Best of
Near-Future

2012

The Gift of Light


Jen Gentry - 2012
    They see into the spiritual realm and commune with angels. With this exciting tale, reminiscent of the great Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness, debut author Gentry portrays in realistic terms the angelic and demonic creatures who inhabit our world, and why. A centuries-old battle, waged in the heavenly realm between the forces of good and evil, is fast reaching a flashpoint in Hook Pond. Demon Prince Azelius has a centuries-old stronghold over the family of Senator Brad Steel, whose goal is to become President of the United States, a goal Azelius wants him to achieve. Azelius wants the senator’s son as well, but someone is praying and interfering with his plans. That someone must be silenced, permanently. When young Bradley Steel finds the Lord, he goes through a profoundly life-changing experience. He is overwhelmed with the need to ask forgiveness for an adolescent transgression that has haunted his life. Marta forgives him and promises forgetfulness as well. They become friends and eventually fall in love and marry. Bradley goes to Afghanistan as chaplain and is critically wounded in an explosion, but a pregnant Marta is told of his death. With the presidential election drawing near, Senator Steel makes his bid, and threatened with exposure of past misdeeds including adultery and kidnapping ending with murder, he utilizes his demonic connections to summon the Ba’al and a shaman priest. A spine tingling ending that will have you cheering.

Apocalypse


Rashad Freeman - 2012
    Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain now they're on the menu. When a small band of survivors comes under attack, they must leave the safety of the compound and take their chances on the outside. (Includes an excerpt from the upcoming novel "Night Slashers")

World's Collider: A Shared-World Anthology


Richard SalterJonathon Templar - 2012
    So far... In the near future, an experiment at the Large Hadron Collider causes an enormous explosion, known as the Collision. The blast flattens a huge chunk of central Europe and punches a massive hole in the Earth's surface. Over the next decade, unspeakable horrors pour from the rift: vicious creatures with a taste for human flesh, a terrible scream that drives all who hear it insane, a phantom entity that feeds on fear and paranoia, and a nightmare train from the pits of hell, to name but a few. This onslaught of terror causes the collapse of civilization and threatens to wipe humanity from the planet. World's Collider is a unique concept in short fiction, where all eighteen original stories are part of a common narrative, recounting the disaster and its aftermath. A true novel by many voices, including Steven Savile, James Moran, Aaron Rosenberg, Trent Zelazny, Jonathan Green, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Kelly Hale, Richard Wright and a host of new talent. Fifty million people died in the Collision. They were the lucky ones... "Each component cranks up the tension and the disparate tales combine in mosaic-fashion to deliver a truly gripping narrative." - Ian Whates, author of The Noise Within

Finding Abigail,( A Shimmer Lake Novel # 2)


Christina Smith - 2012
    It has now been split into two books.Due to violence and language, this book is recommended for 18+Now that Abby is safe, living in a lake house on Shimmer Lake, she feels free. The scenery is breathtaking and tranquil. The town is quaint and friendly. She should be happy and relaxed.However, just because the beatings stopped, doesn’t mean the scars have disappeared. It takes some time to get used to living without the abuse from her ex-fiancé Nick. She finds herself looking over her shoulder never quite trusting her safety and wondering when he will finally find her.As if that’s not enough to deal with, Sylvia’s grandson Noah lives next door and insists on looking after her. He is good looking, kind…and very much male.After six long months of abuse, she can’t trust another man. She fears him, but can’t explain why since she is hiding the truth.Will Noah give up trying to help her or will Abby finally find the strength to except that not all men are evil and come to trust him?

A Clockwork Butterfly


Tabitha Rayne - 2012
    Toxins have all but wiped out the male population. The remaining fertile men are housed in manors where their seed is collected. Lena Lee is a new collector with a rare pheromone believed to reignite human fertility. She's assigned a male who's predicted to be her perfect match. Angelo, a clockwork butterfly maker, is held captive, his essence harvested daily by Lena. Over time, the couple begins to fall in love, something which is strictly prohibited. When their forbidden love is discovered, Lena is banished from the manor. Torn apart by the duty that brought them together, Lena and Angelo must find a way back to each other. But even if Angelo manages to escape, he doesn't know where to find Lena. Will following the path of the clockwork butterfly lead him to his true love? Content Warning: strong language, BDSM, and graphic sexual content, including m/f, f/f, and f/f/m sexual interaction

The Analyst


Henry L. Sullivan III - 2012
    This invasion of privacy is possible because Bryce Anderson - the analyst - is one of six hundred people participating in the clinical trial of the Six Sense Cranial Implant, an exciting new technology developed by the company Six Sense International. The implant has been surgically attached to Bryce's brain, thereby granting him 24/7 access to the internet and the ability to surf the web, text, and email with his mind. This augmented reality eliminates the need for computers, tablets and cell phones. At first Bryce has no idea that his implant has been hacked and doesn't question the mysterious appearance of confidential information regarding layoffs, outsourcing, and bonuses for executives in the company Midwest Corp. His research center has been trying to get that information for some time. But when his life is threatened Bryce discovers without a doubt that his implant has been hacked. He becomes desperate to uncover the identity of the hacker and to get rid of them; but all the while he is haunted by the question of why this person chose to hack into his brain and therefore into his life. THE ANALYST is the first story of the Chicago Democratic National Convention 2020 series. In this compelling fictionalized view of the great city of Chicago in the future issues in the areas of education, labor, and security will be explored through page turning stories.