In order to get free of it, he'll need to use every bit of his trader cunning. If he does it just right, he might stay out of prison. With a little luck, he'll even manage to turn a profit.He's given up his old ways--mostly--thanks to his cushy life on a PAC space station. But behind his mild-mannered shopkeeper's facade, he's hiding a whole lot more.Sometimes you have to break the rules to do the right thing.The Cost of Business is a quiet story of cleverness and empathy. For some heroes, wits are much stronger than firepower.Books in the Dragonfire Station universe in written order: (each series is self-contained and need not be read in order)Dragonfire Station Book 1: Translucid Dragonfire Station Book 2: Fragments Dragonfire Station Book 3: Coalescence (series complete) Intersections: Dragonfire Station Short Stories Mercenary Warfare Book 1: Selling Out Mercenary Warfare Book 2: Blood Money Mercenary Warfare Book 3: Hell to Pay Mercenary Warfare Book 4: Calculated Risk Mercenary Warfare Book 5: Going for Broke (series complete) Chains of Command Book 1: New Blood Chains of Command Book 2: Blood and Bone Chains of Command Book 3: Cut to the Bone Chains of Command Book 4: Out for Blood(series complete)

    Ten years later, the most powerful interests in the galaxy aim to kill her for what she might remember. And they’ll kill her family and friends if she does.Murdered parents and a busted spaceship, that’s what pirates left to Meriel and the orphans from the Light Speed Merchant Princess. But pirates didn’t exist, and for the Troopers, that defined her as crazy.After ten years of flashbacks, nightmares, and compulsory drugs, Meriel’s past will not stay buried. But while searching for a mythical sanctuary called Home, she trips alarms that protect the killers… and the biggest secret in human history.Meriel has only days to untangle the mysteries surrounding her parents’ death or face her own. What she finds can save the far-stars from extinction, but it makes the orphans targets.Again.And this time they can’t escape.First in the epic saga. Book 2 coming December 2021: Pandora’s Razor! "... a science fiction tale that reads like a pilgrimage with a haunted and haunting female character who combines strength and grace in a way that instantly wins the reader over to her perspective and her values, her every cause." -- Writer's Digest"Reminiscent of Ray Bradbury, early Heinlein, or Alan Dean Foster. Characters who are realistic, not perfect..." ★★★★★ Norma Mason (Goodreads)"Great Story! Great World Building! ... engrossing and entertaining, and a plot full of twists and turns... awesome world building and character arcs...!" ★★★★★ Madhavi Ghare (Goodeads)

    In “Vortex,” by Gregory Benford, astronauts find a once thriving microbial lifeform that carpets the caves of Mars dying off. A code monkey tracks down the vain creator of a pernicious software virus that people jack cerebrally in “RedKing,” by Craig DeLancey. In “Number Nine Moon,” by Alex Irvine, illicit scavengers on Mars are on a rescue mission to save themselves after one of their team members dies. A young girl’s thirst for vengeance becomes a struggle for survival when she is swallowed by a gigantic sea creature on an alien planet in “Of the Beast in the Belly,” by C.W. Johnson. In “The Seventh Gamer,” by Gwyneth Jones, a writer immerses herself into a MMORPG community to search for characters being played by real aliens from other worlds. A woman armed with a rifle stalks a herd of cloned wooly mammoths in British Columbia in “Chasing Ivory,” by Ted Kosmatka. In “Fieldwork,” by Shariann Lewitt, a volcanologist struggles with her research on Europa where both her mother and grandmother suffered dire consequences. A daughter pays homage to her mother with mega-engineering projects to deal with climate change over eons in “Seven Birthdays,” by Ken Liu. In “The Visitor from Taured,” by Ian R. MacLeod, a cosmologist in the near future is obsessed with proving his theory of multiverses. The citizens of a small town on a “Jackaroo” planet object to a corporation placing a radio telescope near local alien artifacts in “Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was,” by Paul McAuley. And finally, in “Sixteen Questions for Kamala Chatterjee,” by Alastair Reynolds, a graduate student defends her dissertation on a solar anomaly that threatens humanity.

    We’ve faced and overcome war with an alien race. We’ve survived terrorist attacks meant to end colonization. We’ve thrived despite unregulated class distinctions, separating the wealthy from the working class. 

 What comes next may be the end of it all. 

 A lone colony of human castaways, led by a former alien enemy, find themselves at the mercy of a saboteur and a plot to end humanity’s unrestricted travel among the stars. This could be the finale of the colonies and the end of a species. Everything depends on how smart — and how forgiving — humanity can actually be. Praise for "Citadel: First Colony" — "There was something so fascinating about this story and the cast of characters he put together." — Leah Petersen, Author of "Fighting Gravity" "This well written science fiction story will capture your interest on page one and won’t let go until you finish. The characters are mysterious, fascinating, and likable. —James Chalk, Author of "Meat Market" "Tumlinson managed to inject quirkiness and humor that was both unexpected and gave the characters even more depth." — JoAnn Takasaki, Author of "Luau Like a Local: The Easy Way”

    SpaceshipPiper in the Woods

    Winston K. Marks (1915-1979) is one such unjustly forgotten author.Included here are 12 science fiction stories, published between 1953 and 1959, representing some of his best work:THE WATER EATER (1953)UNBEGOTTEN CHILD (1953)…SO THEY BAKED A CAKE (1954)BACKLASH (1954)TABBY (1954)BREEDER REACTION (1954)FORSYTE'S RETREAT (1954)MATE IN TWO MOVES (1954)THE TEST COLONY (1954)BROWN JOHN’S BODY (1955)THE MIND DIGGER (1958)THE DEADLY DAUGHTERS (1958)If you enjoy this book, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the more than 100 other entries in the series, covering science fiction, modern authors, mysteries, westerns, classics, adventure stories, and much, much more!

    Satellite imagery of the aftermath shows extensive damage to the facility. The fifty-four colonists who called it home are presumed dead. Three years later, a new mission sets down on the planet surface to investigate what remains of the derelict site. But, it’s not long before they realize the colony is not as lifeless as everyone thought. Someone is still alive -- hiding out somewhere. Yet, before they can find the elusive colonist a strange illness starts to affect the crew. Pressure now mounts on Biologist, Dr. Jann Malbec, to locate the source and find a way to fight it. However, as she investigates she begins to suspect a dark and deadly secret lurking within the colony. A secret that threatens not just the crew but the entire population of Earth. With limited resources and time running out, she must find some answers and find them fast. Because if she doesn't, none of them will be going home. Colony Two Mars: The only survivor of the ill-fated ISA mission is now stranded on Mars. Having been designated a bio-hazard by Earth, any hope of returning home is all but gone. She is alone, isolated, and abandoned. That is, until another human shows up in the main colony airlock. However, he's barely alive and soon dies without regaining consciousness. More disturbing though, a DNA test identifies him as a colonist who has already died, several years earlier — impossible as that may be. Nevertheless, there is only one place he could have come from, the mine on the far side of the Jezero crater — Colony Two. An outpost they had presumed was long dead. But if he survived, maybe there are others still alive? She now has no choice but to attempt the dangerous journey across the crater to investigate. Because if she doesn’t find some answers soon, her only future is to die alone on Mars. Colony Three Mars: Now that the truth of the genetic experiments on Mars has been revealed, new missions are on their way to gain control of this extraordinary technology. In the process, they seek to exploit and enslave the colonists—turning them into nothing more than lab rats. Worse, these newcomers are well armed, and prepared to go to war with each other to win control of the colony and its people. But Dr. Jann Malbec has a secret, one that she could use to spare the colony and save the colonists from this fate. However, by using it she will almost certainly doom Earth to a planet-wide pandemic of apocalyptic proportions. Yet she must choose. Earth or Mars—which is is going to be?

    In doing so, the book triumphed over a very strong shortlist, including collections by one Booker Prize winner in Anne Enright and two authors who have been Booker shortlisted in Shena Mackay and Ali Smith (the latter a winner of the Whitbread Prize).When announcing the winner, one of the judges – James Walton, journalist and chair of BBC Radio 4’s The Write Stuff – said, “I suspect Chris Beckett winning the Edge Hill Prize will be seen as a surprise in the world of books. In fact, though, it was also a bit of surprise to the judges, none of whom knew they were science fiction fans beforehand.”In 2012 the Sunday Times named Chris’ latest novel Dark Eden the best science fiction novel of the year, and it is currently shortlisted for the BSFA Award in the same category. NewCon Press are delighted to be publishing The Peacock Cloak, the latest collection from one of Britain’s most distinguished and accomplished genre authors. Contains twelve stories (85,000 words) all previously uncollected.

    Darius Jax is a senior officer and hero of the Marine Corps, veteran of countless battles fought throughout occupied space. But once he was a raw private fighting his first battle on a planet so deadly, so hellish, its own occupants called it Tombstone. This is his story, before fame, before glory. The fighting on Tombstone is brutal and deadly, and Jax must find his inner strength if he is to survive. As he struggles through an unwinnable war he learns to rely on himself as he never has before, and he begins to understand just what he is – and is not – fighting for.Tombstone is a novella of approximately 24,000 words, the first Crimson Worlds prequel, set in the years just before the Third Frontier War and the events described in Crimson Worlds Book I: Marines.

    Lost worlds where T-Rex and Velociraptors still roam and man is now on the menu. Laboratories at the forefront of cloning technology experiment with dinosaurs they do not understand or are able to contain. The deepest parts of the ocean where Megalodon, the largest and most ferocious predator to have ever existed is stalking new prey. Plus many more thrillers filled with extinct prehistoric monsters written by some of the best creature feature authors this side of the Jurassic period.

    Disturbing encounters with unknown ships. Three great superpowers manoeuvre against each other. But are their destinies their own, or are they merely the puppets of some greater power? Since the loss of the Prism system in 3300, Lady Kahina Tijani Loren has operated on the fringes of Imperial society. Led by clues from a woman once thought dead, she is drawn into a conspiracy at the heart of humanity. To uncover the truth she must contend with dangerous enemies, navigate murky political waters, and – with the help of her friends – uncover the secret of the Formidine Rift. Premonition is the new story set in the Elite: Dangerous galaxy, shaped by player actions in the game.

    They think in slogans and talk in bullets. Such men can’t be reasoned with, only fought . . ."Randal Knox never wanted to be a leader. But as the firstborn son of the Prime Minister, he seemed fated to a life in politics. Fleeing his family's plans, Randal enlists with the armored infantry, thinking he'll be safe on the snowy border with neighboring Abkhenazia.When followers of the Prophet take control of Abkhenazia, his haven turns to hell. A vast army of zealots invades New Geneva, routing its tiny defense force and sending the remnants fleeing for their lives. Randal is forced to take charge of a small band of survivors, sheltering them in the mountain city of Providence.With Providence under the iron rule of Colonel Gregor Tsepashin, Randal faces a choice. Will he hide safely in catacombs beneath the city, or embrace his calling? The militia cells are scattered. His only allies are a turncoat Abkhenazi, a mad Belorussian immigrant, a beautiful but green medic, and a handful of armored infantry. It will take everything he has to lead his people to freedom. REVIEWS:"J. Wesley Bush has accomplished the impossible: he has blended high tech savvy, geopolitics, philosophical and theological details, humor, gritty war action and romance all in a thrilling and mind-expanding read." - Shawn Doud"Best of all is the quality of the writing: it's smooth, polished, and consistently good throughout. The dialogue is realistic, the pacing is smart, and the sprinkling of wry humor is funny without ever jeopardizing the overall seriousness of the story." - Corey P.

    The galaxy had another. And it might just kill her... Lenah strives to pilot a spaceship, but her highborn station won’t allow it. Caught up in her father’s secrets and lies, she decides to take matters into her own hands, relying on her inexplicable gift to control what others think. But nothing goes as planned, as she steals an old smuggler’s ship and her gift fails her. Things get worse when a mysterious cyborg snatches her craft and kidnaps the rookie pilot. Forced to fly to a dubious planet, Lenah discovers an artifact on board that could unleash galactic catastrophe. As a chase for the artifact’s secret begins, can Lenah and the cyborg work together and take down a powerful evil to protect humanity? Star Relic is the first book in an action-packed space opera series. If you like futuristic worlds, fascinating characters, and extraordinary quests, then you’ll love Clara Woods’ world-spanning saga. Get Star Relic to embark on a cosmic crusade today!

    Enticed by an offer of $50 million each to come work for the clandestine outfit, without any details regarding the job they will be doing, they must make a choice that will change their lives forever. Join the group of eight - a lawyer, psychologist, priest, quantum physicist, rock star, sociologist, rogue special operative and industrial capitalist - as they descend into an abyss of mystery and subterfuge to discover that who they are may be mankind's last hope or its final undoing.The Fall of Man: Days of Judgment is a thought-provoking, fast-paced, keep-you-guessing ride through a world of quantum physics,virology, and moral philosophy where a chosen few must confront the question - has mankind gone too far?