Tag: sci-fi

blog tour, books

Blog Tour: Blood Red Steel – Damien Larkin

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Welcome to the tour for Blood Red Steel by Damien Larkin! Read on for more details!

BloodRedSteel[1399]

Blood Red Steel (Big Red Book Series)

*Standalone Adventure

Publication Date: October 3, 2023

Genre: Science Fiction

Blood alone decides the fate of Mars

For two years, the Mars Expeditionary Force has held the line against the last remnants of the Third Reich. McCabe, Jenkins, and the Second Battalion long for home. Reinforcements have arrived, but the veterans of the MEF have one final mission. Defend Forward Base Zulu at all costs.

While Generalfeldmarschall Brandt plans a decisive showdown at Forward Base Zulu, Reichsführer Wagner celebrates the activation of the first generation of the Hollow Programme. Surrounded and cut off, McCabe and Jenkins once again find themselves in league with the MAJESTIC-12 operatives known as the Black Visors. Now the future hinges on the sacrifices of a few determined soldiers.

Excerpt

PART 1: STROLLING PAST THE CUTLINE
OUTSIDE NEW BERLIN COLONY, MARS
18th MARCH 1956
08:58 MST (MARS STANDARD TIME)
DAY 727 OF THE OCCUPATION
23 DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST TERRAN – MARTIAN WAR

Four hundred and eighty-eight men of the Second Battalion waited beyond the gates of New
Berlin, on soil where their brethren had died two years earlier. They each stood at attention,
staring at the vast, dented main entrance to the colony. Lieutenant William McCabe lingered
in a line at the front, the surviving lieutenants and acting captains to either side. Their
commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel ‘Mad Jack’ Wellesley, faced the unopened doors. He
slid his sword free and held the blade aloft.
“Strike banners!”

McCabe, officers, and NCOs repeated the order. A line of men behind Mad Jack reacted. In
well-practised motions, they hoisted the colours of their nations high, but without any wind,
the flags flopped. After eight months of hunting werewolf units and ambushing Wehrmacht
forces across the barren Martian terrain, McCabe had hoped for even a light breeze to see the
British flag flutter in all its glory. He gazed across the French, Polish, Soviet, West German,
and Irish flags representing the make-up of the battalion and imagined the scene of the
banners fluttering at full strength.

“Raise the standard!” Mad Jack said, and again, his order echoed.
One soldier stepped forward from the line and hoisted a pole with a wolfskin dangling from
it. Macabre as the spectacle appeared, their wolfskin standard had become a rallying point for
the beleaguered battalion after months of death and destruction. They liberated it from an SS
bunker out in the Badlands at the start of their mission, and it seemed fitting for their
operation. Since tasked with hunting and exterminating the werewolf terrorists fuelling the
insurrections across the colonies, they branded themselves wolf hunters.
“Battalion, prepare to march. March!”

As one, four hundred and eighty-eight pairs of feet thudded the blood-red sand. The
reinforced doors to New Berlin lumbered open. McCabe took a deep breath, fighting the
growing tightness in his chest. The strange, lightheaded dizziness that took him from time to
time seeped into his skull. Focusing on his breathing, he maintained his gaze on the opening
doors ahead. Jenkins cleared his throat across the open common channel and prepared to sing
the battalion anthem.

“Oh, King Ares, wades in blood to his knees, a warrior is he.”
A momentary pause before the battalion repeated his words in a thundering, unified voice.
“Oh, King Ares, wades in blood to his knees, a warrior is he.”
“He calls for his knife, he calls for his rifle, he calls for the Second Batt infantry.”
“He calls for his knife, he calls for his rifle, he calls for the Second Batt infantry.”
“New Berlin is ours, says the Colonel!”
“New Berlin is ours, says the Colonel!”
“It’s raining lead, say the captains.”
“It’s raining lead…”

The tightness in McCabe’s chest intensified when they entered the tunnel leading to the
airlocks into the colony. His hands shook in the strange involuntary way they did at random
intervals. He could hear his heart pounding, but knew if he checked his pulse, everything
would be fine. Sounds of gunfire, explosions, and screaming rattled through his skull.
“First o’er the top, say the louies.”
“First o’er…”

The main entrance slammed shut behind the battalion, and the first armoured airlock door
rose. Two years ago, McCabe had led an assault on the command station above, seizing
control of it with the mysterious Black Visors. Three days of brutal fighting in the Battle of
New Berlin preceded an unimaginable cycle of violence, costing him the lives of countless
good men. Images of butchered Nazis and his own slaughtered soldiers danced across his
vision. He tightened his grip on the butt of his Lee-Enfield to ease the trembling in his
fingers.
“Don’t get paid to slack, says sar’nt major.”
“Don’t get…”

Shame filled McCabe when the dizziness blurred his eyesight. His lads relied on him to be
their strength, yet his own body betrayed him. He experienced fear in battle like many men,
but it never engulfed him. Why now? Why when no shots erupted, with none of his soldiers
dying, could he hear those awful screams?
“Fix bayonets, says the Colour.”
“Fix bayonets…”

The airlock door thumped down behind the marching battalion, leaving one more between
them and the colony. McCabe fought to reassert control before they entered. Thoughts of
losing command of himself, of collapsing in front of his men without any physical wound,
mortified him. They’d never look at him the same way again. As one of Her Majesty’s
soldiers, he needed to pull himself together and act like it.
“Boots, one size fits all, says the BQ.”
“Boots, one size…”

Get it Here!

About the Author

author-photo5

Damien Larkin is an Irish science fiction and fantasy author. His novels Big Red and
Blood Red Sand were published by Dancing Lemur Press and went on to be
longlisted for BSFA awards for Best Novel. He spent seven years in the Irish Reserve Defence Force and currently lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Damien Larkin

Book Tour Schedule

October 2nd

http://rrbooktours.com Kick-off

https://www.ladyhawkeye.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/kellyatx/ – Feature

https://readsandreels.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/_marinainwonderland/ – Feature

October 3rd

http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Feature

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Feature

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Feature

October 4th

https://www.instagram.com/darkfantasyreviews/ – Review

http://www.crossroadreviews.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/Justagirlwithaloveofbooks/ – Feature

October 5th

https://www.instagram.com/tm_ghent/ – Feature

https://freelancewriterjannyc.com/ – Feature

https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/ – Feature

October 6th

https://themommaspot.home.blog/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/mermaidsreadtoo_/ – Feature

https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com – Feature

Book Tour Organized by R&R Book Tours

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Confession of Hemingway Jones – Kathleen Hannon

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Another fantastic book to curl up with! Read more about The Confession of Hemingway Jones below and be sure to grab a copy on September 26th!

Hannon_THE-CONFESSION-OF-HEMINGWAY-JONES_FC - Copy

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The Confession of Hemingway Jones

Publication Date: September 26, 2023

Genre: YA Sci-Fi
It’s time to raise the dead.

Moments after a devastating car accident kills his father, 17-year-old Hemingway Jones takes his father’s body to Lifebank, the cryogenic preservation research center where he interns. Hijacking the lab in a desperate attempt to reverse the natural order, Hemingway holds police and medics at bay as he works to revive his father. As dawn breaks, the heart monitor beeps, and his father slowly creeps back to life.

Days later, Hemingway arrives at the hospital to learn that his father’s skin has turned ashen gray, he can’t exist in temperatures above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and hydrogen sulfide has become his only source of food. Facing arrest for his reckless actions, Hemingway is offered a proposal by the billionaire owner of the lab: recreate the experiment he swore he’d never do again, or go to prison, leaving his father to die a second time.

Excerpt

It’s been a few months, but sour memories of the day I killed my father still burp back up, and my gut clenches every time. Todd and I were absolutely blazed, sitting on the front steps of his family’s double-wide when Dad pulled up, the tires on his Ford F250 skidding to a stop about three inches from my sneakers, while the Jones Construction and Restoration lettering was practically shoved up my nose. Dad hiked himself out the driver’s-side door with a slam and I knew I had about fifteen seconds to sober up.

We hadn’t planned on doing this—skipping school and getting baked. Or at least I hadn’t. But Todd had found this brick of hash in his parents’ barn, and well, it was the first spring day where temps were due to hit 65 degrees. We cut out fourth period, rode our bikes back to his place, and got rocked. Seemed like a good idea at the time, and we’d had fun tormenting the chickens, but now I was going to pay for it.

I wasn’t the only one who was nervous either. Todd tucked his drink behind his back while my dad crunched gravel. Todd had obviously forgotten that all he had was a Yoo-hoo. He nodded and called out, “Hey there, Mr. Jones.”

Dad murmured, “Todd,” in his general direction, but kept his eyes focused on me.

He was just standing there, directly in front of the late-afternoon sun. I squinted, but all I could see was this ominous black silhouette of rippling muscle.

I realize I’m making him sound scary, but he’s not. Everybody likes my dad, even Todd. Even me. He’s this pretty cool, off-the-grid kind of guy. He can build or fix just about anything, and I’m not just talking about when you’ve had a kitchen fire or a burst pipe—that’s just what he does for work. He’s also the guy who pulls over when you’ve got a flat and the one who starts applying the Heimlich on some choker in Kentucky Fried. (It’s happened.) He’s smart too. He doesn’t have a college degree or anything, but he can talk about black holes and relativity. He can take any online Mensa or IQ test and come up genius, every time. He even beats my scores, and I’m not easy to beat.

The point is stand-up guy Bill Jones can be a little scary when he’s mad. And I was about to get reamed.

He turned his face profile before he spoke, so I could see just how much air he was furiously pumping through his shadowy nostrils. “Got a call from the school. And another one from Cass.”

My first impulse was to cringe, make excuses, and get up, knowing I was busted. But over the last year or so I’d learned that if I waited long enough in these fights, my pangs of guilt would pass and I’d turn into a cocky asshole, someone far more capable of fighting with Bill Jones. So I waited until I saw Dad as a thunderstorm, rudely blocking out my sun. And I shrugged. I mean, big deal. So I skipped school again. I knew the real problem was the call from Cass. I’d never skipped the Tuesday/Friday afternoon internship before, and that was what he was really pissed about. He’d filled out all the paperwork for that internship himself—he’d even written the essay when I refused—all so that I would have “the future” he never did.

“Hem, I’ll uh—” Todd looked around quickly, hoping some excuse for his desertion would magically appear. “I think maybe I gotta help with dinner. See ya, Mr. Jones.” He practically ran inside.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Dad exhorted. “You have this gift. My God, you want to end up like that?” He gestured at Todd’s disappearing form.

“Dad, that’s low. Leave him alone.”

He didn’t even pause. He just growled, “Hemingway Jones,” in that low, throaty way that he always does before lecturing. And he knows I hate my name. But he rarely calls me Hem—he says it sounds like a pronoun.

“You have absolutely no idea what you’re risking. NONE!” And with that crack of thunder came the rain. He blasted on, salting his sentences liberally with words like responsibility and commitment.

I rolled my eyes. The lecture was so generic I didn’t taste anything close to regret. I could recite a variation of this speech as easily as I could the periodic table. Anyway, due to some really good dope, the tweaks and nuances of this particular version are lost forever.

Available at these Retailers:

CamCat Books

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

About the Author

image_6487327

Having worked as a Hollywood development executive for many years, Kathleen Hannon’s career got turned upside down by the Writer’s Strike of 2007. With nothing to edit, she turned her desk from west to north, and her editing skills to writing. Her Middle-Grade novel Bye for Now was published by Egmont in late 2011. After a couple screenplays for Hollywood, she has returned to books. The Confession of Hemingway Jones is her first YA novel. Hannon lives in Charlotte, N.C., and is the single mom of two daughters.

My thoughts: tackling grief, life after death, this sci fi tale fuses ideas from Frankenstein to Walt Disney’s chryogenically frozen head and creates a creepy but fascinating story. Hemingway Jones might only be a teenage intern but the experiment he conducted to save his dying father, turning him into another lifeform almost, brings him to the attention of his wealthy and possibly evil boss.

But Hemingway doesn’t want to recreate the terrifying moments before his arrest, can he prevent the billionaire from doing this again and can he help his father?

Clever, sinister and enjoyable, this is a mystery unlike any other.

Book Tour Schedule

September 25th

http://rrbooktours.com – Kick-Off

https://www.ladyhawkeye.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/kellyatx/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/dreaminginpages/ – Feature

September 26th

https://www.instagram.com/amanda_coffee_books/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/read.em.if.you.got.em/ – Feature

http://ramblingmads.com – Review

September 27th

https://www.instagram.com/ameliaveganreader/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/fathomsamidstthelines/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/authormariereed/ – Feature

September 28th

https://www.instagram.com/anta_syllaaa/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review

https://www.instagram.com/copyrightxcasey/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/id_ratherbereading_247/ – Review

https://breakevenbooks.com – Feature

September 29th

https://www.instagram.com/calhoun.crew/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/hmylek/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/mommyandherbooks/ – Review

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/sassymamareads/ – Review

Book Tour Organized by R&R Book Tours

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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#SummerofSciFi Book Review: Assassins & Olympians – Marie Howalt

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When interstellar private investigator Richard Hart and his pilot, Eddie Macías, are combing a zetoi city for a fugitive insurance fraudster, the open-and-shut case takes an unexpected and deadly turn.

They return to their spaceship, the Colibri, with a dangerous military secret that threatens to have dire consequences for everyone involved. Conflicts begin to brew, despite travel guide writer turned live-in consultant Alannah Jackson’s eager attempts to keep tempers in check.

As Richard and crew reconnect with a familiar Terran Defense Force intelligence officer, they discover a political game that requires their discretion, and may even throw humanity’s peaceful unity into question.

Join Colibri Investigations for a new adventure full of snarky banter, undercover agents, vendettas, coffee approximations of varying quality, and action straight out of a wendek crime show.There’s no planet too distant, no job too strange, for Colibri Investigations!

Marie Howalt grew up near Copenhagen in Denmark, Scandinavia and decided to become a writer at the age of 11 when the local library failed to deliver an acceptable amount of science fiction and fantasy.

Having graduated with a master’s degree in religion and English studies with a primary focus on speculative literature, Marie wrote as a hobby and worked as a teacher and a translator between English and Danish before changing lanes in life due to chronic illness (post concussion syndrome).

Fast-forward to the present, and you will find Marie writing as much as physically possible. The tales are longer and more complex than the childhood fantasies, but they still take place in the far future or other worlds.

When not writing (or bribing imaginary people to share their stories), Marie is dedicated to being a cat perch, but also enjoys reading and listening to audiobooks as well as drawing, making videos, and collecting and restoring antique fountain pens. Sometimes, you can find Marie pushing art supplies, stationary and fancy pens in one of Copenhagen’s oldest shops.

Marie’s first traditionally published novel came out in 2019, and since then, there has been a steady flow of a new book every year (plus the odd short story). Assassins and Olympians is the second novella about Colibri Investigations, but the trusty little spaceship is already preparing to take flight again, so you won’t have to wait for too long to join the crew on more adventures.

If you want to keep up with Marie’s life and writing and get a healthy dose of cat pictures, please drop by Marie’s Instagram profile @mhowalt. You can also get special perks and previews by newsletter or on Patreon via www.mhowalt.dk

My thoughts: this was a really fun adventure novella, with PI’s Richard and Eddie on the trail of the person who hired an assassin to take Richard out. But despite no longer being a soldier, Richard has skills and before long the assassin is joining the crew of the Colibri, temporarily as he assures an unimpressed Eddie, to assist with finding the person who hired him through a middle man.

There’s plenty of hijinks, kidnappings, arrests, favours for the Terran Defence Force, that thankfully comes with expenses, Eddie’s snack bill alone costs a small fortune, and planets with very weird rules – how many people outside Greece speak Greek?

This was so much fun to read and I hope there’s going to be lots more stories about the crew of the Colibri to come.

Thank you to Marie for sending me a copy to read and review, make sure you stop by her links above and say hi.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Timewalker Archives – Emily VanderBent

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We are thrilled to be hosting The Timewalker Archives by Emily VanderBent this week! Just look at the beauty!!!

The Timewalker Archives Cover

The Timewalker Archives

Publication Date: May 25, 2023

Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

⏳Time Travel
⏳Historical Descendants
⏳Secret Society
⏳Hidden Abilities
⏳Deadly Competition
⏳Slow Burn
⏳Forced Proximity
⏳Rivals to Lovers

Unlikely alliances, ancient lineages, and a rich history shrouded in secrets propel Adelaide Anson in her search for the only thing that matters—the truth behind the fire that claimed her parents’ lives.

When a mysterious letter appears promising answers, she finds herself joining the exclusive time traveling order of the Red Rose Society. As she makes her way from the French Revolution to the American Civil War and back again, Adelaide is left wondering who she can trust, and more importantly, who she’ll be. With danger and dashing companions at every turn, her emerging ability to see fragments of history leads her on a path to uncover the answers she seeks—and some she did not ask for.

While time unravels in ways she never thought possible, she’s forced to examine her role in history’s making. But as she quickly learns, the truth comes with a price and some secrets are better left buried.

Adelaide’s tale of twisted time will leave her asking the ultimate question—is protecting the past worth sacrificing your future?

The Timewalker Archives Vol. 1 combines Crimson Time and Fractured Past, the first two books in a young adult historical fantasy series perfect for fans of NBC’s Timeless and Alyson Noël’s Stealing Infinity.

About the Author

Headshot

Emily VanderBent is a natural-born storyteller. As a writer and historian, she desires to celebrate women in history. Through her books, VanderBent uses elements of history to creatively engage readers with the past. She hopes her writing will encourage young women to fearlessly pursue their passions and own the narrative of their individual story.

While living in the real world, Emily dreams of days long past and stories yet to be told.

Emily VanderBent

Instagram: @emilyvanderbent_author

Twitter: @emvan6

TikTok: @emilyvanderbent_author

Facebook: Emily VanderBent: Author

My thoughts: this was an interesting premise – descendants of famous people, good or bad, are inducted into a mysterious order, The Society of the Red Rose, who have built a time machine. Their true reasons for it are a bit murky and the woman in charge, known as Matriarch, has a lot of secrets.

Adelaide accepts an invitation to the Society, hoping they might have some answers about her parents’ terrible deaths in a house fire. She discovers that not only are most of the people she’s closest to members, but a lot more than she bargained for, and Matriarch seems to be very interested in her, possibly not for the best reasons.

Trips to the French Revolution and Civil War era America, mysterious Scottish castles, gangsters, estranged family members, Adelaide has a lot to deal with. It’s overwhelming, and then there’s the strange visions she’s been having. Are they connected to the Society?

While this doesn’t answer all of Adelaide’s questions, being the first in a series, you do learn, as she does, some shocking revelations, things that might change her entire life and throw her family into a new light.

Fun, full of mysteries and a hint of romance, this is an enjoyable and entertaining read.

Book Tour Organized By:

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*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own

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#SummerofSciFi: Finding Solace series by Karl Drinkwater

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Hello, fellow sci fi fans, here we are for some more books that I love. I first read the first book in this series for a blog tour, what feels like forever ago. I loved it and read the second one for a follow up blog tour too. Indeed a few titles in this series have had the same treatment, the rest I read originally, just for me.

Karl’s a great writer, and this series has an intriguing premise or two that I really liked. Plus I love a snarky AI system and the relationship they build with their human crew mates. And this has that too.

Opal is looking for her missing sister Clarissa, and has stolen a ship to do that. Which means her investigation into the mysterious Lost Ships and Clarissa’s whereabouts is somewhat hampered by the unimpressed former employer who wants their ship back.

As the series continues and the AI Opal originally names after her sister gets more intelligent, they become a real team. On the run, and still searching for answers.

There’s also a series of novellas, all based on characters we meet along with Opal, and mostly the ones in pursuit of our renegade ship and her crew. Which gives an interesting opposing perspective on events and plotlines. It’s a fully realised universe in many ways and I can’t wait to see where it goes next (I still haven’t read book 4, but now book 5 is here, it’s time!)

Author Links Website Newsletter Discord Goodreads Facebook

Click for the Books2Read link

Lost Solace (Book 1) gumroad link

Click to access the Book2Read link

Chasing Solace (Book 2) gumroad link

Click for books2read link

Hidden Solace (Book 3) gumroad link

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Raising Solace (Book 4) gumroad link

Click for the books2read link

Finding Solace (Book 5) gumroad link

Have you read this series? Are you a fan of chatty AIs? Let me know in the comments and if you’re a sci fi fan, definitely check the series out.

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Cover Reveal: The Goodbye Kids – Debbie Iancu-Haddad

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Cover Reveal Banner

Check out the cover for upcoming release by Debbie Iancu-Haddad, The Goodbye Kids! 

cover 1.83 mb

The Goodbye Kids: A YA SF space adventure (The Children of the Stars #1)

Expected Publication Date: September 6, 2023

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

A million stars, but no friends.

Plus-size teen Haley grew up friendless on a space station thinking she’d never fall in love. She spends her time with her robot dog Nano, dreaming of the day she’ll leave the remote station and become an intergalactic pilot.

Haley’s plan shatters when Jorden, a boy on a suicide mission, drags her into his lethal scheme.

Jorden Lund isn’t the chosen one, he’s the guy who volunteered.

Raised by his controlling father in an eco-terrorist cell on Earth, Jorden volunteers for a mission to save the planet. He has four months to travel to the space station, build a bomb, and blow up a spaceship.

Falling in love is definitely not part of the plan.

When Jorden arrives on the space station, disguised as a traveler, Haley’s access to the station’s restricted areas makes her an asset.

But Haley has a strict rule: ‘No new friends’, because traveler friends always leave, taking pieces of her heart with them.

As the two grow closer, strange events wreak havoc on the station.

Amidst the growing danger can Haley stop Jorden before he breaks her heart and destroys her home?

This book is perfect for readers who enjoy soft, character-based, Sci-Fi, first-person dual POV, clean teen romance, space stories, talking robot dogs, and plus-sized heroines just living their life with no mention of weight loss.

Pre-order Here!

About the Author

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Debbie Iancu-Haddad is a Jewish Israeli author living in Meitar in the Negev Desert.

She spends her time taking part in Anthologies (seven to date with two more on the way), writing VSS on Twitter, and buying way too much stuff online. Her goal is to promote body positive characters and include characters dealing with physical challenges. #ownvoices

For her day job, she gives lectures on humor, laughter yoga workshops and chocolate workshops, and sees how often she can make her two teenagers roll their eyes.

Debbie Iancu-Haddad | Twitter  | Facebook | Instagram

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Summer of Sci Fi: Space Operas, Queerness and Found Family

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I didn’t think I liked sci fi, raised by a dad who loves Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate (if it was set in space, had a military angle and star in the title, he watched it), put me off. I didn’t see myself in those shows or in the classic sci fi books in the library.

But in the last few years there’s been a boom in sci fi that’s smart and inclusive. Queer writers, writers of colour, women writers are all there now, some of the most interesting work in fiction is taking place in the genre. Because in sci fi, you can be anyone, do anything, hold a mirror up to our reality and tilt it.

A lot of the sci fi I’ve been reading recently has been tackling the effects and legacy of colonialism, something that much fiction is leery about covering. But set it in the far future on another planet, with aliens or even future humans and you can explore the dark history of humanity and discuss its terrible lasting damage without upsetting anyone (well, except the usual reactionists, and we’re the snowflakes!) 

There’s something for everyone in the new sci fi, plenty of writers are still writing space marines and war stories but more and more there are queer characters, non binary and trans characters, found families working as a crew. And they’re funny. A lot of those classic books I found in the library took themselves very seriously. You’re in space! With aliens! Laugh.

So I’m embracing this brave new world, and will be sharing various favourites across the summer here and on Instagram, so keep an eye out.

To whet your appetite, here’s a few of my favourites.

The Word For World is Forest – Ursula K. LeGuin

LeGuin is one of the greats, her Earthsea series remains a stone cold classic. But one of my favourites is this slim volume from 1972.  Partly inspired by the author’s condemnation of the Vietnam War, this novella looks at a logging colony set up by humans on a forest planet and the enslavement of the native people – the Athsheans. While some criticised the book as too polemical, I think that LeGuin was making a clear comment about colonialism, slavery and ecology. The military that runs the logging camps cares nothing for the Athsheans or their planet. When they finally start to fight back, they are met by brute force and violence.

Saga –  Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples 

This is actually a long running graphic novel series but is one of my absolute favourites. It’s about a family trying to stay together despite the odds. Alana and Marko fall in love even though they are fighting on opposite sides of a seemingly endless war. When Alana gets pregnant, they go on the run with their friends. It’s narrated by their daughter, Hazel. They live in a space ship made from a tree at one point. Endlessly creative and inclusive, the nanny is trans and the babysitter’s a ghost.

Telling the story of these outsiders alongside those of some of the other players searching for this special family. I love the various bounty hunters and especially Lying Cat, who can tell when you lie. There are currently 11 books, in various bindings and I only have 10! Ahh!

The Red Scholar’s Wake – Aliette de Bodard

This came out very recently and as well as being very beautiful to look at, is a captivating romance between a ship, Rice Fish, and her captive/wife. They’re pirates fighting to ensure their survival after The Red Scholar, Rice Fish’s wife, dies. There are enemies everywhere and an empire looming at the edges, hoping to crush the pirates completely.

I came to this via de Bodard’s fantasy series set in a future destroyed Paris. As a French-Vietnamese writer, she is tackling colonialism from within, giving a different perspective on the history and struggles of colonised people.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars – Christopher Paolini

The crew of the Wallfish are smugglers who answer a distress call and get dragged into an epic space war involving ancient alien artifacts and species. It’s a sprawling story that travels across the galaxy, attempting to create peace but finding only chaos as both humans and aliens refuse to even attempt to understand one another.

I haven’t read the Eragon books, despite my love of dragons the series never appealed, but this intelligent space opera really captured me. Paolini spent years writing it and while it is a big book, it doesn’t feel laboured.

La Sirena Negra trilogy – Valerie Valdes

Prime Deceptions introduces us to the crew of La Sirena Negra, a freighter, captained by Eva Innocente, a former mercenary. There’s a whole tribe of psychic cats on board, which I adore, and it is also quite queer. Followed by Chilling Effect and Fault Tolerance as the crew get dragged into various misadventures including rescuing Eva’s kidnapped sister, and stopping a terrifying alien race from destroying the galaxy.

This whole series is very funny and there’s lots of action as Eva can’t say no to a fight, even when her opponent is much bigger than her. Aided by her faithful crew, even when they should know better, it’s space hijinks galore.

What sci fi do you enjoy? Any recommendations? Keep an eye out for more Summer of Sci Fi posts coming soon that might include some books you’ll enjoy!

*images used were found via Google. If you are the owner and wish to be credited, please let me know*

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Book Blitz: She Dreams in Blue Light – A.R. Malecki

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Looking for something a little different? 

She Dreams in Blue Light is the debut novel by A. R. Malecki which forces readers to think about the implications of our tech-driven society. 

ebook front

She Dreams in Blue Light

Publication Date: June 27, 2023

Genre: NA Fiction w/ Sci-Fi Vibes

“A wonderful ode to love, autonomous thinking, and the possible implications of living in a tech-forward society.”
– Reedsy Discovery

Eleanor Crawford believes she can solve any problem with computer code. At just twenty-six years old, she holds a coveted software engineering position at Atlanta’s hottest startup, Agora, dubbed “The Gathering Place of the Internet.” She might be the only woman on her team, but that won’t stop her from being at the forefront of the platform’s most exciting new feature: Assemblies.

But the pressure for profit will change the nature of Eleanor’s work, challenging her idealistic, build-something-great mentality. Swept up in the fast-paced, prestigious world of Big Tech, she becomes entangled in ethical gray areas as well as an unexpected romance.

When tragedy strikes her family, she’s forced to confront the consequences of the very technology she helped create. Eleanor’s naive ideas of success come unraveled-caught between the company that’s defined her career and identity and her growing sense of responsibility to society.

Told with empathy and insight, “She Dreams in Blue Light” is both an inspiring story about one woman’s journey to find meaning in her work, and a scathing critique of today’s profit-centered, corporate mindset.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

ANNA “A.R.” MALECKI is the author of debut novel “She Dreams in Blue Light.” Her writing has appeared in Infinite Worlds science fiction magazine and she’s a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. She’s worked as a software engineer and in product design/research. 

You can find her on Instagram and Substack. 

Book Blitz Organized By:

R&R Button

R&R Book Tours

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Blog Tour: Bad Realities – Andrew Schrader

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Welcome to the tour for Andrew Schrader’s creeptastic collection, Bad Realities. Read on for more details!

Cover V3

Bad Realities: Stories of Shock and Suspense

Expected Publication Date: Spring 2023

Genre: Speculative Fiction/ Horror/ Suspense/ Sci-Fi

To avoid the apocalypse, a boy must cannibalize the dead in . . . THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING ERNEST

A Tarkagen barbarian returning home to retrieve an ancient elixir faces his own worst fears in . . . HONDO RANE AND THE CITY OF ILLUSION

After World War IV, a giant, radioactive floating brain haunts the wastelands. Can a psychic girl harness her powers long enough to stop it? . . . in THE FLOATING BRAIN.

Join these poor souls and many others as they struggle to survive in worlds gone wrong. Can you handle the shock? Or will their stories leave you in a crumpled heap, screaming in vain to escape.

Now Available on Amazon and Free for KU!

About the Author

andrewtattoopic

Andrew Schrader is a Los Angeles-based author and film director known for his fascination with the stranger sides of human nature. He’s directed two feature films, music videos for bands Osees, Moon-Drenched, and White Reaper, and was a script consultant on “Afterlife,” a horror series for Crypt TV.

His three-book series, What Goes On In The Walls at Night, was featured on the Reddit No Sleep podcast and twice won the Red City Review Book of the Year for fantasy and horror. He also wrote several episodes of the animated show Tig n’ Seek. Bad Realities is his fourth book of short stories.

Yes, of course he loves cats.

Andrew J. Schrader

Book Tour Schedule

May 29th

http://rrbooktours.com – Kick-Off

http://www.ismellsheep.com/ – Feature

https://christinebialczak.com/ – Feature

http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Review

May 30th

https://instagram.com/jemreader?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== – Review

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Review

http://readsandreels.com – Feature

May 31st

https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/ – Feature

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids/ – Review

June 1st

https://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/toomuchcoffeemd/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D – Review

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

June 2nd

https://www.instagram.com/ameliaveganreader/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/punkybookbabe/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/read.em.if.you.got.em/ – Feature

Book Tour Organized By:

R&R Button

R&R Book Tours

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Fractal Noise – Christopher Paolini

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Fractal Noise is the thrilling prequel to the masterful space opera To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by internationally bestselling author of Eragon, Christopher Paolini.

On the planet Talos VII, twenty-three years before the events of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, an anomaly is detected: a vast circular pit, with dimensions so perfect that it could only have been the result of conscious design. So a small team is assembled to learn more – perhaps even who built the hole and why. Their mission will take them on a hazardous trek to the very edge of existence.

For one explorer, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. For another, a risk not worth taking. And for xenobiologist Alex Crichton, it’s a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe. But every step they take towards that mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last. Ultimately, no one is prepared for what they will encounter.

My thoughts: I loved TSiaSoS, but while this is set in the same universe, twenty three years earlier, it is a very different book, and not just because of its lengths.

In a way it is a desperately sad book, these four humans more or less alone on an alien world, a hostile environment, making it hard for them to sleep, to walk, to do anything. Alex, the protagonist, is mourning his wife, the other members of the team have their own traumas and damage. As they trudge endlessly across an uncaring planet, towards an unknown goal, their exhaustion and isolation make them spiral.

They’re convinced someone made the mysterious, loud, EMP emitting hole, it’s too perfect to be accidental, but the only creatures they encounter are somewhat hostile and make no attempt to communicate, they are so strange that no one knows what to make of them. They don’t seem to be doing anything recognisable, we always try to equate things back to what we understand from human experience – but these creatures or machines, follow no patterns the team can discern.

As they get closer, a series of accidents make it harder and harder for them to accomplish their work and their mental states start to struggle. The desperate straits they find themselves in are worsened by not being able to contact the rest of the crew, isolation pushing them to breaking point. None of them are particularly easy people to be with, and there’s a distinct lack of team spirit. Alex withdraws into himself and his memories, and the rest of the team aren’t any better.

What their mission achieves is minimal and for a moment, all seems lost. There’s a Pandora’s Box effect for Alex, suddenly looking up, the ship passes overhead. And hope sparks. Perhaps we aren’t alone – we have each other.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.