Book picks similar to
Broken People by Ioana Visan


1_science_fiction
gen-fantasy
just-ok
v

Dead Dwarves, Dirty Deeds


Derek J. Canyon - 2010
    Imprisoned for mass-murder, he escapes with the help of two strange men and a mysterious benefactor. Unfortunately for Drake, they don’t just want a piece of the action. They want it all. Gift Horse: Mutilated by rival convicts, Marco Vance is brought back from the brink of death. Outfitted with the latest cybernetic enhancements, he returns to the Regional Atlanta Metroplex as the conquering criminal kingpin. But, his savior demands that he deliver a message to repay his debt. A message that no one will forget.Money Is Everything: Street gangs hunt a deposed crime boss carrying a case of cash. Pursued and friendless, he can trust no one. Except someone he can buy. Luckily, Noose the genetically engineered dwarf mercenary is always for hire. But, what is his price?Total length about 15,000 words.Includes a free 8000 word excerpt of the full-length novel DEAD DWARVES DON'T DANCE.

Condition Black (A novella)


Tom Barber - 2013
    Everyone around him is dead. He has no idea where he is, or who shot him and his squad down.He soon discovers he’s on one of the moons orbiting Mars, not far from the main colony and his transport back to Earth. Two members of a mining team stationed on the moon come out to investigate. They take Miller back to their base where he manages to send out a call for help.He has ninety minutes to wait for rescue.But those ninety minutes are going to feel like a lifetime.Miller quickly realises that something in the station is wrong.There seems to be more to this place than meets the eye.Strange and unsettling events suggest things are not quite as they appear.As the minutes until his rescue tick by and he begins to finally figure out what is going on, Miller is forced to confront echoes from his past as well as his deepest fears in a situation that is becoming more terrifying by the second.And he soon learns that some nightmares don’t stop when you wake up.

PWNED: A Gamers Novel


Matt Vancil - 2014
     Reid is having a rough week. He's not sleeping well. He's just been saddled with an impossible project at work. And his girlfriend has disconnected her phone and left him for Fartherall Online. When Reid dives into the massively multiplayer pwn-or-be-pwned world of Fartherall Online, he's only got one quest in mind: to find and win back the love of his life. After all, it's just a game-how hard can it be? Written by Matt Vancil, creator of the Gamers movies, PWNED is the lost chapter of the Gamers movie franchise produced by Dead Gentlemen Productions and Zombie Orpheus Entertainment (The Gamers, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, and The Gamers: Hands of Fate).

Mindfracked


M.R. Forbes - 2021
    Digitized consciousnesses known as Shades prowl the streets in bodies that aren’t their own, carrying out clandestine operations ordered by the artificial intelligence created to shepherd humankind through the aftermath. Civilization clings to a tenuous thread.Cassidy is one of the most experienced Shades in the Initiative. An elite operative with an impeccable record, he’s dedicated his life to combating the rampant organized crime that threatens the new world order.But when a beautiful stranger shows Cassidy that his entire existence is a lie, everything he’s ever known begins unraveling around him. It isn’t long before his fight for justice becomes a fight for something much bigger…...and the stakes are higher than he ever imagined.Follow Cassidy through the rain-soaked streets of 24th century Manhattan as he fights like John Wick against a corrupt system of repression and control where the lines between ally and enemy are always blurred and trust is a dangerous gambit.

Nobody (Aggadeh Chronicles #1)


William D. Richards - 2012
    But when a skirmish with pirates grows into something more, he finds himself caught up in a series of escalating events that lead him into the mighty Aggadeh Empire, pursued by a murderous pirate hellbent on revenge and possibly connected to the nobility of the empire, joined by two companions of dubious trustworthiness, and a young dragon focused on obtaining the mindstone in Nem's possession.

Aurora Renegades: The Complete Collection


G.S. Jennsen - 2016
    A new world rises--one of unshackled AIs, indestructible starships, ethereal quantum spaces & potent new weapons--& the race is on to determine who will control its future.When faced with its greatest challenge, will humanity rise to triumph or fall to ruin?*SIDESPACEHumanity is saved. But its troubles are just beginning.To achieve their extraordinary triumph over the Metigen armada, humanity put aside its myriad of conflicts & united against a common foe intent on annihilating civilization. In victory, unparalleled peace & prosperity are theirs for the taking--if they can keep hold of them.When the secrets behind the Metigens' defeat escape the shadows, the people who won the war find their lives in danger. Facing anti-synthetic terrorists who want them dead, power-hungry politicians who want them chained, & a rapidly dwindling number of people they can trust, the Prevos--individuals & AIs sharing a single body--must take their fate into their own hands.51 Portals. 51 Universes.Intent on learning the purpose behind the Metigens' elaborate multiverse network, Alex Solovy, Caleb Marano & Valkyrie embark on a gripping journey through the network's portals, each one leading to a universe not their own. In a mosaic of spaces inhabited by fantastical aliens & worlds both beautiful & deadly, they will be forced to question everything they thought they knew, including the nature of life itself.*DISSONANCEKnow this: you need not be afraid. They own the fear. They fear us because they believe we are powerful, and they are correct to do so.The technology behind Project Noetica is on the loose. Prevos are spreading across the galaxy. Now two opposing but inexorably related forces threaten to plunge the galaxy into chaos. The Order of the True Sentients believes Prevos are monsters who endanger humanity,& it intends to destroy them by any means necessary. Underworld despot Olivia Montegreu, now a radically enhanced Prevo, is its doomsday warnings made flesh.As society splinters from within & the Earth Alliance falls to reactionaries, a formidable new player emerges on the galactic stage, one not afraid to do whatever it takes to protect all sentient life--human, Artificial and Prevo.The Metigen surged forward to engulf her in light. I see you, Alexis Solovy.Killers & saviors. Deceivers & protectors. Destroyers & creators. Could the Metigens truly be all these things? The search for answers leads Alex and Caleb to the most shocking revelation of all--the true face of the enemy.*ABYSMIn the quest to be the masters of their own fate, will humanity rise to become liberators or follow the path of their ancestors into darkness?Alex Solovy & Caleb Marano risked everything to learn the hidden purpose behind the Metigens' multiverse portal network, but nothing prepared them for the answer. Humans are a genetic recreation of the Anaden, the dictators & overlords of the master universe. Aurora is a recreation of their origins created by the Metigens in a desperate gambit to understand their enemy & find a way to defeat them.Aurora's future hangs in the balance as the Earth Alliance goes to war with itself over the right of synthetics and Prevos--human/AI hybrids--to exist. Terrorists sow chaos in a wave of bombings and assassinations. The next evolution of the human species will not be so easily defeated, but they must move quickly to win the day, because the true enemy is closing in faster than anyone realizes.

The Dragon's Son (Tales of the Wovlen #1)


Kathryn Fogleman - 2014
    If only he had known then what that choice would mean. Thirteen years later, Keegan, no longer a boy, learns that his younger sister survived the massacre and sets off to be reunited with her. When Keegan accidentally interrupts a plot against a princess, his simple trip turns into a complicated struggle for survival. A mysterious elder appears, full of wit and riddle. Mythical monsters shed their fictional skin and hungrily pursue Keegan and his dragon. Haunting nightmares begin to tear at his mind. As he continues on his quest to be reunited with his sister, Keegan is only just beginning to understand what it means to be... The Dragon’s Son

Griefing (King Henry Shorts, #5)


Richard Raley - 2013
    He returns to the Asylum adrift, unsure how to process the situation. But one thing is a constant: he's the Foul Mouth, he won't be grieving, he'll be GRIEFING, and it will be up to Ultra Class '09 to bear the brunt of the onslaught.

Out of Time


Michael Stewart - 2015
    Searching for answers from his own past, James suddenly finds himself back in war torn Britain in December 1944 facing a new and very dangerous reality. James is enlisted as a member of an RAF bomber crew and is forced to face the horror of war in the skies over Nazi occupied Europe, an icy death in the English Channel and an execution at the hands of a crazed Gestapo officer. He also finds love amidst the drama of war and finally discovers that the reality of life on our world isn’t quite what we think it is.Out of time follows on from the extraordinary success of The Angel of Time by Michael Stewart. If you enjoy the thrill of historic war-time fiction coupled with a thought provoking twist. All sales during November will be donated to The Poppy Appeal!

Colony One


T.L. Ford - 2018
    She may be smart enough to create a battery that never needs charging, but can she outmaneuver those who don't share her vision of community and create something that really lasts? How far is Alex willing to go to achieve her goal? Accessibility featured: All graphics and illustrations have detailed descriptions in their alt-text so if you are reading using voiceover, you will not miss anything.

The Second Universe in Flames Trilogy - Books 4 to 6


Christian Kallias - 2017
    Powers Unlocked. An Alliance is Born.Ten thousand years ago, the Furies nearly exterminated all life in the universe before being defeated by a coalition of worlds led by the Olympians.Or so everyone thought.Now they're back, and a new reign of terror has begun.

You Have Such a Pretty Face: A Memoir of Trauma, Hope, and the Joy that Follows Survival


Kelley Gunter - 2017
    But what about the side-effects? The pain? The financial burden? The emotional toll? Kelley Gunter found herself dealing with all of these issues and many more as she weighed the decision to undergo bariatric surgery. Finding very few personal accounts from those who had gone through the same struggles, she decided to write about her experience in an effort to help others facing the same decision. Gunter struggled with her weight from an early age. Always self-conscious of her body, she endured the taunts of her classmates, rejections from boys, and painful nicknames such as “Richter” and “Tree Trunk Legs.” A natural athlete and a high-school cheerleader, she attempted to remain positive as well as physically- and socially-active, but her weight constantly thwarted her efforts to achieve the fulfillment she craved so desperately. As an adult, her demons followed her into her professional life, where co-workers and even supervisors perpetuated the hurtful body-shaming she had come to know so well. Her personal relationships suffered as her constant craving for love and acceptance caused her to make poor decisions in romantic partnerships. Gunter knew it was time for a change. Mustering all her strength, courage, and faith, she undertook the monumental task of preparing herself for weight-loss surgery. She attended workshops and meticulously researched various procedures until she found one that was right for her. She worked to obtain the necessary funding, taking out loans to make her goal a reality. She even endured unexpected life-threatening complications that left her not only bedridden, but saddled with additional debt and recovery time. Gunter leads the reader through her entire weight-loss journey in vivid detail. The reader will follow her as she copes with the early stages of recovery, where even the simplest tasks such as walking to and from the bathroom became nearly impossible struggles. Readers will journey with her as she works her way back to wellness, cry with her as she wrestles with the barrage of emotions that come with rapid weight loss, and rejoice with her as she begins to realize her goal of physical and emotional wellness. Whether you have grappled with personal body image, yo-yo dieting, lifelong weight issues, or even morbid obesity, you will find personal inspiration through Gunter’s compelling personal story of pain, struggle, and ultimate personal triumph. For those contemplating bariatric surgery, Gunter offers guidance, words of wisdom, and personal examples from beginning to end. For those seeking inspiration, she offers her personal story of spiritual faith, family, and friendships that served as a guiding force in her ongoing recovery and personal growth. For those seeking motivation, she offers the triumphant story of a desperate, but determined woman who takes matters into her own hands and reclaims the life she deserves. “When the world says, ‘Give up,’ hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’”

Highway to the Stars: The Beginning


B.E. Wilson - 2014
    It would turn out to be the worst day of his life. With a recession looming and the economy tanking, he and his team of automotive engineers would lose their jobs, their research and have their lives changed forever. Not wanting to give up on years of hard work, they devised a plan to keep their research and their dreams alive. Working for a solution to sustain diesel fuel for extreme mileage, they would call that solution, sustainability. While searching for sustainability, they discovered something that would change our world forever. Others would steal or kill to obtain this new technology. Running for their lives they continued to develop their technology, trying to learn its full capabilities and just what purpose it was to be used for. Treachery and deceit, even from the ones they loved. They found themselves fighting to achieve their dreams…the dreams of touching a star. Follow John Kemp and his unusual band of misfits, as they journey where others have only dreamt of going.

The Terran Cycle Box Set: Intrinsic, Tempest, Heretic, Legacy


Philip C. Quaintrell - 2019
    He looks like us, he lives like us... but he is not one of us. Kalian knows nothing outside of his mundane life teaching history on 30th century Earth, until a day like any other triggers a series of events, which will tie his fate to that of humanity. A human hand print, embedded into a rock with alien script, is discovered on a moon that mankind has never set foot on. This discovery holds a secret, which will sweep Kalian into the heart of a conspiracy that has corrupted the galaxy for two hundred thousand years.

Adrift


Greg Curtis - 2020
     After that he had been rescued by more aliens! But only to be dumped on an alien planet in an alien galaxy and left to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. But there was nothing to figure out. The sights were indescribable. The smells intolerable. The food – even the stuff that was supposedly safe to eat – inedible. And the people unimaginable. There was only one thing he knew. He wanted to go home. And if the aliens wouldn't take him back to Earth, then he would just have to buy a spaceship and damn well fly himself back there!