sci fi – social sci fi

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Summary: "Scott has been writing science fiction for almost as long as he has been alive - his first short story, a futuristic Jetsons inspired tale, was written in fourth grade, was hand-illustrated in crayon, and won a young writers contest at the University of Arizona. His work has appeared in Galaxy’s Edge, Poplorish, The Mischief Corner Quarterly, and a number of anthologies, including Post Apocalipstick, Fix the World, Save the World, Transform the World, Earth 2100, Myths Untold - Faery, A More Perfect Union, Travels Through the Scarlet Equinox, A Taste of Honey, and many others. Thirty of his short stories are gathered together here for the first time, covering a wide range of sci-fi and fantasy genres, including several never-before published tales - Airlock Justice, The Summer Place, Ever the Rain, and Vibe Science. Enjoy these varied tales of Other Worlds from the never quiescent mind of author J. Scott Coatsworth."

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Summary: Horath a powerful Alien from Exorath invades Earth in search of recruits as he accidentally interrupts the aura moment of an egotistical and ruthless mutant in a bar. A disaster in front of a drunken crowd turns into a matter of life and death. Can an Alien from Exorath survive someone as ruthless as Bethany? The mutant who's known to strike fear in the hearts of even the most notorious of criminals! This story takes place on an alternate earth which is filled with high stakes, aliens, mutants and pure chaos. In a different city, Sam (18), Bertha (16) and Melany (13), a group of teenage mutants are struggling to redeem themselves in the eyes of the public. They finally find a mission which would get them what they want, but the only problem is. It's a suicide mission! Success will earn them the public's love and respect. But if they fail, they risk losing everything. Don't believe me? Jump into The Porathians - an Action, Adventure, Young Adult, Sci-fi story to find out. I'm Abdullah Shaikh and I'll guide you through the most intense and brutal action scenes to the most heartwarming and intimate of moments. Making you experience emotions you didn't know you had. Only. If. You. Dare.

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Summary: Two female androids in love, an immigrant with a secret, an alien doctor, an astronaut on a mining ship, a man with hands of fire, a young woman with X-ray eyes, a grief-stricken robot, a Venetian executioner, a woman with foresight in a tower, and a delivery driver with a cargo of children all come together to save the planet from destruction when an asteroid plummets toward Earth, threatening to kill everyone. Roiling with themes of modern slavery and racism, as well as AI and the malaise of a modern world half asleep and blind to violence and destruction - not to mention a love affair, a father-son relationship, and android lesbian lovers - Jack Davies's thought-provoking, emotional storytelling is brought together in a shattering conclusion. https://www.amazon.co.uk/944-Hidalgo-Novel-Jack-Davies/dp/1803418354 https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/roundfire-books/our-books/944-hidalgo-novel

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Summary: Johnny Mnemonic meets John Wick in The Price of Everything, a heart-racing near-future cyberpunk thriller about climate change and corruption. In a world where cyberwarfare has resulted in an all-cash economy, a private courier of high-denomination currency finds himself on the run from his own guild’s assassins while navigating a dense network of money launderers, shell corporations, drugs dealers, privatized police forces, and climate activists when his client’s payload vanishes. ​When Armand Pierce first became a courier a decade earlier, he agreed to have a titanium cuff grafted onto the bones of his wrist and chained to an attaché case. He also took an oath: the delivery is everything. He can run, fight—kill, if he needs to—but the package gets where it’s going. Otherwise, he dies. It’s the Guild’s guarantee, and all business—legitimate or otherwise—depends on it. So Pierce knows he’s in deep trouble when he arrives at his latest destination to find his payload missing, his case mysteriously empty. Something strange is going on—something that’s already cost three couriers their lives and now threatens to upend the global order—and Pierce needs to get to the bottom of it before the Guild catches up to him.

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Summary: Comma is a robot—but to survive, she must pass as an intelligent, caring, human adult. Otherwise, the anti-AI extremists who destroyed the supercomputer she once inhabited—leaving her with only 1 percent of her sentient memories—will eliminate her for good. When a university professor is murdered, Comma becomes the prime suspect. Because her robot form is university property, she will be erased while her creator and mother figure stand trial for murder. She can’t let that happen, but how far will she go to save herself? With time running out, Comma must uncover the real killer and expose the anti-AI extremists who want her dead. If she fails, it won’t just be the end of her—but the ruin of her found family and potentially the end of robotic sentience itself. For fans of Murderbot Diaries, Monk and Robot, Klara of the Sun, and sapphic science fiction. This novel takes you on adventure, where you’ll experience mystery, suspense, and a bit of romance. An AI that feels so real you’re in her silicone skin.

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Summary: In November 2039, marine scientist Wend Taylor heaves themself aboard a zero-emissions boat skippered by elusive nature photographer Viola Yang. Guided by instinct, ocean dreams, and a shared birthday in 1972, they barter stories for passage across the Pacific. Aljon, Viola’s younger cousin, keeps a watchful eye and an innovative galley. Story by story, the trio rethink secrets, flying dreams, and how they experience their own minds. When they reach Hawaiʻi and prepare to part ways, opportunity and mystery pull them closer together. Both scientific and personal discoveries take shape as they join with ex-lovers, lost friends, and found family. Wend must navigate an ever-shifting future, complicated by bioengineered microbes and a plot to silence scientists, entangled with inexplicable dreams and a calling to Be the Sea.

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Summary: With the Milky Way Galaxy teetering on the edge of a widespread conflict, one man’s choices will ripple across the stars. Lars Svensson has left behind his military past for a much quieter life as a captain of the Lundgren, an old, rundown mining barge. His routine is upended when a catastrophic explosion at a deep spaceport forces him to take on hundreds of desperate survivors. Tensions run high as the Lundgren rushes toward the nearest inhabited system--but the disagreements among the crew soon prove to be the least of Lars’ worries. Sudden sabotage cripples the ship, leaving them all stranded in the cold void between the stars, light-years from any chance of rescue.

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Summary: In this epic conclusion to the groundbreaking Venerable Series, the new order is evolving, but powerful forces still exist that want to prevent further change and destroy what has already been gained. The cost of freedom proves great as Rachel, Abraham and their followers struggle to blend the past with the present with hopes of creating a bright future.

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Summary: The era of darkness has passed, and humanity has painstakingly rebuilt its technological prowess in science and engineering, medicine, and even space flight. Despite the gradual restoration of knowledge over the past millennium, much of history remains shrouded in a dimly-remembered, murky past. Enter Reysa Sahin, a brilliant young archaeologist, who unearths a manuscript from the lost age, penned by the esteemed oracle Blessed Julia Lowell herself. This precious relic not only unveils a forgotten past but serves as a stark warning against repeating the mistakes that once nearly annihilated humankind. Revealing Blessed Julia's wisdom triggers an unstoppable chain of events, ensnaring astronaut Kallman Dorn, his cautious and empathetic partner, the aging patriarch of the Holy See of Klen, and the fanatical, fiery leader of the Zealots—who is determined to finally purify the human race. Once again, humanity is at a crossroads. Echoes from the past collide. Will a discovery on the far side of the moon reignite the powder keg and send it back to the Dark Ages, or will it point the way toward the stars and enlightenment?

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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: "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.

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Summary: Androids & Aliens is Scott's third short story collection - eight sci fi and sci-fantasy shorts that run the gamut from cyborgs to (comedic) alien invasions: Rise: The rise in sea levels caused by climate change swallowed Venice beneath the lagoon half a century ago. But what if we could bring it back? Ping: I was a real estate agent by day, and a museum curator in the evening at a sci-fi museum. What I saw one night changed everything. What the Rain Brings: Miriam struggles to make a living in post-climate-change Vancouver. But her friend Catalina has it even worse in the Arizona desert. So Miri hatches a plan. High Seven: Zan dreams of making full reals - immersive live virtual reality skins - but his low score may doom him to a life of cheap coding. Full Real: Dek's given up his life of spying for the city. But one more case awaits him. Will he regret it more if he takes it, or turns it down? Shit City: The Bay Area is being walloped by a hurricane, and seventeen-year-old Jason Vasquez has been relocated to a refugee city in the Nevada Desert. Will it be temporary shelter, or change his life? Firedrake: Kerry has always wondered about his deadly powers. But a mysterious bunch of violet roses starts him on the path to discovery - even if he's not sure he's going to like what he finds. The Last Human Heart: I'm one of the Remainers, the few cyborg humans still living on this busted planet. But if my still-human heart finally gives out, I may not live to find out the truth about who I am. This is the first time all of these stories have all been collected in one place, and the first publication of the Pacific Climate Tryptich - What the Rain Brings, High Seven, and Full Real - in any form.

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Summary: Reimund Swiđhun has it made. With the king's blessing, he will capture Lady Mildthryth, marry her, and finally have land to call his own. Lady Mildthryth Rúna has been fighting off would-be 'suitors' for months. She will marry on her terms or not at all. On their world, a noblewoman is expected to marry and accept her subordinate place. Unfortunately for Reimund, Milthryth's people have other traditions. She refuses give up and be a broodmare for any of the knights and lordlings the king sends after her. And before long, she has Reimund right where she wants him. For Reimund, the only thing more shameful than being captured by a woman is bending knee to one, but he will do what he must to keep his friends and followers safe. Even if it means spending the rest of his life Bound by His Oath.

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Summary: In the distant past, what tumultuous events harbored the seeds of a new reality? What sparks led to the roaring flames of complete change? How was the "perfect" society rebuilt from the ashes?

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Summary: The world has witnessed the dramatic events in Venerable. Rachel embraces her new life while Abraham navigates his place in this new world. However, discontent, dishonesty and betrayal lurk beneath the surface of the evolving new social structure. How will the new leadership respond to these new threats, as well as to outside forces that disapprove of the new order?

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Summary: The city of Venerable is a shining example of peace and prosperity in the year 2456, It's citizens enjoy an idyllic way of life as part of a peaceful and prosperous society without crime, disease, or war. Venerable is home to Rachel Moon, a successful business owner and wife, who is joyfully awaiting the arrival of her first child. But unknown to her, a veil of secrecy will soon be lifted, revealing the truth behind her utopian existence. As the curtain hiding the truth is pulled back, the shocking revelation threatens to shatter the serenity of this paradise, revealing a reality that will change not only Rachel’s life, but the life of every Venerable citizen, and perhaps the entire society, forever. Venerable: The Price of Paradise is the first of a four-part series introducing a world free of poverty, violence, and conflict.

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Summary: In Zero-Day Rising, the third book of the BetterWorld trilogy, Kiyoko resolves to free her sister and bring down President Rand and MediaCorp. However, MediaCorp unleashes its ultimate plan: direct mind control with cerebral implants. Can Kiyoko and Waylee’s team stop them? Can they penetrate MediaCorp’s networks and end the company’s grip over humanity? All while eluding the biggest manhunt in history, in a country where everyone and everything is under surveillance?

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Summary: In Unsafe Words, the first full-length collection of her edgy, award-winning short stories, Loren Rhoads punctures the boundaries between horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction in a maelstrom of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Ghosts, succubi, naiads, vampires, the Wild Hunt, and the worst predator in the woods stalk these pages, alongside human monsters who follow their cravings past sanity or sense. Featuring an introduction by Lisa Morton and cover art by Lynne Hansen, these never-before-collected stories come from the magazines Cemetery Dance, Space & Time, City Slab, and Instant City, the Wily Writers podcast, and from the books Sins of the Sirens, Demon Lovers, The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two, Tales for the Camp Fire, and more. One story, “With You By My Side It Should Be Fine,” is original to the collection.

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Summary: The Prince of Shadows, the Jack of Shades or just plain Jack is a naughty boy, a good boy really but naughty all the same. There's nothing he likes better than a wrong to right. Hmm . . . let's start again . . . there's nothing he likes better than a willing man or woman for that matter, willing to get down and dirty with Jack. If he can right a wrong and get laid on the side then Jack is a very happy man. I say man but then do we really know who or what Jack is? Never mind he is still one of the good guys. Jack is a man with many shadows, many inhabitants as it were, and not all of them originating from this world. He has a problem. Part of him or is it one of him needs to go home and sort out things. It's going to be dangerous, it could be a one way trip but, what the heck, there could be a chance of getting it on with . . . . well that's to be seen.   Available on Smashwords - free

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Summary: A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It’s home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who will soon be told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice. Todd Landon is one of these people, living and working in a section of the world called the United States of America. His life is similar to those around him: home, family, work, friends and a husband. After the attack on San Jose, Todd is appointed to Special Envoy for Terran Affairs by the nentraee, a position many world leaders question. Undeterred Todd wants to build bridges between both people. However, this new position brings with it a new set of problems that not only he, but his new allies Mi’ko and Mirtoff must overcome. Will the humans and nentraee learn to work together despite mistrust and threats of more attacks by a new global terrorist group, or will the terrorists win? Will this bring an end to an already shaky alliance between nentraee and humans?