Sci fi is a type of speculative fiction that looks ahead and asks “what’s next?” You can also check out these subcategories (a-g):
alien invasion | alien races | alternate/parallel reality / alternative history | atompunk | biopunk | candlepunk | christian | cli-fi | clockpunk | colonization | comedy | cyberpunk | cyberspace | decopunk | detective | dieselpunk | dying earth | dystopian & post-apocalyptic | first contact | frontier | furry | galactic empire | gothpunk | greenpunk
Note: these books are currently sorted by release date, with newest first.
Word Count: 127121
Summary: What would you do if you let slip information that could start a war? What if the person you divulged said information to is a rebel queen with a thirst for blood? In a world where metal is rare, you probably wouldn’t make matters worse by revealing a map showing the location of the hoard of steel you just told her about. Steel she could turn into swords, spears, and axes. Steel that will destroy her foes with their pathetic hardened glass weapons and leather armour. Unfortunately, Drome isn’t the most gifted of people when it comes to discretion. Or thinking things through. The consequences hurl him down a path riddled with folk keen to boil him alive, stick pointy objects in his tender flesh or blow him into tiny pieces. With the real queen gunning for him too, Drome reluctantly embarks on a secret mission to fix the mess he started. The civilised world depends on him. All he has to do is end a savage war. With a princess and a sorcerer on his side, what could possibly go wrong? If you like Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Joe Abercrombie, you won't be able to put down the addictive Hollow series.
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: Nisi Shawl’s steampunk-flavored alternate history of the “Belgian” Congo, Everfair, has taken the science fiction and fantasy world by storm. No surprise there. Their swift, sure, and savvy short stories had already established them as a cutting-edge Afrofuturist icon whose politically charged fiction is in the grand feminist tradition of Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, and Suzy McKee Charnas. In these previously uncollected stories, Shawl explores the unexpected possibilities and perils opened up by SF&F’s new intersectionality. In Shawl’s side-slippery world, sex can be both commerce and worship, complete with ancient rites, altars, and ointments (“Women of the Doll”); a virtual reality high school is a proving ground for girlpacks and their unfortunate adversaries (“Walk like a Man”); and a British rock singer finds an image in a mirror that reflects both future hits and ancient horrors (“Something More”). Also included is a presentation at a southern university, in which they patiently (and gleefully) deconstructs the academic and arcane intersections between ancient rites and modern tech. Ifa, anyone? Plus: Our Outspoken Interview with Shawl, in which unapologetics are proffered, riddles are unraveled, and icons are, as always, clasted.
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: In the year 2069, humanity’s last chance for peace is the first ever interstellar mission. A multi-national crew of the most talented scientists and pilots has been chosen based on their expertise and skill. The final spot aboard the craft is assigned as a prize in a global “BerthRight” lottery, and Leif Grettison is the “everyman volunteer” who won. However, Leif isn’t really an “everyman.” He’s a helicopter paramedic, a lab tech and a former army ranger who fought in The Troubles – a decade plus war that brought the world to the brink of apocalypse. He’s the perfect brawn to the brains aboard the ship and quickly finds himself playing the role of security and handyman as the crew begins to fragment and divide by country, just as they had during the war. Little is known about the world circling the distant star that is the target for the voyage and the journey will take almost fourteen years, Earth-time, each way. To deal with the unexpected, the crew has the finest equipment and the planners believe they have thought of everything. However, when you believe you have thought of everything, the universe has a way of showing that you haven’t. What do you do when it goes wrong, when you can’t call for help, and when adventure leads to deaths?
Word Count: 61424
Summary: Todd Ruger is a sentry, a very good one, some might say the best. He was eleven when he and Nick were bound as master and slave. Todd spent the years Nick lived in the slave village waiting for the day Nick could leave and they’d be together, bit by bit building a life for both of them. He took his role of master seriously. It was his responsibility to provide for Nick, protect him and along the way he learned to love him. Todd loved Nick deeply and completely. They were more than a pair of sentries. Todd and Nick were friends, lovers, mates. Eighteen months ago, Nick left the small village where he’d spent his entire life being raised and trained as a slave. Blessed with a unique skill set, Nick became a sentry. He took his place beside his master, Todd Ruger, defending society against the many paranormal threats that abound. They became more than master and slave, they became mates. Nick had found a home with Todd and together they became a family. Eventually, Nick’s special abilities and skills attract the attention of the second most powerful man in New Colorado Protectorate’s government, Vice Chancellor Clarke. Or, maybe certain people knew of Nick all along and just now had cause to use him. He believes Nick might be the answer to explaining Chancellor Shaffer’s sudden, unusual behavior. Forced to go undercover at the Chancellor’s Estate, Todd and Nick discover an ancient and deadly creature preying on residents of the estate. The same creature that is radically effecting Chancellor Shaffer. A creature only Nick can see in its true form. It hunts using specialized skills and has Todd and Nick in its crosshairs. Even if they defeat the creature and survive, they still face the possibility of being torn from each other when their lives are thrown into chaos by the thing they’re hunting.
Word Count: 489,500
Summary: In this Rainbow Award-winning space opera/military sci-fi series, Earth is a dead planet, dark for thousands of years; lost for so long no one even knows where the solar system is. Her last known colony, Albion, has grown to be regional galactic power in its own right. But its drive to expand and found colonies of its own has threatened an alien race, the Maess, against whom Albion is now fighting a last-ditch battle for survival in a war that’s dragged on for generations. Taking Shield charts the missions and adventures of Shield Captain Bennet, scion of a prominent military family. Bennet, also an analyst with the Military Strategy Unit, uncovers crucial data about the Maess to help with the war effort. Against the demands of his family's 'triple goddess' of Duty, Honour and Service, is set Bennet’s relationships with lovers and family—his difficult relationship with his long term partner, Joss; his estrangement from his father, Caeden, the commander of Fleet's First Flotilla; and Fleet Lieutenant Flynn, who, over the course of the series, develops into Bennet’s main love interest. Over the Taking Shield arc, Bennet will see the extremes to which humanity’s enemies, and his own people, will go to win the war. Some days he isn’t able to tell friend from foe. Some days he doubts everything, including himself, as he strives to ensure Albion’s victory. And some days he isn’t sure, any longer, what victory looks like.
Word Count: 59,100
Summary: Shadows of the Past is the new novella collection set in The Cassie Tam Files universe! Enjoy two new stories that follow PI Cassie Tam and her girlfriend Lori Redwood as they deal with the fallout from LV48. This book is part of a series and needs to be read in sequence. A Week in New Hopeland When Lori Redwood agrees to help out her girlfriend, PI Cassie Tam, by going undercover at a local shipping firm, she gets more than she bargained for. Her ‘boss’ Mr. Graves is a misogynist and a bully, and has been targeting one girl in particular. Cassie is known to him, and he tends to be cautious around Tech Shifters. Which means that Lori may be the best person for the job. Will Lori be able to help Cassie gather enough evidence for the police to act, or will she become the next target? Shadows of the Past PI Cassie Tam is not the only person who lives with regrets, and like most people, she just wants to get on with her life. But in New Hopeland, the past never remains buried. When she’s hired to track a stalker that’s been using some interesting tech to mask their identity on the city’s security cameras, Cassie ends up face-to-face with her darkest memory. Can Cassie find out who’s responsible before her past mistakes tear her – and her friends – apart?
Word Count: 112566
Summary: David Knight has been plagued by dreams his entire life, only to have all memory of them vanish when he awakens. Now the dreams are coming with more frequency, and they seem to be drawing him to the Amazon. A scientist with a PhD in ichthyology and a dedication to learning all he can about lungfish, whose existence dates back to the Devonian era, David is determined to see what the Amazon holds. His hopes seem about to be answered when Dr. Carlos Avila contacts him. It seems the Brazilian archeologist discovered the remains of a previously undiscovered species on a tributary of the Amazon, and he’d like nothing better than for David to join the expedition to see if more of the creature can be found. Of course David leaps at the opportunity and flies to Pesadelo Bay to join the mismatched team. Once there, he discovers not only does Dr. Avila have his own agenda, but a former conquest as well as a friend who’d saved his life years before are part of the team and are engaged to be married. Meanwhile, the need to sail up the Amazon to find what… or who… is calling him there has become more and more pressing, and David must decide which is the most important—learning what Dr. Avila really is searching for or finding the answer to his dreams?
Word Count: 74,000
Summary: When one society fell, assaulted by natural disaster, in its place rose another, molded into something entirely different. Protectorates were divided by beliefs and distance. Slavery was accepted and threats both natural and supernatural were commonplace. This became a world where sentries were needed. Trained almost from infanthood, these tough men and women lived in a society within a society. They were warriors and protectors, ferreting out evil and defending the citizens of New Colorado Protectorate from inhuman terrors and, on occasion, human ones. Todd Ruger was born into life as a sentry. Raised by a hard father into a hard life, Todd becomes the consummate sentry, tough, dangerous, and good at what he does. When he wasn't quite into his teen years, he was bonded to a special young slave named Nick. For years their only interaction was through letters. Friendship turned to a sort of courtship between them. Todd lived for the day Nick became of age and Todd's ownership would take effect. That was the day Nick would leave the village with Todd. They'd begin a life together. They'd make a difference. Raised as a slave, Nick never wanted to be special, but nature had other ideas for him. He grew up in a village with other slave children and was taught to be useful to his future master because he a gift ... or curse. The tutors responsible for his upbringing didn't understand what Nick could do, what he was; they were afraid of him. If sentries hadn't bought him, it was likely he'd never have lived to see the age of five. All that changes the day Nick leaves the village with Todd. He's cared for and shown a new, better life with a man who loves him honestly and wholly. But after being together barely a day, Nick is brutally attacked and injured. Though he recovers without incident, Todd's heart fills with revenge. The guardian in him turns into a dangerous, driven assassin, a wolf on the hunt. Todd's obsession with tracking down the men who hurt Nick and making them pay could very well get them both killed. Can they survive and build the life together they've both dreamed of for years? NOTE: This is the third edition of Marked Yours. The first and second editions were released by another publishing house. This story has been revised and re-edited with the end result being a better, stronger story.
Word Count: 115,000
Summary: SECOND EDITION
When Captain Rafe Lancaster is invalided out of the Britannic Imperium’s Aero Corps after crashing his aerofighter during the Second Boer War, his eyesight is damaged permanently, and his career as a fighter pilot is over. Returning to Londinium in late November 1899, he’s lost the skies he loved, has no place in a society ruled by an elite oligarchy of powerful Houses, and is hard up, homeless, and in desperate need of a new direction in life.
Everything changes when he buys a coffeehouse near the Britannic Imperium Museum in Bloomsbury, the haunt of Aegyptologists. For the first time in years, Rafe is free to be himself. In a city powered by luminiferous aether and phlogiston, and where powerful men use House assassins to target their rivals, Rafe must navigate dangerous politics, deal with a jealous and possessive ex-lover, learn to make the best coffee in Londinium, and fend off murder and kidnap attempts before he can find happiness with the man he loves.
Word Count: 111,600
Summary: **First Place Winner 2019 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Historical Romance. ** **Third Place Winner 2019 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Book.** SECOND EDITION: Something is stalking the Aegyptian night and endangering the archaeologists excavating the mysterious temple ruins in Abydos. But is it a vengeful ancient spirit or a very modern conspiracy… Rafe Lancaster’s relationship with Gallowglass First Heir, Ned Winter, flourishes over the summer of 1900, and when Rafe’s House encourages him to join Ned’s next archaeological expedition, he sees a chance for it to deepen further. Since all the Houses of the Britannic Imperium, Rafe’s included, view assassination as a convenient solution to most problems, he packs his aether pistol—just in case. Trouble finds them in Abydos. Rafe and Ned begin to wonder if they’re facing opposition to the Temple of Seti being disturbed. What begins as tricks and pranks escalates to attacks and death, while the figure of the Dog—the jackal-headed god Anubis, ruler of death—casts a long shadow over the desert sands. Destruction follows in his wake as he returns to reclaim his place in Abydos. Can Rafe and Ned stand against both the god and House plots when the life of Ned’s son is on the line?
Word Count: 75000
Summary: Be careful what you wish for … After eleven years trapped in the Spadros crime syndicate, 23-year-old private eye Jacqueline Spadros is an independent woman, free to run her investigation business. But her problems are only beginning. Deeply in debt, Jacqui is in danger from both the rogue Spadros men calling themselves “The Ten of Spades” and the ruthless Red Dog Gang — who may be one and the same. Jacqui is determined to find Black Maria, the key to the identity of the Red Dog Gang’s secretive leader. To survive long enough to do that, Jacqui needs a paying case. The one she's offered may put her in the most danger of all …
Word Count: 7643
Summary: Space politics sends The Protector on a mission, the failure of which could result in mass destruction. When her mission is sabotaged, the man bred from birth to be a Protector must leave his lover in order to carry out his duty. However, before he leaves, he promises to meet the white-haired H’asean at Asphodel’s Pit, one of the most dangerous dives in all the known universes, sending him off with Protector’s Brachi friend. Meanwhile, at Asphodel’s Pit, inhabitants of other planets are going about their business. Sloff runs the dive, along with his old friend Rinig sa Bre, who provides security. Both men are unaware all hell in on the verge of breaking loose, as a Protector is about to arrive, looking for his young sir.
Word Count: 43000
Summary: Shax can't walk away from an abandoned, hungry kitty. The fact that she can eat him in three bites is irrelevant. Someone abandons a pedigree hellcat right where Shax can conveniently claim her and sets off a cataclysmic domino line of events. It's time for the other shoe to drop since the Brimstone has a shadow cabal after them—partly due to Shax's own, er, interesting decisions and partly due to the presence of Agent Julian Parallax onboard. As ship security officer, Ness has a lot on his mind—a dangerous new pet, even more dangerous criminals tracking the Brimstone, and yet another unexpected rescued guest. The last thing he needs is a distraction and Julian, who confuses and confounds him more every moment, is exactly the distraction he doesn't need. Between Shax's reckless gambits and Julian's disregard for his own safety, how is Ness supposed to keep anyone safe? The Brimstone and her intrepid crew do all they can to stay one step ahead, but this time the hunters are closing in.
Word Count: 60000
Summary: Planet H Man has toppled under the coup of the century and Mex must choose. Will she settled for her retirement fund or politicians too young to take seriously? Planet Hyman is at a loss as their new and callous leader takes a sabbatical, she has found her "pleasure dome" and while she learns there is more to life than a new manifesto, a coup rises to the occasion. With Mex hungover in Scotland there is little to stand in their way apart from a hippy colony too chilled to care, a reporter with no scruples, and a missing set of batteries. The coup has plans to runs things the “proletarian way” they are young, idealistic, and haven’t tasted luxury yet. They almost make it, grab the operations room, when their new and callous leader arises from her pleasure dome and grabs back her throne. Will Mex pick up her leathers and defend the coupe, or return to her planet to recuperate from a Scottish “good night out”? Rebel Without A Crew is the quirky third book in the Planet Hy Man science fiction comedy series. If you like high-mileage heroines, fast-paced satire, and meticulously crafted universes, then you’ll love Kerrie Noor’s otherworldly farce.
Word Count: 15473
Summary: Three superheroes in love! Or one superhero, one former sidekick, and one redeemed supervillain, at least... Ryan, John, and Holiday have been partners -- in every sense of the word -- for two years. They’ve saved the world, fallen in love, and remodeled the secret base to include bookshelves and a bigger bed. But Ryan and John have always been the public face of the team. The world still believes Holiday’s a villain. And he’s been using that reputation to stay undercover and share information. Tonight, though, Holiday comes home injured, and his partners aren’t sure the mission’s worth his life. Contains lasagna, superhero theatrics, home renovation, a thunderstorm, and very enjoyable use of superpowers in bed.
Word Count: 131,000
Summary: A galaxy in peril The story begun in The Reefs of Time continues. The time-tides caused by Karellia’s defenses have brought the malicious Mindaru AI out of the deep past into the present, threatening Bandicut and Li-Jared, who have arrived at the backwater planet—Li-Jared’s homeworld—to find it on the brink of interplanetary war. Somehow they must forge a peace between Karellia and its neighboring world if the Mindaru threat is to be broken. Back on Shipworld, Ik and Julie Stone risk their lives a second time to stop the Mindaru at their source: a planet near the galactic core, a billion years in the past. Can Antares, the beautiful humanoid who also loves Bandicut, help them? What of Bria the gokat? And Amaduse, the most influential librarian in Shipworld? And in the deep time of the galaxy’s early history, by the light of a million suns, the Mindaru do hideous things to an innocent species. The Mindaru plan for the altered creatures bears momentous possibilities even the deadly AI cannot predict. Time is critical. Time is elastic. And time is running out. Conclusion of the unmissable two-part “Out of Time” sequence begun in The Reefs of Time, from Jeffrey A. Carver, Nebula-nominated author of Eternity's End. PRAISE FOR THE REEFS OF TIME / CRUCIBLE OF TIME: “Classic science fiction with engaging characters and richly imagined worlds!” —Greg Bear; author of The Unfinished Land and The War Dogs Trilogy “Jeffrey A. Carver’s remarkable long-awaited duology The Reefs of Time / Crucible of Time is a welcome addition to The Chaos Chronicles, certifying his continuing mastery of action and adventure at the boundaries of space opera and hard SF.” —Steve Miller, co-author of The Liaden Universe “There are giant, and brilliant, concepts in these books... If you haven’t read it you’re in for a whale of a ride! I, personally, will have to pick up more of Jeffrey Carver—not just this series—because I’ve become a fan of his world/galaxy-spanning imagination! I highly recommend these books.” —Steve Fahnestalk, Amazing Stories Magazine
Word Count: 34985
Summary: By the year 2060, mankind is on the verge of bringing Terra to her knees. The population has exploded, and land for cattle and crops has been sacrificed for housing and employment for the more than fifteen billion souls now living on the planet. Synthetic food is created in plants, and the remaining animals are kept in zoos and game preserves of the wealthy. In an effort to insure the survival of mankind, spaceships are sent to explore Terra’s nearest neighbors, Mars and Venus, but will it be too little too late? The four men who took the MRM to Mars have high hopes, until on their return home they travel through a magnetic field that crashes them… somewhere. As they explore the unknown world with its dangers, Doc, Nick, Hank, and Ed will struggle to come to terms with their new reality and find their own paths to happiness.
Word Count: 18000
Summary: Sera is the last runner from Earth, bringing badly needed supplies to the Tharassas Colony across a twenty-five year gulf between the planets. Jas works on a hencha farm to make ends meet, harvesting berries from the semi-sentient plants. Neither one that knows their lives—and worlds—are about to change forever.
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: Well, she's not dead. That's better than Murmur expected. But after Telvar cast her out of the game with all her strings attached, Murmur has more than in-game death to deal with. When some of the abilities of Somnia remain with her, Murmur must figure out where she ends and the game begins. But even as she realizes the complicated nature of her connection to Somnia, more elements of the virtual reality begin to snag. The race for keys continues, and time is running out. Murmur begins to suspect Fable can’t manage the next tier of dungeons alone before the system's instabilities risk inescapable cascades. While Fable struggles to keep their head start, game elements run off script and leave Laria and Shayla floundering for answers. For every problem they solve, two more appear in its place. If they’re not careful, the whole of Somnia will be corrupted.
Word Count: 93000
Summary: The danger threatening the Valespian Pact could tear Zeus, Dargon, and Alpha apart. The peaceful respite for which Zeus and his intended, Dargon and Alpha, had been hoping for is shattered when Zeus is unexpectedly drawn into the Waters of Poseidon and told that the safety they've been promised is a trap. But the Fal'Amoric aren't the only important cargo on the Oethra 7, and countless others are depending on the success of their mission. If Zeus hopes to break the silent siege on Valespia and protect those most precious to him, he will need not just powerful allies but the fortitude to survive overwhelming odds. **Striker is a 93k sci-fi romance that has mature themes and content as well as a polyamorous relationship. This 2nd edition has been re-edited and 5k words added to add clarity.
