Latest stories in - Indie Story Geek

Find your past. Save your future. What if you could change everything in your life you wish you'd done differently? Fix regret? Unlock the potential of your past? That's what Adam Swann did in New Yesterday , a city where events in the present can alter history. He's living the life of his dreams, yet he can't shake a name from his mind -- the memory of a woman from a past he left behind. Who is she? And despite the dangers that remembering his former life would pose, why can't he bring himself to forget her? Adam will unearth long-buried secrets as he searches the city for clues to the woman woven through his memory, haunting his every thought. As the truth of his past drags him into a conspiracy that threatens everything he knows, he'll be forced to choose between the life of his dreams or facing the man he used to be.

Project Valhalla by Michele Amitrani

The Dreams That Bind Us: Echoes of Etherium Volume One by Maximilian Lopez

Some secrets must remain buried. In an unknown location north of the Barents Sea, a research center as tall as the Eiffel Tower hides the greatest scientific discoveries of the 21st century. The few who know of its existence call it Valhalla, but none suspect why it was built. When Dr. Selene Sato accepts a job at Valhalla for eccentric billionaire Wei Wang, she discovers more about human ingenuity than she ever thought possible. But there is a secret buried in this outpost of progress hiding a catastrophic scenario: destruction on a planetary scale never before seen in human history. Wei prepares for war as Valhalla holds the only defense capable of repelling the coming apocalypse.

This sci-fi thriller explores the possibility that when we dream, we're merely glimpsing into an alternate reality. Three strangers bound together by a shared dream fight against the current of fate. Can they come to terms with the truth? Are we the only versions of ourselves? Are you the best version of you to exist? They must find each other without losing themselves. Two universes hang in the balance as external forces vie for control of their ability to peer into an alternate reality.

Quantum Reaction by Marc Wayne

Life-altering tech is on the horizon, and someone wants it stopped—permanently. Can a murder witness escape paying the ultimate price? Near future. Angela Kapp struggles with her past. Working remotely from an isolated cabin in a dead-end customer support job, she drinks too much and spends her days avoiding the world. But while on shift using a visual-interpretation headset to assist a blind person, the cynical loner is horrified when she virtually experiences the other woman’s gruesome slaying. Shocked the next day when she recognizes the killer closing in on a second sightless client, Angela shouts for the software engineer to run. And after learning that he and the first victim are connected by a soon-to-be-released teleportation innovation, she convinces him to go to ground in her secluded home … only to become a target herself. Can her paranoia and his unexpected skills thwart a sinister plot? Quantum Reaction is a gripping science fiction mystery. If you like resilient heroines, unique blind heroes, and high-adrenaline action interwoven with humor, then you’ll love Marc Wayne’s flash forward to adventure. Buy Quantum Reaction to take a leap into tomorrow today!

Replika: Sky's Mission by Hugo Bernard

Reality is an illusion worth fighting for... Earth’s ecological collapse is avoided when most of the world population agrees to permanently upload into Replika, a simulated reality maintained by the AI. But the stability of this world is threatened when a group of neuroscientists hack their own brains to interact with Replika in unforeseen and dangerous ways. Sky devotes her life to rebuilding the real world left dysfunctional from the massive exodus into Replika. But when she learns her brother, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, is in danger, she must choose which world needs her most. All she wants is to find the brother she loves, but she will unwittingly get entangled in an attempt to redefine the reality of humanity’s future. With a strong cast of characters, REPLIKA is a wildly inventive and fast-paced sci-fi adventure that raises profound existential questions about the role of simulated reality in our foreseeable future.

Rise of Polaris by Michele Amitrani

Can a catastrophe ensure humankind’s survival? At an orphanage in Los Angeles, an astrophysicist meets a young savant who will forever change the fate of humanity. In Florida, the Space Shuttle Atlantis departure marks the end of the 30-year space program. In Pasadena, a journalist makes an incredible discovery that will revolutionize how we consume content online. But these seemingly unconnected episodes aren’t what they seem. They will ignite an all-out war fought on two different fronts—one for the control of planetary resources, and the other for the dominance of cyberspace. One man. One mission. Failure is not an option. The future of humankind rests on the most audacious project in history, one capable of ensuring the survival of our civilization—or beginning the downward spiral of its extinction.

Bitcoin Hurricane by Kate Baucherel

She’s a hacker at the top of her game. They are cybercriminals who won’t stop until they bring her down. Can she crack the code before they strike? Welcome to London, 2045 - where financial systems have crashed, and the world's economies are on the brink of collapse. The only hope of salvation lies with Cameron Silvera, the legendary hacker known as the SimCavalier. The SimCavalier is feared by black hat hackers across the world and trusted by corporations and governments to get their systems back online fast. Her identity is a closely guarded secret, but a message hidden deep in the very ransomware she’s cracking tells her that cybercriminals are on her tail. With the clock ticking and lives hanging in the balance, Cameron clings to the last vestiges of anonymity, but a tenacious journalist blows her cover and she finds herself hunted by the very criminals she’s been trying to stop. They infiltrate her team, laying a false trail while the real threat looms ever closer. As the world teeters on the brink of disaster, Cameron and the team must race against time to take down the cybercrime syndicate and prevent a global wave of cyberattacks from unleashing chaos and destruction on an unprecedented scale. Will they prevail, or will the world fall victim to the greatest hack in history? The fate of humanity rests in their hands.

Cloudthinker by Andrew McGlinchey

Mythic: Shadow of the Spark by Adrian Santiago

Numbers don’t lie. But people do. Seasoned journalist Parham Nasiri is convinced there’s something sinister behind tech giant Magenta’s new product, Cloudthinker. The AI service can do anyone's job and is decimating the workforce, sending shockwaves through an already fragile economy and tightening Magenta’s grip on society. After his employers subscribe to the service and put him out of a job, Parham becomes determined to uncover the truth. His digging into Cloudthinker's origins leads him to Boogie Wu – an enigmatic math genius who died in a corporate jet accident – and he’s ensnared in a web of mystery and deception. Tangled up with a corporate whistle-blower, a human-like autonomous hacker, AI-powered robots, and the increasingly blurry line separating humans from software, Parham confronts the world-shaking consequences of Magenta’s real intentions. He’ll be forced to make impossible choices to stop the world from tipping into crisis...  Set in the very near future, Cloudthinker is a propulsive new thriller that confronts big tech, memory and consciousness, and what it means to be human.

Ordinary World by Jack T Canis

'Life often boils down to simple questions with complex answers. Olivia Buchanan's question was simple, if twofold: 'Was sixteen year old Olivia Buchanan truly the culmination of a secret 30 year genome project, by a clandestine research organisation, to create the ultimate human in order to save humanity from itself? Or: Has she merely inherited her mother's delusional schizophrenia, spiralling her into a nightmarish hell created by a diseased and fractured mind?' Simple.

Second Skyn by Damien Boyes

They say you never forget the first time you die. Toronto Police Service Detective Finsbury Gage knows this better than anyone. Now that he's gone digital, he sees his death every time he closes his eyes—he and his wife, smeared across the highway after a malfunctioning bit-head ran them down in a stolen urban assault vehicle. Fin hung together long enough for the Second Skyn recovery team to rescue his fading thoughts from his ruined body and implant them in a custom-grown bioSkyn. His wife wasn't so lucky. Finsbury's been gifted a second chance, but the only thing keeping him from blowing his plastic brains out is that 2.57 seconds of vivid memory running on repeat through his head, the one that contains a instant's glimpse of his killer's face. The police couldn't find the man responsible, and now the only evidence is locked up in Finsbury's brand new mind. Driven to find his killer, Finsbury falls into a dangerous underworld of hackable minds and enhanced bodies, where death is cheap, and memory all that matters. But once he's tasted the power of living at the speed of light, able to predict seconds into the future, how will he ever go back? And once he's relaxed his grip on humanity, how far will he let it slip in the name of finding justice for the woman he loves? Finsbury's going to find the man who stole his future, no matter what he has to do. Or what he must become.

Mythic: The Death & Rebirth of Bella Erdmann by Adrian Santiago

Thousands of years after Ancient Earth, Humanity has forgotten its past, and is doomed to repeat it. MYTHIC: For centuries the last of humanity traveled the galaxy aboard a fleet of ARK ships searching for a new home. They warred amongst themselves, formed alliances, and eventually split off into factions. The peace-seekers that broke away found a ringed and moonless planet they renamed Gaia in homage to Ancient Earth, orbiting a star they renamed Sol. They gifted Gaia a moon in the form of a giant space station called The Spark; built by combining their fourteen ARKs, ending their nomadic ways, and committing to their new home. For three centuries there was peace for the last of mankind. The era of Peace is over. The age of Shadow has begun. BOOK ONE: SHADOW OF THE SPARK Newly-appointed Detective Migdalia Vandersey's first murder case was supposed to be open-and-shut. Wishful thinking. Armed with the latest technology she unravels the mysteries of the victims, the killer, and The Spark itself. The complex web of crime and corruption entangles her professionally, and romantically, with a bounty hunter seeking redemption (Llyr Varyan) and a witch exploring the depths of her power (Faye Noelani). At the center of all the sex, drugs, secrets, magic, and violence waits a prolific killer who hunts the streets with impunity. This murderer works to cover his tracks and stay ahead of Detective Vandersey, and her partners, as they race against the clock to stop him from taking his next victim, and tying off his final loose end. Will the help of Llyr and Faye be enough, or will Migdalia's career end before she even closes her first case?

A farm girl out in the big city. The drug dealing black sheep of the family. And a hippie chick guiding them on a mushroom trip. What could go wrong? (A Psychedelic Sci-Fi Short Story) Bella Erdmann's time had come. She was made to leave The Farm; the only home she'd ever known, for a full year of life in the wild city streets. The Spark, a moon-sized space station and home to the last of humanity, was a terrifying place for someone as naïve and uncultured as she. With nowhere else to turn, she settled for the drug-dealing black sheep of the family, her cousin Mitch, who immediately whisked her off in his hover-car to make a delivery to a hippie. The night grew stranger from there with the introduction of wine, cannabis and magic mushrooms. A memorable first and final night of life on the town for Bella Erdmann. This short story serves as a prologue or direct lead-in to the novel, MYTHIC: SHADOW OF THE SPARK

The Babel Apocalypse by Vyvyan Evans

Language is no longer learned, but streamed to neural implants regulated by lang-laws. Those who can't afford language streaming services are feral, living on the fringes of society. Big tech corporations control language, the world’s most valuable commodity. But when a massive cyberattack causes a global language outage, catastrophe looms. Europol detective Emyr Morgan is assigned to the case. His prime suspect is Professor Ebba Black, the last native speaker of language in the automated world, and leader of the Babel cyberterrorist organization. But Emyr soon learns that in a world of corporate power, where those who control language control everything, all is not as it seems. As he and Ebba collide, Emyr faces an existential dilemma between loyalty and betrayal, when everything he once believed in is called into question. To prevent the imminent collapse of civilization and a global war between the great federations, he must figure out friend from foe—his life depends on it. And with the odds stacked against him, he must find a way to stop the Babel Apocalypse.

The Key to Reality by F. Ted Atchley

A desperate father holds the key to victory in an alien civil war. If he chooses well, he'll reunite his family. If he chooses wrong, they all die. An Elite Cybersecurity Analyst. A Desperate Rebellion’s Best Hope. Brandon thought the assignment was just another standard security assessment. Wrong. As he peels back the layers of a deepening conspiracy, he discovers everything he thought he knew about his reality is a lie. And he’s the only one who can save it. Exiles from another reality see Brandon’s new knowledge as the key to victory over their tyrannical king and his immortal army. Pursued by both loyalists and rebels as he crosses the borders between realities, Brandon must protect his family, while figuring out who to trust. Choosing well means rescuing his family, and saving both worlds, but choosing poorly will empower a malevolent evil to wipe out humanity.

Zeroed Out by Jacob Markrof

Zeroed Out is a cyberpunk thriller set in a fully automated metropolis governed by an all-seeing synthetic intelligence that examines the morality of limiting technological evolution. While chasing a criminal through an unruly sector of Omega City 6, freelance enforcer Zed Takeda stumbles on the first of many victims by an unknown serial killer that has somehow escaped all forms of the city’s intensive surveillance. His investigation into the murders will uncover some hard truths he had not intended to find. On the other side of the city, Ash Starbrooke lives as a dreamcaster, or someone whose dreams are turned into highly profitable virtual reality entertainment. She is unaware that the symbols showing up in her nightmares will have her caught up in Zed’s murder investigation. Their intertwining stories will have them traveling through multiple layers of the neon-drenched, futuristic city filled with street gangs, radical political groups, and social elites

The Nemesis Effect by Michael Shotter

Tom Hallett was an ordinary man, living an ordinary if pleasant-enough life, his world, perfectly shaped and managed by the wonders of technology and the handful of elite "executives" who control it. Thus, the young man finds himself completely unprepared when a chance encounter and a twist of fate bring him face to face with the most terrifying event in human history. Can a simple archivist, a keeper of the records of other people's deeds, rise to the occasion or will he remain an ordinary citizen, powerless and subject to "The Nemesis Effect?"

The Sequence by Lucien Telford

SPSFC 2022 SPSFC 2023

"The Sequence" is a science fiction thriller that weaves together the stories of a world-leading genetic editor, a pilot/smuggler who hauls contraband for the mob in a ground effect stealth jet, and a pair of Hong Kong Police detectives investigating a series of genetically modified dead bodies they find in curious locations around the city, only during typhoons.

Deficiency by S. C. Eston

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.

Syn City: Reality Bytes by Lewis Knight

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 by J. L. Stowers

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.

Reap3r by Eliot Peper

How far would you go to achieve your greatest ambition? Nothing is what it seems in this speculative thriller about a quantum computer scientist, virologist, podcaster, venture capitalist, and assassin coming together to untangle a twisted enigma that will change the course of future history. Everyone has something to hide, and every transgression is a portal to discovery. Taking you on a whirlwind journey from the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area to the distant shores of the Galápagos, Reap3r is a propulsive adventure that grapples with the price of progress and how technology shapes our lives and world.

Qubit by Finn Mack

An ambitious Singapore gangster recruits an elite hacker to steal a devastatingly powerful quantum computer and hijack the world's financial markets. Meanwhile, a beautiful streetwise CIA agent is determined to foil their plan in a case that could make or break her career.With settings ranging from Detroit to Singapore to the slums of Bihar, India (the "Sicily of India"), *Qubit* examines both the vulnerability of our cryptographic infrastructure and the corruptibility of our financial systems. The story features international intrigue, a violent gang war, an unlikely love story, and an intricate cryptographic chess match as the global economy teeters on the brink of collapse.“Brilliant…Well written with complex characters…An author to follow.”“Outstanding! The characters…are wonderfully fleshed out.”

Data Mine by Lou Iovino

Einstein's Raven: A Science Fiction Spy Thriller by Fred G Baker

No more secrets. Political scandals. Corporate greed. Embezzlement, disinformation, and fraud. Schemes perpetrated, year after year, by an elite few—and yet it’s always, always the little people who are victimized. Who pay the price. Those little people have finally demanded action. Powerful elites must be watched. And our leaders have responded . . . by mandating that all individuals who wield global influence receive Harvesters—nanoparticle-infused, flexible circuitry tattoos that transmit a person’s biometric data for monitoring and analysis. Analysis by Data Miners—like Gwen Elliott. Gwen is one of the data mining industry’s most talented analysts. She sees things that others miss. And it’s led to her being chosen for a critical assignment: personal data miner for Senator Rosemary Martin, the leading candidate for President of the United States. But Senator Martin has a dangerous secret. One that she’s determined to keep hidden at all costs. Only Gwen can solve the mystery buried deep in the senator’s data . . . but first, she needs to figure out how to survive.

Death's Pale Flag by Gary Simonds

Brain surgeon and unlikely war hero, Ryan Brenan, has it all. A booming practice, a beautiful home in an idyllic setting, and a happy loving family. Then, the apparitions begin. Subtle at first, but soon there’s no doubt about it, he’s seeing ghosts, spirits, the undead. Of course, he could just be going nuts, cracking under the pressure of his constant exposure to death, mayhem, and tragedy. But, he believes he has proof that the ghosts are very real, and that they are specifically haunting him. We join Ryan as he tends to the sick and injured in his hospitals’ trauma bays, intensive care units, and operating rooms, all the while seeking to understand why he has become a target of the dead. Will he break down? Will he lose all that is precious to him? Will he be drawn to the other side of the great divide? This riveting psychological thriller uniquely blends a detailed peek behind the curtains of modern day neurosurgery with a fantastical journey into the paranormal. Written by a highly experienced neurosurgeon who takes the reader on an immersive journey into the behind the scenes world of the operating room where few people have ever been.

Space has never been more hostile. 300 years ago, a bolt of cosmic lightning struck Earth, scattering humanity across the stars. Since then, most habitable planets have come under the rule of an authoritarian regime known as the People's Union Coalition. Seeking to escape the PUC's stranglehold, the crew of the Leopold endeavors to steal a Light Core, one of the only means of transportation from star system to star system. But when they come across an old derelict vessel drifting through the outer boundaries of known space, their escape quickly turns into a blood-soaked nightmare. For fans of Aliens, Doom, and Dead Space From the author of Ash Above, Snow Below and The Omen Tree comes a raucous journey through the hostile unknowns of unexplored space and the mysteries of the human soul.

Agent G: Assassin by C.T. Phipps

FROM THE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE RULES OF SUPERVILLAINY: Agent G, now going by the name Case, thought he'd won. He'd exposed his former employers, shared Black Technology with the world, and killed the man who'd started it all. Unfortunately, history slows for no man. After a volcanic eruption decimates the United States, G spends the next decade witnessing humanity rebuild itself into a corporate-run dystopia. Preferring to the be the boot rather than the ant, Case has become a powerful executive in the new cyberpunk world. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean he's immune to his past. Contacted by the only woman he ever loved, Case finds himself once more embroiled in a conspiracy to take what little the public has left. Now he has to decide whether to save what remains of the world or rule it

Agent G: Saboteur by C.T. Phipps

FROM THE BEST SELLING AUTHOR OF THE SUPERVILLAINY SAGA: Agent G has left the service of the International Refugee Society, the world's biggest provider of murder for hire, in order to work for the US government. Unfortunately, they are sending him after his former employers, and they know him as well as he knows them. The clock is ticking, though, until the Society's remaining leadership starts eliminating their opponents and attempts to seize control of the presidency. A traitor is also providing them with all the information they need to survive until their puppet is in power. Will G and his allies survive the purge? Sometimes it doesn't pay to be a cyborg spy.

Off-World Hotel & Resort: All Three Episodes: A Sci-Fi Mystery by Dave Terruso

GATHA CHRISTIE MEETS ISAAC ASIMOV Marooned on a distant moon… Doomed to die without ever seeing her daughters again… Devoted mother Christie Calvin learns she has a year to live. Christie’s daughters take a loan against her life insurance policy to send her on her dream vacation at the Off-World Hotel & Resort. 390 million miles from Earth, accessible only by teleporter, and staffed by robots, the resort has a maximum occupancy of 25 people and a guest list comprised of the ultra-wealthy and the incredibly famous. After a couple days frolicking in paradise, Christie and the other guests become stranded in the resort. It will take nearly three years for a rescue ship to reach them—and Christie doesn't have that much time left. Distraught and furious, Christie turns amateur sleuth to find the person who trapped her in the resort—so she can exact her revenge.

The Smallest War by Mark Sheehan

“Shit, General,” Hank said, leaning forward. “US Armorers could put a gun in the hand of Jesus. Small War ain’t going to happen.” Small War is the United Nations’ best kept secret: the end of conventional warfare. Acting in self-interest, the United States’ military buries it. Oil—enough to build a superpower—is discovered by the United States, only for Russia to lay claim. The United States threatens war, but a resurgent Russia ruthlessly executes a play years in the making. Dominos fall: a fire the size of England, a bloody naval skirmish, breath-taking political manipulation. Small War will decide who exploits the oil. Unprepared, the United States exhumes its Small War capability and staggers into a contest of hunter and prey: five relentless rounds of pursuit by any means necessary, winner takes all. Press-ganged into the fray, Danny “The Beef” Wellington joins his two teammates, Kimimela Thunderhawk and Matt Balthazar, planning to do just enough to stay alive, but there’s a hitch. A traitor lurks, and only Danny can tip the balance to give the United States a fighting chance. Full of unrelenting cat-and-mouse, rapid-fire action and characters pushed to their limits, this book is perfect for fans of I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes, Ice Station by Matthew Reilly and Inferno by Dan Brown. If you can catch a breath, you’re not reading The Smallest War. Get it now!

Agent G: Infiltrator by C.T. Phipps

FROM THE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE SUPERVILLAINY SAGA: “Black Technology has made murder a billion dollar industry.” The International Refugee Society has twenty-six cybernetically enhanced “Letters,” and for the right price, they’ll eliminate anyone. They’ve given up their families and their memories for ten years of service with the promise of a life of luxury awaiting them. Agent G is one of these “Letters,” but clues to his past are starting to emerge while he’s on a dangerous mission to infiltrate the Society’s most dangerous competitor. In the midst of all the violence, subterfuge, and deceit, he’ll need to keep his wits about him and trust sparingly. After all if an organization will kill for money, what would they do to keep the truth hidden?

$Refraction$

Refraction by Terry Geo

Refraction is a LGBT+ technothriller for adults. Dinosaurs running around London, videos of spaceships in the sky and the largest, most technologically advanced museum is secretly hidden beneath the streets. A privately-funded facility has discovered a way to tap into our minds. The ability to observe and record our dreams is now in their hands. Working on the very outer-rim of science, they are making the impossible a reality. Searching for those with highly active brainwaves, four people from across the globe are brought together to spend the night in the facility, but there’s always someone actively seeking to shatter our dreams. Step into a world within ourselves and beyond the one we know. Embark on an adventure that spans this life and the next. Discover the secrets hidden within all of us and set your imagination free. THE WORLD YOU KNOW, IS ONLY HALF THE STORY.

Bloodlines by Peter Hartog

Those dark and terrible things from your nightmares are VERY real. They walk among us, masquerading as your neighbor, your lover, even your friend. You see, Empire City is full of them…if you only know where to look. How do I know this? Well, for starters the name is Detective Tom Holliday. I work homicide for Special Crimes. My friends, what few I have, call me Doc. And the other reason? I’ve got magic of my own. Welcome to Empire City, where magic and technology co-exist, and humanity endures behind walls of stone and spell-forged steel. A place where danger lurks around every street corner, and anything is possible. When former hotshot homicide detective Tom “Doc” Holliday is recruited to join Special Crimes, he trades in his boring desk job for a second chance to do what he does best: hunt down killers. And his first case doesn’t disappoint—a murdered woman with a bogus past, her body drained of blood, and two eyewitnesses wasted on the designer drug goldjoy claiming a vampire did it. Armed with a fickle clairvoyance and saddled with a team whose past is as checkered as his own, Holliday embarks upon an investigation through a dystopian landscape filled with bio-engineered vampires, interdimensional shadow parasites, and the magical masterminds behind it all. But to solve this murder and safeguard his city, Holliday will have to uncover the truth behind an ancient shadowy conspiracy and confront a destiny he never wanted. Fans of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London and Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files will fall in love with Empire City. Grab your copy of BLOODLINES today!

The Judas Cypher by Greg Dragon

SPSFC SPSFC 2022 Indie Recs Indie

When machine murders man, one detective is the world’s only hope of preventing an all-out-war… Dhata Mays has become used to living on the fringes. Unlike most of humanity, the detective treats the synth population with the respect they deserve. But when a gruesome murder points to a synth as the perpetrator, Dhata must do everything in his power to discover an explanation before the case goes public… In a race against time, Dhata discovers a scheme involving cypher hackers, synth prostitutes, and a pair of rival gang bosses that could tear the city apart. When the case puts his loved ones in harm’s way, the investigation becomes personal. For Dhata to keep the uneasy peace, he’ll have to track down the murderers himself, but no one said he had to take them alive… The Judas Cypher is a sci-fi technothriller with an enticing noir vibe. If you like robust future worlds, action-packed cyberpunk, and mysteries that keep you guessing, then you’ll love Greg Dragon’s electrifying tale. Buy The Judas Cypher to decode the futuristic suspense tale today!

Melody by David Stangland

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 Stephen’s head convinces him that he can bring his daughter back to life. What he discovers instead is a stunning truth about himself, his child’s 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 you’ll love David Hoffer’s otherworldly adventure.

Blood Animus by Kyle McKeon

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 she’s presented with a high-risk contract that offers a different payment – 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 that’s finally manifested and is vying for dominance. The presence yearns for a hunt, and it craves complete autonomy, and Alex can’t 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 won’t rest until the experiments are permanently ended, whether it’s by her own volition or by a beast with an insatiable bloodlust guiding her hands.

Destroyer by Brian G Turner

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.

Above the Sky by J.W. Lynne