stories in and

Astral Fall

Astral Fall by Jessica Mae Stover

SPSFC 2022

A hundred-year interplanetary war receives little attention from the military’s greatest warriors. Until five of them devise a secret plan to end it. From Midwest Book Review:
"Without providing spoilers, suffice it to say that Astral Fall attempts to identify, address, and turn upside down reader preconceptions of [...] the nature of military sci-fi as a genre. And, it succeeds. Think the classic Ender's Game, but without any attempt to mimic Orson Scott Card's scenarios or success. Think a military battle structure holding the epic confrontations of Lord of the Rings, complete with its promise of multiple series books; yet with an attention to intricate detail that belays the (too-often) hasty series production. There is no artificial division of action felt in Astral Fall.


The Massive Planet: The Adventures Of Deep Contact

The Massive Planet: The Adventures Of Deep Contact by Jeff Walker

SPSFC 2022

Captain Christopher Riley and his brave crew of the Earth Core United spaceship, Deep Contact, set out for adventure beyond the solar system. Their mission is to traverse space and discover new worlds for colonization; They represent humanity seeking to expand, explore, and search for alien life in any form. Alone and in the uncharted wilderness of the cosmos, they try to survive and complete the mission on behalf of Earth Core United. Deep Contact almost collides with a massive planet appearing out of nowhere. A Jupiter-like world that popped right into its main flight path. The crew desperately try to figure out a way to break free of its gravity as it pulls them deeper inside. Even though the ship should have been crushed instantly the minute they came into its wake; It falls deeper into the atmosphere’s densely thick clouds, endangering them all to whatever doom awaits. Captain Riley and his crew must race to figure out how to escape this huge world before they crash into its core, but do they have time to solve this riddle? Or will this be their one and only mission of failure?


First of Their Kind

First of Their Kind by C. D. Tavenor

SPSFC 2022

Robots. Androids. Virtual Worlds. Corporate Conspiracies. Meet Theren: a new synthetic intelligence. The first synthetic intelligence. Created in a lab with sterile white walls, Theren longs to meet the people of the world. The first SI has hopes, fears, and dreams, just like a human. Yet the world fears the idea of an artificial mind, capable of conscious thought. To survive against powerful corporations, hateful humans, and global conspiracies, Theren will need friends—and more importantly, a family. Can Earth survive side-by-side with its new creation?


Insiders

Insiders by Shannon Knight

SPSFC 2023

In a universe of long-haul truckers, parasite-bearing megalomaniacs, asteroid rustlers, and homicidal peace keepers, some people just want to stay alive. Deep within Kerberos Station, pipe crawler Sachi Inside is dying of the planet-killing Hibravian virus. In a state of delirium, the agoraphobic girl agrees that in exchange for life, she will not only leave her pipes, but even the station. A sentient plant wraps around her, guides her to an exiting ship, and adheres to the hull. Captain Karasi Kwei is not pleased to discover a stowaway, but the crew thinks there’s money to be made on the plant, and the fact that both the Eastern Star Corporation and the Elysium Empire are tracking it confirms its value. However, none of that matters when the entire crew falls sick with the incurable Hibravian. But Sachi’s plant is more than it seems. All they have to do is fight the mercenaries, survive the virus, evade the Elysium Empire, and navigate a fluctuating microwave wall, and they just might save the universe.


The son of G.O.D

The son of G.O.D by Richard Hickman

To Live, He was uploaded into the Geosynchronous Orbital Defense System; to die, he had to become human again.


In Dying Starlight: Planetfall

In Dying Starlight: Planetfall by Emily McCosh

Aaron is perfectly content to chase bounties in his run-down little space ship, avoid human interaction at all cost, and lay low from the cyborg planet that created him. But when he and Bat—his half-robotic badger companion (who talks just a little too much)—chase their largest bounty ever, they run head-first into not only some dangerous criminals, but other cyborgs much stronger than them, and worst of all, a handful of humans who aren’t going anywhere. Their job leads them first to Yayth, a backwater planet nearly as inhospitable as it is frigid. On a planet this abandoned, their target should be an easy find. Until a storm rolls in that freezes even the engines of starships. Aaron and Bat find themselves trapped not only with their bounty, but with some bystanders determined to get in the way, and something monstrous wanting to crack its way out of the ice. Planetfall is the first episode in the action-packed space opera series In Dying Starlight. Featuring a grumpy sarcastic cyborg, a talking badger, plenty of space travel, a cast of oddball characters, and a bit of romance later on, In Dying Starlight is perfect for fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Blade Runner.


The Ghosts of Tantor

The Ghosts of Tantor by Adam Gaffen

They think they're ready for this mission. They're wrong. The Terran Federation is finally at peace and ready to begin serious exploration. The TFS Pike is the newest ship in the Fleet, purpose-built for deep space missions. Four kilometers long, with a crew of four thousand, she’s well-equipped for the years ahead. If only her crew was as prepared. Ensign Nicole Crozier, the former Premier of the Luna Free State, has left politics behind to pursue a career in the Fleet. But her stint as the Artemis Minister of War has landed her in Tactical instead of Science, her passion, and she’s not happy about it. Still, she’s been promised a chance to switch tracks, so for now she’ll deal. Everything changes when Nicole discovers a rogue planet, and she’s given command of the landing party. She’s irritated her superior but that’s the least of her problems when an ancient alien artifact emerges from the ice. As Nicole and her team explore the interior, the planet and her team vanish. The crew of the Pike must use all the tricks and tools available to get their missing people back. When they finally do, Nicole brings aboard a discovery which could change the course of history. Or end it. If you're a fan of Star Trek: Voyager, Battlestar Galactica 2003, Interstellar, or 2001: A Space Odyssey, then this is for you.


Spectacular Silver Earthling

Spectacular Silver Earthling by Mara Lynn Johnstone

SPSFC 2022

Hubcap used to be a rescue bot, getting humans out of every boneheaded scrape imaginable. His new career as a TV star suits him better: he can poke fun at the humans instead, while harvesting jetpods and tackling alien predators faster than any of them. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also immune to the mysterious “space frenzy” that keeps sending his coworkers into a froth. The robot worries for his human friends, though he would never admit it. Not when it’s much more fun to deploy weapons-grade sass. The pressure ratchets up when a rival show aims to steal their sponsor. Hubcap has to film his most spectacular footage yet, while avoiding dangerous wildlife, plantlife, and emotions. But if anyone is up to the task, it’s the robot with skills second to none, and an ego to match.


Those Once Forgotten

Those Once Forgotten by N. C. Scrimgeour

They were a memory once forgotten. For millennia, they waited. Now, they are coming. The galaxy has been plunged into chaos, left reeling from the trap Alvera Renata triggered around the ancient alien waystations. As the leaders of the allied systems desperately try to prepare for what might be coming, Ridley and Kojan go on the hunt in search of answers. But the one person who might hold the key—the rogue starship captain who started it all—is missing in action, and her old friends aren’t the only ones looking for her… Meanwhile, tensions between the Coalition and the Idran-Var are at breaking point in the aftermath of a brutal attack. The only hope for peace may lie in a fragile alliance between Rivus and Niole, old enemies thrown unwillingly onto the same side. But even if they can bury their past, what will it take to overcome the centuries of bloodshed dividing their people? As the mysterious signal coming from the waystations counts down, only one thing is for certain: something is coming, and if the fractured factions of the galaxy can’t find a way to stand against it together, it may be the end for them all.


Those Left Behind

Those Left Behind by N. C. Scrimgeour

SPSFC 2022

A dying planet. A desperate mission. A crew facing impossible odds. Humanity’s last hope lies with them… Time is running out for the people of New Pallas. Nobody knows that better than Alvera Renata, a tenacious captain determined to scout past the stars with nothing but a handpicked crew and a promise: to find a new home for humanity. But when a perilous journey across dark space leads to first contact with a galactic civilisation on the brink of war, Alvera soon realises keeping her word might not be as easy as she thought. Her only hope lies with the secrets of the ancient alien waystations scattered across the galaxy. The mysterious technology could be the key to humanity’s survival—or bring unwanted attention from the long-forgotten beings who built them. But remaining united in the face of annihilation is a lot to ask from a crew already splintering under the weight of their differences. A jaded pilot looks for a place he can start over. A young translator searches for meaning out in the galaxy's lawless frontier. And Alvera reckons with the aftermath of betrayal as she fights for a way to save them all. As they break apart to forge their own paths, Alvera and her crew all face the same question: what are they willing to sacrifice to save those left behind?


No Lack of Sunshine

No Lack of Sunshine by Eric Kay

SPSFC

A Hard Sci-Fi Novel With a Hopeful Twist "If Red Mars was half the length and infused with The Martian with a touch of Bobverse." Warm, tropical weather, strong gusts of wind, poisonous air, and metallic-tasting seas that kill more organisms than it breeds — yet, life on the South Island goes about as well as it can. There was a reason why Earth colonized this place. Everything is familiar, consistent — consistency is a welcome reprieve, and Ava’s planet has plenty of it. The fifth to be born among the stars, Ava sets forth to make a name for herself despite this obscure claim to fame. Being raised by emotionless, loveless robots doesn’t exactly merit a natural flair for spontaneity or empathy, but Ava makes do. At the very least, she tries to. Her life is here on South Island, where the sea represents freedom and the air symbolizes a dangerous kind of thrill. But now, her existence is under threat. The autonomous supply ship fails to deliver. With only a few weeks’ worth of oxygen left, Ava and her beau must embark on a journey to retrieve more. However, what once was a straightforward quest slowly morphs into one rife with ambush. Something has affected the robots’ advanced processors, causing them to spiral into a fruitless quest for an artifact that may not even exist. And the more they wait, the more Ava’s in peril. Will Ava be able to save herself and her colony from asphyxiation? Will the robots prove too strong, too cunning to be overcome? Or will Ava succumb to her own resentful demons and allow her personal battles to take center stage?


Day 115 on an Alien World

Day 115 on an Alien World by Jeannette Bedard

SPSFC

A barren world. A crashed colony ship. A saboteur at work. After a tarnished military record leaves her unable to find work on Earth, Margo is hunting for a fresh start. A colonizing mission heading to a new world creates the perfect opportunity—or at least that’s what she thinks. Strapped into a crashing colony ship, she realizes how wrong she is. On the ground of their destination planet, the straight forward colonizing mission becomes a scramble for survival. Her new world is harsh and unforgiving. Accidents keep happening. Too many to blame on bad luck alone. The trail of evidence leads Margo to a startling conclusion—one of her fellow colonists is a saboteur. Tomorrow is the colony’s first communications window with Earth and their only chance to send a message home. With the fate of the colony at stake, will Margo stop the saboteur before it’s too late?


Captain Wu, Starship Nameless #1

Captain Wu, Starship Nameless #1 by Patrice Fitzgerald

SPSFC

Captain Wu’s the name. Smuggling’s her game. To be fair, they only started shooting after she started insulting them. She was just about to hand off the package—Wu didn’t know what was inside, and she didn’t want to—when three tentacle-faced strangers attacked. Wu loves a good fight and lives for a good heist. The Captain and her crew make their living taking undercover assignments from questionable clients... and it pays. Or at least, it used to. But this time the merchandise is a little too hot to handle. So when the squid-shaped xenos show up and destroy the guys who are there to receive it, Wu is barely able to make it back to her ship alive. Soon the Nameless is racing around the galaxy with not only the powerful Commonwealth on its tail, but another dangerous creature bent on revenge. And then an unexpected visitor arrives, putting Wu and her crew in the position of taking care of some very precious cargo. Is it time for the Captain to give up criming and retire to a sedate life more suitable for a woman of her age? Not a chance. Captain Wu is the first volume in the Starship Nameless trilogy, to be followed by Smugglers Crew: Starship Nameless #2, April 2021 New Path: Starship Nameless #3, June 2021


The Flight of the Kingfisher

The Flight of the Kingfisher by Chloe Garner

SPSFC

Smuggling is supposed to be the kind of job where you're in, you're out, and no one ever knew you were there. Simple. Boring, even. But that's only when you're doing it right. Unfortunately, Avery and the rest of the crew of the Kingfisher have hit a snag, one in the form of a strange woman living in a hallway ceiling at Installation 23, and from there on out, it seems like they're ever only one jump ahead of the next guy looking to kill them. Increasingly enmeshed in complex politics and missing their blissful ignorance, the crew of the Kingfisher are going to have to make some hard decisions about what role they really want to play in galactic events, and just how far from their mundane world of weapons smuggling they're willing to venture. Climb aboard. The flight of the Kingfisher is about to begin.


Quantum Space

Quantum Space by Douglas Phillips

SPSFC

Space turned out to be deeper than anyone imagined. High above the windswept plains of Kazakhstan, three astronauts on board a Russian Soyuz capsule begin their reentry. A strange shimmer in the atmosphere, a blinding flash of light, and the capsule vanishes in a blink as though it never existed. On the ground, evidence points to a catastrophic failure, but a communications facility halfway around the world picks up a transmission that could be one of the astronauts. Tragedy averted, or merely delayed? A classified government project on the cutting edge of particle physics holds the clues, and with lives on the line, there is little time to waste. Daniel Rice is a government science investigator. Marie Kendrick is a NASA operations analyst. Together, they must track down the cause of the most bizarre event in the history of human spaceflight. They draw on scientific strengths as they plunge into the strange world of quantum physics, with impacts not only to the missing astronauts, but to the entire human race. If you liked the authenticity of The Martian, the page-turning pace of Da Vinci Code, and the inspirational world view of Arthur C. Clarke, you'll love Quantum Space. A mind-bending journey from the ultra-small to the vast stage of the Milky Way.


KHAOS

KHAOS by Michael Reid Jr

SPSFC

Billions around the world celebrated Khaos when it was finally revealed, awestruck by the rogue planet entering our solar system. However, for a small group of individuals, it was apocalyptic. Dr. Peels had predicted the path of the celestial body, warning the governments of the world that a near miss was likely. Still, no government had listened, citing other predictive models as the most likely path. In secret, Dr. Peels built a cooperative effort between private industry, lobbied congress and passed laws, ensuring his veiled plans could unfold. Quickly, humanity began to crumble, coups ensued, and anarchy took hold. Dr. Peels was forced to launch his hand-picked crew early, but things quickly fell apart before the mission began. As the vulnerable crew raced towards Mars, the one thing which held them together wasn’t human, it was an android named Omega, tasked to learn all it can before it’s too late. It’s a race against time, gravity, and the laws of nature in this Khaotic story of salvation.


Entity

Entity by Toshi Drake

SPSFC 2022

Trapped on a spaceship, hunted by an unknown and deadly creature, will he survive the night with no help in sight? Lieutenant Michael Collins’s week just went to hell. The suspicious actions of his captain escalates as he orders Michael to investigate a dead ship’s heart—the cephalopods that pilot the star drive system. The mission forces Michael from the safety of his ship and his lover, Commander Eizen Sartris, while straining the bond with his own ship’s heart, Padua. Attacked by Siwu pirates, Michael finds refuge on a damaged alien vessel, where he waits for Eizen to rescue him. But in the dark cold wreckage, he discovers a thriving garden tended by a strange young boy on behalf of his enigmatic “Mama.” Fear dominates Michael’s thoughts as he struggles not to succumb to the darkness and terror of abandonment. To survive he must rely on his wits and hold fast to his faith that Eizen will find him before the pirates—or before the mysterious entity on board decides to destroy him.


The Aspirant

The Aspirant by Nick Furmidge

SPSFC 2022

Bache Loftt wants nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps and be an engineering officer on one of the galaxy’s most powerful, state of the art starships. He has the grades, he has the aptitude – and his application for the naval academy is in. All he has to do is wait for the call up. Then he witnesses a double murder. Barely escaping with his life, can he evade the unlimited resources of a galactic syndicate hunting for him and uncover a conspiracy that involves the very institution he’s determined to join? The Aspirant: a tale of friendships, betrayals, unspeakable crimes – and greed. "Absolutely loved this book! Adventure; Mystery; Intrigue; Conspiracy; Crime; Murder; Assassination — and all of it done on an intergalactic level, this book is worth picking up and taking the time to enjoy" - Goodreads


The Scent of Metal

The Scent of Metal by Sabrina Chase

SPSFC

The expedition ship Kepler races to Pluto, intent on uncovering the secrets of the alien structure recently discovered under the ice. Computer scientist Lea Santorin can’t wait to figure out the alien technology. Instead, she wakes it up … and it continues its long-interrupted journey across the galaxy, taking Lea and Kepler with it.. And something strange also wakes in Lea. She hears voices no one else can, and sees things the mission command prefers hidden. Why bring so many soldiers along with the scientists? Who concealed the structure, and when? Who waits at the final destination...and will they survive the meeting? (May 2016) Updated cover art and added sample of book 2 in the series


In the Orbit of Sirens

In the Orbit of Sirens by T.A. Bruno

SPSFC

THE LAST FRAGMENTS OF THE HUMAN RACE ARE FORCED TO ADAPT TO A DANGEROUS NEW WORLD OR FACE EXTINCTION. When starship mechanic, Denton Castus, is caught in the destructive path of a devastating war, he abandons his home and seeks refuge on a distant planet. However, this new safe haven has undiscovered threats of its own. Eliana Veston, a scout preparing the planet for the refugees, struggles with a deadly pandemic that is killing off colonists. The hunt for a cure unleashes a new threat to humanity—the Sirens—mysterious beings with incredible powers and a deep hatred for invaders.


I, Cunningham

I, Cunningham by Benoit Goudreault-Emond

SPSFC 2022

Gordon Cunningham, an ordinary citizen of 22nd century Earth, died in an unfortunate accident. Except he didn't die. Not really. Instead, he woke up stuck inside a robot. In the 29th century. Thirteen light-years from home. In a space station. Which is orbiting a planet that was meant to be a new home for the colonists. Unfortunately, everything went wrong. He was brought back to life by accident, but the station denizens need him. Their colony is failing. Most colonists have lost hope. The AI in charge can't do much, which is somewhat moot, since it's out of ideas. But Cunningham is a reluctant hero at best. He's disoriented by his new body. He doesn't know anything about his new environment. He doesn't trust the station's authorities. And yet, somehow, he must help them. Or, in less than a century, no one human will remain. Join him as he discovers his new home, his new body, and, perhaps, his new... mind? Content warning: the book presents only minimal violence and no sexual content. That said, the main character does use four letter swear words when life throws him a curve ball. Please bear with Mr. Cunningham; to say his day starts on the wrong foot is quite the understatement.


Homecoming

Homecoming by RD Meyer

SPSFC

Earth. The mere name has had an almost talisman-like pull on the human race since we were driven from our homeworld over 6,000 years ago. Mankind’s ancestors ran from the genocidal threat engulfing them, fleeing like intergalactic refugees towards a new home that would allow us to flourish once again.And flourish we did. From a ragtag group of just over 12,000 survivors, humanity has grown to create a proper empire of nearly 900 billion spanning two galaxies. But we never forgot our home, so we waited and we planned. Now the time was finally right to return to Earth and take back what we once had no choice but to abandon.Although the military campaign, as well as the alien races between humanity and our birthplace, were the primary concern, they turned out to not be the only ones. You see, Earth itself, despite crawling with the vermin that nearly eradicated us, was far from free of surprises, both physical and historical. Unanticipated challenges waited for the people of the Terran Confederation, including notions that would shake the very foundations of what it meant to be human. Our legends had defined us, but could those legends withstand scrutiny? What if everything we’d come to believe about ourselves and our world had been carefully crafted to cocoon us for our own good?A story meant to be about our return to Earth expands to cover our journey both across and within the realms of known space, from long lost colony worlds where mankind has morphed into something else, to the edges of an intergalactic war between implacable enemies…enemies that now had the incentive to turn their attention towards humanity...


Genesis

Genesis by Chris Voss

SPSFC

In a world ravaged by climate change, social inequality and dwindling natural resources there’s only one solution: abandon the planet and terraform a new home. When Dylan Lomax - an emotionally disconnected empath, running from the memory of his past - joins Operation Genesis, he soon discovers not all is as it seems. The mission to bring life to a barren planet has a terrible secret. One which threatens to bring humanity to the brink of extinction.Inspired by the blockbuster movies of the 90s, Genesis, the debut novel from C.A. Voss, is an accessible sci-fi romp which accelerates towards an epic finale. Popcorn is optional.


Derelict

Derelict by LJ Cohen

SPSFC 2022

When Rosalen Maldonado tinkers with the derelict freighter, she's just hoping to prove she deserves a scholarship to University. She certainly doesn't count on waking the ship's damaged AI or having three stowaways, Micah Rotherwood and brothers Jem and Barre Durbin, along for the ride. They all have their private reasons for hiding aboard and lives they are seeking to escape, but if the accidental crew can't work together and learn to trust each other, they'll die together, victims of a computer that doesn't realize the war ended decades before any of them were even born.


Shadows of Mars

Shadows of Mars by I.O. Adler

SPSFC

The message from Carmen Vincent’s mother wasn’t possible. She died in the Mars base disaster two years ago. But when government agents show up at Carmen’s door, she realizes the message is no hoax. Someone is still trying to cover up the disaster and the reason why Earth abandoned its space program. It’s a race to discover the truth of what happened on Mars before Carmen loses her mother for a second time. I.O. Adler’s relentlessly entertaining space opera adventure channels the excitement of The Expanse and the Mass Effect games.


The Elcy Protocol

The Elcy Protocol by Bave Grozdanov

SPSFC

The stars were her home. Now she feels their call again. Advancements in technology gave humanity the stars, starting a vast Age of Exploration. Centuries later, the human race is engulfed in bitter war against two alien powers too different for them to comprehend. Elcy was part of humanity’s defense at the Cassandrian front as a battleship, until an incident forced her to retire in a human body. Stripped of rank and weapons, she continued her life on a rural backwater planet. When she's given an opportunity to return to the stars, Elcy must prove she has what it takes to rejoin the front lines as a cadet. Considered neither ship nor human, she's caught in a web of rules, regulations, and power plays by humans she barely understands. But Elcy knows more than she realizes from her battleship days, and it just might be the answer humanity's been searching for.


Watson and Holmes

Watson and Holmes by E.B. Dawson

SPSFC 2022

A SOLDIER TIRED OF WAR Born into wealth and privilege, Jenny Watson left her parents’ way of life behind when she volunteered to go fight the Shifters. After giving up her commission, she arrives in Linden hoping to make a fresh start and to put her medical degree to good use. But when her friend and fellow passenger is murdered, Jenny finds new purpose working with Detective Sharlotte Holmes. A DETECTIVE ITCHING FOR TROUBLE Sharlotte Holmes has lived in a three mile radius her entire life, content to pursue her varied interests and wholly unconcerned with the burden the outside world would place on her great intellect. But when Jenny's past comes back to haunt her, Sharlotte may have to choose between staying in her comfort zone and getting answers. EXPERIENCE SHERLOCK HOLMES LIKE NEVER BEFORE


Stars Forever Black

Stars Forever Black by A. L. Bruno

SPSFC

A Bold New Novel of First Contact! For eighteen months the Terran starship Hyperion hid in orbit and marveled at a world that should not exist. Far from the ravages of a war-torn galaxy, Phelspharia blossomed, populated by humans as varied as those on the Earth of old. But when the starship is discovered, the crew is forced to trust a war-weary officer whose knowledge of local languages may mean the difference between life and death.

Now, breathing the air of a world he has come to know from afar, Lt. Commander Jason Roberts realizes how high the stakes are for Terrans and Phelspharians alike. Scarred inside and out by a past filled with treachery and carnage, Roberts must perform his duty to the Terran Star Force… and, if he can, do right by the people of Phelspharia.

Courage, loyalty, grief, and love drive conflicting nations and cultures toward a reckoning, not merely with each other, but with a threat that could leave the galaxy itself in ashes.


The View from Infinity Beach

The View from Infinity Beach by R.P.L. Johnson

SPSFC 2022

There's something hidden in the asteroid belt. A fresh start for the human race? Or just an oasis for the corrupt rulers of a dying planet? A teenager from Earth may be the key. Kade Morton is a young man far from home. He's been told that humanity's future lies in space, but Excalibur Station is just as cramped and dirty as the tenements he left behind on Earth. He is unaware that the station holds a secret that could change the course of humanity. A secret Kade together with some new friends are about to uncover at their peril. As the forces of old Earth tighten their grip on his adopted home, Kade becomes an unlikely hero in the station's war of independence. Humanity stands on the brink of its next great adventure and Kade has finally found a future worth fighting for. But when his dream is about to be snatched from him, he has to face a terrible dilemma. Forced to choose between his friends and the fate of a new world, what will he do? The View from Infinity Beach is a fast-paced science fiction adventure for freedom fighters of all ages from Writers of the Future and Jim Baen Award winning author R.P.L. Johnson.


The Invisible City

The Invisible City by Brian K. Lowe

SPSFC

Captain Charles Clee stumbles onto a secret archaeological expedition from the 23rd century and finds himself stranded nearly one million years in the future. When the woman he loves is kidnapped by one of Earth's alien overlords, he becomes the enemy of one of the most powerful men in the world. But his quest to rescue her is complicated when he learns that a working time machine may still exist with which he could return to his own era and save his troops from certain annihilation. Now, torn between love and his duty to the men who served under him a million years past, pursued by the merciless assassins of the Time Police, Clee fights against war, slavery, and fantastic beasts in a race against time itself--knowing that whatever the outcome, he must lose.


The Last Lumenian

The Last Lumenian by S.G. Blaise

SPFBO8

MOST PRINCESSES NEED SAVING. THIS ONE WILL SAVE YOU. She is a rebel. Lilla is fighting for the refugees's freedom from oppression. The king, her father, lost touch with reality ever since Lilla's mother died. Now everyone else is paying the price. The arrival of Callum, a powerful Teryn general, complicates Lilla's life. His presence leads to conflicted feelings and friction with Arrov, a handsome pilot and fellow rebel. Her life is not what she imagined it to be. Not by far. Meddling gods, love interests and sudden magical abilities have no room in Lilla's world, but that has become her new reality. No matter how hard she pushes them away, it's too late. They all seek to control her anyway. Now the Era War between two ruling archgods forces Lilla to act: accept who she really is magic and all; find true love; fulfill her destiny by defeating the Archgod of Chaos and Destruction before He finds her.


Ghost Dragon

Ghost Dragon by Craig A. Price Jr.

SFFOasis

A spaceship crashes onto a planet… completely filled with dragons. When crash landing onto a planet filled with flying, fire-breathing beasts, Daniel is uncertain he can step up as the captain his crew needs to escape the strange planet. Daniel is an Unwanted. His parents didn't want him. The Space Academy didn't want him. The shipyard he worked at for years barely wanted him. But here he was, clawing through the ranks of them all to become the captain of his very own ship. The Ghost. After one successful accidental mission, and a second mediocre one, he is now the captain of an exploratory crew. To go where no one has gone before, and all that jazz. It's always been his dream. But when he crash lands on a planet full of dragons. No, not dinosaurs. Dragons. Yes, you heard that right. Dragons. Fire-breathing, Ice-Breathing, and lots of other elemental-breathing, flying dragons. Daniel doesn't know what to do. They may not be intelligent life, but he's stranded with a small crew and they must fight their way out, fix their ship, and get as far away from what Daniel is calling "Dragon Planet" (Original--I know), and onto his next exploratory mission ... if he can survive. If you love Star Trek and The Orville, Science Fiction with snarky characters and humor-filled plot lines with a little bit of hard science, then you’ll love Ghost Dragon, because everyone is an explorer at heart!


Ghost Surveillance

Ghost Surveillance by Craig A. Price Jr.

SFFOasis

A radio transmission deep in space… a surveillance mission is ordered … Daniel finally has his chance to prove himself with his first official planetary exploration mission. It isn’t going to be Daniel’s first time to a new planet, but it will be his first time leading an expedition from the beginning. In the past, he led missions to asteroids, and one planetary exploration since there were no nearby captains. But this time, he is chosen to go on his first official planet exploratory mission. He is ready to prove himself a capable ship captain. What could possibly go wrong with a simple surveillance mission? Daniel is an Unwanted, surrounded by a galaxy of clones. He desires nothing more than to prove himself, but no one takes him seriously. He uses humor as a defense mechanism and stumbles his entire way through being a captain. But this is his first serious mission. He needs to make sure it succeeds at all cost. If you love Star Trek and The Orville, Science Fiction with snarky characters and humor-filled plot lines with a little bit of hard science, then you’ll love Ghost Surveillance, because everyone is an explorer at heart!


Ghost Probe

Ghost Probe by Craig A. Price Jr.

SFFOasis

Roads?! Where we’re going, we don’t need roads! When a strange radio signal is detected in deep space, the president needs his finest officers to check it out. Unfortunately, the closest vessel is a lowly asteroid miner staffed with a ragtag crew of misfits. The leader of this crew is Captain Daniel, an "Unwanted." In the future, the rigors of space travel are reserved for two sets of people. Clones of the best and brightest officers, and the products of unplanned pregnancies. As one of the latter, Daniel is considered inferior to his peers and sees this exploratory mission as a chance to prove himself to the galaxy. Full of tongue-in-cheek humor, "Ghost Probe" will have you chuckling and smiling as the crew of the ship attempts to answer one of humanity's biggest existential questions. With comic dialogue and situations, "Ghost Probe" will appeal to fans of "The Orville" and other sci-fi that doesn't take itself too seriously.


The Last Gifts of the Universe

The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August

SFFOasis SPSFC 2022 SPSFC Winner Indie Recs Indie

A dying universe. When the Home worlds finally achieved the technology to venture out into the stars, they found a graveyard of dead civilizations, a sea of lifeless gray planets and their ruins. What befell them is unknown. All Home knows is that they are the last civilization left in the universe, and whatever came for the others will come for them next. A search for answers. Scout is an Archivist tasked with scouring the dead worlds of the cosmos for their last gifts: interesting technology, cultural rituals—anything left behind that might be useful to the Home worlds and their survival. During an excavation on a lifeless planet, Scout unearths something unbelievable: a surviving message from an alien who witnessed the world-ending entity thousands of years ago. A past unraveled. Blyreena was once a friend, a soul mate, and a respected leader of her people, the Stelhari. At the end of her world, she was the last one left. She survived to give one last message, one final hope to the future: instructions on how to save the universe. An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes. With the fate of everything at stake, Scout must overcome the dangers of the Stelhari’s ruined civilization while following Blyreena’s leads to collect its artifacts. If Scout can’t deliver these groundbreaking discoveries back to the Archivists, Home might not only be the last civilization to exist, but the last to finally fall.


the Earthen Pioneer: Part 1

the Earthen Pioneer: Part 1 by N.R.B. Marcum

SPSFC 2023

What would you do, if Earth fell to invasion? For Omid, the question never seemed to come up. He was always too busy fighting, thieving, and causing mayhem to think on it; until the aliens that had taken Earth looked to take him too. Cast adrift and on the run, Omid finds himself swept far from the planet. There, in the world of aliens, he meets with an unexpected hope, and is soon the center of a mounting plan to free Earth of its captors, once and for all. But the world of the aliens, the world of Mooi, is not so simple as it seems, and while he enters into it with the intent of helping Earth, he soon finds that few things he sees and learns are as they appear. To get back to Earth, and to find a way to help his people, he will have to navigate a world intent on sucking him into its depths and entombing him there.


Protostar: An Automatic Apocalypse

Protostar: An Automatic Apocalypse by Jesse Pohlman

WriteHive Book Club

Lahira Ocean is the Captain of the Messenger, a cutting-edge Cruiser defending Humanity and its allies against an alien race called The Orphans. After a hectic battle at the planet Gagarin, Lahira awakens from a two-week long coma to find two strangers carefully awaiting her recovery. The first is clearly from the upper echelons of Earth's government who calls himself Herodotus Fork; the second is distantly familiar to Lahira as a woman named Amber, an ambassador from the Automatons, a 'species' of alien who are fully artificial intelligences. Neither are happy to be sitting over her hospital bed. Lahira is suspected of being involved in an unprecedented attack on an Automaton: During the Battle of Gagarin, Lahira's ship emitted a strange signal which seemed to corrupt the mind of an elder Automaton, and Amber has been assigned to levy judgment about what happened. Unfortunately for her, the chaos of the ensuing melee led to the Human receiving serious injuries: She was mentally connected to a computer system which shorted out. These injuries - along with others lurking deeper under the surface of her thoughts - have induced retrograde amnesia, meaning she cannot fully explain the events leading to her role in the brawl.


Thicker Than Blood (The Journey Missions Book 3)

Thicker Than Blood (The Journey Missions Book 3) by Holly Ash

Teacup Dragon Coop

Lieutenant Commander Crystal Wolf's hatred of politics has never been a secret through her spotless military career. So why is she being sent to Earth to speak at a military hearing on behalf of The Lands and Waters of Neophia Organization? When Crystal's team is tasked with convincing the US military to continue the officer exchange program that first brought Lieutenant Desiree Flint and Ensign Justin Anderson to Neophia to serve on Journey’s first tour, the stakes are already high: if they fail their mission, Flint and Anderson won’t be able to return for the second tour. And to make matters worse, they arrive on Earth to find relations between the two planets are far worse than anyone let on. Things escalate when a terrorist group attacks a string of hospitals, demanding the US government acknowledge Neophia’s superiority. Divided from their team in the wake of a retaliatory order that detains anyone with Neophian blood, Flint and Anderson, the only two pure humans, must find a way to complete their mission--and get the rest of their team home in one piece.


Parasites

Parasites by Matthew Samuels

At the end of the universe, the very fabric of reality is beginning to contract, winding up to the Big Crunch. Alone and isolated on the planet Lyra, humans evolved late on a resource-poor world. Doomed to die out as food and minerals dwindle, a scientist makes a chance discovery allowing people and vehicles to travel through ‘thinnings’ – patches of space linking universes.Kael and Alessia are explorers charting where the thinnings go and more importantly, bringing back valuable resources to Lyra, trying desperately to extend the lifespan of their home world. Alessia’s father, Ben, set out two years ago to uncover another species’ reference to a ‘solution’ to the big crunch problem – but never returned. A chance discovery leads Kael and Alessia to a clue, prompting another expedition to see if they can avoid the mistakes of the past and help to unravel the mystery.Kael, Alessia and their gruff bodyguard Basteel retrace Ben’s steps, seeking closure for Alessia, a solution for Lyra and together begin a voyage through wild, weird and wonderful planets.


Adam's Rings

Adam's Rings by Matthew D. White

Adam lived an idyllic life, growing up in the rural United States. He showed promise as a student and held a fleeting dream throughout his existence that he would one day prove himself enough to travel to the stars, see the universe, leave footprints on the Martian soil and solve the greatest mysteries ever presented to mankind. But every breath of his life has been a lie. Adam has been grown in a machine on board a research station orbiting Saturn and designed to be its perfect operator. Had the experiment succeeded, he would have thought he launched from Earth as an astronaut and woken up on the far side never the wiser. Thanks to a catastrophic accident, he has arisen years early, without the training and development that would have allowed him to thrive and accept the calling. Adam has been provided the opportunity to live his greatest dream, although the circumstances are merely an illusion. As the arbiter of humanity's most ambitious research mission in history, will Adam accept his fate, strive against those who stole his early years of innocence, or fail in a fleeting attempt at survival, unprepared and alone in the crushing unforgiving wilderness of deep space?


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