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             SUMMONED to ANOTHER WORLD, but ALL IâM SUPPOSED to DO is FARM MYTHIC-RARITY RAID DROPS by eskay Gravity Gales is depressed. Her retail job is physically painful, her student loans are coming due, and her relationship with her long-term girlfriend grows rockier with each bill. Life out of college is nothing like she was led to expect, and merely navigating the maddening rituals required to get by in modern society has left her helplessly exhausted. So when sheâs inexplicably summoned into the virtual reality game Final Destiny Light 3, sheâs in no hurry to leave. Things here make senseâthe mission guidelines are clear, the player roles are unambiguous, and if she works twice as hard as the next person, then sheâll receive twice the rewards. Despite the fact that her favorite weapon has begun to talk to her, speaking of some apocalypse-averting quest that she supposedly was summoned to complete, Gravity is determined to stay here for the rest of her lifeâeven if that means letting the rest of her world fall apart around her.  | 
        
             
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             The First Sin by Cheyenne Brammah In the sweeping expanse of the Ă rdrakin Empire, the people fight and die for honor as elite warriors of the galaxy. But long ago, a prophecy was spoken that presaged the apocalypse. Everyone knows and fears the truth: one day, the empire will fall. TĂ„rik is a guard for small, independent Clan Tsinna. Instead of pondering the end of his civilization, TĂ„rikâs greatest concern is maintaining his honor while escorting a group of impertinent dignitaries across the treacherous Barren Gale. When the Mother Goddess speaks a passage from the prophecy to him, he has the good sense to be frightened, but he doesnât heed the significance of Her visit. Then disaster strikes, and TĂ„rik is branded as an exile, leaving him with no home, no honor, and no future. Forced into a desperate struggle for survival, all TĂ„rik can focus on is living just one more day until luckâor maybe fateâgives him the opportunity to join a new clan. But even this is fraught with danger and uncertainty, and it takes him to an inhospitable world far from the empire where survival seems all but impossible. Faced with new challenges, including trying to navigate first contact with the low-tech locals, TĂ„rik believes the prophecy canât reach him. Yet it continues to loom, signaling that his fate and the fate of the empire are irrevocably entwined. This is a dark, spicy, adult science fantasy set in a world that includes war, violence, and other mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. Reading guidance can be found at the beginning of the book or on the author's website.  | 
        
             
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             In the House of Root and Rot by Sam Weiss Old Gramps always said the Deadmarsh family was cursed. Will never believed himâuntil now. In a last-ditch effort to pay his grandfatherâs mounting medical bills, Will signs up for a shady sleep study, ignoring the warning signs. But everything changes the night his grandfather vanishes. In his place, Willâs dead sister returns. Convinced the sleep study is to blame, Will tracks down Spectre, the enigmatic research firm behind it, only to discover theyâve disappeared. His search leads him to a girl whose father vanished after her own harrowing encounter with Spectre. She also seems to know more about his familyâs past than sheâs letting on. Desperate to stop seeing his dead sister and unsure of who to trust, Will forms an uneasy alliance with the girl to find out what Spectre wants with them. Together, they plummet down a rabbit-hole of secrets, discovering Spectreâs true purpose and what it planted in Willâs bloodline centuries ago. Something ancient, something not of this world, has been feeding off his family for generations, growing stronger, hungrier, and desperate to be set free. The family curse is real. And itâs been waiting for Will to unleash it.  | 
        
             
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             The Sundered Stars by H.E. Bauman Betrayal is just the beginning⊠After a decade of hunting the Federationâs deadliest criminals, Mora âMoâ Cevi is done risking her lifeâbut she needs a way out. So, when a lucrative military contract lands in her lap, she takes it despite her mistrust of the government. Steadfast leader Ezra Lyre has dedicated sixteen years to the Federation Space Command, climbing the ranks to become one of the militaryâs most revered Vanguards. But when heâs assigned to protect a group of archaeologists on a remote dig, heâs confused. The Federation is at war, and he should be on the front lines, not babysitting scholars. Mo has been fighting Ezraâs orders for days, until a group of traitors steal a treasured artifact, and he needs her to help him bring them to justice. With the Federation rejecting their concerns, they pursue the thieves on their own. But as their manhunt tangles them in a web of dangerous conspiracies, Mo and Ezra find themselves racing to stop a threat that could destroy the Federationâif their enemies donât destroy them first.  | 
        
             
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             Animus Paradox by Adam Bassett There's a thief on the loose. The Tigres excel at tipping the scales in their favor, be it through bribes, politics, or blood. They unofficially run Viterbo, Italyâand somebody stole from them. Private investigators David and Mafalda De Campo have been hired to help find the thief. They're in it for the money, but the Tigres just want to make a statement. Meanwhile, the Heredes have returned: ruthless idealists and revolutionaries. Itâs not clear what theyâre up to, but they keep getting in the way. The De Campos will need to decide how far they're willing to go for this job and the Tigres. Viterbo may soon become a battlefield, and one wrong move could set it aflame.  | 
        
             
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             Digital Extremities by Adam Bassett A collection of eight stories, Digital Extremities shines a spotlight on ordinary people in a callous yet hopeful future. Set across small towns and remote islands, where neon flickers against old buildings and oaks, this collection paints a unique view of a traditionally cyberpunk setting. In 2089, a woman miscarries and seeks a way to find peace amidst overwhelming grief. Years later, a young man must find a way to pay rent outside of his job at the glassblowing studio. A pair of students, excited to go to college, install new hardware that promises to improve their cognitive functions. A private investigator searches for a missing child who has a reputation for embarking on risky adventures. Each tale is shaped by love, loss, and perseverance, weaving a vision of life outside of the megacities.  | 
        
             
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             First Meetings by Joyce Reynolds-Ward What happens during first meetings resonates throughout the years... 2029... Thirty years before the opening of THE MARTINIERE LEGACY, rodeo princess Ruby Barkley and saddle bronc rider Gabe Ramirez meet... and find each other interesting, with a mutual interest in agricultural technology. Short story prequel with lots of horses in the science fiction.  | 
        
             
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             Scrub Me, Daddy by April Showers My entire life is a mess. My ex cheated. My job sucks. And my apartment smells like old takeout and despair. a 3 A.M. infomercial promising the Scrubbie Dubbie will change my life. Desperate and half-delirious, I order it. The next day, a sponge arrivesâhot pink, dual-textured, and paired with a cleaning liquid that smells suspiciously like seduction. Then things get... weird. And wet. One steamy scrub-down later, I slip, hit my head, and wake up to a six-foot-something alien Adonis with abs for days and an obsession with cleaning. And with me. Heâs strong, sudsy, and ready to polish more than just my floors. He came to tidy my apartmentâand he just might stay to deep-clean my soul.  | 
        
             
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             Even Angels Fall by E. V. Sauvage 300 years ago, my world collided with Earth. My kind has been ruling over the world ever since, passing as archangels. Doves, swans, cockatoo, their white wings in half shifted form are the sign of their power. I should have been the next in line. I should have been the new archangel MichaĂ«l. But my wings arenât white. So instead I have to stay hidden. Instead, Iâve been trained my whole life. Instead, Iâm their weapon. Because who would be best suited to kill the dragon shifter living inside of Notre Dame than a fallen angel? My name is AngĂ©lique. Iâm a crow-shifter, and my mission is to marry Elhyor and to kill him on our wedding night. But nothing is the way it seems, and the dragon might be harder to kill than I thought. He might also be my only chance at freedom⊠Do I have any chance of surviving unscathed? Only time will tell⊠ | 
        
             
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             Aurethia Rising by Atlas Laika Two centuries ago, House Henly of Aurethia and House Volkov of Griea penned an engagement, promising a union between rival houses and their respective homeworlds. Elio Henly has been preparing for marriage his entire life. As the Henly heir and future steward of Aurethia, he will inherit great power, including control of a lucrative trade route, and ownership of the most precious substance in the Greater Universe â Avara. The mysterious blue crystal native to Aurethia is the sole treatment for parsec sickness, an epidemic ravaging space travelers within the Greater Universe. But when he meets Cael Volkov, the charming heir of the outfitted military planet, Griea, everything he thought he knew about his homeworld, his family, and his heart is turned upside down. Cael Volkov has been raised to conquer. Champion in the Tupinaire, commander of the Royal Reserve, and son to the mighty Legatus, Cael knows his mission is simple: gain the Aurethian heirâs trust, learn everything he can about the forest moon, and prepare to take it by force. But the longer he spends with Elio Henly, the quiet, brilliant Aurethian prince, the more he questions everything he was taught, and begins to push back against the rhetoric seeded in him by a lust for vengeance.  | 
        
             
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             Inside a Dark Space by M.J. James Finch was sent to the moon as a canary. They were one of the expendableâa soul desperate enough to risk their life for the safety of the ârealâ astronauts. A decade later, they are the last canary left alive. Alone at the first lunar water mining station, Finch finds peace in solitude and the safety of routine. Ray grew up hearing her father rant about corporations âmaking the moon gay.â For her, that sounded like hope. She shaped her life around reaching a place where she could finally come out. Except when she arrived on the moon to start a research project, Ray was left at a station with only one occupantâFinch. Finch may have sparked Rayâs journey, but life together in a dark crater proves far more complicated. Finch struggles to connect. Ray craves belonging. Both are haunted by what they left behindâand what the moon has in store for them. Inside a Dark Space is the first book in the Lunar Abyss seriesâa queer, autistic science fiction story about survival and the quiet rebellion of staying alive on your own terms.  | 
        
             
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             Human Scars on Planet Skin by Nathaniel Luscombe, Effie Joe Stock Turr is fighting back for what was stolen from her: her body and her children living on it. After the humans tried to colonize her, Turr was forced to resort to mass violence to reclaim her skin. But in fleeing the planet, the humans left behind a chemical disasterâthe dead zone. To bring peace and life back to herself, Turr sends out a desperate plea to two shroom people: Invidia and Clyra. Invidia, though surrounded by death, is tasked with learning how to breathe life back into the land. Clyra must lead a group of broken failed experiments through the forest, following a trail of visions. Death and uncertainty face them at every turn, but only when theyâre all together can the planet truly begin to heal. Human Scars on Planet Skin will leave you haunted by the stark realities of upsetting the balance of life, aching against the sorrow unmitigated death brings, and shivering against the horrors of being trapped within your own body. More than anything, it will leave you comforted, knowing hope always exists in the life around us, no matter how dark our surroundings may seem.  | 
        
             
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             Redundancies and Potentials by Dominique Dickey All redundancies and potentials must be disposed of in accordance with Agency guidelines. This ensures that we can continue to use TimeFax to protect our communities, and better the lives of future generations. Aster works for the Agency, a private police force that uses time travel to stop crimes before they happen. Unlike most operatives, Aster and her sister Isadora can time travel without a TimeFax machine. Which would be pretty great...except that everyone, even Aster's own clone, keeps lying to her. As everything she's believed about the Agency and her life starts to unravel, Aster has to decide who to trust, if the Agency is worth saving-and whether she really wants to see the whole timeline.  | 
        
             
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             Astra Fauna: Expeditions by Sarah Dahlinger Astra Fauna: Expeditions is a story-filled artbook that follows five alien scientists as they explore the wonders of a creature-filled universe. You'll experience new worlds with unique creatures and peoples, read stories of mystery, love, and danger, and experience things both cute and monstrous. Every chapter showcases the adventure of an alien scientist who's exploring life on a far-off planet. They will candidly tell the tales of their adventure first hand, bringing you into their worlds and lives.  | 
        
             
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             Incursion: A Novel by Jalen Tellis In the jaw-dropping mystery sci-fi thriller from author Jalen Tellis, a YouTube conspiracy theorist is on a quest to warn the world about the secrets that have been kept from them. And a potential alien invasion that is happening in Ten Days. How Far In the gripping pages of this enthralling tale, delve into the world of Riley Marson, a YouTube conspiracy theorist on a quest to investigate the enigma of the missing ufologist Timothy Hall. Will You Go Marson embarks on a quest that will send shivers down his spine. Unearthed secrets are laid bare. Marson digs deeper into Hall's mysterious disappearance, unraveling a web of intrigue that leads him to a startling revelation: a profound discovery of evidence pointing to an imminent extraterrestrial incursion to unfold in 10 days. To Know The Truth? With heart-pounding suspense and brilliant storytelling, this mesmerizing account will take you on an exhilarating journey as Marson races against time to expose the truth. Can you decipher the clues and save humanity from an impending alien invasion? Prepare to be enthralled, and hold your breath as the clock ticks down...  | 
        
             
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             The Lucky Machine by Aimee Cozza After a life of subservience wrought with extensive memory wipes, personal autonomous android model NX makes the fateful decision to slip from the mid-upper reaches of the city. In the dilapidated lower levels, she meets a talented but disillusioned cyborg named Sylvan who extends to her a temporary place working in his shop. As they sew the bonds of friendship and regain Sylvanâs lost passion, NX hones her own unique talents: for optimism, for charm, and for creating. With a little help from some friends â and a bit of luck â NX evades the forces that intend to recapture her or destroy her. The lower levels are easy to get lost in, but can she hide forever?  | 
        
             
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             Fimbulvinterâs Fires: a queer apocalyptic sci-fi horrormance by A.M. Weald Worlds and hearts will be set aflame⊠Within moments of his escape pod crash-landing in a night-clad frozen forest, musician Asher Hollin is frostbitten, bleeding, a thief, and a killer. If not for technology looted from a dead prison guard, heâd be long dead, either from hypothermia or from being attacked by battleaxe-wielding not-quite-human marauders. Without hope of rescue from those heâd fled, thereâs only one choice: keep going. Fight. Survive for those who didnât. Somewhere out there is food, shelter, civilization. Indeed, just as the darkness threatens to consume him, help comes from an initially unwilling source. Compassion and a yearning for companionship spark an unlikely relationship, but a lack of understanding of language and culture endangers Ash and everyone around him. Inspired by the tale of Ragnarök and its harbinger, Fimbulvinterâs Fires combines achillean love stories with first-contact sci-fi, survival horror, and apocalyptic tragedy. This snowpocalypse contains violence and death, steamy scenes, strong language, deep snow, and high heat. Tread carefully.  | 
        
             
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             Your Knowledge Or Your Life? by Sophie Maddon In Jason's world, money buys everything-including his place at London's elite St Mary's sixth form college, where he coasts through classes while his parents' "donations" keep him enrolled. Eva, on the other hand, earned her scholarship through hard work, enduring daily reminders that she doesn't belong among her wealthy peers. When Jason's attempt to skip class backfires spectacularly, he and Eva find themselves thrown into an alternate London where everything they know about social status is reversed. Here, your worth isn't measured by your bank account, but by your knowledge and intellectual curiosity. As Eva thrives in this new reality, Jason discovers something unsettling: seven people died in freak accidents the day they arrived. Convinced their presence somehow caused these deaths, he starts digging-only to uncover two secret societies with opposing visions. One protects the foundations of this knowledge-based society, while the other secretly plots to transform it into a world where money determines status. With lives at stake, Jason and Eva must overcome their mutual dislike to uncover the truth. And that mysterious boy with the captivating smile? He might just hold the answers Jason needs-if Jason can trust him.  | 
        
             
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             Rule of Extinction by Geoff Jones A civilization-ending comet is headed for Earth. Two days before impact, thousands of mysterious pods land in a swath across North America. When people touch them, the pods open. Anyone who climbs inside is carried away. No one knows where the pods came from and no one knows where they go, but finding one is David Williamsâ only chance to save his family from the end of the world. ⊠and escaping Earth is just the beginning. The Preservation of Species trilogy begins with Rule of Extinction, a post-apocalyptic science-fiction adventure filled with unforgettable heroes, terrifying monsters, and heart-pounding action.  | 
        
             
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             The Glass God by Forrest Bezotte In a city thatâs forgotten its own name, power is takenânot given. Welcome to Glassâa neon-drenched empire where crime syndicates masquerade as pop stars, youth is preserved in a bottle, and freedom is a currency few can afford. Daniel Kostov, better known as Captain, has just murdered a legend. With blood on his hands and his fatherâs empire in ruins, he sees a chance to rebuild something biggerâsomething entirely his own. As Captain recruits new allies and makes enemies of old ones, a quiet war begins to simmer beneath the cityâs glittering surface. Among his recruits is Benjiâa haunted young man with secrets of his ownâand Sparks, an unsettling stranger with ulterior motives. Every choice Captain makes threatens to unravel the fragile illusion of control heâs fought to create. Betrayals will come. Loyalties will be tested. And the City will decide who gets to become a god... and who gets swept into the gutter. The Glass God is the first book in 'The Glass Trilogy'âa stylish, hard-hitting cyberpunk saga of power, identity, and the cost of trying to become unforgettable. Grab a copy of this book and follow Captain's thrilling and tragic story in this sci-fi noir novel for those who love Blade Runner, Scarface, and Breaking Bad!  | 
        
             
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             Where The Soul Goes by Katherine Silva 1989: Floods and record rainfall have turned the United States into little more than a drowned world. People left and right lose their wills to live and are coming down with a degenerative disease called The Ash. It burns people up from the inside out, numbing the senses, erasing memories, turning people into nothing more than crumbling, shambling echoes of who they used to be. Eliot Lamb, a once successful chef, is terrified when he discovers he has the Ash. Just when he thinks there is nothing left for him, he encounters Death in the form of his deceased protegee, Alexis. She has a proposition that might turn the tide against the Ash for the human race and he's the only man for the job: find four people and change their lives. Inspire them. Eliot is skeptical but convinced only after a run-in with the FBI forces him out onto the road with a well- meaning plumber sidekick, Terry. As they journey from flooded New England to the swamps of the American South and across the fog-saturated midwest, Eliot and Terry are pursued by an agent hell-bent on finding the source behind a string of domestic terrorist bombings that seem to be connected to the Ash and a man of the cloth convinced that Eliot is a devil in need of cleansing. For Eliot, the road ahead gets murkier and murkier as the person he once was slips through his fingers with every bite he takes. Inspired by Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Simon Stalenhag's dystopian tales, Where The Soul Goes explores the abyss of human connection through the culinary arts amidst an alternate 80's backdrop.  | 
        
             
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             Winter's Bite by Kelly Schweiger When the grid goes dark and the world freezes over, survival isnât just about food and firewoodâitâs about family, trust, and grit. The Callahans thought they were prepared for anything. Tucked away in their mountain lodge, theyâve faced power outages, harsh storms, and the uncertainty of a world unraveling. But as winter deepens, hunger prowls, violence draws closer to their door, sickness spreads, and even kidnapping becomes a weapon of desperation. In a season where every decision could mean life or death, the Callahans must decide who they can trustâand how far theyâll go to protect the ones they love. Fans of One Second After, The Borrowed World, and Alas, Babylon will find themselves snowed in with this gripping tale of survival, resilience, and the fierce will to endure.  | 
        
             
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             Space Ants: Never Say Die by Eric Kay Survival amidst the rings of a gas giant means that life must adapt or die. Luckily, Space Ants never say die!Space Never Say Die is a collection of serialized short stories following one colony. Each segment zooms in on a single ant from different castesâfrom tireless handmaidens and brave scouts to valiant soldiers and the indomitable queen motherâas they explore, extract, expand, and sometimes exterminate the deadly threats lurking in the gas giant's ring system. Join the ants as they navigate the perils of deep impacts, dehydration, and the constant threat of rival colonies. Witness their rise from the brink of extinction to becoming a dominant force in their orbit. Space Never Say Die is a sci-fi adventure like nothing you've read before.  | 
        
             
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             Loyalty to the Max by Maya Darjani Max Dupont stars in his own standalone adventure in the second installment of the Broken Union series, taking place one year after Ancient as the Stars. Captain Maxime Dupont of the Earth Union is a rogue. A maverick. A clear-headed arbitrator of right and wrongâ rules be damned. But even Max stumbles when he encounters his latest challenge. The Union is collaborating with former enemy Mars to fix the collapse of interstellar travelâbut at the cost of vulnerable citizens. Max has to figure out where his loyalties lieâand if treason is a price he's willing to pay for doing the right thing. Meanwhile... Lieutenant Ren Yilmaz has finally found a crew. A home. A rewarding career, on the ESS Knight. But Ren gets drawn into a web of espionage. Her captain, Max, has shady dealings with anti-Union rebel groups and assigns her shipmates off-the-books tasks. It's Ren's duty as an officer to investigate. But snooping can be disastrous. Not only would she be betraying her newfound family, but Ren has secrets tooâand if she digs too far, her own past as a spy could get spectacularly exposed. As tensions mount, the choices Max and Ren make will test their loyalty not only to the Union, but to each other--and the crew they call family.  | 
        
             
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             Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis by Caroline Barnard-Smith A genetically modified thief. A cursed electric ghost. A downloaded daemon. In a neon-drenched dystopia, sheâs the glitch in the system. Tattiana the Blood Seer plies her odious trade in Noctaraâa festering wart clinging to the blackened hide of a lightless planet. Tattie just wants to break sky and leave Noctara behind, but the fungus-choked metropolis isnât done with her yet. Tattieâs one-time lover reappears, packing an illegal implant and begging for help she refuses to give. Then her co-worker makes a pact with a tentacled daemon, and their grimy back-alley club is shuttered for good. With few options left and a disgruntled electrical ghost to feed, Tattie accepts a lucrative gig from the cryptic Verna Shade. The payoff? Enough credits to buy her own space bucket and punch a permanent exit hole in the stratosphere. The job should be easy: break into a vault patrolled by the N.E.X.âs emotionless grunt army and steal Noctaraâs most closely guarded secrets. But nothingâs easy on this cursed ball of dirt. Failure could get her exiled, husked, or killed. Success would shatter the planetâs fragile hold on peace. Armed with the dire blood magicks of the Arcanoforge, Tattie is done hiding. Itâs Noctara's turn to bleed.  | 
        
             
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             The Wish of a Dragon by JD Rivers Otar comes to on a dingy space station and discovers two things: First, he's missing a good chunk of his memories. Second, Andres, his lover, has disappeared. Before he can retrace his steps, a knock at the door demands a debt be repaidâone Otar can't remember. Captain Veil Dreamcatcher is in search of the dragons with only ruins to guide him. Otar agrees to help in exchange for a reduced debt and information about Andres. On their travels, Otar realizes Veil is as adrift in this world as he is. Both are on a quest for the impossible: finding the ones they have loved and lost. All the while, the shadows are watching with red glowing eyes.  | 
        
             
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             A Seething Heart: Ophelia Requited by T.O. Tate SHOW ME THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY TO HEAVEN On the unpredictable waters of the Great Lakes, the cargo ship Squall sails from port to port in a world torn apart by a mysterious illness. Orris is an oddity, born wrapped in thorny vines that have lain silent inside their body for decades. Since then, theyâve dedicated their life to caring for those in the last stages of a mysterious illness known as sliversickness, well aware that someday soon, they too will die. After the death of the Squallâs captain under suspicious circumstances, Orris finds themself in the middle of a struggle for power between their lover Hunter and his stepfather Charles. Rumors of ghosts creep through the Squallâs passageways, and Hunterâs behavior becomes more and more erratic. Everyone looks to Orris to help him, worried that he, like so many others, has fallen ill. But as vines begin to stir inside their chest, Hunter kills Orrisâs father, leaving vengeance as their only option.  | 
        
             
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             It's You, Isn't It? by Antony Paschos Who are the heirs to the colony? On the world of Terra-Octa, colonists Avra, her sister, and their friend Penko are the first to catch sight of a massive guardian of the native trees producing Chloron, vital to building the colony. Three years later, the colony is destroyed by an uprising of chlorobots, powered by that same resource. But all is not as it seems. What at first is a childhood memory to Avra turns deadly as her alien caretaker reveals herself to be more than Avra could understand. At the same time, her father, the general, firms his grasp on how the colony is run. Told in the past and the present, Avraâs story unravels in time and meaning until she finally understands her family, her blossoming romance with Penko, her alien caretaker, the origins of life, and the betrayal at the base of the colony. Get ready for Itâs You, Isnât It? by Antony Paschos!  | 
        
             
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             Isaac by Allee Mead When Eleanor Lane, estranged from her family, makes the drive to her deceased fatherâs house to arrange his funeral, she discovers Isaac, a care-bot. Isaac had been caring for her father ever since the incident six years ago, when her father, confused, accidentally cut her with a kitchen knife. Eleanor convinces her sister to let her take the care-bot home, beginning a new relationship with him despite herself. As she learns more about Isaac, she also discovers a caring, sensitive person in the android. He fills the void in her life created from her fear of connecting with others, and starts to reconnect Eleanor to how her fathers, John and Javi, met and fell in love. But is Isaac a replacement for human contact? For that matter, what is Isaac? A simple programmed construct, or a person who can grow and learn? Explore love, community, and what it means to be human in Allee Meadâs debut book, Isaac.  | 
        
             
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             Lesbians in Space: Where No Man Has Gone Before by Edited by J.S. Fields, William C. Tracy, Heather Tracy Peanut butter and chocolate. Cheese and wine. Sex and rock n' roll. History is full of great pairings. Get ready for your new Lesbians and Space! Join a host of intrepid explorers heading to the outer reaches of the galaxy, exploring planets, space stations, strange new worlds and interesting aliens. Launch into stories that span the cosmos, covering Space Opera, Xenobiology, Space Stations, Adventure, and Spaceships! From spaceship mechanics to intergalactic colony queens, heists, smugglers, gods, and sentient planets, Lesbians in Space explores the galaxy from the unique perspective of the lesfic world, blending the best of sapphic literature with modern sci-fi and space opera tropes. With stories Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGuire, Travis Baldree, Emma Newman, MK Hardy, Ashleigh Martin, Nathan Chu, Stewart C Baker, Kayla Whittle, Joel Glover, Caye Marsh, Kira Neu, Jes Honard, Scarlet Passmore, Sylvie Althoff, Jasmine Gower, Siena Buchanan, BeĂĄta FĂŒlöp, Danielle Woolhead, J.S. Fields, and Heather Tracy  | 
        
             
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             Only a Chapter by Heather Tracy A call to change a lifetime⊠Clare OâDonnell is in a dead-end relationship with her girlfriend, until she receives a phone call that changes her lifeâliterally. In one timeline, her biopsy results are positive for cancer. In another timeline, her results are benign. In one timeline, the faceless person she has romantic dreams of becomes masculine. In the other timeline, they become feminine. Her world begins to diverge, sending Clare on differing journeys of self-discovery and romance. In both, her dreams seem to show what might happen, and she realizes they all started after she survived the fatal car crash that took her parents. There is one constant: that no matter the challenges she faces, this is only a chapter of her life. Explore how one phone call could change your life forever.  | 
        
             
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             The Celeste Files by Sienna Eggler Difficult clients, questionable technological advances, and the much despised holiday of love torments our protagonist, Ryn Casler. Detective Winters surprises Ryn with yet another case outside their wheelhouse: a missing dog. The pooch in question is Celeste, beloved Doberman, once ensnared in a custody battle. But the police have better use of their time than searching for the pup, allegedly stolen from a high-rise apartment with no signs of forced entry. A reluctant Ryn accepts, thinking it would be a nice change of pace from their stressful case logâbut this dog quickly becomes the bane of their existence. Especially when Celesteâs tracker is found at the bottom of the Cuyahoga River⊠âJust what the hell have you gotten me into this time, Detective?â  | 
        
             
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             Vividwater by Jacqueline Owens In a future world, only a few hydrospheres, like AotearoaNZ, have enough drinkable water, nearly all sold overseas. Alex is a mnemopath, a professional memory machine, at the main water trading bureau, WaiOra. Her job isnât noble, selling water overseas while locals die of thirst. But she needed a job, and the extra water allowance. Her humdrum life, struggling to earn enough water to live, is upended when her great love comes back to AotearoaNZ, after fifteen years in China. Alexâs world is transformed to one of excitement, danger and a relationship she has to hide.  | 
        
             
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             Speculative Shorts: Stories that fell out of my brain by Cait Gordon From the award-winning author of Season One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space... A nonbinary Alice accidentally enters their own clubbing wonderland because of a smiley app and Bong Guy. An autistic writing instructor who hates ABA but loves ABBA becomes an unexpected hero. A "silent" mermaid-siren noted for keeping the sea safe from poachers is guided to a Lander who might not be like the others. A disabled space pilot couriers precious cargo for the Network while trying to evade the eugenics-based brigade who wants to keep people like her "safe at home." A descendant of Frankenstein's monster is having her sweet sixteen party, but her mother's gift stops the teen in her rollators tracks. Explore these stories and more in this collection of fifteen tales of queer life, disability, romance, power, defiance, and resilience. Advanced praise: "Cait Gordon writes with infectious joy and energy, and with a sense of humour that is never far from the surface even in the darkest moments." Kate Heartfield, Prix Aurora Award-winning author of The Embroidered Book "Speculative Shorts is a fun, delicious taste of the range of Cait's spice-rack of writing skills, and she blends together those elements incredibly.â Derek Newman-Stille, Prix Aurora Award winner of the digital humanities hub, Speculating Canada  | 
        
             
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             Eight Arms to Hold Me by Joshua Mertz Eight Arms To Hold Me is an alien invasion tale with epic battles, a dash of romance, intrigue, laughs, and a fascinating and endearing octopus hero. It blends actual science in the science fiction with the old school thrill of ray gun wielding space crabs. A rollicking adventure.  | 
        
             
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             Bright City, Shattered by Millie Abecassis Reine just started her job as head of security at Clean Crystal Corporation (C3) when Isaline, a brilliant technician and the CEOâs niece, is found dead in the crystalâs Core Room. Chief Executive Max Caldwell and Detective Inspector Novau are convinced Isaline was murdered by another employee, dismissing theories of a safety accident. They claim the crystal, powering Bright Cityâs clean energy, is harmless. But Reine, haunted by Isalineâs fear when she warned her away from the crystal, suspects otherwise. Isaline knew something, and Reine is determined to uncover the truth. The problem is: she needs her job at C3 to support her family, and Max Caldwell wonât tolerate Reineâs eagerness to investigate Isalineâs death as a potential accident. A retro-futurist vision of life in an isolated metropolis, Bright City, Shattered is a gripping mystery of lies, loyalty, and the relentless pursuit of truth.  | 
        
             
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             Bite Sized Fiction by Robbie Sheerin This collection features five sci-fi stories, from cops hunting humanoid robots in Blade Runners 2039, to the shocking truth behind the Titanic in Ships Colliding in the Night. In Defrosting H.G. Wells, the legendary author is thrust 200 years into the future, awakening on a human-colonized planetâand questioning what became of Earth and its inhabitants. The other five tales explore the intricacies of the human mind and heart: aging parents, childhood trauma, and mental health. A daughter is haunted by her controlling mother in Just Ignore Me. In The Incredible Broken Mind, a retired naval officer recalls the Black Plague with incredible detail, but not everything is what it appears. Concerns and Sandcastles captures a child's quiet worry about his parentsâ love, while What Dangers Lay Beyond That Barrier of Mahogany Wood delves into the isolated world of a man battling agoraphobia. Award-winning writer Robbie Sheerin weaves humor, pathos, and surprise into every storyâeach one a twist-filled journey through imagination and emotion.  | 
        
             
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             Tales From Another Dimension by Robbie Sheerin Tales from another dimension is a strange and fantastical collection of ten short stories. Robbie Sheerin is inspired by classic Sci-fi, invoking nightmarish twists and turns with each story. Travel to another dimension and meet strange characters, sometimes human, and at times not so human. They will make you question the solidity of the earth and mankind. Explore prejudice, fear, imagination, kindness, empathy, and human frailty.  |