sci fi – distant planet

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Summary: Kidnapped! Offyonder is a planet that celebrates its civic justice and order, and the rules on speech and thought that uphold them. Now the Director’s niece, Claire Montaigne, is seized by rebels. Inexplicably, the Director tasks Martin Allgeier, a librarian and nonentity, with rescuing Claire. The Director has also given orders to hire Sol, a famous interstellar bounty hunter. The more Martin and Sol investigate the weirder the situation becomes. Claire had a severe breakdown in her teens and now appears not entirely sane. The rebels could be either disorganized bums or masters of strategy. Sol has big demons, which she attempts to drown in alcohol. And both Martin and Sol are hiding parts of their past. Failure to rescue Claire will cost them their lives and destroy the civic order. But as Martin and Sol untangle the truth of the kidnapping, they confront the unthinkable—could the price of success be greater than that of failure? What happens when things are not as they seem?

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Summary: Ismat’s dating life is terrible, and a lot of it has to do with honesty. Not that he doesn’t want to be honest, he just can’t – or it will ruin his life. He can’t tell anyone he works for the Dominion Security Bureau counter-terrorism division; he can’t tell his date who his father is, even if he knows them, and he most definitely can’t tell them how he actually feels about the gender he has to wear. A possible security breach in the Bureau means that he and his immediate boss are the only people who can be trusted with a case. Things rapidly become more complicated as the Bureau’s Director pulls two foreign agents into the mix. More complicated than others because Ismat finds one of them very attractive, something which he would rather the agent not know. Unfortunately – she’s telepathic. When the investigation leads them to a women-only charity event, Ismat finds some use for the dresses kept in the back of the closet and finds out that having a partner who knows what you think is not such a bad thing. A stand-alone book set in the Worlds of the PACT universe.

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Summary: The Great Forest and Other Love Stories  is a collection of short stories, with various settings, including an alien planet, an imaginary country, and places in Virginia, and the end of the world. These gay love stories explore the growth of relationships, and the negotiations of various complications and challenges.

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Summary: A remote resource planet. A mysterious illness. And a rescue team frighteningly out of their depth. It was supposed to have been an easy job: go in, kidnap or kill his mark, get out. Shine's done plenty of jobs like this before, no problem. But when it all goes suddenly wrong, he has only one option left to save his skin. He finds himself an unwilling volunteer on a medical mission to a remote resource planet. It sent in a distress call a week earlier, and then promptly went silent. No one knows why, and no one can contact them to find out. And, Shine is increasingly beginning to realize, every person on this mission is politically unimportant--a perfect crew of disposables. Their mission is to go in and figure out what happened, and save whoever they can. But he's smart enough to realize that anything that could cause an entire mining colony to go silent is probably not something accustomed to leaving its victims alive. And after meeting the rest of the crew, he's not sure that they're any safer than what's waiting for him out on the planet ... Set in the world of The Devil and the Dark, Inhuman is the first book in R.M. Olson's gripping new space-horror series, The Dark Between Stars.

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Summary: Aik will never be the same … and neither will his world. War is coming. Aik has become the Progenitor, and the Seed Mother has released him to transform the world for her alien brood. Silya and Raven, Aik's former friends, are the only ones who can save him and the world. But what if the cure is worse than the invasion? As Silya rushes to prepare Gullton for the battle to come, she's determined to save as many people as she can. But new crises emerge that demand her attention. Raven has his own hands full, keeping the dragon-like verent in line, while helping Silya to save the world. But what if the only way to do so is to sacrifice Aik, the man that he loves? It's the end of the world … or could it be the start of something new?

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Summary: Can you leave your heart on the other side of the galaxy? When Wouter, a down-to-earth dyslexic caretaker, accidentally activates a travel disc sent by his late brother, he finds himself whisked away to a distant planet. Desperate to go home and reassure his grieving mother he’s alive, he’s instead stuck struggling to fill his brother’s shoes to keep the amphibian bani from freezing to death. Nif, a bani healer, clings to human music as a lifeline to memories of joy and a world beyond grief after losing his mate. Intrigued by the culture behind the songs he cherishes, he volunteers for Wouter’s support team—even as many of his kin distrust the humans, fearing exploitation of their fuel production. Their first meeting is one of necessity—a human in need and a bani ready to mend. As they navigate mistranslations, killer plants, and space pirates, a deeper connection blossoms between them. Each shared moment and conquered challenge draws them closer to an inevitable farewell. Will Wouter leave his heart or his home? In this slow-burn ace romance, discover a low-angst intergalactic adventure where true connection transcends stars and species. ___________________________ Content notes are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.

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Summary: In the new land of Nanegria, every Elemental’s power is enhanced and strengthened. But unlimited, uncontrollable power is more of a curse than a blessing. What is causing these strange effects? How is it connected with the overwhelming Stone memories that plague Piers’ every waking moment? And can the Elementals persuade the dragons of Nanegria and their riders to join them on their last quest to find the ultimate answer? The final volume in John Beresford’s epic fantasy series The Second Berikatanyan Chronicles brings to a thrilling conclusion the adventures of the seven Elementals and their companions, as they race to an electrifying and unanticipated climax. Fans of high-stakes adventure and intricate world-building will not want to miss this stunning finale.

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Summary: The fate of Lida looms. Agetha thought her fate was sealed, pushed to the edge of the colony to die. But with the revelation that the biomass is not only intelligent, but sentient, changes to colony are accelerating, threatening its very existence. Those who were controlled by the biomass once again have free will. Now, the human colonists are raising their voices and for the first time really influencing their new home. The planet-wide consciousness is slipping into a crisis of identity, when it doesn’t even have a sense of self. The wilds surrounding the colony are becoming increasingly unstable, and the colonists find themselves divided into those who have been touched by the biomass and those who are still wholly human. Can one small colony survive its inner conflicts as well as the titanic might of an entire planet?

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Summary: Introducing DR, the original Draconian Warrior. Surviving the destruction of ancient Atlantis, DR has lived in secrecy for over 12,500 years. He was the second Draconian cloned on Atlantis and the first one to live. With his fellow Draconian Warriors enslaved on Atlantis, DR has remained free by staying hidden. His well-known allegiance to Atlantis’ greatest threat, Villonious, and the fact that he is on the outside, would put him at the top of their most wanted list...if the Atlanteans knew he was alive. DR is an enlightened being. His powers are human, honed over time. He knows many secrets, but one in particular, kept from Justin for his own safety, may be his undoing. With ancient technology that surpasses our own, he has joined Hexon’s elite circle and disguised as Draegon, is in a key position to help his friend uncover the covert organization’s plans. Featuring 35th Generation Shaolin Grandmaster Dr. Kam Yuen, as himself - real-life Grandsifu Shaolin KF, Taiqi, Qigong, Rocket Scientist. yuenmethod.com The story continues... Rejected by Justin, Kaila learns everyone she loves has been out to control her power. Deeply hurt, she cuts all ties with them. Meanwhile, unscrupulous mercenaries from around the world are being covertly recruited by a little known corporation called Hexon. The secretive organization is suspected of having ties to terrorist activity but nothing has been proven. Well-financed with technology that rivals the Atlanteans, Hexon is not only dangerous, but difficult to infiltrate. Several government agents on the case have disappeared. After linking them to a string of murders and EMF (electromagnetic frequency) bombings, and after being betrayed by everyone, including her own family, Kaila accepts unorthodox backup from two unusual allies, reptilians Krill and Tog, and sets out to take Hexon down...alone.

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Summary: BLACK TIDE: Awakening of the Key  by Debbie Bishop (Author), Mike S. Miller (Illustrator) @debbiebishop_ 5.0 out of 5 stars   (3) COMPLEX PLOT WITH MANY CHARACTERS - Part Sci-fi, part fantasy, with elements of covert intrigue and superhero action, Black Tide is one of the more multifaceted stories I've read in quite a long time. The art by Mike S. Miller is first-rate and very smooth. If you like in-depth, elaborate storylines, then this is unquestionably a book you'll want to read. It's rare that you get a comic series this complex today. Reviewed by Tim Janson Atlantis is now a myth, and the Atlanteans would like to keep it that way. Living secretly among us, their elite Black Ops team tries to protect us from supervillains from ancient times. As leader of the most covert black ops team in the world, Justin has devoted his life to saving others. Captured on a mission, he discovers that he was once the most powerful villain of Atlantis. After its demise 12,000 years ago, survivors recreated Atlantis and regenerated their higher beings who had been killed in the war. Villonious survived, but since they feared him, he was put in stasis and hidden from those who would free him. His love, Kaila, never gave up trying to find him. When she finally nearly succeeds, the heirarchy blocks his memories so he will not remember how to use his powers then forces him to be reborn. Now, on a mission to solve the mystery of a series of international murders, he is reunited with his enemies. In a weird twist of fate, he triggers the same series of events that led to the destruction of his ancient land. He is a changed man who remembers nothing of his past. But how he deals with the present will either save us or destroy us all.

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Summary: Silya comes into her own, but will she be enough? Silya finally has everything she always wanted: She's the Hencha Queen, head of the Temple, and is mastering her newfound talents. So why does the world pick now to fall apart? Her once-nemesis Raven is off riding dragons, and their mutual friend (and her ex) Aik is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a new threat menaces the Heartland from the East. If she can't convince a reluctant city council to prepare for the worst, she may lose everything—and everyone—she's ever cared about. As Silya wields her abilities, dry wit, and sheer determination to save her city, she's joined by Raven and his new friends, just as a dark storm threatens to sweep them all away. Will their aid help tip the scales? And will she and Raven finally find out what happened to Aik? Forget messy. Things just got apocalyptic.

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Summary: A distant, compelling mental summons drives Ru'ita to seek out its origin, accompanied by the other Elementals. But the source is not at the coast. It lies much further east, and the Silver Sea now lies between the Elementals and their ultimate destination. Can they persuade a shipmaster to take them, when for generations they have avoided sailing east, fearing that they would fall off the edge of the world? And if such a voyage can be taken, what other strange encounters are waiting from them, beyond the farthest point anyone has navigated in living memory? The Elementals' journey of discovery becomes a true voyage in this second book of the Second Berikatanyan Chronicles, where the natural forces they must battle with prove more sinister and terrifying than anything they have faced before!

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Summary: If we know anything by the third and final installment of this thrilling trilogy, it's that Royal Connate Olivienne Dracore is an adventurist, not a soldier. Yet after the events over King's Marsh, the people and land are in need of both. It's a good thing her beloved Captain Castellan Tosh is one of the most powerful psi their world has ever seen. Together, with Olivienne's protective Shield team, they seek to not only right generations of wrongs perpetrated by one family, but to finally solve the mystery of the Makers.

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Summary: Cmd. Boone knows he works for the bad guy. He knows the warlord wants to end humankind. And he knows his treachery—hiding the warlord's rival—means death. His plan: escape with the warlord's weapon. But his superiors are catching on, and the rival fleet isn't as receptive as he'd hoped. And worse: the weapon has a reckless agenda of her own. Multi-award winning space opera. Full of page-turning action, epic space battles, twists & biological magic.

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Summary: RISE (noun / verb) Eight definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) An upward slope or movement 2) A beginning or origin 3) An increase in amount or number 4) An angry reaction 5) To take up arms 6) To return from death 7) To become heartened or elated 8) To exert oneself to meet a challenge Rise features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

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Summary: Look to the skies! Brave adventurers face new relationships and adversity in all sizes, from steampunk dirigibles to harpies, giant bees to garden gnomes, and winged dinosaurs to sky pirates. Isolated mountain peaks, clifftop cities, and battles in the sky abound in this sapphic anthology focused on overcoming challenges awaiting in the clouds. If you like diverse stories with lesbian and sapphic-centric heroines enjoying the thrill of adventure high in the air, buy Lofty Mountains today! With stories by: Seanan McGuire, Rosiee Thor, Rebecca Kim Wells, Maya Gittelman, Carmen Loup, Sara Codair, William C. Tracy, N.L. Bates, L.R. Gould, Robin C.M. Duncan, and J.S. Fields

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Summary: A genre-bending science fiction tale that takes place on several planets and through two lifetimes, rife with psychic magic as well as insights from psychology and physics. Yearning to reunite in the afterlife, a couple’s search runs afoul of both the materialistic Technists on Earth and the intransigent laws of Commensuration on their adoptive planet Xarbo, where rewards and retributions fly fast. Their quest for destiny leads to far-flung planets — one occupied by the disembodied brains of human astronauts, another by soulless clones — as the reincarnated pair find themselves on separate planets and following divergent paths. Hints of Star Trek and of Ram Das combine oddly with eroticism and mysticism in this epic tale of personal evolution.

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Summary: Enter The Game is where it all begins for Justin. As the teenage son of an International Special Forces agent, Justin has seen the dangers in the world first hand. He's been to more high schools than he can count and can't talk to a girl to save his life. But now, when his dad is left for dead by the powers who employ him Justin must somehow find the courage to locate and rescue him by himself. To do it, he will have to infiltrate the Deceivers - the most covert and deadly Black Ops organization in the world. Based on the popular comic book Black Tide. The fascinating story combines science, history, technology, myth, metaphysics and tales of Atlantis with some of the same issues we face in our world today. Unlike the comic book, this novel is set in Justin’s formative teen years. Justin is an old soul and he is haunted by nightmares from what he thinks might be his previous life. If it was, can he forgive himself? How does a soldier go on after violence?

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Summary: A guard and a thief. What could go wrong? Aik has fallen hopelessly in love with his best friend. But Raven's a thief, which makes things … complicated. Oh, and Raven has just been kidnapped by a dragon. Now Aik is off on a quest of his own, to hunt down the foul beast and make them give back his … friend? Lover? Soulmate? The whole not-knowing thing just makes everything harder. Meanwhile, the world of Tharassas is falling apart, besieged by earthquakes, floods, and strange creatures no one has ever seen before. Aik's ex, Silya has gone back to Gullton to try to save her people as the Hencha Queen, and Aik's stuck in a caravan with her mother and a damnable magical gauntlet that won't let him be. He has to find Raven, before it’s too late. Things were messy before … but now they're much, much worse.

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Summary: In the aftermath of Ahnak’s Doom, the Elementals have fled to the North. Have they escaped one peril only to encounter another even more terrifying? Fallout from the Doom threatens the survivors with starvation. Aftershocks set the simple dwellings of Tenfir Abarad quaking, sending townspeople screaming into the streets in renewed fear. And in the near-total darkness, the Elementals find their powers dwindling. Can the refugees resolve their differences with the northern people and work together to survive the Impact Winter? Is the planet still resonating from the gargantuan impact, or are more sinister forces at work? And will the Elementals discover the reasons for their limited powers in time to face their latest, most devastating enemy? Continue your journey of discovery with this first book in the Second Chronicles, and follow our heroes as they battle once more with nature, dread foes, and their own internal demons!