Maggie is a funeral director from Indiana who lives a double life. Bug is a ten-year-old boy in the Pennsylvania foster care system who is sent to live with an aunt he doesn't know. Jimmy is a former paramedic and prescription drug addict on his way to meet a woman he met online who thinks he's a successful doctor. Helen is a Chicago insurance investigator who is leaving her marriage in search of the woman she wants to be. Four strangers, all traveling to Boston in search of better lives, are tied together in ways they don't even realize. Each are trying to fill the void of what's missing in their lives. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to overcome all that we lack.

    8378Nadin's planet is dying. As its atmosphere drains away, her people are forced to live huddled in domed cities for protection. With only enough resources to support the population for one more year, time is running out. Nadin thinks she's found a way to save Iamos, but it will mean defying the planet's rulers, the geroi—and betraying the geroi could cost her everything.When a strange boy from another world appears out of nowhere outside the citidome's glass walls, Nadin knows for sure that her plan will work. But to build the device that can save her people, Nadin must first find the legendary city of Elytherios. And to do that, she'll need the help of the mysterious alien boy named Isaak.MARS, 2073 C.E.All Isaak wanted was to get through his senior year at the Academy in one piece. Everything would have been fine if he hadn't found that ancient coin among his missing father's possessions. The coin seems to have a strange connection not only to Isaak's family, but to Mars' ancient past.But how is that possible, on a planet that was supposed to be dead until just forty years ago?Now Isaak's got agents of the Earth's government on his tail and a deranged factory worker stalking his every move. Everyone is desperate to get their hands on something called the Key. And the only way to escape is to unlock an even bigger secret, one that could change his life—and the fate of Mars—forever.

     The catastrophic Abunga virus has wiped out everyone on Earth except for a few scattered souls with natural immunity. Other humans escaped this Apocalypse by fleeing to other parts of the Solar System, populating and exploiting its moons and planets. A thousand years on, those now living on these distant outposts still can't return but secretly confine and observe the survivors as a combination of social experiment and nostalgic entertainment. Their former home is now a ‘holopark’, a new Eden, a Heaven on Earth. It’s a chance for the human race to start all over again. There, Gibbous Moon, a 70-year-old tribal story-teller and seer, is leaving his settlement on a solitary Last Walk Out. Except that he is not alone. Reluctantly he has to accept animal company in the shape of a determined dog he names Yellow. And then his daughter-in-law Paintbrush and her baby Skyman suddenly appear after their clan is brutally massacred by rivals on the reservation. Could it be possible that this small renegade band could now form an unlikely alliance, the basis of a real New Beginning? Praise for David Helton: "The Last Walk Out is a story that satisfies on many levels – compelling and adventurous, with engaging characters including strong and individualistic women, it investigates the wisdom and contradictions mankind has confronted across history." - Amazon Review David Helton was born in San Francisco, graduated from the University of Texas and has spent most of his working mainly as a freelance journalist and documentary scriptwriter. He has won or been nominated for several international awards and has written one other novel, King Jude. He now lives in England.

    But not everyone aboard shares such noble ideals. Bootlegging, booze, and prostitution form a lucrative underground economy for rival gangs, which the authorities are happy to turn a blind eye to until a disassembled corpse is found dancing in the micro-gravity. In charge of the murder investigation is Nikki "Fix" Freeman, who is not thrilled to have Alice Blake, an uptight government goody-two-shoes, riding shotgun. As the bodies pile up, and the partners are forced to question their own memories, Nikki and Alice begin to realize that gang warfare may not be the only cause for the violence.

    But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?When Alison meets Dr Faraday, a visiting psychologist, she feels an instant connection. More, he believes her story. But there's more to Faraday than Alison can possibly imagine ... and the answers he will give her are ... extraordinary ...

    Power outages plague key cities and military bases, causing wide spread panic and chaos. Only the Space Agency seems to have a grasp on the situation but with all their combined resources, they’re baffled. Captain Warren Miller races to join his colleagues in the Agency headquarters, hoping to convince his superiors to launch their latest space craft, the battlecruiser Leviathan, which may be able to defy this intruder. In the absence of communication, he hopes a little intimidation might bring about a conversation. But then smaller objects descend upon the Earth, grabbing up people from all over the globe. Captain Miller never makes it back to base, forcing the Agency to scramble for a response. With the weight of an expectant world beating down on them and the alien threat looming above, they have no choice but to engage the enemy or simply witness history in the making.

    Now, he’s being pursued by a homicidal interstellar tourist board, and calculating insurance dividends is as outdated as making stone axes. Sci-fi-hating technophobe Colin embarks on a desperate struggle to find a cure for his illness, as well as a place for himself in this strange new galaxy where toilets talk back, and door handles are a long-forgotten relic. Only by teaming up with his rescuer, hard-boiled, space-traveling archaeologist Tyresa Jak (that’s Doctor Jak to you), can Colin hope to succeed before time runs out. Along the way, this galactic odd-couple must evade the Erd Tourist Board - a powerful mega-corporation which will do anything to ensure the mythical Earth stays mythical - and deal with a crackpot religious cult who not only possess a cure for Colin’s illness, but who also believe there is more to this caveman from Earth than meets the eye.... Don't miss the start of this side-splitting intergalactic adventure that will keep you laughing into the night. It's perfect for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Space Team. Also available on Audible, narrated by Steve West.

    There is no question on sentience. The galaxy is alive, filled with life, the only issue, us humans aren’t invited. The Galactic Star Alliance awaits your exploration. We acknowledge the vastness of time, the cyclical nature of civilization; and the obscurity of our own history. When we began debating “why hasn’t sentient life has been found in our galaxy?” All those years back, we were among the era of exoplanets. Every week it seemed NASA would announce a new outpouring of worlds, all vastly beyond reach, but each recalculating the likelihood of potential Earths. But to us, the numbers seemed staggering, compelling, surely there are others. So if our galaxy is full of sentient life, we thought of a simple, logical reason why no one has said hello: no one wants to. Stepping back and casting an objective eye on ourselves, it seems painfully obvious that humans lack a fundamental respect for their planet and each other. They possess extremely short memories and long grudges, and the idea of giving them the motivation or tools to hasten their expansion seems downright foolhardy. That being said, who are these judges?From that simple notion birthed a million questions; How is faster than light possible? Could you have cohesive interstellar civilizations without it? How could you even govern a coalition of not different countries, but of species? Each question only created another, and each answer built our world piece by piece until it spanned thousands of answers and millions of lightyears. As for the title, from where would our judges watch us?- Matthew is the CEO of Heavy Metal Entertainment that encompasses Heavy Metal Magazine & all other media ventures. As well, Matthew has been an Adjunct Professor at NYU, teaching classes on IP Creation and Digital marketing strategy and John is an aerospace engineer for Lockheed Martin who performs mechanical design for NASA deep space missions. with 3 satellites using his designs currently orbiting our planet.All science in the book is accurate and the theoretical science is backed up by science theory. No assertions in these works is fanatical.

    Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us an extraordinary space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction, and how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all.The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.After earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared—and Idris and his kind became obsolete.Now, fifty years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space. It's clearly the work of the Architects—but are they returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, that many would kill to obtain.

    She’s been struggling to figure out where her life is going, so she thinks maybe a weekend away may not be such a bad thing. A chance encounter and a warped sense of humor will shake her life up in ways she never saw coming. Taylor Ables thinks attending an Educator’s Conference is a giant waste of time and money. She’s happy with her life even though she’s sworn off love after having her heart broken a few years ago. Will this year’s meeting force her to step outside of her comfort zone and learn that sometimes it’s worth taking a chance for the possibility of love? Just how far will a person go to change their life?

    To keep her safe and secure, she’ll need a group of skilled handmaidens who can be her assistants, confidantes, defenders, and decoys. Each girl is selected for her particular talents, but it will be up to Padmé to unite them as a group. When Naboo is invaded by forces of the Trade Federation, Queen Amidala and her handmaidens will face the greatest test—of themselves, and of each other.

    In another universe, humanity is overrun by monsters so evil that their very presence dims the light of the stars. In yet another universe, humanity is drawn into an endless battle for dominion over the galaxy. This is not one of those universes. In this universe, humanity is in charge of the Galactic Peace Committee. In theory, the Committee is an unmatched force for good, bringing peace and prosperity to countless worlds and ensuring that conflicts between different races are settled with words and not planet-cracking weaponry or super plagues designed to turn everyone into goo. In theory. Jake Smith is a diplomat. He works for the Committee. This is his story – and it goes about as well as you’d expect. In other words, it doesn’t go very well at all. Can Jake survive petty aliens? Sure. He’s a diplomat. It’s all part of the job. What about angry aliens? Probably. He does have a killer robot for a secretary, and he’s not bad with a shock staff. How about a fleet of aliens out for blood? That… that might be a little bit trickier. The Galactic Peace Committee… keeping peace (sort of) throughout the galaxy.

    When the desperate crew of a cargo vessel stops by her shipyard looking for her spiritually advanced sister Nova, Alana stows away. Maybe her boldness will land her a long-term gig on the crew. But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he's a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence. The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego . . . and Alana can't keep her eyes off her. But there's little time for romance: Nova's in danger and someone will do anything--even destroying planets--to get their hands on her.

    I’m straight . . . I think. I also have a mountain of student loans and a smart mouth. I wasn’t serious when I told Pari Sadashiv I’d marry her. It was only party banter! Except Pari needs a green card, and she’s willing to give me a breather from drowning in debt.My off-the-cuff idea might not be so terrible. We get along as friends. She’s really romantically cautious, which I find heartbreaking. She deserves someone to laugh with. She’s kind. And calm. And gorgeous. A couple of years with her actually sounds pretty good. If some of Pari’s kindness and calmness rubs off on me, that’d be a bonus, because I’m a mess -- anorexia is not a pretty word -- and my little ways of keeping control of myself, of the world, aren’t working anymore.And, if I slip up, Pari will see my cracks. Then I’ll crack. Which means I gotta get out, quick, before I fall in love with my wife.

    Owens thought he would take one last trip to pay his respects to fallen comrades. However fate had other plans. His return trip to the planet of Hades in the Death Gates System was to be his final farewell. At ninety seven, his doctors had told him his chances of surviving the trip were small. This did not deter him in the slightest. It would be his last great adventure.This was supposed to be a trip to say goodbye to the men he had served with, under, and finally over as a Death Dealer. The men in those Imperial Black Uniforms. The Death Dealers have been the most feared military unit of the last four hundred and fifty years of the human Space Empire. Men trained in every form of combat known to man and alien. Units whose very names strike terror into the hearts of those they face. Names like Grim Rippers, Hells Lost Legion, and the Screaming Eagles. If it had not been for the Emperor Nicolai and an invasion by the Gelf Union four hundred and fifty years ago the Death Dealers may have been nothing more than a footnote in history. A company of Death Dealers were on Fair Cry Seven when they attacked. The Gelf’s killed every last human military unit that faced off against them. All but one was defeated within the first two days of the invasion. That one lone unit was the Death Dealer Company. From that war onwards, the Death Dealers have fought in every war on every planet from the time of their conception. Their battles have become legendary. Battlefields with names like Forty Acers where the Death Dealers lost one man for every enemy soldier they sent to meet their maker. Bloody Ridge on Colfax Eight where one company of Death Dealers in Armored Power Suits held off four regiments of Horbathian Tanks for three days before being relieved. On all of these planets and many more their battle cry of ‘Death is dealt by our hands’ has been heard. It was this battle cry that earned them their name. A name given to them by the very enemy they first faced off against. It was these stories that drew James as a young man to undergo the painful process of having the Death Dealers greatest asset installed in his body. The artificial intelligence computer known as a Death Dealer AI. As a young man from a poor planet James dreamed of wearing the Imperial Black Uniform of the Death Dealers. He never knew that he would become one of the most feared of Death Dealers, the man they themselves would call Death. It would be his drive to be the best of the best that would propel him far beyond his humble origins to being a First High Lord and personal Friend of the Emperor. However that is now all in his past. Now well past his prime, all James wants to do is travel to Hades and the Death Gates system to say goodbye and die a peaceful death. The old Death Dealer did not know that deep within him lying dormant was an old friend just waiting a signal to reawaken. An wakening that would begin not only a second chance in life, but what would become his greatest, and most rewarding adventure. He will face off against assassins, rogue military units, hostile planetary governments, and an all-out revolt against the Empire he swore to protect. All of these things are nothing compared to his greatest challenge.No that pleasure belongs to having to deal with not one but two very different Artificial Intelligence computers in his head. One is the original Death Dealer AI that all Death Dealers have, this was Dee De a Mark one Omega/ Assault class Death Dealer AI with a hidden secret. One that will lead to James’s greatest adventure and second chance in life.They say Death Dealers never retreat and never surrender. Their battle cry has been heard on thousands of worlds for over four hundred years.