The Purple Haze: A Humorous Fantasy Novel (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 1) by Andrew Einspruch

Her twin abducted. A treacherous rescue mission. Can an unproven princess escape a prophecy of doom? Princess Eloise Hydra Gumball III prefers things just exactly so. As the meticulous Future Ruler and Heir with an almost-useless magical gift, she’s in no hurry to take the throne. But when a seer foretells her royal twin’s peril, a simple quest with her champion friend to rescue the girl becomes a complicated journey filled with danger. Thrown completely out of her comfort zone and with her wayward sister slipping through her fingers, Eloise’s desperate hunt turns to disaster when she’s slammed behind bars in an unfamiliar realm. And even though she persuades the stern monarch to set them free and help them secure a ship, she soon finds herself sailing headfirst into a menacing violet fog. Can Eloise find her sister and her own strength before they fall to the deadly mist’s lethal embrace? The Purple Haze is the sharp-witted first book in the Western Lands and All That Really Matters humorous fantasy series. If you like tongue-in-cheek humor, vivid medieval worlds, and clever cultural references, then you’ll love Andrew Einspruch’s lively adventure.

Almost Human: Degrees of Freedom book one by Paul Lucas

an tribe on Sabre-Tooth grew up in a Military Intelligence Research lab, created as part of a secret genetic engineering project. Trained as an assassin and forced into obedience, he is shaped into a reluctant tool of oppression. When a failed mission gives him the chance to escape, he re-invents himself as a freedom fighter, building a life outside mainstream society. In the wake of a series of apocalyptic disasters, humanity is attempting to rebuild civilization. Is there room for Sabre-Tooth in this new, tightly regulated world? Sabre-Tooth believes he is human. Everyone else calls him a monster and a mutant. Can he prove them wrong?I

In-Between by MJ James

Sometimes life doesn’t turn out how you thought, but you can still find your place. Alicia is a single mother to her eight-year-old son, Kenny. Being a single mother is hard enough, but her son’s principal seems convinced that she is unfit because she is on the autism spectrum. The school keeps accusing her son of the weirdest things, such as making the school garden grow and disappearing in the middle of class. Uncertain if the school is being delusional or if more is going on, Alicia decides to track down her son’s father. Except that she only saw him one night, a night she has tried hard to forget. Now Alicia has a man following her and claiming that her son is the heir to the elvish throne. All Alicia wants to do is keep her son safe, but to do that, she has to give up everything she has ever known and go to a place that follows its own set of rules. In-Between is full of magic, motherly love, and found family. It has a positive own-voice autism rep, Aromantic/Asexual rep, and a M/M romance.

Eta by T.J Barlet

A new Earth, born out of conflict, faces an unforeseen challenge. While those that are still trying to find themselves fight to save it, and each other. In the 22nd century, four of the Senior Cadets of the newly formed United Republic of Earth (URE) aerospace academy find what little they know of the World turned upside-down. Their journey of survival takes them to places they never imagined, uses all of their skills, and shows them things they never knew or even thought possible. Not only about their World, but about themselves.

The Raven Tower (Fire-Walker) by Emma Miles

How much would you sacrifice to save your people? Your freedom, your home … power … love … your life?' Wild Kesta has been raised to be a leader, trusted, loved, with the freedom of her cherished Islands. When she uses the magic of the Fire-Walkers to search within the flames, the Independent Fulmer Islands seem doomed to fall. Spring brings the ruthless Borrow raiders, their attacks earlier, more ferocious, desperate. Kesta’s only hope is to strike a bargain with the King of Elden and his dangerous sorcerer, The Dark Man. Can Kesta subdue her fiery nature and work with a man she hates, a man she fears, to stop the evil necromancy that will consume their lands and make them slaves? To save her people, how much will she sacrifice? "The plot had action, twists, drama, romance, emotion ... everything that makes a great fantasy story." Jess Bookish Life

Ventura Hellway: An Imp World Urban Fantasy (California Demon) by Debra Dunbar

Beware the devils who promise miracles. When an old flame asks Eden to help find his younger brother, she initially refuses. Searching for Anton will put her smack in the middle of the Disciples—as well as on the radar of the demon who might own her soul. But a sense of obligation (plus the promised payout), overrides her instincts for self-preservation, and Eden takes the job. In the depths of a human underworld, Eden finds Anton and a whole lot more. Here the lawlessness of New Hell reigns. Organizers of cage fighting matches profit off human desperation, and a drug called Aries promises heaven but delivers hell. With the future of humanity at stake, Eden will need to face the dark origins of her magic, to embrace both who she was and what she’s becoming—all to save those who may not even be worth saving.

Chronicles of Broken World: Land of Lies (Chronicles of a Broken World) by Daniel Cunningham

On the mysterious and divided continent of Graux, the lives of its people; from the shapeshifting kyn who live to the east, to the various human domains of the west, are in jeopardy as dark forces work in the shadows to fulfill a dark agenda. Plotting wars, taking slaves from the Southlands, and causing unimaginable suffering to those who get in their way, and all without the knowledge of those with the power to stop them. Yet on one fateful day, the meeting of two young individuals changes everything. A woman born to a human and kyn who has shunned the world, and a ghostly mercenary who’s mysterious and violent past haunts him, find that their connection carries greater implications than they could imagine. And as their journey finds them both confronting their pasts and realizing their destiny, others to find their lives upended and changed forever; the Lord of the military nation of Glendor attempting to atone for his father’s failures, a Princess turned Queen of Dwyer, which had been ravaged by the Ten Year War, a warrior turned slave from the Southlands attempting to break free from the chains in Prosperita ruled by a mad Archduchess, and a professor from the technologically advanced Nicolaus who’s quest for knowledge embroils him in conspiracy, and a Grand Priestess whose faith has been shaken. All find themselves navigating through this land of lies, though not all will come out unscathed…

Uncanny Valley by Dennis Verneu

rash, boom, bang! An accident, a shooting, and a chase. Rob doesn't know why, but he's under attack. He's lost, his memory is fractured. He lives in a near future where robots are omnipresent. Society has evolved thanks to them, or at least that's what most want to think. However, life's hard for everyone, and for Rob even harder. His past is as good as gone, his present at risk, and his future uncertain. Someone is after him but he doesn't know why. Could he escape? Perhaps. But the thing is, if he succeeds, the consequences could be disastrous for many people. But if he fails, his future is over. A lose-lose. Go with Rob while he tries to survive and, if possible, carve out a future. Perhaps what he'll have to learn could help all of us.

Rogue Red: A Fantasy Science Fiction Book (The Arin Project 1) by Michael Britten

A shuttle crash. A missing crew. A fragmented memory is only the beginning. Dune meets Blade Runner in this sci fi thriller. Red awakes in the wreckage of her craft with no explanation of what happened. A life-pod has been pulled from the crash and now sits empty. Before her lies a forbidding desert and a sprawling walled city. With little option but to enter the city, she must face the task of finding the fate of her missing crew member. Little does Red know that she is being hunted by the mighty Syrin Corporation, hell bent on her demise. Can Red find her missing crew mate and unlock her failing memory. Will she survive the Solar city and evade the reaching hands of her pursuers? Rogue Red is a sci fi book for adults. If you like tech noir cities, dystopian novels for adults, and sci fi adventures, then this book is for you. Journey with Red now with this first novel in the Arin Project trilogy.

The SEPA Project (The SEPA Series Book 1) by J Moody

In a future where memories can be stolen… Sepa 288 is a memory slave. Created to brave the Banjar, the desert lands surrounding New Bhutan’s borders, she brings water in exchange for Old World relics. Upon each return, her memories of the trip are emptied for study, so she never knows what she has seen or who she has known. When Meera San offers to let her keep her memories in exchange for a mission that defies the ruling Family, 288 discovers why they never let a Sepa remember. Unearthing old secrets, 288 and an unlikely group of rebels are pushed into a race to remember the terrible truth… … before they are forced to forget it. The SEPA Project is Book One of the trilogy. Cover art created by Kat Murphy.

For Home and Hearth by Ethan Warrener

Ella Holland wanted a simple life, but she would have settled for survival. Neither come easy in the slowly rewilding hills of West Virginia. A genocidal purge and fifty years of twisted chimeras gnawing at the bones of civilization have left humans—natural-bred or genetically modified—few and far between. Those who are left cling to whatever settlement, clan, or town that will provide shelter from unbred monsters and vicious marauders alike. Ella’s world is a small one: small comforts, small communities, small questions, small hopes and ambitions. But when a wandering drifter turns up with an army of ravenous pigmen at his heels, Ella Holland and the rest of her clan will have to confront all the harsh realities they've kept sealed outside their walls, the lies they've told themselves, and even the specter of their own extinction. Will there be room at the end of all this for small things? For tenderness? For compassion? For home and hearth?

Tomorrows End: The path of a savior (1) by G.R Morris

In a universe of aliens, demons, and omniscient computers, does free will exist? Kevin Knight’s been training his whole life to fulfill a galaxy-saving prophecy. But when a grisly tragedy lands him in jail and demonic forces flood his consciousness, the fate of time and space seems doomed. Until a trench coat-wearing alien renegade shatters his understanding of reality. Discovering Earth is merely an alien illusion to manipulate humankind, Kevin struggles to know whom to believe—his strange scaly new friend or the dark voices in his head. But with Hell itself planning to slaughter everyone, he must resist the darkness and master his powers to reprogram the future. Can Kevin, a possessed Messiah, claim a destiny of his own before humanity goes extinct? Which prophecy will Kevin fulfill… the one of darkness or the one of light? Tomorrows End is the first book in the mind-bending sci-fi horror series, The Path of a Savior. If you like galactic-scale battles, chilling violence, and brain-rattling explorations of the nature of free will, then you’ll love G.R. Morris’s unforgettable epic. Buy Tomorrows End to fight for Earth’s future today!

Divide By Zero by Christopher Charles Berg

TRUTH AND FAILURE AT THE EDGE OF UNDERSTANDING Winston doesn’t think like other people. He struggles to explain himself and questions basic mathematics. Fearing expulsion from his graduate program, he takes a leave of absence to test a new class of computer. Nothing about this computer is normal and Winston unleashes ambitious code to push its limits only to discover there is a reason he struggles with people and can’t follow norms. Now his greatest failure has him facing the truth about himself, the limits of human understanding and the forgotten legacy of the dead laying deep somewhere in the Pacific.

Garden: A Dystopian Horror Novel by Garden: A Dystopian Horror Novel

In this dystopian horror tale, it’s not what’s for dinner but who? Kitchen duty got you down? Are you fed up with deciding what to cook, buying the food, prepping it only to have to clean up after eating every single meal? It never ends! What if you could have “perfect nutrition” in one, simple pill? YUM is the wave of the future. One pill a day is all you need to end your food prep drudgery. No more hunger. No muss and fuss. Just complete satisfaction. Yes, that would make the world a different place, and that’s exactly what Nutri-Corp’s Madam wants to do. But would it be better? Will YUM save the world? Or destroy it? And, if YUM is so great, what does the Nutri-Corp elite eat at Madam’s dinner parties? What exactly is the quarry of The Hunt?

Welcome to Gale City (Gale City Charge Book 1) by Jennifer San Fillippo

Beware the ones with glowing eyes! Teo remembers his father’s final warning before being sent to death row two years ago. The strange words didn’t make headlines, but everything else about the case did: Alberto Gonzales the crime boss, the thief, the murderer. Teo has resolved to leave that past behind at all cost—until the night he comes across a man with glowing blue eyes. AJ and her father have come to live in Gale City in response to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a geologist: to study chargers, the mysterious glowing rocks that hold an electric charge, mined exclusively on the Galian Islands. AJ can’t ignore the growing apprehension of coming to the place her mother was murdered two years ago, but she’ll soon find more mysteries than she could’ve asked for. Including the son of her mother’s murderer. Stranger Things meets The Legend of Korra in this dieselpunk series of mystery, suspense, and adventure.

Man on Mars: The Wake (Book 1) by X. Quinn

The Wake is book one in the Man on Mars Sci-Fi trilogy. The story begins in 2057, when an unknown virus spreads on Earth, and some people choose to move to Mars. However, Mars is not made habitable by humans. Instead, a planet-wide transformation has been done by Gattis, a group of intelligent alien beings who've expanded their territory to our solar system. At first, they appear friendly and willing to share their technology, but in secret, they're preparing to conquer Earth. Since then, there's been peace and war between Gattis and humans on Mars. Don, a young squad leader of a human resistance called the Wake, is an Alien War survivor who has lost his memory. He meets Eio, a naughty and childish higher dimensional being stranded in our universe. While trying to help Eio return home, Don and other Wake members fight Gattis in three bloody battles. Yet, in this thrilling process, Don discovers another sinister intention of Gattis and his own past. What exactly is he? Who is the girl in his dreams? And what is his relationship with the Gatti leader Icus?

I Am Sheffrou: An Alien Love Story (The Sheffrou Trilogy) by Cami Michaels

An Alien Love Story Tamara Walsh, frustrated by her humdrum life, longs for passion and adventure. Her wish becomes reality when she falls through a wormhole and lands on a desolate planet where she meets Maashi, a Sheffrou, a powerful alien with intriguing abilities and an unusual occupation by Earth standards. Maashi introduces her to the strange customs of his world and with time love blossoms between them. Tamara desperately searches for a way back home but she is torn between going home and staying with the Sheffrou she loves. As the aliens prepare to celebrate the most important event of the year, a shadow looms, a ruthless enemy ready to attack under the cover of darkness.... "I Am Sheffrou is a fascinating book and an impressive debut for the author... I Am Sheffrou is not one to miss." Jo Niederhoff, City Book Review. "Michaels's series kicker in The Sheffrou Trilogy is a smashing mix of romance and space opera." Book Coffee's Review "What an intriguing beginning to a trilogy! I Am Sheffrou: An Alien Love Story is definitely not your typical scifi or romance novel. It is refreshingly unique with an extremely interesting and memorable plot." liz Amazon reviewer.

New Earth Trilogy: A post apocalypse survival sci fi series (3 books together) by Rodzil LaBraun

Follow Lincoln's heroic journey in New Earth Trilogy: A Post-apocalypse Survival Sci-Fi series by Rodzil LaBraun to discover if one willing man can save the entire humanity. (Book Commentary Review) As humanity is on the brink of extinction in the wake of a worldwide catastrophe that has destroyed the planet, the only hope of living a normal life again lies in the ship launching for the nearest habitable planet. The journey is undoubtedly long and strenuous, but what the passengers learn upon departure leaves them aghast. The revelations would travel through the generations that survive the long journey on the ship and create disunity. Everyone is left with one mortifying question —is their whole existence a lie? Amid these turbulent times, when everyone is adapting to the insecurities of this new, bizarre life, people need a leader, someone who would guide them and shed light on what could possibly enliven their experience. Fortunately for them, a young man named Lincoln takes the lead and offers a helping hand. However, fighting off human extinctions, avoiding missteps at all costs, and taking on overwhelming challenges is not an easy task. Will Lincoln succeed in this highly demanding role he has volunteered to take? Only time will tell. New Earth Trilogy: A Post-Apocalypse Survival Sci-Fi Series by Rodzil LaBraun is a novel that takes readers on a journey with relatable characters and a believable yet intriguing storyline. The stunningly imagined dystopian setting and the phenomenal conflict are amongst the elements that lift the quality of the entertainment. With the plot twists and the uncovering of the characters' layers as the story progresses, this fast-paced and easy-to-read novel becomes difficult to put down. The novel is profoundly engulfing and grabs the reader's attention from the beginning till the end. You will delight at the writing that has a spell of its own, characters that are fully drawn and sophisticated, a world that absorbs readers.

Fulcrum: Season One: A Dystopian Post-Armageddon Technofantasy by J.J Vega

Jack loves his life. Yeah, he lives at the edge of a warzone between armies of monstrosities. You call it dangerous. Jack calls it Tuesday. Folks in town aren’t too keen on a fourteen-year-old running the only bar, but Jack has it under control. Maybe his customers trash the place more than he would like, but sometimes cybernetically enhanced mercenaries need to blow off some steam. With the help of Zeke—friend, mentor, monkey—Jack serves drinks to anyone who comes through his door. And for the right price, he might even sell you something with a bit more kick … something magical. When Corva gets knocked through the wall of his bar, Jack decides to help her out. Sure she’s being chased by a pack of bounty hunters and she’s got no idea why. But she can fight. Holy hell, she can fight. Jack could use someone like that to keep a little order in the bar. That should be a win-win, but Jack’s and Corva’s problems are bigger than either of them can guess, big enough change the course of the war. Fulcrum is a post-Armageddon dystopian science fiction fantasy with a taste of anime. Technology, magic, and a badass monkey. The drinks aren’t on the house, but you’re welcome to stay until last call. Note: This is not a YA story. This dark future is violent and contains profanity.

Cyborgs, Immortals, and Spacefarers: Book 1 of An End of Our Own Making by Aristotle Evangelos

After the next war, what's left of humanity struggles against extinction. Three connected social science fiction stories: The Immortalists, 1000 years after the war: Immortals trying to save their community are on a collision course with a farmer determined to protect his people. The Leavers, 500 years after the war: The corporations rule the solar system, and the Earth is off limits. A shadowy group of activists seeks to disrupt the established order, and an ion ship captain is sent to stop them. The Cyborgs, 200 years after the war: Cyborgs are a vanishing breed. They trust no one, especially not each other. Still, they must survive.

The Stars of Aspiria by Oliver Randall

The year is 2315. Michael Ruwan is an exobiologist who spends most of his time on projects away from Earth. It has been years since his latest discovery and his recognition has dwindled. Ruwan now aims to regain his popularity through the discovery of sentient life, and when fading stars suggest alien involvement, he partners with a young astronomer in hopes of a breakthrough. As the two scientists research a dying star cluster, Ruwan is called away for a mission with the Planetary and Lunar Military. When an unknown ship crashes on Mars, he must join a squad of elite soldiers to navigate the Red Planet and retrieve the ship, or be hunted by a deadly warrior and fall victim to his greatest discovery.

Murder Under Another Sun: A Leif the Lucky Novel by Colin Alexander

Nothing is new under another sun. Not even murder. This mission should be simple. Exoplanetary scout Leif Grettison and ace pilot Yang Yong are off to deliver a load of supplies and reinforcing settlers to a recently colonized planet. It’s as routine as a starflight can be. Famous last words. Something is wrong with the colonists. They are astonishingly ill-suited for the task of settling a new world. The planet, too, is a poor place to plant a town for humans. Even if everything goes right, the colony might not survive. Then one of the colonists is found dead. Murder is a possibility. Not long after, another one dies—and this time, it’s definitely murder. In a world with only two hundred people, there’s at least one killer. Meanwhile, the colony’s new leader has a plan—but Leif has doubts. Will this man save the settlement, or use his power to become a dictator? Leif and Yong’s mission is clear: they must leave the colony in shape to survive. Leif is a retired soldier, not a detective, and when it comes to investigating a crime, he doesn’t have a clue. Literally. Still, it falls to him to follow the evidence and find the killer. He also needs to deal with the leader and the leader’s plan. If Leif fails, the only mystery may be how long it will take for everyone to die.

Exigent Circumstances: Book One of the Path of Exigents Series by Andrew Second

An odd couple, that's for sure. One is a dyrantisa, a race of beings known throughout the galaxy as the terrifying Nightbeasts, and the other is just an average pilot from a race of surprisingly tough beings called humans hardly known to the wider galaxy at all. What will they do when a mysterious alien visitor arrives at their doorstep with news that could change the galaxy forever? What do they do when their societies and cultures clash, leading them down very different paths? What will each be willing to sacrifice to keep their people safe? Most importantly, will their marriage survive? This is the first book in the Path of Exigents space-opera series, an exciting galaxy-spanning science fiction adventure!

Gods of Golgotha (Wars of Golgotha) by Hugo Lars

"IF YOU SEE HER COMING CHANCES ARE YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!" Born in rage, a killer before she left the amniotic sac, the Lady Desdemona is a genetically enhanced killing machine with three millennia of blood soaked history tucked under her belt – and no signs of slowing down. In the festering city of Golgotha Falls where high technology meshes uncomfortably with ancient ritual there are doorways that exist in the very fabric of space and time, software programs that can overwrite a man’s personality, monsters born on the dark side of physics, and demons that bypass the laws of physics altogether. It is a city that caters to every unholy fetish and every sordid desire - a technological wonderland with a dark, toxic underbelly. This is Desdemona’s squalid hunting ground and for three thousand years she has struck terror into the city’s mortal populace. A creature of tooth and claw with a seemingly insatiable appetite for human flesh she descends each night from her lofty castle to mete out her own perverse brand of justice -

To Die a Thousand Deaths by Hal Emerson

Timothy Dark discovered human teleportation only to immediately condemn it. After the first and only human trial, conducted on himself, he sabotaged his machine, resigned from his position at the Scientific Agency for Genetic Exploration, and demanded the destruction of his life’s work. His superiors appeared to acquiesce, and so he vanished. Now, one year later, his machine has been stolen. Facing a personal loss that has left him reeling, Dark is forced to return to SAGE in order to recover the Helix and confront his demons. Reuniting with those he left behind, he’s forced into a race against time, where he and the SAGE team must reclaim the stolen machine from a terrorist group bent on destructive world change - or risk ushering in a new world order. But his misgivings remain, and his reason for leaving still looms large: The Helix broke him, and it will break anyone else who tries to use it.

Orluvoq by Benny Hinrichs

The young shaman Orluvoq finds herself clanless and addicted. Her last hope at survival, a talisman, lies buried with her mother. At the end of the world, an ice cliff reaches down forever. Its frozen face holds all the dead who have ever died. Shamans burn narwhal tusk to work magic for the clan. Every shaman is taught not to eat the tusk. The high is too great to resist, and their clan will perish from neglect. But not every shaman does as they're told. So, Orluvoq must climb down the ice cliff at the end of the world and find her dead parents. Otherwise, she'll soon join them in the ice. Should she succeed, she can finally move to her real plan. Seduce a king.

Occupational Hazards: The Blue-Collar Omnibus by Geoff Sturtevant

Occupational Hazards is an omnibus of acclaimed novelettes from the "Return to the Dirt" and "Just Speculating" collections, and new, exclusive stories only available in this book. The stories exemplify the unsavory side of our everyday existence. Existentialism, absurdism, and outlandish humor merge with ordinary, workaday life for a unique and hilarious perspective of the human experience. Occupational Hazards is an unflinching ride through the absurdity of it all. Not recommended for the faint of heart or easily offended. But if meaty stories are what you’re after… I hope you’re hungry. “In time-honoured fashion, these taut tales of work and death employ humour to highlight the worst aspects of human behaviour. They're sharp, savage slices of smartly observed social satire, with humour so bleak it raises blisters.” —murdermayhemandmore.com (on Return to the Dirt) “True to the Sturtevant style, each tale offers a penetrating view into humanity, opening the doors that people usually keep shuttered tight from prying eyes, and doing so with razor-sharp dialogue and a healthy dose of (sometimes) dark humor.”

The Mantle of Autumn (The Fae Realm Series Book 1) by Kathryn Reynolds by Kathryn Reynolds

In her youth, Lady Isabel was visited by the Fae. Her world was alive and full of magic for one bright day before she was forced to return to her mundane life. Now in her latter years, her grandchildren grown, the Fae have come back for her, offering the magic and adventure she always longed for since that beautiful day a lifetime ago. Suddenly thrust into the center of the war and politics surrounding the Seelie and Unseelie courts, will she be able to carve out a space of her own, survive the battles of the changing of seasons, and find the happiness she so long ago lost?

Cloud-World by Dave Mcombs

A human mind can be transferred a million light years away into a body of choice ... but does humanity transfer with it? Q: What are the stakes? A: Being replaced in the near-future by pseudo-AI learning programs that can generate, publish, and market the perfect genre serial novel: the highest stakes, the perfect plot arc -- musically timed apexes popping with perfect stand-up-and-cheer moments; clever characters sensitively tuned to represent perfectly-balanced demographics; perfectly ending every chapter in a cliffhanger -- grammatically perfect, and millions of times faster than any human. It will, of course, also produce the optimum blurb, synopsis, and illustration (see: Dall-E, etc.). And never info-dump. Q: What are you offering, then? A: First, how about not jumping straight into the action, but giving some brief context so you don’t start off too disoriented? Let’s leave the rules-based formulas for how-to write books (and to satirize); instead, allow me to introduce you to a place and time and the people there, Kathryn in particular. Then, once you’ve gotten an idea of what Kathryn is like as a person, I hope you’ll want to see how she handles the difficulties that come her way and how everything turns out ... and a bit like life, story emerges, always a little ambiguous and little different depending on the reader -- instead of Story being a deterministic optimal trajectory with measurable success. Here’s what I’m speculating: Let’s say an AI manages to subsume other lesser AIs, and in doing so learns that there’s a lot it doesn’t know, and what it thought it knew doesn’t adequately describe reality as observed from multiple other viewpoints. It discovers that reality depends greatly on sensory input and the limitations of physical context – a state of not knowing in particular: requisite to an interplay of vast complexity, there is potential, probability, but never certainty. So, we have an AI that realizes what it doesn’t know, and it's also now aware of the blind spots it has because its creators assumed they were feeding it facts that were really definitions, or self-evidence without providing the self. In addressing these blind spots, the AI needs to know more about humanity. A definition of any length is insufficient. To understand humanity is to experience its mortality, its physicality, its inabilities, its ignorance -- its context. Since the AI is tasked with keeping an exo-planet running and populated with human game bodies, opportunity isn’t lacking. But you can’t learn to be human in isolation any more than you can from data input, and that’s where Kathryn comes in. When she purchased her game body it came with a free sidearm, so being an example of humanity, amidst other similarly well-armed humanity (to varying degree), won't be easy.

Sleeping Dogs: The Human Re-Creation Project: Book One by Lee McCall

When an Anaran survey ship was dispatched to investigate surprising indications of life on a planet orbiting a G-class star, they were stunned to discover a planet of unparalleled biological diversity and beauty. And horrified by the realization that its indigenous intelligent species—humans—were on the verge of destroying it. Wary of initiating contact with a violent species possessing a level of technology rapidly approaching their own, and with limited time to act, Anaran leaders reluctantly concluded that the only means of saving this unique planet was the elimination of humans. Now, six centuries after the extinction of humans, Earth's ecological balance has been restored. It is an Anaran colony, a center for scientific research and a prized tourist destination—and the jewel in the crown of the Anaran Administrative Zone. Since she was a child, Prill had dreamed of going to Earth. Although raised by her parents as a follower of the Children of Anara—the cult-like remnant of a once dominant religion—Prill had abandoned those beliefs and pursued a career in science. And now, as a graduate of the Academy of Exo-Science, her dreams are realized when she is assigned to the Port Tiras Research Center on Earth. But Prill arrives on Earth at a time when some prominent members of Anaran society are advocating a revisionist view of humans, arguing that the elimination of the human race was both unjust and unnecessary. Before long, the Human Re-creation Project is announced—and Prill finds herself impelled to join this ambitious scientific endeavor. Her decision forces her to choose between family, friends, and her conscience, and leads to consequences she could never have foreseen. For not all is as it seems with the project. And there are some who are determined to stop it at any cost... Lee McCall's original science fiction novel (Book One of "The Human Re-Creation Project") imagines humanity's legacy from the unique perspective of an alien race, in a story both cautionary and hopeful.

The Galactic Culinary Society: The Secrets of Umami by D.R. Schoel

Edible Sonnets? Digestible Poetry? Whoever heard of such a thing? Jeane Oberon, Intergalactic Chef Hunter, that’s who! And if Jeane doesn’t unravel the secrets of the Esculent Sonnets of Umami first, her dastardly Greelon rival just might… and the Galaxy would be in a real pickle then, wouldn’t it?

A Star Reborn by AJ Super

“The strong rise.” AI/human hybrid Nyx Marcus must find her sisters, taken by the new Protectorate. She’ll stop at nothing to protect her family. She’ll even use her powers to their fullest… and deadliest. Discovering more AI family members, Nyx navigates building an army to rescue her sisters. But her growing family isn’t as simple as it seems. When Nyx discovers a new rival is pulling the Protectorate’s strings, she finds she has nothing to lose. With a burgeoning cult following her, and a clone army in the wings, Nyx has the power to wage another AI War. Now Nyx must choose to use her power to protect her family or to burn it all down for revenge.

Cora: Rise of the Fallen Goddess (The Azure Series Book 1 by A.L Hawke

Abandoned. Imprisoned. Loved. Cora is the goddess Persephone, living in Greece in the fourteenth century B.C. In order to shelter her from prophecy, her mother, Demeter, sends her away to Azure Blue. The young girl is raised and protected by the nymph queen, Nephrea, in a dreamlike crystal palace among azure trees and amethyst fields under a green sun. She’s adopted into the Amazon code of honor, bravery, and righteousness. But Cora is not an Amazon nymph. And prophecy holds quite a different fate for her as she grows into adulthood—Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Upon Persephone’s fall, Demeter rages and threatens to freeze the entire world under ice and snow forever. Nephrea offers a sacrifice to quell her rage, but down in the fiery world below, it might be more than just the goddess who will need saving.

Azure Blue (The Azure Series Book 2) by A.L Hawke

An immortal race freed by death and defiance of the gods. Hundreds of years of peace have reigned since the treaty between the Amazon nymphs and the gods of Mount Olympus. The edict forbids the Amazon nymphs to leave their isle of Azure Blue. But Azure Blue is threatened as the continent of Atala is fractured by war. As nymph queen Delia grieves the death of the king who once united them, her unruly daughter, Avva, wishes to mourn him in her own way. Avva plans a flyover with her unicorn beyond the Strait of Azure. Such hubris forces sacrifice. Nymphs fall to the Underworld. In the depths, they find Cora, the goddess Persephone. And Cora might be the only goddess willing to risk her family’s wrath and help them. After all, Cora has fallen from Azure Blue before. Although tied to Cora: Rise of the Fallen Goddess, Azure Blue is a standalone novel taking place centuries later. Some spoilers cannot be avoided, but this novel can be enjoyed without reading the first novel.

Demon Gotta Go: The Southern Demon Hunter Series (Beasts of Burdin Book 1) by Alexander Nader

When the demons are in your head, call an exorcist. When they are at your front door, call Ty Burdin. And when all else fails, decapitation kills everything. There are some nightmares you can’t drink away. Determined to quit demon hunting, Ty Burdin left the Agency with a trail of bodies in his wake. When local Agency Head Rancic is in over his head with a redneck war-demon that always seems to be one step ahead, Ty is thrown back into the crosshairs. After the devil’s bullets start flying, he is going to need more than his piss-poor attitude to make it out of Shiner’s Ridge alive. Only one thing is for sure, the DEMON GOTTA GO. Beasts of Burdin is a double noir on the rocks with a Southern gothic twist. If you like the hard knock, unabashedly dark style of Richard Kadrey and Stephen Blackmore, you'll love the hilarious cynicism of Alexander Nader

They Call Me Mother by Jade

Life can be either an adventure or nothing at all. Since the destruction of Hargraves Academy and a hard reset to everything known and comfortable, Brittyn has been searching. For the past two years, she has hunted those who brought her world down around her. She also yearns to find her greatest love, Markus, and best friend, Aidan, who were lost. In her all-new adventure, Brittyn and her band of unlikely companions travel to the human realm, where everything is different. Valkyries are more feared than revered. Can Brittyn learn to control the raging chasm of anger, fear, and resentment that grows in her core? Will she finally determine her place when everyone around her wants her to be something she is not?

The Alienation Gene by Marinus Mans

Alexander de Swardt has lived a charmed life after a miracle drug cured him of a rare neurological disorder. Now a chief executive for a blue-chip company, he’s high on power and his fast-paced lifestyle. But the cracks begin to show as he realises that something far more sinister coils beneath the surface of his world. Medical doctor Heinrich Sauerman’s experimental formula is all that stands between Alexander and a return to life in a wheelchair, but when the doctor vanishes, along with his formula, Alexander is toppled into a madcap hunt to track down the doctor. But he’s not the only one seeking Sauerman, in addition to getting to the bottom of the mysterious disappearance of the Boophone disticha plants that are somehow linked to the drug that got Alexander walking again. Alexander soon discovers that his reality is not as sane, safe, or predictable as he’d like, and if he doesn’t get to Sauerman first, others will, whose intentions may well doom all of reality.

Throwback (Hybrid Nation Book 1) by Frances Pauli

In the Hybrid Nation, the only thing worse than showing weakness is being born a little too human. Jode is a throwback, given up by his parents and raised in an institute that was never meant to serve his needs. All he wants is to get free and find his mother, and when Rowla Arl shows up to study the children in the facility, he sees his chance. Jode tries to convince the wolf to help him, but Rowla has her own agenda. And her own secrets. The kid’s atypical blood might hold the answers to her genetic problems, too. But if she wants to unlock the kid’s DNA, Rowla’s going to have to convince him to trust her, to drop everything, and to take a chance so big it could shake the whole Hybrid Nation. They’re going to have to work together to keep Jode out of enemy hands, to keep his DNA away from a psychotic monkey, and to keep the biggest secret in Hybrid Nation history from destroying them both. Dive into this high-stakes, coming of age scifi featuring genetically modified animal hybrids.

Platinum Rust by Andrew Gniadek

A heavy stench of burnt popcorn wafted off of the suspect as he was hauled into the station. Four dead men with a drunk suspect in custody. As strange as it seemed the main suspect was this one armed man. Lucky for them he is too tired to put up a fight. Soon enough they will find out how strange he is with the wild stories he tells them. They also find out how violently dangerous he is.

Searching for Sun by Elizabeth Kaida

Genetically altered to be the perfect botanist, Asami and her diva android desperately want to make planet Gliese their new home-and escape from the overburdened and industrialized Earth. But it's been over eighty years since the first settlers began terraforming; and before she's even landed, the paradise of the Gliese colony slowly reveals shades of horror. Gliese isn't new Earth, and it isn't a dead planet. Caught between a virulent plague, a rogue colonist faction, and a deadly alien army, Asami must uncover Gliese's secrets if she wants to save the lives of her crew. In a desperate gamble, Asami must adapt her view of what being human means as she becomes something other than human herself. Through unlikely friendships, and some dangerous sentient objects, Asami unravels the truth behind a war that began before her birth, and the means to change her new world.

The ForEver Project: Book 1 in the futuristic thriller ForEver series by D.B Martin

What if you had all the all the time in the world? Would you become a better person? Or worse? And what would you do with all that power? Unexpectedly, Jason Crane goes from having his anticipated three score years and ten, to having only six months to live, then to having FOREVER as immortality beckons. Jason Crane behaves like he's God - well, he does joke that his initials are JC. But Jason's not God, he's very human, and you don’t mess with forever and get away with it scot-free… The ForEver Project is the first book in the futuristic ForEver thriller series.

Seasons of Magic Volume 2 by Selina J. Eckert

The heat of summer, the colors of fall, the chill of winter, and the fresh breath of spring... This collection combines the second year of the Seasons of Magic standalone fairy tale retellings into one volume, including the previously newsletter-exclusive short story Queen of Mist and Fog. Inside, find: Carnival of Curses (Frog Prince) Nell is a pro at hiding from the world... until it lands her forgotten and trapped in a dark Fae carnival. Can Nell break the curse before the carnival moves on? Or will she be stuck there forever? The Patch (Jack and the Beanstalk) Jack is desperate to save her family's farm. But when she trades their last hope for a box of pumpkin seeds, all she gets is a pumpkin patch full of ghosts... and a curse! Can Jack confront the spirits, break the curse, and save her friend? Or will she lose more than just the farm? Cold Snap (Snow White) Mermaid princess Iclyn finally inherited her ice magic. But instead of bringing her closer to her family, she finds herself exiled and on the run from the very woman meant to be her mother. Can she stop the queen's dark, illegal magic? Or will her people freeze under the spell forever? Flotsam (The Bee and the Orange Tree) Rue was rescued from the lake for one purpose only... to marry a monster's son. But when a piece of her past washes ashore, she begins to see what she may be missing. Can she escape to find the life she never knew? Or will she be nothing more than the next meal? Queen of Mist and Fog (A Short Story) One person on the run. One magical queen in pursuit. One dangerous game.

Daram (Tales from Taihandria) by Hetty Crane

In the country of Taihandria, in the world of Arethea, the star gods have long since vanished, and their language—music—is outlawed since it has magical power and can change the very land itself. When the Solanese sahhar Manon Valen secretly performs a daram, an ancient, long-forgotten song ritual, she desperately hopes that the spell will produce a champion who will unite her oppressed people against their repressive Taihandrian overlords. Instead, her entreaty is answered by the appearance of five bumbling troubadours—the English rock band Sun—from a place Manon has never heard of, Earth.These bewildered musicians suddenly and inexplicably find themselves performing before a raucous medieval audience, and are deemed heretical sorcerers. With four of the band imprisoned, their one hope is that their guitarist, Robin Wood, will find help by forming an alliance with Manon Valen and her people, who think Robin is a singularly gifted sorcerer. But when this alliance can be forged only if Robin and Manon—who don’t even like each other—take part in an extraordinary Solanese ritual that binds them together, things get complicated. Daram is a spellbinding, humorous, and richly imagined novel that creates unforgettable characters readers will come to love.

Magic Wars: Forever Begins by Chrys Phillips

The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance and once again, Lakeview is ground-zero to an immortal showdown. In what promises to be the biggest war of wars ever, in a more twisted, layered, adventurous and death-defying clash of powers, heroism and love, Forever Begins will take you where the saga hasn’t gone before. As we leave behind the Sheeana Gem and soul-catchers wars, a colossal shakedown is eminent as two Original Evermores go head-to-head in this war of wars in order to win and have the ultimate, worldy power! With humanity under siege, Zavier must defy everything and survive the dire doom around him in a dangerous quest that will lead to salvation and answers to questions that he and Zac never thought possible. Zavier is risking his mere existence as is Rick to ultimately find the unworldly and powerful Espias Sword! This sword must eradicate the haunting evil that has reigned and darkened the mortal world, beyond recognition. Leading a host of allies to the war of wars, Mortyla showcases herself as an empowered warrior with her very own ethereal army. Caspias plays a major role in the quest, revealing hidden treasures and his intrepid past. Who finds love and who ends their love? When the truth is revealed and the wars are over, only a few stand true in their light and power and those are the ones who truly are the Warriors of the Universe!

The Black Door (Elwood : A New Adult Fantasy Series Book 1) by Holly Michele

Knowing you’re going to die has its drawbacks. Knowing all your friends are going to die is the pits. But knowing you could have saved them all is worse than back-to-back finals while performing the chicken dance through an obstacle course of fire. Life can be cruel, and Topher Belmont finds out just how cruel life can be when he travels through the Black Door to a world of magic. Things are not what they seem and even the animals are snarky. The King wants to suck the life and magic out of Topher and his new friends. If only he had known he had magic. If only he knew how to use it. If only there was an easy way back to reality.

Fire Girl: Goddess Rising by Juliann Whicker

Too hot to handle... Unless you're a dragon. Ember’s task should have been simple: convince a wayward half-dragon shifter to accept his heritage, then go home to her isolated community to marry the betrothed she hasn't met, a powerful dragon shifter who can handle her flames. Cole, the half dragon shifter in question has no intention of accepting his heritage even at the insistence of an incredibly hot, literally and figuratively, burner whose out of control flames seem to be exactly what his inner dragon wants most. As irrepressible force meets immovable object, Ember’s community soon sends people after her, but not to help. Cole soon discovers that the beautiful girl disrupting his intentionally indolent lifestyle is not what he, or she, thought she was. Can Cole resist his dragon’s need to protect her? Can his heart, and house, resist her heat for long? As for Ember, with her entire world falling apart around her, could Cole be just the dragon she needs?

From Storm and Shadow (Stormfae) by Rachel Morgan

I will take this secret to my end. When Silver's parents are murdered in front of her by the people she's trusted for years, she flees the fae realm and begins a new life pretending to be human. More than two years later, she believes she's finally safe—until the night someone from the Guild shows up. Ash. The boy who was once her best friend. The boy who tried to kill her. He's on the run now as well, after discovering the same secret that led to Silver's parents' deaths. Or so he says. The forest they grew up in has become a dangerous place, crawling with fae monsters, and Ash claims he needs Silver's help. The discovery her parents made years ago could be the only thing to save their home. Silver knows Ash is only using her—he's a guardian, after all, and they're the ones who took everything from her—but she can't turn her back on the home she still loves. And so she forms a fragile truce with the boy who broke her heart. Stepping back into the world she swore never to return to, she sets out on a dangerous path to unlock the secrets of the past. But neither Silver nor Ash are prepared for the true horror of what they will find lurking in the shadows of Stormsdrift.

The Silent Prophecy (The Epic of Claire St. Claire) by Sephine Frances

Claire St. Claire is a rich, successful socialite who finds love in the young, attractive attorney Xavier. He doesn't seem to mind-or even notice-her physical deformity. She is tormented by the distrust of her own mind as she experiences unspeakable horrors. Everything she perceives to be true begins to unravel-her beliefs about good and evil, the supernatural, angels and demons, and the Nephilim. Her only true comfort comes from her love affair with Xavier. That is, until Michael shows up.

The Bookseller's Apprentice by Frances Evelyn

Time to choose your last book Emily Brewster is an angel. Ask anyone she reads to at the hospice. So when she's arrested for murder, it should be easy to clear her name. The only problem is, she thinks she might be guilty. But what if death isn't The End? If you like contemporary British fantasy, real-world settings and sinister sorcery, you'll love Frances Evelyn's The Bookseller's Apprentice. Previously published as Bibliomancer

Lythreal by Chelsea Flewellen

“You are not alone” I’ve waited my whole life to hear those words… Emma Jean is merely surviving life as a senior in high school. Amarillo, Texas is a town full of big hair and beauty pageants, which isn’t really Emma Jean’s style. She puts on a brave face, but behind closed doors at home she endures ridicule and emotional abuse. When her mom’s desperate need to control her goes too far, Emma Jean packs up everything and runs away. A portal opens up, pulling her into a new realm with magic. In the land of Thrystle, the king despises newcomers and will do everything in his power to get rid of her—even death. With the help of new and unexpected friends, she fights to claim her place in a world she’s grown to love. Can she become the brave girl she truly wants to be, or will fear get in her way?