Judgement Call / Damned if You do, Damned if You Don't / The End Justifies the Means


J.C. Ryan - 2017
     Judgement Call Andy Gibbons had been sentenced to life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. After ten years inside he had abandoned all hope and resigned himself to the fact that he would remain there for the rest of his life. But the fact that Andy has admitted defeat and thrown in the towel didn’t mean his wife, Jamie, did. Disillusioned and worn out by the justice system, the Honorable Judge Regan St Clair was just about to pack in too when a letter from Jamie Gibbons arrived on her desk… Before long Regan St Clair and Jake Westley, a former Special Forces operator, stumble into a quagmire world of deceit and menace. A world where nothing is as it seems, and no one and nothing can be trusted. Is Andy Gibbons really innocent? Can he be exonerated? At what price? Damned If You Do Damned If You Don’t Conrad Wilson, an ex-detective, had less than a month to live. The date of his execution, by lethal injection, was scheduled for the 1st June. All legal avenues had been exhausted — the Governor of New Hampshire refused to review his case. The only problem was; Conrad Wilson was innocent, but no one cared. Or rather, everyone that cared wanted him executed. His only chance to escape certain death was Judge Regan St Clair and Jake Westley. Did they have enough time to stop the execution? Jake and Regan quickly discovered a number of holes in the Wilson case — tampering with forensic evidence, an alibi that stood up to scrutiny... It was evident that Wilson was innocent, he certainly didn’t kill his mistress as was alleged. Someone has gone to great lengths to shift the blame onto an innocent man. But why were so many people desperate to see him dead — for a crime he didn’t commit? Who was the real killer? Was Wilson framed in order to let the real killer get away? Or was there some truth in what Pavo, one of the Organization bosses said: everyone is guilty of something? The End Justifies The Means Jessie Bell’s last parole hearing was a disgrace—one board member called her a witch and a harpy, and said that given the chance, he would have her put down like a rabid dog. Ten years in prison for killing her sadistically abusive husband had turned Jessie Bell into a poisoned, embittered, and dangerous person. The parole hearing was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was payback time. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? No, not for Jessie Bell. Her version of justice wasn't just about getting even. It was about taking back twice as much as had been taken from you. Two eyes for one. Justice meant redressing all the imbalances—and putting out only one eye didn’t compare to the loss of all the advantages of losing two eyes. Fortunately, Jessie is offered the position of the late Pavo, Regan’s Uncle Paul, in the Organization. And she accepted it.

The Starborn Ascension


Jason D. Morrow - 2015
    But what she finds is a place wrought with mystery, shady dealings, and more instability than she anticipates. Away From The Sun Waverly holds the vial of red liquid in her hands. She doesn’t know what it is, or why it’s important. But she knows that the mysterious Shadowface wants it, and is willing to do anything to get it. Waverly hides in the settlement of Elkhorn with Ethan, but it seems that Shadowface has eyes everywhere. Now Waverly must use her power—the ability to see glimpses of the future—to try and determine when Shadowface may strike. Not only does she discover death and destruction ahead, but a betrayal among comrades. Time is running out and Waverly must find a way to save the only friend she has left—Ethan, defend the settlement of Elkhorn from annihilation, and stop Shadowface once and for all. Into The Shadows The ability to see into the future has only brought Waverly pain and suffering. She has been wrong about everything. Ethan...Remi...are all of them really dead? Stuck in Shadowface's compound, Waverly meets a girl named Amber who is determined to escape. Through a simple touch, Waverly can see that she is destined to escape with her. But she knows it is not the end. Shadowface must be stopped.

Foothold: The Story of Mankind's First Expedition to the Stars


Dennis Ingram - 2014
    Adversity. Hope. A starship with eight people is launched into the unknown for the epic adventure of a lifetime. In the second half of the 21st century, Earth is struggling under the load of an ever-increasing population and a degrading environment. The tide of human politics ebbs and flows. Rising above the turmoil, the will is found to build one lone starship and launch it toward Tau Ceti. Hope for the future, hope for humanity. +++ An interview with the author Is this the original edition? No, it was professionally re-edited and given a new cover in May 2016. How would you describe Foothold? It’s a space colonization adventure. There’s adversity, but no violence. There’s science, but not so much that the characters and adventure are lost in technobabble. So it’s not for those that like hard science fiction? I love hard science fiction! Any book that features interstellar travel needs technological breakthroughs, and Foothold is no exception. The science is deliberately low-tech in some ways though, as our colonists need hardy technology that they can repair themselves. As the series progresses, we will see more and more high-technology appearing. Will the series remain non-violent? No, that will change in book 2. Why? Humans are humans. Wherever they go, conflict is bound to follow. It’s the first book of a series, right? Will there be a cliff-hanger? Yes, Foothold is the first in a series of eight or nine books. It definitely does leave the ending open for the next book, but not in a sudden cliff-hanger that has you reaching for your pitchfork and torch. Oh, and book 2, The Seasoning, is already out! In the book, a starship is launched in 2063. Surely that’s way, way too soon? Not if you believe in exponential progress. If we measure what we will achieve in the next 45 years by what we achieved in the last 45, it’s too soon. But I think it’s more likely the pace of change is accelerating and it’s not so far-fetched to think of subluminal star travel happening sooner rather than later. If it were a movie, how would you rate it? PG-13 for language and some mild sexual content.

Galaxy of Heroes


Gus Flory - 2009
    A breathtakingly beautiful cyborg. A battle like no other. An adventure you won't forget!The lives of four space drifters intersect on a planet of hope as the most powerful war machine in the galaxy approaches, threatening to consume them all in a storm of metal and fire.Capt. Jace Spade is a fighter pilot from the Roga System. He is determined to find his maker—the enigmatic Dr. Zander—even if his search means risking all in the conflagrations of the Inner Galaxy.Capt. Mina Casey is also a fighter pilot, but from an advanced human civilization that arose in the Heliac System. Capt. Casey has drifted through the void for eons as visions of a warm planet where she can sink her feet in the sand and watch the sunset filled her dreams.Sgt. Joe Grimes—a Heliac Ranger who once lived for the thrill of the fight—is now disillusioned after the total defeat and destruction of his home world. He would leave all humanity behind if he could only get away.Genie is a beautiful and indestructible cyborg constructed by a technologically advanced civilization for the purpose of interacting with humans. Genie is programmed to love Joe Grimes, but she longs to be free.

Robin Hood Hacker Collection


Carolyn McCray - 2013
    This collection includes...Hacked, the prequel short storyEncrypted - the first book in the #1 techno-thriller seriesBinary - the bridge short story between Encrypted and CipherCipher - the second book of the seriesZeroes - the EXCLUSIVE short story bridge between Cipher and Code

Void All The Way Down: The Sliding Void Omnibus


Stephen Hunt - 2014
    DESCRIPTIONCaptain Lana Fiveworlds has a hell of a lot of problems.She's sliding void in an ageing seven-hundred-year-old space ship, scrabbling around the edges of civilised space trying to find a cargo lucrative enough to pay her bills without proving so risky that it'll kill her. She's got an alien religious freak for a navigator, an untrustworthy android for a first mate, a disgraced lizard for a trade negotiator and a deserter from the fleet acting as her chief engineer.And that was well before an ex-crewman turns up wanting Lana to rescue a barbarian prince from a long-failed colony world. Unfortunately for Lana, the problems she doesn't know about are even more dangerous. In fact, they just might be enough to destroy Lana's rickety but much-loved vessel, the Gravity Rose, and jettison her and her crew into the void without a spacesuit.But there's one thing you can never tell an independent space trader. That's the odds...

Ashes of the Fall


Nicholas Erik - 2016
     In the year 2048, the crumbling remnants of western North America are suddenly buried in ash, weakening the grip of the brutal dictatorship. A factional landscape springs from the ashes, con man Luke Stokes artfully navigating the clash. But he can't remain above the fray for long, as each faction seeks the truth from Luke regarding his murdered brother's final project. A neural-interface technology that will forever shift the fragile balance of the ashen plains. With the true believers, desert nomads, survivalists and existing regime closing in, Luke must delve deeper into his genius brother's secrets. And the truth about his last project will dramatically alter the remnants of civilization. Because the fall isn't always the end - sometimes, it's only the beginning.

Bright Horizons


Wilson Harp - 2012
    At the historic first meeting, an ambush was launched that put peace for humanity out of reach. Colonel Kyle Martin was there that day. It was his leadership and the bravery of his marines that saved what little hope mankind had. When Earth was threatened with invasion, Martin again felt the weight of war pressing down on him.Known as the Butcher of Hyderabad for his decisions in the Indian War, Martin seemed a poor choice to guard the peace but the perfect man to organize the forces of Earth to defend itself from the coming alien scourge.With a select team of humans and a few allies among the alien races, Martin is tasked with not only defeating the invading armada, but with making sure that Earth is kept free from any alien domination.Faced with impossible odds against an overwhelming foe with advanced technology, it is only a secret about Earth itself that gives Martin the glimmer of hope to succeed.With his “lucky charm” Ramirez, his go-to girl Kitch, and an unshakable Sergeant Major, Martin rolls the die time after time in audacious gambles with the stakes being nothing less than the survival of the human race. Face-paced action awaits in this military sci-fi adventure.

Archangel Down


C. Gockel - 2015
    They’re wrong.Commander Noa Sato plans a peaceful leave on her home planet Luddeccea ... but winds up interrogated and imprisoned for her involvement in the Archangel Project. A project she knows nothing about.Professor James Sinclair wakes in the snow, not remembering the past twenty four hours, or knowing why he is being pursued. The only thing he knows is that he has to find Commander Sato, a woman he’s never met.A military officer from the colonies and a civilian from Old Earth, they couldn’t have less in common. But they have to work together to save the lives of millions—and their own.Every step of the way they are haunted by the final words of a secret transmission:The archangel is down.

The Dwellers Saga Boxed Set


David Estes - 2015
    In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms. After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, seventeen-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents' crimes of treason. Against all odds, Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family, while being hunted by a deranged, killing machine named Rivet, who works for the President. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of whom have dark secrets that are better left undiscovered. Other than her friends, the only thing she has going for her is a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well-trained for combat by her father. At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the President and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life. When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Tristan is thrust into the middle of a conflict that seems to mysteriously follow Adele as she seeks to find her family and uncover her parents true past. In their world, someone must die.

Plague Wars Trilogy


David VanDyke - 2016
    When the Eden Plague is loosed upon the world, the forces of order and chaos, good and evil must battle it out in a struggle for control and supremacy. A PTSD-damaged combat medic, a female Marine with no legs and a sniper with no remorse might be its only hope of survival. Can these flawed heroes drive back those who would enslave humanity? Or will the darkness spread and swallow them up?Begin your journey through the epic saga of the Plague Wars with the gripping first three books of the bestselling apocalyptic series, for the first time in one enormous volume. Plague Wars follows in the apocalyptic tradition of Hugh Howie and Max Brooks, and the military science fiction tradition of Christopher Nuttall, David Drake, Vaughn Heppner and David Weber.Additionally, you get COMPLETELY FREE BONUS STORIES. also by David VanDyke, consisting of LOW JUSTICE: Four short stories of the supernatural, and UNFETTERED: A sci-fi-horror novella.Plague Wars: Decade One- The Eden Plague- Reaper's Run- Skull's Shadows- Eden's Exodus- Apocalypse Austin- Nearest NightPlague Wars: Alien Invasion- The Demon Plagues- The Reaper Plague- The Orion Plague- Cyborg Strike- Comes the Destroyer- Forge and SteelPlague Wars: Stellar Conquest, a direct follow-on to Plague Wars:- First Conquest- Desolator- Tactics of Conquest- Conquest of Earth- Conquest and Empire

Shipwreck (Jack Ferrell Adventures Book 6)


William Nikkel - 2016
    William Nikkel definitely knows how to kick butt and take names. He’s a gifted storyteller.” —Steve Berry, New York Times Bestselling Author of “The 14th Colony” Jack Ferrell never expected to hook a body. When he embarks on a mission to catch and tag a great white plaguing Hawaiian fisherman, he is put to the test, physically and emotionally, in his most challenging adventure yet as he plunges into the treacherous water off the coast of Lanai in an area known as Shipwreck Beach. A mission that reunites him with a former lover, Dana Mores. As they head toward disaster, an unfortunate turn of events leaves Jack and his friends marked for death with “Shipwreck” exploding into one of the most dangerous and suspenseful adventures of his career. One that marks a major turning point in his life and leaves him a different kind of man. “ ‘Shipwreck’ is the perfect blend of mystery and adventure. An engaging, fast-paced thriller with a fascinating and fun hero.” —Allison Brennan, New York Times Bestselling Author of “Poisonous”

ARMS War for Eden


Stephen Arseneault - 2016
    Genetically engineered and trained for war, they lack the knowledge and experience needed to live among a civilian population.Getting involved in the illegal arms trade offers the promise of working with something they know-- weapons. When the profits from their efforts run wild, they soon find out acquiring wealth so easily comes at a high cost. Will their mistakes bring a return of the Great War?Typical review for this series:Amazon Customer: Enjoyable new adventure."Great characters in a new universe! Awesome read and I can't wait for more. Bring up the Arms! Thank you."ARMS is set in the future where Earth was nearing an apocalyptic event. Two competing colony ships were built, taking five million inhabitants each through a wormhole to a pair of newly discovered planets. The planets were settled and not long after the colonies looked to the surrounding star systems for ownership and expansion, which led to a centuries long war between them. A truce was declared after the aggressor side began to lose ground.Tawnish Freely and Harris Gruberg are genetically engineered Biomarines. Their lives have been dedicated to fighting the war. They find themselves struggling to find work among a population that fears them. Work is found only by delving into the delivery of illegal arms to the outer colonies. Things go awry when they discover their illicit dealings may just be the catalyst that brings back the Great War.

Beachhead


Chris Lowry - 2017
     Now the aliens are coming. They want to occupy earth. They want to destroy humanity. They want to kill every last one of us. But we are legion. Seven billion humans are tough to kill. Pockets of survivors band together to fight back. It's hard to know who to trust. Human collaborates will do anything to live one more day. The US mounts an offensive. They turn loose Lt William "Don't ever call me the Kid" Bonney and his eight headhunters to wreak havoc on the invaders. Their business is killing Licks and brother, business is good. But the Lick Commander has a plan. More betrayal. When Bonney and his squad raid a supply train on the orders of High Command, they rescue a prisoner with a secret. One that will change the tide of war and help the human cause win. If they can last long enough to reach it. Book One in the Invasion Series is an extension of the world built in PHALANX and PHYRRIC. Fans of dystopian military sci fi are going to love the adventures of Lt and his squad of misfits as they roam middle America siccing the dogs of war on alien invaders bent on colonizing earth. WARNING: This book contains graphic language. There are enough F bombs in here to make sailors blush, so if you are faint of heart, do not read further. But if you can handle a little spice in your reading pleasure, then grab your copy and join the fight today.

Colony Mars Boxset


Gerald M. Kilby - 2019
    Satellite imagery of the aftermath shows extensive damage to the facility and 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. It’s not long before, mission biologist, Dr. Jann Malbec, discovers the truth about how the colony was funded — by conducting illegal genetic experiments using the unsuspecting colonists as guinea pigs. She also realizes that while extraordinary breakthroughs were made, they came with a terrible human price. Nevertheless, once news of these experiments makes it back to Earth, powerful corporations begin to fight for control of this research, and start to send new missions to acquire it — by force if necessary. But Malbec fears that allowing this research to return to Earth has the potential to doom humanity to a pandemic of apocalyptic proportions. So she vows to do everything she can to prevent this from happening — even if it means destroying what remains of the colony and any chance she has of returning home. This box set contains all five Colony Mars novels plus an exclusive short story: - Colony One Mars - Colony Two Mars - Colony Three Mars - Colony Four Mars: Jezero City - Colony Five Mars : Surface Tension … and a brand new exclusive 8k word short story: Gizmo Origin (only available in this edition)