Welcome to week #2 of my Self Published Sci-Fi Saturday, where I’ll introduce you to five new self published SF authors! If you missed week #1, check it out here. Take a look at these awesome looking books, and I hope you find something new to add to your TBR:
Craig Lea Gordon
ARvekt (Instant Reality #2)
Will the battle for humanity be fought in reality? Or in her mind?
Tannis Ord is a black-ops cyborg assassin. A highly-trained human-weapon, dedicated to hunting down the last of the brain hacking syndicates. There’s just one problem…
Her mind was broken from a psychotic episode. Neural programming erased her trauma, gave her a fresh start. But when an old brain hacker cult resurfaces, and a sentient AI is set to govern the entire human population, she starts seeing things. Horrors that can’t possibly be real… that make no sense… that only she can see. Ix, their AI Guardian, is abducting innocent citizens from the streets in broad daylight. And it’s using the Augmented Reality it has thrown over the world as cover. Is the AI hellbent on humanities destruction? Or is her mind tearing itself apart again?
Hypercage (Instant Reality #0.5)
Dave is a virtual reality gaming addict, willing to risk everything to keep the thrill alive. But how far is he ready to go?
His addiction has taken his family to breaking point. And now he must choose. Can he give up the one thing that allows him to escape the mundane, to belong, to become something greater?
When he meets the gaming girl of his dreams, she offers him the chance of a lifetime. But will he get what he always wanted, or end up paying the ultimate price?
If you like intense and gripping stories, with a reality-bending plot, then you’ll love Hypercage.
Buy the books: Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play
CRAIG LEA GORDON is a science-fiction author from Whitley Bay, in the United Kingdom. He fell in love with Science Fiction at a very early age. His earliest memory is of bawling his eyes out on a Saturday morning when a shabby looking robot called Metal Mickey appeared on TV. It wasn’t anything to do with the low budget production values, but instead because it had displaced Battle of the Planets, his favourite sci-fi program. Shortly after he insisted that his parents christen their Ferguson Videostar by recording Battlestar Galactica. From the age of six, a good Christmas was defined by whether or not Star Wars was on TV. At 12 he made his Mum rent him a copy of Robocop, and he has never been the same since.
At around 13 years old he discovered Philip K. Dick and switched from reading his Dad’s Dick Francis and Alistair MacLean novels to devouring science fiction. Nearly 30 years later, he still isn’t sated.
Darran M. Handshaw
The Engineer
“We are born in the shadow of fading memories and fallen dreams, living our days within the decaying bones of an age long gone.”
When the Engineer, Actaeon, arrives at Pyramid in the heart of Redemption, nothing goes according to plan. Mysterious raiders pursue him relentlessly across the shattered remains of the ancient metropolis, and the leaders of his homeland pay no heed to his ambitious ideas. Meanwhile, deep beneath Pyramid, a deadly creature stirs. And, when Actaeon meets a skilled young Knight Arbiter with brilliant blue eyes, he starts down a path he could never have imagined.
The vast, fallen city of the Ancients is home to a new people who face the constant struggle to find resources needed to survive in the dangerous ruins. For the Engineer, however, Redemption is a treasure trove of technology, opportunity, and answers. But his unique skills make him a target for those who would use his talents to achieve their own dreams of power and control.
In his endless quest for the truth, will Actaeon discover the fallen city’s greatest secrets? Or will he share the same fate as the Ancients of whom nothing remains but a whisper?
One thing is certain: in Redemption, everything comes with a cost.
Buy the book: Amazon
DARRAN M. HANDSHAW is the author of The Engineer, his debut novel. In addition to writing , Darran works as an R&D Engineer at a technology company. There he designs and invents new products; he holds more than 35 patents in data capture and firefighting. Darran also volunteers as a firefighter with his local fire department, where he serves as an Assistant Fire Chief. Darran hails from Long Island, NY, where he lives with his wife, Stefanie, and son, Corwin, who fill his life with love, wisdom, and endless adventures.
Find Darran: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Darby Harn
Ever the Hero (Eververse #1)
Begin the adventure of the series called the ‘next logical step after ‘Watchmen.’
Superheroes are big business. Imagine not being able to afford them.
Kit Baldwin just wants to make rent. The only work she can find in the ruins of her devastated city is scavenging for alien technology. When she finds a powerful alien weapon, her discovery pays off more than she could have hoped: it draws the attention of the most powerful of the superhuman Empowered, Valene.
Valene hears everything, everywhere. She suffers for it, and as they begin a precipitous romance, Kit believes she can use the weapon she’s scavenged to mitigate Valene’s pain. If she can’t, Valene will retreat to the soundlessness of space. Without Valene’s compassion, the stricken city is left to the mercy of Valene’s ruthless father, who denies the assistance the city needs unless it can pay for it.
As Valene’s condition worsens, Kit becomes more desperate and unleashes the full power of the alien weapon. In an instant, she is transformed into a being of cosmic power. She can acquire the knowledge and energy of anything – or anyone – she touches.
The Judgement of Valene (Eververse #2)
Valene hears everything in the world. Except for her killer coming.
For the first time in her life, Valene Blackwood has peace. She’s been aboard her own private space station for a year, removed from the sonic duress of the world that she suffers due to her superhuman ability to hear everything, everywhere. When her father dies, she must return and take over the family business – selling superhuman protection for profit.
With her father gone, challengers emerge for control of Great Power. Valene is young, unproven, and wanting only to go back to her sanctuary in the sky. She struggles to stay focused, knowing the future of the company is at stake. The future of the Empowered. Before she has a chance to get her feet on the ground, someone tries to kill her.
Advanced technology nearly rips Valene right out of her own skin. Technology only one person in the world could have invented: the woman she left behind by going up to the space station. Kit Baldwin. But Kit is a hero. Is someone setting her up? Is someone trying to ruin them both?
Valene sets out to find the truth, and for the first time in her life, she has to listen. She has to stay in the world. She has to be the hero she never wanted to be.
If she can survive.
Buy the book: Ever the Hero | The Judgement of Valene
DARBY HARN is a writer for Screenrant, CBR.com, Star Wars News Net, and Movie News Net. His fiction appears in Strange Horizons, Interzone, and other publications.
Find Darby: Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
Z Jeffries
Chase: The Boy Who Hid (Hide & Seek Book 1)
Don’t hide from your feelings. Hide from the killer robot hunting you.
Chase’s grandad has been missing for so long that the old man’s declared dead. But Chase doesn’t believe it. Grandad was too smart. So when the opportunity arises for Chase to work with Grandad’s old research and development team, the boy gets a job as an intern. Only this team isn’t researching, it’s developing futuristic stealth technology. And they expect the intern to fly it. As Chase learns more and more about Grandad’s disappearance, he grows closer to his team. As he gets better at flying the tech, he catches feelings for the team navigator. The clues to Grandad’s vanishing as well as the livelihood of his team all depend on Chase’s performance in “the game.” The government’s top-secret stealth technology demonstration is also the last place Grandad was seen. It’s a game of hide and seek with robots, clones, telepaths, and a time-traveling ninja. Now Chase is in over his head. Now the game turns deadly, and Chase can barely survive. Now Chase must decide if learning the truth about his father is worth betraying his team. Read this science-fiction adventure full of wonder and fast-paced action on October 15, 2020!
Buy the book: Amazon
Z JEFFRIES can’t wait for you to read his debut YA novel. Under various names, he’s written, produced, and directed theatre in Chicago and along the east coast, as well as published several adult short stories. His interests include space travel, cheese, and whether cheese will be allowed during space travel. He lives in American suburbia with his wife, daughter, dog, and garden. Visit ZJeffries.com just for the heck of it.
Find Z: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Phil Williams
Aftan Whispers
Aftan Whispers is the third entry in the Estalia series, written as a standalone but loosely following my debut novel, Wixon’s Day, and a novella (available free) called Balfair’s Confinement. Set in a steam-powered dystopia where the clouds never part and the surviving population live crowded in a vertical Metropolis, Aftan Whispers follows optimistic young labourer, Tyler, in his efforts to protect a stranger. Mysterious Deni crosses his path with a stolen book and a secret that could change the world. Only, she’s being pursued by bounty hunters who will kill anyone that gets in their way.
Estalia operates under a government no one fully understands, with a history no one has accurately recorded, and ever more devastating war machines being developed. Tyler only wants to do the right thing, but in a world of darkness, how far can his principles stretch before breaking?
Buy the book: Aftan Whispers | Balfair’s Confinement
PHIL WILLIAMS is an author of contemporary fantasy and dystopian fiction, including the Ordshaw urban fantasy thrillers and the post-apocalyptic Estalia series. He also writes reference books to help foreign learners master English. He lives with his wife by the coast in Sussex, UK, and spends a great deal of time walking his impossibly fluffy dog, Herbert.
These sound so fun, Tammy! I was going to pick which one looked the most appealing, but they all do for different reasons, Gordon’s books for the mind-thing, The Engineer because of the setting, Harn’s books because of superhero fun, Chase because it sounds suspenseful, and Aftan Whispers because of the way cool cover that immediately caught my eye!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…A Week of Halloween Haikus
Yes to all of this, I think each one sounds good in its own way:-)
Another nice selection. And like Priscilla, I was drawn to the cover of Aftan Whispers. Often you can tell a self-published book from it’s cover. It’s not an easy thing to create. But this one looks great, from the layout to the graphics and color scheme, and very importantly, the fonts.
Yes, that’s a fantastic cover!
What a lovely selection, Tammy:)). The only author I know here is Phil Williams Ordshaw series. I’ll have to give his science fiction a go:)). But I love the sound of Chase and the Eververse series – thank you for sharing!
Lots of good potential here for sure:-)
Ooh, ARvekt is going on my tbr! Thanks for the introduction, Tammy.
I’m glad you found something that looks good:-)
These all sound very intriguing, and holy crap, how high the bar on indie/self-pub covers been raised in recent years!
I agree! Covers just get better and better. I mean, you HAVE to have a good cover to compete out there, right?
So much potential here and some lovely covers. Must investigate further. Thanks for showcasing.
Lynn
I love seeing what’s out there, and hopefully other readers will find something new to read:-)
These all seem like they could be good reads but I’ll admit I’m immediately drawn to the first two books because of those covers! They’re so colorful. 🙂
I do love those covers:-)
ARvekt’s series has some catching covers! But all the books you mentioned in there seem interesting!!