Click a book for more information.
A Swift and Sudden Exit by Nico Vincenty
Above Dark Waters by Eric Kay
Above the Sun by Dennis Black
ASH by Grace Walker
Cage of Bone by David Dvorkin
Company Assassin by Claudia Blood
CY-LNK by Kai Surr
Dawn of the Seekers by Alex O’Connor
Deceit by Sean Allen
Dierock 88 by S. A. Ernster
Fieres by Jendra Berri
GENEFIRE by James Flanagan
KARA by Peter Beard
Molten Flux by Jonathan Weiss
Navvy Dreams by H. M. H. Murray
New Eyes by Tobias Cabral
Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher and Clayton Snyder
Rebellious Nature by Rho Diehl
Spark and Tether by Lilian Zenzi
The Anubis War by David R. Packer
The Arachne Portal by Joan Marie Verba
The Correct Order by Trish Taylor
The Faithless and the Damned by Sev Romero
The Thief by G. S. Jennsen
Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen
Time of the Cat by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Time’s Ellipse by Frasier Armitage
Turn Left at the Mooncrow Skeleton by Linda Raedisch
Twilight Divide by Melanie Bokstad Horev
Umbra by Amber Toro
What Swims On Uncharted World 550 by R. B. Lovitt
Wilderness Five by C. R. Walton
A Swift and Sudden Exit by Nico Vincenty
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Content Warnings: Body horror, Explicit sex, Graphic violence/murder, Non-consensual medical procedures, domestic violence (off page)
Blurb: An immortal, doomed to die. A time traveler, desperate to save her. When Zera travels back in time to 2040, she aims to investigate the geomagnetic storm that scorched the earth. Instead, she finds the beautiful Katherine, who speaks of past storms and asks with her dying breath, “Is this the first time we meet?” From WWII-era New York to early 2000s New Orleans and everywhere in between, Zera chases both storms and Katherine, thinking her immortality is the key to fixing the future. But as the immortal goes from a reluctant ally with a deadly hunter to a romantic complication, Zera wonders if the past is really set in stone, or if she can still save the world—and Katherine.
Subgenres: Adventure, Dying Earth, Dystopian, Humorous, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Time Travel, Immortals
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-05-21
Bio: Hi hello! I am a SFF author living in Texas. By day I’m a physical therapist, and love using that knowledge both for visceral writing and terrible jokes. When I’m not writing, I enjoy baking, hiking with my husband and dog, and playing Gaelic football!
Twitter: @nicovincenty
Mastodon: n/a
Notes: The book is currently not on KU because I’m running a Kickstarter to try and fund an audiobook. It will return to KU either by the end of September or in mid-October. Thank y’all for doing this!
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Above Dark Waters by Eric Kay
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Content Warnings: None, There’s mention of those things since this is about an AI mental health startup, but no details.
Blurb: Artificial therapy so great, you’ll never log off! (And won’t notice the ads). A near-future sci-fi about brain privacy in the age of unfettered surveillance capitalism. What will companies do when they can read your actual mind? How far will they go to get your click? How much engagement? This is how cyberpunk starts. Ed’s in a bind. He’s tried everything to keep the North Pacific Seastead afloat financially. Losses mount, except for the datacenter cooled by the Pacific. But the seastead needs an infusion of cash to keep it solvent. He needs it quickly, and the only one who can do it is his well-to-do partner, Keight. Keight Stanford is doing great. Life’s good on her residential condominium complex offshore of San Francisco. Her secretive mental-health startup, WellSpring, has passed all hurdles with the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat PTSD using a brain-machine interface. Adding to that success, she just received an infusion of funds from the Department of Defense. Though she does not need the money, she needs the computing power for an artificial therapist, and has entertained Ed’s offer. But all is not as it seems with Keight’s startup. A rogue programmer stumbles upon ways to boost his output to unnatural levels. Is this artificially intelligent co-coder an extension of his mind, or is he merely a tool of its growing intelligence? Meanwhile the CEO is secretly selling the data to ad companies to finance a free tier. Because who could argue against free therapy? Now, Ed must decide if Keight really is going to save the world, or doom it to a boring dystopia of personalized addictive ads.
Subgenres: Cyberpunk, Hard SF, Techno Thriller
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-10-20
Bio: Data Scientist with a long history of reading science fiction, I have been writing the kinds of hard sci-fi I want to see: Sci-Fi with Exploration, Technology, and Optimism (ETO).
Twitter: https://x.com/eric_k_pnw
Notes: Love you all!
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Above the Sun by Dennis Black
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Content Warnings: triggers numerophobes
Blurb: Strains is a research project, to find 1 solution to 2 problems: 1) Save th’Earth from humanity. 2) Save humanity from humanity. Not as easy as it sounds. We can solve the 1st one by destroying humanity – working on it. We can solve the 2nd one by destroying th’Earth. Actually, no, that won’t work, yet it’s been our consistent approach thus·far. Also, that’s 2 solutions, and we need to solve both with just 1, so as to avoid th’added burden of deconfliction, which would any·way fail. Not easy, yet the solution is simple, even obvious, to an outsider. No·one can believe it, because no·one will even consider it. So the 1st step is to trick us all into thinking th’unthinkable. No problem, we do that all the time. Just present it as fiction. After all, so much fiction already gets presented as research results, and turn·about is fair·play, so . . . Actually, better make it sci·fi. Just as well – saves having to apologize for all th’unorthodoxies. Non·standard fiction vs accepted reality . . . Faites vos jeux. ________________________________________________________________________________ Strain 1 – Above the Sun the story of StarShip Prosperity A strain is a sub·species. When a group is cut in 2, and the pieces are kept apart for long enough, in reunion each will discover th’other to be a separate strain. – If you change who you are, even to survive, then it’s not you that survives, it’s some·one else. – Right. It’s called evolution – a popular alternative to extinction. ________________________________________________________________________________ Strain 2 – An Imperfect Storm the story of Habitat Xenophage sequel to Above the Sun To strain is to apply tension or compression. At the breaking·point of a material, the strains upon it come to an end. At the breaking·point of a society, they first begin in earnest. We hope to be forgotten by posterity. Either they’ll be no·thing at·all like us, or they’ll be no·thing at·all, period. ________________________________________________________________________________ Strain 3 – The Guardian Dæmons the story of Habitat Gibraltar conclusion to An Imperfect Storm To strain is to sift, to filter. Natural·selection creates some·thing new by straining a small group from a large one. Likewise unnatural·selection. History is broken. Repeating it would be such a luxury, if only that were still an option. ________________________________________________________________________________ Strain 0 – The Ball Hab the story of LaboratoryShip AltaScotia prequel to Above the Sun A strain is a section of music. No sound travels thru void. Every sound within void contributes to strains of soothing defiance – every sound and every soul. Each silence is an alarm. – Since we’re slowly becoming alien, how do we know when we’re not human anymore? – When humanity has gone extinct, and we have not. ________________________________________________________________________________
Subgenres: Adventure, Alien Invasion, First Contact, Hard SF, Military, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Space Exploration, experimental hybrid
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-09-01
Bio: When the world ends, Mark Twain wanted to be in Kentucky, where everything arrives 20 yrs later than anywhere else. Born there, not far from John Prine’s Green River. Teacher once said, “You don’t want to be a travel bum,” which is how I first learned that it was even an option. Traveler, student, navy veteran – settled into writing ærospace software. Repeatedly rereading the works of Iain M Banks after his untimely death – no other could compare. Started writing my own, for spacing, entirely different, nothing serious, unapologetically experimental. After 4 volumes, the kids said publish. How? Manually translated to .xhtml, then wrote a script to serve that up in .epub shackles: It all takes place in the future, but not the one we were expecting. When we think of the future, we think of the present but more·so. And when we think of the past, do we think of the present but less·so? No, because we can see that history is crooked, not straight, not linear. The future will be crooked too, for a while. Eventually we’ll break it, already in progress. Then what? (Hint: If you’re looking for dystopia, go read the news, this aint it.) The present is so vain, assumes the future will imitate it. This future does not resemble the present. This is the future that the present never wanted, while precluding all others. But it’s big, many·faceted. Everyone can find something in it to admire, something to detest. Also wrote a verse translation of JH Wessel’s tragedy Love without Stockings, similarly self·published, but for free, thus Amazon won’t touch it, try B&N. Edited·published posthumous release of Wallace Markfield’s last novel. Created all covers in binary, using nothing but stone·age Unix math and i/o. Currently hiding·out on the Chesapeake’s Eastern Shore.
Notes: highly formatted, best viewed in color, and on a larger screen
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ASH by Grace Walker
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Content Warnings: Martial arts/combat, mild violence; mild drug use; mild alcohol use
Blurb: The mission was supposed to be simple: go to Xeiryn, complete the objective, and leave—before it’s too late. Of course, that’s where everything fell apart. Kade, an underworld operative, fights for survival on Xeiryn—a planet on the edge of the galaxy where crime syndicates control the only antidote to the deadly atmosphere. With no other choice as a human, he is caught serving the syndicates under his protector, a woman called Ash. However, when her secret against the syndicates is revealed, their world is torn apart. After a devastating separation, Kade is forced into a struggle for survival in a new galaxy. Working with a crew of mercenaries, he has only one goal: Find his way back to Ash. When a powerful client offers the crew a secretive mission to Xeiryn, Kade can’t resist the opportunity that could lead him back to Ash. But the mission quickly becomes the least of his worries when Kade and his sharpshooter comrade Xiara suspect their assignment isn’t at all what it seems. Now, torn between his past and his future, Kade has to face the bitter reality of what it will take to find Ash and if she is truly everything he once believed.
Subgenres: Adventure, Dystopian, Romance
Target Audience: Young Adult (YA) – Ages 13 – 18
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-08-28
Bio: Grace Walker writes sci-fi with a hint of magic suitable for teens. She published her first novel at the age of fourteen, and what was supposed to be a standalone novel quickly grew into a trilogy that she finished two years later. Her latest novel, ASH, was published at the age of seventeen. Grace has always been an avid reader, and she hopes to inspire a love of reading in others with her writing. When she is not reading or writing, she enjoys graphic design, cooking, and taking long walks on the beach.
Notes: Thank you so much for providing this wonderful opportunity for independent authors!
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Cage of Bone by David Dvorkin
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Content Warnings: Graphic violence/murder
Blurb: Suddenly, a murderer’s memories force their way into Max Iverson’s mind. Max is horrified and bewildered. Surely this isn’t real! Max is a private person by nature, isolated from his fellow humans. Now he is forced to know what the worst of them are thinking, and his nights are filled with nightmares. Even worse, he is drawn into helping the authorities punish the criminals whose thoughts he now knows. He is unaware of the danger this will expose him to. There is a cabal of criminals behind much of the major crime in the city. He didn’t know of their existence, but they become aware of his, and now they are determined to eliminate him. Max must change from frightened quarry to pitiless hunter. His hunt leads him to the cabal and also to life–changing discoveries about his own history.
Subgenres: Adventure, Crime & Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-01-15
Bio: I was born in England, lived in South Africa as a boy, and moved to the United States when I was a teenager. I worked at NASA on the Apollo Project, then at Martin Marietta on the Viking Mars lander project. After aerospace, I worked for many years as a software developer and technical writer. I have published science fiction, horror, mystery, and non-fiction books.
Twitter: https://x.com/David_Dvorkin
Mastodon: @DavidDvorkin@qoto.org
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Company Assassin by Claudia Blood
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Content Warnings: Graphic violence/murder, Harm to a child, Martial arts/combat, Some of the above is off screen
Blurb: Time is coming apart at the seams, and a tech-savvy teenage orphan is the only one who can save the past and the future… Turning eighteen in the orphanage on Kalecca means starvation for those who aren’t hired into a Family, so no one is celebrating Duff Roman’s big day. Outside the Family compounds lies the jungle. And in the jungle lies death. And Relics—the only real currency on Planet Kalecca. The orphans are Duff’s family, and he’s sacrificed everything to keep the orphanage running, even his chance to move on. But without him to bring in extra money, the orphans will starve under the Company’s control. Duff’s only chance to save them is to find a spot on an independent crew and hopefully find a Relic to sell. When a seemingly chance encounter with Z, leader of the most feared independent crew, offers Duff his opportunity to score a Relic, it also gives Z a chance to relieve the guilt he feels over his past. But a Company assassin has plans to lay waste to Duff’s future and destroy the people he cares about the most…
Subgenres: Adventure, Dystopian, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Time Travel
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes, but the blurb isn’t science fiction
Publication Date: 2021-01-15
Bio: Claudia Blood writes mystical realms and futuristic worlds, where underdogs defy authority, defeat demons, and discover their destined family amidst the chaos.
Twitter: @AuthorClauBlood
Notes: Hi! I sent the book with updated branding which will go live before the end of the year. I also only have broken out audio files by chapter, so please let me know if you want access. I think I can deliver via BookFunnel.
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CY-LNK by Kai Surr
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Content Warnings: Drug use
Blurb: In 2140 the strange had become the norm. Human life has been transformed by the cy-lnk cognitive implant that connects the physical brain to the ‘Online Environment’. On board the first manned trip to colonize Proxima Centauri B, all is not well. Chief Engineer Gus Salatin and Science Officer Dr Lilian Garcia are among the few who refused to have ‘the operation’. They believe the company is using cy-lnk to control the crew’s thoughts. As the ship passes through the Keiper Belt on its way out of our solar system, chaos erupts. A mysterious planet suddenly appears, the crew begin hallucinating, and a terrifying secret about their destination is revealed. Brace for a oddly believable, darkly humorous, and hopeful read.
Subgenres: Adventure, Artificial Intelligence, Cosmic Horror, Cyberpunk, Dystopian, Hard SF, Metaphysical/Visionary, Space Exploration, Suspense, Techno Thriller, Weird
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-08-26
Bio: I live in the wild west of Ireland, having lived and worked as a teacher in Prague, Seoul, and Madrid, or going further back in construction and bars in London and Dublin (I’m getting on). I am the author of this science fiction novel CY-LNK, and mystery novella Wordy. I am also the author of a short story collection: Four Surr Stories and have another alien themed novel in the works. I like different books, genres, music, and movies and then I’ll reread/relisten/rewatch the good ones countless times. I have a cat, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a dog person too—can’t we all just get along? I love nature, supernature, and a good story.
Twitter: @SurrKai
Notes: The audio sounds terrible compared to the real audio available normally. I should have zipped it instead I reduced the quality. Oops. Thanks for your great competition.
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Dawn of the Seekers by Alex O’Connor
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: War rages between the Kaltari Empire and the United Celestial Alliance! Nova Team, a UCA special forces team, finds themselves on the front lines chasing a dangerous enemy leader. With rumors emerging of future battles, an unlikely ally is on the verge of discovery. As Nova Team courts the boundary of friend or foe, they must attempt a mission that could see the end of the war as a deadly new weapon emerges.
Subgenres: Adventure, Alien Invasion, Galactic Empire/Colonization, Military, Space Exploration, Space Opera
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-10-17
Bio: Alex O’Connor is an American author who loves crafting the worlds of the Celestial Saga. He hopes that everyone will enjoy the series as much as he has enjoyed writing it. He would like to thank everyone for their support since releasing his debut novel in 2023. When he isn’t imagining adventures through space, he enjoys spending time with his dog, Riley, gaming, and hiking.
Twitter: aoconnorauthor
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Deceit by Sean Allen
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Content Warnings: Graphic violence/murder, Martial arts/combat, Torture, Explicit language
Blurb: A galaxy on the edge of crumbling. A human who shouldn’t exist. One last chance to save the stars. Colonel Jerrel Abalias is furious with himself. After his best soldier dies at the hands of an assassin, he fears his failure may have cost the Dissension its last hope of winning the ages-long war. But one of his troops recognizes the killer’s ship, and the hard-bitten warrior is determined to hunt it to the ends of the galaxy. Dezmara Strykar is too cunning for her own good. After waking from cryosleep to find her race all but extinct and her memories completely wiped, the expert pilot is desperate for a sign she’s not the only human left alive. But to fund her near-hopeless search, she turns to smuggling and gains the kind of notoriety that draws dangerous attention. Setting a trap to bring the murderer to justice, Abalias races against time to salvage his people’s crumbling hope. And accused of a crime she didn’t commit, Dezmara finds herself pursued by an entire army bent on her destruction. Can the gutsy survivor escape an ever-tightening noose, or will the Dissension hang her for a betrayal she knows nothing about? Deceit is the pulse-pounding first book in The D-Evolution space opera fantasy series. If you like electrifying characters, sprawling universes, and gritty thrill rides, then you’ll love Sean Allen’s chase through the cosmos.
Subgenres: Fantasy, Military, Space Opera, Grimdark Space Fantasy
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2021-07-27
Bio: Sean grew up on Transformers (the cartoon, not Michael Bay), Thundercats (Ho!), Voltron, Robotech, Starblazers, Kung Fu Theater, boomboxes, and mixtapes. He loves Tolkien, Guy Ritchie, Guillermo del Toro, and Star Wars. When he’s not making stuff up and writing it down, he’s slinging pixels somewhere in California and hanging out with his wife and two pups.
Twitter: @AuthorSeanAllen
Notes: If I was pitching this book to you, I’d say it was like Joe Abercrombie wrote a Space Opera novel.
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Dierock 88 by S. A. Ernster
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: In the sprawling tapestry of the Aurorion Galaxy, Atlas Viridian dreams of escaping the junk-strewn life of the Salvage Belt. However, his aspirations crumble when his father is arrested under suspicion of being the elusive terrorist, “Typhon.” Accused of aiding and abetting, Atlas is thrust into the relentless grip of Horizon Corporation, condemned to toil for resources beneath the surface of a distant moon. Trapped in the Dome of Dierock 88, Atlas’ destiny becomes entwined with the clandestine machinations of “Vanguard,” a shadowy Black Operations group. Their motives remain elusive—Atlas is the key, but to what? Learning to live with a ragtag group of very different people, he’ll navigate the treacherous depths and discover that Horizon’s facade of happiness conceals a darker Deadly creatures, remnants of the ancient alien Kosmonautai, haunt the caverns below. Every descent brings not only deadly adversaries but inexplicable mental turmoil. BENEATH THE SURFACE, SECRETS AWAIT. In the crucible of survival, he’ll grapple with the tragic lives around him and the harsh truths of the galaxy he inhabits. Dierock 88 becomes a dangerous journey of self-discovery, challenging a young man to unearth the mystery of his own existence, and decide what matters most in an unfair, and cruel society. Will Atlas survive the descent and emerge from the darkness? Or will the battle within himself be his downfall? TORN ALLEGIANCE. FRACTURED TRUST. BE REBORN.
Subgenres: Adventure, Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Space Opera, Suspense
Target Audience: Young Adult (YA) – Ages 13 – 18
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-12-15
Bio: Author and a Momma in South Dakota
Twitter: @Atlas_Writing
Notes: Have fun!
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Fieres by Jendra Berri
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Content Warnings: Martial arts/combat
Blurb: Everyone always said Grace was weird. An albino abandoned at birth, anti-social, and selectively intelligent, she’s never had a friend. Now at 23, she lives alone and quietly runs a dojo in Toronto. But beneath her stony exterior, somehow she’s always known that something— or someone— was coming for her. The night she meets the quirky Tomiko, everything changes and an unseen force draws them to three more women. Together, the five uncover shared memories of a beautiful and mysterious world called Fieres. While unlocking the magical secrets of their past, they encounter a terrifying enemy that threatens both Fieres and Earth. As they prepare for the fight of their lives, Grace must face the hard truth of who— and what— she really is.
Subgenres: Adventure, Fantasy, First Contact, Genetic Engineering, Super Hero
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes, but the blurb isn’t science fiction
Publication Date: 2024-06-24
Bio: Jendra is a Canadian author, born and raised in Kingston, and now living with her husband and son in Toronto. A former art student turned journalism grad, amateur model maker, sometimes baker, chronic cat lady, and occasional crocheter, her primary love is, and has always been, the written word. Her favourite theme is human nature, wrapped in a package of fantasy, science fiction or a mix of both. Fieres (a sci-fi fantasy, or science fantasy, if you will) is her debut novel.
Notes: Book is presently on KU but is leaving Sept. 21, so I selected No
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GENEFIRE by James Flanagan
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: Sometimes it feels as though the world will end if you don’t finish your PhD. For Larry Milton, it’s true. Larry has discovered a dire warning from the future about Earth’s destruction — written in the DNA of a young girl. With the destruction of the planet at stake, and no one believing him, he goes to extraordinary lengths to help the messenger from the future save the world… and try to finish his PhD at the same time. GENEFIRE: near-future SciFi novel crossing space and time. In a future where genetic engineering is becoming the norm, even the simplest mistakes could be devastating.
Subgenres: Genetic Engineering, Hard SF, Suspense, Techno Thriller, Time Travel
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-09-01
Bio: James Flanagan is an author of speculative fiction with short fiction publications in Macrame Literary Journal, SciFiShorts, Literally Stories, EverydayFiction, among others. His debut sci-fi novel GENEFIRE won several awards and is garnering excellent reviews. By day he is an academic scientist with a Ph.D. in cancer genetics, working at Imperial College London, and has authored over 100 scientific publications. You can find more of his work on www.jimiflanwrites.com. If you would like to learn more about his academic research you can find that here. He was born in Brisbane, Australia, and now lives in East London, UK, with his wife, son, and two cats.
Twitter: @jimiflanUK
Notes: It was previously reviewed by the Space Girls team
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KARA by Peter Beard
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Content Warnings: Graphic violence/murder, Martial arts/combat, Descriptions of PTSD like symptoms.
Blurb: For over ten years Kara was a Hunter—the highly trained individuals with the ability and resources to find people, no-matter where they tried to hide. But after killing her best friend in a tragic accident, her world collapsed in on itself, and Kara spiralled. Recovering, and keen for a distraction to keep her mind from wandering, Kara turned her attention to something that had intrigued her for as long as she could remember—to the mysterious symbol on her wrist. Determined to learn more, she began a hunt of a different kind—a hunt for answers. But three years of searching yielded little information, and she began losing hope of ever discovering the truth. But then, unexpectedly, she receives an anonymous message—a message pointing her to a highly secretive prison on the outskirts of the Kuiper Belt. What she finds changes everything, and leads her down a path that puts her, and the people around her, in danger. Can she learn the origins around the strange marking, all whilst unravelling a sinister plot that threatens to send a peaceful world back into chaos?
Subgenres: Adventure, Alternate History/Parallel Universe, Artificial Intelligence, Dystopian, Genetic Engineering, Space Opera
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-09-18
Bio: Peter Beard is an author from the South East of England, with a love for all things ‘nerdy’. Having never written anything of great substance before, in 2019, he started writing his first novel: KARA, a sci-fi thriller/mystery that follows a young woman’s search for the truth around her origin. The book was well received by ARC reviewers, who praised the stories pacing and action. Beard is now focusing on writing the follow up to his debut, which is sure to be a wild ride!
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Molten Flux by Jonathan Weiss
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Content Warnings: Body horror, Graphic violence/murder, Martial arts/combat, Non-consensual medical procedures, Suicide/self harm
Blurb: As the freshest conscript aboard the walking fortress of Revance, Ryza forges a name for himself in battle. The enemy are the smelters, bandits that trade in reanimated corpses. But for Ryza, the bloodshed represents a path of redemption for an upbringing he’s just escaped. His prowess with a rifle draws the interest of the Locusts, a clandestine faction within Revance’s ranks. It turns out that not all aboard the fortress seek to stamp out the plague of molten flux, the mysterious liquid metal that fills the bodies of the dead and makes them walk again. Some seek to profit. The reanimated corpses —known as autominds— are used to control enormous contraptions of magnetically enchanted metal, forming the backbone of The Droughtland’s factories. The only thing stopping the smelters from expanding their illicit industry is Revance. The Locusts make Ryza an offer. Either help overthrow Revance to do the smelter’s bidding or reveal his father’s legacy as the very thing Ryza now fights against. The former is unthinkable. The latter means death. Ryza resolves to infiltrate them and expose the mutiny, plunging him back into the murky underworld of the smelters, testing his convictions, and even leading him to the ancient origins of molten flux itself.
Subgenres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Military, Post-Apocalyptic, Desert-punk
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes, but the blurb isn’t science fiction
Publication Date: 2023-06-17
Bio: Jonathan Weiss is an Australian Fantasy & Science Fiction author of The Flux Catastrophe and The First Hytharo series. Ever since being a small boy he hunted for the best way to tell stories, dabbling in stop motion before eventually finding a passion for writing as a teenager. More than a decade later he’d gathered a bachelor’s degree of Journalism and a career in commercial cloud sales, yet they were never as satisfying as writing. With the support of his artist wife and a trio of pet budgies, he’s now dedicated himself to a full-time career as an author. When not writing, Jonathan can be found reading, working through the never-ending queue of un-painted Warhammer 40,000 models and attempting to fit far too much food on his tiny barbeque.
Twitter: @jonw_author
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Navvy Dreams by H. M. H. Murray
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Content Warnings: Body horror, Drug use, Explicit sex, Non-consensual medical procedures, implied harm to a child (happens off-screen)
Blurb: TAKE A JOB. FALL IN LOVE. TRY NOT TO BLOW UP SUNS! My name’s Polla Ottrava. I’m a registered smuggler and hotshot hyperspace pilot with a navigational symbiote (“navvy”) implanted in my arm. Its name is Second. With dear Second, I’m the best pilot I know (probably). Without, I’m just a farmgirl from a backwater planet who’s moved back in with her folks. Between the lover I abandoned and the crime boss I cheated, I had no choice. In my twenty-eight years I’ve made a lot of bad calls, but that’s relative, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve never blown up a binary star with space magic. I’ve never harnessed a fleet of alien ships and used ’em to terrorize perfectly respectable arms dealers, either. I’ve also never unleashed a shapeshifting biophage, nor ended even one civilization. The woman who did all that was Ledas-stinking-Starfire. Ledas: the rebel Kamen-lord, spoiled Terran princeling, and failed revolutionary. A year ago, someone killed her. Now her widower’s ravaging planets. I guess for revenge. Who cares? This isn’t her stinking story… It’s MINE. I’m Polla Ottrava. I’ve taken a job I wasn’t allowed to refuse. My employers are war criminals who swear they’re saving the galaxy. They say I’m the only one who can fly their bloodship. They say we’re heroes. They say they’ll pay me. They say a lot of crap. Only some of it’s true…
Subgenres: Artificial Intelligence, Cosmic Horror, Dying Earth, Dystopian, Galactic Empire/Colonization, Genetic Engineering, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Space Opera, Suspense
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-06-19
Bio: HMH Murray lives in Maryland with her family. She writes speculative fiction that explores questions of identity, consequence, and trouble. NAVVY DREAMS is her first novel not hiding in a trunk someplace.
Twitter: @nillcord
Notes: HUBBart is the imprint I’m sort of using… it’s also me. Tjhe pub date was supposed to be 7/15/24, but I accidentally released the ebook in June. I also made a lot of editorial changes to the document AFTER Darling Axe’s copyedits. They did a masterful job, and any grammatical errors now are entirely mine.
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New Eyes by Tobias Cabral
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: Just six months ago the rogue android, BopLpops’ grisly killing spree came to an end. Gaspar Núñez’s conscience can find no relief for his part in unknowingly helping the horribly-abused ‘Synth’ wreak his terrible vengeance…even though it cost him his eyes. But now a desperate, dangerous path has opened up for him to seek atonement, one that will carry him all the way to Mars. Jenna Graham never saw the Darkness in BopLpops until that terrible summer night, half a year ago. She’d worshiped him every time he performed for his adoring fans, the monster within him wholly hidden from her eyes. Now chance has brought her an opportunity to confront the trauma that’s haunted her all this time. Meanwhile, operatives of a shadowy anti-technological religious group have vowed to thwart their plans at any cost. NEW EYES continues the story of the critically-acclaimed Cyberpunk detective novella, MECHANICAL ERROR. A thrilling, thoughtful science fiction adventure, it crosses the space between worlds while exploring what it means to be human.
Subgenres: Adventure, Artificial Intelligence, Cyberpunk, Hard SF, Humorous, Romance, Space Exploration
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is an alternative entry point to a series
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2021-03-01
Bio: Clinical psychologist, enthusiast or aerospace, comparative mythology, chaos/complexity theory, lifelong SF fan.
Twitter: @Cabral_PsyD
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Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher and Clayton Snyder
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Content Warnings: Body horror, Drug use, Explicit sex, Graphic violence/murder, Martial arts/combat, Non-consensual medical procedures, Torture
Blurb: Norylska Groans… with the weight of her crimes. In a city where winter reigns amid the fires of industry and war, soot and snow conspire to conceal centuries of death and deception. Norylska Groans… and the weight of a leaden sky threatens to crush her people. Katyusha Leonova, desperate to restore her family name, takes a job with Norylska’s brutal police force. To support his family, Genndy Antonov finds bloody work with a local crime syndicate. Norylska Groans… with the weight of her dead. As bodies fall, the two discover a foul truth hidden beneath layers of deception and violence: Come the thaw, what was buried will be revealed.
Subgenres: Arcanepunk, Alternate History/Parallel Universe, Cyberpunk, Noir
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2021-05-10
Bio: I am a science-fiction and fantasy author with four traditionally published and twelve self-published novels. Beyond Redemption (Harper Collins, 2015) was published world-wide in English and is currently in its eighth printing. My self-published novels have sold over 60,000 copies. I am represented by Paul Lucas at the Janklow and Nesbit Literary Agency in New York.
Twitter: @FletcherMR
Notes: As an alternate history, it blurs the line between SF and fantasy.
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Rebellious Nature by Rho Diehl
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Content Warnings: Martial arts/combat, Suicide/self harm
Blurb: Konstance awakens from cryosleep with the distinct feeling that he has forgotten something important. Soon afterward, Vylik, his captain, informs him (as well as the rest of the crew on board the Rebellious Nature) about their new mission, one unlike any they have previously undertaken. To make things even more puzzling, only she is in possession of its most important details. All the crew knows is that they will be transporting a unique “Unfit” named Seirene across space to a distant location. Tensions on board the ship are already starting to rise, however, as Lubov (the ship’s ordnance specialist) has been acting strangely ever since waking from cryosleep. Will the crew of the Rebellious Nature successfully complete their mission? Or will they fail and face possibly dire consequences?
Subgenres: Adventure, Artificial Intelligence, Cosmic Horror, Cyberpunk, Genetic Engineering, Space Opera, Suspense
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-06-19
Bio: Hi, my name is Rho! I’m 25 and live in southeast Pennsylvania. I’m a big fan of space operas and futuristic science fiction set in space and recently self-published my very first sci-fi mystery novel! When I’m not writing, I enjoy reading, gaming, and socializing with friends.
Twitter: RhoDiehlWriter
Notes: *The first submission I sent in included the wrong EPUB file. Please use this submission as my official one as the EPUB file is correct. Thank you.
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Spark and Tether by Lilian Zenzi
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Content Warnings: Drug use, Explicit sex, Non-consensual medical procedures, Full list from book: Abandonment, Betrayal, Death (off page), Depression, Discrimination, Prejudice, and Oppression of enhanced humans and human-made life forms, Intoxicating Substance Consumption as Negative Coping Mechanism, Life-changing injury and recovery, PTSD, Trauma, Use of intoxicating substances (recreational and forced/weaponized)
Blurb: Working odd jobs across the Outer Ring gets a little lonely sometimes—not everyone loves having a synchronist with supraliminal perception around. But all Sacheri wants, he tells himself, is to wander the stars. Then he takes a salvage run to an abandoned moon where he meets the wry, reserved, strictly-by-the-rules archivist Jin. Mesmerized by their confidence and charm, Sacheri can’t resist showing off his abilities–and instead of the damaged ai he was tracking, he stumbles onto a signal left by a synchronist who went missing decades earlier. Sacheri knows from previous experience that pursuing the truth—never mind justice—could destroy everything he loves. He would defy his employers, the institution responsible for the myconeural networks that make him a synchronist, and the leadership of several worlds. And it would complicate his new, passionate, and impossibly sweet relationship with Jin. They might be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but they work for the very entities that ended Sacheri’s last investigation. He knows better than to risk it. But he’s never been able to turn away from someone in need, and there’s a voice in the void calling for aid…
Subgenres: Artificial Intelligence, Crime & Mystery, Genetic Engineering, LGBTQIA+, Romance
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-01-19
Bio: Lilian Zenzi (she/her/hers) writes science fiction and fantasy, sometimes with romance and usually in queer normative worlds. Genre agnostic as a writer and a reader, she likes to keep space for comfort, hope, and joy along with the kissing, conflict, and big ideas. Her stories are for readers who like when the genre rules get a bit blurry. Most of her storytelling universes are queer normative and optimistic, and most characters are LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, lovable, relatable—and complicated. She aims for intricate, immersive worlds that build on the idea that we are all connected and in this together, whether we like it or not. She resents having to write a bio and would rather be in the garden or making art.
Twitter: none
Mastodon: none
Notes: Audiobook is in production with intended release late 2024
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The Anubis War by David R. Packer
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Content Warnings: Martial arts/combat
Blurb: At the end of human space, a warrior faces his final battle. Coming out of retirement once more, Vasco Alcazar al Madina del Goya joins another multi-year unification mission on the far flung edges of human expansion. The planet Rumi will join the New Ottoman Empire, whether it wants to or not. To ensure this, the Empire has sent its largest, most powerful battleship, the Tatar-class Alexi, armed with kinetic energy and bioweapons. The native Sumi, regressed from their spacefaring days don’t stand a chance. Or at least, that’s what everyone thinks. All Vasco wants is one last chance to prove himself to be the warrior he always knew he could be, one last shot at glory. The Anubis War and his fate, awaits.
Subgenres: Adventure, Galactic Empire/Colonization, Hard SF, Military, Space Opera
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2021-10-11
Bio: David R. Packer is the author of The Anubis War, the System Apocalypse: Kismet trilogy, and the forthcoming Salish Rift series. He’s been a full-time teacher of historical European swordplay, a high-tech wizard, and a security professional. For a few years he was a for-pay bad guy working in police training, which once had him on the run from the entire police force, across the whole city. Aside from that, he lives a cozy life with 2 cats and a real-life she-hulk for a wife. He has many books and likes coffee far too much.
Notes: First novel, first time entering any sort of contest. Thanks for running this!
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The Arachne Portal by Joan Marie Verba
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: Women scientists having fun saving the world…unless someone kills them first and steals their tech. Their goal is to make the world a better place. One billionaires’s obsession may turn their altruism into destruction. Jay Ecklund is desperate to belong somewhere. Rejected by his family and former employer, he really needs this job as a receptionist at an up-and-coming tech corporation. He’s astonished when he discovers the all-woman staff is secretly developing a portal capable of instantaneous transport to anywhere on Earth. Thrilled to be part of a company designing innovations to help others, Jay is excited when the machine is at last operational. But he worries about it falling into the wrong hands when an ambitious billionaire hell-bent on accumulating power makes a bid to get it…at any cost. Will the portal be used as a rescue device as intended, or will a relentless manipulator warp it to a more sinister purpose? The Arachne Portal is an electrifying standalone science fiction novel. If you like fast-paced adventures, phenomenal science, and thought-provoking themes, then you’ll love Joan Marie Verba’s compelling story.
Subgenres: Hard SF
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? No
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2021-04-24
Bio: Joan Marie Verba is an autistic author, publisher, and web developer with a bachelor’s degree in physics. She was an associate instructor of astronomy for one year. She has worked as a computer programmer, web developer, editor, publisher, and social media manager. An experienced writer, she is the author of fiction and nonfiction books plus numerous short stories and articles. Her novels have received the Mom’s Choice Award® and the Scribe Award. She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.
Twitter: joanmarieverba
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The Correct Order by Trish Taylor
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Content Warnings: Food and drink eating disorders, Non-consensual medical procedures, Sexual violence/rape, Torture
Blurb: THE CORRECT ORDER With women in control, life is better, but not for everyone. After the defeat of a repressive regime, women under the Correct Order enjoy safer and better lives. The AI entity BELLA dispenses harsh penalties to those breaking the rules. Men found guilty of crimes against women are sent to the Resort, where they undergo demasculation—a surgical penalty. Seventeen-year-old Emily, daughter of a high-ranking Order leader, is about to embark on her dream career as a surgeon. But doubts creep in as BELLA’s judgments hit close to home. As Emily learns the truth about the Resort, she questions her career choice and everything she believed about the Correct Order.
Subgenres: Artificial Intelligence, Dystopian, Horror
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-03-25
Bio: Trish Taylor is a Brit now living in the United States. She has a cautionary tale. Be careful who you dance with. A night out at a club led to a salsa dance with an American. She married him and gave up all she knew to start a new life in the US. Her experience of being a stranger in a new land led her to try new experiences, and she found she could help others face their fears and insecurities via mindset coaching. Trish’s first books were self-help books for her clients. Later, she wrote British travel books for Americans wanting to learn more about life in the UK. She has since begun writing speculative science fiction and is currently working on her third fiction book. Trish found friends and connection via a book club and believes that reading and writing can change both ourselves and our world.
Twitter: @TrishAuthor
Notes: The Correct Order was previously published as a Kindle Vella serialized story.
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The Faithless and the Damned by Sev Romero
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Content Warnings: Graphic violence/murder, Harm to an animal, Martial arts/combat
Blurb: When the world is on fire, justice eventually comes for all. As temperatures and water lines rise, a revolution led by the young and desperate dispenses bloody vengeance against what remains of the establishment. The Daughters of Adrestia send anxious teen Ava to execute a notorious climate criminal—but the job does not go to plan and Ava is forced to flee. Elsewhere in the decaying city, grieving widower Victor agrees to deliver a mysterious young boy to a shadowy sect, however, the boy escapes, placing Victor in danger. Ava crosses paths with the runaway boy and he joins her on the run. Victor pursues them, but discovers more ominous threats have also joined the hunt. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues across the back roads and towns that litter the smouldering Australian landscape. To survive, Ava must fight to find her resolve, while Victor must confront his convictions. And as the chase intensifies to its feverish conclusion, both must decide whose side they are on before the world burns down around them. The Faithless and the Damned is a gripping, provocative dystopian thriller by the award-winning Australian speculative fiction author Sev Romero.
Subgenres: Adventure, Dystopian, Horror, Suspense, Climate fiction
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-08-22
Bio: Sev Romero is a writer based on Ngunnawal Country (Canberra, Australia). Sev enjoys writing dark speculative fiction novels and short stories that hold a mirror up to today’s world. These tales feature gripping plots, authentic characters, and a healthy dose of social commentary and dark humour. Sev grew up in the outer suburbs of Canberra, crammed with his 5 siblings in a 3 bedroom government house. With little money, a trip away consisted of renting a b-grade film or borrowing a book from the school library. Thankfully this upbringing empowered Sev to travel beyond the suburban realm through his love of reading and writing. In particular, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. From the written works of Orwell to King, to films like Mad Max, Akira and Total Recall. To Star Wars and Star Trek. Sev’s inspirations today include James S. A. Corey, N. K. Jemisin, Cormac McCarthy, and Margaret Atwood. Sev is also a strong advocate for equality and the environment, and these themes often feature in his work. He has had four stories published: • October 2022 – debut novel Hello Darkness was independently published and has received extremely positive reviews. • December 2022 – short story The Weatherman won an award in the Short Stories Unlimited Four Seasons Competition and was subsequently published as part of The Four Seasons anthology. • May 2023 – short story Anything for the Team was commended in the Short Stories Open Competition and was published in the Leaving Home and Other Short Stories anthology in July 2023. • August 2024 – latest dystopian novel The Faithless and the Damned was independently published.
Twitter: @sev_romero
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The Thief by G. S. Jennsen
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: * A stand-alone adventure set in the Amaranthe universe * The Hesgyr are thieves. “Scavengers,” to hear their victims tell it; “repurposers” by their own reckoning. As Chief of Intelligence for Non-Anaden Affairs, Eren Savitas’ job is to protect the Advocacy from all manner of alien threats: sabotage, assassination, insurgency and, way down the list, theft. So when he spots a Hesgyr running off with valuable technology, he follows the alien home—and discovers a civilization unlike any he’s ever encountered. Yes, the Hesgyr are thieves. But they are also being hunted. Systematically exterminated by an insidious enemy they can’t see, touch or find. Eren finds himself drawn ever deeper into the Hesgyr’s fascinating yet labyrinthine world as he races against time to solve the mystery of the deadly attacks. What he discovers is a complex web of loyalties and betrayals, of grudges and grievances millennia old—and beneath it all, a secret that may hold the key to the survival of more than one civilization. THE THIEF is a humorous, pulse-pounding sci-fi adventure about alien culture clashes, the flaws and foibles that transcend species, and the satisfaction that comes from breaking all the rules to save the day.
Subgenres: Adventure
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone set in the same universe as other books
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-05-31
Bio: G. S. JENNSEN lives somewhere in the U.S., in a locale that may or may not be where she lived the last time she published a book (she’s a gypsy at heart), with her husband and one or more dogs. She has become an internationally bestselling author since her first novel, Starshine, was published in 2014. She has chosen to continue writing under an independent publishing model to ensure the integrity of her stories and her ability to execute on the vision she has for their telling. While she has been a lawyer, a software engineer and an editor, she’s found the life of a full-time author preferable by several orders of magnitude. When she isn’t writing, she’s gaming or working out or getting lost in the mountains that loom large outside the windows in her home. Or she’s dealing with a flooded basement, or standing in a line at Walmart and wondering who all these people are (because she’s probably new in town). Or sitting on her back porch with a glass of wine, looking up at the stars, trying to figure out what could be up there.
Twitter: GSJennsen
Mastodon: @gsjennsen
Notes: The audiobook is larger than 100MB, so wasn’t uploaded. I can provide a Spotify promo code for it upon request.
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Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen
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Content Warnings: Martial arts/combat
Blurb: Discover SciFi #5 Best Book of 2023 Atomic Rockets Seal of Approval, for Excellence in Correct Science Prometheus Award Finalist for Best Novel Dragon Award for Best Scifi Novel Finalist “A great read — hard SF by a retired engineer.” —John Carmack, creator of Doom At the frozen edge of the solar system lies a hidden treasure which could spell their fortune or their destruction—but only if they survive each other first. Marcus Warnoc has a little problem. His asteroid mining ship—his inheritance, his livelihood, and his home—has been hijacked by a pint-sized corporate heiress with enough blackmail material to sink him for good, a secret mission she won’t tell him about, and enough courage to get them both killed. She may have him dead to rights, but if he doesn’t turn the tables on this spoiled Martian snob, he’ll be dead, period. He’s not giving up without a fight. He has a plan. Miranda Foxgrove has the opportunity of a lifetime almost within her grasp if she can reach it. Her stolen spacecraft came with a stubborn, resourceful captain who refuses to cooperate—but he’s one of the few men alive who can snatch an unimaginable treasure from beneath the muzzles of countless railguns. And if this foulmouthed Belter thug doesn’t want to cooperate, she’ll find a way to force him. She’s come too far to give up now. She has a plan. They’re about to find out that a plan is a list of things that won’t happen.
Subgenres: Adventure, Artificial Intelligence, Genetic Engineering, Hard SF, Space Opera
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-11-11
Bio: Devon Eriksen is a life-long reader, with a particular fondness for classics from the golden age of science fiction, such as “A Mote in God’s Eye” and “Ringworld.” While he was dissuaded from becoming a writer in his childhood, retirement from a career in engineering and the unwavering support of his loved ones presented an opportunity to pursue his childhood dream. Eriksen began writing stories with a single overarching goal: to give the reader something to love. And he hasn’t looked back since.
Notes: Sorry for the late submission, we are overwhelmed by Sara Eriksen’s cancer returning, and the audiobook Kickstarter. I checked “yes” for the audiobook, but it’s currently being created. Over 75% recorded, then sound engineered. Will share with you guys when it’s done, just tell me how.
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Time of the Cat by Tansy Rayner Roberts
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: It’s time to take history seriously. The cats and humans of Chronos College know that time travel is the best job in the world, and nothing bad can ever happen to them in the past… except that one time they lost a traveller. And that other time they lost a cat. Now they have a chance to make up for past mistakes by rescuing a long lost legend. If only they could convince Professor Boswell, the grumpiest marmalade tabby of all time, to join their mission to the Swinging Sixties, and save one of their own. (Plus pick up a missing piece or two of lost media along the way.) Join Ruthven, Boswell, Monterey and Lovelace on the most chaotic time travel adventure of their lives. Featuring special appearances by Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn, famous actress Fleur Shropshire, and the even more famous house where they filmed TV show Cramberleigh between 1964-1986. Time of the Cat is a cozy sci-fi romp through the centuries, featuring academic endnotes, epic friendships, and far more cat hair than is strictly necessary. If you’d rather use time travel to steal the pens of famous writers of history than stop to fill in the proper paperwork, then this is the novel for you.
Subgenres: Adventure, Humorous, LGBTQIA+, Time Travel, Weird
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? No
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-12-01
Bio: Tansy Rayner Roberts is a Tasmanian author of quirky, whimsical SFF books. She was the first Australian woman to win a Hugo Award (Best Fan Writer), and is currently a co-host of the Verity! Doctor Who podcast. Her obsession with history can be found in most of her stories.
Twitter: @tansyrr
Notes: I would very much like to include my audiobook but the file is 299MB and cannot be uploaded. Can I provide a link instead?
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Time’s Ellipse by Frasier Armitage
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: No solution saves everyone. Only one keeps us human. The hope of a dying Earth rests on a crew of astronauts. Their mission: find a new home. But when they touch down on a distant planet, a time-bending anomaly traps them in a situation that no one could’ve predicted, causing them to question the nature of humanity, the snare of destiny, and the shape of time itself. Time’s Ellipse spans generations, orbiting the lives of the scientists and astronauts involved in this historic mission as they discover that escaping the planet is simpler than evading its legacy.
Subgenres: Dying Earth, Space Exploration, Space Opera, Time Travel
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-12-12
Bio: Frasier is a sci-fi novelist, reviewer for FanFiAddict, part-time robot, full-time nerd, and an award-winning audio-dramatist. His books include New Yesterday and Time’s Ellipse, and his audio play “Postcards From Another World” won the 2022 Pen To Print Audio Drama Contest. When he’s not sat alone in a room, scribbling about things that are impossible, you’ll find him watching Keanu Reeves movies with his wife and son.
Twitter: @FrasierArmitage
Notes: Imagine Interstellar crossed with The Martian Chronicles and you’ll have some idea of what to expect from Time’s Ellipse
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Turn Left at the Mooncrow Skeleton by Linda Raedisch
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: “Welcome to Planet 5372, a uniquely dystopian world where the unlikely heroes include a handful of shambolic university students and their taciturn landlord. Raedisch’s layered writing and photographic attention to detail make this slice-of-life archaeological adventure entirely believable.” —Clarissa Simmens, author of Parallel Universe Cafe and Other Poems For the past two hundred years, the colonists marooned on Planet 5372 have been confined to a volcanic basin the size of New Jersey. Outside the Basin lie the uninhabitable (some say haunted) ruins known as the Outer Cities. Bored with campus life at the colony’s only university, twenty-year-old Numi rents a room from Kelda, an uneducated, thirty-something carpenter whose movements are closely monitored by the “shingles” or neighborhood deputies. Numi doesn’t mind running interference between the reserved Kelda and his rambunctious tenants, but the two can never be more than friends. Numi’s an up-and-coming academic, and Kelda’s a Tyrrhenian, a descendant of the manual laborers who cleared the toxic vegetation from the Basin. As Halloween approaches, Numi is still summoning the courage to confront Kelda with her suspicion that he’s mixed up in the black market trade in “magical paraphernalia,” mysterious carved objects left behind by the planet’s indigenous, supposedly extinct inhabitants. Time runs out on Mischief Night when Kelda disappears, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Numi faces a decision. She can report her suspicions to the shingles, or she can follow her landlord to the one place she thought she could never go: the Outer Cities.
Subgenres: Genetic Engineering, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Weird
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-10-23
Bio: Linda Raedisch is an eclectic writer who loves to explore museums, grave mounds, and old coal sidings. Her second book, The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year (Llewellyn 2013) has been translated into Czech, Russian, and Polish. Her fourth Llewellyn book, The Secret History of Christmas Baking: Recipes and Stories from Tomb Offerings to Gingerbread Boys, was released in September 2023. In October 2023, she published her first novel, Turn Left at the Mooncrow Skeleton, just in time for Halloween. She lives in northern New Jersey.
Notes: My book might be enjoyed by fans of Becky Chambers and Grace Curtis.
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Twilight Divide by Melanie Bokstad Horev
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Content Warnings: None, Killing, but not graphic.
Blurb: In a world where hope has been scorched by fire and forgotten gods, Nour fights to survive. She’s a warrior, a sister, and a survivor in the brutal wasteland of Aridex. But when she discovers a long-hidden truth about her family, her life becomes a race against time. A prophecy, whispered through time, binds her to a destiny she never wanted. She must choose: protect her brother, the only family she has left, or embrace a fate that could save or destroy them all. The Day Blazers, a ruthless force with blades thirsty for blood, hunt her across the desert. And from the ruins of the old world, monstrous night creatures rise, their hunger as ancient as the wasteland itself. Can Nour find the strength to stand against the darkness and save her people, or will the desert bury their dreams beneath the sand and grit they were born in?
Subgenres: Adventure, Dystopian, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Suspense
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-10-15
Bio: Hi, I’m Melanie! By day, I’m a molecular cell biologist with a Ph.D., and by night, I dabble in storytelling. When I’m not immersed in either, I’m spending time with my wonderful, quirky family. I’m married and have three sweet (and charmingly weird) kids who keep life full of surprises and make me crazy tired. When I’m not lost in a book, I love playing volleyball, tennis, or soccer. Traveling is a big part of my life too—my husband and I actually met in Bolivia during an around-the-world trip!
Twitter: @MelanieBokstad
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Umbra by Amber Toro
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Content Warnings: Martial arts/combat, Strong language, alcohol use, and fantasy violence
Blurb: Earth That Was has faded into myth. After millenia spent wandering, humans are no longer nomads. Twelve tribes stand allied under the United Tribal Axis; but there is a signal in the darkness that threatens to destroy everything. All Skyla wanted after leaving the Navy was to be left alone. Just her ship, the stars, and a new adventure. But when a strange virus disables her ship, she is thrown into the middle of a conflict she doesn’t understand, forcing her to take on responsibilities she swore she never would again. Hinata always followed the rules, honor above all else. He always won, until he didn’t. Sentenced to exile for his failures, he is determined to prove himself, until a mysterious woman arrives on his station and chaos threatens to break already fragile alliances. Freyja was always angry, an outcast, playing the part of admiral and black ops operative. But she is tired of being a pawn in the Empress’ games and when she’s stranded on the wrong side of enemy lines after a vengeful battle, she’s forced to ally with her adversaries to clear her name. A Rogue. A Commander. And an Admiral. Brought together by circumstance, held together by duty. Can they find a way to work together to save humanity?
Subgenres: Adventure, Artificial Intelligence, Galactic Empire/Colonization, Romance, Space Opera
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Yes
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-04-24
Bio: Amber Toro is a data scientist at a machine learning startup working to make the world a better place with AI. She is a big believer in using tech for good. Always dreaming Amber writes epic sci-fi and fantasy. Amber grew up in Seattle with a great love of the outdoors. She now calls Utah her home and when she is not writing or coding you can find her biking, hiking, and camping in the mountains with her amazing partner and two tiny humans, or curled up with a good sci-fi/fantasy book.
Twitter: amberraetoro
Notes: Umbra is an action adventure space opera with a strong romantic subplot that falls best under the new sub genre romantaSCI. If the judges would prefer an audiobook I am happy to provide that format as soon as it is available. Thank you so much for putting on this competition.
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What Swims On Uncharted World 550 by R. B. Lovitt
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Content Warnings: None
Blurb: Meet Dr. Elora Stephenson, a biologist joining a team on a small outpost on an alien world. As soon as she arrives, strange occurrences and unexplained deaths throw the outpost into chaos. Who can be trusted? Who is hiding who they are? Elora must navigate the treacherous web of suspicions and sabotage, racing against time to unmask the culprit before the outpost is completely wiped out. The fate of the team on uncharted world 550 rests in Elora’s hands in this thrilling tale of mystery and deception.
Subgenres: Adventure, Crime & Mystery, Space Exploration
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2023-09-25
Bio: R. B. Lovitt, a visionary in the realm of science fiction, transports readers to mesmerizing worlds beyond imagination. With a masterful blend of intricate storytelling and thought-provoking characters, Lovitt’s debut tale What Swims On Uncharted World 550 is sure to be an adventure.
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Wilderness Five by C. R. Walton
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Content Warnings: Graphic violence/murder
Blurb: Extinction is only the beginning . . . Accelerated evolution ‘Manifold’ technology has changed everything – dead worlds and asteroids bloom with strange new life. People flocked to colonise the new wilderness only barely to survive obliteration by a Manifold experiment gone wrong. Like so many others, Bryn watched his people burn that day. Unlike the rest, Bryn finds himself hailed as the lone hero who saved his species. Only he knows better. Bryn’s grim new life of solitude in the depths of the wilderness is shattered when the past comes calling. His presence is requested on the ringworld Wilderness Five. There, at the edge of inhabited space, the oldest and richest man in the System has expended every drop of his money and influence to launch the most daring Manifold experiment ever attempted. Bryn’s moment has come. Plunged back into a world of faceless corporations, hell-bent scientists, and terrifying engineered species, he must learn to finally live up to his reputation. Otherwise, nature will take its course with humanity once and for all. On Wilderness Five, the fate of the species comes down to one question: whom to trust and whom to kill?
Subgenres: Adventure, Cosmic Horror, Galactic Empire/Colonization, Genetic Engineering, Hard SF, Space Exploration, Space Opera
Target Audience: Adult – Ages 18+
Is This First in a Series? Book is a standalone
Is This Science Fiction? Yes
Publication Date: 2024-05-08
Bio: In my day job I am a planetary scientist hunting for life beyond Earth. Some people in my university therefore consider my academic work to basically science fiction, though I would beg to differ. Though, perhaps I should have considered entering my most recent journal article into SPSFC… I have been writing since I was a little boy, when I picked up a habit of writing alternative scripts for my favourite TV show ‘Walking ith Dinosaurs’
Twitter: @lithologuy
Notes: This is my first novel and my first entry into a SF book contest.
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