These are some of the top offerings from previous book sales. Authors include both established and emerging talent:
James Alderdice, Tony Andarian, Jon del Arroz, Hawkings Austin, Leigh Brackett, Jonathan P. Brazee, Jim Breyfogle, Henry Brown, Rachel Fulton Brown and the Dragon Common Room, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Carlos Carrasco, Kit Sun Cheah, Paul Clayton, Warren Fahy, Declan Finn, Milo James Fowler, Peter Grant, Eric M. Hamilton, Paul Hair, Harry Harrison, Chris Haught, Julian Hawthorne, Frederick Gero Heimbach, C.S. Johnson, Becky Jones, Michael Kayser, Joseph L. Kellogg, Robert Kroese, Christopher Lansdown, Moe Lane, N. R. LaPoint, Frank B. Luke, Loretta Malakie, T.J. Marquis, Yakov Merkin, Michael McCloskey, BP McCoppin, Yakov Merkin, Morgon Newquist, Russell Newquist, Richard Nichols, Brian Niemeier, Andre Norton, Christopher G. Nuttall, Jonathan Oldenburg, Chance Paladin, Thomas Plutarch, Francis Porretto, Eric Postma, James Pyles, Justin Robinson, Denton Salle, Hans G. Schantz, Richard Sezov, David Skinner, R.H. Snow, Glen Sprigg, John Taloni, Kalkin Tivedi, Henry Vogel, David Weber, H.G. Wells, David J. West, Fenton Wood, Page Zaplendam.
And every title is either free or $0.99! Note: prices are set by the authors, so please confirm before you buy. And some of the offerings are short stories or novellas instead of full-length novels.
Sale Links:
The Thing From HR: a Cthulhu, Amalgamated novel
by Roy M. Griffis
Amusing…inventive…clever. Fans of H.P. will enjoy The Thing From HR
—Paul Guay, co-writer Liar, Liar, The Little Rascals, Heartbreakers
What’s a nice Shoggoth like him doing in a dump like this?
Narg was content working as a Damnation Services-10 in HR. Sure, he was related to one of the Elder Gods, but a little nepotism never hurt any Thing.
His life was just wailing and gibbering, right up until his Uncle needed a small favor from his nephew.
All Narg had to do was go down among the humans…and pretend to be one of them.
These are not your Grandfather’s tales of Eldritch Horror: this is the untold story of the ghastly, unappreciated (and entirely expendable) minor monstrosities that support the Inscrutable Plans Of Dark Gods And Elder Things Beyond The Knowledge Of Men.
The Cthulhu, Amalgamated series is a comic romp full of action and mystery, including, of course, Sanity-Shattering Horror––and that’s just the paperwork.
Even H.P. could not conceive of the Corporate Terrors that await The Thing from HR.
Lost Causes
by Richard Nichols
IF YOU LIKE JAMES BOND, JASON BOURNE OR JACK BAUER, THEN YOU”RE GOING TO LOVE JOHN BUCHAN!
John Buchan is a relic from a bygone age, a man constantly at odds with the modern world; a man who finds sanctuary in the only role that brings him peace of mind – as an assassin for a top-secret British government agency called the Mill. Specializing in what they call ‘ungentlemanly warfare’, its operatives are instructed to kill their targets wherever they find them, irrespective of boundaries, laws, jurisdictions or circumstances. Day-to-day, Buchan lives a simple, anonymous life in the Belgian countryside, restlessly roaming the battlefields of the Western Front in an attempt to kill time. All the while he waits patiently for the message that will signal the start of his next mission. It’s a message that will arrive, the way it always does, hidden within the solutions of the Daily Telegraph’s cryptic crossword puzzle. And when it does arrive, it’s like he’s been reborn, because in Buchan’s world being on a mission is the only time when things really make sense; the only time he feels truly alive. He barely remembers the time before he was recruited by the Mill.
His name wasn’t John Buchan then. In those days he was known as Charlie Hook, a happy-go-lucky, rugby-playing, ex-Rhodesian Light Infantry trooper turned Gurkha officer with an eye for the girls. But Charlie Hook is long dead, and so too are his memories of the events that led to him becoming a professional killing machine. Buchan is getting older now. Retirement beckons, but the man he calls Control has one last mission for him. It involves a ruthless army of some of the world’s worst terrorists, an equally ruthless drug lord, an enormous hurricane and seemingly unsurmountable odds. But it also offers Buchan a last, desperate chance to take revenge on those that took his young life – and love – away from him all those years ago, and he plans to go out with a bang.
Set against a backdrop of unprecedented worldwide socio-political upheaval, Lost Causes is an old-style thriller that moves from the modern-day Ypres Salient and London to the badlands of Northern Ireland and the exotic but deadly jungles of southern Mexico. Mixing the kind of plot found in an Ian Fleming novel with the unashamed masculinity of an Alistair Maclean or Wilbur Smith hero and the tough, muscular prose of Mickey Spillane, Lost Causes is a startlingly intelligent and original work that interweaves dramatic action, sudden violence, stunning plot twists and subtle humour to entertain and inform in equal measure. It will especially appeal to anyone bored by the stale unambitious writing, and inane, politically-correct sensitivities of so many modern novels; as well as anyone looking to understand the sinister and dangerous forces that have plagued our lives for decades and which now threaten to destroy our civilization altogether.
Richard Nichols studied philosophy and psychology at Edinburgh University. He was a businessman for several years before turning his hand to writing. He enjoys watching rugby and visiting battlefields. He hates crossword puzzles.
Hell Spawn
by Declan Finn
The #1 Amazon Bestseller from three time Dragon Award nominee Declan Finn!
My name is Officer Thomas Nolan, and I am a saint.
Tommy Nolan lives a quiet life. He walks his beat – showing mercy to the desperate. Locking away the dangerous. Going to church, sharing dinner with his wife and son. Everyone likes Tommy, even the men he puts behind bars.
Then one day a demon shows up and he can smell it. Tommy can smell evil – real evil. Now he’s New York City’s only hope against a horrifying serial killer that preys on the young and defenseless.
But smell alone isn’t enough to get a warrant. Can Tommy track down the killer and prove his guilt?
Dragon Award Nominated Author Declan Finn returns with his typical action-packed, Catholic influenced style, in this groundbreaking horror series about an honest, religious man given the powers of a saint to fight demons in the Big Apple.
How do you do forensics on a killer possessed by a demon?
The Hidden Truth
by Hans G. Schantz
Change the past. Control the present. Rule the future.
They’ll do anything to hide the truth.
When high school student Peter Burdell uncovers a subtle clue in a dusty book buried deep in a forgotten Appalachian library, he realizes someone altered history. Who’s been lying, and why?
His discovery lands Peter in the cross hairs of the deadly Cabal whose Deep State agents changed the past to control the present, so they can rule the future. Aided by family and friends, Peter races against the odds to expose the conspiracy and uncover the answer to the most important question of his life:
What is The Hidden Truth?
Reviews: “Umberto Eco wishes that he had written these books.”
Hans G. Schantz’ THE HIDDEN TRUTH is most highly recommended.
It is a gem of a book, a rare find, combining a charming coming of age story, diamond-hard science fiction speculation, a conspiracy thriller, a touch of trenchant political commentary, and, uniquely, a challenge written into a science fiction book of the reigning scientific orthodoxy of the day….
This trilogy works on several levels. In style, theme, in social commentary, in genre, in plot-weaving and world-building, the craftsmanship is top-notch.
Stylistically, it is written in the same journalistic prose as a Heinlein juvenile, but, frankly, is better. Not only are some of Heinlein’s more dubious moral lessons absent, the work attempts something more ambitious: introducing a real theory of physics in the midst of a fictional adventure yarn.
Thematically, it is a bracing and inspiring coming-of-age story telling young readers and reminding older readers what it means to be a man, a man of integrity, in a world where no one is there to dig you out of a mess.
It works as social commentary. As in a Heinlein juvenile, there are memorable quips and trenchant observations about political realities peppered throughout the dialog, which have as much application in our world as theirs.
Review by John C. Wright
Rebirths: A Tale of Azuran
by Frank B. Luke
![Rebirths: A Tale of Azuran by [Frank B. Luke]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51vVO8lE06L.jpg)
Enraged at the Almighty after losing everything, Derke turns to black magic in hopes of restoring his old life. But the evil one demands a terrible price. Derke, once blessed, stands at the edge of a cliff, ready to lose himself to darkness.
Amazon Customer Review:
I really liked this story. Derke is a priest (miracle-man) whose faith is crushed when he loses his family to a plague. A hope of regaining them is extended by a woman who tempts him to abandon his faith and follow her. Derke does. He leaves all of his former life behind and delves deep into the dark magical arts of necromancy to try and recover his wife and children.
But his faith calls him back. He struggles and fights against what he knows is right in his heart.
The matters of faith in this story are derived straight from the Christian viewpoint. There is more than simple allusion to the Christian faith, it is a Fantasy story steeped in a Christian world.
Buy The Lure of Fools and join the fantastic quest today!
It better be, because ready or not, Marc’s going into action as Flak-Jack, the Bulletproof Man!
Black Amazon of Mars
by Leigh Brackett *FREE*
Grimly Eric John Stark slogged toward that ancient Martian city—with every step he cursed the talisman of Ban Cruach that flamed in his blood-stained belt.
Behind him screamed the hordes of Ciaran, hungering for that magic jewel—ahead lay the dread abode of the Ice Creatures—at his side stalked the whispering spectre of Ban Cruach, urging him on to a battle Stark knew he must lose!
Classic sci-fi from the writer of The Empire Strikes Back.
Review: I picked this up because Gary Gygax recommends Leigh Brackett in his Appendx N to the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide Unfortunately, it is not the beginning of her Mars series, as I discovered, but nearer the end. Even without knowing the protagonist’s backstory, however, it’s a great pulp space opera story in what some authors call Old Mars – the Mars of the pulps, full of ancient cities consumed by endless deserts, canals bearing life-giving water, frozen cities under the polar ice caps, etc. I really liked this one – I’m going to read more! But this is the easiest Brackett book to find on Amazon, so it is where I started!
The Buick Eight (Joshua’s Pawn Shop Book 1)
A Short Story
by Frank B. Luke
Joshua’s Pawn Shop. If you find Joshua’s Pawn Shop, you need Joshua’s.
Usually, you don’t even know what you’ve lost, but at Joshua’s you get a second chance.
Years ago, Simon Johnson made a choice that changed his life for the worse.
He’s looking to start over.
After he sells some old jewelry tonight, he’ll send the divorce papers tomorrow.
That’s the plan, anyway.
At Joshua’s Pawn Shop, he’ll be given a different way to start over.
The cost: he’ll have to not only let a tragedy happen, he’ll have to witness it.
Centrism Games
by Rachel Fulton Brown and the Dragon Common Room
Chivalry is dead. These knights want Fame. And Fama’s a witch.
Follow a band of very different Knights on their quest to become the most balanced, the most tolerant, the most compromising of everyone on the modern political spectrum.
Each knight dares to liberalize and conserve, but who will win the ultimate prize and stay safely in the centre?
A cautionary tale in heroic couplets modeled on Alexander Pope’s scathing 18th-century Dunciad.
Reviews:
Dr. Rachel Fulton Brown and her merry band of poets have compiled here a fun, pointed collection of verse through the very active Dragon Common Room Telegram chat. The whole point–as I gather it–is that rather than mucking about in the culture wars, we should be out _creating_ culture on our own.
_Centrism Games_ does just that. It’s wonderful to see these modern knights prove that the pen is, indeed, mightier than the sword.
This poem savagely rips the hearts out of political centrists and moral relativists, and makes them eat it.
Polite Christians and social Conservatives (so-called) will be offended at the prose in ‘Centrism Games’, justly so. Readers both Right and Left will be asking themselves “what would I be willing to do for glory in this world?”, and at each page realize the inglorious catastrophe of the politically correct, postmodern, subjective and relativistic dogmas that praise tolerance and liberty whilst hell is set loose all around us. Readers will be challenged to overcome their revulsion at the themes and language to see the great moral lesson of this modern-Dunciad: every ticket has a hidden price.
Ordinary Superheroes
by Christopher Lansdown
Millenia ago martian superheroes defeated an ancient evil, who was imprisoned on a moon of Jupiter.
Neglected for centuries, the prison is about to fail, giving the ancient evil a second chance to wipe out all life in the solar system.
Unfortunately, the Martians have gone extinct so it’s up to earth’s superheroes to save the day. Worse, there’s only one man who even knows of the threat, and he’s not a superhero. On the plus side, training teams of superheroes to save the world is what he does.
Mr Macho, Mockingbird, and the Mega Ninja were just ordinary college student/superheroes doing ordinary student things like attending class and ordinary superhero things like foiling bank robberies and catching drug dealers until one night when they returned to their apartment and found a strange old man with a mystical amulet sitting on their couch.
Unfortunately, while he can teach them how to teleport to other planets, he has no idea how to repair the prison. Did the amulet pick correctly this time, and will they figure out what they need to do before it’s too late?
Take The Star Road
(The Maxwell Saga Book 1)
by Peter Grant
Nineteen-year-old Steve Maxwell just wants to get his feet on the star road to find a better homeworld.
By facing down Lotus Tong thugs, he earns an opportunity to become a spacer apprentice on a merchant spaceship, leaving the corruption and crime of Earth behind.
Sure, he needs to prove himself to an older, tight-knit crew, but how bad can it be if he keeps his head down and the decks clean?
He never counted on the interstellar trade routes having their own problems, from local wars to plagues of pirates – and the jade in his luggage is hotter than a neutron star.
Steve’s left a world of troubles behind, only to find a galaxy of them ahead…
For Steam And Country – A Steampunk Fantasy
(The Adventures of Baron Von Monocle Book 1)
by Jon del Arroz
The world’s only airship is hers to command!
Can she save her kingdom from destruction?
Zaira Von Monocle is called upon to take command of the legendary airship, Liliana, to help stave off the evil Wyranth Empire’s recent advances. The Wyranth’s army creeps ever closer, ravaging towns and villages along Rislandia’s border. To make matters worse, the enemy invaders have tapped into supernatural forces with incredible destructive power.
But Zaira is a simple farm girl, raised away from the excitement of her adventurer father’s life of airships and gadgets. Before he disappeared, he tried to shelter her from the dangers of the world, and their family’s ties to the worst of tyrants, the Iron Emperor of the Wyranth.
Zaira must grow up quickly and learn to become a leader before she loses the life her father tried to build for her.
Readers who love a swashbuckling airship adventure with high-stakes action will love the first book in this #1 Bestselling YA Steampunk series.
Buy For Steam And Country today!
The Steam Knight (The Adventures of Baron Von Monocle Book 5)
by Jon del Arroz
Courage, Danger, Valor…
…all await in Steampunk’s special forces.
The Knights of the Crystal Spire are Rislandia’s most elite fighters. Trained from a young age, they alone can face the deadliest enemies of their kingdom and beyond.
James Gentry joins the Knights’ ranks, starting as an apprentice on his journey from a simple farmer’s life to the way of the warrior. He must face spies and traitors, soldiers and assassins, and doing so under the watchful eye of a beautiful princess.
Does he have what it takes?
Fans of strong men relying on the camaraderie of a band of brothers will love The Steam Knight. Read today!
Stars Entwined: An Epic Military Space Opera
(The Aryshan War Book 1)
by Jon del Arroz
Earth needs a spy…
…is he prepared?
Lieutenant Sean Barrows is thrust into a plot of sabotage and destruction brought on by the mysterious Aryshan Empire.
His assignment: to infiltrate an enemy warship to bring his superiors information on their destructive capabilities and battle plans.
But the Ayrshans share telepathic bonds which make them paranoid of outsiders, and try as he may to win the heart of a beautiful Aryshan commander, he can only get so close.
To make matters worse, Earth stands on the brink of destruction as the Aryshans develop a new, invisible weapon.
Fans of The Old Man’s War by John Scalzi and The Ember War by Richard Fox will love this epic space opera. Read today!
On Basilisk Station
by David Weber *FREE*
INTRODUCING
HONOR HARRINGTON
Having made him look a fool, she’s been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.
Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship’s humiliating pos
ting to an out-of-the-way picket station.
The aborigines of the system’s only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens.
Parliament isn’t sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling; the merchant cartels want her head; the star-conquering, so-called “Republic” of Haven is Up To Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-age light cruiser with an armament that doesn’t work to police the entire star system.
But the people out to get her have made one mistake. They’ve made her mad.
The Gentleman Farmers *FREE*
by Loretta Malakie
Maggie Kingsbury, single middle-aged alcoholic lawyer, joins her in-laws Molly and Kevin on a homestead in the mountains of North Carolina, where their trustafarian college frenemies Brock and Sandra have just bought their third home.
Molly commissions Brock to renovate an old Appalachian tobacco barn on their property.
But when maverick hillbilly throwback Uncle Billy shows up to live in their field in a camper van, power struggles ensue.
Meanwhile, Kevin has become dangerously obsessed with breeding heritage livestock.
When Maggie’s beloved niece Juliet asks her to take on a mysterious client, Maggie becomes implicated in a national political furor.
The scars of the long war run deep. And hope is a dangerous thing when the real enemy might just be the survivors themselves.
Rosita and the Beautiful Game *FREE*
by Loretta Malakie
“Rosita met the Lycan at an after-party. Of course. Where else would you meet a werewolf. It was probably about 4 in the morning, and he was on the wane. He was a Lycan on the wane in general, which was why he was even approachable. The embers still smoldered in his eyes, but the spark was out.”
Thus begins an epic game of psychological cat and mouse. For solace, Rosita seeks emotional support from a varied cast of characters:
Josh: Rosita’s college friend. He’s working on his PhD. He thinks it’s all just pheromones and the Lycan is a credit risk.
Caligulito: Rosita’s brother. So-called because he’s a lot like Caligula, only smaller. He thinks the Lycan is a great guy.
The Maiden Aunt: Rosita’s best law-school friend. He’s 23, but he looks 37. So-called because he’s into feeble remonstration.
Margot: Another college friend. Two days into their trip to Costa Rica, Margot tells Rosita that, due to the natural and spiritual setting, she has quit her psychiatric medication cold turkey.
Rosita’s mother: All Rosita’s life, Rosita’s mother has told her to never get married. Now suddenly she’s lighting candles in churches for Rosita to meet a nice boy.
Rosita’s grandmother: She walks with a cane, and Rosita’s worried. Someday she’s going to smack someone with it.
Father Pavel: Rosita’s grandmother calls him “the gloomy Slav.” He accepts small-talk with Rosita as just another cross to bear.
The Vampire: Rosita’s high-school sweetheart. Rosita uses his own “Art of War” dating advice against him.
And Rosita, who is she? Rosita is the girl in the computer lab now googling “hysterical pregnancy” after half an hour spent googling “early pregnancy symptoms.”
Love in the Age of Dispossession *FREE*
by Loretta Malakie
Coming-of-age novel following a small-town Gen X American girl named Kitty, from her senior year in high school to her life as an extremely unsuccessful lawyer in Manhattan.
The novel begins with three days in the life of a group of high-school friends in 1993, culminating in a fistfight on the village green over the honor of the Prom Queen.
The scene then shifts to New York City.
Kitty is called back home for a funeral, and then, years later, someone from her small-town past pays Kitty a visit that changes her life.
Loretta Buckley Malakie’s novels include “Rosita and the Beautiful Game,” an urban fantasy comic novella about a law student’s doomed love triangle (trapped between an urban lycan and her vampire high-school sweetheart); “The Gentleman Farmers” a funny and heartwarming comic novel about American cultural currents and family; and “Love in the Age of Dispossession,” a tragicomic coming-of-age novel. She holds a BA in History from Cornell University and a JD from Fordham University School of Law. A former expat, she speaks French, Italian, and Spanish. Loretta lives with her husband and four children in Appalachia, where she homeschools her children, cares for her elderly mother, and raises Shetland sheep.
Magenta: A Novel
by Warren Fahy
What happens when your badge turns… MAGENTA? 1984 for the 21st Century.
Read the sensational novel that captures where the world is headed now before we get there as two tech trillionaires have monopolized the market with staggering advancements in robotics and computer science while arming the world’s worst governments with the most terrifying technology.
Their plan, once every government on Earth has become dependent on their network, is to use a backdoor key that will unravel it all with a single switch: a handheld device which they call “FreeWill.”
One of these tech titans, however, has fallen in love with their global machine and no longer wishes to flip that switch.
As a last resort, his partner hides the device with one random isolated teenager, who doesn’t know he has it, so that when the window of time arrives when it can be switched, her partner can’t stop it.
His incredibly advanced global machine has one year to find the unlikely guardian she has chosen as we see through the eyes of that solitary teen a world where everyone strives to keep their social credit badge PURPLE and any deviation from acceptable thought can turn them MAGENTA, erasing them from society.
The fate of the human race depends on one misfit teenager who has no idea he’s now being hunted by artificial intelligence at every turn…
A Princess of Mars:
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
A Princess of Mars (1917) is a science fantasy novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series.
Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction.
It is also a seminal instance of the planetary romance, a subgenre of science fantasy that became highly popular in the decades following its publication.
Its early chapters also contain elements of the Western.
The story is set on Mars, imagined as a dying planet with a harsh desert environment.
This vision of Mars was based on the work of the astronomer Percival Lowell, whose ideas were widely popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Bloodbane: Quest of Lance: A Pulp-Lite RPG Novel
by T.J. Marquis
What a horrible night to be invaded by psychos from the 65th Dimension.
Lance Cutfield just wants to get home to his wife and daughter.
But in his way stands a legion of Once-men, blood sorcerers, and countless foul creatures infesting the wilderness.
Lance must use his working man’s strength, and every tool at his disposal, to bring the fight to his foes.
Little do these ‘Baneborn’ know, they’ve chosen a predator for their prey…
Quest of Lance is a pulpy gamelit adventure with very lite RPG elements.
Elements in this book:
Classic NES game story start with a fast pace.
Not-so-subtle nods to the Castlevania series, but with lots of variation.
Surprising alliances…
A simple, gear-based progression system.
Lots of combat.
Light crafting.
Subtle notes of Resident Evil and Metroid.
Light sequence-breaking.
A masculine hero.
Orbs.
Life City – a novella
T.J. Marquis
THE LAMB LIFTED THEM UP…
…BUT THE BEAST WANTS TO TEAR THEM DOWN.
The uplifted animals of Life City are used to destructive alien incursions from above.
Everyone knows how to fight back.
Heroic rock band Magikrash makes a living playing music and fighting invaders, but there are some threats they may not be prepared for…
When a new and disturbing trend pops up in Life City, punk singer Saqi and her bear bassist Barley must discover how to save their brainwashed friends, and the city.
Vibes of classic Saturday Morning cartoons, punk rock and metal, synthwave, and fast-paced adventure combine for an uplifting read with the Lamb at its heart.
Rattan
by T.J. Marquis
Rattan was born to build.
She’s even bolted together her own custom robot.
There’s nothing she’d rather spend her days on…
But she’s happy to to report to academy for her nation’s military draft of all second-born children.
After all, isn’t a model citizen eager to serve her elites?
She dives into the harsh tutelage of Master Koscha, willing to give her all to comrades and country.
But when her best friend is murdered, Rattan is set on a path that she may not return from.
Rattan is a science fantasy survival story for teens and up, with a melancholy vibe but no shortage of heart.
Originally published on Kindle Vella.
The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells
“This isn’t a war,” said the artilleryman. “It never was a war, any more than there’s war between man and ants.” ― H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It first appeared in serialized form in 1897, published simultaneously in Pearson’s Magazine in the UK and Cosmopolitan magazine in the US. The first appearance in book form was published by William Heinemann of London in 1898.
It is the first-person narrative of an unnamed protagonist in Surrey and that of his younger brother in London as Earth is invaded by Martians. Written between 1895 and 1897, it is one of the earliest stories that detail a conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race. The novel is one of the most commented-on works in the science fiction canon. The War of the Worlds has two parts, Book One: The Coming of the Martians and Book Two: The Earth under the Martians.
The narrator, a philosophically inclined author, struggles to return to his wife while seeing the Martians lay waste to the southern country outside London. Book One also imparts the experience of his brother, also unnamed, who describes events as they deteriorate in the capital, forcing him to escape the Martian onslaught by boarding a paddle steamer near Tilling ham, on the Essex coast.
A True Classic that Belongs on Every Bookshelf!
War Demons: A Catholic Action Horror Novel
(The Prodigal Son Book 1)
by Russell Newquist
When he came home, so did they…
Driven by vengeance, Michael Alexander enlisted in the Army the day after 9/11. Five years later, disillusioned and broken by the horrors he witnessed in Afghanistan, Michael returns home to Georgia seeking to begin a new life. But he didn’t come alone. Something evil followed him, and it’s leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
The police are powerless. The Army has written Michael off. Left to face down a malevolent creature first encountered in the mountains of Afghanistan, he’ll rely on his training, a homeless prophet, and estranged family members from a love lost…
But none of them expected the dragon.
Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden collides with Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International in this supernatural thriller that goes straight to Hel
Heroes Fall: A Superhero Mystery Adventure
(Serenity City Book 1)
by Morgon Newquist & Thomas Plutarch
Victoria doesn’t need a cape and a name to be a hero.
Living and working in the slums of Serenity City, she has become its faceless and nameless defender. She turned her back on the glittering world of professional superheroes years ago. If she has her way, she’ll never go back.
But the young and forgotten teens she helps are disappearing from the street, and nobody seems to care. As Victoria unravels this mystery, she is lead back to her old life in the star-studded glamourous superhero circles. No matter how much she hates it, she can’t abandon the helpless when they need her the most.
All clues point back to The Rampage, the terrible day when their mightiest champion Achilles fell to darkness. Will Victoria uncover the truth of what actually happened twenty years ago in time to help her lost boys and girls?
And what will happen when the fallen hero Achilles escapes, and Victoria is the only one who can stop him?
Morgon Newquist blazes on to the Superhero scene with the first Serenity City book, bringing nuance, emotion, and superpowered fights in spades. A solid, engaging launch to the brand new shared Heroes Unleashed universe, Heroes Fall will hook readers right in and leave them wanting more.
Can Victoria solve the twenty year mystery of Achilles’ fall from grace in time to save Serenity City? Or is there another, more sinister player who will destroy the very idea of superheroes?
Unravel the mystery and fight the villains with Victoria. Buy Heroes Fall today!
Hellgate
by Morgon Newquist
Emilia King has made an art of bad choices. Just ask her mother, she’ll tell you every single thing she’s done wrong for years.
When her latest bad choice changes the locks to their apartment and leaves all her stuff on the doorstep, Emilia can’t bear to hear “I told you so” one more time. So she moves in with her grandfather. Then she can have some space to figure out who…and what she wants to be, without her mother breathing down her neck.
What she finds there is anything but peace. Her grandfather battles invisible creatures in the dark. Neighbors torn apart by wild beasts.
Not to mention the moody, gorgeous man across the street with the motorcycle. The kind of man that’s her kryponite.
But when her grandfather falls ill, his position of head of the Neighborhood Watch falls to her. And in this neighborhood, it’s more than measuring grass height or catching petty thefts.
As she uncovers her grandfather’s double life, his mistakes are coming back to stalk the neighborhood in the form of a vicious, shapeshifting beast. Thrust into a world of magic and monsters, Emilia is out of her depth.
Can she save the neighborhood? And do it without falling for the fae across the street?
Morgon Newquist moves into Urban Fantasy with this fast paced, witty urban fantasy series about an unusual Neighborhood Watch. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bella Forrest will love Hellgate’s female hero, handsome fae, and magical battles.
Join the Neighborhood Watch today and read Hellgate!
Gods & Proxies
by M.R. Kayser
WHEN THE GODS GO TO WAR, YOU HAD BETTER BE SURE THE ONE YOU SERVE WILL PREVAIL…
The invisible god, El Elyon, has promised the young nation o
f Yacov their own homeland. Trouble is, the land is full of giants, backed up by a pantheon of gods who would rather see Yacov slaughtered to a man.
And they are just men. The Yacovites are desert nomads without even enough swords for all their militia.
Salmon and Othniel are two of the young soldiers who must face the gigantic warriors in battle, starting at the fortress city of Bet-Yariq, with formidable walls that only giants empowered by gods could build.
Brave men’s hearts melt with fear. The very planet reels to and fro as if ready to tear itself apart. But though El Elyon is outnumbered by the enemy gods, and his warriors are far outclassed, he has assured them that he himself will lead them into war, and together they will beat all the odds.
Fast Cars and Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Gearhead Novel (A Deke Jones Romp)
by Michael Kayser
Deke Jones finally has a car ready to compete in the Conquistador—a short but grueling campaign covering racetracks all over the Southwest United States. He can’t wait to challenge the rich boys with their expensive toys, but complications begin stacking up on him before the first flag drops.
First, he is invited to join Stormin’ Norman’s new rock band for a whirlwind tour. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with a musical genius and he can’t let it pass…but it’s scheduled for the very week he needs for last minute wrenching so his car can make the Conquistador’s tech inspection.
Next, he gets tangled up with beautiful bad girl Lena Castillo, just when he was patching things up with a local débutante he lost touch with after high school. Lena has a deadly superpower: the ability to turn any man stupid—and Deke Jones is no exception.
Jones also crosses paths with five-time Conquistador champ Bob Tilford, and there’s bad blood between them from the starting gun. It was going to be challenging enough racing against Tilford with his big-time sponsors, high-dollar mechanic and world-class GT car, but Tilford also has tremendous influence over race officials he doesn’t hesitate to use in his grudge against Deke Jones. To keep it all interesting, Deke’s co-driver bails on him at the last minute, with no time to scrounge up a replacement.
Get your motor runnin’. Deke Jones is gonna close this summer out with a bang, one way or another.
Shadow Hand Blues: A Cold Case Murder Mystery (A Deke Jones Romp)
by Michael Kayser
In 1954 budding blues virtuoso Waymon “Tornado” Fuller is executed for the murder of a North Carolina woman. In 1994 nomadic hot-rodder, moonlighting private investigator and blues aficionado Deke Jones stumbles upon Fuller’s guitar, triggering a mudslide of buried truths. Fuller’s innocence is one revelation. Another is “Shadow Hand Blues”–the last song he recorded, which Jones has never heard of.
An impromptu search for the studio where the recording session took place leads Jones to a small hippie town seemingly still enjoying the Summer of Love, where the psychodelic atmosphere turns from surreal to hostile when he begins asking questions.
Vintage Fender Telecaster in one hand, steering wheel of his radical Cyclone Spoiler II in the other, Deke Jones launches a one-man crusade to exonerate the infamous musician and find the obscure recording. The blood trails are 40 years cold, but neither corrupt good ol’ boy cops, sex industry sadists, nor fanatical pyramid-schemers can throw Deacon Jones off this case.
This investigative pilgrimage propels Jones right into the bloodstained fingers of a clandestine power elite Tornado Fuller called the Shadow Hand.
The Curly Wolf
by M.R. Kayser
The settlers in the Redbud Valley are peaceable, God-fearing folk who try to follow the golden rule, but they’ve been pushed too far by the mayor of Blue Stone, who wants their land and seemingly has the law on his side.
Just as the nesters are banding together to resist the land grab, Blue Stone’s newest deputy rides through their valley.
Before they realize the sleepy-eyed youngster called Arizona is a veteran gunfighter hired to bulldoze them off their claims, he has already broken bread with them, danced with their daughters…and stolen the heart of one.
Young Theresa Gutierrez believes Arizona is more than a curly wolf with quick trigger fingers and a stone-cold heart, but her parents and neighbors have good reason to believe otherwise.
What everyone agrees upon is that, in the brewing range war, the Arizona Kid is liable to be right smack in the midst of the killing.
Fire Ant (The Navy of Humanity: Wasp Pilot Book 1)
by Jonathan P. Brazee *FREE*
2018 NEBULA AWARD FINALIST: BEST NOVELLA
Floribeth Salinas O’Shea Dalisay is an Off-Planet Worker, employed as an exploration pilot by the giant corporation, Hamdani Brothers. Sent on a routine mission to analyze one of the millions of systems in the galaxy, she stumbles across something that could threaten humanity’s very existence. She barely escapes with her life, but in the process, has to shut down her scout’s AI.
As with all OPWs, she has few rights, and instead of being lauded as a hero, the corporation thinks she is lying.
Her managers believe she found something valuable and shut down her AI in an attempt to hide that fact, hoping she can sell that information to the highest bidder.
Grounded, and with a huge debt now over her head, Beth has to convince the powers that be that a very real danger to humanity is lying in wait out there in deep space.
Legacy Marines (The United Federation Marine Corps’ Lysander Twins Book 1)
by Jonathan P. Brazee
Esther and Noah Lysander are the twin children of General Ryck Lysander,
Commandant of the Marine Corps, leader of the Evolution, and Chairman of the Federation.
When they are told that their father and mother have been assassinated, they are both devastated.
Cut adrift, they each decide to enlist in the Corps—but for different reasons. Esther feels it is her duty to carry on the family legacy, confident that she can excel and reach the top. Noah simply wants to earn his father’s pride, even if it is too late.
As children of General Lysander, they are not “normal” recruits.
Seniors and peers are well aware of their background, and the twins can’t escape the public eye.
From under their father’s heavy shadow, the two have to discover his or her personal path in the Corps, even when that seems to pull them apart from each other.
Giant’s Walk
by David Skinner
In 1858, young priest Zebediah Goodnow and the orphaned Joanna pursue a murderous Giant and soon find themselves among the Martians.
In 1957, astronaut Scott Winslow Hale takes his sick wife Helen to the shrine of the beatified Zebediah and, soon after, clashes with a stranger named Eddie.
In a tangle of Providential events, perseverance and peace are drawn from the toil of Faith.
Street Fighting Man
by Henry Brown
Nick Polgar leads a double life.
At his day job in Big Tech, he is a mild-mannered NPC who obediently regurgitates all the Current Year Cultural Marxist talking points.
Out on the streets, where the ideological culture war flares hot, he is Hockey Man–a skilled brawler armored for modern melee combat, wielding a hockey stick.
His fistic exploits have earned him infamy on social media; but also a growing army of fellow marauders, fighting back against the RevComs (Revolutionary Communists) who are hell-bent on suppressing dissent and quashing any challenge to The Narrative.
Hockey Man just knows the RevComs will inevitably disrupt the demonstration against hate crime hoaxes downtown; and his Enforcers are ready to rumble.
But in the fog of battle, they may be plunging a little too deep into enemy turf.
Hell and Gone (The Retreads Book 1)
by Henry Brown
An Amazon Bestseller!
This rag-tag gang of has-beens has never worked together before, but Dwight “Rocco” Cavarra has less than a week to train them and lead them on the hairiest operation of their lives.
It’s not bad enough that they have to plow through an African civil war, infiltrate a fortified terrorist encampment and steal a black market tactical nuke from a mob of fanatic sociopaths – there are Israeli wild cards in play: two death-dealing Mossad agents who don’t necessarily share Cavarra’s agenda.
When the mission is compromised before it has even started, Rocco and his Retreads are caught between bloodthirsty local warlords and the genocidal government in a fight to the death. And this battle might be just the first in the next world war.
Hell and Gone is a character-driven pulp action thriller that will take you on a wild ride.
Tier Zero (The Retreads Book 2)
by Henry Brown
When a party of American college girls are sold into slavery by human traffickers, a rescue mission is too dirty, too dangerous, and too difficult for any government to touch. That’s where The Retreads come in.
The pirates thought they found the perfect target: a private yacht foolishly sailing through the Malacca Straits, which could discretely and easily be sold on the black market.
The human traffickers thought the boat was hauling the perfect cargo: young, attractive women who would generate income in brothels around the region.
What made the caper not so perfect was that one of the girls had an uncle who took it personally.
Another Amazon Bestseller from Henry Brown…”One helluva adventure writer.” – Jim Morris (author of War Story, The Devil’s Secret Name)
You can take a man out of Special Operations, but you can’t take SpecOps out of the man. Tommy Scarred Wolf calls on his old friend Rocco Cavarra, who still has contacts in the intelligence business. Other survivors of the Sudan mission also rally behind Tommy, signing on for the kind of favor that can never be repaid.
Armed with all the firepower and force multipliers they can scrounge, shadowed by a team of secret assassins, the Retreads ride again, bringing smoke and taking names. Tier Zero is old-school military adventure you haven’t enjoyed since the full-auto glory days of Able Team and Phoenix Force.
False Flag (The Retreads Book 3)
by Henry Brown
“Thanks, Hank, for the authenticity. Semper Fi!”
A perfect storm is bearing down on the United States of America, combining nationwide financial devastation, conventional and nuclear terror, and Civil War II. High-placed traitors in the Deep State want to make it worse–not better. The Retreads have overcome some long odds in the Sudan and Indonesia, but nothing like this end game on the home front.
“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.” – Samuel Adams
Diverse Americans are living their lives the best they can during twilight’s last gleaming–most of them never suspecting the turmoil about to come crashing down all around them. Others see the storm approaching, but don’t know what, if anything, can be done to avoid it.
Joshua Rennenkampf loves his country, but prepares for an economic collapse he believes inevitable. Dwight Cavarra is horrified by what looks like an impending race war, but speaking reason into the pressure cooker of irrational hatred might as well be punching at the wind. Tommy Scarred Wolf pushes back against the fundamental transformation from Rule of Law to a Strong Man police state, but can only accomplish so much by himself.
Rennenkampf discovers evidence of what might be a false flag attack in the making. Cavarra is tipped off about a secret hit list of “potential domestic terrorists,” through which he and his friends are targeted. Scarred Wolf has already lost his brother for the sin of poking his nose into government Black Ops; and now must decide whether a little more temporary tranquility for his family is worth the shock and awe to be wrought on the entire country if he fails to take action.
With harbingers of national cataclysm all around, there will be no averting disaster if the false flag conspiracy turns out to be true. These men, who have put their lives on the line for their country so many times already, now have little choice but to treat the threat as real. And in the tumultuous political climate, their lives, fortunes and sacred honor will all be at risk. Where they go one, they go all.
The bestselling Retreads Series turns the corner from military thriller to apocalyptic fiction. False Flag blazes a fiery trail where other political books fear to tread.
The Gryphon of Tirshal
by Henry Brown
The Honor Triad have journeyed to Javo’s native country shortly after its transition from a free republic to a monarchy. The first king of Cemar has hired the three mercenaries to rid the land of the legendary supernatural beast that lives high on Mount Tirshal, outside the city. Neither the diminutive horse-archer Turgar, nor the giant barbarian Krag the Wrecker feel comfortable with the mystical forces surrounding Tirshal, but their lust for gold outweighs their fear. The horrifying truth awaiting they and Javo at the gryphon’s perch is more chilling than the legion of hideous predators they’ll have to fight through to reach it.
From the Author
This is heroic fantasy more than sword & sorcery. There’s plenty of sword, but only a little sorcery in the Tales of the Honor Triad. In Gryphon, there’s really no overt sorcery at all.
Tolkien and his legion of imitators have not influenced me much. You can lay the blame squarely on the heads of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Poul Anderson.
Even within the flavor of fantasy I prefer, I’ve found too many fantasy protagonists to be built on a clichéd template: naively chivalrous romantics whose bumbling gullibility acts as a plot device, ensnaring them in trap after trap, which they escape from every time, usually by dumb luck. I envision these characters differently. Javo is the most concerned with chivalry, but not to the point of folly. Krag is far more cunning than his size and tremendous strength leads most to assume, except when it comes to women. Turgar is a calculating pragmatist who deals honestly with friends, but who fights to win.
The Bloodstained Defile (Tales of the Honor Triad)
by Henry Brown
During the bloody wars of an alien world’s dark ages, loyalty, integrity and friendship are rare commodities. Why would anyone guess they could be found in the hearts of mercenaries?
Sir Javo left his native Cemar to join the Order of the Black Lancers, and has built a reputation as a champion in single combat. He has never met his match; but that is about to change.
Krag the Wrecker has been promised treasure, a horse, and a lady-in-waiting if his suicide mission succeeds. “Victory or death” are acceptable terms, for a giant barbarian raised to worship Death.
Turgar was once a troop chief in the nomadic armies of Gabom, until framed for a capital crime. Now he hires out his bow to the highest bidder. This job may convince him to re-think his pragmatism.
A great storm, an epic battle, and three dangerous warriors…all on a collision course for a narrow mountain pass that is already a bloodstained defile.
PNW Affliction 1: Recycled
by Chance Paladin
This is the first book in the PNW Affliction series, book #1.
In my opinion the best place to start, because the story starts out small and contained before opening up into the shared story in the subsequent books.
Story:
Our hero finds himself away from his home the eve of the collapse, trying to figure out what’s going on and unable to make it back.
Can he find a place to shelter in the darkness before he freezes in the cold, quiet night?
Pacific Northwest Affliction 1: Recycled
PNW Affliction book #1: Recycled
PNW Affliction 2: The Barless Prison
by Chance Paladin
Several years after the Pacific Northwest’s collapse, our hero finds himself stuck in an insane asylum.
He wants to save the people there, but how would he get them out?
He would have to find a way out first, if there even is one?
Pacific Northwest Affliction 2: The Barless Prison
PNW Affliction 2: The Barless Prison
The Good Fight
by Justin Robinson
Atlas Shrugged Meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Terry is an ordinary 16-year-old girl in Toronto.
Her days are usually filled up by schoolwork, karate class, and helping out in her mother’s store, but strange things are happening behind the scenes of the city.
People are disappearing and coming back changed, with their identity torn out of them.
A series of close calls with an unthinkable adversary puts a target on Terry’s back.
It’s everywhere, enslaving people, hollowing them out into puppets… and now it wants her.
Faith and Empire: Book One of The Holy Terran Empire
by Carlos Carrasco
One Faith. One Galactic Empire. And A Thousand Worlds Yet To Convert!
In the 51st century, man has spread throughout a great swath of the galaxy without having found any sign of alien life or another habitable world. Instead, mankind has splintered into a score of bio-engineered sub-species spread out across more than a thousand terraformed worlds. The Holy Terran Empire rules over three hundred of these man-made planets. Earth, the One, True World is the Empire’s Capital. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome governs the Empire, hand-in-hand, with the Imperial Family.
Not everyone is pleased with this arrangement.
Zephyrinus Zapatas, a dutiful citizen of the Empire and loyal son of the Church is more than happy with the Co-Dominion of Emperor and Pope. At sixteen, Zeph leaves home, seeking a life of service to the two crowns. He finds his opportunity in an invitation to join the Emperor’s Own, the elite Corps of Imperial Marines.
The Corps’ training is arduous; its moral code, exacting, but; Zeph welcomes the trials and the strictures. The Corps will demand sacrifices. In return, the Imperial Marines offer its recruits little more than a career fraught with peril to life and limb. Zeph accepts the life, however short it might be, because it comes with the chance of achieving his greatest ambition: reaching the rank of Knight Defender of the Faith and Empire.
His training, ambition and his faith will all be tested in the fires of battle against a cruel alliance of space pirates terrorizing scores of worlds.
The Holy Terran Empire is a new space opera series for anyone who can’t get enough sword & blaster action.
The Trilisk Ruins (Parker Interstellar Travels Book 1)
by Michael McCloskey *FREE*
Telisa Relachik studied to be a xenoarchaeologist in a future where humans have found alien artifacts but haven’t ever encountered live aliens.
Of all the aliens whose extinct civilizations are investigated, the Trilisks are the most advanced and the most mysterious.
Telisa refuses to join the government because of her opposition to its hard-handed policies restricting civilian investigation and trade of alien artifacts, despite the fact that her estranged father is a captain in the United Nations Space Force.
When a group of artifact smugglers recruits her, she can’t pass up the chance at getting her hands on objects that could advance her life’s work.
But she soon learns her expectations of excitement and riches come with serious drawbacks as she ends up fighting for her life on a mysterious alien planet.
Time Traders
by Andre Norton
DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY OF TIME
Intelligence agents have uncovered something which seems beyond belief, but the evidence is incontrovertible: the USA’s greatest adversary on the world stage is sending its agents back through time! And someone or something unknown to our history is presenting them with technologies—and weapons—far beyond our most advanced science. We have only one option: create time-transfer technology ourselves, find the opposition’s ancient source . . . and take it down.
When small-time criminal Ross Murdock and Apache rancher Travis Fox stumble separately onto America’s secret time travel project, Operation Retrograde, they are faced with a challenge greater than either could have imagined possible. Their mere presence means that they know too much to go free. But Murdock and Fox have a thirst for adventure, and Operation Retrograde offers that in spades.
Both men will become time agents, finding reserves of inner heroism they had never expected. Their journeys will take the battle to the enemy, from ancient Britain to prehistoric America, and finally to the farthest reaches of interstellar space.
Eta Cancri
by Russell May *FREE*
Five hundred years into the future, humans have conquered the void of space and spread throughout the galaxy. But we’re about to discover that – in the cold, dark places between the stars – an ancient horror has been watching. And waiting.
On the distant edge of a far-flung planetary system, faith and science are about to go to war with monstrous evil.
Lars Stockwell is one of the last combat Cyborgs still in service. When a remote mining colony falls mysteriously silent, he and his team of black ops veterans are sent in with orders to terminate any threats to human life.
What they discover is worse than anything they could’ve imagined.
Along with a callow data analyst, a rogue Artificial Intelligence, and a spacefaring grifter, Lars and his men find themselves on the front lines of a war between humanity… and Hell incarnate.
if an ancient monster doesn’t devour both worlds first.
Man of the House
by Kalkin Trivedi
By his mid-teens, Jason Olson expected to go to college, find a good job, start a family, and enjoy with them the kind of lifestyle he grew up with as the son of a successful Oncologist. Then one evening, a casual announcement after dinner abruptly changed his prospects.
Now some years later, he still managed to start a family, but he’s a lot less confident in himself now than he would have been if life had gone according to plan. He feels like he’s lost his bearings by which to navigate life. Then a family crisis requires that Jason help out with his spit-fire of a niece. Can a man with so little control over his own life handle the extra responsibility without it messing up his life any more than it already is?
Learn along with Jason how to…
- be a hands-on dad instead of a passive dad
- handle disciplinary matters yourself, without any yelling, nagging, hitting, or passing the buck to mom
- talk to kids (and adults too, actually) about problems in a calm, business-like manner, acting neither like a wimp nor a bully
- avoid doing what most parents unwittingly do that escalates conflict
- train kids to respond to just two words, to put an immediate halt to misbehavior
- avoid anger, frustration, and embarrassment at home or in public
- discourage bad habits and prevent the formation of new ones
- help kids learn how to manage impulses and resolve negative emotions
- respect your children and promote their good self-esteem
- watch out for bad influences and sinister characters
- cultivate good relationships with your kids, and avoid the mistakes that lead many well-intended dads to heartbreaks
- encourage performance and personal growth
- reclaim your place as an integral part of the family.
All Hallows
by Kalkin Trivedi
A day in the life of Cyrus, who works on a plantation.
The day begins with an accident, and then goes downhill from there after a run-in with a pit-viper and a long day of hard labor. Then he remembers how he got himself and everybody he loved into this mess, and how things used to be…
Does it seem like things are crazy right now? Read Cyrus’s backstory for clues.
This is your guide to adapting to the rest of the 21st century.
Deathworld
by Harry Harrison *FREE*
Harry Harrison’s Deathworld is a 1960 sci-fi classic, nominated for a Hugo. The story is a straight up action packed thriller of a planet that appears intent on killing its human inhabitants. An adventurer with a flair for gambling due to psionic powers assists its leader with acquiring more weapons for their never ending battle with both fauna and flora that continuously mutates to ever deadlier forms that are constantly attacking the small colony. The adventurer checks out the place and finds a dwindling community that is so focused on exterminating nature that they can’t even remember how they arrived on the planet generations ago. Eventually, he goes native and finds others living under better conditions and slowly surmises the basis for the state of affairs which the groups have little interest in pursuing.
While space travel is routine, biological mutation and evolution is front and center. Psionic abilities also play a prominent role. Given the global state of affairs at the time of its publication, the planet is clearly a metaphor for the single-minded stubbornness of large groups (be they colonists or whole governments) to pursue self-destructive paths with expectations of total annihilation of an equally matched enemy, never questioning the overall strategy and constantly upping tactical approaches. Not surprisingly, the story transcends its time and resonates even today.
Chalk (Raven Mistcreek Book 1)
by N.R. LaPoint
Catholic schoolgirl Raven Mistcreek has no memory.
Her family is missing, her home is gone, and she is being hunted by monsters.
Why do demonic forces want her dead?
Is her family still alive?
And why do her chalk drawings become real?
Across the Qualitative Continuum, levels of reality are sinking lower.
A colossal terror lies sleeping. Waiting.
Gun Magus
by N.R. LaPoint
Low on luck, but not ammo
The last thing Kenneth Jericho needed was
a gunfight and car chase with human traffickers.
What started as a bad morning only got worse.
A flash of light sends Ken to a strange world
filled with magic, hideous monsters, beautiful women,
and seemingly unlimited ammo.
With pistol in hand,
Ken is thrown into a race against time
to stop a local ganglord’s reign of terror.
But is the thug the brains behind the violence,
or is someone – or something – else
pulling his strings?
Crimson Moon: The First Book of Kane
by Glen Sprigg (Author)
Stranded on the other side of the world, Kane of Yuthia struggles to find his place in a foreign land.
Growing up in a monastery, the orphaned boy must learn not only the sacred arts of battle, but how to live with honor in a land that will never accept him.
Armed with his wits, his honor, and the friendship of a samurai and his entourage, Kane must find his place in the Empire of Kumitori before all he holds dear is lost forever to hatred and destruction.
Spanning decades and two continents, the two-volume Book of Kane tells the fantastic tale of one of the great heroes of the Empire of Kumitori.
Check out his blog, Sprigg’s Scribblings, at gcsprigg.blogspot.com.
The Strange Recollections of Martha Klemm: Sara was Judith
by Julian Hawthorne, P Alexander, Michael Tierney, Robert A Lupton
“She is not there, she is something else; she is an angel—or a devil come back to peep at us, to be worshiped, to mock us, to kill us, to smile on us as we die, and to go on to another, again to ravish and destroy him! What is she—who is she? No one knows! But she was, before the Pyramids, and when our great Londons and Parises are a jungle and a swamp, she was what men desire and can never possess, the glimmer in the dark, the mirage in the desert, the thing that is, and is not!”
The editor for All-Story Weekly called “Sara Was Judith” “one of the most remarkable stories ever written. It is entirely unlike any story that you have ever read.” Indeed, Hawthorne weaves a strange tale that straddles gothic, romantic adventure, and even body horror in a work that is truly prototypic of what would eventually become known as “Weird Fiction.”
Martha Klemm’s school chum, Sara, is an impossibly bland and uninspired woman living a rather dull and ordinary life—quite the contrast with Martha’s, filled with globetrotting adventure. Sara’s daughter Judith is her exact opposite: filled with life and vibrancy, mystery and mischief.
When a deadly storm drowns the girl saving the young lad who fancies her, Sara, in her one act of passion, hangs herself in her boudoir. Pronounced dead, Sara shocks the mourning household, friends, and doctor when she emerges later that evening, more vivacious than she has ever been… and protesting that she is Judith!
Julian Hawthorne’s final novel for All-Story Weekly is a haunting and beautiful tale of love and betrayal and the struggle between good and evil that Miss Martha Klemm finds herself caught, an active and partial observer, within!
The Paths of Cormanor
by Jim Breyfogle
Amara is a young woman of Cormanor, a household whose womenfolk have the ability to transform into cormorants to fly and dive for fish. Kellen is the youngest prince of the realm, a seventh son of a seventh son, and wishes to see these remarkable women for himself.
During the pageantry upon the lake, Amara’s cousin falls into the water and is spirited away by the Grimly, a malign creature of the elder world! Kellen braves both water and monster to rescue the boy. However the Grimly manages to trap the prince’s soul and mark him for death! Amara tracks the Grimly to her lair, slays the wicked beast, and restores life to the young prince… but a piece of Kellen’s soul is trapped within Amara!
The death of the sinister Grimly is just the beginning—Kellen must find the means to recover his missing piece of soul, while Amara and her family are haunted by the vengeful offspring of the monster she had slain! Kellen and Amara each must undertake their own harrowing journey, meeting delightful friends and dastardly foes, along the Paths of Cormanor!
Jim Breyfogle’s beautiful new novel of fantastical romance is inspired by Eastern and Northern European myth and fairytale and sure to delight readers of all ages.
Oath to a Warlock
by Denton Salle
Peng planned to continue to serve the Master in the stables. After all, magicians lived forever. Qian thought that she would care for her niece and marry who the Master said to. Neither of them expected the Imperial Censor to come
Yaros wasn’t happy with the plan of impersonating the Censor and his retinue. All to keep an oath given to a warlock. How much blood would be shed for a traitor?
When magics and weapons clash, nothing goes as planned. And more than two lives are changed
A fantasy novella set in a China where Rus Vikings changed history.
Thor vs. the Valkyries
by Paul Hair
No one ever accused Thor of being the silent type.
But he’s a man of few words when a group of Valkyries seize his palace, launch a coup against Asgard, and make his Lady Sif their slave.
With none of Thor’s allies nearby, the Valkyries vow to crush him before they conquer everything else.
Yet surrender never crosses his mind and he rushes headlong into the fight.
Packed with action and drama, “Thor vs. the Valkyries” is a quick tale of treachery and retribution, with an ending that will leave you smiling . . .
…or with your jaw hanging.
Talk to a Real, Live Girl: And Other Stories
by Paul Clayton
2021 !WINNER! in Science Fiction — Los Angeles Book Festival! Readers’ Favorite 5 Star review: Talk to a Real, Live Girl And Other Stories by Paul Clayton is a short collection of light sci-fi tales. The flagship story is Talk to a Real, Live Girl. Disillusioned with the extreme societal and political changes on Earth and a ruined relationship, Alex leaves home to work at a mine on Kratos, a distant planet. Kratos also offers some free time diversions, one being particularly appealing to men far from home; robot females who are perfect and always willing. Alex has no real interest in them, despite his loneliness. Then, one day he meets Traci, a “real, live” girl. Do Alex and Traci have any real hope of a future together? In the next story, The Lawn, Bob Hanlon struggles mightily to come to terms with his forced retirement and the strange presence that seems to have taken up residence in his overgrown yard. In the third story, Happy Acres, a couple finds their new life on Mars less perfect than what they had been promised. Finally, the first two chapters of a novel-in-progress about the fabled Lost Colony of Roanoke complete this collection of stories. In Talk to a Real, Live Girl And Other Stories by Paul Clayton, readers find entertaining stories that almost read like episodes of beloved classic sci-fi TV series. The main story, a poignant tale of loss, new possibilities, and adventure, makes some subtle, near humorous observations about contemporary American society and what the future could hold. The other two stories, while lighter fare and shorter, are no less interesting. These stories are a quick, enjoyable read, and Paul Clayton has a talent for immersing readers almost immediately in their narrative, including the bonus chapters at the end. Any message the author is trying to convey does not get in the way of the basic flow of the stories, which is a desirable feature. He also draws attention to other stories he has written, and readers will find themselves willing to invest time in reading these. Alex has fled a broken marriage and a society on Earth grown hostile toward men. Landing on the mining planet, Kratos, known to its male work force as “Boyz Wurld,” he hopes to lose himself in hard work, drinking, and the illusion of female companionship provided by robots. Will that be enough? In time, Alex finds himself longing to Talk to a Real, Live Girl. Predictably, there aren’t many on Kratos. Then he finds Traci, as well as the dream of a new beginning back on Earth—a normal life—if only the forces controlling Kratos will permit it.A genuine love story, Talk to a Real, Live Girl explores consequences of a #MeToo movement run amok, and of adaptations brave individuals may be forced to make.
Crossing Over
by Paul Clayton
REVIEW by Donna Gielow McFarland for Readers’ Favorite. Crossing Over by Paul Clayton tells the story of an American family trying to survive the beginnings of the second civil war. Set some time in the not-too-distant future, the existence of two simultaneous presidents has split the country along ideological lines. The protests are becoming violent, sections of the country have formed their own militias, along with the militias of the two warring parties. In the midst of shortages of food and other necessities, gangs and thugs are terrorizing formerly safe neighborhoods. Realizing that it is no longer safe to remain in their home, Mike McNerney decides to pack the camper and flee to Canada with his wife, Marie, and disabled teenage daughter, Elly. Unfortunately, everyone else has the same idea.Once I started reading, I could not put down this well-written and compelling short novel. Clayton’s premise is chillingly realistic. The book does not focus on the politics, but instead focuses on regular Americans who not long before led totally normal lives, and who are quickly turned into refugees as they try to escape the crime and violence taking over the country. The scene at the Canadian border was highly believable, as was the deterioration of Mike and Marie’s relationship as it crumbled under the stress of their ordeal. Complicating matters is the need to protect their beautiful daughter Elly, who is naïve enough to wander off with any stranger. Crossing Over should stand as a warning to anyone inclined to think that violence is the answer to political disagreement, as it paints a picture of how America could slide into chaos far too easily. There is some mature subject matter and language. Recommended for readers who are brave enough to read it.
The Blue World: Anunnaki Advent; a Short Story
by Paul Clayton
The best laid plans of gods and men go awry on… the Blue World.
Loosely based on Zecharia Sitchin’s Earth Chronicles, The Blue World follows the efforts of the Sumerian gods, the Anunnaki, as they land on earth to mine the gold there in order to repair the damaged atmosphere of their home planet, Nibiru.
The Anunnaki miners find gold mining laborious and dangerous, so they genetically engineer a hybrid race to do it for them.
Mixing Anunnaki DNA with simian, they create The Human, “those who work.”
Paul Clayton is the author of a three-book historical series on the Spanish Conquest of the Floridas– Calling Crow, Flight of the Crow, and Calling Crow Nation (Putnam/Berkley), and a novel, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam (St. Martin’s Press), based on his own experiences in that war.
Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates (Faithless), David McCullough (John Adams), and Alan Furst (The Kingdom of Shadows).
Clayton’s historical novel — White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke — explores the mystery of the vanished English colonists on Roanoke Island. His realistic contemporary novel, In the Shape of a Man, explores the dark side of the go-go lifestyle of turn-of-the-century Silicon Valley workers.
Clayton’s collection of traditional sci-fi and fantasy stories, Strange Worlds, pays homage to the sci-fi greats. Clayton’s novel, Van Ripplewink: You Can’t Go Home Again, is a modern twist on the classic Rip Van Winkle story, that wades into America’s current socio-racial dysfunction. Clayton’s novella, Crossing Over, tells the story of the 2nd American civil war. His latest sci-fi collection, Talk to a Real, Live Girl, tells of a future world where the MeToo movement and the sophistication of robotic companions… collide with unforeseen and astounding consequences.
Strange Worlds
by Paul Clayton
In the future, the love of a young man’s life is dying. He would do almost anything to keep her alive…except that! In Dog Man, it turns out that Oscar the tomcat was just misunderstood — with deadly consequences… A love sick young man attempts to tap the power of an ancient religion to secure the affections of a girl on their class trip to Christland… The dead come briefly back to life every year when the astral dimensions align in Day, or Two, of The Dead. A cynical young ‘player’, adrift in the modern, amoral age meets God on a mountain top and his life is changed forever — but not in the way he’d ever imagined. Traditional sci-fi/fantasy and satire from the author of Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam. Clayton channels the spirits of Huxley, Orwell and Philip K. Dick in these and ten other intelligent, provocative and highly entertaining stories. WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING “Thank you for writing this. This is the sort of book I was hoping would begin to spring from the Indie world. No way would NYC Corporate Publishing ever allow something with this world view through.” “… I expected Strange Worlds to be about dystopias, supernatural monsters, zombies, and futuristic technologies, but now after reading this collection, I realize that the stories are about us.” “Clayton leads the modern reader through dark and dangerous territory, but the gems they will find there are worth the risk. Very few Indies would have had the courage to put their names to something like this.” “… while you are being taken away to a place and time which is… strange and… disturbing… the humanity of (most of) his characters will make you feel right at home; of course, you’ll want to leave a light on.”
Escape From the Future and Other Stories
by Paul Clayton
What if you had access to a time machine and could go back to visit a deceased love… one more time. Would you?
In 1962, Bobby Newman’s Grandpa, a basement inventor, loses his wife to cancer, then begins to lose his mind to grief. While tuning up his not-yet-perfected time machine for one last visit with his wife, he ends up going the wrong way… into the dystopian future of 2025. Inexplicably, he sends the machine back.
Fourteen-year-old Bobby uses it to lead Mom and Dad on a mission to find Grandpa and bring him back.
But Grandpa has other ideas…
This volume brings together five of Paul Clayton’s most ambitious stories to date, stories that juxtapose a familiar America of the very recent past with ominous new versions of the country now coming into focus.
Clayton’s concern is with ordinary people—their innate wisdom and persistent foolishness, their capacity to do good or harm, and their resiliency—with what happens when time travelers from the 1960s arrive in a city dominated by criminal gangs and corrupt politicians, or when a woman opts for a new procedure to avoid losing her cancer-ridden husband, or when a soldier in Vietnam is granted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give his elevator speech, or when a man, illegally alive, attempts to stay that way…
Clayton shows how people make choices that, collectively, point civilization in new directions, be it toward forcible reclamation of vast tracts of land as primeval wilderness or elimination of those deemed to be nonproductive ‘useless eaters.’
This is a first-rate collection of stories by a serious writer.—Stephen Gallup, author of What About the Boy?
Let Sleeping Gods Lie: A Lovecraftian Gods Horror Story
(Cowboys & Cthulhu Book 1)
by David J. West
Louis L’Amour Meets Lovecraft
Porter Rockwell, wanted for a murder he did not commit, is hiding out in Old California selling whiskey to thirsty forty-niners. When his friends dig up some monstrous bones and a peculiar book and offer to sell it for a helluva price, Porter can’t resist the mystery.
But when both his night bartender and the sellers are murdered at his saloon Porter has to find out what the mysterious artifacts are all about. With some Native American legends, Sasquatch, Lovecraftian horror, and murderous bandits thrown in, not even bullets and blades can stop Rockwell from leaving a swath of righteous carnage in his wake.
Let Sleeping Gods Lie is a weird western fantasy in the vein of classic pulp fiction and Louis L’Amour books. If you like frontier justice, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you will LOVE the first installment of the Cowboys and Cthulhu series.
Buy Let Sleeping Gods Lie to get lost in a horrific weird western adventure today!
Shoot the Devil
by N.R. LaPoint, Steven G. Johnson, James Pyles, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Daniel Humphreys, Declan Finn, Russell Newquist, John C. Wright, Corey Comstock, and Michael Gallagher
Ten of superversive’s finest team up to bring you tales from a serial killer’s basement, to the weird west, to the average small town, all featuring “mostly” ordinary men and women fighting back against the forces of darkness.
Review: A collection varied in style from hauntingly beautiful, to high octane action, all mix with a common theme, overcoming evil. The stories can all be read on their own but some involve characters with an establish history and previous stories. Every story is at least very good and several are excellent, like John C. Wright’s contribution. Overall its a great read and I would recommend to anyone who wants stories that are gritty and real but with a positive message showing human courage.
IRON MAIDEN: An Epic Fantasy Adventure
(The Iron Testament Book 1)
by James Alderdice
You can take the girl out of the dragon, but you can’t take the dragon out of the girl…
Aisha has the blood of dragons in her veins, but its only ever brought pain and hardship despite giving her incredible powers. Now she wants to serve her country and atone for past sins but things never go how they should. When she rides into the borderlands, she finds a treasure map to the legendary graveyard of dragons. She doubts the hoard of treasure truly exists, but everyone else from bandits to invading armies and even a lusty princess want to get their hands on the map. As Aisha unwillingly begins her quest, she’s not surprised when the blood begins to flow…
The journey will take her across a cursed landscape brimming with foul sorceries and terrible monsters. The promise of both treasure and revenge is irresistible. Surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies, can she survive and claim her reward?…
IRON MAIDEN is an action-packed fantasy in the vein of classic pulp fantasy and rip-roaring eighties movies. If you like desperate battles, larger-than-life characters, and black humor, then you’ll love James Alderdice’s epic tale.
Buy IRON MAIDEN to join a sword and sorcery fantasy today!
This book was previously published as Sowing Dragon Teeth, this is an updated version.
BRUTAL: A Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (THE BRUTAL SWORD SAGA Book 1)
by James Alderdice
He has no name. His past is a mystery. His future is etched in blood…
The Sellsword knows an opportunity when he sees one. When he rides into the border city of Aldreth, he can tell that the power struggle between two feuding wizards needs a solitary spark to ignite into all-out-war. As he sets the corrupt paladins and demonic adepts against each other, he’s not surprised when the blood begins to flow…
But after the alluring duchess catches his eye, the Sellsword puts himself in harm’s way to protect her and the innocent people of Aldreth. To save the noble few, spells and blades won’t stop the Sellsword from leaving a swath of righteous carnage in his wake…
Brutal is an action-packed grimdark fantasy in the vein of classic pulp fiction and Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. If you like gory battles, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you’ll love James Alderdice’s gritty tale.
Buy Brutal to get lost in a bloody sword and sorcery adventure today!
THE USURPER: A Heroic Fantasy (THE BRUTAL SWORD SAGA Book 2)
by James Alderdice
When a tyrant wears the crown, a hero must become an Usurper…
The Fates weave a tapestry of life and death for young Gathelaus the Sellsword. Now an unexpected opportunity presents itself for the famed mercenary, he has but to claim the blood red crown…
But once you wear the crown, how long can you hold it until that power is turned against you? Follow Gathelaus on a journey through a life of magic, action and intrigue; battling gods and monsters across a mystic realm …
The Usurper is an action-packed heroic adventure in the vein of classic pulp fiction and heroic fantasy. If you like Conan the Barbarian, The Witcher and Logen Ninefingers along with vengeful sorcery, savage duels, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you’ll love James Alderdice’s barbaric tale.
Buy The Usurper to get lost in a bloody sword and sorcery adventure today!
Helldorado: and other tales of the Weird West (Dark Trails Saga Book 5)
David J. West
A bitter winter, a bitter war, and a hungry ghost are waiting for Porter Rockwell in Helldorado.
Maybe Porter Rockwell can’t be harmed by bullet or a blade, but his friends have no such luck as they are thrown into a duel between mining companies fighting for the right to dig up a rich gold vein on the edge of Indian land. Diabolical twists are around every turn as death stalks the streets of Helldorado with either a six-gun or insatiable hunger for blood.
Based loosely on true events, HELLDORADO is wild ride into the borders of madness when good men are pushed too far. Along with the new novella are a host of other Porter Rockwell stories collected here for the first time from a variety of previous publications.
HELLDORADO is a Western with colorful characters and wit straight out of a Tarantino flick. If you like mixing horror with your pulp, surprise twists, strong and admirable heroes, and Weird Westerns, then you’ll love the next book in David J. West’s Dark Trails Saga.
Buy HELLDORADO to join the hunt for gold today!
Which Art In Hope
(Spooner Federation Saga Book 1)
by Francis Porretto
When the remnant of the anarchist Spooner Federation fled Earth before the genocidal wrath of the States, the fugitives had only the slimmest chance of finding a habitable world orbiting a benign star. Yet 544 years after embarking on their planetoid-ship, they found one that seemed too good to be true. They named it Hope.
Like all things that are too good to be true, Hope isn’t what it seemed.
For 1200 years, a secret Cabal has elevated powerful psi talents to the the management of Hope’s crust, at the eventual cost of their lives. The alternative was a choice between mass death by heavy-metal poisoning and mass death by starvation. But the pool of psi talents has dwindled till only two remain: Armand Morelon, heir apparent to the richest and most prestigious clan on Hope, and Victoria Peterson, a young woman of great beauty and intelligence immured in poverty and abuse. But one is utterly unwilling and the other is murderously insane. And the survival of Mankind hangs in the balance.
Freedom’s Scion
(Spooner Federation Saga Book 2)
by Francis Porretto
Sequel to Which Art In Hope.
As they pass from mortal life, Armand and Teresza Morelon, foremost of all the residents of the wholly ungoverned world of Hope, lay a charge upon their granddaughter Althea: to break the lightspeed barrier, travel to Earth, and determine why no radio emissions from the cradle of Mankind have reached Hope since the Spoonerite Hegira. It shapes the young polymath’s life from that moment onward.
Althea spends her young adulthood playing Hope’s equities market, amassing a fortune for her mission. At 30 she falls in love with Martin Forrestal, a genius of another kind. The two are soon married.
Jacksonville is in flux. Armand Morelon had facilitated a mass relocation from the Hopeless peninsula, where Hope’s undesirables had sheltered, to the Jacksonville region. Douglas Kramnik, patriarch of one of the relocated clans, seeks payback for the long-ago diminution of his clan to outcast status. First, he seeks to marry Althea to his son and clan scion Barton. When Morelon matriarch Charisse declines the offer, his resentments swell. They culminate in an attempt to thwart Barton’s betrothal to Althea’s cousin Nora, which elicits an intervention by Althea herself.
Charisse tries but fails to dissuade Althea from going to the stars. Her failure couples to her desire for power, and she begins to scheme. Her attempts to become a local baroness are revealed through a discovery by Patrice Kramnik Morelon of irregularities in the clan’s finances. It costs Charisse her position, but doesn’t end her quest for power.
After Althea and Martin have tested Freedom’s Horizon, a ground-to-orbit spaceplane, Martin presses her with his desire for children. It proves catastrophic: the child is stillborn. The birth leaves Althea in lasting agony. She and Martin are estranged for two years. They reunite after an intervention by Barton and Nora, but the tensions between them have not been dispersed.
Hope’s progress has emphasized biotechnology. Hallanson-Albermayer Corporation develops a medipod capable of healing its owner of virtually any ill. Althea and Martin become the first customers. Althea’s medipod provides her with cover for a telekinetic repair of her damaged nervous system. She’s guided by her “dead” grandfather Armand, who has taught her the use of her psi powers, as great as his own.
Althea and Martin establish an orbital lab on the Relic, the planetoid-ship that ferried the original Spoonerites to Hope. Groundside, Charisse abandons Clan Morelon and her husband Chuck without warning, and isn’t seen again for years. Althea soon discovers a way around the lightspeed limit, and a power source suitable for propelling a starship.
When Althea’s starship Liberty’s Torch is ready for its maiden voyage, she finds an unexpected ally in her desire to leave Martin safely behind: Barton Kramnik Morelon, who rose upon Charisse’s resignation to the Morelon patriarchy. Between them, they persuade Althea’s husband to remain on Hope for the three years of her journey to Eridanus cluster, signals from which hint at intelligent life.
At Eridanus, Althea is greeted by representatives of the Loioc, a humanoid race whose males have been deliberately rendered nonsentient, supposedly to put an end to violence among them. It’s their intention that Althea do the same to the men of Hope. Althea escapes their plot and destroys the space station the Loioc had used to suppress interstellar travel, but is infected with the nanites the Loioc women use to suppress the development of intelligence in men.
Althea returns to the Relic, hoping that her medipod has removed the nanites from her body, and discovers that in her absence, Hope has been visited by the supreme evil the Spoonerites fled Earth to escape: warfare.
To be continued in Freedom’s Fury, the concluding volume of the Spooner Federation trilogy.
Freedom’s Fury
(Spooner Federation Saga Book 3)
by Francis Porretto
Althea Morelon has returned from Eridanus cluster. The Loioc have infected her with a self-replicating nanite that destroys the sentience potential of male zygotes, filling her with a lust for vengeance.
But she has more to cope with than just her nanite infection.
Interclan warfare has broken out on Hope.
Though Althea must remain on the Relic until she’s certain she‘s free of the Loioc nanite, only she can save her kin from subjugation. And there’s more and worse to come.
The State is rising again.
Freedom’s Fury, the third volume of the Spooner Federation saga, completes the tale of struggle and survival begun in Which Art In Hope and continued in Freedom’s Scion.
Chosen One (Realm of Essences Book 1)
by Francis Porretto
From his earliest days, Louis Redmond proves to be a prodigy: brilliant, powerful, and great-souled, a trailblazer of the spirit and a natural leader of men.
Armies would follow him into the mouth of Hell.
Yet tragedy dogs his steps, depriving him of family and friends. Hammerblow follows hammerblow, giving him little time to recover.
But Louis is watched over by one who knows all the ways of Man: Malcolm Loughlin, immortal grandmaster of all things martial, who’s trained the world’s great warriors for two millennia.
His wisdom, enough to elevate Louis to the throne of the world, is available to Louis, for a price…
A price even a Titan would shudder to meet.
On Broken Wings (Realm of Essences Book 2)
by Francis W. Porretto
Christine has no memory of her past.
She’s been made a sexual slave by the Butchers, a gang of vicious bikers.
After ten years’ agony, she’s freed herself by committing murder and earning a faceful of hideous scars.
But Tiny, the Butcher king, is obsessed with her.
Her sole chance of escaping him lies in trusting a mysterious young man she’s just met.
She takes a chance, the biggest of her life, on her serendipitous rescuer, and he proves more than equal to the task. But Louis Redmond has a few secrets of his own…and they prove to be just as important to Christine’s future as his intrusion into the horror show her life has been…
Shadow Of A Sword (Realm of Essences Book 3)
by Francis Porretto
Christine D’Alessandro has been away from Onteora County for three years when the death of Helen Davenport draws her back. She is swiftly, albeit unwillingly, enmeshed in a war between two private security companies: Integral Security, owned and operated by Kevin Conway, and Lawrence Security Patrols, owned and operated by Ernest Lawrence, brother to Onteora Chief of Police Raymond Lawrence.
Shortly thereafter, Stephen Sumner, the lieutenant governor of New York, decides to campaign for the presidency of the United States on the Constitutional Party ticket. He approaches Conway about security, and acquires Christine’s services for the duration of his campaign. It proves a fortunate choice: powerful forces are determined to prevent the charismatic and principled Sumner from getting his message to the American people.
Sumner proves to be exactly what the nation, crushed by debt, taxes, and near-totalitarian government, has been looking for. That doesn’t endear him to the powers that be or their supporters. One such supporter, political strategist Adam Zlugy, currently in service to President Walter Coleman, sees an opportunity for himself that his affiliation with Coleman cannot equal.
Malcolm Loughlin, Christine’s old mentor, becomes alert to the multifarious threats to Sumner and Christine. They prove to be of a nature that reaches beyond mere politics…indeed, all the way to the forces that governed the creation of the world.
Polymath (Realm of Essences Book 4)
by Francis Porretto
Even in his high school years, it was clear to all who knew him that Todd Iverson is special. There are no sciences, no technologies, and no arts he cannot master. There is no field of human endeavor he will leave untouched. He has the power to transform human civilization utterly, and he means to do so.
Todd does have a few little problems. For one, his mother crippled him emotionally by artificially orphaning him, abandoning him to become a nun just after his father’s death. For another, he can’t abide the idea that anyone might be better than he is—at anything. For a third, he might just be a sociopath: the most dangerous sociopath ever to be born among men.
The powers of darkness are aware of him, and they don’t plan to let him work unmolested.
But Todd will not go his way unmentored or unprotected. The most powerful creatures on Earth have resolved to complete his upbringing and bring his strength to fullness:
Malcolm Loughlin.
Christine D’Alessandro.
And Louis Redmond.
Todd will find love and deliberately forsake it.
He will know the most terrible kinds and occasions of loss.
He will enter the world of business, first as an employee, later as an entrepreneur.
And his powers will reach their zenith just as a most improbable figure takes the White House.
For Todd Evelyn Iverson has his eyes on the skies. He has resolved that Man shall leave his species’ womb at long last. As Stephen Graham Sumner and the Constitutional movement rise to prominence, he is preparing to set his foot upon the first rung of a ladder to the stars. It’s a ladder he is uniquely qualified to design and build.
Polymath chronicles the bursting of an Onteora County giant from his chrysalis to spread his wings over the world. It’s the fourth novel of the Realm of Essences series, and begins the story of an American Renaissance.
Statesman (Realm of Essences Book 5)
by Francis Porretto
Stephen Graham Sumner is a lawyer from Onteora County, New York and a descendant of the late William Graham Sumner, one of America’s forgotten great thinkers. We meet Sumner in his mid-thirties: he’s capable and passionate about justice, but his life ambitions are unformed. He becomes general counsel to Onteora Aviation, a defense-industry corporation, and meets those who will mold his ambitions, with particular emphasis on a single figure: Louis Redmond.
In consequence of his reluctant agreement to become the running-mate of the incumbent governor of New York, Sumner develops a vast distaste for what American politics and government have become. Surprised and made optimistic by his unexpected popularity, not merely in New York but throughout the Northeast, he campaigns for and wins the presidency on the Constitutional Party ticket: the first candidate to rise to the White House from a third party since Abraham Lincoln.
Sumner’s presidency is not a tranquil one. Foreign military adventures, provoked by Islamic terrorism, lead to horrifying consequences. These, plus his domestic efforts to return American government to its Constitutional origins and his support for maverick inventor and space enthusiast Todd Iverson’s orbital habitat project, cause the rise of an implacable enemy: Ian McIlvaine, U.S. Senator from California. By dint of brilliant though darkly-motivated tactics, McIlvaine succeeds Sumner in the Oval Office, and contrives a downfall for Sumner that no previous president has had to face.
Tears from Iron
(Memories of the Cataclysm Book 1)
by Jonathan Oldenburg
A new epic of military fantasy has arrived. Reviewers call Tears from Iron a “jaw-dropping” “wonderful fantasy” that is “elegantly done” with “one of the best endings of any fantasy novel” and “a great hero’s journey.”
Vistus is a warrior-brother, his prowess in battle matched only by his loyalty to the Syraestari Empire. Ninanna is a sword-whisperer, the personal guardian to the Empress. Theirs is a world shattered by cataclysm and held together only by steel and sorcery. As rebellion and war threaten the Empire, Vistus and Ninanna must join forces or see the prophecies of dead gods destroy everything they have sworn to protect.
“Tears from Iron by Jonathan Oldenburg is a story of heroism and the spirit of freedom that combines the magic of Brandon Sanderson with intricate worldbuilding seldom seen outside of the Lord of the Rings.” – L. Jagi Lamplighter, author of Prospero’s Children
“The beginning of an epic tale that I cannot wait to read more of.” James Young, author of Aries’ Red Sky
Titan (Mammon Book 1)
by Robert Kroese
A 2021 Prometheus Award nominee!
“Mammon will scratch your itch for cranky libertarian sci-fi. Looking forward to the next part!” – John Carmack, creator of Doom and founder of Armadillo Aerospace
“★★★★★ This is a compelling page turner and, once again, Kroese… not only gets the economics of hyperinflation absolutely correct, but, in the best tradition of science fiction, “shows, not tells” the psychology which grips those experiencing it and how rapidly the thin veneer of civilisation can erode when money dies.” – John Walker, Founder of Autodesk, Inc., co-author AutoCAD, author The Hacker’s Diet, operator of Fourmilab
“★★★★★ Kroese did his homework on financial bubbles, panics, mass psychosis, social collapse, cryptocurrency, and hyper-inflation…. [B]etter than Lucifer’s Hammer, and spookily realistic.” – Hans Schantz, physicist and author of The Hidden Truth
“★★★★★ You can see the foundation of the book’s apocalypse in today’s headlines, and that should scare the hell out of anyone. Cannot wait for book two.” – T. Cannon, Amazon reviewer
By the year 2032, the U.S. federal debt has surpassed $50 trillion. The American empire is on the verge of collapse.
An entrepreneur named Kade Kapur has an idea for rescuing the debt-ridden United States: the government will issue stock in a company with exclusive mining rights to an asteroid whose orbit will soon bring it near Earth. The asteroid, which contains $10 trillion in valuable minerals, is officially called 2015 RK 16 Maimonides, but it soon comes to be known by another name: Mammon.
Fortunes are made and America seems to have avoided an economic collapse. But when the plan to capture the asteroid goes awry, the sky will fall….
Academic Magic: Academic Magic Book 1
by Becky Jones
![Academic Magic: Academic Magic Book 1 by [Becky R. Jones]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Pcu3iq71L.jpg)
Zoe O’Brien has found her dream job at a small liberal arts college teaching the history of Medieval witchcraft and magic.
Academic life is exactly what she expected it to be…until the squirrels stop by to talk with her and her department chair and best friend turn out to be mages.
Zoe discovers a world of magic and power she never knew existed.
She and other faculty mages race to stop a coven from raising a demon on the winter solstice while simultaneously grading piles of final exams and reading the tortured prose of undergraduate term papers.
But first, she must learn to master her new-found powers.
NOTE, Book 3, Magic Abroad, is a New Addition.
Frozen Dreams
by Moe Lane
2624% FUNDED ON KICKSTARTER!
This is going to be the best post-apocalyptic high urban fantasy pulp detective novel you will read today!
Join Shamus Tom Vargas as he Clears a murder Case in Cin City, capital of the magical kingdom of New California.
It’s his job; in fact, you might say it’s his calling.
Moe Lane is a stay-at-home father and unrepentant geek who is interested in fantasy, science fiction, and roleplaying games. He’s had a variety of jobs over the years, from retail worker to political New Media blogger/digital activist; but now he writes books, short stories, and gaming supplements. He finds it all very, very restful. TINSEL RAIN is his latest novel.
Record of The Paladins: Book of Oliver
by BP McCoppin
Demons are real.
They walk this world.
To combat Satan’s hordes, Christianity relies on its secret weapons: Paladins.
Oliver has visions. He hears voices. When he meets a beautiful stranger who seems to know why, Oliver must choose to answer the call of Christianity’s mysterious order or never know the truth he’s been searching for.
Dive into the world just beyond the edge of perception, a place where demons terrorize and crusaders wage war.
Journey with Oliver as he seeks the answer to the riddle of life: What is my purpose?
Complete in itself, BOOK OF OLIVER is the first novel in an epic series, RECORD OF THE PALADINS.
Note to reader: This is a book of faith based heroes who glorify God and seek his kingdom. It contains action, adventure, and villains. These villains are as far from God as one can be and will at times use profanity. There is a light amount of profanity in the final chapter, so fair warning.
The demons in the book are vile creatures and may scare younger readers. We do not hold back on how evil Satan and his hordes can be.
The Genius Threads
(The Knowledge Well Book 1)
by Chris Haught
Humanity is slowly losing its intellect and Dr. Brill Everly is the only one to notice.
Armed with a special gift from his father, Brill begins to unlock the deep genetic secrets of human intelligence.
Forced to reconcile with his lacking emotions and avoid constant government surveillance, Brill teams up with the dashing double agent spy turned academic, Liora Abrams.
Together they begin this journey across the globe to uncover the ancient genetic linkages to human intelligence, which leads to the ultimate discovery of the Knowledge Well.
This globe-trotting quest leads them through the ancient ruins of a Tibet temple, narrowly escaping a Chinese military ambush, only to be ensnared by a drug cartel, finally arriving at the Maori graveyards of New Zealand.
If you like fast-paced adventure, engaging mystery thriller, and romance, you will love the first installment in Chris Haught’s page-turning series.
Buy The Genius Threads, Book 1 of the Knowledge Well series to read Brill’s latest adventure today.
The Broken Man: The Rise of the Fisher King
Book 1 of 2: The Rise of the Fisher King
by Hawkings Austin
A Shadow Man is stalking the children of Ard, leaving the dead lying in the forest with their eyes black pits.
The people are in a panic, but the investigating Ruad philosophers have no explanation.
Seeking someone to blame, the people of the ancient city of Ard demand the head of the most dangerous person in their midst, the giant Waylaid.
Once great among the Fomor – a prince, a sorcerer, a priest – Waylaid has been cast out by his people.
He has come to Ard with his Bolg apprentice, Piju, to live quietly and study in Brea’s library.
Can he escape the maddened crowed and find the killer without breaking his vow to give up sorcery?
And has he failed to teach his young and impetuous apprentice the most important lesson of them all, that the price of using sorcery is always too high?
The Bone God
(The Rise of the Fisher King Book 2)
by Hawkings Austin
Prophesy has shaken the foundations of the world.
Three kingdoms search for a king,
while an evil sorcerer has raised a spirit to destroy the fragile peace of the Daen Empire.
Piju fights to free the slaves of Ard, and Waylaid must find a way to defeat a god which has the power to take his bones.
Pure Poison (A Purity Wellman Story Book 1)
by Hawkings Austin (Author)
Purity Wellman died in 1958.
The devil stole her soul on her very doorstep.
She returns to a world she no longer understands, but there are still evil men in the world.
The devil’s work is never finished and the family business is never done.
She isn’t going to give up and die, again.
About the Author:
Hawk’s current supervillain title is “Director of Radiation Effects.” In his quest to take over the world, Hawk has landed a series of jobs with NASA, DoD, and Missile Defense. Currently, he’s testing spacecraft for the rigors of the natural (and unnatural) environments that only he can conquer. The recent loss of his sidekick, Vlad (to a paying job) has been painful, but he’s managed to work through the loss to conquer large swaths of Colorado.
Hawk has a number of professional publications in engineering, science, history, and fantasy. He has been performing as a Mad Scientist for many years and is very close, at this point, to taking over (or destroying) the Earth. He can be found blogging on Urban-Fantasy.com, Madsci.us, and tweeting as @Sablehawk. He loves to speak at Science Fiction Conventions, such as Dragon Con, and will be happy – over a beer – to talk about any of these things for hours.
Hawk currently lives in Denver CO and is enjoying the heck out of spoiling his wife and current baby girl with all of his ill-gotten gains.
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Immaculate Corpse (A Purity Wellman Story Book 2)
by Hawkings Austin
The devil hasn’t killed Purity Wellman yet.
But he’s still got time. Life isn’t going to settle down for Purity anytime soon. She might have killed the dark pastor and his demons, but the fallout from the fight is still plaguing her. It looks like her old enemy Don Bello is behind everything. He’s coming for Purity and what remains of her family.
And for anyone that has ever dared help them in their fight. Her brother’s friends and allies are brutally murdered, and it won’t be long before they find her. Purity must push aside her terrible memories of being the devil’s prisoner and fight back. That’s what the Wellmans always do. For, the devil’s work is never finished and the family business is never done.
The second Purity Wellman book picks up right where the last one ended, in the middle of the mystery, magic and battle against evil. Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sookie Stackhouse in Purity Wellman, a fish-out-of-water resurrected girl trying to find her place in a creepy Appalachian American Gods universe.
Can Purity win against the devil? Or will he claim her soul as his own again?
Divine Dark (A Purity Wellman Story Book 3)
by Hawkings Austin
Can Purity control the vampire within herself? Or is it lying to her so it can take her power for itself? Purity must find the witches, and stop them. She’s only got a week to do it, and she’s got to do it alone.
The demon from the Dark World is strong enough that she’s beginning to worry it might control her, but Purity barely has time to miss her brother John, much less deal with the monster inside her head. The Forest People speak of a coming doom, brought about by three witches. Purity works to unravel the mystery and save the world. But she’s out-powered and out-classed. The vampire in her head says it can help her. If it stops the apocalypse, her soul might be an acceptable price to pay.
The third Purity Wellman book pits Purity against her most dangerous enemy yet–herself. Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sookie Stackhouse in Purity Wellman, a fish-out-of-water resurrected girl trying to find her place in a creepy Appalachian American Gods universe.
Brutal Dreams
by J.D. Cowan
A Living Nightmare
After awakening in the woods, Christopher Archer finds himself trapped in a world outside of time.
Fog monsters, armed gangsters, and a legendary spear, all await his arrival.
But what about the fiancé who disappeared months ago?
As Archer explores this eternal midnight, he can only wonder—is this all just a dream, or is there something more hidden in the dark, watching his every move?
There is one choice.
He must traverse the nightmare and learn the truth.
Grey Cat Blues
by J.D. Cowan
![Grey Cat Blues by [J.D. Cowan, L. Jagi Lamplighter]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lBxNQpFHL.jpg)
Siege on the Shadow Planet!
Ex-punk Two Tone is left for dead and his friend is taken. His assailants: men of mud from some place darker than Hell!
The inscrutable Sarpedon has slithered from the depths to rule a planet that has long abandoned hope for a better tomorrow. With no one to stop his spree of violence, it is only a matter of time before Two Tone’s world is overrun.
Old friends and a mysterious beauty gather by his side, but are they enough? Is it too late for this dying world? If all cats are grey in the dark, will anyone see the panther stalking its prey? Two Tone will find the answers the best way he knows how—through his fists!
Grey Cat Blues tells the tale of a distant planet at humanity’s end. In this place, a man must choose between love and hate. And where his choice leads him might not be where he expects . . .
The Empire’s Corps
by Christopher G. Nuttall
You Should Never Speak Truth To Power…
The Galactic Empire is dying and chaos and anarchy are breaking out everywhere. After a disastrous mission against terrorists on Earth itself, Captain Edward Stalker of the Terran Marine Corps makes the mistake of speaking truth to power, telling one of the most powerful men in the Empire a few home truths. As a result, Captain Stalker and his men are unceremoniously exiled to Avalon, a world right on the Rim of the Empire. It should have been an easy posting…
Well, apart from the bandits infesting the countryside, an insurgency that threatens to topple the Empire’s loose control over Avalon, and a corrupt civil government more interested in what it can extort from the population than fighting a war. The Marines rapidly find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of political and economic chaos, fighting to preserve Avalon before the competing factions tear the world apart. They’re Marines; if anyone can do it, they can
Schooled in Magic
by Christopher G. Nuttall
Emily is a teenage girl pulled from our world into a world of magic and mystery by a necromancer who intends to sacrifice her to the dark gods.
Rescued in the nick of time by an enigmatic sorcerer, she discovers that she possesses magical powers and must go to Whitehall School to learn how to master them.
There, she learns the locals believe that she is a “Child of Destiny,” someone whose choices might save or damn their world … a title that earns her both friends and enemies.
A stranger in a very strange land, she may never fit into her new world …
…and the necromancer is still hunting her. If Emily can’t stop him, he might bring about the end of days.
Book I in the Schooled in Magic series.
Lessons in Etiquette (Schooled in Magic Book 2)
by Christopher G. Nuttall
After completing her first year of learning magic at Whitehall School, Emily accepts an invitation from Princess Alassa to accompany her on her progress back to her home country of Zangaria, where the princess may meet her future husband. Alassa, who was a spoiled brat before she met Emily, wants to show off her friend – and impress potential suitors.
For Emily, it is a chance to relax and explore a world very different to Earth, meet new people and come to terms with her reputation in the Nameless World. After her defeat of Shadye, everyone wants to know her, to talk with her, to kill her … or to marry her. For Emily, hardly a social butterfly, the experience is disconcerting. She was never seriously courted before, not on Earth.
And yet, as she sees more of the countries surrounding Whitehall, she feels more and more out of place. The locals come from a very different culture, one that is often strange and horrifying to her eyes. Even her friends seem different people in their homes.
But dark forces are at work, plotting to capture the princess, take power in Zangaria … and undo all of Emily’s work. As all hell breaks loose, Emily may be all that stands between Zangaria and a return to the dark ages of brute force that threatened to lay the kingdom low, once before. And if she fails, her friends will be just the first victims of a war that will rip the Allied Lands apart.
Study in Slaughter (Schooled in Magic Book 3)
by Christopher G. Nuttall
Brimming with new ideas for magical research, Emily returns to Whitehall School for her Second Year, only to discover that things are going to be different. Her friends have become sports-mad fanatics, her new roommates are strangers to her, her new classes are far harder and one of the teachers seems to actively dislike her. As she returns to the comforting routine of the only place she considers home, she finds that Second Year will be far harder than the first.
But as the students settle in to continue their studies, it rapidly becomes clear that all is far from well at Whitehall. There’s a murderer running loose in the school. A murderer who may be a newborn necromancer. And then there’s the spy watching Emily from the shadows, waiting for her to make one tiny, but fatal mistake …
As the darkness falls on Whitehall, Emily may be their salvation…or the person who damns them all.
Providence
by Richard Sezov
Two coasts, two tragedies.
A car accident in the east sends the lives of multiple unrelated people in different directions, some of them on collision courses.
A school shooting in the west takes some lives and saves others.
What are we to make of all this?
Is life just a series of meaningless, unrelated events, or is reality following a plan?
A teacher, plumber, librarian, student, deadbeat, and others learn the answer to this and more during the course of a single, roller coaster of a day.
James R. Hannibal, award-winning and bestselling author of The Paris Betrayal says “Richard Sezov holds nothing back in this thoughtful and intense look at God’s sovereignty. He paints an intricate portrait of a dozen lives, steadily blending each stroke to show the Master Painter at work bringing good out of their suffering and sin.”
Nethereal (Soul Cycle Book 1)
by Brian Niemeier
He was drawing closer…
The flow of Teth had carried him to myriad worlds left diminished by his presence.
Now his search had compelled him to take ship with scofflaws.
And he was drawing closer.
The Sublime Brotherhood of Steersmen holds the Middle Stratum in its iron grip.
Jaren Peregrine, last of the Gen, raids across fringe space with Nakvin—her captain’s best pilot and only friend, apprentice steersman Deim, and mercenary Teg Cross.
Hunted by the ruthless Master Malachi, Jaren and his crew join a conspiracy to break the Guild’s monopoly with an experimental ship.
But when its maiden voyage goes awry, the Exodus flies farther off course than its crew could have imagined.
A Greater Duty (Galaxy Ascendant Book 1)
by Yakov Merkin
![A Greater Duty (Galaxy Ascendant Book 1) by [Yakov Merkin, John Zeleznik, Ben Zwycky]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5131vZzyr7L.jpg)
The Galactic Alliance was not ready for war. When it is suddenly invaded by the cold and relentless Tyrannodon Armada, under the command of emotionless, amoral Executor Darkclaw, it is immediately sent reeling.
The invasion was a godsend for some, however, such as Grand Admiral Nayasar Khariah, who had wanted nothing more than revenge on the Alliance following an attack on her homeworld. The arrival of the Tyrannodons presents her with an opportunity, one that she seizes gleefully.
However, Executor Darkclaw, who has been prosecuting the invasion on orders of his master, the all-powerful energy being known only as the High Lord, has started having second thoughts once he unexpectedly starts feeling emotions he does not understand. Suddenly, he 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 newfound 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…
Light Unto Another World: Volume 1
by Yakov Merkin
As a soldier, Uriel Makkis was prepared for many things. Being pulled through a portal into another world was not one of them.
He soon learns that he was brought to this world for a reason, as the heralded Sword of Light. However, something is amiss, as he first appeared in the middle of nowhere, rather than the capital as intended.
While he is meant to travel there straightaway to learn more, Uriel has no intention of doing as he’s told, not when there are people he can help right where he is.
Back home, he was just an average soldier; here, he can truly make a difference, and Uriel will not let the opportunity pass by.
But it won’t be easy. Uriel will have to rely on his faith, his newfound friends, and the skills and knowledge he brings from back home, as he throws himself headlong into a new conflict, becoming a beacon of light on this new world!
In this new isekai adventure, you can’t just leave the old world behind.
The Compleat Martian Invasion: Earth’s Defense Awakens
by John Taloni
With Earth left in shambles by the Martian invasion, Queen Victoria’s daughter Louise must lead the world through a dire emergency: The Martians are coming back. First she must rescue Cavor from his prison on the Moon in order to build a defense fleet. Even with Cavor their efforts would be for nothing without the genius of Nikola Tesla leading the way. And on Mars, unexpected allies fight a rearguard action to help Earth. Meanwhile the Time Traveler repeatedly appears, but is he friend or foe?
Review: A number of years have elapsed since the Martian Invasion chronicled by H.G. Wells in The War of the Worlds . The damage inflicted on the Earth was severe, and the protracted process of recovery, begun in the British Empire in the last years of Queen Victoria’s reign, now continues under Queen Louise, Victoria’s sixth child and eldest surviving heir after the catastrophe of the invasion. Just as Earth is beginning to return to normalcy, another crisis has emerged. John Bedford, who had retreated into an opium haze after the horrors of his last expedition, is summoned to Windsor Castle where Queen Louise shows him a photograph. “Those are puffs of gas on the Martian surface. The Martians are coming again, Mr. Bedford. And in far greater numbers.” Defeated the last time only due to their vulnerability to Earth’s microbes, there is every reason to expect that this time the Martians will have taken precautions against that threat to their plans for conquest.
Earth’s only hope to thwart the invasion before it reaches the surface and unleashes further devastation on its inhabitants is deploying weapons on platforms employing the anti-gravity material Cavorite, but the secret of manufacturing it rests with its creator, Cavor, who has been taken prisoner by the ant-like Selenites in the expedition from which Mr Bedford narrowly escaped, as chronicled in Mr Wells’s The First Men in the Moon . Now, Bedford must embark on a perilous attempt to recover the Cavorite sphere lost at the end of his last adventure and then join an expedition to the Moon to rescue Cavor from the caves of the Selenites.
Meanwhile, on Barsoom (Mars), John Carter and Deja Thoris find their beloved city of Helium threatened by the Khondanes, whose deadly tripods wreaked so much havoc on Earth not long ago and are now turning their envious eyes back to the plunder that eluded them on the last attempt.
Queen Louise must assemble an international alliance, calling on all of her crowned relatives: Czar Nicholas, Kaiser Wilhelm, and even those troublesome republican Americans, plus all the resources they can summon—the inventions of the Serbian, Tesla , the research of Maria Skłowdowska and her young Swiss assistant Albert, discovered toiling away in the patent office, the secrets recovered from Captain Nemo’s island, and the mysterious interventions of the Time Traveller , who flickers in and out of existence at various moments, pursuing his own inscrutable agenda. As the conflict approaches and battle is joined, an interplanetary effort is required to save Earth from calamity.
As you might expect from this description, this is a rollicking good romp replete with references and tips of the hat to the classics of science fiction and their characters. What seems like a straightforward tale of battle and heroism takes a turn at the very end into the inspiring, with a glimpse of how different human history might have been.
Crisis on Stardust Station
by John Taloni
The cats of Stardust Station have long hidden their intelligence from the humans that live there. Now a crisis threatens them both. Can the cats and humans learn to work together in time to save both the station and the planet below?
A few hundred years from now, Earth has gone to space…and come back. The remnant of a once vibrant space effort persists in the form of a few hundred solar power satellites that provide half of the world’s power. John Aldrin is one of four people crewing the last remaining space station, with the mission to keep the satellites operating. But Earth has neglected them so long that they are on the verge of breakdown.
Benign neglect has allowed something else to happen: In the station’s forest habitat, a group of genetically modified cats have grown to intelligence. Some have been adopted by the astronauts and brought to their living area. Natural telepaths, both groups of Cats have agreed to keep the knowledge of their intelligence secret from the humans.
Their equilibrium is destroyed when a solar flare strikes and knocks out the satellites. The Cats must reveal their secret to save both their station and the world below. But can they convince a skeptical Earth to work with them?
Thunder God of Mars: A Superhero Prose Novel
by John Taloni
Thor vs. Ares with the fate of Mars in the balance!
An urgent challenge calls Thor to Mars, where hostile forces threaten a new colony’s fragile future.
To aid the colonists he must contend against opportunistic deities from Earth and Mars, as well as the harsh environment of Mars itself.
This Novella-length book is inspired by Thor comics and Ray Bradbury’s “Martian Chronicles,” with a dash of Richard Riordan.
Contains six short stories making one complete arc.
Also includes a bonus story where being normal is enough to be a superhero.
Blood Pressure
by Joseph L. Kellogg
Exsanguinated.
Not a word any cop wants showing up in his report. But when a drained body falls from a skyscraper across national borders, the case lands on the desk of Agent Reylic Antali at the Trans-Metro Police, and it’s up to him and his team to figure out who the killer is, and what they’re after.
In a city where four magical races coexist under an uneasy unity, tensions flare up as more bodies land in the morgue. The city seems on the verge of tearing itself apart as Reylic and his Old Magic Task Force race to find the culprit. But what they find may change the nature of magic as they know it…
Joseph L. Kellogg is a chemist, originally from the Midwest and currently living in Appalachia with his wife and 2 dogs.
Life Support: Secret Operations
by Joseph L. Kellogg
Father Tanner treats the sick and injured on a dusty backwater planet.
Desperate for supplies, he takes a job to treat a visiting alien official, teaming up with Damien Rogers, an out-of-work smuggler, to get him there.
The problem?
They’re on the wrong side of enemy lines in the middle of a cold war.
Forced to hide their identities, Father Tanner and his team are stumped by the bizarre patient, whose condition steadily worsens.
To make matters worse, the alien crew catches onto the ruse, and the missionary is forced to turn to kidnapping.
Can they find the diagnosis before their only bargaining chip dies on the operating table?
Franklin Pierce in Death of a Vice President
by Eric M. Hamilton
Madness, murder, and mystery permeates throughout this Edgar Allan Poe-inspired thriller!
It is early April 1853.
Franklin Pierce, the newly elected President of the United States, has suffered the greatest personal tragedy of his life, plunging him into a depression fueled madness.
The Vice President, William King, unexpectedly appears at the White House in the middle of the night having overheard details of an international assassination conspiracy that threatens both King and Pierce. Unfortunately, Vice President King is killed without any clue as to who could have done it.
Can President Franklin Pierce overcome his personal demons and discover who killed the Vice President before they kill him too?
Franklin Pierce in Death of a Vice President is a thrilling psychological horror, starring the president from the 1850’s you forgot in 4th Grade. It’s an exciting read, and you don’t have to be familiar with Franklin Pierce at all to enjoy the story (in fact, it may be a better story if you go in knowing almost nothing). This is perfect for the American history-buff and “normal people” alike!
An Inconvenient Presidency
by Eric M. Hamilton
“It’s almost too funny!”
On January 20, 2001, Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. became the 43rd President of the United States for the second time…
Newly elected President Al Gore is given a mysterious device that allows his mind to travel back in time and relive his presidency. He needs it, too! There is always some disaster forcing him to start over. Soon, the time-traveling President begins to suspect there’s more going on with this device than he first suspected.
Read the hilarious story of the President that never was, and discover why history turned out different.
“I started reading and couldn’t stop! What a clever story!
The Fugitive Heir: Matt & Michelle Book 1
by Henry Vogel
“My parents are not dead!”
Everyone thinks I’m in denial, and have been ever since my parents vanished seven years ago. Everyone thinks I should just shut up and accept the vast inheritance coming my way. Everyone thinks I should let it go and get on with my life.
Everyone is wrong. I know my parents are still alive—but if I reveal how I know, I’ll be drafted into Psi Corps.
My inheritance can fund my search for them. I didn’t count on deadly opposition from the board of the very company I’m about to inherit. There are powerful people involved who will go to any lengths to protect their dark secrets and silence me forever, but these people don’t know about my three wildcards: my rebuilt spaceship, my best friend (who is also my bodyguard), and the psychic powers I’ve kept secret my entire life.
My parents are alive, and I’m going to find them and save them—whatever it takes.
Scout’s Honor: A Sword & Planet Adventure
(Scout Series Book 1)
by Henry Vogel
After crash landing on a long-lost colony world, Terran Scout David Rice’s life got really tough.
Thrown from the space age to the steam age in the blink of an eye, David is drawn into a desperate battle to save the beautiful Princess Callan from treacherous air pirates and ruthless slavers. Trapped in a world of clashing swords, brutal savages, royal machinations, and desperate rescues, David’s greatest battle is against his growing feelings for the betrothed Princess. With her life and the fate of two kingdoms hanging in the balance, which will David choose: love or honor?
Told in a relentlessly fast-paced style, Scout’s Honor is an exciting homage to the classic tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Leigh Brackett, as well as the cliffhanger-driven energy of the early science fiction movie serials. If you long for honorable heroes and feisty heroines, treacherous villains and loyal companions, get Scout’s Honor and join David’s journey.
Recognition Run
by Henry Vogel
Jeanine is on the run from someone very powerful.
She doesn’t know who wants her dead, or why.
She only knows they have already killed her family, and if they catch her, she’s next.
Drake’s family was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now, he drifts from spaceport to spaceport, searching for cargo and running from the grief he can never escape.
When Jeanine barrels into Drake’s life, he must push aside his grief and run with her.
But time is not their ally.
When they cannot run from their enemies, Jeanine’s and Drake’s only hope is to run toward those enemies.
Their only hope is to make The Recognition Run.
Pirates of the Electromagnetic Waves
(Yankee Republic Book 1)
by Fenton Wood
A young radio engineer travels across an alt-history America, encountering primeval gods, mythical beasts, and tall tales come to life, in a quest to build a radio transmitter that can reach the stars.
It all starts in the mountain town of Porterville.
Twelve-year-old Philo starts a pirate radio station with his friends, and learns that the world is a stranger place than he ever imagined.
The Ancient Marauder, the Bright and Terrible Birds, the Mishipeshu, and other creatures of myth and legend populate this enchanting mixture of science and fantasy.
YANKEE REPUBLIC is an old-school adventure series with traditional values and down-to-earth heroes. Escape from the pessimism and propaganda of modern fiction, and take a journey through a mythic America that might have been.
The Devil’s Dictum
Frederick Gero Heimbach
In a topsy-turvy United States founded by pirates, the personal assassin to the chief justice receives a terrifying order: round up and kill all men who look like himself.
Why does the chief justice want these men dead?
What threat could they possibly pose?
And can the assassin save them—or will he become the final victim?
Spooky, sly and satirical, The Devil’s Dictum recasts J. Edgar Hoover as a Satanic high priest, Calvin Coolidge as a private eye, and Richard Nixon as the pilot of a giant armored robot. Readers hungering for original and mind-blowing alternate history need look no further.
Ronald Reagan’s Brilliant Bullet: A Cold Warriors Novel
Frederick Gero Heimbach
It’s Ronald Reagan in a jet pack! The author of The Devil’s Dictum returns with another novel that shreds the history books.
The setting is the Cold War and Ronald Reagan has a shiny new toy to play with: a rocket powered suit. He’ll need it to battle the terrifying monstrosity Leonid Brezhnev is building on a secret base in Siberia.
Standing with Reagan are Margaret Thatcher and Billy Graham, each wielding super powers. (If Thatcher in an eye patch won’t turn you on, nothing will.)
Reagan insists on piloting the rocket himself—but the hardware is experimental and just might kill him.
Threats are everywhere: a treacherous Congressman, a wide-eyed nun from the Tudor era, an enigmatic boy genius called R2, talking heads on Mount Rushmore, punks in back alleys and missiles in the skies.
All while signs of a literal Armageddon unfold before Reagan’s steely eyes.
Dungeon Samurai Volume 1: Kamikaze (An Anti-LitRPG Dungeon Crawl)
by Kit Sun Cheah
![Dungeon Samurai Volume 1: Kamikaze (An Anti-LitRPG Dungeon Crawl) by [Kit Sun Cheah]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41cFhcsSKTL.jpg)
Yamada Yuuki is an ordinary college student with an extraordinary hobby: the classical martial art of Kukishin-ryu.
Until one fateful day when a demon rips through the fabric of space-time, abducts everyone in his dojo, and transports them to another world.
To return home, Yamada and his friends must join forces with other displaced humans to conquer the dungeon that runs through the heart of the world.
Standing in their way are endless hordes of bloodthirsty monsters and countless traps.
Armed only with steel, faith and guts, they must battle their way through the winding catacombs to confront the demon waiting at the bottom floor.
Yamada was once a student. Now he must become a samurai.
About the Author
Singapore’s first Hugo and Dragon Award nominated writer. A blogger and martial artist, he is the Herald of the Pulp Revolution, combining the aesthetics and mindset of the pulp era with modern-day tastes and tradecraft.
Author of the Covenant Chronicles and Song of Karma series.
Ice
by James Pyles
In eons past, the armies of Surtur the fire goddess and Ymir the frost giant waged an unceasing battle for dominance over the Earth. For all those ages, they maintained an uneasy but enduring balance. Then humanity rose from the mud, and with the passage of time, came to fear fire more than ice, devoting their own meager forces to the conflict. Not to be denied, Surtur beat back both mortals and giants, consigning the planet to unrelenting heat and the ice lords to seeming oblivion. Before leaving the material realm, in jest she gave humanity the gift of magic and the curse of the return of dragons.
For thousands of years thereafter, the race of people knew nothing but a world without ice. Spanning the globe in sailing ships, the humans continued to thrive and remembered not the distant past. Then Captain Ki-Moon Yong of the Oceanic Trading Company vessel the Star of Jindo is assigned the task of solving the most profound mystery ever encountered. Another ship has gone missing and her only remaining crewman suddenly commits suicide after visiting the sunken continent of Antarctica. All of the dinosaur species of the south have gone mad, invading the guarded towns and cities on their way north, as if to escape some monstrous terror.
The answers to these enigmas all lie on the continent at the bottom of the world, and Captain Moon must take the Star to a strange research facility to discover them. But once there, he is confronted with a truth so profound and so nightmarish that it will change the very nature of reality. Can the Star of Jindo escape the inevitable in time to warn an unbelieving world of that truth, or will they be consumed in frozen horror?
Transmutation Texas (Watcher of the Damned Book 1)
by R.H. Snow
In a World gone Viral, a Hero shall Arise – join the Revolution with WATCHER of the DAMNED!
The Happening wreaked havoc as Humanity got a hard reset from a deadly gender-cidal Virus – and for TransMutated Survivors like The Watcher, life in Post-Apocalyptic Texas just got a whole lot bloodier and a whole lot lonelier. In a cyberpunk Wild West gone awry, The Watcher was a Rebel without a clue under the System: a brutal, high-tech Social Construct engineered to serve the Enlightened and oppress the Damned. But that’s all about to change, thanks to a cheeky chaos agent named Rose…
Now The Watcher must lead a Revolution to save Rose from the System He helped create, or Rose will die – and Humanity will die with her.
Fight the System – Join the Revolution – with WATCHER of the DAMNED!
After the Sky:
(Spirits of the Earth Book 1)
by Milo James Fowler
The meek have not inherited the earth.
The world isn’t how they left it.
When the bunker airlocks release them after twenty years in hibernation, the survivors find a silent, barren world outside.
But they are not alone.
There is a presence here, alive in the dust—spirits of the earth, benevolent and malicious as they interact with the human remnant.
Milton is haunted by a violent past he’s unable to escape, despite the superhuman speed the spirits give him.
Not interested in bearing the next generation, Daiyna is determined to destroy the flesh-eating mutants lurking in the dark, pierced by her night-vision.
Luther is a man of conviction who believes the Creator has offered humankind a second chance, yet he’s uncertain they deserve it—and he’s perplexed by the talons that flex out of his fingers.
Willard is a brilliant engineer-turned-soldier who refuses to leave his bunker, afraid of becoming infected and willing to destroy any obstacle in his way.
As their lives collide, the mysteries of this strange new world start unraveling, culminating in the ultimate life-or-death decision one survivor will make for them all.
Don’t miss this Post Apocalyptic Adventure with a Paranormal Fantasy twist! It’s perfect for fans of Stephen King, T.W. Piperbrook, and The Walking Dead.
Order of the Blood: Historical Vampire Mystery (The Unofficial Chronicles of John Grissom Book 1)
by Page Zaplendam
![Order of the Blood: Historical Vampire Mystery (The Unofficial Chronicles of John Grissom Book 1) by [Page Zaplendam]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51HO2p4G60L.jpg)
A Dark, Secret Society
A World At War
A Mad King
Bacteriologist John Grissom is determined to find a cure to the vampirism he suffers, but then his world goes sideways when he foolishly decides to pull a thread. Suddenly, he’s left with the choice of ignoring a conspiracy that might destroy the land he loves or going up against one of the most powerful vampire lords in England.
Along the way, he comes to a precarious accord with the vampire hunter, Gerhard Van Helsing, and his life of solitude is enlightened with his enigmatic down-on-her-luck assistant, Henrietta Isherwood. The trio find themselves traveling from London to Brighton and back again, from a vampire-proof dungeon to a glittering masked assembly, risking life and limb to stay one step ahead of the vampire earl.
The Space-Time Conundrum: A Funny Sci-fi Space Adventure (Captain Quasar Book 1)
by Milo James Fowler
Captain Quasar is out of time.
Pursued by vengeful Goobalob toll collectors, savage Arachnoid bounty hunters, and formidable Amazonians, Captain Bartholomew Quasar must do whatever he can to keep the crew of the Effervescent Magnitude out of harm’s way.
All in a day’s work—except time is not on his side.
Torn from the present to relive his past, he vows to keep mistakes from occurring the second time around. But is he doomed to repeat history? Or can he erase his regrets?
Villains will be vanquished. Lives will be lost. Bonds will be betrayed. Heroes will be heroic. Join the crew of the Effervescent Magnitude for a hilarious time-travel space adventure the likes of which you’ve never seen!
The Hitchhiker’s Guide meets Star Trek in this series for fans of Galaxy Quest, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Wars Legends.
Eydis: The Island of the Dragon Bride (The Legend of Eydis)
by C.S. Johnson *FREE*
The clouds in front of him began to shade over, their airy inscriptions spelling out a message of welcome—or maybe a warning—as the promise of land became clear.
Eydis.
As an accomplished Viking warrior, Sterlig Kyvansson always found a way to get what he wanted—until he wanted Arja Freydottir. After Sterlig is denied the right to marry Arja, he is determined to do anything in his power to claim her as his own—even if it means slaying the dragon that guards the cursed island of Eydis.
With his brother’s sword at his side and Arja’s hand on the line, Sterlig sets out for Eydis with his friends. When they arrive, they quickly find that the rumors of Eydis are all true, including the irresistible beauty of the Princess of Eydis, Brynja the Bride. With her blessing, Sterlig heads out into battle with the dragon.
But near that battle’s end, Sterlig discovers the terrifying secret behind Eydis’ power. Is it already too late, or can his discovery still make a difference?
With danger, friendship, and a surprising twist, Eydis: The Island of the Dragon Bride is a Viking fantasy adventure from award-winning, genre-hopping author C. S. Johnson.
Across the Floors of Silent Seas: A Short Story (Till Human Voices Wake Us Book 1)
by C.S. Johnson *FREE*
Do mermaids believe in humans?
While working on a deep-sea diving assignment at the University of California, oceanography student Jay Bishop is dragged into a volcanic tube towards the earth’s core and certain death.
But much to his surprise, Jay not only survives the fall, he finds himself taken prisoner by a community of mermaids and kept alive as a science experiment. Confused and disoriented, Jay’s only hope to escape back to the surface is found in Paga, an elder of the community who believes Jay’s unexpected arrival marks the fulfillment of a terrifying prophecy.
With the community rising against them, Jay and Paga face dangerous choices — and their consequences — if Jay is ever to see home again. Will Jay make it back to the world on the surface? And even if he does, how can his life be the same ever again?
FROM THE BOOK:
“Are the others boring you to death, that you’re listening so intently to my remarks, darling?” Jay asked, teasing even though he welcomed her churlish chatter.
“People confuse boredom for stability, and stability for sanity,” she muttered.
Jay laughed. “Well, I’m sure some people would never assume we had a solid grip on sanity before we decided to become oceanographers. With several metric tons of water pressure surrounding us at these depths, I’m sure someone would be quick to question our mental facilities and their working order.”
“True enough, brother mine.” Noelani paused, and Jay knew she was likely rolling her pretty eyes. “And yours especially, since your sanity was barely there to begin with.”
FROM THE AUTHOR:
Enjoy this short story adventure tale set before Till Human Voices Wake Us, a science fantasy novel with an unlikable protagonist, sadistic mermaids, and the trip of a lifetime.
WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING:
“Very exciting prequel!! Lots of mystery and suspense. Can’t wait to read the next one!” ~ Dee Bookworm Book Reviews
“This is a very entertaining read, very action filled opening followed by a philosophical middle, with a thrill ride of an ending.” ~ Author C. O. Bonham
The Moonlight Pegasus: A Standalone High Fantasy Novel
by C.A. Sabol & C.S. Johnson *FREE*
Sapphira is a desert world with little plant life, where the people live in the shadows of gray sunlight, sickened by the Dark Plague.
To cure the people, the Guardian of Dreams sends the Spirit of Truth to bring the light back into his darkened world.
In the form of Pegasus, he enters the world through the pure, innocent dreams of Selene, the reluctant princess and heir-apparent to the throne.
Now, with her brother Dorian as king, another rebellion is stirring.
All eyes are turning to Selene to bring peace through an arranged marriage.
However, Selene only has eyes for her true love—her protector, Etoileon.
As the rebellion unleashes its fury upon the kingdom of Sapphira and the supernatural forces collide, Selene is caught in the middle of all conflicts—the battle for her world, the battle for her love, and the battle for her very soul.
Slumbering: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Series (The Starlight Chronicles Book 1)
by C.S. Johnson *FREE*
A narcissistic teenager who doesn’t believe in destiny.
A city under supernatural attack.
An adventure that unfortunately changes everything.
Sixteen-year-old Hamilton Dinger leads a charmed life. He’s got the grades for the top of the class, the abilities of a star athlete and Tetris player, and the charisma to get away with anything. Everything seems to be going along perfectly, including his plans to ask out Gwen Kessler, as he enters into tenth grade at Apollo Central High School.
Everything, that is, until a meteor crashes into the city, releasing the Seven Deadly Sinisters and their leader, Orpheus, from their celestial prison, and awakening Hamilton’s longtime dormant supernatural abilities. Suddenly Hamilton finds himself reluctantly allied with his self-declared mentor, Elysian, a changeling dragon, and Starry Knight, a beautiful but dangerous warrior, as they seek to protect the souls of Apollo City from the Sinisters and their evil intentions.
Can Hamilton give up his self-proclaimed entitlement to happiness in order to follow the call of a duty he doesn’t want? More importantly, will he willingly sacrifice all he has to find out the truth?
FROM THE BOOK:
At the time, I didn’t really believe that anything outside my control would change my life. Or at least, not in a significant, substantial way. My life was all about myself, and I figured I had complete control over that. Anything that happened outside of my control was more or less because I let it happen, and didn’t feel like stopping it.
It’s funny how one disaster of epic proportion can really make you change your mind.
FROM THE AUTHOR:
Welcome to the epic world of The Starlight Chronicles, a young adult fantasy series about a team of fallen Stars with supernatural powers. Follow them through this alternatively snarky and sweet series as they become their city’s resident superheroes, with all the fun and frustration of dragons and swords and homework! Look for Book 2, Calling, as the battle between good and evil continues on!
Perfect for young teenagers or disaffected college students, or adults who enjoy some wry humor with their reading!
WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING:
If you like Narnia, superhero adventures, or coming-of-age tales, definitely give this book a try. ~ Chandler Brett, author of Wolf Code
5 STARS! ~ Reader’s Favorite
… Hamilton’s inner progress toward heroism feels touchingly genuine, and there are plenty of good comic moments to keep the story moving … Percy Jackson fans will eagerly await the next volume in the series … A fast-paced, effective teen-paranormal outing. ~ Kirkus Reviews
Beauty’s Curse: A Historical Fantasy Fairy Tale Retelling of Sleeping Beauty (Once Upon a Princess Book 1)
by C.S. Johnson *FREE*
“I have better things to do.”
“Like what?” Rose asked. “Waste your life on a fool’s journey, under a silly girl’s orders?”
“I have never considered saving your life to be the same as wasting mine, Rosary.” He came and stood in front of her, the ease of his presence replaced by an unusual heat rather than familiar warmth. Rose had never before been bothered by the six inches he stood taller than her, but all of a sudden the shadow of his strength imposed itself on her.
The cursed beauty of the moonlight revealed the clarity and sharpness of his eyes as she gazed up at him. “What if you did waste your life though? What if?”
“If I have wasted my life, I have wasted it on you. Willingly.”
For four years, Princess Aurora of Rhone—Rose to her friends—has searched the world for a way to break the curse placed on her by Magdalina, the wicked ruler of the fairies at war with her kingdom. Under the curse, Rose is doomed to die on her eighteenth birthday after pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. And time is running out.
On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Rose makes the journey home with her friends—Theo, a priest with a penchant for revenge; Mary, a young and talented fairy; and Ethan and Sophia, siblings with a troubled past–as pressure from her father, King Stefanos, leaves her with two equally unsatisfying options: Abdicate the throne, or get married.
Enjoy this novella series retelling of the Sleeping Beauty, with new characters, new plot twists, and plenty of action and adventure. Perfect for teen and young adult historical fantasy readers, and check out Part II, “Beauty’s Quest,” as the story continues!
A Knight’s Quest for the Holy Grail
by C.S. Johnson *FREE*
It’s not always the quest for the cup. Sometimes, it’s the quest for what’s in the cup.
Lance wants nothing more than to be there to fight the dragons for his beloved Princess Alexandra. With his faithful steed by his side, Lance sets out for the magic elixir found only in the Holy Grail. With its strengthening power, facing off an old hag, the bewitching woods, and the strange ogre who lives under a bridge should be easy.
But when it comes to Alexandra’s dragons, things aren’t quite what they all seem to be.
Will Lance’s gift be enough — or will his princess require something even more powerful to sustain her?
Pull up a cup of your favorite “elixir” and enjoy this sweet and snarky satire story from C. S. Johnson, where the dragons are real, even if they aren’t.
FROM THE STORY:
Every knight has a quest, and every quest has its reward.
As a knight-errant, albeit one still in training, with only a year of service behind him, Lance took his duty seriously. But waking up was also a serious business, and that was why, despite the midmorning light flickering over his face, Lance was still half asleep. His faithful steed stepped up to help him, breathing smelly fumes into his face.
“Blah!” Lance sputtered, trying to clear his tongue of the frothy waft. “What have you been eating, Percy?”
His pet’s pungent wake-up call forced Lance to roll over. When the heat of Percy’s breath continued to eat into the shield of his pending sleep, Lance finally gave in to his beast’s rude awakening.
“Alright, I’m getting up. Back from me, you fearsome brute.”
The horse was far from intimidated by Lance’s waking grogginess; instead, he moved closer to his master, nuzzling him with his wet nose.
“You’re lucky you’re the runt of your family,” Lance grumbled, sitting up. He patted down his hair, brushing the chestnut locks out of his eyes, before taking in the full sight of the bouncing creature before him. “Or you would be tied outside, like the ones at my mother’s house.”
Percy gave a small yip, and the nuzzle became a nudge.
“Alright, alright,” Lance muttered, petting his horse’s long, flowing mane playfully. “I know you’re hungry.”
He also knew there was no point in trying to sleep when Percy was hungry—no matter how sleepy he still was.
“I suppose you’re right, anyway, Percy.” Lance yawned and rubbed his hands over his face. “We promised the princess we would save her today, and every knight knows there is nothing more important than completing his quest.”
Lance tossed Percy several treats and stroked his pet affectionately, before he put on his armor for the day. He pulled a breastplate polished to a shine over his head, slipped his feet into protective boots, and even donned a helmet to protect his face from the bright summer sunshine.
Before too long, he stepped outside his quarters. Percy came trotting eagerly after him. With his steed at his side and a grin on his face, Lance set out into the morning to see his princess.
“Princess Alexandra, I am coming for you,” he called out rapturously, eager to see his beloved once more.
FROM THE AUTHOR:
It’s a good romantic tale that hints at the darker sides of depression and mental health, and the troubles we sometimes face when we befriend our demons, with liquid portals, jokes about avocados, strange references to illegal plants, and coffee runs.
What’s not to love?
WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING:
“… An endearing story of love … ” ~ Dee Bookworm
The Heights of Perdition: A Science Fiction Romance Series (The Divine Space Pirates Book 1)
by C.S. Johnson *FREE*
Falling in love was out of the question … until it was the answer.
There is nothing Aeris St. Cloud wants more than to win her father’s love and the acceptance of her family unit by joining the Military Academy at New Hope. But after she is captured by the fearsome space pirate, Captain Chainsword, Aerie is certain falling in love with her nation’s arch enemy is the last possible way to earn their coveted esteem.
Driven by vengeance, Exton Shepherd never set out to save anyone. As he circles the war-torn world in his pirated starship, the Perdition, he only sees his father’s ghost lurking around every corner and the looming darkness on the horizon. When Aerie unexpectedly tumbles into his life, he finds he cannot trust her, anymore than he can ignore her. But just like the raging war down on Earth, it’s tempting to think he can …
When the war ascends to the heights of the Perdition, Aerie’s loyalty, and Exton’s heart, are put to the test. But will love be enough to save them — and others — from certain destruction?
FROM THE AUTHOR:
The Heights of Perdition is the first book in the Divine Space Pirates trilogy, a futuristic romance series where family, faith, and freedom take center stage.
WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING:
Questions raised about government, religion, and human nature were peppered throughout the narrative, elevating The Heights of Perdition from a mere space fantasy to something much more thought-provoking. ~ Author Jess Jesinghaus
Rebel Heart (Engines of Liberty Book 1)
by Graham Bradley *FREE*
For centuries the British Empire has ruled territories the world over, maintaining its grasp on its far-flung colonies by way of magic and brute force. Any successful attempt at rebellion is short-lived, as the rebels do not have the benefit of wizardy on their side.
The most recent attempt at secession happened in the New World in 1776, some two hundred years ago. General George Washington nearly succeeded at rallying his countrymen in a military revolt against the Crown. But disunity and infighting ultimately brought them down, and Washington was executed in a public spectacle.
Most people gave up. But not all.
The cleverest and most driven survivors went to ground. They learned from their mistakes. They planned, they plotted, they tinkered and they toiled. They began to develop new weapons and machines that would level the playing field. With technology at their fingertips, anyone could stand toe-to-toe with a British mage and come off conqueror.
The uprising has been a long time coming. The arsenal is as large as it’s going to get. Now all the “technomancer” army needs is soldiers, young patriots like Calvin Adler, who has had enough of the mages pushing him around.
Freedom beckons, if he will but pay the price in blood, sweat, and tears.
This is the New Revolution.
Kill The Beast
by Graham Bradley *FREE*
In this spoof on a classic fairy tale, village hero Gautier must get past his recent spurning by local heartthrob Robinette, who has gone missing from their French mountain town.
When newcomer Danielle arrives in the middle of the night, claiming to have been attacked in the woods by a giant beast, Gautier sets out to find it and put it down…
…only to learn that Robinette might be involved, and that his love for her might not be true.
About the Author:
Graham took up creative writing in the 3rd grade and has pursued it ever since. Alongside his childhood hobby of drawing on any blank sheet of paper he could find, this talent blossomed into his eventual career goal, and his is now an author-illustrator.
Diving headfirst into just about any speculative genre, Graham prefers sci-fi and fantasy, with a focus on machinery and technology. Colorful worlds and aesthetics are a must, and above all, he wants readers to have fun.
Originally from Nevada, Graham lives in the mountain west with his wife and kids.
Sleepless Hollow
by Graham Bradley*FREE*
Josie Penninger can see ghosts, and it’s been nothing but trouble for her. She learned not to talk about it in her teens, but that didn’t make the trouble go away.
Now that she’s out of college and short on cash, she decides to embrace her abilities and work with local ghosts to solve old mysteries. And since she lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York, there’s plenty of work to keep her busy.
But then, on Halloween night, an old ghost comes to town with vengeance in his heart and a two hundred year-old score to settle. Using highly advanced spectral technology, he traps ten thousand people inside the town borders and uses them to power a machine that will let him alter history. Even if he fails, his machines might kill everyone Josie knows.
Now she has to team up with a spirit who knows far more about her than he lets on, and a freelancing ghost hunter who shoots first and doesn’t bother asking questions at all. The three of them should be able to take down one simple villainous ghost, right?
Unless he has the deadliest warrior-ghost of the region in his corner…
Packed with action, wit, humor, and good old-fashioned fun, SLEEPLESS HOLLOW is an illustrated adventure that ties in fully with Washington Irving’s classic American horror story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Uriel’s Revenge: A Dark Sci-fi Adventure (The Cliptic Book 1)
by David Roome
Small-time privateers battle ancient terrors at the edge of the Solar System!
For Brian Zaks, developing his skills as a space pilot and combat maneuvers specialist for Elwood’s Privateers took highest priority.
But he couldn’t ignore fellow privateer and ex-girlfriend Evvie Evans when she begged him for help with her nocturnal hallucinations of a raven-headed demon.
Then Elwood’s treasure-hunting hobby uncovered the lost secrets of an ancient cult, thrusting Brian and Evvie into an interplanetary clash between the cult’s present-day descendants.
Can they defeat a primeval power threatening to upend human civilization?
Uriel’s Revenge is a horror-tinged sci-fi adventure. Read it today and escape to the Cliptic!
