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Summary: Second chances don't come free The system gives Dare no answers, only orders. The other eels are equally as unforthcoming, and Dare must resort to dangerous methods to uncover hidden information, taking chances that risk death if the system in their head disapproves. By poking at the holes in the Second Chance (SC) system, Dare discovers just how blurry its morality truly is. For anyone to escape, it'll take working together. But not everyone wants to be freed, and SC has worked too hard, too long, to give any of them up.

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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: 1899 years after the Catastrophe, Bridges is run by the Mob. As its steam-driven infrastructure fails, a new faction rises. Can she stop them? The Red Dog Conspiracy follows the story of 22-year-old small-time private eye Jacqueline Spadros beginning from her first major case: the missing little brother of her best friend, whose murder ten years before in front of her still haunts her nightmares. The only clue? A Red Dog stamp across the alley from where the boy was last seen. Dodging the man - seemingly mad - who has publicly threatened her life, placating her brutal, sadistic father-in-law, and dealing with her feelings about her ex-lover, while being married to one of the city's biggest drug lords: Jacqui is a busy woman. Her life is about to get much busier. From the very first page, Jacqui is dragged into a web of lies, secrets, and betrayals which both endangers her life and the lives of those she loves. Dark, gritty, violent steampunk crime fiction which keeps you guessing to the very end. If you like crime fiction, noir, Victorian/historical, gritty steampunk, psychological thrillers, hardboiled mystery, hard sf, dystopian, or mafia romance you will love this set. This digital box set comprises Act 1 of a 13 part serial novel. Included in this set: The Jacq of Spades: Part 1 of the Red Dog Conspiracy The Queen of Diamonds: Part 2 of the Red Dog Conspiracy The Ace of Clubs: Part 3 of the Red Dog Conspiracy If made into movies, this set would be rated R for bad language, graphic violence, smoking and alcohol use, child kidnapping, teenagers murdered (a serial killer is on the loose), and sexual content (Jacqui is married, after all). Welcome to the Family.

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Summary: She escaped Spadros Manor, but her troubles are only beginning. Not even hostile mobs, assassins, drive-by shootings, and an explosive encounter with her worst enemy can stop private eye and mafia wife Jacqueline Spadros. She's on a quest to destroy the Red Dog Gang - before they destroy her. Dark, gritty, violent steampunk crime fiction which keeps you guessing to the very end. If you like crime fiction, noir, Victorian/historical, gritty steampunk, psychological thrillers, hardboiled mystery, hard sf, dystopian, or slow burn mafia romance you will love this series. If made into movies, this set would be rated R for bad language, graphic violence, smoking and alcohol use, pregnancy loss, child injury/murder, animal injury/death, and sexual content (Jacqui is married, after all). This digital box set comprises Act 2A of a 13 part serial novel, which brings us to the midpoint of the story. Included in this set: The King of Hearts: Part 4 of the Red Dog Conspiracy The Ten of Spades: Part 5 of the Red Dog Conspiracy The Five of Diamonds: Part 6 of the Red Dog Conspiracy The Two of Hearts: Part 7 of the Red Dog Conspiracy The Red Dog Conspiracy is one giant book - please read the first three books in the series (start with The Jacq of Spades, or read Red Dog Conspiracy Act 1) before beginning this set.

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Summary: An inhabited planet is not what an interplanetary mining company hopes to find while in search of rare mineral deposits, but the low-tech natives should be won over by a few ‘miracles’, right? Emily Nandi, the mining company’s legally mandated xenologist, isn’t so sure. The planet’s social structures are complex, fascinating and frustrating – she advocates research and caution rather than the seat-of-the-pants first contact the company president wants. Investigator Shadow is convinced ghosts are watching him until a fellow investigator disappears, plucked from his harduk’s back without a trace. When he reappears at the city gates, naked, half-frozen and ill, he brings back a harrowing tale of strangers on a ship high above the planet. From this shaky beginning, suspicion and misunderstanding fuel one culture-clash driven disaster after another, punctuated by apocalyptic prophesies from the oracle, Telluris. This is no way to get to know one’s long-lost cousins from Earth.

Word Count: Click here to reveal105000 (Click here to hide)

Summary: The Silver Age of Science Fiction saw a wealth of compelling speculative tales — and women authors wrote some of the best of the best. Yet the stories of this era, especially those by women, have been largely unreprinted, unrepresented, and unremembered. Until now. Volume one of REDISCOVERY represents a historic first: fourteen selections of the best science fiction of the Silver Age, written by the unsung women authors of yesteryear and introduced by today’s rising stars. Curated by the team that produces the Hugo-nominated Galactic Journey. Join us and rediscover these lost treasures. “Female authors wrote stories about coming of age…cautionary tales…stories set beyond our universe… You’ll find these themes and more in this anthology. I hope that as you read their stories you don’t try to ferret out ‘feminine’ versus ‘masculine’ elements. What you are about to read is really good science fiction, plain and simple. I certainly enjoyed the journey and have every expectation that you shall, too.” -from the Foreword by Dr. Laura Brodian Freas Beraha

Word Count: Click here to reveal115000 (Click here to hide)

Summary: Women write science fiction. They always have. Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1953-1957) offers, quite simply, some of the best science fiction ever written: 20 amazing pieces, most of which haven’t been reprinted for decades…but should have been. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to the genre, you are in for a treat. This collection of works—18 stories, 1 poem, 1 nonfiction piece—are a showcase, some of the best science fiction stories of the ’50s. These stories were selected not only as examples of great writing, but also because their characters are as believable, their themes just as relevant today, their contents just as fun to read, as when they were written almost three quarters of a century ago. Dig in. Enjoy these newly-rediscovered delicacies a few at a time…or binge them all at once!

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Summary: Stationmaster and exiled aristocrat Albert St. John Rembrandt—Bertie to his friends—is in love with a Tolari ruler he believes he can’t have. When he nearly dies finding out the hard way that some Tolari are as poisonous as their planet, it’s only the beginning of his troubles. A ship has gone missing. His station is in crisis. Bertie must somehow recover his health and manage the disaster while trying to decide whether to accept genetic modification in order to be with the man he loves. And no Rembrandt has ever taken a gen mod.

Word Count: Click here to reveal101000 (Click here to hide)

Summary: What happens when a woman loses her memory but gains a conscience? Dr. Alexandra Turing is a roboticist whose intellect is unrivaled in the field of artificial intelligence. While science has always come easy, Alexandra struggles to understand emotional cues and responses. Driven by the legacy of her late great-uncle, she dedicates her life to the Synthetica project at her father's company, Organic Advancement Solutions (OAS).​ Her life is rebooted when she wakes from a coma, six months after being struck by a car. Traumatic brain injury altered Alex's senses, her memory, and her personality. Despite the changes, she feels reborn as she navigates her way back into her old life. Part of her new journey includes dating the alluring Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Emily St. John. Emily is enamored with the hyper-intelligent scientist, but there are things about Alex and OAS that don't add up. With Emily's prompting, Alex undergoes testing that leaves her with more questions than answers. What she discovers changes more than her life, it will change the world around her.

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Summary: Can a retired assassin be the savior his people need? How does a former assassin save his fellow humans from extinction? By allying them with mrrogs of course! But that’s easier said than done as humans are understandably distrustful and suspicious of sescurei, the official species of the InterGalactic community. Leopold must convince them that Mastrodai’s offer of alliance isn’t a trick, which means diplomacy, patience, and tenacity. Times like this make him grateful that he has two strong mates to lean on. And when it comes to understanding his own people, he’d be wise to follow Alex’s lead. Alex has been too long away from her family and is thrilled to see them again. But with reunions come old pressures, old doubts, and old wounds. She must negotiate who she was with who she is, while helping her mates and her colony come together with the shared goal of freedom. Mastrodai, meanwhile, finds himself in the minority for the first time in his life, and the constant hostility has him doubting the wisdom of their choices. But he’s devoted to his human mates and determined to see things through no matter the discomfort… or danger. Not everyone wants what Leopold and his mates have to give, and he needs to break through the resistance humans have built up after generations of degradation, humiliation, and fear. He must win his people’s trust, solve the riddle of his parents’ rings, and navigate the new complexities of his love life. Being an assassin was so much easier. Reader Discretion advised: PTSD, abusive family, a cult, MMF romance, dystopian.

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Summary: Aric kan Ingan is heading for a rendezvous with Death, with a detour to Terra at pal Miles Sheffield’s insistence, in an attempt to take his mind off his upcoming obituary. Old prejudices long-buried and culture clashes aside, the planet offers a few things to test his newly-restored integrity, as well as his fidelity to Susan…such as the attention paid to a certain alien by Miles’ foster mother, an attractive but neglected wife. Leaving for Arcanis offers an escape, even if his arrival begins with his arrest and the quickest trial imaginable. The verdict? His former sentence is to be carried out. Immediately. A great deal has changed on Arcanis in the past fifteen years, however. Former best friend Eby now heads the Peace Force and is the True Arcanian Society’s right-hand man. Pallas, the baby-bride Aric left behind, is no longer a child. Inheriting her mother’s beauty as well as a touch of her deviousness, the Princess Royal has the power to save her cousin’s life, for which she expects a great deal more than his mere gratitude. Marrying Pallas means giving up hope of a future with Susan, but it will regain Aric the Throne of Arcanis and revenge against The True Arcanian Society, while freeing Pallas from Eby’s domination. Whatever the choice, someone will win and someone will lose, and the entire galaxy will be affected…but will it be worth it?

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Summary: Some threats hide in plain sight... Two years have passed since Jed Welch escaped the ruins of New York City. The monsters have begun vanishing from parts of the world, and rebuilding efforts are underway. Isolated communities and their militias are starting over, slowly reclaiming cities and countryside alike. Now a sergeant, Jed leads a squad providing security on Galveston Island, as they await the arrival of the first refugee ships. When a saboteur's bomb threatens everything, Jed and his people find themselves cut off from support and communication. With nothing but the gear they carry to help them survive, the squad hunts the saboteur across the southern Texas landscape, and discovers the truth behind the Variants' disappearance. Author's note: This story is set in the Extinction Cycle universe of Nicholas Sansbury Smith.

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Summary: 1915. Teddy Roosevelt is building an empire. Only Pancho Villa stands in his way. The American Expeditionary Force under the command of General "Black Jack" Pershing has invaded Northern Mexico. Pancho Villa leads his revolutionary army in a desperate raid against the American force only to be outflanked. Just as Pershing's airships prepare to deliver the death blow, Pancho Villa is transported to a parallel Earth where he finds an unexpected ally and the technology that might just turn defeat into victory. Revolution of Air and Rust is a stand-alone novella set in the Empires of Steam and Rust world created by Robert E. Vardeman and Stephen D. Sullivan. A story filled with military action, espionage and gadgetry that's sure to satisfy fans of steampunk and alternate history.

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Summary: New Colorado Protectorate fell with the assassination of Chancellor Clarke. Like many others, Todd and Nick Ruger left the land of their birth and made a home to the north in Yellowknife. Their world was ever changing. The time came to say a sad farewell to some of their friends and loved ones, but they were taken in with open arms by others and in turn offered shelter to yet more. Through the years they remained steadfast in their duty as sentries to protect and defend those that needed it the most. Time marches on but through it all they hold each other dear and cherish the love they've shared. There are still angry ghosts, Windigos and water spirits to contend with. Their lives change, offering them new roles. When the time comes, they do what sentries have done for generations prior and teach others the skills to carry on as sentries. The Rugers lives were rich and their hearts full with their devotion and love for each other. The tradition of the sentries lived on forever. It was the legacy of Todd and Nick Ruger. That was the way it was always meant to be. Winner Gay Fantasy Romance category 2016 Rainbow Awards and Runner Up Best Gay Book 2016 Rainbow Award

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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: Death doesn't always kill you...  but second chances don't come free. Death is inevitable... Unless the Second Chance (SC) program recruits your particular super power. One last chance at life, in exchange for unquestioning completion of tasks set by the system that brought you back. At first, Dare's assignments seem trivial, inconsequential even. But as the missions progress, they produce more questions and no answers. Unexpected assailants, inexplicable tasks, and too many people Dare knows already in the system. Dare's never believed in coincidences. SC's motives are unclear. Questions aren't tolerated. Punishment is meted out arbitrarily. And SC can terminate the contract, and all participants lives with it, at any point in time. Dare's only chance is to figure out how to fight back without being deleted in the process. ~~ Rise is a Gamelit dark contemporary science fiction story set in the near future and is the first book in the Last Chance series. It touches on death, the afterlife, torture, and the lengths people can be pushed too.

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Summary: Space ship Lieutenant Matthew Ferris has desired Daniel Peters, his ship’s newest recruit, from the moment he saw him. But Peters is a lowly private and as the senior officer, Ferris knows he must wait for a sign that his feelings are returned before making an approach. When Peters follows him into a two-man capsule after a mission, Ferris thinks all his dreams are about to come true. What he doesn’t expect is to discover a scandal that could tear his ship apart. Some call it rough play, he calls it unacceptable. A novella in the Aurigan Space Series. Gay sci-fi romance.

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Summary: Three Novellas: Rough Play - Lieutenant Matthew Ferris stumbles on a scandal that could tear his spaceship Jerez apart. Some call it rough play, he calls it unacceptable. His Guilty Secret - Heir to a wealthy shipping family, Adam S Hayes has his life carefully mapped out. Career, marriage, family. After establishing himself successfully as Captain of the Patrol Ship Revel, it is time for the next step. Everything is going according to plan ... until he meets Danyel King. Troubled and confused, Hayes risks losing his chance for love as he finds himself torn between his heart and his head. Dangerous Tension - Spaceship Captain Matthews has kept his sexuality a secret. What happens when the crew finds out? is Lieutenant Kent as straight as he always believed? Will he hit him or kiss him, or both? Gay romantic Sci-fi

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Summary: As a security officer on an interspecies ship, Growlan Raskli's experienced in heading off species-specific aberrant behaviors in order to keep the peace. But when her captain asks her to find out what's bothering their sole human crew member, Raskli's out of her depths. She hardly knows anything about humans and she's not a psych doctor. Something's definitely upset Human Jen, something to do with human holidays. The more time Raskli spends studying humans and interacting with the intriguing Human Jen, the more personal the assignment becomes. Determined to lift the dark cloud from Human Jen, Raskli will do whatever it takes—within safe parameters, of course.

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Summary: Climate change is no longer a vague future threat. Forests are burning, currents are shifting, and massive storms dump staggering amounts of water in less than 24 hours Sometimes it’s hard to look ahead and see a hopeful future. We asked sci-fi writers to send us stories about ways to save the world from climate change.  From the myriad of stories we received, we chose the twenty most amazing (and hopefully prescient) tales. Dive in and find out how we might mitigate climate change via solar mirrors, carbon capture, genetic manipulation, and acts of change both large and small. The future’s not going to fix itself.