Best of
Hard-Science-Fiction

2009

Title Fight


Scott Sigler - 2009
    Lethal human contender Chiyal “The Heretic” North wants to be the greatest fighter of all time, but to get that title he has to take it from aging intergalactic heavyweight champion Korak the Cutter. Korak, undefeated in the ring and the hero of his Quyth race, knows the time has come to hang it up, but he also knows his legacy will be forever tarnished if he doesn’t take this one last fight.With millions of dollars at stake, Chiyal and Korak have to handle sponsors, high-tech corner crews, managers with agendas of their own, and evade the influence of gangster and fight-fixer Gredok the Split-Head.In this winner-take-all tale, Wallace and Sigler deliver blows so severe you’ll need a standing eight-count between every episode. The bell will ring, the blood will fly, but only one fighter can leave with the galactic heavyweight belt.

The Complete Alpha Dreamer


Al PhilipsonRichard Womack - 2009
    Can love come of such a match?THE PRECIPICESpano was a herder with dreams beyond the tribe’s valley.THE FIFTH EDGEWhen Jason’s molecular structure got blasted sideways, his future looked very dim indeed.COLONEL HATCH’S BLUE HORSEHatch had enough problems fighting Rebs without the addition of a blue alien in his HQ.HEATJohnny’s a “hit man” who hates heat. So why is he looking for his victim on the sunside of Mercury?THE CAMELFORD PROBLEMThe crew of a survey ship finds that if it looks to good to be true, it isn't.THE RETURN OF FRANCIS T. McCRACKENHeroism is something that can transcend cultures, or even species.ACROSS THE IRISH SEAThose who ignore history are bound to repeat it.DARK VOICESDisembodied voices from the stars strip away all that Steve holds dear.TIME TO REMEMBERTime travel didn’t work out well for MaryRIPPLES IN TIMEWhen is a mirage not a mirage?ARSE AND ALLCharlie’s client gave him a great container for smuggling. But there was a hitch.VOICESSaving a life can have unintended consequences.NAIVITEThe power of stupidity should never be ignored.SURROGATEMetal can replace the flesh, but how about the heart?LLANDOR A GUARDIANJane was a superwoman and the object of Llandor’s lust. Could he join the ranks of super-soldiers to win her?DEMON BATTLELlandor stands between the invaders and Earth. Can he survive?TERROR WAR III – THE EXTREMISTIn terror wars of the future, some will take the fight to any extreme.GOD WHISPERERIn the frontier of Mars settlers learn redemption never comes without sacrifice.SCHRODINGER’S GRANDFATHERGottfried went back in time to set his life right, but small choices create large consequences.ANECDOTAL EVIDENCEDid humans ever exist? Are there any left? Dedo wanted to know. Maybe the Siferi could help.140,600 words (equivalent to 527 pages in mass market paperback form)Rated "PG"

Book of Books


A.k. Usher - 2009
    What neither David nor anyone else knows, is that he is no ordinary best-selling author. Each new book he writes portrays the world as an increasingly volatile place dominated by fanaticism, social chaos and addiction to technology. With an uncanny resemblance to the stories he writes, the real world follows David’s vision into a dark and perilous future.Elijah and Violet, an unlikely duo recruited for their unique talents, must stop this cataclysmic process before it reaches a point of no return. Armed with just the barest information, they will learn to understand their task as they learn to understand one another. Finding the doomsday author is only the first step. To succeed, they will need to face the brotherhood that has kept the world in balance since the dawn of civilization and learn the true nature of The Book of Books.102,700 words (385 page paperback equivalent)

That Which is Human


Bruce C. Davis - 2009
    Alan 'Mac' McAllister and his flying partner 'Ivan' Ivchenko are in the thick of the fighting. Battling the Lizards is bad enough, but fighting a planet full of rebel humans tests their friendship and Mac's integrity as a Naval pilot. But the biggest test for Mac is maintaining his own sanity in the face of a creeping dependence on the electronic link that allows him to fly the most advanced combat spacecraft ever devised. When a vicious counter attack by the Rilz places the lives of his ex-wife and her new family in harms way, he must set aside that which is still human within him in a final showdown with mankind's most implacable enemy.

Children of Destruction


Al Philipson - 2009
    What’s the last man on Earth supposed to do with 4 attractive women and a boy? What is so special about them? Why did they survive when everyone else was suddenly and mysteriously destroyed? What caused this catastrophe?The answers are revealed in a story of survival that spans over 200 years.From their adopted farm in Washington to inter-species conflicts among the stars, you’ll meet the most unusual family of survivors ever contrived by circumstance and necessity.Rated "R"