EPISODE IX
A NEW BOOK
It is a period of civil war. Rebel booksellers, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the SFF Book Releases This Week. If you are an indie or small press author and would like your book included in this list, email us at adventuresinscifipublishing [at] gmail [dot] com. If you love free books, reviews and podcasts, and adorable little droids, sign up to our AISFP Wormhole newsletter. May the books be with you!
Aftermath: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens
by Chuck Wendig
I missed this one last week and, given it’s subject matter, I figure you ought to know. It came out on the 4th, of course! -BByron-8
The second Death Star has been destroyed, the Emperor killed, and Darth Vader struck down. Devastating blows against the Empire, and major victories for the Rebel Alliance. But the battle for freedom is far from over.
As the Empire reels from its critical defeats at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance—now a fledgling New Republic—presses its advantage by hunting down the enemy’s scattered forces before they can regroup and retaliate. But above the remote planet Akiva, an ominous show of the enemy’s strength is unfolding. Out on a lone reconnaissance mission, pilot Wedge Antilles watches Imperial Star Destroyers gather like birds of prey circling for a kill, but he’s taken captive before he can report back to the New Republic leaders.
Meanwhile, on the planet’s surface, former rebel fighter Norra Wexley has returned to her native world—war weary, ready to reunite with her estranged son, and eager to build a new life in some distant place. But when Norra intercepts Wedge Antilles’s urgent distress call, she realizes her time as a freedom fighter is not yet over. What she doesn’t know is just how close the enemy is—or how decisive and dangerous her new mission will be.
Determined to preserve the Empire’s power, the surviving Imperial elite are converging on Akiva for a top-secret emergency summit—to consolidate their forces and rally for a counterstrike. But they haven’t reckoned on Norra and her newfound allies—her technical-genius son, a Zabrak bounty hunter, and a reprobate Imperial defector—who are prepared to do whatever they must to end the Empire’s oppressive reign once and for all.
Alien Shadows
by Daniel Arenson
On a dead world orbiting a black hole, shadows awaken.
Some call them ghosts. Others believe them mere figments of the imagination. Yet for the scientists stranded on this rocky outpost, the evil haunting their halls is all too real.
A handful of men and women have come here, to this desolate world light-years away from civilization. They came to study the black hole, this anomaly that breaks all their calculations. A black hole more like a living creature. A god of darkness. And through the halls of the observatory, this deity’s warriors scurry, whisper, reach from the shadows. Creatures woven of darkness, an evil from beyond.
Only one team of heroes can save the scientists stranded here.
The Alien Hunters have never faced anything like these shadowy spirits. They’re galactic pest controllers, not ghostbusters. Yet as the evil from the black hole threatens to overwhelm the entire cosmos, the Alien Hunters find themselves staring into the darkness… and finding terror.
Book three of Arenson’s Alien Hunters series.
The Autobiography of James T. Kirk
by David A. Goodman
The Autobiography of James T. Kirk chronicles the greatest Starfleet captain’s life (2233–2371), in his own words. From his birth on the U.S.S. Kelvin, his youth spent on Tarsus IV, his time in the Starfleet Academy, his meteoric raise through the ranks of Starfleet, and his illustrious career at the helm of the Enterprise, this in-world memoir uncovers Captain Kirk in a way Star Trek fans have never seen. Kirk’s singular voice rings throughout the text, giving insight into his convictions, his bravery, and his commitment to the life—in all forms—throughout this Galaxy and beyond. Excerpts from his personal correspondence, captain’s logs, and more give Kirk’s personal narrative further depth.
Darken the Stars
by Amy A. Bartol
Kyon Ensin finally has what he’s always wanted: possession of Kricket Hollowell, the priestess who foresees the future. Together, their combined power will be unrivaled. Kricket, however, doesn’t crave the crown of Ethar—she has an unbreakable desire to live life on her own terms, a life that she desperately wants to share with her love, Trey Allairis.
As conspiracies rage in the war for Ethar, Kricket’s so-called allies want to use her as a spy. Even those held closest cannot be trusted—including Astrid, her sister, and Giffen, a member of a mysterious order with a hidden agenda. But Kricket’s resolve will not allow her to be used as anyone’s pawn, even as the Brotherhood sharpens its plans to cut out her heart.
As the destiny prophesied by her mother approaches, Kricket will backtrack through her fiery future to reshape it. For she knows one thing above all else: the only person she can truly count on is herself.
Book three of Bartol’s Kricket Series. It begins with Under Different Stars.
Dead Sky, Black Sun
by Graham McNeill
Exiled from the Ultramarines Chapter, former captain Uriel Ventris and his battle-brother Pasanius embark upon a deadly quest into the heart of darkness – the daemon world of Medrengard. There, they must destroy a facility creating new warriors for the Traitor Legions – but Warsmith Honsou and his Iron Warriors stand in their way. Can the Ultramarines complete their mission and redeem their honour, or will they join the ranks of the lost and the damned?
A part of the Warhammer 40,000 line. This is book three of McNeill’s Ultramarines series. It begins with Nightbringer.
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights
by Salman Rushdie
A simple gardener begins to levitate; a baby is born with the unnerving ability to detect corruption in people; the ghosts of two long-dead philosophers begin arguing once more; and storms pummel New York so hard that a crack appears in the universe, letting in the destructive djinns of myth (as well as some graphic superheroes). Nothing less than the survival of our world is at stake. Only one, a djinn princess who centuries before had learned to love humankind, resolves to help us: in the face of dynastic intrigue, she raises an army composed of her semi-magical great-great–etc.–grandchildren–a motley crew of endearing characters who come together to save the world in a battle waged for 1,001 nights–or, to be precise, two years, eight months and twenty-eight nights.
Unholy War
by David Hair
Tensions are mounting after a devastating battle before the walls of Shaliyah, birthplace of the Prophet. The East is rising, bringing equal measures of hope and despair to the magical world of Urte.
For some Salim’s victory is a call to arms, for others it is evidence of a world gone mad. While the armies of East and West clash in brutal conflict, emperors, inquisitors, Souldrinkers, and assassins all have their attention turned elsewhere as they hunt the Scytale of Corineus. The immensely powerful artifact is the key to ultimate power, and it’s in the hands of unlikely guardians: failed mage Alaron Mercer and market-girl Ramita Ankesharan, who carries the child of the world’s greatest mage. The fate of the world hinges on destruction should the artifact fall into the wrong hands.
Book three of Hair’s Moontide Quartet. The series begins with Mage’s Blood.
Witches of Lychford
by Paul Cornell
The villagers in the sleepy hamlet of Lychford are divided. A supermarket wants to build a major branch on their border. Some welcome the employment opportunities, while some object to the modernization of the local environment.
Judith Mawson (local crank) knows the truth — that Lychford lies on the boundary between two worlds, and that the destruction of the border will open wide the gateways to malevolent beings beyond imagination.
But if she is to have her voice heard, she’s going to need the assistance of some unlikely allies.
Byron Dunn is an AISFP Contributor, a friend to werewolves, and a consummate eater of apple pies.
Speak Your Mind