Otherness

      David Brin
     Otherness

From multiple award-winning author David Brin comes this extraordinary collection of tales and essays of the near and distant future, as humans and aliens encounter the secrets of the cosmos--and of their own existence.  In "Dr. Pak's Preschool" a woman discovers that her baby has been called upon to work while still in the womb.  In "NatuLife" a married couple finds their relationship threatened by the wonders of sex by simulation.  In "Sshhh . . . " the arrival of benevolent aliens on Earth leads to frenzy, madness . . . and unimaginable joy.  In "Bubbles" a sentient starcraft reaches the limits of the universe--and dares to go beyond.  These are but a few of the challenging speculations in Otherness, from the pen of an author whose urgent and compelling imaginative fiction challenges us to wonder at the shape and the nature of the universe--as well as at its future.

Read online

  • 760

    To The Stars

      Thomas Stone
     To The Stars

TO THE STARS is the first book in a trilogy concerning an intrepid group of space explorers in 2107. Harry Irons dreams of escaping an over-crowded Earth by working for one of the giant corporations. He gets his wish and soon enough finds himself struggling to survive on an alien world.Looks can be deceiving, the same is true for reputations As the head of his family, Robert Beckford, the Earl of Masten, was accustomed to dealing with various problems his siblings had caused of one sort or another. However he wasn’t prepared when his cad of brother ruined and then abandoned a young lady. To right the wrong, Robert married the girl himself; but his chivalry only went so far. He didn’t want a wife, and most certainly not a scandalous one. So after repeating his vows, he sent her packing, off to a secluded estate and expected her to stay put. After years of mistreatment at the hands of her family, Lydia was prepared to be an accommodating wife; but her rigid and unforgiving husband asked too much of her. After languishing for years in her opulent prison, Lydia leaves her country estate for the glamour and excitement of London—and unfortunately her husband’s path.

Read online

  • 759

    The First Indigan

      Charles Kaluza
     The First Indigan

The First Indigan, is a science fiction adventure exploring the science of creation. It is based on my own surgical and military experiences as well as my own response to loss. I especially enjoyed writing the sections on the head transplant which is technically feasible but as yet unperformed in humans. As is proper in science fiction, the science is pushed far beyond our present capabilities.Logan Tanner shook the red dust of West Texas off his boots at the age of eighteen and hasn't looked back. When his father has a stroke, Logan is temporarily forced to return home and take over the family ranch. He still feels responsible for his mother's death when he was twelve, and has never gotten over the guilt. Now he's faced with having to protect his twelve year old daughter Katie and his sister and her friend Megan Flynn. It's nearly more than one man can handle. He can't wait to get back to Dallas.Megan Flynn immediately falls in love with Morris Springs, Texas, population 976, when she delivers Logan's runaway daughter to his doorstep. Raised as a city girl, Megan has a dream of a few acres, a few champion Blue Heelers, and a small-town veterinary practice. The only thing standing between her and her dream is one stubborn, reluctant cowboy with an overprotective streak as wide as the West Texas prairie. But her stubborn streak is a match for his any day. And she's determined to prove it.Blame it on Texas is a story of the power of love to overcome any adversity, the strength of family and friendship, and the joy that comes with being part of something bigger than yourself.

Read online

  • 759

    Nothing New

      Steve Matthew Benner
     Nothing New

A bored government worker falls in love with a renowned physicist but discovers possible mistakes in her calculations that could lead to disaster.An ex-physicist turned government bean counter falls in love with a physicist working on a means of space travel that could create tunnels to other parts of the universe. As their relationship grows into a full love affair, doubts grow in his mind about the safety of the concept and the experiment to demonstrate it. He believes it could lead to a disaster but is thwarted by his lover and the scientific bureaucracy.

Read online

  • 759

    Preacher Man

      r. a. Ben Miller
     Preacher Man

This book explores the question, "Do times make the man or Does the man make the times?"A wanted jewel thief takes refuge as an itinerate preacher. He finds himself at a mining facility on a backwater planet. Can he save his home planet and the Prince's life and end a war. Wild characters and plot twists make this a wild ride.This book explores the question, "Do times make the man or Does the man make the times?"A wanted jewel thief takes refuge as an itinerate preacher. He finds himself at a mining facility on a backwater planet. Within weeks, he is a hero of a cave in at the mine and befriended by the man who grandfather made him a criminal, He must thwart his brother's plans for revenge and end a 50 year civil war.Can he save his home planet and the Prince's life and end a war. Wild characters and plot twists make this a wild ride.

Read online

  • 759

    The Secret Sea

      Barry Lyga
     The Secret Sea

Three friends find themselves plunged into a world of quantum physics, a rare disease, and a mysterious fact about a real-life global catastrophe. Twelve-year-old Zak Killian is hearing a voice. Could it be a guardian angel? A ghost? No, that's crazy. But sometimes the voice is so real. . . . It warns him of danger. One day Zak is standing on the subway platform when the tunnel starts to fill with water. He sees it before anyone else. The voice warns him to run. His friends Moira and Khalid believe this is more than a premonition, and soon all three find themselves in an alternate universe that is both familiar and seriously strange. As Zak unravels the mystery behind the voice, he faces decisions that may mean the end of their world at home--if they can even get home! In his most propulsive and heartfelt book yet, acclaimed author Barry Lyga explores the depths of friendship, the bonds of family, and the nature of the universe itself.

Read online

  • 759

    Gamers Gate

      J. Scott Garibay
     Gamers Gate

An sci-fi / fantasy adventure novel tailored to those with knowledge of the table-top roleplaying game industry.When the elderly creator of tabletop roleplaying games breaks down and states that the original fantasy RPG, Blade & Bolt, is not a game but a carefully crafted survey of a world he traveled to in 1969, he is promptly admitted to a mental health facility. College student Stephen Cairnhist is the only B&B gamemaster to believe the statement. He rallies his player and orchestrates first contact with the new world, Thrycion. The tabletop roleplaying game community become invaluable experts overnight as governments and corporations seek guides to understand the people, creatures, locations and magic on Thrycion.

Read online

  • 758

    Angelica

      Sharon Shinn
     Angelica

Two hundred years ago, the god Jovah created a legion of land dwelling angels, led by an appointed Archangel.  Now, Jovah has a new appointee: Archangel Gaaron.  For his life-mate, his Angelica, Jovah has chosen a woman named Susannah.  Slowly, an unspoken affection develops between the two. But there is a terrible threat besetting the land-and the true hearts of Archangel and Angelica may never be known.

Read online

  • 758

    Malaran

      Chris Momb
     Malaran

Fast-paced, epic space fantasy adventure: The interstellar Empire of Man had been destroyed by Umpala invaders, and now the first starship in 500 years arrives in orbit. A young warrior mystic is thrust into the center of the storm as both new and old enemies converge and plot to conquer what remains of humanity.Fast-paced, epic space fantasy adventure:The interstellar Empire of Man had been destroyed by Umpala invaders, forcing the survivors of the Great Houses to establish new lives on low-tech Refuge Worlds, but now, centuries later, a starship has come. A society of elite warrior mystics, able to tap and utilize the energy of the Void, has awaited this day for centuries, and now a trainee is thrust into the middle of the storm as old and new enemies converge, threatening not only the planet but all of humanity.A warrior, perhaps one of the Nine Champions prophesized, will rise to stand against the Darkness and the Destroyers and to rally the free peoples against the invaders from another galaxy.

Read online

  • 758

    Star Diary

      Andreas Ingo
     Star Diary

One man to face an enemy on a mini-planet. Two freethinker’s on a journey to a forgotten nebula. One woman caught in epic mystery. Three stories connected by the central theme oftranscendence.One man to face an enemy on a mini-planet.Two freethinker’s on a journey to a forgotten nebula.One woman caught in epic mystery.Three stories connected by the central theme oftranscendence.To face the light in darkness…“Star Diary” is a short story collection written by Andreas Ingo. It’s science-fiction with a spiritual angle. Science-fiction exploring existential themes. Taking the reader on a journey to the limits of human imagination, and then beyond them.

Read online

  • 758

    Spooky

      Dave Callahan
     Spooky

Real life story of a 3 month old puppy who speaks about her unforgettable days of her life along with her other siblingsYOU CAN NOW BUY THE WHOLE ARC ONE : Search for "Better Stay Dead Arc One: John Cries as Reapers Rise"In a world where the dead run and bite... they better stay dead!"we get a well written prose, brilliant real characters that are developing nicely and the stirrings of what appears a fast paced exciting plot.", AnathemaDevice "I think Better Stay Dead by Dave Callahan might be the best thing to keep us waiting!", Ben Johnson Episode 1: A kid, John, is running to get away from his zombie father.A woman, Luanne, will do anything to survive. A police officer, Derek, will try to keep people alive. Alec Bonowicz has the strongest survival card in miles. They find that in the land of the dead, you must cover yourself from the living too. Episode List: Better Stay Dead 1: John's ShoutBetter Stay Dead 2: First BloodBetter Stay Dead 3: Recon Mission My AssBetter Stay Dead 4: The Reapers and the PartyBetter Stay Dead 5: Guns and Grudges

Read online

  • 758

    And Silent Were The Stars - Part 1: The Survivor

      Kate Amedeo
     And Silent Were The Stars - Part 1: The Survivor

After receiving a distress signal from the mining colony a sole survivor is brought back to the ship. The atmosphere aboard Syracusae gets more tense with every passing moment as crew members start to go missing.After receiving a distress signal from the mining colony on AF-235-B, a rogue planet also known as Nyx, a sole survivor is brought back to the ship. While the second rescue party is dispatched on the search for the hundred and fifty-seven colonists, which seem to have vanished into nowhere, the atmosphere aboard Syracusae gets more tense with every passing moment as crew members start to go missing. Rebecca Porter, a medical officer, tries to solve the mysterious disappearances and is forced to face the horrors that are now lurking aboard the spaceship.

Read online

  • 758

    The Blimps of Venus

      Lancelot Schaubert
     The Blimps of Venus

When the æristocracy decides to withdraw their blimps from the Venusian economy and head back to an abandoned Earth, the surf-turned-æristocrat Sir Thomas begins tearing down their entire economy in order to save millions of lives. A dystopian sci-fi about class warfare THE BLIMPS OF VENUS shows us the true motives behind eugenics and other evils.When the æristocracy decides to withdraw their blimps from the Venusian economy and head back to an abandoned Earth, the surf-turned-æristocrat Sir Thomas begins tearing down their entire economy in order to save millions of lives. A dystopian sci-fi about class warfare THE BLIMPS OF VENUS shows us the true motives behind eugenics and other evils.:: PRAISE FOR LANCELOT SCHAUBERT ::“Schaubert’s words have an immediacy, a potency, an intimacy that grab the reader by the collar and say ‘Listen, this is important!’ Probing the bones and gristle of humanity, his subjects challenge, but also offer insights into redemption if only we will stop and pay attention.”— Erika Robuck, National Bestselling Author of Hemingway’s Girl“Loved this story because Lance wrote about people who don't get written about enough and he did it with humor, compassion, and heart.”— Brian Slatterly, author of Lost Everything and editor of The New Haven Review“I’m such a fan of Lance Schaubert's work. His unique view of things and his life-wisdom enriches all he does. We're lucky to count him among our contributors.”— Therese Walsh, author of The Moon Sisters and Editorial Director of Writer Unboxed"Lancelot Schaubert exhibits his talents in many forms from poetic verse to lyrical prose to musical compositions, all the while infusing them with charisma, passion, and wit. A true creative, Schaubert is one to watch in the literary world."—Heather Webb, author of Rodin's Lover & Becoming Josephine“Lance Schaubert writes with conviction but without the cliché and bluster of the propaganda that is so common in this age of blogs and tweets. Here is a real practitioner of the craft who has the patience to pay attention. May his tribe increase!”— Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove, author of Common Prayer and The Awakening of Hope“Lancelot was the kind of student every writing teacher hopes to have in her class: attentive, thoughtful, a bit quirky, and innovative. Since his time in my classroom, he has continued to impress me. He ‘sees,’ and his essays, poetry, and fiction are full of details that enable his audience to see. Bravo, Lance.”— Jackina Stark, author of Things Worth Remembering and Tender Grace“[He writes] characters with distinctive personalities, multi-layered, and unpredictable. [They have] natural voices, succinct and unique to each character.”— The Missouri Scriptwriting Fellowship"Schaubert's narratives are emotionally stirring with both a vulnerable sensibility and rawness to them. They take you on a journey full of open wounds, intimate successes and personal delights. His words have a calmness, a natural ease but the meaning is always commanding and dynamic."— Natalie Gee, Brooklyn Film Festival

Read online

  • 758