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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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Effacement by Hieronymus Hawkes A future where offline privacy is illegal. A lethal plot permanently deleting people in power. One determined genius caught in an assassinâs sights. 2037. Dr. Cole Westbay is proud of having helped eliminate crime. Groomed to take over the company that makes the surveillance chip everyone is required by law to have, heâs alarmed by a series of suspicious deaths the hardware caused. And after launching an investigation, the brilliant scientist panics when he awakes with his mandatory neural link ripped out and his recently recorded memories erased⊠Arrested for the federal crime of failing to have his life fully documented, Cole struggles to get back online and clear his name. And as his paranoia grows while the bodies continue to pile up, he fears government enforcers, friends, and even his fiancĂ©e may be in on the scheme to set him up for a deadly fall. Can the embattled scientist crack the conspiracy before his enemies hit CTRL+ALT+DEL on his life? Effacement is a gripping standalone science fiction technothriller. If you like gifted but flawed heroes, deep-state intrigue, and relentless villains, then youâll love Hieronymus Hawkesâs dystopian vision. Buy Effacement for a hard reboot today! |
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The Immortality Game by Ted Cross Moscow, 2138. With the world only beginning to recover from the complete societal collapse of the late 21st Century, Zoya scrapes by prepping corpses for funerals and dreams of saving enough money to have a child. When her brother forces her to bring him a mysterious package, she witnesses his murder and finds herself on the run from ruthless mobsters. Frantically trying to stay alive and save her loved ones, Zoya opens the package and discovers two unusual data cards, one that allows her to fight back against the mafia and another which may hold the key to everlasting life. |
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Dropnauts by J. Scott Coatsworth Over a century after the end of the Earth, life goes on in Redemption, the sole remaining lunar colony, and possibly the last outpost of humankind in the Solar System. But with an existential threat burrowing its way to the Moon's core, humanity must recolonize the homeworld. Twenty brave dropnauts set off on a mission to explore the empty planet. After training for two and a half years, four of them-Rai, Hera, Ghost and Tien-are bound for Martinez Base, just outside the Old Earth city of San Francisco. But what awaits them there will turn their assumptions upside down-and in the process, either save or destroy what's left of humanity. |
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The Chiral Agent by L. L. Richman WINNER OF THE 2021 Reader's Favorite Book Award for Science Fiction First, they stole his identity. Now, they want him dead. Shadow Recon pilot Micah Case awakens above an alien world, with no memory of his past and a mysterious voice inside his head. Worse, his own military is hunting him... and he has no idea why. His genetic code could destroy all life. The voice leads to a discovery so unbelievable, enemy nations would kill to control it â to control him. Now, Micah must use every skill in his arsenal to secure the stolen research. The stakes are impossibly high, but failure is not an option. The alternative could mean the extinction of a people Micah can no longer call his own. Humanity. THE CHIRAL AGENT is a fast-paced, cerebral thriller that's part hard science fiction, part spy novel, and one hundred percent adrenaline. Itâs sure to keep you guessing every step of the way. |
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Aestus, Book 1: The City by S. Z. Attwell An underground city, built centuries ago to ride out the devastating heat. A society under attack. And a young solar engineer whose skills may be the key to saving her cityâŠif she doesnât get herself killed first. When Jossey was ten, the creatures of the aboveground took her brother and left her for dead, with horrible scars. Now, years later, sheâs a successful solar engineer, working to keep her underground cityâs power running, but sheâs never really recovered. After she saves dozens of people during a second attack, she is offered a top-secret assignment as a field Engineer with Patrol, but fear prevents her from taking itâŠuntil Patrol finds bones near where her brother disappeared. She signs on and finds herself catapulted into a world that is far more dangerous, and requires far more of her, than she ever imagined. The creatures and the burning heat aboveground are not the only threats facing the City, and what she learns during her assignment could cost her her life: one of the greatest threats to the City may in fact lie within. With thousands of lives at stake, can she act in time? Aestus is an adult dystopian science-fiction series set centuries after climate change has ravaged much of Earth. An epic story of vengeance, power, shifting loyalties, and survival that looks at just how far people will go to protect what they love, brought to you by science writer S.Z. Attwell, Aestus paints a picture of a world in which far too little has changed. |
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I, Cunningham by Benoit Goudreault-Emond Gordon Cunningham, an ordinary citizen of 22nd century Earth, died in an unfortunate accident. Except he didn't die. Not really. Instead, he woke up stuck inside a robot. In the 29th century. Thirteen light-years from home. In a space station. Which is orbiting a planet that was meant to be a new home for the colonists. Unfortunately, everything went wrong. He was brought back to life by accident, but the station denizens need him. Their colony is failing. Most colonists have lost hope. The AI in charge can't do much, which is somewhat moot, since it's out of ideas. But Cunningham is a reluctant hero at best. He's disoriented by his new body. He doesn't know anything about his new environment. He doesn't trust the station's authorities. And yet, somehow, he must help them. Or, in less than a century, no one human will remain. Join him as he discovers his new home, his new body, and, perhaps, his new... mind? Content warning: the book presents only minimal violence and no sexual content. That said, the main character does use four letter swear words when life throws him a curve ball. Please bear with Mr. Cunningham; to say his day starts on the wrong foot is quite the understatement. |
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The Enodia Enigma by Christopher J Wright Enodia â an obscure, unimportant world. As humanity emerges from a galactic dark age, Amber Stefans is drawn to the newly rediscovered planet. What starts as academic curiosity grows more urgent when an ancient superstition proves to have sinister roots. Navy Lieutenant Yorvin Bandrell has a simpler problem â he wants to see his wife and family again. Stranded, his search for a way home unearths a long-buried secret. Amber and Yorvin have never met. They never will. In âThe Enodia Enigmaâ by Christopher J Wright, Amber and Yorvinâs lives are brought together by a mystery that threatens all humanity, unleashing events that will forever change mankindâs place in the universe. |
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Sped-Bot: DroidMesh Trilogy Book 1 by Billy DeCarlo All work and no play makes an android a dull toy. The remnants of human civilization create their own utopia on an alien planet. A brilliant robotic scientist breaks the rules in an attempt to make his impaired son whole. Meshing android and human minds is considered impossible, a societal taboo, and illegal. Can the sorrow of a father, the challenge of a feat never accomplished, and the promise of normalcy for a son who has never known it motivate a man beyond his ethical boundaries? What happens when it all goes wrong? |
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Aurora Ascending: Armageddon is only the Beginning by Dennis Ideue The first volume of the epic New Terrans series! Follow Elliotâs adventures he gathers a force to challenge the invincible fleet surrounding Aether. Vowing to destroy the Emperor that shattered his homeworld, heâs joined by a beautiful telepath, a smartass computer, and an elite team of Terran military forces. If you love action, detailed space battles, fleet engagements, ship-to-ship combat, and a little romance, you'll love this series. Elliot Greyjoy is an avid affecionado of 20th century Sci-fi. In alternating first-person, you will be swept into Elliot's universe. First contact, planetary occupation, and evacuation are merely the first trials he must overcome before his quest even begins. Armageddon is only the beginning of the adventure. |
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The One: A Cruise Through the Solar System by Eric Klein The year is 2152. What started as a normal work day for BJ Armstrong (debugging the latest faulty AI), quickly turned to the adventure of a lifetime. Join Armstrong on his all-expenses-paid 30-day cruise through the solar system on board the maiden voyage of the latest pleasure ship (complete with a beauty pageant and scientific symposium), as he tries to unravel an assassination plot and foil the biggest heist in history. The only question that remains, will BJ get the girl? |
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The message from Carmen Vincentâs mother wasnât possible. She died in the Mars base disaster two years ago. But when government agents show up at Carmenâs door, she realizes the message is no hoax. Someone is still trying to cover up the disaster and the reason why Earth abandoned its space program. Itâs a race to discover the truth of what happened on Mars before Carmen loses her mother for a second time. I.O. Adlerâs relentlessly entertaining space opera adventure channels the excitement of The Expanse and the Mass Effect games. |
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Primordial Threat by Michael A. Rothman The year is 2066 and the world is oblivious to the threat it faces. The fate of humanity lies on the shoulders of Burt Radcliffe, the new head of NASA's Near Earth Object program. He's been rushing the completion of DefenseNet, a ring of satellites that are both part of an early-warning system as well as the means to eliminate incoming threats. Yet Burt knows that despite the world's best efforts, nothing can be done about the alert he's just received. Coming out of deep space is a danger that's been approaching since the dawn of time. A black hole. An unstoppable threat that promises death for all in its wake. Dave Holmes was a modern-day Einstein. As the original architect of DefenseNet, he'd had visions of this Primordial Threat before he disappeared, yet he'd left behind no details on how the problem might be solved. Can Holmes be found, and if so, will his solution even work? The world has less than a year to find out. |
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The Piranha Solution by John Triptych In the near future, a new space race begins. Private industry is now pushing the limits of human exploration and colonization. NASA has changed its mandate into a regulatory agency for overseeing all US-based corporations and individuals involved in interplanetary expansion. Stilicho Jones always has his hands full while working as a personal troubleshooter for eccentric trillionaire Errol Flux and his numerous cutting edge space projects. When a mysterious and potentially deadly situation threatens the colonies on Mars, Stilicho must team up with a feisty NASA special agent in a race against time to avert a looming catastrophe that could end any hope of inhabiting the Red Planet. |
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Becoming Animals by Olga Werby Humans have always wanted to know what goes on inside the minds of other animals. But what if humans could become animals? Tobyâs father leads a team of neuroscientists directly connecting the brains of humans with those of animals. And Toby is a prodigy at throwing her mind into the animal subjects in his labâsheâs the best there is. But Toby suffers from cystic fibrosis and sheâs not likely to live into adulthood. Could a radical plan to embed her consciousness into an animal allow Toby to survive? And what does it mean to live without a human body? Can Toby and her father solve the problem of fully merging two beings before she takes her last breath? Will the government succeed in stopping their efforts before they are done? Itâs a race against death and into the minds of animals. |
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Almost a century after Keres Triplets asteroid impact and subsequent nuclear exchange nearly ended all human life on Earth, a strange artifact is discovered on one of the moons of Saturn. Who should be sent to the outer reaches of the solar system to initiate the first contact with an alien culture? Dr. Varsaad Volhard, an evolutionary-socio-historian, is chosen to help the world understand the alien civilization that left an artifact some thirty thousand years ago, before humans even learned to farm, at the time when other human species still walked the earth. While Vars prepares for the mission, her father, Dr. Matteo Volhard, discovers nanobots among the microplastics he studies. The bots are everywhere and seem to have been created to bond with human cyber implants. Why? Matteo is made to keep his discovery a secret...as well as his and his daughter's true origins. Both were donated to a Human DNA Vault as babies. Matteo was raised as a Seed before leaving with his young daughter to study ecology around the world. Who knows what? Who is in control? How does one communicate with non-human intelligence? People seem to die in gruesome ways as their cyberhumatics go haywire on Earth and on Luna and Mars colonies. Is Earth under attack or is it all just a cosmic misunderstanding? Vars needs to use all she knows to solve the mystery of the ancient civilization on Mimas, as her dad battles the alien nanobots at home. |
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Models and Citizens by Andrew Sweet In the year 2185, models (or clones) do the jobs that others wonât. Failure to work is punishable by death. Ordell Bentley flees from the violence of the Human Pride Movement and discovers the death of his lover. Ordell chooses to escape rather than return to his life of forced-labor. Harper, his loverâs daughter, hides him from bounty hunters in her family home. Haunted by an unseen stalker, Ordell relies on Harper to help plan his refuge trip to Canada. The reward for Ordellâs capture steadily ticks upward⊠Can Ordell make it to freedom? Will his unlikely friendship with Harper prove to be his undoing? |
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The Engineer by Darran M Handshaw Indie Recs Indie SFFOasis SPSFC 2022 "We are born in the shadow of fading memories and fallen dreams, living our days within the decaying bones of an age long gone." When the Engineer, Actaeon, arrives at Pyramid in the heart of Redemption, nothing goes according to plan. Mysterious raiders pursue him relentlessly across the shattered remains of the ancient metropolis, and the leaders of his homeland pay no heed to his ambitious ideas. Meanwhile, deep beneath Pyramid, a deadly creature stirs. And, when Actaeon meets a skilled young Knight Arbiter with brilliant blue eyes, he starts down a path he could never have imagined. The vast, fallen city of the Ancients is home to a new people who face the constant struggle to find resources needed to survive in the dangerous ruins. For the Engineer, however, Redemption is a treasure trove of technology, opportunity, and answers. But his unique skills make him a target for those who would use his talents to achieve their own dreams of power and control. In his endless quest for the truth, will Actaeon discover the fallen cityâs greatest secrets? Or will he share the same fate as the Ancients of whom nothing remains but a whisper? One thing is certain: in Redemption, everything comes with a cost. |
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Adam's Rings by Matthew D. White Adam lived an idyllic life, growing up in the rural United States. He showed promise as a student and held a fleeting dream throughout his existence that he would one day prove himself enough to travel to the stars, see the universe, leave footprints on the Martian soil and solve the greatest mysteries ever presented to mankind. But every breath of his life has been a lie. Adam has been grown in a machine on board a research station orbiting Saturn and designed to be its perfect operator. Had the experiment succeeded, he would have thought he launched from Earth as an astronaut and woken up on the far side never the wiser. Thanks to a catastrophic accident, he has arisen years early, without the training and development that would have allowed him to thrive and accept the calling. Adam has been provided the opportunity to live his greatest dream, although the circumstances are merely an illusion. As the arbiter of humanity's most ambitious research mission in history, will Adam accept his fate, strive against those who stole his early years of innocence, or fail in a fleeting attempt at survival, unprepared and alone in the crushing unforgiving wilderness of deep space? |