Word Count: 96000
Summary: "Today I swam through MOMA. Leon says it was a waste, encasing the art, then flooding the museum—frivolous and elitist. I say it was a gesture of optimism, a triumph of technology and political will." Want to thrill to the possibilities of a hopeful future? We asked a bunch of sci-fi writers to spin tales of a better future, imagining ways in which the world might become a better place. From a swim through an underwater museum to a joyous dance at a futuristic concert, from the eco-friendly aftermath of an alien invasion and retreat to the refurbishing of an old climate-ravaged home in New Vancouver, these fourteen short sci-fi stories will to restore your faith in the future. A world transformed is a world we can all hope for. Book three in the Writers Save the World short story anthologies. If you enjoy this book, check out Fix the World and Save the World.
Word Count: 8000
Summary: Tucker has spent his entire life as an interstellar trash man. But ever since his mother died, he’s been alone, and certainly lonely. So when he discovers the derelict ship he scooped up has an occupant—a beautiful young man named Ronan—Tucker is thrilled. Ronan is royalty and running from his tyrannical mother, determined to keep a powerful object out of her hands. But when he strikes a deal with the adorable Tucker, he wonders if it’s time to stop running.
Word Count: 99000
Summary: It’s kill or be killed for the crew of the Ungovernable. With the mafia after their heads, ex-smuggler pilot Jez and the crew have two choices—run, or fight back. Problem is, there’s nowhere in the System to run. So instead, they’re going to take the entire crime syndicate down. But pulling a sting on the mafia—and living to tell the tale—is going to take a hell of a lot more than just good intentions. And when you can’t even trust the people you’re working with—well, let’s just say they’ll have to master the art of subterfuge, or die trying. Trojan Horse is the sixth book in R.M. Olson’s science fiction space opera series The Ungovernable. With a crazy, close-knit crew, plenty of humour, and loads of action, Firefly meets Ocean’s Eleven in this fast-paced, kick-ass, wickedly fun series.
Word Count: 75000
Summary: A match between a vampire and shifter could be deadly—but one broken beaver doesn’t give a dam. Silent film actor Casimir Moreau had imagined that life as a vampire would be freewheeling and glamorous. Instead, he’s plunged into a restrictive society whose rules he runs afoul of at every turn. To “rehabilitate” him, the vampire council orders him mated to an incubus with impeccable breeding who’ll mold Cas into the upstanding vampire he ought to be. Or else. As an inactive beaver shifter, construction engineer Rusty Johnson has fought—and overcome—bias and disrespect his entire life. But when his longtime boyfriend leaves him for political reasons, Rusty is ready to call it a day. Next stop? Supernatural Selection and his guaranteed perfect mate, a bear shifter living far away from Rusty’s disapproving clan. But then a spell snafu at Supernatural Selection robs both men of their intended husbands. Rusty can’t face returning to his clan, and Cas needs somebody on his arm to keep the council happy, so they agree to pretend to be married. Nobody needs to know their relationship is fake—especially since it’s starting to feel suspiciously like the real thing.
Word Count: 90000
Summary: A new generation of vampires embarks on a quest to save humanity. Opening a forgotten crypt during a military exercise, Dr. Jane Heckman is made a vampire and begins a journey to unlock the secret origins of her new kindred. Elsewhere, solitary vampire Marcella DuBois emerges from the shadows and uncovers a government plot to create vampire-like super soldiers. Daniel McKee, a vampire working as an astronomer, moves to a new town where he's adopted by a family, only to have government agents strip those he loves away from him. All three vampires discover the government is dabbling in technologies so advanced they'll tap into realms and dimensions they don't understand. To save humans and vampires alike, Jane, Marcella, and Daniel must seek out the legendary master vampire Desmond, Lord Draco and encourage him to resurrect his band of mercenaries, the Scarlet Order.
Word Count: 73000
Summary: “Your bullets can’t kill me. I’m already dead. Inside and out.” When his fiancée is brutally murdered on Valentine’s Day, Ash Corvus is unwittingly plunged into the nightmarish world of the Arpadeem, or as the movies call them… Vampires. What begins as a personal quest for revenge becomes a struggle for the fate of the city itself as Ash’s search takes him into Cedar Rapids’ secret criminal underworld. Ash must cast off his humanity and become a monster himself if he hopes to bring vengeance upon the monster who murdered his love… the man with the scar. A dark, violent thriller from the author of The Weller and War of the Worlds: Goliath!
Word Count: 103061
Summary: SISTER. ASSASSIN. VESSEL. Echo Rodrigal isn't just a survivor; she's a success. But in a land where the law is there are no laws, the terms of success rest on a knife's edge, and Echo's luck is about to change. The Vindicata are one of the top vengeance crews in the Ten Realms of Interra. Their oaths to only commit crimes of justice have earned them the respect of their peers. But the Vindicata are more than a crew, they're a family. And ever since they adopted Echo, she's cared about one thing: making her family proud. For years, that's meant becoming the continent's most feared assassin. But each kill wreaks havoc on her soul, no matter how justified. Echo's unraveling fast, complicated by the mysterious rift growing between her and her beloved sister. Miyala's keeping dangerous secrets, and Echo cannot find the key to unlock her sister's trust. When the Warlord orders the Vindicata to transport foreign dissidents to a new prison, they must put their personal issues aside to face an impossible choice: die for defying orders, or die for breaking their oaths to uphold justice. Between meddling gods returning to the continent, mercenaries around every corner, and an ancient prophecy that foretells the end of all worlds, the pressure on Echo is mounting fast. Can she make enough right moves to save her family? The fate of many worlds rests in Echo's next choice.
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: Our visions of the future - whether dark or hopeful, thrilling or mundane - have always challenged us to examine our world. How can we improve? What challenges will we face? Are we even ready? Top Science Fiction authors, collectively holding 25 Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Sturgeon awards (a few for Vital stories!), employ the power of engaging fiction to explore these questions and today's most critical issues in medicine. But Vital doesn't stop at speculation. Proceeds will be donated to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization, the global guardian of public health, coordinating the worldwide pandemic response. Read on to build a better future of Healthcare! Featuring stories by Paolo Bacigalupi, David Brin, Tananarive Due, Sally Wiener Grotta, Congyun ("Mu Ming") Gu, James Patrick Kelly, Justin C. Key, Seanan McGuire, Annalee Newitz, Julie Nováková, Lola Robles, Eric Schwitzgebel, Alex Shvartsman, Caroline M. Yoachim Edited by RM Ambrose
Word Count: 12000
Summary: If The Little Mermaid were set in the twenty-second century... In the aftermath of climate change, humans have abandoned the flooded coasts. Underwater, people of another kind struggle to rehabilitate the polluted seas. After one rescues a human engineer, she realizes he might hold the key. If she can learn how to interact with the world like a human, if she can understand them, if she can become enough like them, maybe they will help. Maybe he will help. But to reach him, she may need to sacrifice who she is...
Word Count: 103,000
Summary: Humans are no longer alone; they have been joined by Arcanes, Lycans, and Vampires. It’s been over a hundred years since the Earth went through The Shift. Where once almost eight billion humans lived, the population now holds at four billion. But that wasn’t the only change. No one anticipated the branching of human DNA to produce new species of humans. Arcanes, Lycans, and Vampires are hidden throughout the genome, awaiting puberty before they manifest distinctly unhuman abilities. Finally, the new species of man were welcomed. No longer studied or treated as outcasts by most. People accepted these new humans and they integrated into society, albeit not easily. This allowed the UN Government to focus on colonizing space, in order to secure a future for all. Risks remain however, permitting a vampire to feed from you can cause shared memories. Tobin Corsian took such a risk. He resides in a newly reopened district of San Jose, California, where his family’s old home stood. He lives there with his friend Mikel, a Lycan, and his dog Begger. Instead of making his mandatory monthly blood donation at the government blood bank for the vampire community, Tobin decides, with the help of his therapist, to visit Biter, a vampire spa. The spa allows vampires to feed from humans directly while providing spa and sexual services, granting the donor a three-month reprieve from their required donations. Tobin’s encounter at Biter opens a window to his past and an experience he had as a child on the moon. Questions abound as he tries to unravel his past and make sense of his life.
Word Count: 83000
Summary: By the end of the 21st century, the world had become a harsh place. After decades of natural and man-made catastrophes, nations fell, populations shifted, and seventy percent of the continents became uninhabitable without protective suits. Technological advancement strode forward faster than ever and it was the only thing that kept human society steady through it all. No one could have predicted the discovery of the Dream Walkers. They were people born with the ability to leave their bodies at will, unseen by the waking world. Having the potential to become ultimate spies meant the remaining government regimes wanted to study and control them. The North American government, under the leadership of General Rennet, demanded that all Dream Walkers join the military program. For any that refused to comply, they were hunted down and either brainwashed or killed. The very first Dream Walker discovered was a five year old girl named Julia. And when the soldiers came for her at the age of twenty, she was already hidden away. A decade later found Julia living a new life under the government's radar. As a secure tech courier in the capital city of Chicago, she does her job and the rest of her time avoids other people as much as she is able. The moment she agrees to help another fugitive Walker is when everything changes. Now the government wants them both and they'll stop at nothing to get what they want.
Word Count: 125,000
Summary: Bound by love, separated by a tragic mistake; can two Indigenous women realize their happy ending? Long ago, in an age of mysticism, Walks with Spirits, a two-spirit woman, perceives voices whispering on the wind and they empower her with the gift of calling animals. But who she truly wishes to call to her side is her childhood friend, Laughing Brook. Daughter of a shaman and an herbalist-midwife, Laughing Brook holds a prominent place in her society and bears the responsibilities it entails. She is training to be a healer like her mother, but her most compelling desire is to spend her life with Walks with Spirits. When a misunderstanding crushes their dreams of happiness, both women must learn to face the trials that await them in a land where danger lurks behind every tree and honor means more than life. Will the spirits intervene on their behalf, or are they fated never to manifest their visions of love? Walks with Spirits is a historical fantasy set in an ancient time. Packed with Native American themes, heart-touching imagery, and an epic love story, Walks with Spirits will immerse you in an inspiring view of life.
Word Count: 65000
Summary: “Whenever someone asks me if I believe in heaven and hell, I tell them I don’t know about heaven, but on hell... I’m an expert.” On the eve of World War I, the Martians from the original H.G. Wells classic have returned to finish what they started, but this time humanity is ready. Armed with steam-powered battle machines created from reverse-engineered alien technology, the global defense force A.R.E.S. prepares for the coming conflict as tensions rise in Europe. Captain Eric Wells, an orphan of the first War of the Worlds, commands Earth's newest, most formidable weapon... the colossal battle tripod GOLIATH. Includes new and deleted scenes not included in the film. Based on the award-winning animated film from director Joe Pearson and Tripod Entertainment, starring Adrian Paul, Peter Wingfield, Elizabeth Gracen, Jim Byrnes, Beau Billingslea, Mark Sheppard, and Adam Baldwin. Adapted from the screenplay by David Abramowitz. 2015 Scribe Award Finalist (Best Adapted Novel Category)
Word Count: 50,000
Summary: J. Manfred Weichsel's versatility, unique style, and refusal to be bound by genre conventions have made him a force to be reckoned with in the world of speculative fiction. Now, Weichsel invites you to strip down and expose yourself to his raw and unfiltered imagination with Warrior Soul & Other Stories. Weichsel’s stories peel away the veneer of societal norms and delve deep into the human psyche, exposing the rawest and most vulnerable parts of our existence. Through his boundary-shattering tales of science fiction, adventure, horror, and humor, Weichsel fearlessly explores the fringes of what is possible in fiction, revealing the naked truth of our humanity. From the mind-bending science fiction of “Warrior Soul”, to the fantastical realm of “The Rainbow-Colored Rock Hopper”, from the light comedy of “Queen of the House”, to the darkest depths of horror of “Complicit in Their Bondage”, these twelve tales will leave you feeling exposed and vulnerable in the best possible way. The bold and daring themes that run throughout Weichsel's work strip away all pretense and artifice to reveal the unvarnished truth of the human experience. So if you're ready to shed your inhibitions and explore the depths of what's possible in fiction, then get your copy of Warrior Soul & Other Stories now. It's time to embrace your innermost desires and take the plunge into the raw, unbridled world of J. Manfred Weichsel.
- Fantasy
- Fantasy - Weird Fantasy
- Horror
- Horror - Comedy
- Horror - Man-Made Horrors
- Horror - Monsters
- Horror - Weird Horror
- Sci Fi
- Sci Fi - Alien Invasion
- Sci Fi - Alien Races
- Sci Fi - Aliens
- Sci Fi - Comedy
- Sci Fi - Genetic Manipulation
- Sci Fi - Human Evolution
- Sci Fi - Lost Worlds
- Sci Fi - Pulp
- Sci Fi - Science Fantasy
- Sci Fi - Soft
- Sci Fi - Spacepunk
- Sci Fi - Weird Sci Fi
Word Count: 29672
Summary: It wasn’t supposed to be REAL! Bigfoot doesn’t actually exist. Yetis, shifters, creatures of the night…none of those exist. Right? Right? There’s nothing about perky—some might even say twinkie—Oliver Hughes that would make a skeptic like Sensational News’ (Never Fake! We Swear!) reporter Wilson Banks think otherwise. But while pursuing soundbites for a tabloid story about Bigfoot, Wilson witnesses something he wasn’t meant to see. In Wilson’s new reality, is there room for love with someone whose dreams are as big as his…er…feet? This fun novella has a paranormal twist, a hint of mystery, and a flavorful dollop of romantic comedy. Mix it all together for a satisfying HEA! Keywords: shifter, Bigfoot, comedy, fun, California, mystery, twink, reporter, tabloid Weekend at Bigfoot’s won 1st place in the Gay Paranormal Romance category and was a 4th tier runner up in the combined Best Gay Book category of the 2020-2021 Rainbow Awards!
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Summary: As the Zhen Empire descends into civil war, Tajen, Liam, and Katherine each have their own part to play in the final conflict between the human race and the Zhen Empire. As Tajen searches the outer regions in an attempt to find and recruit Zhen deserters to his side, Katherine heads for Marauder space to seek out technology their Tabran allies need. Liam, believing his two best friends dead, must keep the human fleet alive as it is pursued across the Empire by Zhen forces. As the final battle approaches, each of them will be tested to their limits.
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Summary: Strange circumstances brought Morgan Patterson from the sandy beaches of the US East Coast to rocky Northern Ireland. Some called those circumstances destiny. Morgan called it something else. For her, it was just a college senior year abroad. Until, that is, her studies were interrupted when she met the man of her dreams. A man who took her by the hand, leading her into a world where promises were binding things, where nothing was as it seemed, and where wishing for something could get you more than you bargained for -- including killed. But it was also a world of enduring love, hidden treasures, and the chance to right the wrongs of long ago. What Morgan called it was her kingdom. A kingdom she was willing to die to protect.
Word Count: 50,139
Summary: They have to find him…but how? A former member of an elite military special forces unit, Leo Bailey can handle anything life throws at him. Except maybe approaching a certain gorgeous, purple mohawk-wearing, heavily pierced artist. Not without his three eye-rolling wingmen along to push him in the right direction. One look at the mouthwateringly muscled, military buzzcut-sporting man with the endearing blush, and Vincent Noland is in love. Or at least in lust. Love comes later. Then marriage…and sweet, adorable Oscar. Life is perfect—the stuff of fairy tale happily ever afters—except for Arthur Fletcher, whose unsettling reactions to them threaten to upset the happy balance of their lives. But it isn’t Arthur who throws their lives into turmoil. A freak event causes Oscar to go missing and leaves both men frantic to rescue their son. As they piece together the clues, they discover that Oscar isn’t somewhere. He’s somewhen. And Arthur Fletcher holds the key—or rather the glass beads—to their one chance of finding Oscar. Will Leo’s training, Vinnie’s determination, and Arthur’s knowledge help them rescue Oscar, or is the little boy doomed to spend the rest of his life at the mercy of a primitive civilization? Could there be a third possibility? Keywords: time travel, lost child, happy ending, novel, ebook, print, paperback
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Summary: The Scathlan elf Kieran journeys through mortal lands in search of new songs and tales to renew his people’s dying culture. His most cherished, most impossible hope is to rediscover the powers of bards from legend in order to wake the queen, in a stupor since the end of the war between his own people and the Leas elves. Kieran accidentally wanders into Leas lands, and a fall from his horse leaves him injured and at the mercy of his enemies. He discovers that the Leas are not entirely as he believed them to be. He develops a friendship with the Leas healer-prince, and the two work together to recreate an ancient technique for melding bardic and healing magic, a technique he secretly hopes will wake his queen. As friendship deepens into love, will they find a way to heal the rift between Leas and Scathlan, or will the old enmity destroy them? The author's debut novel, The Stolen Luck, won a silver medal in the Global Ebook Awards in the category of Other World Fantasy and an Eppie in the category of Fantasy Romance. The first book of her Ravensblood series won a gold medal in the Global Ebook Awards in the category of Contemporary Fantasy.
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Summary: Doc thought treating grumpy house cats was challenging — until her latest patients torched everything she thought she knew. When Dr. Jordyn Blackstone stumbles upon an injured dragon, she can’t resist helping the creature. Before long, dragons from far and wide seek her expertise, and they’re not exactly the kind to sit still for shots. With dragons suddenly very real and no dragon-care textbook in sight, Doc can’t help but question her sanity while she develops dragon medicine on the fly. Amidst dodging horrid dragon breath and fiery sneezes, Doc discovers that the dragons trust her with not only their own lives, but the survival of their entire species. No pressure. Doc rises to the challenge, even though the work is tough, messy, and dangerous. But dealing with disgusting dragon snot is the least of her worries. To protect her extraordinary patients from being hunted to extinction, Doc must keep them secret — or risk not only their safety, but also her career, reputation, and clinic going up in smoke.
