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Flash in the Can: Speculative Microfiction by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
steampunk
anthology
fantasy
science-fiction
Star Crusades: Nexus - Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 9)
Michael G. Thomas - 2017
The greatest warriors, engineers and scientists of the age blaze a path to the worlds of T’Karan and Helios, far away from the human worlds of the Alliance. There they will meet alien races and become embroiled in intergalactic politics and conflict. Characters such as Spartan, the illegal pitfighter turned war hero of the Great Uprising, Teresa Morato, senior commander in the Marine Corps and a deadly warrior and Gun, the synthetic warrior giant turned General, a figure with a burning desire to hunt time and destroy the enemies of his tortured people. All of them will play their part in shaping humanity’s future in the galaxy. This complete box set contains the full text of every Star Crusades: Nexus novel. That’s right, all nine books! Buy the box set today and read the entire series from start to finish: Legions of Orion A chance discovery on the jungle world of Hyperion leads Alliance scientists on a path to creating a permanent spacebridge to the distant Orion Nebula. In a matter of days, great fleets of military and civilian ships depart for the single greatest expedition since the colonisation of Alpha Centauri. Machine Gods After decades of war, the Alliance reached the Orion Nebula and discovered the advanced but shattered remnants of the T'Kari. People and ships are diverted to this rich area of space to continue its exploration and exploitation. At the same time a secretive faction of the T'Kari, known simply as the Raiders unleash attacks on any ships or facilities left unguarded, be it human or T'Kari. Heroes of Helios A strike group of the dozen most advanced ships in the Alliance is assembled and sent to a summit of the remaining great powers of Orion. It is a measure of the reputation and military prowess of humanity that they are to be allowed to participate in joint exercises with the Narau Navy, a combined military force made up of ships from the five alien empires. The Great Betrayal The ancient prophecy spreads to the colonies of the Alliance and ignites a public debate on the rumour of the coming comet. The origins of the rumour revolve around the dark days of the last war fought on Helios. The prophecy speaks of the return of the 'Great Enemy' that will be signalled by the coming of a burning star. Prophecy of Fire The fragile Centauri-Helion Alliance is being tested to the limits as Alliance ground forces under the command of General Daniels deploy on Eos, a strategically placed moon. Call to Arms The Great Biomech War is now inevitable and the citizens of the Alliance ready themselves for what is to come. Ships and soldiers from a hundred worlds set their eyes on Helios, some looking to defend it and others making their plans to bring about its destruction. As each day passes, the defenders around Helios grow, and each day brings the prophetic comet closer to them. Battle for Helios For a thousand years the Helions have predicted the return of the Biomechs and their hordes, and for a thousand years they have done little to prepare. The Prophecy of Fire has spread like a disease through every world, infusing fear to civilian and soldier alike. Wrath of the Gods The opening battles of the bloodiest war in human history have been fought, and now the enemy spreads from world to world, exterminating all before them. This is no war for territory or resources, it is one of genocide. The Black Rift.
The Time Takers
Saxon Andrew - 2014
Throughout history, humans have been saved a moment before they died. Those that are taken, awake to find themselves in a strange new world different from anything they had ever seen. They discover that some agency has taken them out of the time they lived and dropped them into the early Cretaceous Age. They are now faced with surviving in a world that was called the Golden Age of the Dinosaurs. Not only must they learn how to survive the giant carnivores but also survive other humans. They are challenged to build a civilization ninety million years before the first Homo sapiens appeared on Earth. The humans struggling to survive wonder if the Time Takers are a larger danger than any they face in the prehistoric world they now inhabit. One of them is determined to find out why they were taken and his quest could endanger everyone. Excerpt from: The Time Takers Suddenly, the cave was filled with a deafening roar. Everyone in the cave turned, grabbed their ears and looked to the left, where they saw an opening in the cave wall at the end of a short corridor. Something was filling the opening. Andy was stunned at what he saw. This was a nightmare that could only come from an overdose of bad drugs. Everyone fled across the cave to the wall furthest from the opening. The Romans broke formation and ran with the others. The Roman Leader held his ground and Andy saw he was shocked and frightened out of his wits. It was easy to see why. Andy sprinted across the cave and moved into the short corridor leading to the opening where a giant head with rows of sharp teeth was being pushed further into the cave. He stopped twenty feet from the head, raised the bow and fired an arrow directly into the open mouth of the huge Allosaurus. The giant reptile screamed and jerked its head back out of the opening but not before Andy had notched another arrow and hit it between the eyes with an arrow that buried itself to the fletching. The giant’s roar was silenced as it straightened up and then fell backwards. Andy put the bow over his shoulder and ran toward the entrance. He saw a large stone wheel on the right side of the opening designed to block the entrance and he ran behind it and tried to push it forward. The roars from outside the cave were getting louder…and numerous; everyone inside could hear that there were more of the nightmares that had stuck its head in the cave outside the opening. He pushed as hard as he could but the wheel was just too heavy to move. There was a channel cut into the floor for it to roll in; but it was just too massive to budge. The Roman Leader sprinted over and started pushing with Andy. They looked out of the opening as they struggled to move the stone wheel and saw ten of the giant carnivores were just outside the entrance surrounding the dead Allosaurus,. They appeared to be trying to determine what killed it. One of them looked at the cave opening and started moving toward it. Ten Samurai and five Vikings arrived at that moment and began pushing with Andy and the Roman. The wheel started moving and then rolled over the entrance just before the dinosaur arrived. The men gathered at the wheel felt it lean into the cave for a moment…and then fall back against the opening. This book is dedicated to my brother, Wayne. I wish you could have read this one. Thanks for reading Science Fiction to me when I was five years old. You started me on the path that led me to all the stories that spring from my imagination, I miss you and love you. Visit us on face book at www.facebook.com/SaxonAndrewsUniverse or our website at www.annihilationseries.com. You may contact me directly at saxonandrew@msn.com
Battle Across Worlds
Dean Chalmers - 2015
Soldiers from two planets unite to face an ancient alien enemy.Captain Jack Chestire has been exiled after a government coup. But this war hero finds a new purpose when he discovers a gate to another planet...Where he becomes a pilot in a squadron of quantum-powered fighters.Their foe is a terrorist organization led by an alien-human hybrid: a warlord who is worshiped as a living goddess. Human courage is pitted against alien technology as the final battle is fought to decide the future of the human race.
A Hunter and His Legion (The Praetorian Series: Book III)
Edward Crichton - 2013
Joined now by a team of Special Forces operators from an alternate and skewed timeline with their own agendas and motivations, Hunter now finds himself without direction. Since escaping Ancient Rome four years earlier, his only goal was to survive long enough to enact his scheme to remove Agrippina from power and place Vespasian, a once and future emperor of Rome, on the throne in her place. But all his well laid plans came to a fruitless end when he and his friends narrowly escaped a grisly fate at the hands of Agrippina. However, there was one thing that survived Hunter’s encounter with the empress to focus his mind. The orb. He has often thought on it, but has never really understood it, yet now comes the moment when he must come to grips with the fact that only by understanding its nature will he be able to harness its power and send everyone home. The orb should have been his sole source of focus from the very beginning, but it was only after his recent failure to apprehend Agrippina that this fact was fully realized. Found in the rubble of Agrippina’s villa was a note left for him by his deceased friend Marcus Varus, tasking him with a mission to track down ancient Druids who may be able to help him. Now, after years trapped in Antiquity, Hunter must finally seek answers to the central mystery that has plagued him since becoming history's first recorded time traveler. Armed with fresh clues and a final destination, Hunter and his company embark on a new quest, one that will take them beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire in search of centuries old information about a relic few even know exists. But a darkness accompanies them. While the orb is a powerful tool, it is also a deadly device in the hands of those who underestimate or do not understand its dark potential. With its ability to grant certain users the ability to manipulate time, also comes a degenerative property that can reduce an individual into a simpering, doddering fool, or warp him into a tyrannical despot. The orb’s ability to do this is well documented in both Caligula and Claudius, and perhaps Agrippina too, but it is Hunter who should be most concerned by its influence. He has interacted with it far more than anyone else, and as he and his friends begin their odyssey, his challenge will be greater than simply discovering the truth about the orb’s origins, but overcoming and surviving its ill effects as he struggles to maintain control of his mind.
Cave Dweller (Jack Ferrell Adventures Book 3)
William Nikkel - 2014
Four mini-subs are sunk or captured. The fate of the fifth sub, I-16, is unknown.Late at night, nearly three quarters of a century later: Marine biologist Jack Ferrell sails into a mysterious fog off of Kauai’s Na Pali coast.Dense fog banks don’t form in Hawaii . . . or so he thought. They certainly don’t glow in the dark.Concealed within the mist is the sloop Julie Ann floundering in a rogue remnant of drift net. A young woman’s scream pierces the damp air, and he rushes to her rescue.The next morning, Jack dives to check the damage done to the reef by the net and discovers a sunken WWII Japanese mini-sub and the answer to a Pearl Harbor enigma: the fate of I-16. But in a depression in the coral, lies a greater mystery: a human skull the size of a grapefruit.Through a colleague, he learns the skull is from an extinct species of child-sized human being that lived 12,000 years ago on the remote Indonesian island of Flores. But this skull is no 12,000-year-old fossil.In search of answers, Jack, the woman from the Julie Ann, two close friends, and a select team of scientists plunge into a subterranean world deep within the rugged mountains of the mystical Na Pali coast. And what should have been a routine scientific excursion becomes a deadly encounter with the unknown and a race against time when the expedition battles the elements, personal fears, and even one of their own to unearth the key to the origin of the skull and the surprising truth behind one of Hawaii’s famous legends: The Menehune.
This is a new release of a previously published edition.
The Moon Moth and Other Stories
Jack Vance - 1976
The ebook from Gateway contains 11 stories, same as the VIE volume (only three stories from the Dobson edition), and the ebook from Spatterlight contains 9 stories.
The Afternet
Peter Empringham - 2011
When the system begins to misfire under the workload, the ill-equipped representatives of God and the Devil tasked with managing the process are given an ultimatum. Fix The Afternet or go back to your previous afterlives. They begin an odyssey through the hordes of souls awaiting judgement and the oblivious living in search of a solution. Rich in comic detail and populated with characters real and imagined from throughout time, their quest is never going to be straightforward…
The Last Boy On Earth
Thomas M. Burby - 2011
As far as his eyes could see, he was the only one left alive. You might think he was pretty upset about the whole situation and he was, for awhile. There were dead bodies and nothing but desolation and it's true that he sat around a lot and wished that he was dead, too. For a long time he wondered why he remained and all the others were taken. Then he thought, it doesn't matter. It just is. Anyway, sitting around just got boring. So he equipped himself with tools and weapons and set out with his faithful sidekick so see what there was left to see and do what there was left to do. He wasn't disappointed, because since the fall of Humanity, the world had changed in a thousand different ways too small to notice at first and some so fantastic he couldn't believe it. As the days passed into weeks, he discovered something amazing: there really are monsters in the dark." What if a pandemic plague struck the planet and when you woke up one morning, everyone else was dead? What if you were a fourteen year old boy with an excellent imagination and the will to survive? What if you found that something else was out there, hunting you? This is the story of Brady, a teenager who quickly discovers that although people may be scarce in the world of the Abandonment, other things are arising to take their place. He is master of all he surveys but discovers that the world has changed and that he has gained some new exciting abilities. With no adults to tell him what to do and no peers to judge him, Brady discovers that he is capable of great deeds and this is a good thing, because things long quiet are waking up from the sleep of ages. With his faithful dog, Max, and a host of non-human assistants, Brady discovers that there are monsters in the dark and that deep within his own heart, a hero dwells. This post-apocalyptic novel straddles the line between fantasy and magic surrealism and is intended for teenage audiences and beyond. Half survival tale and half magical odyssey, this is a hero's journey into the darkness of the monster's lair and back out again. Action, horror, and mystery blend together with a sense of wonder and loss at a world gone forever. If the world ended tomorrow and you were still alive, then what? In this novel, the main character decides to survive and finds that, aside from food, water and a safe place to sleep, his most necessary tool for survival is imagination and a good, sharp sword! This novel is lavishly illustrated with 50 beautifully crafted drawings by Brian Estes. The story is set in the present-day cities of Bangor and Brewer in central Maine after the advent of an airborne virus has destroyed all but a few humans on earth. Unless these people can find each other, the species is doomed to extinction. This reconnection of the few straggling survivors becomes one of the central themes of the story. Perfect for readers looking for adventure, ghosts, werewolves, and things coming to life that were never meant to do so. A ripping good tale!
A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences: Tales from the Archives, Collection 2
Tee Morris - 2011
They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come. This volume includes:Darkest before Darkwater by Tee MorrisA group of survivors from the airship Guy Fawkes find themselves washed ashore on an uncharted island. In their search for survival they uncover one mystery after another.The Shadows of Calcutta by Phil RossiAgent Robert Smith, on return from a mission in Nepal, is diverted to India where he is charged to find a missing agent. Alex Tanner had been investigating a series of thefts and murders holding the Ministry’s attention, and now it falls on Agent Smith to find his missing comrade.Night's Plutonian Shore by Jack ManganIn 1849 when a poet is murdered in the streets of Baltimore. The man behind the seemingly random murder manages to elude the law until — in 1889 — Agents Bruce Campbell and Brandon Hill track him down. The assassin, Mikael Scharnusser, gives the slip to the agents on revealing his “talent” and the madman’s intentions to bring down the House of Usher.The Seven by P.C. HaringAgent Brandon Hill is on assignment in South America, enjoying the local culture and women, when a mystery that could lead to El Dorado falls into his lap. Before the intrepid agent knows it, he is the jungle uncovering a plot but the devilish Illuminati. He will need all his monkey knife fighting skills to survive this one.
The Time Bubble Box Set #1-5
Jason Ayres - 2021
For the four spin-off novels, search for the Second Chances box set.1 The Time BubbleThe story begins as Charlie and Josh discover a time portal in a railway underpass which transports those who enter forward in time.2 Global CoolingTen years after the events of The Time Bubble, the world is gripped by a catastrophic climate event. Can time travel provide an escape?3 Man out of TimeA victim of The Time Bubble finds himself thrust twenty-two years into a future where he's been declared legally dead.4 Splinters in TimeJosh has perfected the art of time travel - until an accident sends him backwards in time on a nightmarish journey through a series of alternate universes.5 Class of '92A man from the 21st Century finds himself stranded in the pre-internet culture of 1992. Meanwhile, historical figures from the past are starting to turn up in Oxford.For more information on each individual book, plus reviews, please check out the individual product pages on Amazon.
The Dragon Realm Complete Series
Selena Scott - 2017
Desperate for an heir who will be able to protect the throne, Lucy looks to be the perfect candidate to provide the King's offspring. The Chosen One, lost in a realm of lust, evil, and a power-hungry King - she needs to escape. Torn between a loyalty to all he has ever known and a growing desire for Lucy; can Amos find a way through this? Will the consequence for them be too much to risk, and what would it mean for the entire Dragon Realm? The Dragon's Touch - Book 2 It is the time that dragon females come of age to mate. Zara irrationally fears that King Dalyer will find her and recapture her as his bride; she was his favorite –though untouched- wife. Solar dreads it because he grapples with a forbidden attraction to Zara and he is certain that the men around their camp will try to claim her once she is of eligible age. Torn between the Oracle's prophecy and his burning desire, can Solar stay loyal to the cause? To what end will he use Zara to achieve the revolution's ultimate aim? Dragon's Desire - Book 3 Following the clues from a dream to the human realm, the Oracle is searching for the lost man that he’s had visions about. The man whom he thinks is the only one who can destroy King Daylor. But his encounter with the beautiful single mom, Melanie, unnerves him. He is unsettled by the intensity of the protective instinct that is rising up in him. It’s unlike him to be serious about anything. But this is so different. Where will this burning desire lead and what does it mean for the Oracles quest? Dragon's Passion - Book 4 In the exciting conclusion to the dragon shifter series, Idris and other series favorites must rise to the occasion to battle the evil King Dalyer once and for all. For freedom. For the dragon realm. For love. For their true mate. This series contains strong sexual themes/language and is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Expanse series #1-6
James S.A. Corey
a. corey includes titles:- Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, Abaddon's Gate, Cibola Burn, Nemesis Games, Babylon's Ashes. Description:- Leviathan Wakes Humanity has colonised the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.Jim Holden is an officer on an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. Caliban's War While Earth and Mars have stopped shooting each other, the core alliance is shattered. The outer planets and the Belt are uncertain in their new - possibly temporary - autonomy. Abaddon's Gate For generations, the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt - was humanity's great frontier. Until now. The alien artefact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has emerged to build a massive structure outside the orbit of Uranus: a gate that leads into a starless dark. Cibola Burn: Book 4 of the Expanse The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds and the rush to colonise has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Illus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire. Nemesis Games: Book 5 of the Expanse A thousand worlds have opened, and the greatest land-rush in human history has begun. As wave after wave of colonists leave, the power structures of the old solar system begin to buckle.Ships are disappearing without a trace. Babylon's Ashes: Book Six of the Expanse The Free Navy - a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships - has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.
Divine Assistance
L.G. Estrella - 2017
The gods were supposed to preside over Creation with unmatched wisdom and knowledge. Well, that was the idea. But what is Death – a god of terrible majesty and splendour – supposed to do when his daughter asks for a pony? Is he really supposed to just go out and get a mortal one? Like that’s going to work. It’ll keel over and die in a couple of decades. No, his daughter deserves something better, a pony truly worthy of her divine heritage, which means he’s going to have to get a little bit creative. And then there’s Bureaucracy. The Supreme Mother and Supreme Father might have given rise to Creation, but Bureaucracy is the one who has to keep everything running smoothly. But that’s easier said than done when there are hundreds of gods and countless mortals to consider – none of whom understand the importance of filing paperwork in triplicate. Luckily, not even gods can escape the awesome power of divine paperwork. And let’s not forget gods like Mayhem, Mischief, and Rabble. Their names speak for themselves. When the three of them take a holiday in the mortal world at the same time, trouble is right around the corner. Divine Assistance is a collection of fourteen short stories about the gods and their attempts to manage Creation. There are souls to claim, mortals to woo, and even the occasional city to smite. After all, what’s life without a little divine assistance?
The Forbidden Tower / Two to Conquer / Hawkmistress! / Darkover Landfall
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Spacer
J.A. Sutherland - 2018
But a message of tragedy at home comes for him, and his expected life is flung far out of reach and he's cast into a role he never wanted.
A portion of Spacer was previously published as the short story Wronged, by J.A. Sutherland