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I Heart Robot by Xan van Rooyen Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who gets her musical aspirations. Q-I-99, aka 'Quinn,' lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power. Tyri and Quinn's worlds collide when they're accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn's love of music draws them closer together, forcing Tyri to question where her loyalties lie and Quinn to question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, will Tyri's and Quinn's passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart? |
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Silver Helix by Xan van Rooyen On the surface, the city of HelsInc appears to have recovered from the war waged between humans and Ethereals, but beneath the scars, the city seethes. The remains of magic festers, causing mutations in human DNA which could give humans Ethereal powerânot that the HelsInc government would ever let that happen. The Legion resists, ripping out their neurochips and protesting the mandatory gene therapy for humans with cryptomine in their DNA. At only 19 years old, Omyn Talvinen isnât ready to play parent to her kid brother, but with her mom in prison on trumped up charges and her deadbeat dad AWOL, sheâs left with little choice. Forced to risk her freedom to pay the rent, Omyn finds herself at the mercy of a pair of cyborg soldiers when they catch her red-handed stealing nanites from a cyberware Salon. But the synthsâ powers donât work on Omyn, and they discover they all share a common memory that they must get to the root of. Wanted dead by the government, Omyn and the renegade soldiers turn to a rebel Legion group with dreams of resuscitating dead magic for help. With the clock-ticking for the synths, Zee-Five and Omyn are forced to confront the secrets of their past and a dark conspiracy thatâll shake the blood-soaked foundations of the city. |
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Play it Back by Vanessa Lopez Aziz 27-year-old Carmen Santos thought she had the perfect life until the question âwhat do you want?â transports her ten years in to the past to relive the worst year of her life. She must navigate her senior year of high school all over again, complete with bad wardrobe, a dysfunctional Filipino family, and a best friend whoâs still in the closet. Yet, the knowledge of the future is on her side, right? But her knowledge isnât guaranteed to help her get the guy, fix her parentâs marriage, or even save someoneâs life. |
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After divorce, death, and having his reformatted soul uploaded into a new body, Sasha expected resurrection to be a fresh start. His time spent in digital Limbo with the programâs cheeky AI guardian angel, Metatron, was cathartic, but what good is a second life when he only sees his daughter on the weekends, he has all the same problems he had before he died, and he canât seem to shake the ache for the married life he lost? If that werenât frustrating enough, a glitch in the program has given Sasha the ability to sense Metatron even outside of Limbo. And Metatron is in love. The angelâs sickly-sweet yearning for one of the souls still in Limbo has turned Sashaâs stomach into caramelized lead. Itâs hard enough to move on without someone elseâs feelings making the emptiness in his own life even more acute. He didnât have playing wingman to an actual winged being on his bingo card, but heâs determined to help Metatron make a move on their crush so he can get love off of his mind. Sasha takes a job with the resurrection company in order to covertly contact Metatron. Except Sashaâs new coworker, Mr. C, keeps showing up at the worst moments. The man is annoying, heâs pushy⌠and heâs incredibly hot. Sasha canât decide whether Mr. C wants to blackmail him or be his new BFF, but he seems to know things about Metatron and the resurrection program that Sasha doesnât. Getting close to him might be the key to solving Sashaâs problem, but if he isnât careful, heâs going to end up catching feelings of his own. |
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An Unwanted Inheritance (Cas Dragunov Book 1) by Alex R Carver Cas Dragunov knew his brother's plea for help could only spell trouble. Nikolai created more messes than he could ever clear up, but family was family, and Cas couldn't turn his back on him. Alas, he arrived on Dormero Station to find Nikolai dead, but his debt to local crime boss, Valen Massio, very much alive. On the hook for the money, Cas is stuck working for Massio to pay it off. It's a simple job, all he has to do is deliver the package that got his brother killed, while evading both Massio's bloodthirsty rival and the Federal Security Service. Piece of cake, right? |
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The One Exiled: A YA Sci-Fi Adventure by Jennifer Lewy Yesterday, she was a savior. Today, she is an outcast. Seventeen-year-old Rayne and her friends have just averted a disaster, stopping a shadow AI from wreaking havoc on their world. However, their relief is short-lived. In the aftermath, Rayne and her boyfriend, Vic, are blamed for the chaos. As punishment, their Threadsâtheir lifeblood and sole connection to the virtual Games they createâare severed, and Rayne and Vic are exiled, on the run⌠alone. To add to their woes, the neighboring community falls victim to a ruthless assault by the Settler rebelsâa radical anti-tech group dedicated to annihilating the AI that safeguards their world. Now, Rayne and her friends must find the Settlers, uncover their plans, and prevent them from striking againâbecause this time the Settlersâ target is Rayneâs own home, and everyone she holds dear. Her only hope lies in surviving long enough to track down Freyaâs Path, a legendary faction of coders, and persuading them to join her cause. But time is running out. It's a no-holds-barred-race that leads Rayne on a perilous journey and into the deeper darkness of the secrets lurking within her own path. And in this race, the only prize for second place is certain, lonely death⌠as The One Exiled. Mixing the excitement and wit of Ernest Clineâs Ready Player One, the cyberpunk suspense of Marie Luâs Warcross, and the sci-fi dystopia of James Dashnerâs The Maze Runner, The One Exiled is the second thrilling book in Jennifer Lewyâs post-apocalyptic young adult series, Game of Paradise. Dive into the exhilarating adventure today! |
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Never Steal from Dragons by Patrick Dugan Welcome to Hub! Just a few simple rules apply: 1. Never Steal from Dragons 2. See Rule #1 3. Never Work for Dragons In Hub, a city of treachery and deceit, Gelsey, a pixie, is one of the best thieves around. When a smash and grab assignment turns into a job interview with a powerful dragon, Gelsey finds herself a part of a crew including five more of the best criminals Hub has to offer. Her crew includes Silai, a con artist with a deadly secret. Kelthar, a mage whoâs bent on self-destruction. Aikila, a smuggler set on avenging her father's murder. Nyx, a hacker coming off a busted run, and Lorcan, a mercenary whose child is being held hostage. The dragon pulls all their strings, forcing them to accept an impossible job: break into a fortress nobody in all of Hubâs long history has ever cracked. And if they fail, theyâll end up dead one way or another. A wild mix of fairy tale and Cyberpunk that hits all the marks of classic crime capers. Reads like Elmore Leonard and Neil Stephenson playing D&D in a pixie-infested bar and having the time of their lives way past last call. Kat Richardson, Bestselling author of the Greywalker novels Dugan weaves an excellent heist story by blending the fantasy, cyberpunk, and even noir genres. The world building is top notch, including the lore which uses familiar creatures, but in new ways. This is the book for you if you enjoy cyberpunk, urban fantasy, heist stories, or any combination thereof! Bishop O'Connell Author of American Faerie Tale series and Two-Gun Witch |
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Beginnings: The Omniscients by Kevin Marstall BEGINNINGS â The Omniscients â Book 2 Los Angeles, CA - Itâs late 1993, as Detective Jason Markham embarks on a new investigation, one that will challenge his patience, his methods, and ultimately his mind. A heinous crime, an innocent victim, and a partner with whom working together is more difficult than solving the case. Struggling to train his attention on the clues in the continuing series of burglaries, instead Jasonâs heart and mind remain focused on his personal investigation into the disappearance of the woman he loves. Driven to find her and know that she is safe, Markhamâs actions stretch his physical, emotional, and mental state dangerously to its limits. New and old friends alike lend their support to Jason, but the detectiveâs tumultuous battle rages on against his new partner, his generations of memories that seem just beyond his grasp, and worst of all his own sense of self. |
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Discoveries: The Omniscients by Kevin Marstall DISCOVERIES â The Omniscients Los Angeles, CA - Itâs 1993 and Detective Jason Markham faces a new case, unlike any heâs seen before. A nameless victim, no clues, and not a soul to care about the manâs unfortunate death. To make matters worse, sleepless nights, haunted by his memories, have him on the edge, and now a few chance encounters send his previously ordered life spiraling dangerously out of control. Love, friendship, betrayal, all swirling around him and threatening to consume his mind, Jasonâs heart desires to trust but is thrust into conflict with generations of wisdom passed down to him from his father and grandfathers before him. |
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Balfairâs Confinement by Phil Williams Isolated in the derelict estate of the engineer Balfair, with only a miserable fellow slave for company, Deni dreams of changing her arduous life. When her master drags something new from the swamp and excludes her from his secretive project, she finally sees her chance. Deni will do whatever it takes to break free - even if it means bringing the full weight of the war-mongering Guard down on Balfair. The results may be devastating, but they will notice her at last - and she will be free. Balfairâs Confinement is a return to the cloud-covered post-apocalyptic land of Estalia, where the fossils of an ancient civilisation are revived in new and terrifying technologies. Loosely connected to the novel Wixonâs Day, this novella is a full, standalone story of an isolated household in a changing world. |
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With everyone he cares about either dead or long absent, Cowl Coven has lost interest in life. Despite the endless distractions of a high-profile job as a programmer in the Hub and nightly runs into the chasm below for the black market, he still finds himself looking for a way out. When a hacked piece of data reveals what seems to be human life on the desolate, alien-infested surface of Earth, he thinks he might have just found it. What he finds instead is secret government project that has destroyed the lives of thousands. Human beings are being mangled and equipped with mechanical devices that rob them of all self-agency. Cowl is forced to decide if he will hold on to a safe life he doesn't really want or if he's going to accept the danger to save one of the victims |
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The Collector by Stjepan Varesevac Cobets They were kidnapped. Nobody knows where they are. They all receive instructions to follow the path through the forest. What they discover will come as a true shock. The truth is hidden under a veil of secrets. |
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First Contact Last Resort by Singularative Ranch A team of scientists must prove their surprising discovery or surrender it to conspiracy in this breakout soft sci-fi series exploring the pitfalls and virtues of human nature. In 2033, a rogue experiment in a Berkeley astrophysics professorâs lab leads to discoveries that astound humanityâbut have uncertain consequences for the planet. Those uncertainties incite a popular conspiracy theorist to spread apocalyptic doom. The discoveries also stir heretical ideas that provoke a firebrand religious crusader and her acolytes to vilify the leader of the Berkeley lab, a young professor striving to advance her career. While battling to overcome all that often violent backlash, the roller coaster lives of the professor and her colleagues careen into even more chaos when their collaborations with a gutsy biotech entrepreneur, an alt-lifestyle activist, and a divergently-developed child reshape societyâin beneficial but also divisive ways. As the intimate stories of this cadre of trailblazers unfold in the face of this changing world, some will be triumphant. Others tragic. The First Contact Last Resort series dramatizes how civilization is revolutionized by a chain of new technologies, scientific discoveries, and social movements. This crisply written saga of raw human experience will make you question our destinyâand our origins. |
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Molting of a Queen by Peter Foote Can a new world heal an old wound? Nina Carson is a part of a health & safety team and wants nothing more than to curl up with a bottle of wine to drown out the voice of her long-dead twin brother. But when the teamâs helicopter hits a mysterious storm and falls through a hole in the sky, it crashes on an alien world ruled by insects, and everything changes. Survival in this alien world requires more than finding water & shelter. It also means Nina must learn to trust her own instincts â even when they go against all sheâs ever learned. Because something in this strange world is trying to make a mental connection with her, and its intent is unknown. |
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After being infected with nanites from a dead Pax Romana super-soldier, Genevieve should have died, like every other infected civilian. Instead she survived, remade in the image of the so-called Installs. Unable to truly trust her any longer, her people send her deep into Pax Romana space with a mission: upload a virus to destroy the Install reserves. When she arrives, she finds not the reserves but the self-destructive dregs of the program, the few who didnât die on the battlefield. Not allowed to retire, these Installs are charged with watching over dying infected civiliansâbut Genevieve knows those deaths aren't inevitable. To win a chance to save them, all she has to do is confess that she's from a conquered, enemy planet, to the empire's most efficient killers. |
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Becoming Solo by Joyce Reynolds-Ward WHAT WILL A WITCH DO TO SAVE THE MAGIC FAIR THAT PROTECTS HER POWERS? Yesenia Cruz is ambitious. She wants to become a Solo witch, one who doesnât need to renounce her powers at age twenty-one unless she becomes part of a protective family spell matrix. She has plans with her best friend, Kirsten Rogers, to open a boutique selling magic-spelled goods to the non-magical. But. In order to become Solo, Yesenia needs to win the Bright Star Magic Fair crown for a third year. She canât afford the academy that will qualify her to become Solo. Her family wants her to give up her dreams of becoming Solo, marry Saul Ramos and become part of the Cruz family spell matrix. And a strange new witch, Shadow the Question, from a Lost Fair, is a potential challengerâeven as Yesenia and Kirsten become aware of a new threat to Bright Star Fair. They have to draw on Shadowâs knowledge to save Bright Starâbut is Shadowâs knowledge sufficient? Can these three witches save the Fair? For if Bright Star failsâthen all magic fails. Eventually. |
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Sunset on Maior Pales by Benjamin X Wretlind CYN-4329-2316-ACBS-092134853a--known to itself as Cletus and assigned a male gender in one of its first acts as an AI consciousness--has a bug in its programming. Against all logic, the ghost of a young man has muddled its circuits and promised to give it a soul...provided one small thing that only a self-aware robot with a yearning to self-actualize can do. After centuries of exploration, humans are finally on the move to settle new worlds. To better facilitate settlement, advance teams of sentient robots have been sent ahead to build new towns and roll out the red carpet for the arrival of their masters. Now, just one month before the big event known as Arrival, Cletus is about to mess it all up. The ghost of Boone Richards claims his family was murdered hundreds of years ago, and on board the shuttle that will deliver the humans to the western-themed town of Free Point, the direct descendant of that murderer has put together a gang of other outlaws to wreak havoc on the newly dubbed planet Maior Pales. When the ghost of Booneâs sister, Delphine, speaks up, Cletus finds himself faced with a dilemma for which its programming is incapable of processing. How do you follow orders when doing so would break one law but not doing so would break another? And just how does a robot gain a soul? |
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Roxy Buckles and the Flight of the Sparrow by Nicole Little Exterminator ROXY BUCKLES, a bounty hunter-cum-mercenary, lives on Aurora, a highly advanced Earth-2 planet in a solar system on the flip side of the Milky Way. At the helm of Buckles & Associates, Roxy takes down space thugs and alien lawbreakers with relish. Her longsuffering best friend, SUKI KWAN, runs the office with an iron fist. She desperately wants Roxy to let go of the past. But Roxy is consumed by a need for revenge⌠Ten years ago, Roxyâs fiancĂŠ, SAM SPARROW, a high-ranking fly-guy at The Academy for Intergalactic Law Enforcement, stood accused of a heinous crime â setting a bomb that destroyed The Academy, killing hundreds of innocent people and leaving Suki Kwan with near fatal injuries. Sparrow insisted his innocence but then he escaped custody, disappearing from the authoritiesâ eyes⌠That day, Roxy swore she would bring him to justice, one way or another. Perhaps her time has finally come. |
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One miniature girl leads her human and fairy people to decolonize Venus in this speculative, queer-inclusive reimagining of Thumbelina. A Dutch company known as The Bedrijf commences colonizing Venus via the construction of a dome filled with plants that convert its natural air into something breathable by humans. Since all workers are granted permission to bear a child, a woman and her spouse join the crew. But the woman soon discovers she is plagued with infertility. When her spouse illegally brings home a tulip from the garden, they discover a miniature baby inside who they name Bloemetje - little bloom. As the baby grows in mere days into a teenager, pushing her boundaries, she illuminates the true horrors of colonization and leads them all on a journey to decolonize. This retelling takes the original Thumbelinaâs focus on marriage and flips it on its head, granting the miniature girl a strong voice of her own and questioning her removal from the fairy world. Exploring themes of childlessness, adoption, being childfree by choice, colonization, decolonization, negative impacts of capitalism, and what LGBTQIA+ inclusive societies can look like, this novelette comes in 17 bite-sized episodes perfect for reading in the small snippets of time available to modern individuals and families. Early readers called this âtransportingâ and âintriguing.â The âjourney is beautiful,â and the ending is âdeeply satisfying.â âA great escape read that also made me think, and itâs both quick and engrossing.â *A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, a Native American-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit. |
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Serenissima by Orazia Moritmer Would you risk knowing the future? Venice, 1470. The city is filled with rumours of a Turkish fleet sailing the Mediterranean. Isabetta Zorzi, who walks the fine line of being a respectable courtesan, worries about the for-now distant threat. That threat seems even more distant to her twin, Catarina, living a quiet scholar's life in a convent. But a chance encounter with a sailor changes that. They now possess a magic glass gem that Catarina can use to see the future. It's a future no one wants to see: a future where Venice's colonies fall to Ottoman armies, while the Venetian fleet does nothing. The women can't tell anyone what they know, though, because they would be denounce for witchcraft. They need a man, but the only one who knows about the glass gem is a runaway slave from an enemy city. Can a courtesan, a nun, and a (former?) slave save Venice? |
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The Re-Emergence by Alan K Dell A strange probe from a long-forgotten satellite network appears in the Pâhori star system. Its message: a dire warning signalling the return of an ancient mythological evil. Imperator Daâkora Corasar and the crew of the Qeshâkal are sent to determine the probeâs origin, and find that the satellite is not as they had expected. Corasar trusts the satelliteâs data, but not everyone aboard agrees. Tensions rise and loyalties are tested as they track down the source of the signal. Thrust into conflict, the crew of the Qeshâkal must chase their foe across the galactic arm and save their home from certain destruction. |
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Of a Strange World Made by Anthony W Eichenlaub Scientist Ash Morgan doesn't mind breaking rules, but this is ridiculous. The colony of Edge is a bastion on the frontier of space and science, governed only by laws designed to bring humanity to the stars. Successful laws. Outdated laws, if Ash has anything to say about it. But when a child is born strange, Ash must decide which of the colony's rules must be followed, which ones can be broken, and which ones will inevitably lead to Edge's ultimate destruction. |
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Astra Idari and The Drift Divoon by Darby Harn Astra Idari is out of fuel and out of luck. Astra Idari is a Stargun Messenger out of fuel and out of work. She's aboard The Drift Divoon, a starplane tender, to seek work in a faraway star system. When a passenger is murdered aboard the tender, Idari finds the work she's looking for. Only it's far from what she expected. Idari's investigation leads to a powerful shipping magnate whose own presence aboard the tender raises major questions. The deeper she looks into the crime, the more dangerous it becomes for Idari, desperate to find some fuel to light ahead of the shadows chasing her. Discover Idari's past in this intriguing prequel novella to STARGUN MESSENGER! |
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Honorable Mention: L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest An outcast loner survives the impossible. How can he survive becoming the proof that no one can deny? Hector Whitehorse did not belong â not here, not anywhere. Born on a New Mexico reservation, but educated in the white-manâs school, Hector was part of two worlds, but at home in neither. It only got worse when his entrapment went from a feeling to a reality: trapped between Earth and someplace else. Hectorâs close encounter nearly cost him his life. The repercussions could make him wish that he had not been so lucky. Pale Face is "pretty darned good. I love how [Hector] sees the aliens and the white men in the same light. This is good stuff." â Dave Wolverton Pale Face is "absolutely fascinating! Pale Face is, in part, sci-fi. But I found it to be so much more. Kilpack's writing style was mesmerizing." â Jeff Bailey, author of Not On My Watch Pale Face is "a fast-paced combo of sci-fi, intrigue, mysticism, conspiracy thriller, and inevitable romance. The author's writing is addictive and richly layered. Highly recommended!" â Jack King, author of Beyond Blood |
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The Dinosaur Hunters by Patrick Samphire Mystery, murder, and adventure on Mars⌠Mars in 1815 is a world of wonders, from the hanging ballrooms of Tharsis City to the air forests of Patagonian Mars, and from the ice caves of Noachis Terra to the Great Wall of Cyclopia, beyond which dinosaurs still roam. Sixteen-year-old Harriet George has never had the chance for an adventure. Now her older sister is determined to marry her off. Harriet canât think of anything worse. Meanwhile, her brother-in-law, Bertrand, has a problem. Heâs never been much of a police inspector. As far as Harriet knows, Bertrand has never caught a criminal in his life. But now the famous jewel thief, the Glass Phantom, has come to Mars, and Bertrand has been given the job of tracking him down. If he fails, Bertrand will lose his job and the whole family will be ruined. Harriet will not let that happen. So she comes up with a plan: she will capture the Glass Phantom herself. Even if that mean that she and Bertrand have to follow the thiefâs intended victim, the Countess von Krakendorff, on a dinosaur hunt in the perilous Martian wilderness. But there is far more going on in this expedition than mere robbery, and the dinosaurs are not the greatest danger. If Harriet cannot solve the mystery, her family won't just be ruined. She and Bertrand may not make it out of the wilderness alive. The Dinosaur Hunters is a thrilling adventure set in the world of Secrets of the Dragon Tomb. |
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The Choice of Weapons by Alex Valdiers Ren is an officer on the rise, going from planetary conquest to conquest, until he crosses path with a senior female officer from his native Japan. His meeting with Izuna ends in a bloody duel â the first of many. As the war against other species progresses, Renâs obsession for Izuna grows and his discontentment for army life along with it. When Izuna gets isolated on an icy hell, Ren volunteers to rescue her for what may be his ultimate mission. The Raoke Gang series is prime entertainment with heart and brains, humor and sex (occasionally, when the story commands it), and, most of all, incredible characters running wild in the most exciting of settings: the Far West in space! |
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Reparations USA by Philip Wyeth America, 2028. The War for Equity has begun! A new bureaucracy called the Historical Reparations Administration oversees enforcement of restitution for colonialism and slavery. This is the story of everyday people caught in the crossfire between idealism and technology. Supercomputers scan old documents while drones monitor both Debtors and Beneficiaries from coast to coast. Reality TV shows and religious cults help the nation atone for its sins. Reparations USA is the frantically inventive future history that creates an entire world, complete with its own slang and a diverse cast of sympathetic characters. Philip Wyethâs exuberant debut novel sets the stage for this timely series which is full of heart... humor... and total surveillance! This is Book One of the Reparations series. 36,500 words. |
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A Sorrow Named Joy by Sarah Chorn Joy desires nothing more than her husband's happiness. She spends her days creating the perfect life for him in their idyllic suburban home. Everything is neat, predictable, and in its place. When Joy finds a picture that hints at a past she cannot remember, the facade cracks. As secrets are revealed, Joy realizes her blissful life is crumbling and to find herself, she must first lose herself. Perfect, after all, is only an illusion. Winner of the Bronze Quill for Best Novella from the League of Utah Writers in 2022. |
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The Records of Zaiza Moon: The Last Delivery by Tim Bahr Meet Zaz, a scrappy space trader with a knack for trouble. On her final delivery of Tycho-sheen nanites to Taric Donstan, one of the system's most well-known doctors, Zaz can't resist a quick side job to sell some Helix tech for a quick profit. But when she unknowingly accepts a job offer from a vagabond drifter named Zavon Dash, she finds herself at the mercy of a ruthless defacto leader who leaves her stranded on a remote planet. Forced to rely on old friends and new allies, Zaz sets out on a thrilling space adventure to take back what's rightfully hers. But when she uncovers the dark secret behind the nanites she's delivering for Taric, Zaz realizes that her mission is bigger than just getting revenge on her enemies. With the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance, Zaz must risk everything to stop a powerful weapon from being unleashed on innocent worlds. Chasing down Zavon Dash, Zaz embarks on an epic journey filled with unexpected twists, epic battles, and a fierce heroine who will stop at nothing to save the day. |
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Long distance travel has always been challenging. From Columbus to Magellan to Rasinovsky and Chen Shan, each captain and crew had to face unknowns. The sponsors, planners, designers and forecasters could not anticipate everything. On this, the first trip to Tau Ceti, 11.7 light years from Sol, the challenges for the four members of the crew did not only come from outside the starship. They came from Henry's guts. Memories of things he'd never experienced plagued him. He, and he alone, had to wake from stasis.â¨There seemed to be nothing he or the others could do to suppress the memories. They ate at him, stole his sleep, drove him almost mad, and Titan was too far away to help. What kind of crisis loomed in the future: the brig, mutiny, suicide?â¨It would be a long flight. |
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In this extended tale of sci-fi-meets-historical fiction, Xenia, a woman with an integrated artificial intelligence, embarks on a mission to repair a malfunctioning relay at the edge of the wilderness now called the Flood Zone. As the mission turns to disaster, Xenia and her security contractor find themselves confronting a greater mystery, one that eventually leads them to a strange town in the middle of nowhere, where nothing is quite as it seems. The town, called Harmonie, has a long utopian history. Half-abandoned for years, it has been revived by a group of secretive scientists and artists, who are still dealing with the echoes of a long and complex American past. Its traces appear in a set of peculiar 19th-century documents that chronicle the life of a free-spirited woman, the long forgotten reformer and troublemaker Camilla Wright, which only deepens riddles lurking in the heart of the forest. Starfall II will be released in early 2024. |
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In Sekhmet's Shadow by JD Rhodes The year is 2061, and the world has ended. In the city of Asclepion, Sabra Kasembe dreams of a superheroic future yet wakes to the taste of blood and ash. When her father is shot six times in a heist gone wrong, she resolves to bring those responsible to justiceâno matter where the trail might lead. To do this, she'll need to team up with a washed-up superhero, a brooding robotic woman, and the very man who shot her father. Because he is her only link to a conspiracy that threatens to shake the Functioning World to its core. But it may be impossible to save a world on the brink of apocalypse without pushing it over the edge. As her reckoning approaches, Sabra realizes that her future may not be filled not with the cries of those she's saved, but the screams of her victims. IN SEKHMET'S SHADOW is a complete anticapitalist "post-superhero" sci-fi thriller, and first of a trilogy (IN SEKHMET'S WAKE, IN SEKHMET'S HANDS.) It is intended for mature audiences and features violence, swearing, and ideas that may be considered traumatic or provocative. But remember this: everyone finds love in the end. |
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Vigil: Knight in Cyber Armor: A Havenworld Novel by Lewis Knight In a city where criminals rule ... a former soldier rises from the shadows to make a stand. Jett scrapes out a living in the oppressive city of Neo York: a crumbling ruin of violence and vice ruled by gangs and crime lords. When a masked vigilante called Vigil dies saving Jett's life, he adopts Vigil's mantle and uses his veteran combat skills to wage a one-man war on the city's criminal elements. Along the way, he'll partner up with a mysterious man named Incognito, and find a reluctant ally in Ronnie, a tough and ambitious police officer. But Vigil's enemies won't go away without a fight, and every one of them wants to be the first to kill the city's new hero. Knight in Cyber Armor takes the best elements of Batman, mixes it with the tech of Iron Man, and delivers it with a dystopian twist. Pick up your copy today and join the battle! |
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Siren's Call by T.J.J. Klamvik In the Doomsday Cycle there are no heroes. The future could have looked different, but the path has been corrupted and only the inevitable awaits. Something lurks in the darkness of space, and it cares little for humanityâs petty squabbles. The apocalypse is here, but will anyone hear its call? Councilor Justynia Freid â an ambitious politician of Earthâs most prominent colony â never saw it coming. A scheme by her own Chancellor to restart a war that they themselves had a hand in ending? All without her knowledge? Tossed into a harsh world of intrigue and backstabbing, Justynia has to discover what led to the drastic decision that is going to send humanity into chaos. Only with all the answers can she decide whether to listen to her own conscience or follow the path to power. Detective Adelia Duarte does not care for politics â it only ever made her job harder. Tasked with investigating a series of murders that plague Capital City, Adelia has to confront her own past in order to understand the methods and motivations of the serial killer that seems impervious to the security systems that track each citizen down to the centimeter. As the bodies keep piling up, it is difficult to maintain faith. Would someone with a less troubled history be a better fit for the investigation? For now, all the city has is Adelia, and the bodies keep coming. Sergeant Jones is also haunted by his past â decisions taken in a war he never truly understood. His only refuge is more fighting. Recruited to join Special Operations, and reunited with old comrades to escort a scientist to an abandoned colony, he quickly learns all is not what it seems. Surrounded by mystery and an unknown enemy, he needs to warn mankind of what is coming. But will they truly listen? Sirenâs Call is the first novel in the Doomsday Cycle. It weaves complex interpersonal journeys with a backdrop of an overarching threat. It is never about the destination â only the journey to get there. |
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Falling Stars by Justin Lucero There are those who fight for change, and others whoâd rather suppress it. Outcasts come from all sides of the spectrum. Someâcan be willful allies. In the end, âWhat goes around, comes aroundâ. The year is 2084, the future is bleak. Within a compound called Hangar sixty-eight, deep underneath an Arizona desertâproblems have risen. Venturing through its many sub-levels, James, an escaped experiment is met with harsh realities and deadly encounters he's never endured; guided by two, mysterious characters to witness an underworld of total terror and knowledge of a threat that's almost unimaginable. As he fights on, so does his girlfriend, Alice. Whoâs led to battle through the realm of dreams. Journeying an outer land, she meets a few allies and enemies along the way. Take a ride into this sci-fi, action-packed horror and fantasy experience, as these two rebellious souls make their way through a dark and puzzling chain of events. |
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Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect (Ashley Westgard, #1) by Philip Wyeth âRobots and exowombs and hemp, oh my!â Welcome to 2045. Automation has freed humanity from the drudgery and limitations of blue-collar labor. For twenty years, a remarkable group of female bureaucrats has overseen an ambitious construction program that is spreading equity, prosperity, and peace worldwide. But Detective Ashley Westgard of the Jacksonville Police Corps senses that beneath all the glimmer and shine, a new malaise has taken root in society. From brazen acts of criminality and rampant party pill abuse, to her own insatiable desires... All is not well on the road to paradise. Ash is beautiful, vain, headstrong, and erratic. A symbol of her time as she careens from impulsive shopping sprees to drunken fights to escapades of sin. But now that a methodical killer is on the loose, she must rise above apathy and doubt in order to forge her raging inner fire into a fearsome weapon of justice. Philip Wyethâs crazy fifth novel is imaginative, hilarious, sexy, and poignant. It will dazzle fans of Rich Larson, Neal Stephenson's âSnow Crash,â âThe Tomorrow Fileâ by Lawrence Sanders, and women who kick ass! Note to Readers: This book contains adult language and sexual themes. (45,500 words) âOnce you get that nano crawling through you... You feel alive!â |
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Explorer's End by H.W. Portland Itâs up to an unlikely hero to find the origin of the galaxy and protect it at all costs in this new sci-fi adventure from author H.W. Portland. Dr. Alan spent his life searching for the origin of those who seeded the galaxy with intelligence. After years of dead ends, he is shown an extraordinary new clue with the promise that on a distant planet, covered in exotic jungles and teeming with life, lies the answer. The only problem: the planet is about to be obliterated in a galactic cataclysm. Faced with little time and few resources, Alan must team up with a headstrong adventurer to get to the remote planet and recover the forgotten knowledge before itâs too late. But Alan isnât the only one who has seen the clue. An old nemesis is already on his way to steal the evidence â and the credit. And if he beats Alan, he will use what he finds to rewrite history and undo civilization as we know it. In Explorerâs End, a science fiction adventure, friend and foe race to capture the last evidence of a lost, life-giving civilization. Whoever wins will control the history of a million planets⌠|
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âFirst called, final star, they hold the line.â Years of war have taken their toll on the crew of Gold 1, but thereâs no rest to be had. Even as forty years of war seem to be ending, a new threat lurks in the shadows which could tip the balance of power against The United Systems Republic. As the danger grows and battle lines are drawn, Major Jason Harlem, and his fox like Holdren crew, will lead their veteran fighter group back into the fires of war. But with a fragile peace hanging in the balance, forces working behind the scenes of both governments, and an outside threat that may not be ânewâ at all, Gold 1, and perhaps others, will be tested in ways they never could have expected. Can the Gold Group hold the line one more time, or will the cost of fighting become too great to bear? |
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Gabriel's Watch (The Scrapman Trilogy, #1) by Noah Fregger It is the darkest chapter of our civilization. Ten years after the global fallout, teetering on the edge of extinction, a man is fighting for survival. As the threat of inner-city violence spans outward, Miles Stone is left to his own ingenuity, along with the gifts of his unique partner, Alice. Together they begin to construct a weapon designed by the genius of old. But what horrors might await them upon its completion? This is his personal account of the events that will forever alter the fate of humanity |
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Legends of Galhalla: A Spark in Fateâs Hand by B.C. Licht A Spark in Fateâs Hand is the first book of three in the Legends of Galhalla series. Emma Stevenson lives in a world she fears will never understand her. So she spends her time in a world that Video games. Her latest escape is the virtual reality MMORPG, Legends of Galhalla, a fantastical world of airships and magic, but Emma doesnât want to leave. Now thanks to an otherworldly glitch, she doesnât have to. With millions of players trapped within the virtual confines of Galhalla, Emma is finally free⌠until she starts crushing on someone desperate to escape. Emma now faces a difficult Help her new friends escape the crumbling reality that is Galhalla or stay hidden away in her new home. Either way, Emmaâs fate and the fate of millions rests in her hands. |
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Lume (Lume Duology #1) by T.M. Ghent The capital city of Lume is on the brink of chaos. A newly formed underground city begins a rebellion, threatening Lume's complacent king. A Prince, content with a warm bed and a full glass, must choose between his family and his honor. A Girl, buried beneath her past, must decide whether to risk everything she has for her dreams. A Lawless, forged to be a leader among the rebels, must find a way to remain in control. They never wanted to be heroes. Ruled by old traditions, Lume is plagued with new technology it isn't ready for. In a world filled with betrayal, hard truths, and broken pasts, can Lume be saved or will it succumb to its eventual destruction? In TM Ghent's debut novel, Lume blurs the expectations of fantasy and science fiction into a creative blend featuring a new and exciting world. |
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Medusa Falling (Cosmic Shores #1; Amaranthe #20) by G.S. Jennsen * A stand-alone adventure set in the Amaranthe universe * âCan I ask where weâre going?â âSomeplace safeâŚas safe as anywhere on this broken, fallen world can be.â A first contact encounter isn't supposed to kick off with a dead body. Ambassador Marlee Marano has been dispatched to Belarria as part of a Concord initiative to meet new species and build alliances. But when an assassin murders her counterpart in front of her eyes and takes her hostage, she is plunged into an alien world on the brink of collapse. With no way to contact Concord or get offworld, Marleeâs only allies may be a shadowy band of rebels with a questionable agenda steeped in government conspiracies, mysterious genetic experiments and bloody historical grievances that threaten to boil over. The rightness of their cause is the least of her concerns, though, for she finds herself wanted for murder and hunted by all sides. Medusa Falling is a heart-pumping sci-fi adventure that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns as Marlee races to uncover the secrets and lies of a captivating but deadly alien culture and find a way home. |
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Initialize (Mod Superhero #1) by Samuel Fleming For this cyborg, power is just an upgrade away. Emmett was used to being caught between college and his engineering internship, but when he gets caught between a powerful hero and an even stronger villain, he becomes collateral damage. Instead of dying, he wakes up a cyborgâa melding of flesh and machine. Turns out his boss wasnât just an eccentric inventor, and the old man just gave him a shining opportunity to be a hero. Except thatâs just the beginning, and things are about to get a lot more complicated. His boss has his own agenda. The bossâs daughter has her own power armor. His roommate works for an evil corporation. And Emmett is just a Class 1 hero. Superheroes arenât just masksâsome work for corporations, or for the government and the military, and even as mercenaries in wars. Shadowy cabals pull the strings of hero and villain alike. The city of Belport might be peaceful for now, but most of the world is in turmoil. If Emmett is going to have any chance at making a difference, he needs to get stronger. A lot stronger. How much of his humanity will he hold onto and how much will he trade away? 4.4 Stars on Royal Road! A new Superhero Progression Fantasy series. This series features a zero-to-hero protagonist, dystopian intrigue, superhero action, occasional swearing and gore, and Ship of Theseus-style power progression. |
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Mendel's Ladder (The Collected Histories of Neoevolution Earth, #1) by E. S. Fein In 2099, Earth is unrecognizable. Ravaged by climate change, nuclear devastation, and other cataclysmic events, the planet and its people continue to undergo radical changes in order to survive. Most of humanity has allowed themselves to be transformed into Nomads, bizarre human-plant hybrids who continue their lifecycle as flesh-bearing trees connected to a vast mycelial network that forms Earthâs burgeoning consciousness. Welcome to the thrilling, action-packed, and emotionally compelling world of Mendel's Ladder , the first book in the epic sci-fi series, The Collected Histories of Neoevolution Earth. Battling across the world after the destruction of their home, a pair of cybernetically enhanced warrior women bound by love and loyalty clash with Mutants, Biofreaks, and various other dangers to protect two human-like girls known as the Virus and the Cure. Traveling alongside them is an enigmatic Nomad who has served as the girlsâ protector since they were created. Together, they must face the enslaved Hunter and the ruthless Huntress, lethal creations of the old world. The Hunter just wants to save the human woman he loves and lost, while the Huntress desires only to continue the Eternal Hunt and eradicate the final bastions of humanity remaining on Earth. Above this unforgiving landscape, the utopian space station Astrea offers refuge to the select few who escaped Earth's devastation. Here, a tireless worker and son of a notorious revolutionary, discovers the harrowing truths hidden beneath the veneer of Astrea's idyllic existence, exposing a reality more insidious than anyone ever imagined. While these characters' paths intersect in surprising and explosive ways, ancient powers lurk in the shadows, wielding god-like influence and potentially orchestrating the fate of the world itself. With societies and cultures on the brink of collapse, our heroes must form unexpected alliances and confront their deepest fears to protect their fragile world from the encroaching darkness. Mendel's Ladder delivers an adrenaline-fueled journey set on a dystopian future Earth, brimming with high-stakes action, adventure, and mystery. This epic series opener plunges readers into a world filled with diverse cultures, heart-pounding battles, and characters who will captivate your heart and imagination. |
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Mission of the Ro'arck by Ericka Evren Archaria has stood for millennia. But nothing lasts forever. The Archarian Alliance is under attack. A merciless enemy has emerged with technology and weapons that rival their own. Their vendetta is destroy the Alliance. The Archarian council selects Kaytrix to command their best starship, the Roâarck , to defend the Alliance, but thereâs another reason they chose him. During the rising chaos, Kaytrix uncovers a deadly secret, one that could destroy Archaria and the Alliance before the enemy has a chance to. Kaytrix is eager to prove his worth, but can he sacrifice his morality for his dream? This novel contains scenes of violence and language not suitable for young audiences. Readers be advised. |
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Orbem Novis by Richard Hanners Three centuries after the Orbem Novis colonists told off-Earth financiers who backed their voyage to stay away from their new home on a distant planet or face death, the Farside Corporation receives an unusual request. Two top-drawer agents are hired to locate the last descendants on Earth of the colonistsâ leader and bring them to Orbem Novis. The mission, however, keeps changing as the agents travel 50 light-years to a new world teeming with strange life forms. When civil war breaks out among the colonists, the agents learn they are pawns not of the Farside Corporation but a more powerful force â an artificial intelligence that links their universe to another and the long lost mining ship Anaconda. |
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Our Vitreous Womb: Book 1-4 by Haldane B. Doyle Podgy, hairy, sex-obsessed and terrified of death, Oji Anabasi is typical for a remnant sapiens. An accidental hybrid of two ancient lineages, with no preassigned role in this bioengineered utopia, Oji searches for reasons to be wanted. Follow Ojiâs extraordinary life through the eyes of his head-strong mother, irresistible wet-nurse, steadfast wife and ardent ally in this compilation of four science fiction novellas. |