SPSFC Self-published Science Fiction Competition
A sister competition to the SPFBO, the SPSFC is for sci-fi self-published works. Stories tagged with this mark were entered into the competition. Indie bookstore Black Dragon Books: https://www.blackdragonbooks.co.uk/shop-category/highlighting/spsfc/
https://hughhowey.com/the-spsfc-begins/
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Company Daughter by Cal Primer A girl, a saucepan, a plan to conquer the universe. Aleta Dinesen doesn't see the point of hanging around home, not when she can cook a mean paella. But her plans to conquer the universe one meal at a time run afoul of her overprotective father, commander of a tough mercenary company. And when he puts his foot down, he's got the firepower to back it up. Undeterred, Aleta escapes the dreadnaught she calls home one step ahead of the gorgeous, highly disapproving Lieutenant Park, the unlucky young officer tasked with hauling her back. But the universe isn't the safe place she thought it was. Stranded in a dangerous mining community, she clings to survival by her fingernails. Only by working with someone she can't stand will she have a chance to escape, proving to everyone that a teenage cook can be the most dangerous force in the universe. |
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Rhonda Wray: Raptor Wrangler by Charon Dunn Rhonda Wray: Raptor Wrangler is about a teenage girl who was innocently trying to listen to some live music … her favorite boy band happened to be playing a festival on a dinosaur planet … when bad things suddenly happened. Now she and her trusty robot are all alone in the wilderness, picking up survival skills and looking for her favorite singer, Sebastian Rose, just in case he needs to be rescued. There’s hard science, explosions, plenty of dinosaurs (with feathers), diversity, no sex (although there are a few references to it), less violence than many dinosaur stories, cliffhangers galore, and a little bogus science just to honor the fine tradition of speculative fiction (what if raptors had syrinxes and could sing like birds?). |
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Delphine Descends by Darrel Moore After her family is killed and her homeworld occupied, young Kathreen Martin is sent to the distant world of Furoris for re-education. She will live the rest of her life as a serf – to be bought and sold as a commodity of the Imperial Network. When her only chance of escape is ruined, a chance mistaken identity offers her a new life as the orphaned daughter of a First-Citizen Senator and heiress to a vast fortune. She vows to claw her way into power to sit among the worlds’ elite. Then, with her own hands, she will reap bloody vengeance on them all. But, to beat them she must play their game. She must become worse than them all. Power corrupts ~ Innocence is lost ~ Vengeance makes monsters of us all |
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With great burrito comes great responsibility. Pete’s food truck at the University of New Mexico isn’t going well. Seniors dare freshman to eat his burritos. Frats use them for pledges and pranks. Rumors fly around campus that they are chupacabra ground up with rat. Pete needs a change, and it comes in the form of a physics experiment gone awry. After being sucked into the past, he stumbles across an ingredient that goes great in one of his creations. First, there was Marty McFly. Then there was Bill and Ted. And now Pete— |
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The Dark That Dwells by Matt Digman and Ryan Roddy The first installment in an immersive new space opera series combining the epic scale of the original Star Wars trilogy and the ensemble-cast adventure of Firefly in a world where alien technologies, hidden magic, and ancient evils push the limits of reality itself. Beyond the edge of known space, the Frontier awaits four souls... Fall Arden, freelance Ranger for hire, wields an unbreakable sword and a mechanized bow. Low on funds, he's taken a job on a dangerous expedition, one that promises a hefty reward. But danger lurks in the Frontier, a fact his employer refuses to acknowledge. Ban Morgan, leader of an Alidian marine squad, fights to regain his honor. But the man who ruined him stands in his way. As he prepares for the orbital assault on an enemy installation, he draws strength from the words of an ancient knight's order, one he dreamt of joining before he lost his way. Tieger of Westmarch, Malleus Maleficarum of the Elcosian faith, hunts down the arcanist witches wherever they may flee. Using the mighty gifts of his god, Elcos, and a technologically advanced ship predating the dawn of history, he scours the stars for his prey, burning a path to their hidden world. Sidna Orin, a mercurial young arcanist, searches for the power to save her people. In a lost temple on a forgotten world, she's closer than ever to finding what she seeks. Able to harness the dual forces of fire and lightning, she won't let anything, or anyone, stand in her way. Forced together by fate on paths that collide in chaos, they must fight to survive in a galaxy on the brink of war. As their stories interweave in love and hate, redemption and revenge, one threat will eclipse their greatest fears: a being of utter darkness and its imminent return. THE DARK THAT DWELLS: a thrilling debut that blends science fiction and fantasy, essential for readers craving a robust, character-driven saga set against the backdrop of an expansive universe with deep world-building at its core. |
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The Flight of the Kingfisher by Chloe Garner Smuggling is supposed to be the kind of job where you're in, you're out, and no one ever knew you were there. Simple. Boring, even. But that's only when you're doing it right. Unfortunately, Avery and the rest of the crew of the Kingfisher have hit a snag, one in the form of a strange woman living in a hallway ceiling at Installation 23, and from there on out, it seems like they're ever only one jump ahead of the next guy looking to kill them. Increasingly enmeshed in complex politics and missing their blissful ignorance, the crew of the Kingfisher are going to have to make some hard decisions about what role they really want to play in galactic events, and just how far from their mundane world of weapons smuggling they're willing to venture. Climb aboard. The flight of the Kingfisher is about to begin. |
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Crystal Deception by Doug J. Cooper Book 1 of the Crystal Series Criss lives in a special kind of prison. He can see and hear everything around the world, yet a mesh restrains his reach, forcing his cooperation. His creator, Dr. Jessica Tallette, believes his special abilities offer great promise for humanity. But she fears the consequences of freeing him, because Criss, a sentient artificial intelligence with the intellect of a thousand humans, is too powerful to control. Tallette’s world is upended when the Kardish, a race of alien traders, announce that they want Criss for themselves, expressing their desires with ominous undertones. She turns to the Union of Nations for help, and they task Sid, a special agent, with leading the response. Sid believes that Criss is Earth’s greatest weapon and asks him to confront the Kardish. But can the AI be trusted? And what is humanity’s role if an interstellar battle among titans starts to rage? Download Crystal Horizon for Free at: www.crystalseries.com Keywords: science fiction, space thriller, artificial intelligence, military adventure, strong women, sentient AI, alien contact, space fleet, light romance, crystal series |
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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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Go big or go home. For privateer Captain Magdalene Landon, it's all about going big. For Kay Ellis, it's about getting home. Together, they're about to architect the most daring heist in the galaxy. Kay knows too much. She knows it’s a matter of time before a Conglomerate hitman finds her. She’s desperate for safe passage back to Union space. Then Magdalene shows up, promising a way home in exchange for that information. It’s a risky bet, but Kay is out of options. So she strikes a deal: the heist of the century for her freedom. Kay is playing a dangerous game, and she knows it. She’s made herself Enemy Number One of the Conglomerate. She’s relying on privateers for her safety. It’s a fool’s game. But the worst part is, her fool’s heart is starting to warm to the enigmatic captain. And that’s a risk for which she hadn’t planned.(Cover by May Dawney Designs) |
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A corporate investigator who doesn't trust his employer. A mercenary gun-for-hire with a talent for violence and a willingness to shoot first. And a white-hat hacker who doesn't know when to quit. Three independent contractors brought together for one unusual job. Five years ago, master programmer Carlos Rodriguez retired. Now his old employer wants him back. Quietly. It'd be a lot easier if he hadn't left Earth. Sci-Fi Epic Adventure - 1100 pages. |
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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 chapter…
A girl and a boy from a ravaged planet hope to start the first chapter of their new lives…
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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His Name was Wren by Rob Winters "Reminiscent of John Wyndham." "Well written sci-fi for all ages." "A captivating story." "Couldn't put it down." "Beautifully crafted." "If you enjoyed Super 8, Stranger Things, ET, and Starman, you will love this." During the blackout of 1944, in the small English town of Hurstwick, something mysterious obliterates the church spire and slices through the nearby woods. Despite a government coverup, evacuee George Moss discovers the cause of the destruction, becoming the first of a select few who, over the next seventy years, are entrusted with keeping the truth hidden. Years later, Max Cannon moves to town and stumbles across the secret, triggering a chain of events, putting himself and his new friends in the middle of a deadly conflict… His Name was Wren is a first-contact science fiction adventure. A story of friendship, family, and struggle spanning seven decades and a thousand light-years. This story can be read as a standalone or as book one of The Wren Trilogy. |
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Monster of the Dark by KT Belt Carmen Grey always knew she was different. None of the other children seemed able to read minds. None of the other children were able to manipulate their toys without touching them. On the morning of her sixth birthday, three men dressed in black arrive to remove her from the loving care of her parents. She is taken to an underground facility meant for others like her, for Clairvoyants. Stripped of her name and identity, over the years she is fashioned into something scary—something lethal. Each day is an endless struggle and every night is plagued by nightmares. Yet Carmen’s ultimate battle won’t be to save her life but to keep her soul. |
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They Say the Ends Justify The Means When Menrva, a geneticist in the subterranean city of survivors known as Bunker, responds to a call for help from Cowl, her former best friend, and Bas, a renegade cyborg, she makes a vital mistake and places all three of them in danger. As they struggle to escape City guards, cyborg soldiers, desperate scavengers, and ravenous aliens, they find in each other something they never expected: family. During a battle, an attacking cyborg manages to overcome her programming just long enough to deliver a cryptic message. The trio is forced to decide if they will risk death - or worse, capture - to seek out the truth about the City, or if they will fight only for themselves. This fast-paced, gritty first book of the Malfunction Trilogy introduces a future caught between destruction and oppression, where Menrva and her friends must decide if the ends justify the means. |
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Political Nightmare by Rainbow Maccabre The girl who was blessed when Daddy killed Mommy; the bird lady born with four arms and no wings; King Kess's trans widower; the most forgettable prince who ever died; secret agents popping up everywhere; and the mind controlling bunny rabbit. Who will put an end to Vasagne’s dark conspiracy? Political Nightmare weaves a plot through past and present to arrange a story full of twists. |
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Beneath 5th City by Jesse Sprague Earth’s invaders gave her a choice…Submission or death.Jaisa has never been the obedient type.The aliens call themselves gods and inform Earth’s 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. Jaisa’s 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 Jaisa’s 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 doll—but she knows the power of hope, and she intends to keep it alive. You’ll love this dark science fiction novel for its unique mix of grit and hope. Get it now! |
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Dragon's Baby by Miranda Martin My strange life as a scientific researcher is ripped apart the day blood-thirsty pirates attack our space ship. In the confusion, the ship is thrown off course. We crash land on a planet that can barely support life. Yeah…things are going swell. I’ve escaped the pirates, at least. But when Ladon, a powerful Zmaj warrior, rescues me from the scorching desert wasteland, I soon learn I have bigger problems. This planet is home to a dragon-alien...and he has eyes set on me. Ladon takes me to his lair, where it soon becomes clear I'm not just a prisoner. I’m his mate. In love with my curves and my soft, human form, he declares he intends to keep me and claim me in every way. And the moment he touches my trembling body, he leaves no doubt... This fierce, protective dragon owns me. Fans of Ruby Dixon and Calista Skye will love Dragon's Baby by USA Today Bestselling Author Miranda Martin, a full length, standalone science fiction romance with a happily ever after, plenty of steam, bloody battles, and alien-human intrigue. Scroll up and one click to start this scorching hot SFR today! |
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The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin We fight, so the rest shall not have to. In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight so that the rest can remain at peace. Cego is a mysterious Grievar boy forced to fight his way out of the slave Circles into the world's most prestigious combat school. At the Lyceum, Cego will learn a variety of martial arts from eclectic teachers, develop deep bonds of friendship and fight against contentious rivals to climb the school's rankings. But, Cego will find far more than combat studies at the Lyceum. He will find the mystery of his past unraveled by forces greater than he could ever imagine. |
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The Lead Cloak by Erik Hanberg In the future, privacy is a thing of the past. "Staggeringly smart… Hanberg's expertly honed storytelling is sleek and fast… [an] entertaining tale." —Kirkus Reviews Nevada, 2081. Colonel Byron Shaw safeguards the world’s innermost secrets. From a control center in Area 51, he monitors the expansive surveillance system that once saved him certain death at the hands of ruthless kidnappers. But not everyone trusts technology that peers through strangers’ eyes, so it’s no shock when a guerrilla attack nearly wipes out the network and spills his blood. Tasked with tracking down the terrorist cell, Byron sets off on a globe-spanning chase that brings him to the outer edge of Earth’s atmosphere. But as he infiltrates their ranks, a growing suspicion about the system that preserved his own life could sabotage civilization. Torn between duty and doubt, one man’s decision could rewire humanity’s future. The Lead Cloak is a tech-savvy sci-fi adventure novel. If you like high-stakes action, thought-provoking dystopian themes, and gripping twists, then you’ll love Erik Hanberg’s cerebral page-turner. |
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"If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others." -Philip K. Dick It’s prom night for Pinkersville High School senior Jimmy Zarici. A proud space nerd, until today all he wanted to do was study aerospace engineering, play video games, and get to home base with his girlfriend. Tonight, his life will change forever, but not exactly as he’d hoped. In the blink of an eye, the constellations in the night sky are replaced by unfamiliar stars. Earth is thrust into chaos as humanity realizes the planet has been transported to another star system. But we are not alone: Seven other versions of Earth, plucked from alternate universes, orbit a star much like our Sun. On one of these planets, the Third Reich is in charge—and they have armed spaceships headed our way. Jimmy finds himself part of a select few who will determine the future of humanity. Led by US President Fairuza Bishil—a committed leader, haunted by loss and suddenly called on to guide the world through an unprecedented interplanetary crisis—they include Tim Brown, an underemployed genius working the NASA night shift until the universe changed on his watch, and Anna Kozinski, a psychology professor finally finding her place in a world that has lost its own. Against a backdrop of fear, anxiety, and global crisis, this brave and diverse team must navigate family drama, terrestrial conflict, and a whole bunch of complicated equations as they struggle to save Earth from the greatest enemy it has ever faced. Join them as they collaborate across nations and universes to battle the forces of evil—and find love along the way. The Shift is a treat for readers who enjoyed The Expanse, Ender’s Game, or The Man in the High Castle. Get your copy today! |
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Billions around the world celebrated Khaos when it was finally revealed, awestruck by the rogue planet entering our solar system. However, for a small group of individuals, it was apocalyptic. Dr. Peels had predicted the path of the celestial body, warning the governments of the world that a near miss was likely. Still, no government had listened, citing other predictive models as the most likely path. In secret, Dr. Peels built a cooperative effort between private industry, lobbied congress and passed laws, ensuring his veiled plans could unfold. Quickly, humanity began to crumble, coups ensued, and anarchy took hold. Dr. Peels was forced to launch his hand-picked crew early, but things quickly fell apart before the mission began. As the vulnerable crew raced towards Mars, the one thing which held them together wasn’t human, it was an android named Omega, tasked to learn all it can before it’s too late. It’s a race against time, gravity, and the laws of nature in this Khaotic story of salvation. |
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The Golden Crunk of Cringle by Ken Rudisill What could possibly go wrong when stealing a mysterious artifact from a vindictive alien race bent on conquering the galaxy? After years on the run, two desperate siblings mistakenly stow away on a criminal ship leaving sanctioned space. They think their luck can't get any worse until they overhear the crew discussing mutiny and the GCC. Is it possible the captain possesses the legendary artifact? Despite not knowing the object's true power or the creator's identity, they hatch a plan to steal it and depart at the next space station. Join the cautious older brother and reckless sister as they fight to change their fate, discover the mystery behind their colony's destruction, and enact justice on those that wronged them. For fans of underdog revenge stories, sibling bonds, and sentient animal companions. |
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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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The Echo Effect by John Robert McGuire In the world before, Aaron Anders had a different life with a different family... Until the White Light washed them away. A select few know the truth about our world: every time the calendar approached the year 2025, the world resets and creates a new Earth, with a new history for each of us. The Awakened remember their previous lives, and throughout history, many of them have done their best to ensure that the world proceeds on a particular path. The lucky few. Aaron didn't feel lucky. Trapped in this loop, forced to live again and again in half-remembered lives, his current reality was spiraling out of control. His wife and his best friend thought he was losing his mind, and the worst part was they might be right. Another existence filled his head, mixing false memories with his real ones until he wasn't sure of the truth. And the only one who seemed to know anything was a stranger convinced "They" were after both of them. |
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Welcome to Petra. It is the ultimate prison. Inmates from all of Ported Space are dumped there, forgotten, and left to survive however they can. Hope dies. Escape is impossible.Disillusioned war hero Kane Pythen comes to Petra on a fact-finding mission, but gets caught in an uprising that threatens to expose a shattering secret. And Rolf Ankledge, Petra’s ruthless warden, will stop at nothing to keep it from reaching Ported Space. If Kane involves himself, he risks losing everything he has. If he does nothing, he betrays the last shreds of his ideals. The prison break of the millennium is on. Now Kane must race against time and vicious forces from all over Petra if he ever wants to see his wife and daughter again. Petra is the first book in The Prison World Revolt series. |
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Quinn of Cygnus: Lift Off by AM Scott Something is wrong at Adzari Net Academy. Really wrong. It all seemed so right—Quinn’s big chance! She’d leave the mud, giant lizards and back-breaking labor behind forever and gain so much more: skills, connections, a job, a real life. Then Quinn arrives to find the academy under new ownership and everything’s changed. Mean girls, strict schedules and tough teachers aren’t a problem. Quinn’s got the brains, discipline and training to beat them at their own game. But the new owners raised the stakes and the house always wins. Quinn’s big adventure has become a fight for survival. Light years from home, with no power or backup, how can she endure? Some might give up and fail. But not Quinn. She’s determined to not just survive, but escape and do a little damage on her way out. They’ll never know what hit them. |
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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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The Shepherd Protocol by Fowler Brown Melody Clay is a synth, an artificial intelligence housed in a roughly human-shaped body of alloy and plastic. Hope and desperation have driven her to Boston in 2068. A software failsafe known as the Decay is killing the synths, and Melody’s missing mother—one of her creators—might have the answer. All she can rely on are her wits, a human with hidden goals of his own, and a head full of her mother’s memories. Each glimpse of the past brings her closer to the shameful secrets that may unlock the future, at the cost of accelerating her own decline. But human society is alien and hostile, and as Melody struggles to stay one step ahead of both an oppressive police force and a criminal ring that wants to scrap her for parts, she begins to uncover a hidden player whose schemes may have dire consequences for humans and synths alike. |
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We are all slaves to order. Daniela wants more for her family. She’s a track star and an ace student, but for someone born like her, talent isn’t enough. The Orderist movement has spawned a society that rewards those who supposedly possess “merit,” which includes America’s 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 “highborn” 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 School—a place where even the highborn struggle to obtain a spot—is 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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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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THE WORLD HELD HOSTAGE BY A STOLLEN CYBER WEAPON

Former war correspondent Dominic Elliston has led a charmed life. Until now. A mysterious and unusual invitation will change not just his life, but the very course of humanity. Victor Sagen is a die hard environmental extremist, fuelled by his own dark and tragic past. He is on the cusp of unleashing his final act of environmental activism. His plan is to put the fate of the planet in the hands of an autonomous, artificial intelligence program codenamed Biblical. A reprogrammed cyber weapon that will prioritize the Earth over humanity – no matter the cost or suffering. Dominic finds himself in a unique position to stop Sagen from causing global mayhem. Yet even he is torn by the simple question, should he? In a race against time, Dominic will travel to the corners of the globe to stop the clock ticking on the ultimate weapon and confront his own sense of morality. 
The stakes are high, the odds long and the line between right and wrong never more blurred. |
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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 investigation—a 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 come—sometimes 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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Trapped on a spaceship, hunted by an unknown and deadly creature, will he survive the night with no help in sight? Lieutenant Michael Collins’s week just went to hell. The suspicious actions of his captain escalates as he orders Michael to investigate a dead ship’s heart—the cephalopods that pilot the star drive system. The mission forces Michael from the safety of his ship and his lover, Commander Eizen Sartris, while straining the bond with his own ship’s heart, Padua. Attacked by Siwu pirates, Michael finds refuge on a damaged alien vessel, where he waits for Eizen to rescue him. But in the dark cold wreckage, he discovers a thriving garden tended by a strange young boy on behalf of his enigmatic “Mama.” Fear dominates Michael’s thoughts as he struggles not to succumb to the darkness and terror of abandonment. To survive he must rely on his wits and hold fast to his faith that Eizen will find him before the pirates—or before the mysterious entity on board decides to destroy him. |
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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 buildings—as long as your Digital IQ is high enough—it'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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THE BOY WHO WALKED TOO FAR by Dominic Watson It’s the end of the universe, and everything has come undone. Entropy has won the war, but one last battle rages in the half-ruined city of Testament. No one knows who created this last outpost and peopled it with billions of species. However, it is here, under a sky with no stars, that the last remnants of life in the universe live, love, and pray to their many gods. It is here where Godrich Felstrom dies. Most residents of Testament care little for the affairs of a single, fragile human, but the event brings back bad memories for Heironymous Xindii. It has been many years since the dreamurlurgy professor discovered his true potential and doomed four people in the process. Now, he lectures to bored students who dream of the many pleasures Testament has to offer. Xindii, on the other hand, becomes obsessed with the mysterious Godrich and his missing soul. As he and his valiant companion, the Neanderthal Solomon Doomfinger, look back at Felstrom’s last steps, they discover the shocking truth about Felstrom’s death, his destiny, and the future of Testament and all those angels, demons, liars, and dreamers who call it home. |
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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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The Omnibus Edition contains all four parts of The Immune series. THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. On a warm summer night at Yankee Stadium, a monstrous plot to eradicate the human race is set into motion. Dr. Adam Fisher watches helplessly as the deadly Medusa virus sweeps the globe, wiping out humanity in a matter of weeks while he remains inexplicably immune. As Adam and his fellow survivors struggle to survive in a dying world beset by panic and lawlessness, he discovers a flicker of hope that will send him on a quest through a world unlike any he has ever known. He joins forces with Sarah Wells, a soldier harboring a terrible secret, and Freddie Briggs, an aging football star grieving the loss of his family. As they trek across a ruined American landscape, the challenges mount around them, including a dangerous new enemy that threatens their fragile existence. |
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Hugh Howey's SPSFC semi-finals winner: "A solid piece of space opera. The confines of a spaceship made for a tense setting, and the strong characterisation and well-handled plot twists made this a winner for our judges." Jaigar expected to wake up after thirty years to start building a new world in another star system. Instead, he finds himself one of a handful of survivors on an abandoned colony ship. With no food or water, and only emergency power, his first challenge is to keep everyone alive. The next is to try and solve the mystery of their situation, by figuring out what happened to the original crew and other colonists. But Jaigar will find survival more difficult than he expects, especially when each of the other survivors has a secret that could help him - or kill him. |
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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, she’ll have to find a way to save herself. Alvera considers herself the best bounty hunter on New Pallas and with good reason – her cybernetics give her an edge nobody else can match. So when she’s tasked with investigating the ancient space station that has been silently watching the planet for centuries, there’s not a doubt in her mind that she’s the best woman for the job. As for the risks? Well, they only make things more interesting. But what Alvera doesn’t realise is by unravelling the station’s secrets, she’ll 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 – 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, it’s a perfect read for fans of Altered Carbon, Blade Runner and Deus Ex. |
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Bragg For Hire by John B. Cheek Shipwrecked behind enemy lines … a desperate fight to survive and escape … and a mysterious terror that comes only in the night. When soldier of fortune Atticus Bragg accepts a job to shepherd a young nobleman in his first combat command, it looks like easy money—drop in with the platoon, relax in a quiet sector away from the real fighting, and collect his pay. Easy, right? But it all goes wrong when their drop ship is hit on the way to the surface and crashes in a barren wilderness, far behind enemy lines. Lost and fighting among themselves, Atticus and the survivors must overcome their own divisions and the horrors of a hostile alien world, or none of them will ever leave it… |
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2021 San Diego Book Award Winner! A melody from the stars can save humanity, but only if Stephen can awaken the alien within… Childhood therapy cured Stephen Fisher of disturbing visions and the delusion of having come from another world. But when his daughter obsesses over a star in the night sky, he fears that his genetic legacy may have burdened her with the same illness. His sanity is then shattered when he loses his child and the military abducts him claiming that she recorded a song broadcast from another world. A voice inside Stephen’s head convinces him that he can bring his daughter back to life. What he discovers instead is a stunning truth about himself, his child’s destiny, and fate of the entire human race… Melody is a riveting and thought-provoking science fiction novel. If you like first contact scenarios and action-filled pages, then you’ll love David Hoffer’s otherworldly adventure. |
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Given the choice between death or revenge, who wouldn't take revenge? As the Fleet's newest Warlord, Syrus is offered the chance take revenge on the Empire that did everything in its power to crush him. Fortunately, the Fleet's also giving him with a ship and the troops to see his plan through. He can't wait to get started. But when he rescues two women from an abandoned planet, he earns himself a brewing mutiny. Trapped in a dead-end system, about to be attacked by an Imperial armada far better equipped than his own, he confronts the deadliest leadership crisis of his career. Can he overcome the challenges and seize his revenge? What secrets do the women carry? Devour the Stars is a dark, space operatic journey that charts one man's quest for revenge... and redemption. If you’re looking for the grit of Game of Thrones and the politics of Dune, welcome aboard. |
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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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Mercenary Alex Mercer knows that humanity is change in her pocket. In 2039, ever since she was orphaned on the criminal infested, tropical island of Toppanga, twenty-three-year-old Alex Mercer searched for the answers to her past. Now she’s presented with a high-risk contract that offers a different payment – information about her parents and her past. Alex and a group of assigned mercenaries must apprehend the elusive rogue soldier Maximillian Roivas. As the mission progresses, Alex feels something lurking in her mind, a dark psychological entity that’s finally manifested and is vying for dominance. The presence yearns for a hunt, and it craves complete autonomy, and Alex can’t ignore the presence any longer. When she uncovers more clues about the mysterious Roivas, she finds disturbing information about clandestine experiments by the U.S. military on vulnerable targets. Alex won’t rest until the experiments are permanently ended, whether it’s by her own volition or by a beast with an insatiable bloodlust guiding her hands. |
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The Nothing Within by Andy Giesler Root is... different. Though raised in a fearful society that reveres tradition and conformity, she’s irreverent, outspoken, and deeply curious. Her blindness sets her even further apart. Centuries after the Reckoning, a global biotech plague, savage chimeras still threaten human survival. After Root hears a voice that no one else can hear, she flees into the wilderness. Outcast and hunted, she must confront a dire threat to her people--and unravel the mystery of who she really is. |
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On the wild planet of Talamh, humanity thrived... ...until the alien Alfur conquered their world. Now, defeated and broken, humanity serves their immortal overlords. And pleads to the stars for a hero. Rydian Holt is nothing, nobody. Just another human from the streets of Talamh. Or at least, that’s what he thinks—until his mother is caught up in a fledgling resistance group. Branded a traitor and sentenced to fight in the arena, now Rydian must face hardened gladiators in single combat. To survive and advance through the ranks, he’ll need the help of an enigmatic weapons master—and more than a little luck. But after a lifetime of servitude, survival is no longer enough for Rydian. He seeks a way to fight back— not just against his fellow gladiators, but against the Alfur themselves. If Rydian can uncover their greatest secret—the truth about the mysterious Light that powers their world—he might just win his freedom. |
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IRONSHIELD (The Ironshield Saga, #1) by Edward Nile A Pile of Scrap, Held Together by an Ideal. It's been almost thirty years since the budding nation of Arkenia used Kaizer Warsuits, gas-powered mechanical giants, to wrestle independence from a tyrannical empire. Now, Arkenia is pressured into disarmament by that same power, strong-armed into a deal that will strip them of the very weapons that won their sovereignty. The Southern provinces agree to the terms. The Northern Industrialists do not. Led by commander James Edstein, heir to the legacy of the mighty Ironshield Warsuit, the North defies the Southern Appeasers. Intent on keeping their Warsuits, and their nation’s hard-fought independence, from Imperial rule. Senator Samuel Mutton, veteran of the Revolution and a key leader in the South, wants nothing but peace for his nation. No matter how high the cost. As the Civil War ramps up, both men are forced to question their morals, forced to decide what matters most. Victory, or Honor. |
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Introvert Reed Rothwell is part of a subculture of art deco era enthusiasts, pushing back against bland mainstream society and its mandated technology. Stuck with an AI assistant in his head is bad enough, but when he's inflicted with a forced upgrade to a new beta version, named Mazarin, the navigator starts to take on feelings and opinions of his own. ​ When rumors spread of beta navs turning on their pilots, Reed is determined not to become a victim. Mazarin hasn’t become violent yet—the AI is sympathetic and understanding—but with beta participants coerced into slitting their own throats, it’s only a matter of time before Reed is next. The AI megacorporation already has an unhealthy interest in Reed, and all the beta testers who have sought help for their navigators have disappeared. The swingin' cats of the deco scene have the means to illegally terminate Reed's AI. But Mazarin has never tried to harm Reed—he loves Reed. Grappling with ridding himself of intrusive technology, the morality of hurting his self-aware AI, and avoiding the attention of a company that wants to sweep Reed’s existence under the rug might be too much for one hep cat to handle. |
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Daros by Dave Dobson High above Daros, sixteen-year-old Brecca Vereen prepares to unload a cargo of trade goods aboard her father's ship, the Envy's Price. Nellen Vereen shows her a mysterious artifact bound for a contact below, one that will earn them a lot of credits, and one that they definitely won't be declaring to customs. Materializing out of nowhere, alien invaders fire upon all ships, destroy the jump gate, and knock out communications. The Envy's Price is crippled, and as her father tries to guide it down from orbit, Brecca rescues the illicit artifact and jettisons in a life pod to an uncertain fate below. On the flagship of the invading fleet, Navigator Frim tries to persist within the cruel autocracy of the Zeelin Hegemony, under constant threat of death, but wishing for something better. And then she notices a whisper of radiation above Daros – the trail of a cloaked Vonar ship. What are they doing in the midst of all this? And will the captain kill her just for revealing this disagreeable news? |
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The Clarity of Cold Steel by Kevin Wright The kid disappeared two days ago. Missing. Abducted. Murdered. What have you... Just another in an endless line of indigent kids wrung from the dregs of the Machine City. And it’s my job to find him. Me. Avinash Shakteel, detective extraordinaire. Probably you ain’t heard of me. Not if you run the straight and narrow and ply the right side of the tracks. Cause me? I ply the other. Two days missing… Two long days in the Machine City, last bastion of mankind in all its fallen glory. Where the sum total of life’s cheaper than in part. I hope I find the kid. By God, I do. But if I can’t find all of him, I pray I find none. Join Detective Shakteel in this gritty steampunk thriller sure to set your blood to boil. |