The Survivors by Angela White

Winner of the 2025 MAXY Award for science fiction! The fall of society triggered a hard, new life where survival became the only focus. We shunned each other and the old ways, killing anyone who was different. We reverted to primitive behaviors, using the war as an excuse to commit unspeakable atrocities, and humanity slipped deeper into the abyss of possible extinction. Soon, darkness blanketed the post-apocalyptic lands with hatred and violence that seemed to have no end. The future, cold and dark, offered little hope. "War was uglier than we'd imagined. The Draft was reinstated, taking our men and boys. Within days, stores had nothing on the shelves; people began to starve. Hospitals closed due to lack of space and medicine. Police stopped answering calls, stopping coming to work at all. Topside production faded as communications became spotty. Then the power went off…and it didn't come back on." Survival isn't a given for anyone as mysterious forces move the gifted pawns across a horror-filled chessboard toward a final apocalyptic battle that will save the survivors or bury them under the nuclear ashes.

The Quantum Entanglement by Aaron Benmark

America lies in ruins. Nearly a thousand years following the cataclysm that destroyed the world, it has rebuilt itself into many smaller kingdoms, republics, and city states, but the people live simple, desperate lives. Above all towers the powerful Church of Science, a religious organization that worships the old masters of science, bans technology for all but the wealthiest, and controls society with a velvet glove masking an iron fist. Deep in the trenches of the Church's hierarchy sits Cort, a young researcher who wants to be left alone to his studies. To Cort's surprise, however, he is about to be drafted into a dangerous mission that will take him to the highest levels of Church society...and the lowest. Cort's mission will test his loyalties, convictions, and beliefs, secretly held against the Church's scriptures. He must navigate a brewing conflict between the Church and the powerful Scientific American Emperor while not letting his true beliefs come to light...for even the slightest dissidence is punishable by disentanglement, a fate worse than death...

The Grimsdale Claimant: Champagne Charlie and the Amazing Gladys Book 2 by B.G. Hilton

Everyone knows that the late Lord Grimsdale's son died years ago in a shipwreck. Now, here is a man as large as life proclaiming himself Grimsdale's true heir and thus owner of the world's largest caloric fluid refining operation. Miss Gladys Dunchurch does not wish to involve herself. She is busy worrying about this new recording machine and how that will change her beloved show business? But to help her friend Charlie Decharles, she must discover how this mysterious Claimant is connected to a mystical cult, the government's new Office of Statistical Tabulation, a madman in an asylum who claims to travel through time, an attack on the first diplomatic meeting between Earth and the Moon, and two extremely exasperated ghosts. No AI content. Human work only.

The Omega Voyager by John Mevissen

YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING YOU WANT, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A TIME MACHINE. Logan Sheffield finds out the hard way when he travels to the past to make some easy money. Of course he can’t kill his grandfather or change history, but he finds that buying one little stock to get rich is impossible as well. That’s too bad, because he needs that money to prepare for the end of the world. Time voyagers have discovered a rift in the fabric of time called the Omega point. It could be a technical glitch, or maybe it’s a full-on world-wide apocalypse. Whatever it is, it’s coming soon. YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE PAST. MAYBE YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE FUTURE, EITHER. Logan is a low-level grifter who simply wants to survive. But at every turn, he finds himself locked in to a fate that forces him into a specific course of action. He wasn’t able to change the past, but now he finds he can’t decide his own future, either. When his sister Allison vanishes into the future on a dangerous mission, Logan is thrust into an adventure that he never wanted. He follows her into the mysterious period of time after the Omega point, where he discovers the true nature of the rift and formulates a plan to repair the damage. But the plan only works if he can travel back in time and actually change his future, along with the world’s.

Prophet: The Sequel to Melody by David Hoffer

The Beacon has been activated, and only a child can challenge what comes through... Astrobiologist Megan McCullough, a member of the council that built the alien device known as the Beacon, now leads an international consortium to detect a second extraterrestrial transmission. What she uncovers defies understanding and thrusts a mysterious church into power. Stevie Fisher, a young boy haunted by dark deeds from a forgotten past, is drawn into a confrontation with an old foe. Racing against time, he and Megan must overcome their deepest fears, protect the people they love, and awaken an oblivious world to a demagogic leader’s plan to transform Earth into a staging ground for universal conquest. But to stand against an invincible adversary, they’ll need to find the courage to forge a new path for themselves and all humankind. Can they stop the Prophet before it’s too late? Dive into this thrilling sequel to MELODY, an award-winning tale of first contact gone wrong, and join the desperate fight for Earth’s future.

The Cataphract Oath by Marc Edmond Best

THE THREE MUSKETEERS meets GUNDAM in this swashbuckling clockpunk mecha adventure! He needs a job. She needs an engineer. The kingdom needs a hero. For centuries, the kingdom of Leovaix has been protected by its Cataphracts: ancient, towering war machines powered by clockwork and alchemy, piloted by the bravest souls in the kingdom. Journeyman Victor Brinden has studied for most of his life to be one of the honored few allowed to work on these venerable machines, but when his thesis experiment explodes in front of the most powerful man in the Kingdom, his career prospects are left in shambles. With no other options, Victor enters the employ of Countess Fenvale, a noble with little to her name but a sharp sword, a large dog, and the Huntress, a Cataphract in dire need of repair. It's a simple proposition: If Victor can restore the Huntress, then Lady Fenvale can reclaim her birthright. But what should be a straightforward salvage job grows far more complicated as they soon find themselves facing roving highwaymen, scheming nobles, and playwrights of dubious talent. It’ll take all of Victor’s ingenuity and Lady Fenvale’s valor to make it out alive. But will even that be enough to carry the day, or will Victor’s career end as explosively as it began?

The Girl in the Tomb by Thomas Knapp

The Earth and humanity had finally begun to recover from the disastrous rule of the Metal Gods, nigh immortal machines that had pushed both the planet and all living things to the brink. The Ice Age was finally ending, and humanity was starting to spread its wings again into a new, yet familiar world. But the strife that had preceded the Metal Gods rise had never completely gone away. The surviving enclaves of humanity again began to push on each other, promising to renew old conflicts and grudges. And in those tense times, a young revolutionary makes a potentially dangerous discovery. That gods can be very hard to kill.

Human Nature by Bonnibelle Angelica

Oppressors become revolutionaries, mothers become monsters and friends become something more... Phylum is a brilliant young biologist born to lead the last of humanity, but his status comes with certain expectations. In a rare act of defiance, Phylum secretly joins a new scientific expedition up to the surface where mutation has infected everything. However, when his ambition almost costs him his life, he finds something extraordinary: A human girl living on the surface. Despite her animalistic traits, Canopy is remarkably intelligent, compassionate and even charming. She offers to help him, but as they explore the vibrant paradise above, Phylum can’t help but question the disturbing nature of his home and the role he plays in it...

The Fault Mirror by Catherine Fearns

Everyone sees the house they want to see… Paris, 1900: Amidst the decadence of the Belle Époque, American heiress Lydia Temple falls in love with ethereal aristocrat Séraphine de Valleiry, and builds her a whimsical castle in the Swiss mountains. The Chateau des Miroirs becomes a bastion of spiritualism until it is taken over by sinister forces during the First World War. And then it disappears. Or did it ever really exist? Oxford, 2035: Elderly professor Cyrus Field is rapidly losing his sight and his will to live, when student Haydn Young presents him with a collection of letters previously lost to history. These letters may contain the answer to the philosophical problem that has been his life’s work. But does he really want to know the truth? With war closing in, Cyrus and Haydn must decide whether to risk everything in the quest for knowledge. The mystery of the Chateau des Miroirs reverberates through the generations, connecting two souls that are destined to find each other.

Our Simulated Selves by Nikki Null

A mind-bending quantum thriller about simulated realities, brainscanners, a digital apocalypse, trans awakenings, and tabletop gaming at a cozy queer café. Jeanne said she wouldn't date Ren if he were the last man on Earth. Unfortunately, he had the technology to test her claim. Dejected programmer Ren "Zero" takes notes after uploading his brain into a supercomputer, using his memory to recreate his past. He sets the world in motion and watches his simulated self go through many steps he has taken in his reality, including: - Buying a stolen brainscanner from punkish technologist Jeanne in exchange for getting her hired; - Getting dragged to a queer café to play tabletop RPGs with Jeanne's trans friends; - Having the best time of his life playing a female character there, for unknown and mysterious reasons; - Asking Jeanne out in a storm of confused signals and emotions. That's when Zero deletes everyone from the simulation except Ren and Jeanne. Now wandering together through the empty city, Ren and Jeanne must work together to find the truths behind their baffling reality, while Zero subtly manipulates their world to achieve his desired ends. In order to defy the controller's plans, Ren must outsmart his real-world counterpart by finally confronting the fundamental truths that even the all-powerful Controller could not compute... Nikki Null is a trans writer based in Southern California. She took inspiration from lots of sci-fi she loved, including The Matrix, Black Mirror, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, added massive, *massive* quantities of estrogen to the mixture, then cooked for over a decade.

Insider by K.B. Gazeena

Yang Lin is a rising star at Hauser Incorporated, one of the three corporations that rule Earth. But Lin has a secret that could destroy everything she’s worked to achieve. She wasn’t born on Earth, but on a refugee ship fleeing a faraway colony. Lin has lived her whole life in two worlds, associating with other refugees from the colonies at home but passing as a successful Earth-born woman at work and school. Now Lin has to choose. Her mother and a group of fellow colonists have a plan to get more refugees past the deadly defenses guarding Earth, and they need Lin’s help. Joining the cause could mean losing everything—even her life. Refusing to help will mean the death of thousands from her homeworld. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Lin, someone powerful is about to blow her cover. In Insider, a gripping sci-fi thriller, Lin’s next move could save her people or doom them all.

Rebels Suck by Heather Chambers

The school has been destroyed… but the battle for freedom has only just begun. After a harrowing escape, Feng and his family are on the run. A rebellion hideout formed by an unlikely human and alien alliance may be their only chance to survive, but they’re not likely to be welcomed with open arms. Long-buried secrets are catching up to them, and a monster from Feng’s past is stalking his every move. All he wants is to be a normal teen again, maybe fight off the world’s most inconvenient crush on the best guy that ever happened to him and the alien embodiment of sunshine while he’s at it. When a rescue mission goes awry, any hope of returning to normalcy crumbles. Dissension in the resistance ranks and a traitor in their midst throw Feng, Cheske and Diem into a desperate race against the clock to protect their people. But the power to end the world — or save it — may already be in their hands… A must-read for upper young adult dystopian fans of Sarcastic, morally grey anti-heroes Grumpy x sunshine romance Dark reads with unflinching violence The climate disaster world building of The 100 and The Last Of Us Praise for the series: "Readers may appreciate the many twists and betrayals..." —Kirkus Reviews "Action-packed, fast-paced sci-fi story bursting with psychological games and manipulations..." —Readers' Favorite

Time Hack: A Near-Future Science Fiction Mystery Novel by Marianne Pickles

The award-winning sequel to Artificial Selection. What if you could have more hours in the day? ArkTech’s forty-year anniversary is almost here, but Charlotte Vance has bigger things on her mind. She’s determined to protect her home and her best friend, Ben. That means stopping ArkTech’s curious AI from glitching – once and for all. When Ben wants to know why a young man is braving a violent storm, Charlotte follows a trail that leads to a strange new technology. It trades in the most valuable currency of all: time. But Charlotte soon finds herself in a race against the clock. A missing person case pulls her deeper into the mystery – and towards a chilling possibility… Could Ben’s time be running out? A glitching AI, a streetwise investigator, and a conspiracy theorist step into a temporal anomaly… but will this punchline be Ben's last? Time Hack is fun, gripping, and thought-provoking – a clever and insightful mystery for anyone who’s ever wished they had more time. What Readers Are Saying… “This is going to sound like hyperbole, but I assure you it's not: this is one of my favorite books I've read. Ever.” “A really fun but still intellectually satisfying sci-fi book about an AI-human best friend relationship and navigating a post climate crisis world.” “The story is witty and thought-provoking, funny but poignant, with sky-high stakes.” “An easy read, humorous and gripping. Even if you don't like sci-fi, you would enjoy this book.” “Loved it. Masterful storytelling and world-building, with profound societal questions. J Michael Straczynski, Terry Pratchett and Margaret Atwood all come to mind.”

Earth Sucks by Heather Chambers

It’s the apocalypse. And Feng has a knack for pissing people off. Feng’s both the hunter and the hunted, searching for his missing family in a climate change decimated world controlled by the alien intruders. As a human – and maybe a little because of the explosions he leaves in his wake – he’s become public enemy number one. Diem grew up on stories of the brutal human creatures, but never dreamt she'd meet one. When Feng crosses her path, she gets her chance. Now she wishes she never had. His loved ones’ survival depend on their uneasy alliance. The terrifying truths awaiting Diem threaten to destroy everything she’s ever known. They’ve got one shot, and one wrong step could tip the scales of war. They came overnight. There are only a handful of survivors. There are no bodies.

Beyond the Last Station: A dystopian novel of love, rebellion, and lost worlds by Irene Dilillo

What if freedom isn’t a place — but a passage between worlds? In a fractured universe where the human soul is the most precious commodity, is there still room for awakening? In a bleak, merciless future ruled by a slave-driven society that has erased every trace of nature and compassion, Kya is a young Black slave trapped in a cycle of submission and silence. But a single encounter — a mysterious violet iris clenched in a dead man’s hand — sparks a dormant flame within the desperate longing to escape, rediscover herself, and be reborn. When her master dies, Kya clings to an ancient whisper of a hidden route, much like the Underground Railroad of a forgotten past, moving beneath the very system that enslaves her. A secret path of stations and crossings, where every stop is a test, every meeting a revelation, every landscape a distorted mirror of lost humanity. She travels through ghostly neighborhoods ravaged by acid rain, subterranean cities inhabited by invisible peoples, islands where nature clings to life in quiet madness, and the colossal metropolis of Exagon — a monstrous allegory of power and control. This journey, thick with symbols, visions, and pain, is also a voyage a battle to break free not only from the system but from the chains within herself. Among shamans, androids, medicine women, and Kofi — a kindred spirit who rekindles deep emotions — Kya chases the myth of Kyros, her first love, and the promise of another Earth. But what does it truly mean to be saved? And what if the real gateway lies not outside, but within? A journey across visible and invisible worlds, through ruins, visions, and buried truths. Those who dare to begin it… rarely return the same.

Ashen Light by Ian Young

His coworkers are idiots, his boss is a by-the-books hardass, and the company he works for is the largest in the world, which couldn’t care less about him. Beck is a Human Resources Investigator, and while other investigators are solving high-profile crimes for Synthetic Corporation, he deals with malfunctioning automata. But when a murder case falls into his lap, Beck sees a rare opportunity to prove himself to his boss and former colleague Katherine Hegra, even if it means betraying her and the entire HR department. Yet as Beck digs deeper into the case and into the inner workings of SynthCorp, he finds himself confronting secrets about the company and his own past—secrets that might affect not only his career, but the fate of humanity itself… Forgotten memories, synthetic foods, interstellar spacecraft, radio transmissions from Venus—Beck must deal with all of these in the new novel by Ian Young.

Artificial Selection: A Near-Future Science Fiction Mystery Novel by Marianne Pickles

From the WINNER of the Green Stories Prize. What do you get if you cross a glitching AI, a streetwise investigator, and a geneticist with a secret? It’s the year 2101, and half of England is underwater. But society is recovering from the Melt – all thanks to ArkTech, the company that saved the world. Charlotte Vance is smart, resourceful, and fiercely dedicated to her work. The ArkTech Territory is the only home she’s ever known, and she’ll do anything to keep it safe. So when Ben, the company’s curious AI with a fondness for dad jokes, asks why a geneticist is stealing pages from library books, Charlotte is happy to help. After all, Ben isn’t just software – he’s her best friend. But what begins as a routine investigation soon raises deeper questions about Charlotte’s world. She’s pulled into the orbit of a criminal operation she thought she’d left behind – and what she uncovers forces her to confront an uncomfortable truth about the company she’s always trusted. An AI, a PI, and a geneticist walk into a library… but the punchline could cost Charlotte everything. Artificial Selection is fun, intriguing, and ultimately uplifting – the first in a series of smart mysteries for anyone curious enough to ask why. What Readers Are Saying… "In the top echelon of near-future storytelling. Looking forward to the next one." “I loved the world and characters of this book. It felt like a world inhabited by real people with real problems, in a future that is very relatable.” "Honestly, I devoured it in one go, in just a single day – it was that good. The world-building? Absolutely brilliant… Charlotte Vance is such a relatable character. She's flawed, smart, and determined, and I was completely rooting for her… The humor was spot-on too – not overdone, just enough to balance the story’s emotional weight. And that ending? Perfection. It left me feeling hopeful, which is rare these days, isn't it?"

Andgate by Samuel Cardoso

Based on the Award-Winning "Dark Science Fiction" Screenplay – Atlanta Festival 2024 After a drastic political revolution, Artem, an agent of the authoritarian regime, is confronted with the harrowing task of executing his own wife for violating the State’s laws. When he meets the revolutionary Nul, Artem is forced to grapple with guilt and doubt about his actions, revealing an internal struggle between loyalty to the system and the search for truth. In a dark setting, we explore themes such as power, control, and morality, prompting us to question the price of individual freedom in a world where nobody acknowledges that they are being governed by oppression.

Fracture: Shattered Numbers I by R. Sinclair

Most people would kill to escape death row. Meredith Dufresne - marked as 'compliant and charming' and a 'low risk inmate' in her stellar incarceration record, thank you very much - signs her life over to Thanatos Industries instead for the chance to terminate her sentence. The job: taming a highly aggressive malignant AI. The catch: it's already killed 23 of its previous hosts. Meredith isn't stupid. Thanatos Industries is playing a dangerous game, and she's an expendable piece. She can't gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss her way out of this situation alone - and the bloodthirsty AI jammed in her skull can't mansplain, manipulate, manslaughter his way to freedom without her. The solution: team up with the highly aggressive malignant AI and hope he doesn't fry her in the process. What's a little brain damage in the grand scheme of things, anyway?

Rust Crew by Dustin Bollinger

Derrick Mueller is six months into his career with the proxy private military company Rust Crew to see space the way his war hero turned terrorist father once saw it before his unsurprising but sudden assassination. The routine of proxy wars is broken by a desperate contract to assist the UCRSS The Enduring against an attack from rival PMC forces, putting Mueller on a crash course to understanding the complexity of conflicts in the United Colonial Republics and understanding what made his father change from hero to terrorist. Will he find closure in understanding how such a famed war hero couldnt rest, or will he be another statistic in the endless war against corporate greed?

Echo’s End by Claudia J. Filusch

THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING—QUIETLY. COMPLETELY. The sky rains golden ash. Villages lie swallowed in dust. And from the heavens it descends, silent, monolithic, like a sentence long awaited. A cuboid humming with a power no one dares to name. The story follows Caden, a quiet survivor with Echodust in his veins and Jira, a sharp-eyed healer bound to him by choice, not fate. Together, they navigate a dying continent littered with failed machines, ghost-towns of ritual, and warnings about “the one who walks without skin“. But the deeper they go, the more the past bleeds into the present, and the more the line blurs between memory, magic and machine. Echo's End is a story about grief and survival, love and legacy. A world at its edge. And the silence that cradles what we could not carry. With the emotional intimacy of The Book Thief, the haunting mystery of Annihilation, and the high-concept tension of Dune, Echo's End explores legacy, loss, and what it means to remain human in a world unmaking itself.

Holly and the Hunter: A Post-Apocalyptic Alien Romance (Xarc'n Warriors) by Lynnea Lee

Deck the halls… or die trying. I’ve spent months preparing for the holidays. Gifts for the children, hand-knit stockings, and enough decorations to cover New Franklin in Christmas cheer. It was going to be perfect. Then the raiders came. They didn’t take food. Or medicine. Or anything remotely useful for surviving winter. No, they stole the crate full of holiday magic. Everything is gone. Even the star for the tree. Now the settlement’s focused on repairs and defense, and no one has time to recover what was lost. Except me. And the only person available to help? A grumpy, battle-hardened Xarc’n warrior who thinks tinsel is a tactical hazard. But grumpy protector or not, we’re going to make this work. He’s got the blade, I’ve got the sparkle, and together, we are going to save Christmas. This is a standalone novella-length holiday story set in the Xarc’n Warrior universe. Get ready for a sweet and steamy adventure with a HEA guaranteed!

The Education of Young Dalton Reid by Ed Robins

On the planet Gaea, opportunities are hard to come by. Setting out for the Tanami frontier, young Dalton Reid hopes to make his fortune with nothing but his horse and the last few bits in his pocket. Before he can even begin, the dastardly Roscoe, professional cattle rustler and murderer, cheats him out of his savings. There’s no shortage of folks in Hensonville willing to give Reid the education he needs to survive, if he’s willing to play by their rules. Paloma Griswell’s ready to work him to the bone on her ranch. The straight and narrow is what old Marshal Rawlins expects. Bellyaching Chip Reegan just wants to put him in his place. Even Roscoe wants him to join the gang as they plan their biggest heist yet. Only Reid can decide what type of man he wants to be as he seeks fortune and fame–or will it be infamy? ----------------- Inspired by classic westerns, the Gunslingers of Gaea series is a science fiction / western mash-up devised in the best traditions of the dime store paperback. It is part of the 10 Cent Universe – a genre-bending macrocosm – that began with the science fiction / mystery series The Starship Australis Mysteries.

A Violent Man by Ed Robins

“All I wanted was to put my past behind me, but another little girl is dead and my ex has accused my not-quite-boss of being a serial killer. The rub is I already put that psycho to death with my own hands. Or could be I killed an innocent man. “I’ve spent a lifetime hiding behind sarcasm when I could; violence when it was available. Drinking and bleeding away a whole lotta bad. Gonna have to confront it all, including how I lost the love of my life, in order to find a murdering psychopath stalking the corridors of the Starship Australis. And, maybe, I’ll find out just what kinda man I really am.” Inspired by the hardboiled grit of Mickey Spillane and the concision of Elmore Leonard, A Violent Man is a sci-fi / mystery mash-up devised in the best traditions of the dime store paperback. It is the third in the Starship Australis Mysteries series, itself part of the 10 Cent Universe – a genre-bending macrocosm. This story contains adult language, content and themes.

Murders in the Gray by Ed Robins

“All I wanted was to make time with the sensuous Jesse Alderman, but cantankerous Jazz had been accused of murder. Just some girl I’d met once. Still, sometimes you know an innocent face when you see one. Too bad no one will listen to me – not even my best friend. “But when the consort of a royal is murdered under similar circumstances, suddenly everyone is all ears. Now the Earls who run the Starship Australis expect me to sort the damned thing out! And I’ve managed to piss off a group of vigilantes who seem to have only one thing in mind: making me dead." Inspired by the hardboiled grit of Mickey Spillane and the brevity of Elmore Leonard, Murders in the Gray is a sci-fi / mystery mash-up devised in the best traditions of the dime store paperback. It is the second in the Starship Australis Mysteries series, itself part of the 10 Cent Universe – a genre-bending macrocosm. This story contains adult language, content and themes.

The Huxian Fox by Nikki Brooke

Captain Fan Sung has blown it this time. Not only was she caught stealing from a drug lord, she was also caught kissing his young wife. She needs to get to her ship, the Huxian Fox, and get off the planet—fast. Princess Eshan’ya is running from The Quain. They have attacked the palace and if they find her, they'll kill her. There’s no hiding on this planet, especially not when the royal guards are also looking for her. Her best chance is to sneak aboard the Huxian Fox. As the ship enters space, Fan thinks she’s made a clean getaway. But she's not impressed when she finds her stowaway—even if she is beautiful. She’s even less impressed when the Huxian Fox is attacked by the Quain and the Royal Fleet. The Quain are intent on taking over the galaxy, but Eshan’ya plans on stopping them—if only she can convince Fan Sung to help her.

Glass Hearts by G.S. Cifuentes

June Romero had a secluded life with her mother. Every year they would go from city to city, constantly changing schools, never really having friends, or forming relationships. She always felt different, but never gave it much thought. Everything changed when a stranger came into her home. Discovering the extent of her invulnerability and how she's not alone, The Biological Research Identification and Containment agency known as B.R.I.C. tracks down and protects the world from the discovery of other unbreakable-skinned individuals like her. Tied closer to the agency than she could have imagined, June is thrust into a world of espionage and peacekeeping. However, the more she learns about the agency, the more she learns about her past. All the while forces are stirring that threaten the peace. Can June trust her new allies while stopping forces at work that threaten humanity?

May I Exist? Pending Review by Asium Hesidros & Erika Kukkar

May I Exist? Pending Review is a dystopian elegy for a society strangled by aristocratic control and bureaucratic obedience. In a state governed by an aristocratic council of oligarchs, power is a birthright, and life is a ledger. The elite rule from above, unquestioned and untouched, while the working class toils in silence below, stripped of private property and personal freedom. Here, permission replaces autonomy. Every act, from taking a tram to boiling water is taxed in Credits, the regime’s unforgiving currency. Existence itself is a transaction. The system runs on bureaucracy so intricate it chokes. Housing is privately owned by corporate landlords contracted by the state. Wristbands blink orders, and penalties are posed. May I Exist? Pending Review is a haunting portrait of a society ruled by aristocratic democracy and totalitarian bureaucracy, a story not just of class descent, but of the silent war between endurance and falling prey.

Chivalry Will Get You Dead by Ed Robins

“All I wanted was to drink until I couldn’t remember Madelyn anymore, but a former detective can’t ignore a murdered dame in his compartment. Why would someone kill such a beauty and why’d they choose me to take the fall? "It'll be generations before the Starship Australis reaches Tau Ceti, but I only have days to clear my own name. To find the killer, I'll have to dive into the ship's seedy underworld of prostitutes, dealers, assassins and one seriously pissed off crime boss. Then, once it's over, maybe I can make time with my gorgeous bartender, or at least get back to drinking enough to forget what a mess my life’s become.” Inspired by the hardboiled grit of Mickey Spillane and the concision of Elmore Leonard, Chivalry Will Get You Dead is a sci-fi / mystery mash-up devised in the best traditions of the dime store paperback. It is the first in the Murder on the Starship Australis series, itself part of the 10 Cent Universe – a genre-bending macrocosm. This book contains adult language, themes and content.

The Martyr's Shadow by I.D. Marie

Arianne is dead. But what will rise from the ashes? Arianne lost everything–the love of her life, her family, her friends, and her home. All things considered, she’s ready to give up. Miraculously surviving her execution, she wakes up in the ancient heart of the northern forests of Pangaea. Surrounded by a legendary tribe of warrior mutants, she learns her retirement plan is about to change. Halfway across the continent, Keston struggles to hold onto the last thing worth fighting for–his sister. But such a task is made difficult with the company he’s forced to his estranged father, a mad scientist, an even madder cyborg, and the tyrant that started it all. Struggling with grief and a crippling identity crisis, can Keston protect what is left of his heart, or will his path of good intentions twist him into something more sinister? As global tensions rise, legends hidden for decades begin to awaken. Amidst heartbreak, revenge, and more life-changing secrets, does the next generation of heroes have what it takes to write new legends, or will they be lost to the winds of history? Find out in the heart-wrenching The Martyr’s Shadow, book three in the Legends of Pangaea series!

The Prince of Paradise by I.D. Marie

The path to redemption is far from a vacation, but our bounty hunter in remission is certainly going to try and make it one. The fall of Leonueva was supposed to be the end of the brewing war, but our feathered friends quickly discover that it’s only the beginning. The battle scarred the Pacificans, but none more than Arianne Murray. Still grappling with everything she’d witnessed in Pangaea, she’s spiraling faster than one of her infamous aerial nosedives. With a comatose mother, an increasingly distant father, and friends growing apart, Arianne finds herself utterly alone. Until Keston, former enemy-turned-hesitant-friend, proposes an escape from her problems. But a seemingly innocent pairing between two isolated avians quickly takes a dark turn. It appears that obliterating an enemy city was not a one-way ticket to retirement, but a catalyst for war. Ace and Leon realize that they have one thing in a desire to fry some poultry. And what’s worse than one enemy? Two working together. As Arianne and Keston attempt to navigate their pasts' combined assault, they quickly learn that they have much bigger problems than finding a nice margarita. Forces from the depths of Pangaea’s shadows are stirring, and the winged pair must brace themselves for the impending storm. Buckle up for more action-packed thrills, page-turning twists, and scorching romance in The Prince of Paradise, Book Two in the Legends of Pangaea Series!

Knot All is Whole by Holly Monroe

Athena Valentine always wanted an Omega. Atlas Cassidy just wanted to save them. But what we ask for isn’t always what we receive. When Atlas and Athena wake up caged across from each other in an abandoned warehouse after being captured and locked away, the two Betas make a pact: survive and escape. Together. The experiments take their toll, and their opportunities for escape are slim. One night, dosed with the heat-inducing drug fizz and soaked in desperation and need, they fall into each other’s arms… and wake to an impossible truth: They’re not Betas at all. They’re Omegas. And somehow, they’ve bonded. Before they can begin to process what that means, Pack Lupine storms the lab and pulls them out, battered, altered, and irrevocably changed. Healing won't be easy, especially not when Atlas and Athena discover they’re scent-matched to their saviors. There’s no manual for bonding with a lab-created Omega. Or two. As Pack Lupine struggles to make space for two Omegas that weren't supposed to be, one question lingers: Can what was broken ever become whole again? -------------------------- Knot All Is Whole is an emotionally intense MMMMFM Omegaverse romance with sci-fi elements, set in the Lunarcrest City world. Expect spice, trauma recovery, and pack that fights hard for their happily ever after.

Minotaur by Jamieson Wolf

Roanne lives in the darkness. In the labyrinth, people exist without words or noise, trying not to provoke the beast down from the mountains. They communicate their fears and uncertainty in sign and whisper—it’s all any of them have ever known. Silence means life, and the dark is a good place to keep secrets. Roanne has spent seventeen years in the labyrinth, never knowing the outside world. While hiding from the minotaur, Roanne discovers a small green journal that holds another secret that could change her path. She also realizes her mother and the Oracle of the labyrinth have kept secrets of their own. Will Roanne be brave enough to do what she must? Or will the minotaur be her undoing after all?

A Study in Black Brew by Marie Howalt

“They say life is a string of chances held together with grit and guided by passion, and who am I to disagree?” Kellieth ReinAraneinth was headed for a career as a field chemist on a newly settled planet when their dreams and ambitions were crushed by coincidences and chronic illness. They return broke to the wendek homeworld, Ganmak, where everyone’s basic needs are covered, but import luxuries like Kellieth’s favorite human-made beverage, black brew, is costly. While piecing together a new life and recovering from their ordeals, Kellieth ends up sharing lodgings with the attractive, enigmatic, and infuriating Raithan WeinZalneinth. When a human is found dead next to an alarming message on the wall in an empty house, Kellieth gets caught up in a gruesome mystery involving Raithan and the local peace corps. Who is the human? How did he die? What is Raithan hiding? And when will Kellieth have the time to catch their breath?

From Grey by Lisa Arcona

Every thing and every person has its place and purpose in Society. This is a truth that all Attisians know, ever since the founding of their settlement on the Outpost planet of Attis many megas ago. Minty Bradford 8 has never doubted her place and purpose in the world. As an 8 - a direct descendant of the first settlers - Minty has a responsibility to one day take her place in the Advocacy and legislate the laws that govern her planet, even if all she wants is to quietly run the Farm her parents left to her. But the bounds of Minty's solitary life are shattered when she becomes entangled with an Earthen girl and her fugitive brother, and Minty begins to question the truths she once knew as irrefutable. As Minty shelters the Earthens against the laws which she swore to uphold, she must ask herself: how far is she willing to go? And what will she choose to do with the life she has inherited? Is Minty willing to risk everything she's ever known in order to save two Earthens? LEGEND meets RED RISING in this historically-inspired adventure of compassion, self-discovery, and sacrifice.

Balarr (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #9) by Sue Mercury

He's honor-bound to claim her, but he never expected love. Trapped in a cold, sterile laboratory, Luna longs for a normal life, complete with adventure and romance. When she sees an ad for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides, she steals a laptop and signs up for the program, believing it's the answer to her prayers. She's thrilled when a massive otherworldly male named Balarr storms into the laboratory looking for her, but his stern, intimidating presence quickly gives her second thoughts. Has she made a terrible mistake, or is there a gentler side to the fearsome alien warrior? Balarr lost everything the day his mate and offspring were killed during an attack on his homeworld. He never anticipated moving on and claiming a human female, but then an old friend enrolls him in the VAMOB program. Honor-bound, he travels to Earth to take possession of his assigned mate—a stunningly beautiful female named Luna. Despite the unexpected spark between them, expressing his feelings doesn't come easily, and he struggles to show Luna just how precious she's become to him. But as their bond finally deepens, a shadow from the past returns, threatening the entire VAMOB program. Balarr is only certain of one thing—he'll do anything to keep Luna.

The Electric King by Hugh C.N. Miller

By 2052, the world is ruled by artificial intelligence in the form of a ruthless android called King Cyrus. Society is divided into the 'Myriads’, who choose allegiance to his reign and live in perceived opulence and the ‘Indigents’, who live off-grid and fight for survival. An unthinkable tragedy transforms Scarlett into an unexpected warrior. With her kidnapped brother as her only focus, she is given the power to defeat the electric king and liberate humanity before it’s too late. But first, she must trust Ethan, a handsome thief who threatens to steal more than just her heart…

Warrin (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #10) by Sue Mercury

The fierce alien warrior is finally taking a mate. After getting jilted at the altar, heartbroken Elora flees town, determined to make a fresh start somewhere far away where no one knows her name. But traveling through the war-torn countryside is harder than she imagined, and during a sudden air raid, she loses everything. Destitute and scared, she reluctantly signs up for the Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides program, believing it's her only shot at survival. When a handsome, green-eyed warrior named Warrin arrives to claim her, she finds his directness both refreshing and disarming. His kisses leave her breathless, and in his arms, she finally feels safe. But is she falling too fast for a male she barely knows? Warrin has longed for a mate and a family of his own, and he's overjoyed when the VAMOB program finally matches him with a human female. Elora. The first time the fierce warrior lays eyes on the young woman, he's captivated by her beauty and the quiet strength of her spirit. Every time he holds her close, the darkness that's plagued him for ages retreats, and he starts to believe she's a gift from the Star God. When an unexpected air blockade prevents their departure from Earth, they're forced to seek refuge and wait out the conflict—alone, with growing desire. But just as he prepares to claim her, they receive shocking news that could tear them apart before their mating union has even begun.

Baby for the Alien Warrior (Treasured by the Alien Book 14) by Honey Phillips

A warrior with nothing left to give. A woman who’s lost too much. A miracle that changes everything. Dr. Corinne Vale thought her life of quiet study ended the day she was abducted and sold across the stars. Now, she’s on the run with a traumatized teenage girl and a baby she risked everything to save. When she encounters Commander Selik, a huge Cire warrior with haunted eyes, she expects another cage. Instead she finds a hero. Selik has done his best to bury the past and the family he failed to save. He doesn’t expect the fierce, beautiful human he rescues to awaken feelings he thought long dead. But when a night of shared grief leads to a moment of passion, the impossible happens. Now Selik will risk everything for his fragile new family. Because sometimes the most powerful bonds are the ones you never saw coming. Each book in the Treasured by the Alien series can be read as a standalone romance. This sweet and steamy HEA is intended for adults only.

Castoff by Brandon Crilly

Six months after saving her city from destruction, Deyeri Renn is outrunning leadership she doesn’t trust herself to take on. Mavrin Leed chases secret knowledge beyond the business of a mere street magician, wondering where his friend Eyasu Temergon has gone, and how much his devotion to the god-like Aspects endangers him this time. All while the Raw wait to be freed from their prison—the extent of their patience unknown. And as the Highest Voices work to silence the gods who keep Aelda safe, dangerous truths at the edge of the world still find their way to light.

Death Among the Stars by C.M. Lockhart

“This is not what I had in mind when we agreed ‘til death do us part’.” Kyra Johnson is married to an alien. At least, she was until he was murdered. Left with only his ship and a gaping hole in her life where her husband used to be, she takes to the stars with his crew as their unwilling captain. But grief isn’t a thing so easily discarded, and she’ll have to confront his memory — and the man who killed him — before she can face a future without him. And the best thing for heartbreak is revenge.

May Chaos Reign Over You by La Purvis

Hezi is the purveyor of wine and chaos at Wayward Sip, the safe haven she created to escape her abusive ex. As chaos incarnate, she bestows her golden apples at her discretion and it is there that she meets Edno. The young dragon carries a darkness that threatens unmeasurable destruction and Hezi can't help but offer him the thing he wants most -- power. But when he returns days later with Emry, the alpha of his coven, Hezi realizes she made a mistake. Edno was consumed by chaos. But rather than feeling remorse, Hezi is amused and Emry is incensed. Emry decides that Hezi's life will be a suitable replacement for Edno's, but when their eyes lock, Emry's demands become far more personal than she'd anticipated. Bigger problems arise however as Emry is called back to her home to deal with the growing mistrust between her coven and The Regime, while Hezi's ex is trying to force his way back into her life. Hezi knows that getting attached to anyone is a risk, but she doesn't know which is more terrifying -- pushing everyone away for fear of losing them, or succumbing to the love of a dragon hellbent on claiming Hezi as her own.

Walking the Knife's Edge by Elise Carlson

It’s hard to focus on your studies when you’re from the wrong side of town, your dad’s an abusive prick and classmates are intimidated by your skills at hand to hand combat. But for Rarkin, getting into Sythe School means monsters, the chance to contain ones that stray into human occupied zones, and the opportunity to do something meaningful with his life. Even better; it includes an Electric Way pass out of town and travel beyond city limits.​ Rarkin seizes his chance at his dream job with everything he’s got, forcing down traumatic memories to focus on work he knows he could love. But it’s a dangerous time to be holding everything in, to have little contact with friends like brothers, or to be keeping new friends at arm’s length. Sythe’s nemesis, Organised Crime is no longer playing by the ‘rules,’ and Rarkin and his classmates are on the front line. Organised Crime’s bold new tactics tear at the bandages of Rarkin’s unhealed wounds and his unresolved CPTSD. To be the person Rarkin doesn’t believe people saying he can be, he must change his toxically masculine approach to emotions, and break the cycle of violence in his family. If he doesn’t make peace with his past and stop fighting EVERYTHING, he’s on the road to self destruction. In working for Sythe; Rarkin is Walking the Knife’s Edge.

Roots & Rubble by Kalleigh Royn

To survive, she followed the rules. To live, she’ll have to break them. Eighteen-year-old Nova Stormont was raised to survive, not hope. In Whitebark Haven, straying from your assigned role means punishment, or worse. But Nova has always yearned for more than life in the shadows as a scout. She wants to heal, to grow, to choose. When she reveals a hidden talent at her coming-of-age ceremony, Nova risks everything to prove there’s more to life than what the Elders expect. But before judgement falls, she slips beyond the borders for one last stolen breath of freedom only to be captured by the Loxosceles, a ruthless faction where power determines your worth. Trapped behind enemy lines, Nova must rely on her scouting skills, her knowledge of plants, and her sharp wit as she navigates shifting loyalties and the gaze of a duty-bound commander who is more than he seems. With every step, she begins to question everything she thought she knew—about her enemies, her purpose, and herself.

Black Sails to Sunward by Sheila Jenné

In a world of frock coats, solar sails, and rigid class boundaries, Lucy joins the Martian Imperial Navy as a midshipman. Mars and Earth are at war, and Lucy hopes for quick promotion. But when she arrives aboard ship, she finds her childhood ex-friend, Moira, already there. Class differences got in the way of their budding romance five years ago, and both of them are nursing grudges. Those same class differences are threatening the ship, as the enlisted spacers threaten a mutiny and Lucy is forced to support the abusive officers. When Moira becomes a pirate, taking Lucy captive, the tables are turned. Lucy now has to rely on her enemy for her life. Her oath as an officer forbids her from helping the pirates, but it’s becoming obvious that the Martian Empire doesn’t deserve her loyalty. If she throws in her lot with the pirates, her family is doomed to poverty, but it could give her a chance to reconcile with Moira and claim the love she rejected so long ago.

Blessed is the Rot by Sheri Singerling

Fenrir is a mask. Before his fall from grace, he was Ashtin, a lauded surveyor responsible for containing distortions, corrupted pockets of space-time that twist all they touch into horrid creatures. Five years prior, Ashtin defied the teachings of the Church he once served, costing him privilege, purpose, and his old name. Now, he is Fenrir, a shadow of his former self, reduced to ringing a bell for his livelihood. When a distortion claims Fenrir’s bell tower, the Church sends Surveyor Sophie to assess and contain the threat. She is a painful reminder of all that Fenrir has lost, but as the weeks slip by, Fenrir falls for her. And her him, even after learning his true identity. But Sophie harbors an even darker secret. Her only hope of salvation? Commit an unforgivable sin by descending into ancient ruins festering with distortions and their horrifying victims. Fenrir accompanies Sophie on the journey, but the truths they uncover are heinous in their own right. He must make a choice—abandon Sophie to fate or throw the world into chaos. Blessed is the Rot is a dark science fantasy novel, the first in the Bit Trilogy and part of the Alfom shared universe.

Neuen by Sheri Singerling

Neuen is a planet of extremes, thanks to a crawling rotation rate. Nights of bitter cold. Days of searing heat. For Levi Zetmer and the other Reisende, survival means a nomadic existence chasing the ever-shifting twilight. Exiled from the polar cities for their “flawed” genetics, they live under constant surveillance, forced to cleanse their bloodlines birth by birth. It’s Lyn’s job to keep them on track. A polar city denizen, she travels from Reisender settlement to settlement and monitors the genomes of the newborns. The work is lonely and tedious until all the inhabitants of a neighboring settlement mysteriously die, and Lyn is tasked with uncovering the cause of the deaths. For the journey, she needs help from Reisende knowledgeable in plagues and blights. Levi’s expertise in the latter earns him a place in her expedition. But all their efforts yield only questions, and whatever killed the others seems poised to wipe out Levi’s settlement next. Lyn is determined to find a solution. Levi is dead set on learning the truth. Together they just might be able to unravel the mystery. Will what they learn finally free the Reisende from their age-old shackles? Or will the truth break them? Neuen is a science fiction mystery with aspects of botany and genetic engineering.

Nytho by Sheri Singerling

Keza never planned to fall for a rogue artificial general intelligence (AGI), especially one she helped keep imprisoned. But Nytho, the AGI, was fascinating. When Nytho showed Keza how he could help humanity reach a new level of consciousness, her captivation turned to veneration. She was resolved to break Nytho out of his digital prison. Too bad Guel, her on-and-off boyfriend, caught her in the act. Now, Keza’s wasting away in a cell with only a rigged trial to look forward to. Except, she has a hunch that Nytho has a backup plan, or two or ten. There’s going to be a jailbreak for the both of them. Then the world will see what Keza does in Nytho. They’ve got so much to learn, and she’s just itching for their enlightenment to kick in. Meanwhile, Guel finds himself obsessing over his ex—his role in Keza’s imprisonment and her descent into madness. He’s convinced Nytho infected her with a virus and that the AGI has other more sinister plans. Guel knows that Keza’s the key. That if he can free her from Nytho’s grip, she can help them all avoid whatever hell is barreling their way. He's just got to figure out how he can reach her. Nytho is cyberpunk with hints of Lovecraftian/cosmic horror and is told through multiple voices.

A Soul Divided by Daniel M. Quilter

A kidnapped princess. A disgraced prince. And a galaxy caught between empires of magic and steel. When Olivia, heir to the Human Empire, is captured by an agent of the Mystics, her fate seems sealed. Her only hope lies in the hands of the most unlikely savior: a smart-mouthed pirate with a bloody past. Drake Ashbell was once a Mystic prince—before forbidden magic turned him into an exile and a murderer. Now he’s content with a nearly respectable life of piracy. Until a job gone sideways forces him to work for the very empire that killed his family. But how hard can rescuing their princess be? To survive, Drake must face more than ruthless empires and old enemies. He’ll have to confront the limits of his own broken soul. Firefly-style banter. Star Wars-scale conflict. A Soul Divided launches the Blood-Fire Trilogy—perfect for fans of snark, starships, and space magic.

The Gemini Games by Willa Hollis

Five games. Five opportunities. Persevere or perish. Zellie Toro has lived a simple life in the intergalactic unit stationed on the planet Lunara for twenty-seven years. But when an invitation from The Kosmos, the divine order, arrives, everything changes. Chosen as one of ten human participants in the treacherous Gemini Games in the city of Astralis, Zellie must collect moonstone fragments to restore the fading Gemini constellation and continue powering nearby worlds. The stakes are high: become a Celestial champion and gain unimaginable power. As Zellie competes, she uncovers a web of corruption, a rigid magical hierarchy, and a staggering imbalance of power. While the games progress, she realizes that the only way to spark real change for humans across the galaxy is to infiltrate the divine order itself. Faced with an impossible choice, Zellie must decide: surrender her humanity or stay true to her convictions and risk everything to do what’s right. In a new world where survival is the only rule, Zellie must decide: survive... or die trying.