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Kat Wallace is on a mission. After escaping tortuous enslavement, she sets her sights on ending the human trafficking that has flourished in 24th century Earth. Adopted by the leader of the pirate nation of Bosch, Kat Wallace is determined to prove herself as a member of the Bosch Pirate Force and use her skills to avenge her enslavement and free other thralls. But unexpected love and a test of loyalty threaten to rob her of what she wants most: a home. |
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Chameleon Moon by RoAnna Sylver The city of Parole is burning. Like Venice slips into the sea, Parole crumbles into fire. The entire population inside has been quarantined and left to die - directly over the open flame. Eye in the Sky, a deadly and merciless police force ensures no one escapes. Ever. All that's keeping Parole alive is faith in the midst of horrors and death, trust in the face of desperation... and their fantastic, terrifying, and beautiful superhuman abilities. Regan, silent, scaly stealth expert, is haunted by ten years of anxiety, trauma and terror, and he's finally reached his limit. Evelyn is a fearless force on stage and sonic-superheroic revolutionary on the streets. Now they have a choice - and a chance to not only escape from Parole, but unravel the mystery deep in its burning heart. And most of all, discover the truth about their own entwining pasts. Parole's a rough place to live. But they're not dead yet. If they can survive the imminent cataclysmic disaster, they might just stay that way... |
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Shades: the dragon and the fire by Atlas Theseus Schmidt The year is 2635. A techno-biological virus has transformed the human race and gifted some with superhuman abilities. Artemis Rhyex has lived in this virus-stricken dystopia for sixteen years, beaten and starved, surviving virtually on the bottom of society. As luck and choices take her higher through the echelons, she begins to notice that the divide between the privileged Overseers, the commoner Purities, and the super-human terrorist Shades, is far deeper than she has been led to believe. When Artemisâs status takes a sudden plunge, and she transforms from a Purity into the one thing she fears most, she is forced to confront the worldâs growing injustice while adapting to her new powers and learning to survive in a world that now wants her dead. She joins forces with the insane Shade âPyroâ on a vendetta to destroy the Overseersâ fascist regime, and ultimately challenge societyâs fundamental ideas of what it means to be a person. |
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Court of Snakes: This Desert Cage by Tycho Dwelis In the city of Segeno, itâs eat or be eaten. Someone has to rule the masses. A boy has lost his birthright. His parents killed. Dead and gone. A girl has lost her father. She means nothing to him now. The city of Segeno stands tall after a great war, the only city left of its kind. Terran has lost both of his parents and is now on the run from a tyrant eager to kill him and cut off the royal bloodline. Parisa struggles with her own identity as even her father rejects her for the color of her skin as he claws for the throne. Along their journeys, they meet unexpected allies and encounter unprecedented magick, but, most importantly, they learn what it is to stand up for themselves and take back their city from corruption. |
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The Symbiosis by Casie Aufenthie A hero lost. An assassin on the warpath. A villain forced to be a savior. Eight months after Tristan Faraday sacrificed his identity to save the woman he loved, the newest member of the Council faces danger on all sides. The woman he was programmed to care for, Emmeline Boucher, grows more unstable and dependent on him daily while he becomes embroiled in a deadly political game with the ruthless Head of the Council, Fang Chen, who will do anythingâdestroy anyoneâto hold on to her power. To honor Tristanâs legacy, Samara Zidan has thrown herself into ending the Councilâs reign, leading the Resistance in a furious offensive against them. However, her heart remains fixed on finding a way to save the man she loves. When an opportunity presents itself, Samara will end up in the path of the most dangerous people on the planet, risking both her heart and her life. Desperate to uphold his promise to make amends, Wyatt Faraday has worked tirelessly to find a way to fix Tristanâs faulty memories, but with Fang out for his brotherâs blood, time is running out. If he doesnât restore what was taken from Tristan soon, everything Wyatt cares about will be lost. |
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In a future where the human race has split into three species, the mentally-evolved Illuminatos have conquered the other two in a brutal Evolutionary War. Now, the seven most powerful Illuminatos, the Council, control the Earth, ruling over the other two human species through violent oppression. As one of the defeated physically-evolved Corporis, Samara lost everything: her family, her freedom, and her will to fight. But when her master, Lord Wyatt Faraday, commands her to find the mysterious leader of the Resistance, Tristan, everything she thought she knew is challenged. Tristan is an Illuminatos who has turned his back on his own kind to follow his principles. An idealist hoping to restore peace and equality for all species, he cannot escape his past, and it may force him to make a terrible choice. Their meeting will change the world, but will it be for the better? |
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The Last Human by P. S. Hoffman ALL HUMANKIND died thousands of years ago... âŚbut the xenos still worship them as GODS. Today, hundreds of alien civilizations thrive in the godsâ lost cities and fallen megastructures. One Empire has learned to harness the remains of humanity's forgotten technology to reconnect the distant worlds... and dominate them. Eolh is an old, jaded, avian thief who lives in the dark underbelly of a conquered city. When the Empire first opened the gate between worlds, they stormed his home, killed his gang, and burned everything he held dear. But that was a long time ago. Now, the resistance is dead. No one dreams of fighting backâfor the Empire wields the weapons of the gods: warships that fly, robotic constructs that hunt, and rare mysteries scavenged from the tombs of the gods. Eolh lives a half-life, thieving, running jobs, and selling his services as a freelance listener for the last gangs of Lowtown. He trusts no one, and only looks out for himself. When an unusual heist takes a deadly turn, Eolh must bargain with an overzealous android who carries an impossible secretâone that will shake the foundations of the universe. There is one last hope for salvation. For his people, or maybe just for himself⌠This is the story of The Last Human. |
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Realization by Joyce Reynolds-Ward THEYâVE ALMOST REALIZED THEIR DREAMSâŚBUT CAN THEY REMAIN THEMSELVES? The indentured labor wars heat up as Ruby Barkley and Gabriel Martiniere struggle with medical complications that interfere with their fight to stop the sinister goals of Gabeâs father Philip. Discoveries by their son Brandon about the degree to which Philip and the family corporation, the Martiniere Group, are involved in unethical, interdicted human experimentation push them into accepting a questionable treatment to speed their recovery. Philipâs direct challenge initiates Gabeâs final push to take over the Martiniere Group. Ruby and Brandon consolidate family support behind Gabe. When a high-profile assassination attempt at a political banquet reveals the existence of cyborged Martiniere descendants and clones of Philip intended to provide him with replacement parts, Ruby and Gabe must take action. One cloneâMichaelâstill survives. Along with their bid to win control of the Martiniere empire, Ruby and Gabe now face the dilemma of what is to be done with Michael. Can they save both the family and Philipâs cloneâor should they even try? The realization of their dreams is within Ruby and Gabeâs reach. Can they fulfill it while still remaining true to themselves? |
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Ascendant by Joyce Reynolds-Ward WHAT DOES ASCENSION TO POWER REALLY COST? Six months after the triumphant collaborative conclusion of the AgInnovator Superhero game show, Ruby Barkley and her ex-husband Gabriel Martiniere still struggle with the professional and personal fallout from their victory. The Superhero money allowed Ruby to launch her line of agricultural biobots. But one of the RubyBot spinoffs, the Defender, leads to unsettling revelations about crop tampering using body-modified indentured workers. Their son Brandon uncovers even more disturbing information about the abuse of indentureds as he campaigns to end it. All of these disclosures lead back to the Martiniere Group, the family corporation controlled by Gabeâs malevolent uncle, Philip Martiniere. Meanwhile, Ruby and Gabe wrestle with what form their resumed relationship will take, as Ruby contemplates whether she wants to take on the role of a Martiniere wife. The revelation that Gabeâs father is not who they thought, and Philipâs attempt to force Ruby away from Gabe once again confirms her decision. But the need to rescue one of Brandonâs valued indentured informants turns celebration into catastrophe. Will Ruby and Gabe be able to recover from this disasterâor will Philip triumph yet again in his campaign to destroy Gabe? |
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Inheritance by Joyce Reynolds-Ward YOU CANâT ESCAPE THE INHERITANCE OF THE PASTâŚOR CAN YOU? Rancher Ruby Barkley and her ex-husband Gabe Ramirez are competing head-to-head for the AgInnovator game showâs new one-shot award, the Ag Superhero. The winner walks away with $3.75 million per year for five years, with no accountability or need to re-earn the Superhero, unlike the Innovatorâs other awards. But issues beyond those raised by their long-ago acrimonious divorce face Ruby and Gabe. Fence cutting. Rogue biobots destructively ranging beyond programmed parameters. Physical attacks. And the realization that they may need to reunite to save their son Brandon from indentured servitude. Then the secret shadow of Gabeâs hidden inheritance reveals itself. Will he step up to the Martiniere Legacyâand what role will Ruby accept in any future they may share? |
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The Last 0-Day by B. R. Russell The cybernetics revolution knows no compromise. Luciana Gutierrez, a police officer, works ninety-six-hour shifts with a eugeroic hangover around the corner. Her investigation into those who stole her life is sidelined as a crime syndicate turns her precinct into a war-zone. Sent for backup, sheâs offered experimental technology that could turn the tide, if sheâs willing to risk mind, body, and soul. Anton Grissomâs birth was a crime, and his sentence is military service. Molded into an elite soldier, his path of atonement falls away when heâs caught on the losing side of a massacre. In the aftermath, heâs offered a second chance at lifeâif heâs prepared to pay. Weaver heals the broken and disposable, and in the process makes cybernetics a reality. Superhuman strength, intelligence, and connections to one another, it could solve humanityâs problems or tear society apart. But those concerns are secondary to Weaver, who just wants to see the next sunrise. All three are augmented for their own personal crusade and are on a collision course that will change the world. The Last 0-Day is an action packed adventure of the first cyborgs. Itâs Neuromancer meets Malazan Book of the Fallen with a dash of cli-fi. |
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One Tin Soldier: A Post-Apocalyptic Superhero Novel by Chris Tullbane Damian Banach's journey from Crow to Cape comes to a thrilling conclusion! Every year, the best Academy third-years are offered internships with Free States Cape teams, while the rest join the Mission on a multi-month expedition to bring hope and supplies to the Badlands. This year is different though... and it's not just because Damian Banach, the Academy's only Crow, actually volunteered for the Mission. The fact is, Damian's not headed into the Badlands for relief work. He's going because he owes someone a favor, and that favor has come due. Somewhere in the lawless lands east of the Free States is the person responsible for the Break and all the chaos that came after, and it's Damian's job to find him. He's hunting for Dr. Nowhere. |
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Red Right Hand: A Post-Apocalyptic Superhero Novel by Chris Tullbane "If lifeâs taught me anything, itâs that you scrap and claw for every moment you can get. And if youâre a Crow like me, you donât let a little thing like dying get in your way." Following the events of See These Bones, Damian is back at the Academy of Heroes as the Free States' most unlikely potential Cape. He has a new name, a new reputation, and a whole host of new questions about his own past. If he's going to find answers to those questions, let alone survive another year at the Academy, he'll need to learn a skill the orphanage never taught him: teamwork. Nothing's ever easy, is it? |
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See These Bones: A Post-Apocalyptic Superhero Novel by Chris Tullbane Some superheroes want to save the world. Damian is just hoping to save himself. In the post-Break world of superpowers, necromancy is the one gift nobody wants. Everyone knows what happens to Crows; they go mad and they go bad. That's the story of infamous mass murderers like Crimson Death, Gravedigger, and Sally Cemetery. It's also the story of David Jameson, an otherwise unremarkable man who came home one day and killed his wife, orphaning their five-year-old son, Damian. Thirteen years later, Damian has inherited more than just grey eyes and a beak of a nose from his father. He too is a Crow, doomed to become a killer unless he can find a way to avoid the violent madness endemic to his powers. When a Finder offers enrollment at Los Angeles' Academy of Superheroes, he jumps at the chance, believing training could be the key to changing his fate. His classmates despise him, the majority of his teachers want him expelled, and his mom's ghost hasn't said a word since reappearing when he was nine, but Damian isn't the kind to give up. He's going to take control of his destiny or die in the process. It's that or end up like his father. |
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The Old Love And The New by Alistair Caradec 'My priority is, and has always been to protect the citizens of our country. God save the King.' Twenty-five years after the infection started spreading across Britain and Ireland, most people have stopped asking questions. Nobody seems to care anymore what happened to the women in the provisional quarantine centres. Sid doesnât have the headspace to care. Since receiving a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder at age nineteen, he has stuck to a strict regimen of routine, low expectations, and tuning out the world. When his best friend brings home the first woman either of them has seen since the epidemic, Sid has to push back the boundaries he set for his own safety and face outwards for the first time |
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The Miranda Project: The Miranda Project Book 1 by Matthew Cesca For the last five years, Alex has been on the run. Once a living weapon for a shadowy government organization, Alex is now hiding out on Mars trying to start a new life. But the shadows of his past creep around every corner. Every night, his broken mind forces him to relive the horrors he has committed. Alex isnât like most people: heâs a psych. Born with rare psionic powers, each mental is a prized asset for the Centralized World Government back on Earth. Psyches like Alex are tracked down by the Agency and trained to do the jobs the CWG doesnât want the public to know about. With Mars no longer safe, Alex is forced to run once more. Refuge wonât come easyâhe's running out of places to hide. And for the first time since taking his life back into his own hands, he's not running alone... |
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Silent Night by Emma K. C. Couette In a future world, the skyscrapers of Haven City have crumbled and the government of today is no more. Death lurks around every corner and tomorrow is not promised. The Resistance and the Assassinâs Guild fight for control of the city, but after decades of a silent war, no one expects victory. In this lawless city, enemies are abundant, but three people are feared above all: the Charger, Black Death, and the mysterious assassin called Silent Night. â Silent Night has spent her whole life clawing her way to the top of the assassin list and has reached second place at the age of 18. She is days away from becoming Agent One when the tables are turned and a horrible truth is revealed. The next day, Silent Night seeks out the Resistance, to aid in the destruction of the Assassinâs Guild. Silent Night expects hatred and mistrust from her former enemies, but one boy will surprise her and that boy might just be the end of her. Please note: This book contains content/themes that may not be suitable for all readers, including: death, graphic violence, abuse, manipulation, alcoholism, death of a child, and mental health issues, such as panic attacks. Please read at your own discretion. |
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The Collapse: A Zombie Outbreak Story (Aftermath) by Alice B. Sullivan What else could the dead rising be other than a sick joke? Karen Gallagher is a mother, a wife, and a scientist, and her past is catching up to her. As the world falls victim to a viral pandemic, Karen struggles to keep her daughter safe, forced to turn to the people who burned her all while harboring an awful secret. |
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Forgotten Evil by Quill Holland If you had the power to rewrite peopleâs thoughts⌠would you? As a thirty-five-year-old farmer on a colony world, Raith is a kind and simple man, with a catch â heâs only existed for two years. His previous life is a mystery; the only clue to his past is a dark, ominous voice inside his head. When the Empire executes its triennial âSoul Harvestâ, Raithâs partner, Amorina, is amongst the abducted colonists. Stowing away aboard one of the departing ships, Raith must navigate strange yet familiar territory in an attempt to save her. Haunted by his inner demon, the rescue becomes increasingly complex, as Raith finds himself caught between the Empire, the Insurgency, and the United Earth Republic, with new friends and enemies knowing more about Raithâs history than he does. Finally, as his past catches up with him, Raith discovers the dark truth about his former life and the powerful technology responsible for erasing it. With the burden of his disturbing past weighing upon him, Raith is forced into wielding that power once more; and the fate of humanity hangs on his decision. |
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Tasmanian Gothic by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky A modern gothic thriller set in a decaying urban environment and lush mutant wilderness. Solari wasnât alive when the ozone layer split above Tasmania and spilled radiation over the edge of the stratosphere, but sheâs living with the consequencesâthe mutations, the gangland war, and the border wall that divides the affluent North from the contaminated South. Orphaned and alone in the southern reaches, Solari survives the chaos the only way she knows how: cooking the wildly addictive snowrock for local crime lord, Worcsulakz, and avoiding the mutants that skulk in the lush, untamed wilderness of the Fringes. But, when her junkie ex-boyfriend puts Solari more firmly in Worcsulakzâs debt, she runsâescaping the promise of violent retribution with a stolen van and a pair of giant wings cleaved from a mutant moth. Grafting the wings to her body disguises Solari as one of Tasmaniaâs most reviled and hunted, but grants her refuge in the one place Worcsulakz wonât look for herâa mutant enclave. There, Solari will form an unlikely alliance and commence the dangerous journey through gangland strongholds and carnival towns to get to the Border Wall in the north. Hunted by Worcsulakz, the hidden terrors of the Fringes, the secrets in her familyâs past, and the deception at the core of her fragile alliance, Solari will need to confront them all or stay condemned to a life of loneliness and brutality. -- This dark biopunk adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world of danger and decay is perfect for readers of dystopian, gothic, and new weird science fiction, and fans of China Mieville, Jeff VanderMeer, Kameron Hurley, and Tamsyn Muir. |
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Revolution (Divided Elements #3) by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky With her conditioning finally unravelled, Anaiya is free. But her single-minded pursuit to pull down the Orthodoxy is made more complicated with the return of old friends and foes who challenge and fight her for the chance to decide Otpor's future. In a world of fragile trust and heavy betrayals - will Anaiya finally get what she wants? Or will she, too, join the legacy of her former mentor - the infamous Original Resistor, Kane 148? |
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Rebellion (Divided Elements #2) by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky "The sky over the Edges shimmers then falters. Hovering between night and day, the dawn has come and trapped it between two very different realities - blurring it at the fringes until it becomes impossible to tell whether it is in one state or the other. Maybe both, maybe neither. Maybe something altogether different." In the anticipated sequel to Mikhaeyla Kopievsky's award-winning debut, Resistance, Anaiya 234 finds herself abandoned and reviled by both the Fire and Air Elements. While desperate to stay off the radar and keep her own Heterodoxy hidden, her guilt and need for redemption drive her back into the conflict that first unraveled her identity. But Otpor has changed - now a battleground scarred by violent attacks and reprisals. And Anaiya is no longer the Elemental she once was. Forced to confront her fractured identity and forge new relationships, will Anaiya's past come back to haunt her...or help her? |
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Bypass the Stars by Kate Sheeran Swed Seventeen-year-old Frankie Hartiger can reroute any elevator, steal the data from any ID chip, and scramble the facial recognition software on any security bot. The only thing she canât hack? Her parents. They wonât trust her with a coffee order, never mind a position in their interworld exploration company. When their very first inter-universal tour goes wrong, Frankie sets out to rescue her parentsâaccompanied by Earthâs first (and most annoying) interworld immigrant, Jord Mathison. But a transport malfunction hurtles them into the wrong world, where a deposed prince wears Jordâs face. To the prince, Frankieâs last name is equivalent to a curse: his world is dying, and Frankieâs family is at fault. As a breadcrumb trail of conspiracies leads Frankie toward her parents, sheâs sure Jord knows more than heâs willing to admit. If she canât forge a truce with him to root out the truth, sheâll be stuck foreverâand if the inhabitants get their way, sheâll burn with their world. |
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The Rax-Out of Darkness by C.G. Harris Human technology is a crime punishable by death and the alien race controlling the planet fears one thing... a blind boy immune to their greatest weapon... With Earth enslaved by a vicious alien race known as the Rax, hope hangs on a single saviorâa blind runaway named Tael. His alien captors distill fear into a devastating weapon, but Tael and a small band of rebels discover an ancient super computer that holds the technology to defeat them. If Tael unravels its secrets, humanity may have a fighting chance. But only if they find the traitor hidden within their rebel ranks who threatens their extinction⌠|
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Drained by Marc Daniel Acriche A Booklife Reviews editor's pick. Can you trust your family? Can you trust your friends? Because you may just have to choose. New York City, 2048. Superstorms, and the politics of privilege, have left downtown Manhattan in tatters with electricity rationed, neighborhoods condemned, and hope destroyed. When high school senior Casey Parker and her best friend Jennifer are ripped from their comfortable, prep school lives, the pair find themselves in the dangerous world of the resistance. With family on both sides of the conflict, thereâs no way out for Casey but a dangerous gamble: allowing herself to be captured by the enemy in order to learn their secrets. Failure could mean the lives of her family; success could mean the lives of her friends⌠|
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CYGNUS AWARD FINALIST DANTE ROSSETTI AWARD FINALIST Neworld Papers is brimming with action, adventure, and a touch of New Adult romance grounded solidly in thought-provoking science fiction. Is revealing the truth worth the disruption of a society? Fallon lives in a peaceful world that has no concept of war, or murder, or even love. It is a society that prohibits histories and pledges itself to "The Service of Today and the Building of Tomorrow." Just weeks before he reaches adulthood, Fallon is torn from his sheltered life as a ward of the state. He is drawn into a subversive group that needs his secret talents and he quickly becomes a chronicler of discoveries that threaten to destroy the very fabric of Neworld. Can Fallon handle the weight of the new responsibilities thrust upon him while he navigates relationships with the feisty redhead Aidan and raven-haired beauty Lenore? This volume includes first two Neworld stories: The Historian's Tale and The Warriors' Tale. You can check out their reviews when deciding to buy this volume. |
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Escape From Earth 1 by David DuBois Steve is an aspiring computer programmer and business owner. Zander is a burnt-out but dedicated FBI agent. They don't know each other, but their paths cross when they find a portal to another world. The gateway is not random, and they meet Maximilian Beauregard, the Vice-Chancellor of the United Federation of Americas. He needs their help. Steve and Zander travel to this strange world, quickly embrace new technologies, and get pushed into politics on the world's stage. They want to help, but the more involved they get, the more they realize things are not as they seem. The duo soon get in over their heads and must depend on one another if they want to survive and escape from Earth 1. Author Note: This is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy blend, predominantly a buddy adventure that emphasizes world-building, a detailed portal system, mysterious elements, and powering/leveling up. The content is appropriate for all ages, with a target audience of teenager and up. |
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ALL IS SILENCE - Book I - Deserted Lands by Robert L. Slater As the world crumbles...Lizzie had it worse than most.Will she give up?A bat virus brought the world to its knees. At 17, Lizzie barely remembers her father. Surviving an apocalypse could push anyone to the unthinkable.Her shotgun is loaded.She meets survivor, a hungry, silent man with a dog collar. She leaves food.Things go to hell. People die. Some by her hands.When Lizzie is attacked, her box of family keepsakes is smashed and her father's name and a phone number peak out from under the paper.Like a beacon.Could he still be alive?She has to find out.You'll love this coming-of-age, post-apocaloptimistic adventure. Because when you need it most, a single piece of hope can be all it takes.Get it now. |
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Alex is a detective in a world that considers them unnecessary. When everyone is a telepath, with their own inner policeman, crimes cannot escape notice. So a murder with no obvious culprit leaves the authorities at a loss. Woken from a virtual sentence, still unrepentantly anti-social, Alex is given the opportunity to finally investigate a mystery. One which puts him in danger, and leads to mysteries of a more personal nature. Exactly how long has he been asleep? And is this really the first mystery he's been awakened to investigate? A 39000 word novella. |
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Chroma: Philadelphia Triptych Book One by Isla Molina "Chroma has no vulnerabilities.â  That's what they told us. A discovery by a researcher threatens the dominance of Philadelphiaâs controlling family in the fully imagined, near future of this taut science fiction thriller. In a future controlled by family-owned city-states and a nanotech surveillance cloud, Tillers tried hard to avoid the attention of the System. But the suspicious collapse of a renowned professor sets his researcher, Dez Lighthorse, on a search for foul play that leads to the uncovering of dark secrets. Dezâs quest through the forbidden zones beyond the boundaries and the cityâs long-buried catacombs soon attracts the attention of a relentless Safeguard investigator. From the swirling dust of a desolate desert, the emergence of a unique bioreading alerts the omnipresent Mystic. With the help of the mysterious Seditionists, Dez must outrun the converging threats to uncover a truth that may spark a revolution. |
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The future is not assured. The near future was a world of technological chaos until Oreste Pax invented the augmented/virtual reality glasses known as the Univiz. Now heâs working on a brain-computer interface he believes will revolutionize human cognition. But when a vicious computer virus attacks the Internet of Things and threatens to tear civilization apart at the seams, Pax is forced to help deal with the crisis. He meets Alethia, the leader of a secret society who reveals a devastating truth to Pax and forces him to make a choice that will affect the future of the human race. |
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Humor Book Winner in the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Awards A sci-fi satire about seeking work-life balance while doing public relations for an authoritarian president. PR extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the "Hammer" struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian. The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our Leader's savage steel hounds attacks the Comms team at a press conference. He'd love to talk about his erratic job with his wife, Triple-N news anchor Maria Worthington, but they have a rule: the broadcast journalist doesn't ask Blake for inside information about his work, and the spin doctor doesn't use their relationship as leverage on what Maria reports. They say you shouldn't keep things from each other in a marriage, but it's OK--the only secrets between Blake and Maria are professional. When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader--and accuses Blake of distributing disinformation and propaganda to cover it up--the PR rep who thought he could talk his way out of any crisis finds himself utterly trapped in a dystopian job. |
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In Times of Peace: Dance of Darkness & Light Episode 1 by The Loneliest Lone Wolf Against the backdrop of an immortal War that has entered into its final chapterâŚâ¨A girl and a boy from a ravaged planet hope to start the first chapter of their new livesâŚâ¨But no one could see what was lurking in the darkness that lies beyond what their eyes can see⌠A SAGA SPREAD ACROSS THE UNIVERSE WITH A VERY GROUNDED CAST OF CHARACTERS... As The Empire prepares for the inevitable war against an unseen, unimagined enemy from beyond the realm of the known, an enemy that is determined to destroy everything at any cost... a group youngsters from far and wide are brought together to begin their initiation into The Imperium and face their faceless foe... and in this group of outstanding people there are two that stand out... a girl and a boy... They are the first of their people to be allowed back into The Imperium in generations... for it was generations ago that the rebellion against The Empire had failed and their people were pushed into exile, an exile that had to come to an end when the War came calling... but as they're now being cautiously welcomed back into the mainstream fold... some are more careful about it than others... Join them as they try and find a place for themselves in a changing new world as their old world begins to collapse⌠two lost souls alone in the vast star system trying to help each other find their true paths... just as a great War charges ahead on its path to them! DESTINIES WILL BE CHANGED... LIVES WILL BE LOST... WHEN THE PAST & PRESENT COLLIDE! The epic story that was in the making for a thousand millennia⌠is finally ready to be told⌠This is that story... the story of an epic war as old as time itself... the story of how that immortal war finally died... this is the story of the Dance of Darkness & Light... Witness the beginning of the end with⌠Episode 1... |
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Beneath 5th City by Jesse Sprague Earthâs invaders gave her a choiceâŚSubmission or death.Jaisa has never been the obedient type.The aliens call themselves gods and inform Earthâs survivors that they are creating a utopia. Jaisa knows that no utopia can be built on billions of human deaths. A little obedience is a small, and temporary, price to stay alive while she figures out how she can make a difference. Jaisaâs beauty and ability to please, both of which are to be used at the discretion of the scientific elite who are the one segment of humanity the new gods value, are Jaisaâs only value to the new gods. But her value to humanity may be much greater. Placed into a position of influence, she walks the line between nonconformity and death. On the surface, pretty little Jaisa is the perfect submissive dollâbut she knows the power of hope, and she intends to keep it alive. Youâll love this dark science fiction novel for its unique mix of grit and hope. Get it now! |
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Terms of Service by Elliott Scott Matchbooks, mysteries, and expensed lunches: they're what every great detective knows well. For Felix Lasko, they're further out of reach than the skyscrapers floating at the top of Neotopia city. He's always dreamed of breaking a case that mattered, but wasn't expecting that a real one would break him. After being blackmailed into service by Elsa Halifax, Felix must discover if the media star's suspicions are true. Could her husband have been murdered but still be walking around, running his factory? And if so, who killed him? Does that kind of technology even exist? In Neotopia, where your thoughts alone can lift buildingsâas long as your Digital IQ is high enoughâit's still hard to swallow. But if Felix is to keep his dream of being a detective alive, he'll need to perform some miracles of his own. For lovers of Noir, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and humor! |
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When everyone has a brain-interfacing tracking chip, one glitch threatens the entire network. Sixteen-year-old Kaya Weiss is that glitch. Through thoughts and blinks, Kaya can access anyone or anything on the tracker network. But the authorities monitor everything--where Kaya goes, who she talks to, and what she searches. And without the ability to turn it off, Kaya and her family can't observe a tech-free Shabbat. To fix the glitch, the authorities slice into her skull to reset her tracker, leaving Kaya to question more than the system's invasion into her faith. Kaya won't be a lab rat again. Evading the authorities requires some serious tech skills the rogue underground Ghosts can offer. But Kaya's not sure she can trust them--even if their top tech wiz, Bailen, has interest in her running deeper than her bum tracker. Kaya must decide if gaining freedom is worth losing her tracker's infinite knowledge--because to take down the tracker network, she must betray the only tech she's ever known. |
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The Exodus Betrayal by N.C. Scrimgeour The cybernetics in her head could save a planet. But when the man who put them there turns them against her in a deadly battle of wills, sheâll have to find a way to save herself. Alvera considers herself the best bounty hunter on New Pallas and with good reason â her cybernetics give her an edge nobody else can match. So when sheâs tasked with investigating the ancient space station that has been silently watching the planet for centuries, thereâs not a doubt in her mind that sheâs the best woman for the job. As for the risks? Well, they only make things more interesting. But what Alvera doesnât realise is by unravelling the stationâs secrets, sheâll be forced to confront some of her own. When the same technology that once set her apart threatens to destroy her mind, what starts as a mission for credits and glory soon becomes a fight for survival â not just her own, but that of New Pallas itself. The Exodus Betrayal is a science fiction thriller with a dash of cyberpunk. Filled with adventure, deception and planet-spanning conspiracies, itâs a perfect read for fans of Altered Carbon, Blade Runner and Deus Ex. |
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Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R. Fletcher The children are the future. And someone is turning them into highly trained killing machines. Straight out of school, Griffin, a junior Investigations agent for the North American Trade Union, is put on the case: Find and close the illegal crèches. No one expects him to succeed, Griffin least of all. Installed in a combat chassis Abdul, a depressed seventeen year old killed during the Secession Wars in Old Montreal, is assigned as Griffin's Heavy Weapons support. Nadia, a state-sanctioned investigative reporter working the stolen children story, pushes Griffin ever deeper into the nightmare of the black market brain trade. Deep in the La Carpio slums of Costa Rica, the scanned mind of an autistic girl runs the South American Mafia's business interests. But she wants more. She wants freedom. And she has come to see humanity as a threat. She has an answer: Archaeidae. At fourteen, he is the deadliest assassin alive. Two children against the world. The world is going to need some help. |
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Debbie Peck is a conflict mediator struggling to make ends meet in Chicago's near future. Conflict is everywhere, but jobs are scarce, so when her headhunter calls about an open position at the prestigious Jefferson Trellis, she jumps at the opportunity. She lands right in the middle of an active murder investigationâa tangle of half-truths, broken promises, and a growing snarl of danger and dread. But a job's a job. At least this one has health insurance. As Debbie navigates her new position and Detective Melody Jackson investigates the murders at the Trellis, they each untwine the tendrils of a secret creeping through its corner offices. Like the botanical gardens at the Trellis' base, their worlds weave between the lush, the stark, the delicate, and the deadly. Dancing between mystery, science fiction, and nail-biting suspense, THE TRELLIS layers a decade or two of decline to the current American condition. Whether it's drone swarms, deepfakes, or the growing divide between the have-it-alls and the have-nots, the technology predictably improved while the people predictably haven't. Debbie's tale is both familiar and fantastic, both funny and frightening, but calling her world a dystopia would damn ours the same definition. THE TRELLIS is Jools' first full-length novel. It paints a compelling picture of dangers to comeâsometimes rich with thick impastos, sometimes sharp in sparks and flashes. But by the last page, Debbie's story becomes our own. |
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Eighteen-year-old Seven and her best friend, Ten, live where all is peaceful ... except for the violent war raging above the sky. Humanoid robots and self-operated drones tend to everyone's needs, leaving people free to spend their time stimulating their minds and enjoying life's pleasures. But there are strict rules and few choices. Every year, on Assignment Day, the path of each eighteen-year-old's life is laid out by the Decision Makers. Some are given the jobs for which they have shown exceptional aptitude and are "paired" for mating. The others are sent off to fight in The War and never return. When Assignment Day comes for Seven, the assignments shatter everything she has ever believed. For the first time in her life, she is certain that the Decision Makers have made a terrible mistake. But the only way to right this wrong is to do something unthinkable. |
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*** NAMED TO KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOKS OF 2018 *** Fire, splitting the atom, synthetic biology. There's a dark side to every invention, one which we have been fortunate to contain for most of history. But are we hurtling into the future too fast? Detonation is an epic dystopian tale that is a cautionary reflection on our own innovation-obsessed culture. It follows two societies that are connected, but centuries apart, and their struggle against a superintelligent machine. Amid ideological clashes and political plotting, a diverse cast discovers this insidious threat, and they are forced into an escalating conflict against a tireless enemy. "A highly entertaining and absorbing combination of philosophy and action featuring robustly individualized characters." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) |
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We are all slaves to order. Daniela wants more for her family. Sheâs a track star and an ace student, but for someone born like her, talent isnât enough. The Orderist movement has spawned a society that rewards those who supposedly possess âmerit,â which includes Americaâs wealthiest. Manhattan has become the capital of the forty-nine Orderist-led states, while California suffers under an economic embargo. Cities are cocoons where the so called âhighbornâ enjoy the pleasures of farm-grown food and private parks, while their outwardly perfect children are protected by floating nanny-like drones that follow them everywhere. Daniela has grown up fighting for the chance to live beyond the desperation of Bronx City. An opportunity to attend the elite Tuck Schoolâa place where even the highborn struggle to obtain a spotâis too great an opportunity to ignore. But what do the richies really want from her? Daniela is thrust into a world very different than the one she expected, a place where both treachery and honor are camouflaged behind beautiful faces. She may have a chance to change the world, if it does not change her first. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as the novel to revitalize the dystopian genre, Age of Order is a story of real characters in fantastic situations. Live this world. |
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Turnabout by Carmen Webster Buxton It's not a super power if you can't control it! Jason Miller's biggest worries were keeping up with his homework, paying for his classic jazz habit,and hiding the fact that he carried a flip phone. But then one day he finds himself teleporting from place to place, a talent he can't control. It gets worse when he lands in an alternate world, one that has many, many more women than men. It sounds great until Jason learns the downside to being a precious commodity: Having a harem is no fun when you're the one who's locked up. |
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It All Began With The Sound Of Thunder. A Thunder That Came In The Night. A Thunder That Changed The World. When the eye of the storm moves, so do they. It is a brutal life. But is there somewhere else out there, beyond the Eye? In a post-apocalyptic future, a handful of survivors cling to life in the last habitable place on Earth: the Eye of the Storm. Within it, tribes of humans scrounge for scraps and fight for temporary land. They must keep going. It is their only option. But then the Pathfinders make a terrible discovery; that the one spot left they call 'safe' may be disappearing. Then Aiden finds her; a mysterious young woman who speaks a language he's never heard. Yet, he understands her message. There is another place. They've managed to survive by never venturing into the chaos of the swirling winds and lightning, but to find this mythical land, Aiden will need to go into the Storm. The expedition will need the help of the Stormwalkers, a strange group of nomads who may not be quite what they seem. They may not even be human. To many, the idea of an outside world is blasphemy. They don't want the mission to succeed. And so, while Aiden and his crew venture into the wasteland, war is brews within the Eye. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will survive? You'll love this clever look at a different kind of apocalypse, as the adventure keeps you turning the pages. Get it now. Don't miss this dystopian action-adventure that readers call "compelling", "inventive", "fast-paced" and "awesome". |
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New York: two years after the Third World War. Humanity is rebuilding its cities brick by brick; the damage done to the people, however, is a lot harder to repair. Dan Hardacre is one of those people. An aspiring stage actor and experienced draft-dodger, Dan struggles to find his place within the Utopic rebuild of New York City. When heâs not caught up with the duties of work, Dan lives a quiet life in mourning for his mother, Dyani, who went missing when he was a teenager. One night, Dan experiences a vivid, terrifying nightmare that puts him right on the front lines of the war for which he dodged the draft; it ends with him facing Death itself in the form of a metallic, faceless humanoid creature that calls itself the Valkyrie. To investigate the reason behind his haunting experience, Dan seeks out a meeting with his estranged father, who reveals the startling truth about Danâs dream: it wasnât a dream. With this newfound knowledge and the powers it brings, Dan makes it his mission to return to the scene of his nightmare. However, he soon comes to know that confronting the Valkyrie not only endangers him but the war-withstanding world he leaves behind. |
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The United World by Craig Priestley Microchips, drones, and one smart dog make for a thrilling British dystopian series. With the rise of a new global government, only one choice remains: submit to The United World or face the consequences. When John, an anxious first-time father, uncovers the government's secret intentions to microchip his son, his world implodes. Fearing the worst, he tears his wife and baby from their home and the overbearing eyes of the state. As time passes the government carries out their plan to create a utopian society... by any means possible. What will happen to a father and son who choose to fight for their freedom? |
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How many times does it take to destroy the world before you can save it? In 1986, physicist Timothy Straus hears voices that teach him how to create a space-warping engine that will change the world. In 2098, a fighter pilot hears voices that help him fight an authoritarian corporatist regime in the ashes of nuclear fallout. In 2155, the only self-aware robot on Mars struggles to steer humanity away from a demagogue who speaks from the shadows. Told through kaleidoscope storytelling across space and time, these three people are connected in ways they could never imagine. As they pull on the strings of the multiverse, what they canât see is that every villain begins as a saviorâevery enemy starts as a friend. With the power to refract reality, will they learn that one person canât save the people? That only the people can save the people? |