G.S. Jennsen's Blog, page 10

The Universe of Amaranthe Awaits

At the end of Requiem, I said ‘the story of Aurora has come to an end, but the story of Amaranthe is just beginning.’ I hope you knew I meant it.

If you’ve finished reading The Stars Like Gods, you know some of what I’m going to talk about—but stick around anyway, because there’s yet more. If you haven’t finished The Stars Like Gods, there’s a big surprise at the end of the book, and you’re about to find out what it is unless you avert your eyes right now. The choice is yours.

I’ll wait.

Okay, done waiting.

From the beginning, we knew that the Asterion Noir trilogy was taking place elsewhere in the Amaranthe universe, and a little number crunching from available facts would tell you the events of ANR were occurring within about 50K years of the events of Aurora Resonant. Now, we’ve learned that interval was a mere 14 years. While Alex, Caleb and the crews from Aurora and the Mosaic were working to get settled into their new home, the Asterions were stumbling onto the Rasu, Nika was getting psyche-wiped, NOIR was rising up and…well, you know the rest.

Now those meddlesome Kats are up to their old tricks again and have conspired to bring Asterions and humans together, by way of a dramatic encounter between Nika and Alex.

Raise your hand if you’re excited to see Alex again. We’ve missed her, haven’t we?

One of my readers had this to say about it: “The only thing that might be more powerful and explosive than 8,000 Nikas or 8,000 Alexes is one of each!” He’s not wrong, so get ready to strap in for the ride.

 























 

Fourteen years after The Displacement, a tenuous alliance among humans, Anadens and over a dozen alien species has taken root. The wounds of war and revolution have begun to heal and peace and prosperity are within reach.

But when Nika Kirumase, leader of a splinter group of former Anadens thought aeons dead, arrives bearing a warning of a terrifying enemy advancing across the void, that alliance will be pushed to the breaking point and beyond.

That’s a fun little tease, but what does it really mean? Well, a lot has happened in the last fourteen years, and few things in the former Anaden Empire will be precisely as we left them. Humans have tried to adapt to living amongst dozens of alien species; Anadens have tried to adapt to living without their Primors and integrals—to living as equals rather than rulers. No one will claim the transition has been easy or smooth, but it hasn’t descended into rampant bloodshed…for the most part.

Now the Asterions are returning to a changed empire, and they’re about to toss the dynamite that is the Rasu into the middle of it. Miriam is sure to be just thrilled.

I suspect you’re curious about what all has transpired in those fourteen years. How is Caleb and Akeso’s new shared existence working out? Has Eren seriously been able to settle down, be happy and stop blowing himself and large structures up? Were Valkyrie and Vii able to bring Abigail back to life? Have the perpetually squabbling governments of Aurora finally managed to get over themselves and coexist in harmony (or even, heaven forbid, unite)? Where did Nisi and Nyx disappear off to? How’s that regenesis-for-everyone research coming along?

Most importantly of all: has anyone found where the diati stashed the dragon planet???

I expect Riven Worlds to be six novels, but I reserve the right to change my mind along the way. A new series will follow it, and another after that, all under the Amaranthe banner (more on that below). Alex, Caleb, Nika and Dashiel will likely demand to be the brightest stars much of the time, but not always. The journey may take us to some unexpected places with fascinating new characters and dangers. The universe is quite literally the limit.

Here’s the fun part: you get to weigh in on what—or rather who—you want to see return in big ways. Who were your favorites from Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir? Who did you hate and would prefer to be rid of? Head over to this poll here - or click the “LAUNCH ME” button below - and let me know. The results are nonbinding, but I genuinely want to know who you most can’t wait to see again. Of course, guaranteed to play outsized roles are the Solovys, the Maranos, Valkyrie, Eren, Mesme, Nika and Dashiel, so don’t worry about them :).

Launch me

*

Now for a few technical matters. If you’ve been here from the beginning, you can probably give an impromptu speech in an elevator about how the trilogies and universes link together—which is awesome, by the way; send me video if you ever do. Newcomers, however, are bound to be more confused than ever when Riven Worlds comes around, and that’s no good.

So over the next several months, the books of Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir will be lightly rebranded, keeping their trilogy subtitles but bringing them all under the rubric of the AMARANTHE universe. If you’re all caught up with your reading, this won’t have any impact on you. For new readers, it is my hope that this will present a clear, consistent and easy-to-follow roadmap of my books.

You can already see some of this rebranding in the new look for the website. Below, you can see more of what it will look like for the books.

Finally, I’ll repeat what I said at the end of The Stars Like Gods. No matter what, you can expect the same kind of stories that have brought you here: grand and complex tales of adventure, struggles and heroism woven through with intricate layers and interconnections that bind together into a cohesive whole. Tales of purpose and meaning, with evocative locations, inventive technology and memorable characters who fight, fail, persevere and refuse to fade away.

Welcome to the next chapter in the Amaranthe universe.

THE STARS LIKE GODS Is Here

THE STARS LIKE GODS, the finale to the Asterion Noir trilogy, is now available in ebook and paperback - and the ebook is priced at $0.99 today and tomorrow only!

 

EBOOK RETAILERS

 

You can get the paperback from Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s website (at a 35% discount as of this morning), and it will be added to additional retailers in the coming weeks - find them all here. Audiobook fans, Pyper Down is already recording, so expect the audiobook version in July :).

But that’s not all. EXIN EX MACHINA, the first book in the Asterion Noir trilogy, is on sale for $0.99 as well through Saturday - so if you haven’t started Asterion Noir just yet, today is a great day to dive in. Get it from all major online retailers here.

New subscribers who are still working your way through the Aurora Rhapsody novels, you don't need to have finished Rhapsody to read Asterion Noir. While there are some historical connections between the setting of Asterion Noir and Aurora Resonant (the final Rhapsody trilogy) that long-time readers will appreciate, you won't suffer for not being familiar with that background - so feel free to take a break and hop over to this new world :).

Once you've devoured The Stars Like Gods, spread the word! Reviews are the greatest gift you can give, but posts on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites, your own blogs, and forums are also most welcome. Here's the book's Goodreads page, too. If the book moves you, tell others about it.

With Asterion Noir wrapping up, you may be wondering what comes next. I’ll post publicly about that in a few weeks, but until then, the answer to this question lies solely at the end of The Stars Like Gods. So get to reading!

***

Announcing: Starshine 5th Anniversary Annotated Hardback

Five years ago today, I unleashed Alex on the world. At the time, I don’t think I realized the impact this one action was going to have - on my life, on hers, on the multiverses of Aurora Rhapsody.

It’s been an incredible, humbling five years, though the story behind Starshine stretches back in time for far longer - but I don’t want to rewrite my Foreword here, so without further ado: I give you the STARSHINE 5th Anniversary Annotated Hardback Special Edition (S5AAHSE). What makes it special? Well….

1 beautiful dust jacketed cover with new art…

…wrapped around the first ever hardback printing of Starshine

220 text annotations

1 overly indulgent Foreword

4 appendices of fun extras

1 autograph

Within the annotations, learn what it was like to write the book, what I wish I’d done differently, lessons I’ve learned, funny anecdotes and a few blush-worthy secrets. The text of the novel has also been cleaned up, buffed and polished to a…shine.

The S5AAHSE - no, that’s never going to work. The STARSHINE ANNOTATED EDITION can be pre-ordered from my website here today! Right now! Pre-orders placed this weekend will ship in early April (unless 500 of you order copies, in which case it’s going to take an extra week or so for me to get all those in stock….).

The book will be available exclusively through my website - no retailers will be carrying it. This is for two reasons. One, so I can individually sign each copy :). Two, because this edition is not for newcomers to Aurora Rhapsody. The annotations reference events in all nine novels and most of the short stories, and if an event warrants a call-out, odds are it’s a meaningful one. If you haven’t finished reading Aurora Rhapsody yet, you risk getting spoiled in some pretty big ways - so to those of you who are still reading, I say this: carry on and enjoy the journey. This edition will still be here waiting on you when you flip the last page on Requiem.

For everyone who has flipped the last page on Requiem, revisit Alex and Caleb’s (and Miriam, Richard, Kennedy, Noah and Mia’s….) beginnings and see them in a way you haven’t before. The Starshine Annotated Edition is available for $21.99 plus shipping. I’m happy to ship internationally, though I realize the shipping costs will be a pain point. I wish I could fix that.

Today, perhaps more than any other day, I’m so thankful to each and every one of you. Thank you for allowing me to write for a living. I have to say, despite the fact that I’ve been at this for half a decade now, nothing prepared me for the effusive joy of seeing and holding my first book in hardback. So thank you for falling in love with Alex and Caleb and everyone else, and in doing so creating a world in which I get to share this very special printing with you.

*glances at the calendar* Unless something unexpected happens, the next news update should be a The Stars Like Gods release date announcement and cover reveal. :)

ORDER STARSHINE ANNOTED HARDBACK

Cover Reveal/Release Date For The Stars Like Gods

THE STARS LIKE GODS - the finale to the Asterion Noir trilogy - is coming your way (via all major online retailers) in ebook and paperback on JUNE 6, 2019.

When man and machine are one and the same, time moves differently.
But it runs out all the same.

The Asterion Dominion government has fallen, its rulers slain—but in the Dominion, the dead rarely stay that way. A doomsday clock rushes headlong toward the day the monstrous alien shapeshifters known as the Rasu will demand their next tribute of lives. When denied it, the Rasu will burn every Dominion world to the ground.

Unless they can be stopped.

Nika, Dashiel and their allies fight to hold onto the reigns of power even as they search for a way to defeat the enemy. Their quest will take them from barren deserts to a remote wilderness to the hidden homeworld of an ancient, mysterious species, all to uncover a secret 700,000 years in the keeping.

With everything they thought they knew now called into question and the reckoning at hand, the Asterions’ past, present and future will collide in a last daring gambit to save all three. 

ASTERION NOIR 

700,000 years ago, the Asterions fled persecution for their pro-synthetic beliefs. In the safe harbor of a distant galaxy, they have evolved into a true biosynthetic race and built a thriving society upon the pillars of personal autonomy, mutual respect and boundless innovation.

Now that society is fracturing at the seams. Beneath lies built upon lies, the shocking truth as to why threatens the future of not merely the Asterions, but all life in the universe.

Cyberpunk and space opera collide in a thrilling new trilogy from the author of the epic Aurora Rhapsody space opera saga. Enter a world of technological wonders, exotic alien life, enthralling characters, captivating worlds—and a terrifying evil lurking in the void that will shatter it all.

Audiobook listeners, never fear - Pyper Down plans to start recording as soon as the final manuscript is ready, so expect the audiobook later this summer. THE STARS LIKE GODS already has a Goodreads page, so you can add it to your “Want To Read” shelf today. I’ll be sharing teaser quotes from TSLG as we get closer to release, so keep an eye on social media or this page.

For those of you who are still working your way through Aurora Rhapsody: first, fantastic! Second, you don’t need to finish Aurora Rhapsody to hop over to Asterion Noir, though there are some minor links between it and the final trilogy, Aurora Resonant. For an overview of Asterion Noir and how it relates to Aurora Rhapsody, check out this blog post: Introducing Asterion Noir. You can pick up the first two novels in ebook or paperback at all major online retailers worldwide and in audiobook on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

*

While you’re waiting for TSLG, I wanted to let you know that the epic space opera collection, ROGUE STARS, is free for a limited time at all major online retailers. Sure, you’ve read Starshine, but in Rogue Stars you also get 6 more thrilling novels of space exploration and adventure. Download it for free from your retailer of choice.

 























 

Fractals Short Story - Now FREE

You may remember when, in the distant past of about six months ago, a little short story called Fractals appeared in the latest volume of the bestselling Beyond the Stars anthology, Unimagined Realms. Thanks in part to your awesome support, Umimagined Realms was a massive success. And now, FRACTALS is available as a stand-alone ebook with a shiny new cover: FREE at all major online retailers.

AMAZON


APPLE BOOKS


NOOK


GOOGLE PLAY


KOBO


OTHER RETAILERS

If you’ve already read (and hopefully enjoyed) Fractals, you could make my day by leaving a review at your favorite retailer. If you download and read it now, I’ll make the same request. You can also add it to your Goodreads shelf :).

Since it’s been a while since Fractals was first announced, I’ll re-share what I said about it then:

Fractals is set in the Aurora Rhapsody multiverse, but outside the primary timeline of the series. The official teaser reads like this:

"A mysterious signal coming from deep space attracts the attention of humanity’s scientists and the soldiers who protect them—the kind of attention the originators of the signal will do anything to avoid. When the two converge, first contact doesn’t go the way either side planned."

A mysterious signal coming from deep space? If that sounds familiar, you're not wrong. But here's the real hook for Aurora Rhapsody veterans: What if the 1st Crux War had never happened? How would that have changed the trajectories of Alex and Caleb's lives in the years leading up to the events of Aurora Rhapsody? Who or what could change history in this way, and why?

In Fractals, see Alex and Caleb in action again, but not exactly as you remember them - yet in some ways, exactly as you remember them ;).

Is the story Aurora Rhapsody canon? I'll just say this: I'm reminded of a quote from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

*

In the spirit of the premise of Fractals, here’s a fun question for you: A portal to another world opens in front of you. You don’t know how long it will stay open or if you’ll be able to get back after you go through. What do you do?

Let me know in the comments!

 

Of A Darker Void Audiobook Is Now Available

I'm excited to announce that the OF A DARKER VOID audiobook, narrated by Pyper Down, is now available on Audible and Amazon, and iTunes.

BONUS: The first five people who reply to this email will get an Audible code to download Of A Darker Void for FREE. Hit ‘reply’!

New to audiobooks? You can find all the Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir novels in audiobook format on Amazon, Audible and iTunes, and feel free to contact me at gs@gsjennsen.com if you have any questions.

 























   

If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll remember that back in 2016, EJ Fisch, Tammy Salyer and I put together a very special collection of the first books in our sci-fi series called FORGED FROM THE STARS. It was a limited run offering, but now (for reasons) it’s back, and this time it’s available at all major retailers. So if you haven’t been around for too long, here’s your chance to pick it up for a special re-release price of only $0.99: books2read.com/Forged-From-The-Stars

FORGED FROM THE STARS features:

Special Foreword by S.E. Lehenbauer

DAKITI (Ziva Payvan Book One) by EJ Fisch

CONTRACT OF DEFIANCE (Spectras Arise Book One) by Tammy Salyer

STARSHINE (Aurora Rising Book One) by G. S. Jennsen

Okay, so you've read Starshine. For a couple of pennies, you can also pick up two more epic science fiction adventures. AND THAT COVER. /swoon

 















































 

SOME WOMEN ARE CONSUMED BY THE FIRE.
SOME BECOME THE FIRE.

An elite operative. A war-hardened soldier. A daring explorer. One strikes from the shadows to protect a deadly secret. One strives to reclaim what was taken from her. One searches the void for the answers denied her.

Their stories are their own, but they share a gritty determination to fight for what they believe in and an unwavering conviction that they can and will do whatever is necessary to save themselves, those they hold dear and, if worse comes to worst (as it always does), civilization itself.

FORGED FROM THE STARS brings you the first books in three exciting, original space opera adventure series, Ziva Payvan, Spectras Arise, and Aurora Rising. These epic tales feature empires that stretch across the vastness of space, suspenseful action as new worlds are discovered and old ones destroyed, thrilling interstellar warfare and deadly conspiracies that promise to reshape galaxies.

At the heart of the storm stand three women: Ziva Payvan. Aly Erikson. Alexis Solovy. Forged from the stars, in the face of overwhelming odds they will bend those stars to their will—or die trying.

  

Have you checked out Supermassive Black Holes? Get my social media posts on space, technology, sci-fi and writing without the messy privacy invasions of social media. Comment and join in on the discussion, or just keep in the know. Add the RSS feed to your reader, or subscribe to receive a twice-weekly email digest.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly--and the New Shiny!

Social media. Is it bringing the world together, or tearing us apart? I can’t say, and this post definitely isn’t about trying to figure out the answer; you can decide for yourselves.

The reasons why some of you may be considering leaving Facebook or Twitter (or have already done so) would take the rest of this post to list, so I’ll spare you. Google+ is dead come the end of April. Tumblr is in the middle of a cringe-worthy identity crisis that may well kill it. Instagram was comparatively unscathed by 2018, but it’s always one bad redesign away from disaster.

The point is, social media platforms come and go (raise your hand if you had a MySpace page). They change their design and their rules and inevitably rise and fall. As omnipresent as Facebook feels today, it’s transient like all the rest.

So, what to do? I plan to continue being present and active on the most popular sites of the day, whatever those are, so don’t worry - I’m not going anywhere. But if you are, it shouldn’t mean we have to stop sharing our enthusiasm about space and tech and sci-fi with each other. This is why I’m creating a place where I will always be sharing my enthusiasm about those topics - a place I will always control, and where you are always welcome.

I give you SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES: Breaking News & Random Musings On Space, Technology, Sci-Fi & The View From A Writer’s Window. At SMBH, I’ll be cross-posting all my Facebook posts, as well as notable posts of mine from Twitter, Instagram and other platforms. At SMBH, you can not just comment but join and follow the conversation, without worrying about Mark Zuckerberg mining your data for an army of ad bots or Twitter shadow-banning you. It’ll be fun!

If you’re an RSS feed person, you can add the blog to your reader of choice: https://www.gsjennsen.com/supermassive-black-holes?format=rss. If you’re an email person, subscribe to the blog here. Note: this is completely separate from my primary author newsletter, as I don’t want to be spamming people who only want to hear about book news. So subscribe to SMBH if you want to get email digests of new posts 2-3 times a week, and never miss a conversation.

 



























 

*

Did you quit a social media platform in 2018, or make a New Years resolution to do so in 2019? Or did you find a new platform in the crop of upstarts that you’re enjoying? Let me know!

Retailer News for OF A DARKER VOID, Plus Teaser Excerpts & More

Only 3 weeks until OF A DARKER VOID is in your hands. Yes, all of your hands, if you so choose - I’m happy to announce that Of A Darker Void will be available at all major online retailers on release day! Amazon, iTunes (Apple Books), Nook, Kobo, Google Play and more. This means it won’t be available to borrow through Kindle Unlimited, but even if you’re a KU subscriber, I think you’ll find the release day price amenable ;).

If you want to get ready early, click your retailer of choice below and bookmark my page.

  

Now, I give you a bit of underground propaganda, courtesy of NOIR:

 



























 

I’ve also begun sharing teaser excerpts (non-spoilery for Of A Darker Void, but may contain spoilers for Exin Ex Machina) on social media. Check out the first one:

“She’d never been on board a ship like this one. A real starship worthy of the name, where everything from the reinforced hull to the sophisticated instrumentation created a sense of presence, of consequentiality. When a vessel of this ilk cut a swath through the void, the void noticed.
But Nicolette Hinotori had once commanded a generation ship, which meant buried in Nika’s core operating system was knowledge about the operation of such vessels.
She stood in the center of the bridge, closed her eyes and asked herself a question. Results flooded her mind, and she hurriedly initiated a sort-and-prioritize algorithm to impose order on them.
Then she gazed around the bridge with new eyes.”

To see more teaser excerpts, go to this page on my website, or follow me on your favorite social media platform:

Until December 3rd!

Title & Cover Reveal + Release Date for ANR Book 2

Asterion Noir is due for another book, don’t you think? I think so. OF A DARKER VOID (Asterion Noir Book 2) will be released in ebook and paperback DECEMBER 3RD!

***

When man and machine are one and the same, death is no longer an inevitability.
But in the darkest reaches of space, neither is life. 

Diplomat.
Rebel.
Fugitive.

Nika Tescarav has lived many lives, though she no longer remembers most of them. Chased by agents of a regime that will do anything to protect the secrets of the Rasu Protocol, Nika flees to the stars with her once and future lover on a mission to expose those secrets. A race across alien worlds both exotic and deadly leads them to the bastion of the enemy, but its discovery brings a terrible revelation: sometimes the truth is indeed worse than the lies spun to conceal it.

With Nika and Dashiel on the run, NOIR steps up to defend against a virulent pathogen unleashed upon innocent civilians. When a desperate government moves to crush the resistance once and for all, unlikely alliances are forged between former adversaries and all paths converge in an explosive showdown that will change the future of the Asterion Dominion forever. 

ASTERION NOIR

 700,000 years ago, the Asterions fled persecution for their pro-synthetic beliefs. In the safe harbor of a distant galaxy, they have evolved into a true biosynthetic race and built a thriving society upon the pillars of personal autonomy, mutual respect and boundless innovation.

Now that society is fracturing at the seams. Beneath lies built upon lies, the shocking truth as to why threatens the future of not merely the Asterions, but all life in the universe.

Cyberpunk and space opera collide in a thrilling new trilogy from the author of the epic Aurora Rhapsody space opera saga. Enter a world of technological wonders, exotic alien life, enthralling characters, captivating worlds—and a terrifying evil lurking in the void that will shatter it all.

 

More space. More cyberpunk. More Nika. More NOIR, hacking, aliens and explosions. More secrets and revelations. They will all be coming your way in a few short weeks.

I’ll be sharing further details, including retailers and spoiler-free teaser quotes, soon. Audiobook listeners, never fear - Pyper Down plans to start recording as soon as the final manuscript is ready, so expect the audiobook in very early 2019 :). OF A DARKER VOID already has a Goodreads page, so you can add it to your “Want To Read” shelf today.

For those of you who are still working your way through Aurora Rhapsody: first, fantastic! Second, you don’t need to finish Aurora Rhapsody to hop over to Asterion Noir, though there are some minor links between it and the final trilogy, Aurora Resonant. For an overview of Asterion Noir and how it relates to Aurora Rhapsody, check out this blog post: Introducing Asterion Noir. You can pick up Asterion Noir Book 1, EXIN EX MACHINA, in ebook or paperback at all major online retailers worldwide and in audiobook on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

Thank you all for your patience and your support, as always.

***

OF A DARKER VOID Is Here

OF A DARKER VOID, Book 2 of the Asterion Noir trilogy, is now available in ebook and paperback. The ebook is $0.99 for TODAY ONLY, so download it now!

Apple Books Coming Soon

Other Retailers

You can get the paperback from Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s website today, and it will be added to additional retailers in the coming weeks - find them all here. Audiobook fans, Pyper Down is already recording, so expect the audiobook version in January :).

But that’s not all. EXIN EX MACHINA, the first book in the Asterion Noir trilogy, is on sale for $0.99 as well - so if you haven’t started Asterion Noir just yet, today is a great day to dive in. Get it from all major online retailers here.

New subscribers who are still working your way through the Aurora Rhapsody novels, you don't need to have finished Rhapsody to read Asterion Noir. While there are some historical connections between the setting of Asterion Noir and Aurora Resonant (the final Rhapsody trilogy) that long-time readers will appreciate, you won't suffer for not being familiar with that background - so feel free to take a break and hop over to this new world :).

Once you've devoured Of A Darker Void, spread the word! Reviews are the greatest gift you can give, but posts on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites, your own blogs, and forums are also most welcome. Here's the book's Goodreads page, too. If the book moves you, tell others about it.

Thank you for coming along with me, with Alex, and now with Nika on these many wondrous journeys :).

***