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 and small press 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, sword and sorcery, paranormal mysteries, fantasy mysteries, fantasy romance, science fantasy, space opera, military science fiction, horror thrillers, vampires, clairvoyants, space marines, space mages, crime-busting witches, grim reapers, Martian ambassadors 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:
A truly strange derelict leads the crew to a planet that doesn’t quite make sense. Figuring it out takes time, and hard work. Fixing it takes even more. Come see how BSR deals with their latest adventure.
A truly strange derelict leads the crew to a planet that doesn’t quite make sense. Figuring it out takes time, and hard work. Fixing it takes even more. Come see how BSR deals with their latest adventure.
Commandant by Jonathan P. Brazee:
Major General Lysander has spent 38 years of his life dedicated to the Corps and sworn to perform the duties assigned to him by the Federation.
In the process, he has become the most decorated Marine in its history.
During his career, he has been given missions that he privately questions, but as the ancient Tennyson quote goes, “Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.”
He has sworn an oath to obey, and he always upholds that oath to the best of his abilities.
Sworn oath or not, Ryck is faced with a situation that so horrifies him that he cannot accept it.
Can he just stand by and let it proceed, or will he become an oathbreaker and put not only his life, but more importantly, that of his family, his fellow Marines and sailors, and the citizens of the Federation in peril?
Up until now, the only monsters the LAPD had ever seen were of the human variety…
When two down-on-their-luck detectives are forced to work together on a series of cold cases, they slowly begin to uncover a common thread that may hold the key to solving some of their town’s grizzliest unsolved murders.
Little do they know that the same key will unlock secrets from a different dimension; one filled with monstrous creatures that should never be disturbed…
To Walk on Worlds by Matthew John:
From the Burning Isle to the hellish depths of Zanzara, beyond the demon-haunted planets circling the Black Rim, only Maxus the Meddler may walk on worlds…and woe to any other who tries.
Kings and generals are but pawns for the immortal sorcerer, as are the vengeful creatures from the stars. The machinations of Maxus require many cogs, and only one among them has ever risen beyond his station.
Lachmannon the Kael, a man born from the stony bones of the earth, becomes the meddler's most useful asset. But the Kaelish mercenary's head is as hard as his fists. When Maxus’ monomaniacal goal–to master the sorceries of every world and every age–becomes clear to him, will he remain an expendable tool?
Not bloody likely.
John’s tales of swords, sorcery, and subversion have previously appeared in the pages of Weirdbook, Whetstone, and Tales From the Magician’s Skull. To Walk on Worlds collects nearly a decade’s worth of sardonic dark fantasy, as well as a fistful of new stories printed here for the first time.
Okay. I’ll admit I’ve got problems. But surrender is word wholly absent from my vocabulary.
My grasp on magic is shaky at best and my dependence on spider’s silk is a battle I’m still fighting. But while my heritage and my health might be problematic, I’m certainly not going to roll over and give up.
Not me. Not ever.
With Hugo Pemberville and his skilled band of Prime treasure hunters by my side, I'm drawn into a quest for a mythical golden skull. This artefact might just be the breakthrough needed to shed light on the enduring mystery of Lady Rose's disappearance - but the search for it will force me down a twisty path filled with unexpected revelations.
The echoes of the past have never felt quite so close to home.
The Vampire and the Case of the Cursed Canine by Heather G. Harris and Jilleen Dolbeare
Spells, hexes and curses.
Curses are falling on this town like rain in London. Just when I think I’ve found a link between the hexed victims, someone else shows up who’s been jinxed. It feels like the devil is playing darts with my paranormal town and if the dart hits you, you get whammied with a curse.
To be honest, I haven’t a clue how to find the perpetrator. My sole lead is pointing at the travelling black market that has just arrived in Portlock. That would be all fine and dandy —ifI could find it. Weirdly, no one is willing to direct the cops to a highly illegal market. I’m obviously persona non grata – though being a slightly-less-than-undead vampire, I’m kind of used to that.
On top of everything, my overbearing British mother has come to visit. Stuck in my shoebox of a house together, we might actually have to deal with some of our issues. Thank goodness I have Connor Mackenzie, vampire leader and sexy lumberjack, to run to when the going gets tough.
I’m juggling things—badly—when I discover my dog is cursed. What am I willing to do to save my hound? Anything and everything.
The world can burn for all I care, as long as I can save my pup…
Foreseen in Murder by Edale Lane:
Jenna solves real crimes; Rhiannon has prophesied one. Can Jenna thwart a murder that hasn’t happened yet?
Book 9 in the popular Lessons in Murder series, by award-winning, best-selling author Edale Lane.
Blissful about her upcoming marriage to Jenna, Dr. Randi McLeod accepts her friend’s invitation to visit a spiritualist for a fun reading. Skeptical at first, Randi reconsiders when her practitioner Rhiannon becomes terrified, envisioning her own murder during their session.
Jenna Ferrari, Randi’s fiancée, is buried in multiple investigations while squeezing in wedding planning. Add helping her little sister, and the practical detective has no time for a quack psychic who foresees her own death.
But when a malicious perpetrator tries to kill Rhiannon for real, Jenna and her team roll into action. Can they catch the shadowy would-be killer before it’s too late, or is the clairvoyant destined to die?
The Grim Reaper Gaffe by Amanda M. Lee
It all comes down to this.
Charlie Rhodes has come a long way.
She started out as a young woman trying to find a reason for her magic, going as far as to hide in the one place they were looking for her.
Now the final battle is here.
Charlie is in Detroit, surrounded by new faces, and looking for the final piece of the puzzle. Between the reapers, zombies, mages, brujas, loas, and gods, she has her hands full. Death is barreling toward her and taking no prisoners.
Sybil wants to kill her to prolong her life. Charlie just wants to be free to live hers.
This war has always been written in the stars. Now it’s finally here. Who will win?
Chilled to the Bone by Amanda M. Lee
Stormy Morgan is flying high. She’s engaged. She’s used to her new routine. She’s even learning about being a witch. All of that changes when a local podcaster’s house goes up in flames and a body is found inside.
Carl Winslow was not a nice man. He spent his time stalking local family vloggers so he could cast aspersions on their life choices. One family in particular draws his ire, and he fights with them the night of the fire. Are they to blame for the podcaster’s death, though?
Stormy and her fiancé Hunter Ryan are on the case, and the further they dig into Carl Winslow’s life, the more they realize that nothing in Shadow Hills is as it seems.
Stormy was already working against forces she didn’t see coming. There’s a conspiracy of people who were apparently waiting for her to manifest her powers working against her, though. They have plans for her. They also had plans for Carl.
As evidence begins mounting, it points to one particular person. Only Stormy is convinced it has to be someone else. She’s determined to get to the source of the death and destruction wreaking havoc on her once quiet small town.
She has to survive to find her answers, though, and that’s not a given.
It’s a race against the clock. Either Stormy finds what she’s looking for and stops Shadow Hills’ most recent threat, or everybody suffers in the wake of yet another bout of magical mayhem.
Who will survive? You’re about to find out.
Point of Hopes by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett:
The city of Astreiant is full of magic, danger and bureaucracy, and never moreso than when something or someone is making guild apprentices disappear without a trace. Philip Eslingen has just been discharged from his mercenary company and as a Leaguer and a stranger, makes an ideal suspect. Fortunately for him, Pointsman Nicolas Rathe from the Point of Hopes station doesn’t agree, but he knows the only way to prove that is to find the missing children and the real culprits. Together they must follow a twisted trail of deceit and magic in a city on the brink of exploding into violence. If they can’t learn to work together, the results could be catastrophic, even fatal. And if they can’t trust each other, the price could be higher than either of them realize.
Ambassador for Mars by Glynn Stewart:
A dark shadow awakens on the edge of known space.
Long lost and long forgotten, an alien foe rises,
One that would power its return by enslaving humanity!
During her pursuit of the human traitors known as Nemesis, Mage-Captain Roslyn Chambers ventured deep into alien stars. She destroyed her enemy at the final moment, but saw firsthand the might of the alien empire Nemesis called the Reejit.
The lost world Chimera has hidden between human and alien space for generations. Roslyn must protect the planet from this waking threat, but both the human and alien colonists see her as a harbinger of nightmare. Roslyn may have the full faith of the Mage-Queen of Mars, but political interference quickly undercuts Roslyn’s diplomatic power and the chain of command. She is replaced as Ambassador by Connor O’Hannagain, a man loyal to the Protectorate, but not its Queen or credos.
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