Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for July 2017

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some June books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have new releases covering the whole broad spectrum of speculative fiction. This month, we have urban fantasy, paranormal romance, science fiction romance, post-apocalyptic fiction, space opera, military science fiction, hard science fiction, science fiction mystery, alternate history, Norse mythology, horror, vampires, elves, ghosts, valkyries, FBI witches, space outlaws, unicorn killers, murder in space, intergalactic slavers, haunted prisons and much more.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Victorious Dead by Marie Andreas:

The galaxy was in for a world of hurt—chaos unseen since the violent, sadistic Asarlaí ruled. For the first time in her life, Vas doesn’t know if she can fight hard enough to stop it.

Vaslisha Tor Dain was a simple sort of mercenary starship captain. She fought hard, drank hard, and killed people when all else failed. Those were the good days--blown to interstellar dust when a band of crazed monks tried to resurrect a race of long-dead homicidal rulers: the Asarlaí.

Vas and her crew defeated the first wave but at great cost, both professional and personal.

Now lying low, she's been taking tedious recovery jobs with a new ship, a new second-in-command, and a galactic government that has gone into hiding but is still on the hunt for her and her ship. But there are noises in the distant corners of the galaxy that the Asarlaí have found new allies and another way to come back from the great beyond. A painful and brutal way that will destroy worlds.

In the darkest night of deep space, if she sits too still and thinks too long, she still misses her former ship, scattered in pieces across the universe, and Deven, her former second-in-command, also scattered in pieces across the universe.

When what should have been an easy job with easy money backfires in her face, the cosmic conspiracy engulfs her again. The ghost--make that ghosts--of her dead lover appears, as do the deadly, long-gone Asarlaí who want their empire of worlds back, never mind that other beings live there. And Vas realizes lying low was never a possibility, not for the Warrior Wench, and never for her.

Death is final. Except when it isn’t.
But the righteous in battle are always
VICTORIOUS DEAD.

Strangeways by Robert J. Brunner:

SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD!

Thomas Griffin has heard the legends about Strangeways Federal Penitentiary -- tall tales and whispered rumors.

Ghost stories.

Now a guard has died, and the FBI agent is summoned to the century-old prison to investigate.
Inside the massive stone walls, Griffin finds a drug-fueled madhouse of violence and hate. He kills a man in self-defense only to see him rise from death and murder an innocent. Inmates commit horrific suicides using the only weapon at hand -- the prison walls themselves. The trail of grisly deaths lead Griffin to the greatest threat -- not just to body, but to soul -- the disciples of an ancient, blood-thirsty cult.

The Gate at the Grey Wolf Star by M.D. Cooper:

In the Age of the Orion War...

After nine long years of searching the Inner Stars, Jessica and the crew of Sabrina have finally found the president's brother, Finaeus Tomlinson.

Now Finaeus has convinced them to take a shortcut through a jump gate--a new technology none of them have ever used before--located at a secret dwarf star mining operation.

But a mysterious group within the Transcend Space Force, known as the Grey Division, has orders to intercept and capture both Jessica and Finaeus.

Trapped at the bottom of a steep gravity well and surrounded by enemies, Jessica and the crew of Sabrina must find a way out of the Grey Wolf System and deliver the crucial information Finaeus carries back to New Canaan before even their allies are forced to turn against them.

Selling Out by Zen DiPietro:

Begin a fun, exciting epic science fiction series that spans an entire galaxy. Selling Out continues the Dragonfire Station universe with Cabot's story.

It's all just fun and games unless a profit can be made.

Cabot Layne is a trader, through and through. Some might call him a pirate, but he never breaks the law. He only bends it. One thing's for sure--he's certainly no hero. Except a certain BlackOps officer seems to think he is, and sends him off on a mission only a trader can pull off.

That only a very good trader can pull off.

War is good for business.

Cabot's not concerned with the safety of an allied planet, or even the PAC itself--everyone knows guys like him are privateers who only care about themselves. But if he can save the planet and make a profit too...well, that might not hurt his reputation too much.

Sometimes a shady guy needs to play good guy.

Piper Deez and the Case of the Winter Planet by M. Fenn:

Detective Piper Deez, newlywed but still hardboiled, is a solar system away from home investigating murder and thievery on Alta-na-Schell, the Winter Planet. Who can she trust? Who should she trust? Why didn't anyone tell her monogamy was going to be this difficult? Eye of the Storm, a domed city riven by clan rivalries and corruption—with only fingerlengths of shielding protecting its denizens from certain death—may hold some answers and, perhaps, even the end of Piper Deez.

If monogamy doesn't get to her first...

A Magical Reckoning by N.R. Hairston:

By Any Other Name
Rye must risk her life to save her best friend and fellow Scope agent from the drug runner bent on draining him of valuable skunk oil. Having skunk DNA herself, she'll do anything to shut down the illegal operation and get her friend back, but putting her trust in a stranger may lead to an unexpected tryst, as well as the ultimate betrayal.

I Was Asked to Kill Him
Delia is a pacifist who never wanted to kill her boyfriend, Greg. In a world full of powerful beings, she only wants to stay under the radar. She paid her debt to society and only wants to get back to a quiet life - but Greg isn't finished with her yet.

Pear Town Ruckus
A game of Spades is all that stand between telekinetic Leah and paying her rent this month. When fellow card player, Xavier offers to be her partner, she's delighted, that is until she finds herself fighting for her life in Pear Town, a place even cops dare not enter.

Belle of the Ball
All Kerry wants is to go home. Swept away from her hopeless existence into a life of strange luxury in an alternate universe, Kerry isn't convinced her luck has changed. As she discovers the ugly truth buried under the world of opulence and indulgence, she also discovers that she may not be as helpless as she thought, which is good, because what they have planned for her is a fate worse than death.

A Gathering of Succubi
In a race against the clock, Kia only has twenty-four hours to discover which of her fellow Succubi is killing humans. All supernatural beings are under the rule of the powerful First Families, who have laid down their mandate - find the killer, or all Succubi will suffer the consequences.

New Wings by N.D. Iverson:

Anahira Clarkson. Dating app addict. Problem drinker. Supernatural newbie. Screw up.

When mauled bodies start piling up in Calypso City, Anahira and her crew are hired to hunt down the rogue werewolf responsible. No mercenary could refuse such a fat pay check. Too bad word spreads. With the Magistratus breathing down her neck and competing mercenaries hot on her heels, the case is messier than the werewolf’s meals.

If that’s not enough, her crew is being picked off one by one. Screw money, now it’s personal. Anahira has no choice; it’s time to woman up and track down the killer before her friends and co-workers become puppy chow.

Beacon's Fury by Jim Johnson:

DEFENDING THE VEIL

Rachel Farran returns in the third book of the POTOMAC SHADOWS series! When the evil Spinner begins an all-out attack on Rachel and everything she holds dear, Rachel must draw on all the resources at her disposal to defend herself and her allies. Can she survive the challenge or will she be doomed to haunt the shadows alone for all time?

Beacon's Fury is the third book in POTOMAC SHADOWS, a paranormal fantasy series set in the Washington, DC metro area.

Deal with the Devil by Eugene Kirk and Garan Mad:

She may be just an actress, but Shay the Savage She-Wolf’s out to prove her bark is nothing compared to her bite . . .

With her career as a bio-augmented E-tainment superstar making a rebound, Shay’s hopes and dreams finally seem to be taking form. But when a brush with urban violence leaves one of her neighbors shot and another kidnapped, her life is abruptly thrust into turmoil once more.

With the cops set to do nothing, Shay sets out to find her neighbor and rescue him before the unthinkable happens. But when the trail leads to one of the biggest drug lords in Miami, Shay quickly finds herself in over her head.

Now, she’ll have to use her brains as well as her genetically enhanced brawn to navigate Miami’s seedy underworld and find her friend before it’s too late.

But to do so, she’ll have to make a shaky deal with a devil she knows she can’t trust.

Sagitta by Ruby Lionsdrake:

Dr. Tala Matapang thought the most challenging part about getting kidnapped by slavers from another planet would be escaping, not butting heads with the obstinate Star Guardian captain who rescued her. She’s been working in his sickbay, and it's refreshing not having to deal with the politics and bureaucracy she faced as a surgeon back home, but Captain Sagitta is as infuriating as he is handsome. He's got this crazy plan to take her and the other women home against his government's wishes, and he didn't even consult them about it first.

Captain Sagitta "Sage" of Dethocoles believes in doing the right thing. That's why he's defying his government to take Tala and the other Earth women home. Unfortunately, he has a couple of problems. First, his government is sending a surprisingly aggressive pursuit after them. Second, he’s having a hard time imagining dropping Tala off and never seeing her again. She’s a capable doctor and is doing an excellent job heading up his sickbay. More than that, he’s attracted to her and is starting to care about her. Too bad he’s better at barking orders than sharing feelings, and he seems to argue with her every time they speak.

With trouble stalking the ship from behind and obstacles blocking the route ahead, Sage and Tala will have to form a bond and learn to work together, or neither of them will see their home worlds again.

Revenge by Dominique Mondesir:

When the entire universe is determined to destroy you...

With a ship accrued and allies on hand, Phoenix Jones believes his life is finally ready for some smooth sailing. But Holger Portendorfer has other plans as he launches an all-out war against Phoenix.

As Phoenix fights back with every ounce of his being, old enemies resurface, forcing him to question who he trusts. While battles are won and lost, Phoenix's friendships crumble.

Against all odds, in a David and Goliath tale told like never before, can one man and his motley crew defeat a space lord and his armada before more innocent people get hurt?

How many pieces of your soul could you give up, to do what’s right.

One man and his crew, are about to find the answer to that very question.

Night of the Unicorn by T.S. Paul:

Someone is killing Unicorns and the Magical Division of the FBI has been assigned to stop it. Special Agent in Charge Agatha Blackmore has an edge to solving this new case. Her familiar and friend Fergus is a talking Unicorn. But he doesn't want to help, even if it's his own Herd he's be saving. Sacrifices don't come back is all he will say. The team has to track down a killer while dodging Blood Magick and more Godly interference along the way. What is a Witch to do?

Young Parisians by P.J. Post:

Ten years ago, the world ended.

Ten years ago, a handful of orphaned kids were infected with a bioweapon virus. They called themselves the Pixie Girls.

Ten years ago, raging fires ended the Battle of Freemont; half of the Pixie Girls escaped to the river.

Ten years ago, the others didn’t.

The Pixie Girls refuse to give up hope, and as they come of age, searching for one another, they transform from terrified refugees into ruthless seasoned warriors: Wanted, dead or alive.

Surrounded by Bounty Hunters and Slavers, by zombies and mutating lands, the Pixie Girls remain honor bound and vigilant, committed to finding their sisters, to protecting each other, and no matter what, to living to fight another day.

But after ten years, hope is becoming liability.

Frigga's Lost Army by Juli D. Revezzo:

In the winter of 1943, Benjamin is just a grunt and Army cook—until he finds himself captured, along with his unit, taken prisoner by Mussolini's troops after the Battle of Tunisia.

Transported to a POW camp in Italy, Benjamin is plagued with intense visions of the Norse Goddess Frigga and her retinue of Valkyries, berserkers, and other magical beings.

When he encounters a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to the goddess, he wonders if he hasn’t been entangled in a battle between the natural and the supernatural—a battle for the present and the future.

Equality by Alasdair Shaw:

Harry Robinson lives an idyllic lifestyle. A brilliant computer engineer, he made his fortune pushing the limits of android design. When a neighbouring planet is hit by a global nuclear strike, he feels compelled to help. A chance encounter with a group of offworld soldiers launches him on the trail of the perpetrators.

Prefect Olivia Johnson leads a Legion of disillusioned soldiers from both sides of the civil war. She blames herself for failing to prevent the attack. Now her mission is to hunt for its architect. But first, she must reclaim their adopted home from a different enemy. An enemy who won’t even talk.

The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is Johnson’s best friend and closest ally. Despite the lives they have saved, artificial intelligences are still the victims of fear and prejudice. The shadowy warship fights to defend the first place it felt accepted, and for equal rights for its kind.

First Love by Aria Sparke:

Lily Winter has never had time for boyfriends. All she has ever wanted is to be a doctor, but her life is unraveling. With the death of her father and her life coming apart at the seams, she and her mother move oceans to the watercolor world of Wicklow. In the midst of her pain, she meets Flynn Cooper—intelligent, handsome and caring. Their attraction to each other soon proves overwhelming and undeniable. Flynn’s wealthy and ancient family hide dark secrets and Lily finds herself ensnared in their strange world. After meeting Flynn’s charismatic and hypnotic father, her life becomes increasingly complicated leaving her to question everything about the universe she held as true. When the Ruberios call upon her to help their family, Lily discovers her decisions can’t be undone, entrapping her in a terrifying web.

ONSET: Blood of the Innocent by Glynn Stewart:

A war older than the nation
An enemy with agents at every turn
An ancient foe with an offer of peace

The alliance with the Elfin Warriors has allowed the United States Government’s supernatural forces, the Omicron Branch, to hold the line against the demons and take the war to the Vampire Familias, defeating them in battle and reclaiming their resources.

Victory against the vampires, however, leaves David White with a moral dilemma as he captures an entire convoy of freshly turned vampires: beyond saving, but innocent of their species’ crimes. Duty only allows one fate for them—but then an ancient vampire arrives to negotiate for their freedom.

Letting them go drags David into the middle of a political nightmare as the Omicron branch must decide which is more important: Omicron’s authority and revenge for their dead, or the very Constitution and people they are sworn to defend…

Virago One by John Triptych:

Virago: the codename for a top secret project between ACE Corp and USAF Space Command. Its goal is to deploy the first fusion-powered battleship to ensure American domination of any potential conflict in space.

There’s only one problem: Virago has been stolen.

The world is now at the brink of war as the hijacked spacecraft forges a path of destruction across known space. The task to intercept and retake this dangerous adversary falls on corporate troubleshooter Stilicho Jones and NASA Special Agent Darian Arante, who must overcome their mutual distrust and antagonism just to survive. This time the stakes are higher, the price of failure too catastrophic to imagine.

Strangeways by Robert J. Brunner

Release date: 30 May 2017

Sub-genre: Ghosts, Norse & Viking Myth

About Strangeways:

SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD!

Thomas Griffin has heard the legends about Strangeways Federal Penitentiary -- tall tales and whispered rumors.

Ghost stories.

Now a guard has died, and the FBI agent is summoned to the century-old prison to investigate.

Inside the massive stone walls, Griffin finds a drug-fueled madhouse of violence and hate. He kills a man in self-defense only to see him rise from death and murder an innocent. Inmates commit horrific suicides using the only weapon at hand -- the prison walls themselves. The trail of grisly deaths lead Griffin to the greatest threat -- not just to body, but to soul -- the disciples of an ancient, blood-thirsty cult.

Excerpt:

The Cave was cold.

It was a one-story, red-brick structure to the north of D-Block. It had one door in its front, which faced the exercise yard, and except for the small glass pane above the door handle, there were no windows in the building. Its sole purpose was solitary confinement.

Katrina's heels clicked along the hallway and echoed back to her. She carried a first-aid bag on one shoulder, and a supply bag over the other. She kept the key, which she had borrowed from C.O. Sinclair, in hand.

A narrow run of fluorescent lights offered the only illumination in the building. The interior of each cell would be dark. The walls of each unit were solid brick, and the iron doors let in no light, except when the small pass-through was open, to slide food trays back and forth during the meals.

A voice called out from behind one of the doors. "Who's that? Sounds like a woman. You here to see me, mama? I'm right here. Daddy's right here." Katrina passed by without a word in response. "Fuck you, bitch! Get in here and let me stick it in!"

She stopped in front of cell 012. She was surprised how calm she felt. She had never visited an inmate in the Cave by herself, and wasn't sure if the warden would approve. She hadn't asked for permission to come alone, because she would have come even if she'd been denied. She had to know.

She caressed the door with her fingertips. It was the same gesture she might use to gently wake a lover. "I'm coming in," she called out. She put the key in the lock, turned it, and pulled the door open, bringing light into the cell.

Sutter smiled at her.

He sat in the five-point restraint chair, no tension in his body, utterly at peace. She felt his gaze travel over her. She knew then that Morrison had been right. Everything he said was true. Impossible but true. The warmth she felt, the love that came from that smile, was not from a man. This was being in a chapel, alone with your god, and knowing he only wants your happiness and well-being.

Still standing outside the door, she said, "May I?"

"Yes," he answered. It came out in a low hiss, and she realized he enjoyed the sensation of vocalizing the word. She stepped into the cell, leaving the door open.

A shine caught her attention, and she saw a shiv laying on the floor at Sutter's feet. Heat rose in her, and she wanted to call a guard, bring this to someone's attention. Someone had come here with a weapon. Had they threatened him? Had they injured him? "Are you hurt?" she asked Sutter.

"No," he said, in a gentle growl.

She stepped to him and put down the bags. She ran her hands over his dark skin, checking for wounds. "My doctor," he said. "My healer."

"You know who I am?" she asked.

"You are mine," he said.

She reached into the supply bag, and brought out a lidded plastic bowl filled with water, and a small face-towel. She opened the lid, soaked the towel, and rung it out. She brought the damp cloth to Sutter's face and pressed it to his forehead.

          "I am," she said.

Amazon

About Robert J. Brunner:

Bob Brunner is a police dispatcher and 911-operator. He has seen people at their worst, and their best. He has comforted the victim, and engaged with the suicidal. He has testified at trial, and heard a man’s last words. 

He lives in the city he dispatches for and knows more about his neighbors than he should.

He has written all his life. He is working on something now.

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Equality (Two Democracies: Revolution, Book 3) by Alasdair Shaw

Release date: July 28, 2017

Subgenre: Military science fiction, Space opera

About Equality: 

 

Harry Robinson lives an idyllic lifestyle. A brilliant computer engineer, he made his fortune pushing the limits of android design. When a neighbouring planet is hit by a global nuclear strike, he feels compelled to help. A chance encounter with a group of offworld soldiers launches him on the trail of the perpetrators.

Prefect Olivia Johnson leads a Legion of disillusioned soldiers from both sides of the civil war. She blames herself for failing to prevent the attack. Now her mission is to hunt for its architect. But first, she must reclaim their adopted home from a different enemy. An enemy who won’t even talk.

The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is Johnson’s best friend and closest ally. Despite the lives they have saved, artificial intelligences are still the victims of fear and prejudice. The shadowy warship fights to defend the first place it felt accepted, and for equal rights for its kind.

Excerpt:

The sour stench of manure filled the hold of the freighter. Cows lowed and horses whinnied. The shaking intensified. One wide-eyed stallion with flared nostrils got a hoof free of its hobbles and kicked a storage container.

A middle-aged man crouched in a corner, holding his wife and young son as the ship bucked and jolted. Metal creaked. The lights flickered and went out.

“Ssshhh, ssshhhh. It’ll be all right. We’re just entering the atmosphere.” He removed his arm from his wife and lit a lamp.

The ship dropped for several seconds, leaving the man’s stomach high in his chest, and the boy cried out. His mother stroked his hair and glared at her husband.

He looked away. It was his fault they were riding in such atrocious conditions. They had the money to travel in style, but he didn’t want to draw attention to their passage. One day he’d be able to explain it to her, some of it anyway.

The buffeting eased and the main lights came back on. Two of his assistants rose and checked the animals. He knew he should help them, but couldn’t bring himself to let go of his son.

Chapter 1

Crystal clear water cascaded down between sandstone rocks before plunging into a large artificial lake. Another rill tinkled into a plunge pool before making its way to the lake. The water was a rich blue at its deepest and gradually shifted to green as it reached the sandy shallows. Koi swam in the perfectly balanced water, their oranges and reds providing a counterpoint to the colours of the liquid. A gentle breeze wafted in a hint of jasmine.

At one end of the lake, in the shade of a palm tree, Harry Robinson lay on a wooden recliner, reading. In this exquisitely, and terrifyingly expensively, engineered landscape he held real treasure: a paper book, rumoured to have survived from Earth itself. Having made his fortune in electronics and robotics it had amused him to build up a library of ancient physical books.

“Your visitor is here. Shall I ask them to come through or will you be meeting them in the house?”

Harry surfaced from the story and focused on the woman standing confidently at the edge of the tree’s shadow. “Thank you. Show them through please, Emily.”

Emily turned and walked back to the house, her bare feet sinking into the grass. Her crimson bikini and wrap complemented her flawless skin. Her movements were precise yet appeared carefree.

Harry carefully placed a bookmark between the pages and reverently laid it down on the small table beside the recliner. A few seconds with his eyes closed, then he gave a shrug and stood up effortlessly. He threw on a robe over his slick black shorts and adjusted it meticulously. He was the power player in this meeting, but even so, it paid not to look sloppy. As he took the few steps to the dining table, he pulled up the agenda for the meeting in a window in his electronic interface system. Not many civilians had wetwired electronic interfaces, preferring less invasive processors like watches and jewellery. He, however, found EIS invaluable.

Emily came back leading a man in a dark grey suit. His pink shirt collar was ruffled in the latest style for executives. The briefcase he carried was a fair replica of an antique, a stab at projecting dependability that Harry didn’t really trust.

“Mr Simon Jackson, CEO of TREcorps,” Emily announced with a hint of a bow.

“Thank you, Emily. Would you wait with us please?” invited Harry.

She poured a glass f sparkling elderflower pressé before taking to the recliner behind the visitor. She closed her eyes, to all the world a trophy relaxing by the pool not bothered about the men and their business.

“I am informed you don’t like small talk so I’ll get straight to the point,” said Simon. “We’d like to commission an android model from you. Something… special.”

Harry kept his face and body neutral. He’d learnt the hard way that ‘special’ usually meant ‘illegal’, or perhaps ‘immoral’. His standard searches before accepting the meeting hadn’t thrown up anything dodgy on TREcorps or its CEO. He quickly set off a deep crawler that would hunt through corporate and police records, tracking down any whiff of ill deed. If it was caught he ought to be able to argue it was a security test, he did hold the contracts for the computer systems of most law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the system. As the crawler left, he noticed Emily shift slightly; she’d spotted it go.

“Are you sure we don’t have a standard model that would do the job you want?” asked Harry. “Commissions are costly and could take some time to design. Then there’s building and testing.”

“I’m not interested in haggling,” said Simon. “Bottom line, the board has approved a budget of ten million for this project. Congressional bonds, not soft credit. No-one else is on our radar for doing the work. Either you accept or we have to rethink the entire concept.”

^He’s being straight with you,^ sent Emily via the EIS link. ^Make him feel at ease.^

Harry indicated an upright chair with a hand gesture. “Go on then. Give me your pitch.”

Amazon 

 

About Alasdair Shaw: 

I studied at the University of Cambridge, leaving with a BA in Natural Sciences and an MSci in Experimental and Theoretical Physics. My masters options included gravitational astrophysics, planetary geophysics, remote sensing and high resolution electron microscopy. I went on to earn a PGCE specialising in Science and Physics from the University of Bangor. A secondary teacher for over ten years I have plenty of experience communicating scientific ideas.
I grew up in Lancashire, within easy reach of the Yorkshire Dales, Pennines, Lake District and Snowdonia. After stints living in Cambridge, North Wales and the Cotswolds I have lived in Somerset since 2002.
I have been climbing, mountaineering, caving, kayaking and skiing as long as I can remember. Growing up I spent most of my spare time in the hills.
Landscape archaeology has always been one of my interests; when you spend a long time in the outdoors you start noticing things and wondering how they came to be there. At university I included geophysics in my options.
I am an experienced mountain and cave leader, holding a range of qualifications including ML, SPA and LCL. I am also a course director for climbing and navigation award schemes.

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