The December Round-Up of Scifi Books
And so, another year draws to a close. I'm writing this a little ahead of time as I'm off to stay with family in Lancashire for a a few days. Everyone's hoping for some proper snow while we're up there.
Those of you who've read The Officer will remember Dave, my hard-pressed security chief. Well, this holiday, I've made big inroads into the first novel featuring him. I'm not sure when it'll be released, but I'll keep you posted...
If you know anyone who just got an e-reader for Christmas, perhaps you could forward this email to them so they have some suggestions to start building their library?
Sometimes spaceships disappear with everyone on board – the Lost Ships. But sometimes they come back, strangely altered, derelict, and rumoured to be full of horrors.
Opal is on a mission. She’s been seeking something her whole life. Something she is willing to die for. And she thinks it might be on a Lost Ship.
Opal has stolen Clarissa, an experimental AI-controlled spaceship, from the military. Together they have tracked down a Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.
The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision.
Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.
For Captain John Duggan, it seems like war never ends. Each success brings another mission and more death.
Following events at the Helius Blackstar, Duggan is given the Space Corps’ newest warship – a heavy cruiser armed to the teeth with the latest weapons and technology. A prospector craft, the SC Lupus, has gone missing and his superiors want to find out what happened and the aggressors dealt with accordingly.
The wrecked spaceship is soon found. However, nothing is as it seems. What Duggan finds on a distant planet turns everything on its head. With the survival of humanity potentially in the balance, Duggan – a man forever chained by duty – is required to take the biggest risk of all. The man who has faced everything is about to come up against an opponent he cannot possibly defend himself against.
Get ready to travel to travel THROUGH THE NEVER with brave characters who break free from familiar confines and launch themselves into the dangerous unknown as they seek new lives and race down pathways from which there is no return.
From Earth to far-off galaxies to fantastic new realms, embark on fourteen exciting adventures in science fiction and fantasy where dangerous new worlds, epic quests, and heart-pounding adventures await.
Earth spirals into chaos.
World war ravages every border.
The human race teeters on the edge of extinction.
Survival hinges on the success of one colony located in a decimated valley.
Walt Marshall, government contractor, is no stranger to loss after the death of his wife and son.
Now he’ll honor them by doing whatever it takes to ensure the survival of humankind.
Walt gets more than he bargained for when he uncovers a puzzling clue left behind by a mysterious woman. Destined to unveil the truth, he embarks down a dangerous path of espionage and treason.
He quickly learns the dark truth about the past, and the future in this daring science fiction novel.
Abducted from Earth as a child. Sold into slavery. Forced to fly the ship of a ruthless pirate. Sarah knows nothing of her homeworld or her people. Her one longing is to return home.
Little does she know humanity is no better off. The Elders, a ruthless alien race rule Earth with an iron grip.
When Sarah’s ship is ambushed by an Elder frigate she is thrown into a life and death battle. Survival would send shockwaves throughout the galaxy. Never before has an Elder warship been beaten in one-on-one combat. For Sarah, it would also open up a way for her to return to the home she has never known.
What if you could command the physical laws of the universe?
The already controversial Dr. Darian Leigh has outdone himself this time with a magnanimous gift to humanity: a device that can create whole new universes and alter the laws of physics. The theory alone sets the worlds of science, religion, and politics ablaze. Now, if only he could get it working. Little does he know, it already does. Lines between good and evil get blurry when a misguided lab associate and the scheming leader of an influential church join forces to harness the power for the glory of God. What—or who—are they willing to sacrifice to possess the machine? Mired in secrets, betrayal, good intentions, and murder, the struggle to control it will rage for eons.
Five hundred years in the future, the Earth is dying, overrun with pollution that the Great Council refuses to stop. 16-year-old Tess is a proud Earther who wants to save the planet, but the government says that shipping all humans to Mars must happen for humankind to survive. Tess fears the day she gets drafted because no one ever hears back from the Red Planet.
When Tess's turn comes to board a one-way ship, she discovers a horrible truth: an alien race has taken over the government and wants Earth for themselves. But Tess's horror has only begun. The settlements on Mars are harsh, where colonists struggle to survive. All Tess wants is to get back to her rightful home, but by running into Matthew, a fellow colonist with some secrets of his own, she gets wrapped up in a dangerous plan to do so: Mars must invade Earth. Tess has no choice but to face war, and perhaps even to question the identity she holds dear.
It was supposed to be a simple mission. A suspected Russian spy boat is in trouble in Canadian waters. Investigate and report are the orders.
But when Captain John Banks and his squad arrive, it is to find an empty vessel, and a scene of bloody mayhem.
Soon they are in a fight for their lives, for there are things in the icy seas off Baffin Island, scuttling, hungry things with a taste for human flesh.
As nations argue over who should possess the alien entity called the Lamotelokhai, 15-year-old Bobby Truex knows the answer—no one should. After all, he’s the one who told it to go into hiding. He knows, better than anyone, that misusing it leads to death and destruction. After months trying to overcome his guilt, Bobby’s life is suddenly shattered, forcing him to risk everything and once again ask for help from the most dangerous object imaginable.
Meanwhile, Quentin and Lindsey Darnell are tormented by the memory of leaving their son Addison to die in the Papuan rainforest. After learning he is still alive, they set out to find him but are shocked by what they discover. Addison is now part of something truly amazing, something that may result in the next stage of human evolution.
Now, Bobby must not only survive—he must make his way to the other side of the world to find Quentin and Lindsey. The fate of the planet depends on it.
After her homeworld suffers a devastating attack, Grand Admiral Nayasar Khariah wants nothing more than vengeance upon the Galactic Alliance, the interplanetary civilization that had expelled her people and then refused to punish the organizers of the attack. Her opportunity finally comes when she meets Executor Darkclaw, who has been tasked with conquering the Galactic Alliance— to be followed by the rest of the galaxy—by his master, the all-powerful energy being known only as the High Lord.
Things abruptly change, however, when Darkclaw unexpectedly starts feeling emotions he does not understand, and finds himself heretically questioning the only purpose he has ever known—irrevocably altering his view of the ongoing war.
Meanwhile, within the Galactic Alliance, Second Scion Dalcon Oresh, member of an order dedicated to preserving the it, struggles to stop the Alliance’s bleeding, the source of which may not be entirely external.
Darkclaw’s friendship with Nayasar will be pushed to its breaking point, Nayasar’s relationships with her closest friends and loved ones will be strained as her quest for vengeance becomes more and more a personal obsession, and Dalcon must determine who he can truly trust.
All the while, the imminent existential threat of the High Lord looms over everything, and the key to stopping him, and saving not just the Alliance, but the entire galaxy, may only be found in the remains of a ancient, powerful race, and the creations they left behind...
One last mission. One mysterious passenger. One baffling destination. After centuries of travel, an ancient log buoy finally reaches human-controlled space. In the midst of a stalemated interstellar war, the Admiralty has little interest in wasting resources on what would likely be a fruitless search for the truth, but someone was able to convince them they could afford to send an old, obsolete frigate soon destined for the scrapyard, on this quest. Pulled from her patrol route, Siobhan Dunmoore is ordered to take an envoy aboard Stingray and sail into a poorly charted and virtually unexplored region of the galaxy hidden behind interstellar dust clouds. Along the way, she’ll come to the attention of an old enemy, now also relegated to the fringes of the war, turning a voyage of discovery into a race against time and against each other. Though her troubles quickly multiply, Dunmoore has faced worse odds. She’s determined to bring Stingray home with its honor intact, and few are brave enough to bet against her, not even their old Shrehari foes.
Everyone thought Arizona would be forever safe from earthquakes, volcanoes, and shifting water tables.
Only, they aren't.
Yellowstone's impending rupture will lead to a year-long winter, and global cooling for a generation, or more. Without seeds, farming techniques, and other life skills long forgotten, those who remain won't survive the coming year.
With her powers the only thing standing between the system and certain collapse, Karin Makos has spent the last two months running from one thing or another—but all that's about to change. Her sister's back, and Nomiki's ready to grab their problems by the horns, throw them on their backs, and rip into them with her modified carbon steel blades.
With the backing of the Fallon Empire, and a promising new lead, the two are determined to reach down into the mystery of their past and pull out its secrets, once and for all.
But they aren't the only ones on the move. And looking may uncover more than even they could have bargained for.
Those of you who've read The Officer will remember Dave, my hard-pressed security chief. Well, this holiday, I've made big inroads into the first novel featuring him. I'm not sure when it'll be released, but I'll keep you posted...
If you know anyone who just got an e-reader for Christmas, perhaps you could forward this email to them so they have some suggestions to start building their library?
Sometimes spaceships disappear with everyone on board – the Lost Ships. But sometimes they come back, strangely altered, derelict, and rumoured to be full of horrors.
Opal is on a mission. She’s been seeking something her whole life. Something she is willing to die for. And she thinks it might be on a Lost Ship.
Opal has stolen Clarissa, an experimental AI-controlled spaceship, from the military. Together they have tracked down a Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.
The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision.
Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.
For Captain John Duggan, it seems like war never ends. Each success brings another mission and more death.
Following events at the Helius Blackstar, Duggan is given the Space Corps’ newest warship – a heavy cruiser armed to the teeth with the latest weapons and technology. A prospector craft, the SC Lupus, has gone missing and his superiors want to find out what happened and the aggressors dealt with accordingly.
The wrecked spaceship is soon found. However, nothing is as it seems. What Duggan finds on a distant planet turns everything on its head. With the survival of humanity potentially in the balance, Duggan – a man forever chained by duty – is required to take the biggest risk of all. The man who has faced everything is about to come up against an opponent he cannot possibly defend himself against.
Get ready to travel to travel THROUGH THE NEVER with brave characters who break free from familiar confines and launch themselves into the dangerous unknown as they seek new lives and race down pathways from which there is no return.
From Earth to far-off galaxies to fantastic new realms, embark on fourteen exciting adventures in science fiction and fantasy where dangerous new worlds, epic quests, and heart-pounding adventures await.
Earth spirals into chaos.
World war ravages every border.
The human race teeters on the edge of extinction.
Survival hinges on the success of one colony located in a decimated valley.
Walt Marshall, government contractor, is no stranger to loss after the death of his wife and son.
Now he’ll honor them by doing whatever it takes to ensure the survival of humankind.
Walt gets more than he bargained for when he uncovers a puzzling clue left behind by a mysterious woman. Destined to unveil the truth, he embarks down a dangerous path of espionage and treason.
He quickly learns the dark truth about the past, and the future in this daring science fiction novel.
Abducted from Earth as a child. Sold into slavery. Forced to fly the ship of a ruthless pirate. Sarah knows nothing of her homeworld or her people. Her one longing is to return home.
Little does she know humanity is no better off. The Elders, a ruthless alien race rule Earth with an iron grip.
When Sarah’s ship is ambushed by an Elder frigate she is thrown into a life and death battle. Survival would send shockwaves throughout the galaxy. Never before has an Elder warship been beaten in one-on-one combat. For Sarah, it would also open up a way for her to return to the home she has never known.
What if you could command the physical laws of the universe?
The already controversial Dr. Darian Leigh has outdone himself this time with a magnanimous gift to humanity: a device that can create whole new universes and alter the laws of physics. The theory alone sets the worlds of science, religion, and politics ablaze. Now, if only he could get it working. Little does he know, it already does. Lines between good and evil get blurry when a misguided lab associate and the scheming leader of an influential church join forces to harness the power for the glory of God. What—or who—are they willing to sacrifice to possess the machine? Mired in secrets, betrayal, good intentions, and murder, the struggle to control it will rage for eons.
Five hundred years in the future, the Earth is dying, overrun with pollution that the Great Council refuses to stop. 16-year-old Tess is a proud Earther who wants to save the planet, but the government says that shipping all humans to Mars must happen for humankind to survive. Tess fears the day she gets drafted because no one ever hears back from the Red Planet.
When Tess's turn comes to board a one-way ship, she discovers a horrible truth: an alien race has taken over the government and wants Earth for themselves. But Tess's horror has only begun. The settlements on Mars are harsh, where colonists struggle to survive. All Tess wants is to get back to her rightful home, but by running into Matthew, a fellow colonist with some secrets of his own, she gets wrapped up in a dangerous plan to do so: Mars must invade Earth. Tess has no choice but to face war, and perhaps even to question the identity she holds dear.
It was supposed to be a simple mission. A suspected Russian spy boat is in trouble in Canadian waters. Investigate and report are the orders.
But when Captain John Banks and his squad arrive, it is to find an empty vessel, and a scene of bloody mayhem.
Soon they are in a fight for their lives, for there are things in the icy seas off Baffin Island, scuttling, hungry things with a taste for human flesh.
As nations argue over who should possess the alien entity called the Lamotelokhai, 15-year-old Bobby Truex knows the answer—no one should. After all, he’s the one who told it to go into hiding. He knows, better than anyone, that misusing it leads to death and destruction. After months trying to overcome his guilt, Bobby’s life is suddenly shattered, forcing him to risk everything and once again ask for help from the most dangerous object imaginable.
Meanwhile, Quentin and Lindsey Darnell are tormented by the memory of leaving their son Addison to die in the Papuan rainforest. After learning he is still alive, they set out to find him but are shocked by what they discover. Addison is now part of something truly amazing, something that may result in the next stage of human evolution.
Now, Bobby must not only survive—he must make his way to the other side of the world to find Quentin and Lindsey. The fate of the planet depends on it.
After her homeworld suffers a devastating attack, Grand Admiral Nayasar Khariah wants nothing more than vengeance upon the Galactic Alliance, the interplanetary civilization that had expelled her people and then refused to punish the organizers of the attack. Her opportunity finally comes when she meets Executor Darkclaw, who has been tasked with conquering the Galactic Alliance— to be followed by the rest of the galaxy—by his master, the all-powerful energy being known only as the High Lord.
Things abruptly change, however, when Darkclaw unexpectedly starts feeling emotions he does not understand, and finds himself heretically questioning the only purpose he has ever known—irrevocably altering his view of the ongoing war.
Meanwhile, within the Galactic Alliance, Second Scion Dalcon Oresh, member of an order dedicated to preserving the it, struggles to stop the Alliance’s bleeding, the source of which may not be entirely external.
Darkclaw’s friendship with Nayasar will be pushed to its breaking point, Nayasar’s relationships with her closest friends and loved ones will be strained as her quest for vengeance becomes more and more a personal obsession, and Dalcon must determine who he can truly trust.
All the while, the imminent existential threat of the High Lord looms over everything, and the key to stopping him, and saving not just the Alliance, but the entire galaxy, may only be found in the remains of a ancient, powerful race, and the creations they left behind...
One last mission. One mysterious passenger. One baffling destination. After centuries of travel, an ancient log buoy finally reaches human-controlled space. In the midst of a stalemated interstellar war, the Admiralty has little interest in wasting resources on what would likely be a fruitless search for the truth, but someone was able to convince them they could afford to send an old, obsolete frigate soon destined for the scrapyard, on this quest. Pulled from her patrol route, Siobhan Dunmoore is ordered to take an envoy aboard Stingray and sail into a poorly charted and virtually unexplored region of the galaxy hidden behind interstellar dust clouds. Along the way, she’ll come to the attention of an old enemy, now also relegated to the fringes of the war, turning a voyage of discovery into a race against time and against each other. Though her troubles quickly multiply, Dunmoore has faced worse odds. She’s determined to bring Stingray home with its honor intact, and few are brave enough to bet against her, not even their old Shrehari foes.
Everyone thought Arizona would be forever safe from earthquakes, volcanoes, and shifting water tables.
Only, they aren't.
Yellowstone's impending rupture will lead to a year-long winter, and global cooling for a generation, or more. Without seeds, farming techniques, and other life skills long forgotten, those who remain won't survive the coming year.
With her powers the only thing standing between the system and certain collapse, Karin Makos has spent the last two months running from one thing or another—but all that's about to change. Her sister's back, and Nomiki's ready to grab their problems by the horns, throw them on their backs, and rip into them with her modified carbon steel blades.
With the backing of the Fallon Empire, and a promising new lead, the two are determined to reach down into the mystery of their past and pull out its secrets, once and for all.
But they aren't the only ones on the move. And looking may uncover more than even they could have bargained for.
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