent activity, Oklas must find a way to smuggle her out of the city while hiding his involvement from the authorities. Below the grand Assembly Chambers, a knyad in a mask sculpts, grasping for scraps of beauty in her shrinking world. Years ago, Prismer made a costly mistake and now has only her job at the projection booth and a few special interests to fill her days. But it is not her sculptures that draw the attention of a powerful client, and she is soon met with a request to undertake a dangerous mission. Will she answer the call and risk losing the little she has left? Mysteries surface. A supernatural substance is used in corrupt ways. As identities shift and predicaments are reshuffled, what alliances might be forged?


The Last Forest

The Last Forest by Alexander Way-B

From the furthest dunes and the edges of night - Comes a tale of determination, bravery and compassion! Derwin isn’t strong, cool, or even popular. And she definitely doesn’t believe in herself. Until fate transports her to a broken and desolate dystopian world. A world where technology is the rift that divides humanity. To survive she must find a bravery and strength she didn’t know she had. She must win the hearts and minds of strangers. And, finally she must vanquish an age-old hatred rooted in the land. If she fails, the last forest and all of humanity will fall to dust, forgotten forever.


Cold Rising

Cold Rising by Rohan O'Duill

After a job gone wrong, Special Agent Olgo is trapped within the bowels of Mars with no means of escape. The device that imprisons the trauma within them is about to fail, and the past terrors kept hidden by it must be contained for Olgo’s sanity and everyone's safety. From the darkness comes a tiny voice, and a tinier hope, "Hello?" *** The first book in the ‘Cold Rush Verse follows Agent Olgo as their corporate masters give them what could be their big break, a mission to Mars. But trying to change the working conditions in the planet's underground cities proves more challenging than the agent could have imagined. When a wearable device Olgo uses to block emotions begins to fail, an unlikely friendship changes everything as Olgo struggles to prevent spilling more blood on the Red Planet.


Isolated Futures Omnibus

Isolated Futures Omnibus by Koen Martens

If you’re a fan of thought-provoking sci-fi cyberpunk technothrillers like The Passengers and Black Mirror, then Koen Martens’ sci-fi anthology is your perfect next read! Story 1 - Forced to be Free: Sam, a young hacker with anger management issues, has joined a defense initiative against the advancing Russian army set to occupy Europe. When he discovers his boss is working undercover for the enemy, he must thwart his boss and prevent the destruction of the EU’s drone defense network before it’s too late. Story 2 - Murder, Plain and Simple: Dr. Jennifer Mendoza is a ship physician on the interstellar luxury cruiser Christopher. When a prominent and wealthy passenger is murdered, she is called to investigate the crime. Can she identify the killer before more people lose their lives? Story 3 - Cima Peak: Juan, a naive adolescent growing up in a post-apocalyptic world, embarks on a dangerous excursion that strands him and his friend far from his home. Can they make it back to their base before it’s too late to save the city from incoming slavers? Story 4 - Negative Reinforcement: Limei is an independent app developer on an isolated space station. She is utterly dependent on and enamored with her personal AI assistant. When she learns The Algorithm is planning to destroy human life on her ship, she must find a way to take it down before her crew perishes. Story 5 - Eddy: Digital forensics expert Lagan has been wrongly convicted of murder, but no one is willing to believe that he witnessed his own doppelgänger commit the crime. When he learns that the doppelgänger was one of many beings created to replace humans with AI-run clones, he must prove his innocence and take down the scheme before more people’s lives are ruined. Story 6 - DingDong by Zhumee: When Martin’s new Zhumee smart doorbell accidentally causes his neighbor’s wrongful arrest, he must set out on a quest to prove her innocence. Little does he know, Zhumee has far more control over the justice system than anyone imagined. Can he race against the clock to take down this corrupt system?


Who

Who by Karen A. Wyle

Have they changed their minds? Or have their minds been changed? Death is no longer the end. Those who prepare, and can afford it, may have their memories and personalities digitally preserved. The digitally stored population can interact with the world of the living, remaining part of their loved ones’ lives. They can even vote. Except - someone's in charge of the code. Someone who may have an agenda. After the young and vital Thea dies and is stored, her husband Max starts to wonder about changes in her preoccupations and politics. Are they simply the result of the new company she keeps? Or has she been altered without her knowledge and against her will? And if Thea is no longer herself, what can they do? Blending near-future speculation with courtroom drama, this novel explores the technical, legal, and ethical ramifications of a technology that many see over the horizon.


Playback Effect

Playback Effect by Karen A. Wyle

In the near future, new technology records the highlights of emotional experience for others to share. Buy a helmet and you can feel the exhilaration of an Olympic ski jumper, or the heat of a lucid dreamer's erotic imaginings. Commit a crime, and you may be sentenced to endure the suffering you inflicted on others. But such recordings may carry more information than the public has realized. What will criminals learn about their victims? When a husband is wrongfully convicted of injuring his wife, how will their marriage change? And what uses will a sociopath find for recordings of the experience of death?


Donation

Donation by Karen A. Wyle

Whose children are they? Who decides? In the near future, abortion is a thing of the past -- but the development of artificial wombs provides an alternative. The federal government controls this technology, and the fetuses consigned to these special incubators. Young and unprepared for motherhood, Toni Green panics and agrees to "donate" her unborn child for adoption, the fortunate parents to be selected by the Bureau of Reproductive Safety. But the decision doesn't sit well with her, and as her regrets grow, she consults her mother, a high-powered lawyer, about her options. And thus begins a journey for her, her mother, the chosen adoptive parents -- and Poloma Clark, an administrator at the Bureau whose policies and practices Toni is challenging. Poloma, initially tasked with helping the Bureau prepare for trial, finds herself confronted with evidence that the Bureau is exceeding its mandate. If the purpose of this mission creep is to protect vulnerable children, how can she help but join in? But the more she learns, the more her assumptions face challenges that force her to make possibly life-altering decisions. This novel, like Wyle's previous near-future stories, includes a substantial number of courtroom scenes -- and a memorable judge.


Moon Deeds

Moon Deeds by Palmer Pickering

SPSFC 2022

It's 2090: the last outpost of freedom is the moon, the best defense against technology is magic, and the only hope for humankind rests in the hands of the Star Children. Twins Cassidy and Torr must save Earth from a ruthless enemy at a time when the only force more powerful than alien technology is magic. Moon Deeds launches the siblings' journey across the galaxy, where they must learn their power as the Star Children, claim their shamanic heritage, and battle dark forces that threaten humankind. The Star Children Saga follows Cassidy and Torr as they slowly awaken to their destiny as the twin Star Children, born every millennium to reconnect with the source of all life. They come to discover the sheer enormity of their task: to find our ancestors on a lost planet across the galaxy and save humanity from a spiraling descent into darkness. The powers they must wield to accomplish this task are truly frightening and put at risk everything they love. Come along with 20-year-old twins Cassidy and Torr, who inherited deeds to land parcels on the moon. They want to use their moon deeds to get off Earth and escape a brutal dictatorship. But first they must unlock their shaman powers. A rollicking yet poignant adventure in the not too distant future, when we have colonized the moon and nearly lost Earth to a dictatorship. Only the shamans remain free, plus the lucky ones who escaped to the moon. Join the adventure! An addictive space opera, science-fantasy series.


Da Vinci On The Lam

Da Vinci On The Lam by B. D. Booker

SPSFC 2022 SPSFC 2024

One week. One chance. Earth is dying as a fungal ‘grit’ and dust storms smoother crop lands and destroy the oceans. The rich flee into space, leaving the poor to die off. But if gunslinger Artis Quinn delivers a priceless da Vinci artwork to an offworlder hub on the other side of the country, his family will get tickets off-world. Yet the true end of the world might arrive sooner than expected and Quinn will have to fight his way through the ruthless Onyx Group to succeed.


Entropy

Entropy by Dana Hayward

SPSFC 2022

DESTINATION MARS! The Lunar Republic is on the run… Life on Earth is dying from a mysterious cause, and President Kim bets her future on an obscure, young scientist whose theory can only be tested from outer space. The year is 2066, and the race is on against the Chinese to establish a viable lunar colony before the 100th anniversary of mankind’s first step on the Moon. Yet, the Moon is only the first step, the springboard for the permanent settlement of Mars. “Entropy” is set in the near future where technology has evolved to an astounding degree. Human nature, however, has not; this futuristic novel reads like an expose on our own times. “Entropy” is much more than a science fiction thriller; it is a running commentary on the times that we live. A dystopic, postapocalyptic, hard science depiction of epic space travel, colonization, and new beginnings for the human race: Entropy is a blockbuster, written by a new voice, waiting to be discovered.


Skid Kids

Skid Kids by Michael Franz

SPSFC 2022

Out of the Wastelands for the first time, Zander has never been lonelier. As a mutant he's used to loss, but leaving his 14-year-old sister, Kensy, behind is an emptiness like no other. As he steps through the walls of Westport, her words are the only thing keeping him going: "Win your freedom. If not for yourself then do it for me."


Deficiency

Deficiency by S. C. Eston

SPSFC 2022

How far would you go to keep your dreams alive? On the arid planet of Garadia floats Prominence City, an oasis of abundance and technological marvels. For Keidi and Artenz, life is good. Each day, they work hard to fulfill their role in sustaining Prominence. In return, they share an existence without worry or want, their every need attended to by the ruling corporations, their lives enhanced by a virtual reality accessible with a simple thought. But when a dear friend of Keidi goes suddenly missing, their idyllic existence begins to crumble. And when they start asking questions—the wrong questions, questions that reveal cracks in Prominence’s perfect image—the powerful corporations of Prominence take notice. Now, Keidi and Artenz must choose: do they stay in Prominence and risk the wrath of the corporations, or do they take their chances and run for the Lowlands, a bleak and mysterious place hidden beneath Prominence—if it even exists at all.


Transference

Transference by B.T. Keaton

SPSFC 2022

Barrabas Madzimure is banished to the desert planet Eridania for his many crimes. Slaves to the Church and to the will of its prophet Jovian, a charismatic figurehead who rules everything on Earth, Madzimure and his cohorts toil underground digging endlessly for the substance eridanium—the source of Jovian’s alien power. But Madzimure can no longer hide from his past. Facing execution he claims to have once been Thaniel Kilraven, transferred decades earlier into the body of Madzimure against his will. Under interrogation the stories of both men are brought to light, and the terrible fate of the lost Kilraven bloodline is revealed. Madzimure escapes, knowing the only way to salvage what’s left of the Kilraven name and confront his destiny—and Jovian—is by facing them head on. But the horrific truths he finds on Earth might be the undoing of all mankind. What if everything humanity believed about civilization was a lie? Will anything or anyone be left from the fallout?


Syn City: Reality Bytes

Syn City: Reality Bytes by Lewis Knight

SPSFC 2022

He's a mentally-enhanced hacker; she's a cyborg cop. They're supposed to work on opposite sides of the law ... until a common threat targets them both. Specter is a thief and hustler addicted to Elysia: a virtual reality world where limits don't exist, and he can have everything he desires. His illegal activities put him in the crosshairs of Cyber Corp, a lethal government agency specializing in hunting down the most wanted fugitives. Enigma is a Scyther: a former criminal forced to work for Cyber Corp after being enhanced as a super-soldier. A device implanted in her skull keeps her loyal, even when hunting down members of her old team. And now, she has a new assignment: tracking down and eliminating Specter.


The Cost of Survival

The Cost of Survival by J. L. Stowers

SPSFC 2022

Survival isn’t about who’s right; it’s about who’s left. Earth spirals into chaos.
World war ravages every border.
The human race teeters on the edge of extinction. Survival hinges on the success of one colony located in a decimated valley. Walt Marshall, government contractor, is no stranger to loss after the death of his wife and son.
Now he’ll honor them by doing whatever it takes to ensure the survival of humankind. Walt gets more than he bargained for when he uncovers a puzzling clue left behind by a mysterious woman. Destined to unveil the truth, he embarks down a dangerous path of espionage and treason. He quickly learns the dark truth about the past, and the future in this daring science fiction novel.


Scribes' Descent

Scribes' Descent by Dylan West

SPSFC 2022

People worship technology on Planet Daishon. With inventions that prolong life and eradicate disease, it's little wonder. Death seems obsolete until an earthquake kills thousands, including Mallory's parents. They should have lived for a thousand years, not just fifty. Mallory scrambles for answers. Such a disaster shouldn't be possible. Quakes have never happened on this world before. Suspecting the top research center had triggered it, her best friend's father investigates. When he turns up missing, Mallory goes on site after him as a geology intern. She can't bear to lose anyone else. An old mine sits at the epicenter of the recent quake, and an unbreakable alien barrier seals it off. But a door hidden in its surface opens for Mallory when she translates its engravings. Once inside, she evades underground predators while cut off from the tech that's always protected her. Some graves run much deeper than six feet, and this place could be one of them. Within this self-contained world lie the remnants of a universal war, revealing that Daishoni folklore is more than superstition. To survive, Mallory must trust in something more than science and logic. She must follow the voice of one she can't see down to the very bottom. Something deadlier than a quake is trapped there, and it is trying to escape.


The Patmos Revelation

The Patmos Revelation by Carl Jamieson

SPSFC 2022

Arlo’s dream has become a nightmare. Discovering an alien signal from an exoplanet fulfils a promise to his dying father. But, inexplicably, a series of devastating events are unleashed.
Set in a dystopian 2049, The Patmos Revelation is a fast-paced science fiction thriller, packed with twists and turns. In Arlo’s world, reason and beliefs clash, reality and dreams blur, and evil awaits.


The Psychic's Memoirs

The Psychic's Memoirs by Ryan Hyatt

SPSFC 2022

Ted Kaza, a hot-tempered Los Angeles detective, and Lydia Jackson, his distracted partner, are assigned to find Alice Walker, an alleged teenage psychic whose capture might determine the outcome of a looming civil war and humanity’s relationship with a misleading alien force.


Super-Borg Dies

Super-Borg Dies by Tac Anderson

SPSFC 2022

After being forced out of his last startup, Trent Daeshaun uses his technological prowess, and a good publicist, to become Super-Borg, Seattle's preeminent super. As rumors of homeless people being abducted coincide with an increase in violent attacks, Trent suspects that someone is weaponizing the homeless population and doing it with technology he created. With help from fellow tech entrepreneur Max Roman, a homeless girl from the camps, and several of Seattle's supers, Super-Borg must uncover who is behind the attacks and stop them. But the truth of who is behind the attacks and why, are far more complex than Trent imagined and stopping them will require great personal cost.


The Veiled Edge of Contact

The Veiled Edge of Contact by James Brayken

SPSFC 2022

A lost tribe, a missing spouse, and an alien interception . . . Okon was comfortable. Then his wife did something inconsiderate: she disappeared. When Okon realizes she left behind a desperate message with instructions for finding her, he’s forced to enter the largest jungle in Africa to follow her trail. But the longer Okon searches for his wife, and the deeper he journeys into the jungle, the more tangled he becomes in an astonishing discovery and the lives of an unlikely group of outsiders. Okon’s comfortable home has never seemed so far away and danger never so close . . . or so strange. Fun, sometimes dark, and relentlessly original—you won’t read another science fiction book like this!


The Massive Planet: The Adventures Of Deep Contact

The Massive Planet: The Adventures Of Deep Contact by Jeff Walker

SPSFC 2022

Captain Christopher Riley and his brave crew of the Earth Core United spaceship, Deep Contact, set out for adventure beyond the solar system. Their mission is to traverse space and discover new worlds for colonization; They represent humanity seeking to expand, explore, and search for alien life in any form. Alone and in the uncharted wilderness of the cosmos, they try to survive and complete the mission on behalf of Earth Core United. Deep Contact almost collides with a massive planet appearing out of nowhere. A Jupiter-like world that popped right into its main flight path. The crew desperately try to figure out a way to break free of its gravity as it pulls them deeper inside. Even though the ship should have been crushed instantly the minute they came into its wake; It falls deeper into the atmosphere’s densely thick clouds, endangering them all to whatever doom awaits. Captain Riley and his crew must race to figure out how to escape this huge world before they crash into its core, but do they have time to solve this riddle? Or will this be their one and only mission of failure?


SWARM: Underwater Metropolis

SWARM: Underwater Metropolis by Vincent Casil

Miranda takes you back to her childhood and what it’s like living in their underwater metropolis, including the significant concerns that only visitors from the past can resolve. Beforehand she and her fellow soldiers share a few meaningful tales of what has influenced most of the colonists deep into the abyss, among them an ancestor of Raymond and Nathan, David’s friends who they never knew, who made a heroic task saving civilizations both sides of the planetary system from above and below the sea. His name was Michael Herron, and just like the three friends, he got lost in the distant future of the SWARM world.


Goliath Fallen

Goliath Fallen by A.C Louis

SPSFC 2022

Three vast starships, ambushed by aliens. Will Earth’s last survivors live to see a new dawn? One hundred and fifty years in the future, on humankind’s one-way mission to find a new home planet, Doctor Lucas Sundberg unknowingly leads the ships into a devastating attack. Isolated in the aftermath, he struggles for redemption. So when he finds a father and daughter still alive, the tormented scientist vows to help extract them from the wreckage. Widower Nathan Clarke will do anything to keep the last of his family from being killed. After a year of hiding in a secret shelter, he jumps at the chance of survival when his strong-minded twelve-year-old, Izzy, uncovers a potential lifeline off the interstellar deathtrap. Teaming up with Lucas to get to an escape vessel, they learn they’re not as alone as they thought as horrific creatures block their exit. But they will never stop fighting to reach the one starship left unharmed even if it takes their final breath.


Release Day

Release Day by Ryan Matthews

SPSFC 2022

Earth’s surface is no longer ours. Humans thought they were safe underground where the invading Arthropods couldn’t reach them. After centuries of occupation, the antiquated subterranean cities have deteriorated and they have exhausted their supplies. Making matters worse, the hostile invaders have destroyed one of the ten remaining cities. Now Huck, Ariadne, and Hemant are in a race to destroy the Arthropod Hive before the “inverts” completely annihilate humanity. But before the candidates can begin, they must survive their corrupt government’s population control scheme—a highly-fatal, barbaric event known as RELEASE DAY. To accomplish their mission, they must enlist the help of a group of dubious transporters to trek across the planet through numerous biomes, infinite swarms of Arthropods, and deranged surface-dwelling humans on their perilous mission to recover a war-ending device and carry it to the creatures’ hive.


The Configuration of a Soul

The Configuration of a Soul by Irina Diamond

In a world where knowledge is considered power, Scholar Eris has witnessed firsthand why secrets are the difference between life and death, and why trust and attachment are dangerous. However, that doctrine was challenged almost a decade ago when she met the altruistic and pragmatic siblings Aaron and Natlee in the slums. Now, when Aaron is murdered at gunpoint protecting an innocent Supine, she may just be willing to defy everything she's ever known, and death itself, to bring him back. The only problem is, just who can she trust?


Heritage (Tales of the Phoenix Titan 1)

Heritage (Tales of the Phoenix Titan 1) by S.M. Warlow

SPSFC 2022

Heritage is the debut novel from S.M. Warlow and the first instalment of the Tales of the Phoenix Titan series. This space opera is perfect for fans of Firefly, the Expanse, Star Wars and Mass Effect. Make them proud, son of Earth. 25 years after the fall of Earth, the Commonwealth is locked in a vicious, galaxy-spanning war against the Revenant. Countless worlds have been lost in the fighting, and now one crew must come together and stand in the way of galactic annihilation. Nathan Carter is an efficient criminal, but when he's hired to steal supplies from a Commonwealth warship, what starts as an easy job soon transforms into something that could change the course of history. Now, Nathan must work with a group of unlikely allies to protect a woman whose heritage is the key to everything.


Panacea Genesis

Panacea Genesis by L. Ana Ellils

SPSFC 2022 SPSFC 2023

Mariela Stafford’s life just hit rock bottom. Her boss, the CEO of Panacea Corp, created a digital clone of himself, demoted Mariela, gave the clone her job, and told Mariela to train it. Now the clone wants her to help it kill the CEO. In 2115, embedded chips, virtual reality, and the threat of extreme weather have led to a market for businesses that keep a person’s body alive in a habitation pod while the person lives entirely in the metaverse. But not everyone embraces technological advances– a group of people have adopted the tech of 2005 while isolating themselves from the temptation of advanced technology. Panacea Corp – the world’s most powerful corporation – connects both worlds through providing the metaverse, the pod warehouses, and the land to the technology resisters. Mariela Stafford, a vice president for Panacea Corp, is demoted after her new boss assigns his digital clone to take over her job. Assisted by Amoco, an eccentric polymath who also works for the corporation, she schemes a way to get rid of the clone. To delete it, they’ll need to recruit a team to access an eighty-year-old server farm in a remote location—which would be a lot easier to do if the records on the location of the server farm hadn’t been lost. This ‘earth’ opera—a tale with all the drama, expansiveness, and varied cast of a space opera, but set on earth—will appeal to anyone who’s ever felt out-of-control of the technology in their lives. Panacea Genesis is book one in the Panacea Trilogy.


Ian

Ian by M. Warren Askins

SPSFC 2022

My son eats people. He doesn’t translate languages or shut off trash chutes. He doesn’t transform into a truck or a fighter jet. He doesn’t morph into liquid and seep through sewer grates. He eats people - My son eats people. Well, yeah, that's what he was designed to do. You see, my son is a robot. And me? I'm a sworn pacifist, raising him as best I can. So when a stranger came knocking one day, well, some stuff happened…


Lottery to Haven

Lottery to Haven by William Gee

SPSFC 2022

JENNIFER MI feels nothing but contempt for the new world and those choosing to abscond there. For the richest few, the new world represents an escape from a dying Earth; a place to start anew, free from responsibilities to society. With every launch, a global lottery is convened to select one lucky winner to accompany each paying passenger. Cast in the lottery without her knowledge, Jen is drawn into a desperate snare that even her skills as a budding cyber security specialist are ill-equipped to untangle. Joined by four other winners, she must uncover New Worlds’ shadowy motivations for THE LOTTERY.


Woodpusher

Woodpusher by Tim Baughman Jr.

Erika Edens finally had everything she wanted. The girl. The quiet life. The stable job. But even the best situations can be turned upside down by powers well beyond our control. Now Erika finds herself in another universe full of gods, guardians, and advanced technologies. Along with her girlfriend and four other humans, they must undertake a plan to save Earth from a rogue deity. But for all the skills and talents this team has, one critical component is out of place. Will Erika be able to overcome her lack of skills - and her demons - to learn what she needs to save the world? Or will she trip herself up along the way?


The One Game: A YA Sci-Fi Adventure

The One Game: A YA Sci-Fi Adventure by Jennifer Lewy

They put climate chaos behind them and placed their trust in a powerful AI. But when tech goes haywire, can one teen coder rescue her safe haven? Seventeen-year-old Rayne takes pride in the vivid virtual realities she codes. And with society finally emerging from environmental catastrophe, she relishes knowing her creations play a pivotal role in the vital artificial intelligence the world uses for guidance. But when her own program tries to kill her, the young techie fears she’s triggered an unstoppable horror that will destroy the entire globe. Teaming up with fellow programmers, she digs into the system to uncover the fatal flaw. But when the computer genius suspects the patch is deadlier than the bug, she stumbles into a conspiracy that could see her permanently deleted. Can Rayne undo the viral destruction before all humanity short-circuits? The One Game is the thrilling first book in the Game of Paradise YA science fiction adventure series. If you like empowered heroines, fast-paced action, and dystopian settings, then you’ll love Jennifer Lewy’s high-tech page-turner. Buy The One Game to decrypt a disruptive anomaly today!


Daughter 4254

Daughter 4254 by Leigh Statham

Daughter4254 used to think life in a community where art, music and names are outlawed would suffocate her creative spirit. Now that she’s rotting in a prison cell, she’s not sure her dying mother made the right choice when she entrusted her with the secrets of rebellion. Prison has given her plenty of time to relive every mistake and lose all hope. Then she meets Thomas, a fellow inmate, who tells her stories of the mythical mountain colonies where people have names and the arts thrive. Together they plot an escape, knowing if they fail, they will die. Or worse, their consciousness will be taken by the MindWipe, leaving their bodies free for the government to use. When nothing goes as planned, Daughter4254 must choose between using her mother’s secret to better the world she hates, or following Thomas to the quiet life of freedom she has always craved.


Shadow Fall

Shadow Fall by Audrey Grey

My name is Maia Graystone: prisoner, rebel, and reluctant savior of a dying world. In exactly 552 hours, an asteroid will end life as we know it. Not that I'm counting or anything. Trapped inside a hellish prison with thieves and murderers, I have more current worries. Like the brother I left behind or the not-so-friendly inmates or the fact that I'm wanted by the most powerful man in existence. 
Then a mysterious benefactor breaks me out and offers the impossible: a spot in the Shadow Trials. Win and I'll receive a coveted place for my brother and I on the space station in the stars. But the opportunity comes at a steep price. Partner with a dashing psychopath, enter the court that once condemned me to death, survive the ruthless trials created by my own mother, and kill the Emperor--the very man who's hunting me. In this cunning game of life and death, nothing is as it seems and everyone expects me to fail. But they forgot one tiny detail. Never underestimate the girl with nothing left to lose.


The Marriage Wars: Book One

The Marriage Wars: Book One by Melissa Gowdy Baldwin

Ten years apart. Three nights of uncovered secrets. One decision to change it all. Miserable and bound in a marriage she never wanted, Olivia Smith has played her part in The Nation’s marriage system for the last ten years. She had two children and supported their schooling, cared for her mother and sister, and never used her Challenge Pass from the Marriage Reward System—showing everyone she believed in the life of The Nation. Until now. Determined to have something for herself, Olivia selects the Challenge Pass as her ten-year anniversary reward, which allows her three nights with state-sanctioned escorts at The Challenge Center. She experiences intimate encounters, uncovered secrets, and a decision that will change her path forever. When Ethan, her true love, stands before her as a state-sanctioned escort, Olivia questions the last ten years of her life. To Ethan, Olivia is the last key to undoing The Nation and everyone who believes in its future. To Olivia, Ethan is the escape she’s wanted, but now that he’s in front of her, can she actually take the leap and leave the world she knows behind her? In The Marriage Wars: Book One, Melissa Gowdy Baldwin’s dystopian world asks us to question the role power and gender play in our need for connection, denial, and choice.


Bloodstained Skies: The Core of Rage

Bloodstained Skies: The Core of Rage by Dagmar Rokita

After years of tension, war has finally come to the Union worlds. Hordes of rebels, seeking revenge for their lost worlds, ravage the Peripheral Zones. One of the leaders of the rebellion is Charon Antares. When another one of his braver mission ends in disaster, the rich and powerful sovereign plans to deprive him of his authority. To save his status, Antares agrees to execute her insane order that may cost the lives of thousands of his people. A young and easy-going girl named Cerridwen finds out about the tragedy that happened to her family. She vows revenge, but without collaboration with Antares and the rebels, she will not be able to fulfil her plan. Meanwhile, a group of the Union scientists decides to end the rebel's invasions, once and for all - they build a deadly, inhumane weapon out of sight of the government.


The City Below the Cloud

The City Below the Cloud by T S Galindo

Few things endure like fear and fungus. In a city forever shrouded in darkness, Kalan braves the heights of the lichen covered buildings to scrub the invading fungi from the walls. What will be discovered when the secrets of The City Below the Cloud come for them? A dystopian cyberpunk novella that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. Approx. 26,000 words.


Her Unbound Hallux

Her Unbound Hallux by Haldane B Doyle

If only Mother would hurry up and die in the war. Then Miobeth can claim the mansion, take a husband and restore the family bloodline. But Mother insists on staying one more year for a final chance to produce an alternative heir. It should be easy for Miobeth to wait a little longer. To contain her impudent rage. Before she can claim her birthright a mesmerising manservant, a forbidden map and an adventure beyond the mansion walls change Miobeth forever. Can Miobeth fulfil her duty after glimpsing the outside world? “Our Vitreous Womb” is a series of four science-fiction novellas that explore a distant post-industrial future where biological technology has transformed humanity. “Makes my world look timid and old.” – Adolf Huxley “Sci-fi without robots and rocket ships? Impossible!” – Yusak Asimov “I too longed to snuggle with the giant beetle.” – Frank Kafka


Betrayal of Hope

Betrayal of Hope by Justin Doyle

Darynn, Fyra, and Kaylaa have solved the mysteries of the gods. But how can they unveil the secrets to save the starving Olan-Har without unleashing chaos upon Vastire? Even if they knew what to do, war with long-time adversary Erodia forces them to wait. Unfortunately, the Erodians are winning: they’ve taken Vastire’s capital and bombard the west coast nightly. With few options left, Commander Aseus turns to Darynn to attempt a daring mission to infiltrate Erodia, just like his grandfather did 80 years ago. With Fyra, Kaylaa, and a small team at his side, Darynn agrees to the treacherous mission across the dangerous, wild continent filled with powerful enemies. But he’s conflicted. Not only does magical power rampage within, but he starts to wonder who he’s fighting for: royalty and the clergy, or the people? That question will drive him to make impossible choices. If he chooses correctly, he can end the war and save the Olan-Har, but at a great cost. If he doesn’t, the Erodians will rule Vastire and the secrets of the gods will be lost.


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