Original Encounter

      Brent Meranda
     Original Encounter

In the waning days of a war of independence, Commander Theo Paxton of the Dia Nova colony is sent to rescue a team of scientists who disappeared on the planet’s moon. When he arrives with his own team, he discovers a crash site and a single survivor. That survivor acts strangely, and then leads Theo to a discovery that has the potential to change the colony forever.For generations, the colonists of Dia Nova heard stories of a previous failed attempt to colonize the planet. According to Earth, that entire expedition failed with the loss of all colony ships, and half a million colonists. And the reason for that loss was a failure to remain in close contact with Earth. Theo Paxton, and the rest of the Dia Nova residents, had always seen this story as yet another piece of Earth propaganda.Now, in the waning days of their war of independence, Commander Paxton is sent to rescue a team of scientists who disappeared on the planet’s moon. When he arrives with his own team, he discovers a crash site and a single survivor. That survivor acts strangely, and then leads him to a discovery that has the potential to change the colony forever.

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    Siege of Stars: Book One of The Sigil Trilogy

      Henry Gee
     Siege of Stars: Book One of The Sigil Trilogy

Spanning millions of years and the breadth of the universe, The Sigil Trilogy is an epic tale that explores the nature of humanity, belief, and love.From Nature Editor Henry Gee comes a story of breathtaking scope and beloved characters. Spanning millions of years and the breadth of the universe, The Sigil Trilogy is an epic tale that explores the nature of humanity, belief, and love.The Universe is dying from within. No one knows how to save it, so the Elders give a young Drover a last ditch chance to stop the rot. If only she knew where to begin.Unaware of the threat to the universe, Ruxhana Fengen Kraa, Admiral of the 17th Rigel Fleet, is about to be cashiered for a stupendous tactical error. But Special Ops has an important and most bizarre job for him.Eons away in time, Jack Corstophine is an archaeologist on Earth with an intuition about the land that he can't put into words—until the beautiful and brilliant Jadis Markham comes into his life. Together, they discover that the landscape of Europe is far from natural. The Earth bears the scars of an ancient civilization that goes back millions of years — and has terrible implications for the future of mankind.The Sigil Trilogy traces the lives of compelling characters — people... entities... and... species... — through time and space. It's magnificent in background, beautifully written, and with the most memorable characters. The Sigil Trilogy is spellbinding, funny, thoughtful, and touching all at the same time. Complete with complex mysteries, massive battles, romance, hot aliens, steampunk cities, good scotch, armageddon, it's all here — you won't be able to put it down.Siege of Stars is the first volume of The Sigil Trilogy, Henry Gee's incredible opus.The second and third volumes, SCOURGE OF STARS and RAGE OF STARS, are all now available as individual volumes as well as in an collected, omnibus edition, all in both ebook and print — see the sidebar for links.Praise for THE SIGIL TRILOGY: "Henry Gee stakes his claim to excellence with these startling, beautifully written tales of cosmic adventure. Brisk, funny, triumphant--and utterly compelling." —Greg Bear, award-winning author of Darwin's Radio "Great stuff. Touches of Douglas Adams, Barrington Bayley, David Britton and Steve Aylett only emphasise the splendid originality of this book. Henry Gee is thoughtful, funny, original. And pretty thoroughly mind-expanding in the tradition of Wells, David Lindsay, Stapledon and Clarke. In fact everything you yearn to find in a very good contemporary SF novel. Really enjoyed it!" —SFWA Grandmaster Michael Moorcock "Coming to a science fiction novel by Henry Gee I was expecting a work knowledgeable about the world and all its ways, but who would have guessed it would also reveal Henry to be a visionary space voyager of the first order? The Sigil is in the grand tradition of Stapledonian space opera, and provides not only an explanation for why this universe is the way it is, but gives us the many vivid wild adventures on the part of some (very appealing) conscious characters acting to make it that way. Awesome stuff, and a true pleasure to read page by page." —Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning author of Red Mars "Fast-moving, insanely inventive science fiction in the grand manner—seldom has the fate of the galaxy been handled on such a large scale. Gee draws on archeology, geology, physics, and biology to create a rich tapestry with surprises woven into every thread." —Nancy Kress, award-winning author of Beggars in SpainDr. Henry Gee is senior editor at the renowned science journal Nature and editor of the award-winning Nature Futures science fiction short story series. He has written over a dozen books, including The Science of Middle Earth and A Field Guide to Dinosaurs. He lists his recreations as playing blues organ, supporting Norwich City FC and falling asleep. His blog 'The End Of The Pier Show' continues to delight its three regular readers. He lives in Cromer, Norfolk, England, with his family and numerous pets.

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    The Zap Gun

      Philip K. Dick
     The Zap Gun

Scaldingly sarcastic yet enduringly empathetic, The Zap Gun is Dick's remarkable novel depicting the insanity of the arms race. Lars Powderdry and Lilo Topchev are counterpart weapons fashion designers for a world divided into two factions-Wes-bloc and Peep-East. Since the Plowshare Protocols of 2002, their job has been to invent elaborate weapons that only seem massively lethal. But when alien satellites hostile to both sides appear in the sky, the two are brought together in the dire hope that they can create a weapon to save the world, a task made all the more difficult by Lars falling in love with Lilo even as he knows she's trying to kill him. From the Trade Paperback edition.

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    Blood of Dragons

      Jack Campbell
     Blood of Dragons

Twenty years after the war that overthrew the Great Guilds, the Empire is vowing to avenge the massive defeat of the Imperial legions at Dorcastle. Aiding the Imperials are renegade Mechanics and Mages still loyal to the old Guilds or employed by the Empire. But before they can launch an all-out war, the Imperials must eliminate a major threat: Kira, daughter of Master Mechanic Mari and Master of Mages Alain. Kidnapped and imprisoned, Kira has to escape and avoid recapture as the full might of the Empire is aimed at her. Her only hope lies in the skills she has mastered; her indomitable spirit; and the unfailing aid of Jason, her boyfriend from the distant world of Urth. With the Imperial legions closing in and thousands of lives riding on her efforts, Kira has to use every weapon available to her, including special abilities she has kept secret until now - abilities that may prove to be as dangerous as the enemy forces. Mari and Alain must come to Kira's aid and work to...

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    The Last Bastion of the Living

      Rhiannon Frater
     The Last Bastion of the Living

The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel As long as the undead hordes of the Inferi Scourge howl outside the dying city, the last remaining humans struggle to survive inside The Bastion. Vanguard Maria Martinez has lived her entire life within the towering walls. Her only refuge from the overcrowded streets, rolling blackouts, and food shortages is in the arms of Officer Dwayne Reichardt. Then Maria is summoned to meet with a mysterious representative from the Science Warfare Division and is offered the opportunity to finally destroy the Inferi Scourge and reclaim the land and resources in the valley beyond the wall. If she succeeds, the city may be saved. But if she fails, humanity faces extinction…

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    Pandemic

      Jesse F. Bone
     Pandemic

Pandemic is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin) Bone is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin) Bone then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

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    Lincoln isle

      Richard Johnson
     Lincoln isle

A former cop turned mercenary tries to rescue survivors of a crashed airplane on an island filled with monsters.Lincoln Island was a dumping ground for failed experiments and government embarassments, thus survival on Lincoln is generally measured in hours.When an aircraft crashes, a mercenary ignores orders to try to rescue the survivors before they are killed by the inhabitants of the island.

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    Faster Than Light: The Fallen Goddess

      Malcolm Pierce
     Faster Than Light: The Fallen Goddess

The first in a series of short stories about the I.S.S. Fenghuang, the last faster-than-light starship in the galaxy, and its crew of rebels determined to reunite humanity.The Heilmann Drive allowed humanity to spread across the stars and prosper for nearly two thousand years. But when the use of the device begins to eat into the fabric of the universe, the People's Interstellar Republic bans all faster-than-light travel. A new age begins, one of isolation and stagnation. This era becomes known as the Fall.One rebel, Captain Seth Garland, steals the last starship in existence. He is now mankind's only hope of re-uniting the stars.The Fallen Goddess: When Captain Garland's crew questions their safety aboard their ship, he goes in search of of an engineer who can repair the Heilmann Drive. His quest leads him to a discovery that will redefine the future of his rebellion and change the destiny of mankind.

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    The Zondon: Terrorists and Aliens (an International Suspense Thriller)

      RobCharters
     The Zondon: Terrorists and Aliens (an International Suspense Thriller)

7 people from every part of the world: each plagued with dreams & obsessions since childhood that don't make sense. Ernie Magawan is the 1st to make the self-discovery. Though born on earth, they're from a planet across the galaxy on a mission that they must complete for the future of the galaxy. Now he must find and awaken the other six. A powerful enemy has been waiting for them all their lives.Some enemies are so powerful and strategically placed that the only way one can fight them is through Wisdom. And there are times, while fighting those enemies, one is faced with a choice – a test of one's character – one moves forward by listening to the heart, all the while the brain is screaming for the alternative. Should the initial result appear a disaster, the brain says 'I told you so', but later one realises that that was exactly the right choice – the test passed with flying colours.Seven people, born in every corner of the world: each has been plagued with doubts, dreams and obsessions since childhood that don't make sense. They each had a twin who didn't share their obsession, and made their lives miserable. Ernie Magawan is one of them, and is the first to make the self-discovery. He is an alien born in a human body.Though born on earth, they are in fact, Zondon, from a planet clear across the galaxy, here on a mission that they must complete. The future of the human race, and of the galaxy depend on it. Those memories are awakened through contact with a mysterious green crystal.On 'awakening', Ernie Magawan realises that he must find and awaken the other six. The action adventure takes him on a roller-coaster ride from the archaeological site in Egypt where he found the crystal, to the streets of Bangkok, to the mountains of Afghanistan, to Jerusalem, to a nuclear silo in North Korea, and finally the Golden Triangle. On the way, he and his growing team rub shoulders with international terrorists, Neo-Nazis, migrant farm workers, and a mystic rabbi, as well as their ultimate enemy, a formidable creature, also from across the galaxy, in the guise of a powerful international financier and terrorist boss, who has been waiting for them all their lives.Armed with extrasensory powers of mind control as well as access to vast political resources, terrorist organisations and WMDs, their enemy is the hidden hand behind all diabolical conspiracies. An International Suspense ThrillerRobby Charters has spent time in about half of the places mentioned in the narrative (and did research on the other half). But apart from having "been there and done it", his biography wouldn't make very interesting reading, which is just probably as well. He was born and raised in Thailand, and presently lives in Northern Ireland with his Thai/Chinese wife, Bless and their son, Abie.

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    The Friendly Ambassador: The Beginning of the End

      David George Richards
     The Friendly Ambassador: The Beginning of the End

“The Friendly Ambassador” series blends Greek Myth with traditional Science-Fiction, taking a different approach to the legend of Atlantis, the origination of the Amazons, and the true nature of mythical creatures such as the Cyclops and Centaurs as aliens from other worlds. The story features aliens, war and mayhem on a grand scale. It’s not for the squeamish. Even the women are dangerous.As private secretary to Li-Sen-Tot, the Tun-Sho-Lok Ambassador on Eden, Gusta knew how badly the war was going. But when the treaty her government had signed with the Keruh was broken, even she was unprepared for the unimaginable savagery that followed. And with her children lost in the city, escape seems impossible.As two mighty fleets gather for the coming battle in space, Anaxilea begins the bombardment of Eden with a heavy heart. She feels no anger towards the Edenites, but the Keruh Host was now on Eden, and the Edenites would not escape from the fate that awaited them.The Atlantian Senate feared that a similar fate would overtake their world. But Ares knew differently. What the Tun-Sho-Lok scientist, Kel-Cid-An had created at Ephesus was a genetic masterpiece, the perfect warrior. But could these fighting clones be produced in enough numbers to defeat the Keruh?“The Friendly Ambassador: The Beginning of the End” is the first part of a four part galactic epic that mixes Science-Fiction with Greek Mythology and the legend of Atlantis.

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    The Harvest of Area 51

      Elijah Stephens
     The Harvest of Area 51

When a library of DNA from across the galaxy is found at an alien crash site, Area 51 becomes a laboratory for the creation and study of animals from distant worlds, until something goes horribly wrong.An unholy ritual, a ticking clock. Four children discover there are things that go bump in the night ...Centuries ago a group of Elves committed an unholy ritual. But the ritual was a spectacular failure. It transformed the Elves into the Noctivagi - the beings we know as vampires.Striving to maintain a fragile peace, the ancient Elves and Dwarves negotiated an Accord, which they've renewed every year on the Summer Solstice. The ceremony depends on the magical Rune Stone, but it's missing. If it is not found—and quickly—the consequences could be dire, and not just for Elves and Dwarves.Four children, Rob, Jack, Eleanor, and Flora, stumble into a world of magic and mayhem when they move into Black Ledge, the old estate on the Maine coast, and discover they aren’t the only ones who live there.

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    Traction City

      Philip Reeve
     Traction City

In a dangerous future world where gigantic, traction-powered cities attack and devour each other, London hunts where no other predator dares. A rebellious young aviatrix and a scavenger boy are about to come face to face with a terrifying robotic Stalker. This double book for older readers was published for World Book Day 2011.

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    The Outlier #4: Zappers

      Tom Lichtenberg
     The Outlier #4: Zappers

The world's #1 Big-Data Detective returns in another unrealistic adventure. This time there are disappearing dogs, cars that won't start, and people who have been partially electrocuted, perhaps by God. Part Freakonomics, part Sherlock Holmes, part Doctor Who, part somewhere on the spectrum and 100% completely absurd, The Outlier series continues with "The Outlier #4, ZappersThe world's #1 Big-Data Detective returns in another unrealistic adventure. This time there are disappearing dogs, cars that won't start, and people who have been partially electrocuted, perhaps by God. Part Freakonomics, part Sherlock Holmes, part Doctor Who, part somewhere on the spectrum and 100% completely absurd, The Outlier series continues with "The Outlier #4, Zappers, another Dillon Sharif Tall Tale.

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    Divide and Conquer Volume One

      Foil and Phaser
     Divide and Conquer Volume One

This collection of short stories is the product of a Foil & Phaser workshop where a group of authors collectively tried to complete the 2013 National Novel Writing Month challenge of writing 50,000 words in the month of November. The goal was to have the group submit their stories, and then they would peer edit to critique and offer suggestions to improve their writing. (38,000 words approx.)In early 2013, the Sword & Laser book club and podcast announced that they were taking submissions for a short story anthology. On the group’s Goodreads forums, a discussion began about what could be done with all the entries which wouldn't make the cut. A community blog, where authors could submit their writing and have it read and critiqued by their peers, was suggested by me as a solution for some those stories that didn't make the cut. The site, Foil & Phaser, is intended to be an opportunity for developing artists to hone their skills and network with other writers and readers.This collection of short stories is the product of a workshop where a group of authors collectively tried to complete the 2013 National Novel Writing Month challenge of writing 50,000 words in the month of November. The goal was to have the group submit their stories, and then they would peer edit to critique and offer suggestions to improve their writing. As a reward for their efforts, the finished stories were gathered into this volume to be published online.While ultimately we didn't meet our goal of completing NaNoWriMo, we managed to get over 38,000 words down which is an accomplishment in itself. Foil & Phaser will continue to offer online writers workshops for beginning to intermediate skilled authors, so look for more of these volumes in the future.

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    (Insert Appropriate Name for a Slightly Humourous Alien Story Here) Part 1

      Adelise M Cullens
     (Insert Appropriate Name for a Slightly Humourous Alien Story Here) Part 1

Story about an Alien stopping by earth while his wife and her sister goes shopping at Pluto. And then changes the life of Phillip, a severely depressed human being who is probably a bad representative of the Human race... then again maybe not.Phillip is depressed. His wife has left him with nothing him and his dog, Gravy, with only a few relatively useless possessions. He is contemplating all his morose options for his existence when the door bell rings ...

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