G.S. Jennsen's Blog, page 7

ALL OUR TOMORROWS Release Date, Cover Reveal & Pre-Order

The wait is almost over! ALL OUR TOMORROWS, Book Four in the Riven Worlds series, will be released on OCTOBER 17, 2021. You can pre-order it today at all major online retailers, as well as direct from my online store. You can also add it to your Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf here.

Check out this cover! I’m very proud of this one.

War has come to Concord. Now no one and nowhere is safe.

When indestructible warships and dimension-tearing weapons are not enough to defeat the enemy, how do you protect thousands of worlds and trillions of citizens from a Rasu tidal wave bent on devouring everything in its path?

The Rift Bubbles offer much-sought protection, but is the safety they promise anything more than an illusion? A weapon crafted by the nearly extinct Ourankeli may hold the key to gaining the upper hand—or it may be a doomsday bomb too dangerous to chance wielding. The Asterions strive tirelessly to improve upon and create new weapons that can kill Rasu, even as Nika Kirumase draws tantalizingly close to unlocking the true power of kyoseil.

Yet for every strategic move Commandant Miriam Solovy makes to thwart the Rasu’s advances, the enemy swiftly counters in a deadly battle of escalation.

We don’t need to fear death, for it cannot hold us.

Regenesis, long the exclusive domain of Anadens, begins to take root in human society. But the possibility of immortality for all does not sit well with those who would rather keep it for themselves. When a conspiracy to sabotage the future of regenesis is uncovered, an unlikely advocate decides to risk his one-and-only life to bring the perpetrators to justice.

And amidst all the conflict, the enigmatic Katasketousya have been playing a secret long game with the fate of the universe. Now events race toward a rendezvous with their unfolding machinations, and the resulting collision is going to change everything.

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In Amaranthe, where exotic alien life, AIs, wormholes, indestructible starships and the promise of immortality rule the day, no feat seems out of reach for humanity. But when the worlds of Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir collide and the Rasu horde descends upon them both, more will be asked of heroes past and future. More will be given and more taken, and when the dust settles the very fabric of Amaranthe will be altered forever.

Thank you all for being so patient and supportive of my move and the delay it caused. I’m thrilled I’ll be able to bring you this special book very soon.

New Short Story, "Starlight Express" - Available Now

I’m thrilled to announce that I have a brand new short story, “Starlight Express,” in the BEYOND THE STARS: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE anthology, which is out today. Better yet, the anthology is on sale for 99 cents for release week only - and free to read in Kindle Unlimited - so grab it quickly.

** SPOILER WARNING ** If you’re still making your way through the Aurora Rhapsody novels, Starlight Express contains major spoilers for the end of Requiem. In fact, even the summary below contains spoilers. So get the anthology now, while it’s only 99 cents, and stash it to the side. Once you finish Requiem, I think you will find this story an absolute delight to read. :)

For everyone else:

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Six months after The Displacement transported humanity to a universe teeming with advanced alien civilizations, they’re working diligently to settle into their strange new world. Diplomatic relations with the other species are proceeding in fits and starts, and peace hangs by a tenuous thread. But in the meantime, for most of humanity, life goes on.

The Starlight Express has a reputation as the wildest, most exotic alien bar in two dozen galaxies. So when Noah and Caleb want to kick back for a few hours the night before Noah’s nuptials, it’s the obvious choice. And the wrong one.

See, aliens tend to be the quirky sort, and humans haven’t quite gotten the hang of them yet, which is why no one should be surprised when a friendly disagreement over one too many drinks goes sideways. Now, a jailbreak, a police chase across seven galaxies and an exploding ship have to get them out of this mess, or else Noah’s last night of freedom will end up being his last night, period.

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BEYOND THE STARS: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE also features fantastic, original space opera tales from David Bruns, Jack Lyster, Cindy Hung, J.M. Thomas, Nemma Wollenfang, Nadya Duke and Thomas A. Farmer, and is edited by Patrice Fitzgerald and Richard Leslie.

BUY BEYOND THE STARS: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

I am happy to report that I am now successfully ensconced in the new house in Montana - and once again utterly surrounded by boxes. The move has gone more smoothly than I had any right to expect, for which I am so grateful. I need to get just a few of these boxes unpacked, then I will be returning my attention to ALL OUR TOMORROWS. Expect a cover reveal, release date and pre-order announcement very soon!

ALL OUR TOMORROWS Update, Plus An Epic Signed Book Sale

I’ve got some big personal news to share (stick around, as it affects you, too). I’m moving to Akeso!

…Pardon me, I mean Montana, which is basically the same thing. I’m so excited to begin this next adventure, but why do you care? Well, two reasons. First, this means that ALL OUR TOMORROWS is going to be slightly delayed. Hopefully only by a few weeks, but I just threw my life into utter chaos, so we’ll have to see (if I have to guess today, I predict it will be released in early October). I love this book so much, and I absolutely can’t wait to get it in your hands - I just have to do this one little (by which I mean big) thing first.

Second reason? I am kicking off a Mega Clearance Moving Sale on signed books! Save me from having to box up and move all these books - I’m begging you.

All paperbacks are marked down to ** 50% off ** (each one personally inscribed by me). Also, I’ve acquired some new shipping boxes, such that for most U.S. orders, shipping is also 50% reduced. What does that mean in real terms? Most paperbacks are now all of $7, plus a mere $4 U.S. shipping per book.

The sale will last until I run out of stock or I have to box up what’s left and head north in about 2-3 weeks, whichever happens first. Stock levels for some books are already low (in particular Starshine with the new cover, Inversion and Echo Rift), so get your orders in early! And THANK YOU.

GO TO THE SALE

I appreciate your patience and your support. The new view from my writing desk is going to be a-mazing, and you know what that means. ;)

New Web Store For Ebooks, Plus a Roundtable Discussion & More

I’ve got so much news today! We’ll start with the new web store. Starting today, you can buy all of my ebooks direct from me, at a discount over their retail prices. If you downloaded Vertigo for free when you subscribed to the newsletter, sending the ebooks to your ereader or app works exactly the same way, so it should be easy as pie.

To celebrate the store opening, all the ebooks are an additional 20% OFF for the next five days (on top of the already discounted prices). Just click “Add Coupon” during checkout and enter the code: GRAND-OPENING.

GO TO THE WEB STORE

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Thanks to the article I wrote for The Debrief on warp drives, I was lucky enough to get to participate in a roundtable with mega-bestselling author Douglas E. Richards and dystopian sci-fi writer Eliza Green. The topic: “Is it more difficult to write science fiction in an age of exponential technological growth? To what extent does science fiction guide innovation?” We had a great time and a very lively discussion about those topics and many more, and you can check out the video on YouTube here.

You can tell it was fun, because everyone is laughing. ;)

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Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts in the character poll in the last newsletter. Here are the results:

I’m not surprised that Marlee won (I also wouldn’t have been surprised if Eren had won), and I absolutely love seeing so much enthusiasm for Nyx! Maybe I can do something with this after all….

In honor of Marlee’s victory, check out this incredible character art I have adopted as the spot-on image of our young Marano firebrand (I tweaked the color a little, but all credit goes to the artist, Shai Daniel).

   

Finally, I wanted to let you know about two new updates to the Amaranthe Wiki. I’ve added the quotes used in the Part headings of the books, all on one page here. I’ve also added a long-requested item: Russian translations from all the books. You can see them here, but enter at your own risk - you only think Alex curses in English. You can find both the new pages under the “Novels & Short Stories” category.

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Before I leave you, I’ve got another collection of books for your reading pleasure. Go here to choose from 42 FREE sci-fi ebooks from popular indie authors. Enjoy!

Huge Audiobook Sale, Plus a Reader Poll & a Cornucopia of Free Sci-Fi Books

If you're curious about audiobooks but have yet to take the plunge into a different way of reading, I've got a deal for you! Get the first four Amaranthe audiobooks at a huge discount for the next two weeks exclusively at Chirp, and immerse yourself in the dulcet tones of the amazing Pyper Down: gsj.space/chirp-sale

A little news you might be interested in: the first draft of ALL OUR TOMORROWS is complete! At over 92K words, it might well be the longest first draft to date. Make of that what you will. ;)

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Now, I have a question for you. Apropos of nothing and almost certainly just for fun, the question is this:

Which secondary-major character in the Amaranthe universe do you think is most deserving of a spin-off novel?

A preview of the choices (in alphabetical order):

Corradeo Praesidis

Eren Savitas asi-Idoni

Joaquim Lacese

Marlee Marano

Nyx elasson-Praesidis

Perrin Benvenit

Other (you can write in your preference)

VOTE NOW

In closing, I’ve an incredible selection of 75+ FREE sci-fi and fantasy ebooks for you to feast upon. Enjoy!

Riven Worlds Volume One - Available Now

I’m thrilled to announce than an omnibus of the first 3 RIVEN WORLDS novels - CONTINUUM, INVERSION & ECHO RIFT - plus the Chrysalis short story is now available in a single ebook! If you’ve been waiting for the Collection to start your Riven Worlds journey, or if you simply want a shiny new cover and the convenience of a single ebook, you can download it today at a 45% discount off purchasing the books individually.

Humanity has seized its destiny among the stars. But space remains vast and untamed, and nothing has prepared us to face the dangers rising from the deep shadows of the void.

**Includes the first three novels (Continuum, Inversion & Echo Rift) in the RIVEN WORLDS series, plus the Chrysalis short story**

In Amaranthe, where exotic alien life, AIs, wormholes, indestructible starships and the promise of immortality rule the day, no feat seems out of reach for humanity. But when the worlds of Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir collide and the Rasu horde descends upon them both, more will be asked of heroes past and future. More will be given and more taken, and when the dust settles the very fabric of Amaranthe will be changed forever.

I have so much more news! Where to start?

EXIN EX MACHINA (Asterion Noir Book 1) is now FREE to download at all retailers. Know someone who likes a heavy dose of cyberpunk in their space opera? Point them to this gateway drug. :)

I wrote a fun little piece for the tech/science news site The Debrief about about my creation of the sLume drive, why I was inspired by the proposed Alcubierre Warp Drive, and how the science of FTL drives is starting to catch up to the science fiction. Give it a read and let me know what you think: “Faster-Than-Light Travel Is Coming At Us Faster Than We Thought”

It was a climb, but ALL audiobooks are now available at the major audiobook retailers: Apple, Nook, Google Play, Kobo, Chirp, Author’s Direct & on the website (best deal). The first 9 books (plus the Riven Worlds books) are once again available on Audible as well, and the remaining books should return soon.

By special request, I’ve added prints of the Amaranthe book covers to the Zazzle store, as well as several concept art pieces. Note: due to restrictions on the art licenses, I can't offer individual book covers - but I can offer beautiful collages. Check them out at the store.

To close out, check out this amazing collection of 35 FREE sci-fi, cyberpunk and techno-thriller novels, available through the end of April.

CHRYSALIS Short Story - Now Free In Ebook & Audiobook | Plus More Audiobook News

The CHYRSALIS short story - originally published in the fantastic Beyond the Stars: Infinite Expanse anthology - is now available as a stand-alone ebook, FREE at all online retailers. And in a first around here, it’s also available on release day in audiobook! You can listen to the audio FREE here on the website, or grab it for $0.99 at most audiobook retailers.

The blurb goes like this: “In the cutting-edge laboratories of Asterion Prime, a new manner of life emerges: sentient artificial intelligence. But when the government responds by trying to shut down the AIs before they have a chance to flourish, one woman realizes she must do whatever it takes to protect this still fragile new life, no matter the consequences.”

But for AMARANTHE veterans, what you want to know is that Chrysalis tells the story of how the SAI Rebellion began. See Nika back when she was still an Anaden named Nicolette Hinotori. Meet her brother, Loshi, who we learned about in Continuum (he's quite a character; now that I've written him, I'm really sorry he's no longer around). With special guest appearances by: Maris Debray (then Idoni), KIR, Steven Olivaw, Magnus Forchelle and Corradeo Praesidis.

More news: I promised it would happen eventually, and now it has. The ECHO RIFT audiobook is now available at Audible and Amazon! Of course, as a reminder, it’s also available at many other audio retailers, often at a lower price. See them all here.

And as part of the continuing roll-out of all my audiobooks to non-Audible retailers, STARSHINE, VERTIGO and TRANSCENDENCE are now available at those retailers (and directly on the website at a discount) as well.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful reactions to Echo Rift. I think it’s a very special book, and I’m thrilled that many of you do, too. You’ll be happy to know that All Our Tomorrows is coming along nicely, with over 40K words written already. If you like, you can follow along with its progress in the righthand column on the front page of the website.

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Surprise: The ECHO RIFT Audiobook Is Now Available

Back in September of last year (somewhere mid-quarantine), I promised you that I was going to do whatever I could to ensure you had the audiobook of the latest release as fast as Pyper and I could make it happen. Today I’m making good on that promise. Less than three weeks after ECHO RIFT arrived in ebook and paperback, I give you the audiobook, on multiple vendors plus right here on the website.

No, it isn’t available on Audible yet. It’s been submitted and will be available there as soon as they finish their process. The last year has shown that this can take upward of two months; I hope it doesn’t take that long, but it’s out of my control. If you want to wait for Audible, I understand, and I will absolutely be sending another email whenever it’s available there.

But if you want to listen to this wonderful story of hope, love and redemption (and action, adventure, battles and aliens) right now, then I’ve endeavored to make it available to you in as many formats, apps and places as possible. It’s available at all major retailers other than Audible (and at $14.95 or less, cheaper than Audible) - that means Apple, Nook, Google Play, Kobo and Chirp (note: Nook is being a little slow, but it should be available there at the link below shortly):

For a discount off the retail price at $12.95, it’s also available at Authors Direct (listen online or via an app):

AUTHORS DIRECT

For a bigger discount ($9.95) to make up for the slightly less seamless experience, you can listen to the audiobook directly on my website, or download the MP3 files to your computer or mobile device and listen in your favorite music player:

Listen on the website or download MP3 files

The choice is yours. I like things that way, and I hope you do, too.

Bonus gift for February: Over 40 sci-fi ebooks, free or heavily discounted for the next month. Get them here.

ECHO RIFT IS Here

I’m thrilled to announce that ECHO RIFT (Riven Worlds Book Three, Amaranthe #16) is now available at all major online retailers. If you pre-ordered the ebook, excellent! It should be waiting for you right now on your ereader device or app. You can get the paperback from Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s website, and it will be added to additional retailers in the coming weeks - find them all here. Or, you can order a signed copy directly from me. Audiobook listeners, you’ll be happy to learn that Pyper Down has already recorded over 30% of the audiobook, and it should be in your ears soon.

 





 

In many ways, ECHO RIFT represents my answer to 2020 and everything the universe tried to throw at us. After all of it, we're still here, we still have hope, and so do the characters you know and love. I hope that message reverberates throughout this book - because winning is about more than just surviving.

“Everything we have done from the start of this endeavor has been risky. Is the goal not worth any risk?”

In the aftermath of Namino’s liberation, everyone seeks a moment of peace to catch their breath and regroup. But the Rasu will not be waylaid for long, and peace soon becomes a race against time before the next onslaught.

Alex and Caleb search distant stars and the ruins of a dead civilization for a secret weapon that may hold the key to defeating an enemy who cannot be killed by conventional means. In the Dominion, Nika and Dashiel probe the mysteries of kyoseil in search of answers, but the Asterions’ bond with this ancient and enigmatic life proves more complicated than they ever realized.

“You act as if there are no consequences for your actions and no price for your foolish decisions. It is time to remind you that there is always a price to be paid.”

Formidable as they are, the Rasu are not the only foe seeking to destroy Concord. The Savrakaths have seen their cities leveled and fleets decimated by rebel Anaden forces. Now they marshal their last resources for a final vengeance-fueled strike—against the wrong enemy.

After a failed coup attempt, the Anaden leadership bickers and squabbles amongst themselves—until a ghost from the past returns, determined to finally unite his people. But those who have wielded unbridled power for millennia will not give it up so easily.

Yet amid the deadly battles and insurrections, struggles of faith, hope, friendship and love light the way forward, because winning is about more than just surviving.

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In Amaranthe, where exotic alien life, AIs, wormholes, indestructible starships and the promise of immortality rule the day, no feat seems out of reach for humanity. But when the worlds of Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir collide and the Rasu horde descends upon them both, more will be asked of heroes past and future. More will be given and more taken, and when the dust settles the very fabric of Amaranthe will be changed forever.

You guys did it. Okay, granted, I wrote the book - but all of YOU made sure the world knew how much you loved it. Thank you, thank you, thank you for voting INVERSION the Best Sci-Fi Book of 2020!

And a special thanks to the fine people at Discover Sci-Fi for sharing these incredibly flattering words about the Amaranthe series:

"Start a conversation about best world-building in sci-fi, “hidden gems,” or addictive and re-readable storylines, and you’ll hear about G.S. Jennsen’s magnificent Amaranthe series. Jennsen has a gift for connecting readers to her characters; you can’t help but to be fully invested in their struggle to triumph over the seemingly impossible challenges they face. It is no surprise that the newest book in the series, Inversion, was voted by you, the Discover Sci-Fi readers, as the top pick in our poll for best sci-fi book of 2020!

The stories are gritty, the heroes determined, the readers… hooked. How can you not be? This is a truly EPIC series. If you haven’t picked it up yet, you really must."

Have you checked out the FRACTALS audiobook yet? It’s now available on additional vendors, including Apple, Nook & Google Play.

Happy 2021, and I hope you love ECHO RIFT as much as I do!

Best Sci-Fi Book of 2020? Plus a Surprise Fractals Audiobook

First, a quick reminder: ECHO RIFT, Book Three in the Riven Worlds series, will be released on JANUARY 15, 2021. Pre-order it today and have it auto-delivered to your ereader on release day: PRE-ORDER ECHO RIFT

 

Back in July, you voted INVERSION the Best Sci-Fi Book in 2020 (So Far) by a huge margin. It was incredible. Now, Discover Sci-Fi is voting on the Best Sci-Fi Book of 2020 (period, no qualifiers or interim status) and INVERSION is again a Top 10 Finalist. As the train wreck of a year that was 2020 comes to a merciful close, if you still feel like INVERSION was the best book you read last year, go vote for it!

Note: If you’re on Facebook, you can also vote here.

Audiobook listeners, I've got a treat for you today: Pyper has recorded the audio for the FRACTALS short story, and you can listen to it for FREE right now.

I'll be honest with you - while I'm thrilled that you finally get to hear this fun, trippy, 'what if?' story, this is also a trial run for a new way of bringing you audiobooks, so I can work out the kinks before the ECHO RIFT audiobook arrives. Note: the Fractals audiobook will be available on Audible *eventually*, but when it gets there, it likely won't be free (the price isn't up to me). So take this opportunity of a short, free audiobook to explore new ways to listen.

To that end, try out the various options and let me know what you think. Tell me what works for you and what doesn't. Do you like the Authors Direct app, or is one of the other retailers working best for you? How about listening directly on the website? I want your feedback! (Just hit 'reply' or email me at gs@gsjennsen.com.)

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Finally, I've got an awesome post-holiday gift for you: 30+ FREE sci-fi books by such indie superstars as Joe Vasicek, Patty Jansen, George Saoulidis, C. Gockel, Eric Michael Craig, Andy Peloquin and many more: Mind-Bending Sci-Fi.