Melanie Destin has been many things in her troubled life... a drug dealer, a doctor, a fugitive, and most recently, the saviour of Mars...what she doesn't want to be is a mother.
When circumstances make her responsible for a young orphan, she soon discovers the girl comes with a terrifying past...one that binds them to each other.
Pursued by a ruthless government assassin, Mel must get the girl to safety before they are both captured. If she fails, the secrets hidden within the child's genes will make a dictator unstoppable and forever change the course of human history.

Guardians are defenders, carers and guides. Some look after individual people, others whole planets or universes, but all share a strong belief in their responsibility to protect their charges.
The Guardian is an anthology of eleven science fiction short stories by writers from across the globe. It is part of the Newcomer series of scifi anthologies.

Year 200, Atlantic Federation Calendar. It has been two full centuries since the surface of the Earth was destroyed and Humanity retreated to the bottom of the ocean. No one is old enough to remember the world outside the station they now call home. Life is peaceful in this artificial world. There is no war. Crime is low. But questions are raised once an experimental submarine is attacked during a routine test mission. The enemy is unknown. There are no leads. For the first time in generations, a long isolated city will have to confront what may lurk above the surface.

Rei had lost it all: her family, a safe home, and, most important, her freedom.
Despite all odds, she managed to escape and make her life among the stars. It's not easy to be a fugitive of the largest galactic power ever known. Making a living requires being flexible, and not particularly caring for things like laws or rights of property.
Even in her new life the ghosts of Rei's past refuse to leave her in peace. She's been changed by her captivity in more ways than one and the mysteries abound. There are untold questions that demand answers, but the only way she can find out the truth is to start back at the beginning.
To complicate matters, she is approached to stop her old enemies from retrieving priceless artifacts of untold knowledge. The idea is as murky as they come but they have to take the chance. Even if it might cost her crew dearly.

Earth is a dying planet. To survive, humanity founds the Circuit, a string of colonies across the solar system, dedicated to mining resources vital to preserving what remains of mankind.
The New Earth Tribunal, a powerful religious faction, rises to rule the Circuit. They believe a Spirit within the Earth will one day appear and welcome humanity back home. Following a string of seemingly random attacks, the Tribunal suspects its mortal enemy, the Ceresians, have again rallied to challenge their absolute rule.
Join an unlikely band of would-be saviors - the Tribunal's best spy, a roguish Ceresian mercenary, a subservient android and a disgraced general - as they are drawn into a conspiracy destined to change the Circuit forever.
A new, sinister threat has arisen - and it plans to bring down the Tribunal once and for all.

Dorian Anino thought her research would change the world. The discovery of the so-called “hero-gene” taught her and her team that it was possible for some humans to have incredible strength, speed, and agility. But when Dorian discovers that the gene only expresses in people on the brink of death, her team can’t help but be disappointed. Except for Dorian’s protégé, who opts to poison the water supply to unearth more heroes...
Luc Gray is a hero through and through. But when the squadron leader loses a pilot and then his position in quick succession, he has no idea what to do next. Without a mission, he jumps at an assignment from Dorian to investigate the pilot’s death. But when the mission puts him in grave danger, Luc is about to find out just how much of a hero he is...
To defeat a scientist who wants to play god, Dorian may just have to create her own team of heroes…

When others run from danger, Riot runs toward it.
When others throw up, she throws down.
And when there’s a brawl in a bar, well... she’s probably the one who caused it.
But now, the person voted least likely not to blow stuff up by her unit has been given another mission: explore the universe and forge bonds with new alien races in order to save Earth from another invasion.
Backed by her ride or die crew - the only guys she’d trust on a mission such as this - and a scientist, because, well, science, Riot blasts off in a spaceship headed to distant galaxies, the fate of the planet resting on her shoulders.

Grace Gushiken is a grifter and a liar. Worse, she’s an esper, an abhorrent creation of the Old Empire. Grace keeps her blade sharp and her wits sharper. She’s on the run from the Republic’s justice.
Nathan Chevell captains the free trader Tyche, an ex-war heavy lifter. He’s no pirate, but he’s no white knight either. An encounter with espers saw him discharged from the Emperor’s Black before the real fighting even started.
When the crew of the Tyche are hired to deliver a new transmitter for a downed Guild Bridge, Grace hitches a ride. They find the Absalom Delta colony deserted, its people turned into slaves by the insect-like Ezeroc. The aliens have descended like locusts on humanity, consuming all in their path. No one is safe. Even the Republic Navy is powerless against them.
Facing an impossible foe, odds are stacked against the Tyche. The ship and her crew need to test their skill and their luck to survive. Will Grace and Nate be able to work together to get away? Or will fears and rivalries from the past destroy humanity’s hopes, ceding victory to the Ezeroc?

It’s against the law to have children without winning the lottery. Implanted with a birth control device as required by law, Evangeline Hubbard, a dirt farmer in the down deep, discovers that implants sometimes fail. But in a world strictly controlled by the authorities, one pays a terrible price for tampering with the established order. Consumed by fear and madness after things go horribly wrong, Evangeline hoards in order to hang onto things. She adds them to the nest she’s building in the down deep.

1984 meets The Incredible Journey in thirteen dystopian tales by some of today's most accomplished writers of science fiction.
In this title in the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies created by award-winning author Samuel Peralta, discover tales of dark futures, tragic pasts, and a present that's run off the rails are presented in landscapes as varied as their authors' imaginations.
Set in bestselling worlds fully realized by their authors, the stories of Chronicle Worlds: Tails of Dystopia unfold as seen through the eyes of animals - tamed and feral, domestic and savage - as they traverse a world of perdition where often their capacity for nobility and self-sacrifice transcends our own.
Enter these worlds with some of the most inventive authors writing today, including USA Today bestselling authors David Adams and Cheri Lasota, Wall Street Journal bestselling authors Daniel Arthur Smith and Ann Christy, and Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award winner Rysa Walker.
Dystopian deserts, post-apocalyptic mountain ranges, the medieval English countryside, the far reaches of the galaxy - in each of these and more, animals and their human companions discover heart-stopping adventure among the ruins - and you will, too.

Silver Cane is hot on the trail of the first interstellar terrorist in recorded history. As he continues to elude capture, more destruction ensues. Along the way, Silver learns that not everyone thinks their perfect world is all it’s made out to be. Can she catch the criminal and stop more acts of terror or will the perfect world she has always known come crumbling down around her.

Sixty years ago a plan was conceived to help humanity survive its first contact with an alien race. Now it’s time to put that plan to the test. No country can stand alone. The world must unite if there is to be any hope of survival.
Commander Kaylan Farrow and her crew are investigating an ancient alien signal from beyond the fringes of known space. After months of searching, the Athena is starting to wear down. It’s only a matter of time before a catastrophic failure destroys their ship, but if they return to Earth now, Kaylan knows that humanity will not survive their first contact with hostile aliens. They must find the source of the signal and with it a means to end this war before it has a chance to reach Earth.

Lieutenant Wyatt Wills stared at his mission log. He couldn't believe he had written it.
Juliet was a colony world with twenty million people. It had resources and infrastructure, scientists and law enforcement. A reconnaissance mission to the thriving planet hadn't made any sense. Then again, lots of rumors floated through space, and stories of military actions and a strange pandemic seemed no different.
These were not the things Wyatt typically managed. As a member of RESIT, his job consisted of deep space rescues and keeping the interstellar shipping lanes clear of pirates and smugglers.
But marooned on Juliet, Wyatt knew what his squad had seen.
He just didn't know if any of them would live to tell about it.

The decades long conflict comes crashing to a dramatic conclusion as the alliance faces off with their age old enemy to determine the fate of the galaxy. As the massive fleet launches for a final battle, The Behemoth and The Crystal Font are tasked with a dangerous mission to destroy a transmission facility which may well be the deciding factor in the outcome of the attack.
They’ve committed everything, heading into a situation which may well spell their end. Pilots, marines and crewmen alike look toward the moment that will make history regardless if they are victorious. A win means peace for the beleaguered alliance, a chance to heal from the wounds of war while a loss could lead to the destruction of their respective cultures if not civilization as they know it.

They had seven years to prepare.
Earth is lost.
Seven years ago the New Earth colony received one final message from Earth…a warning. First, a global pandemic, then the emergence of a new species. A war for survival ravaged the Sol system. Now they are coming for the colony.
Many colonists don’t believe it, but Connor does. They must prepare. They must fight. But how can they survive something that killed every person back on Earth?

A devastated galaxy.
A mythical quest fulfilled.
Mysterious new friends.
Ruthless enemies.
A young Emperor finding his way.
A civilization on the verge of annihilation.
Admiral Jon Pike has found the fabled Builders in the Andromeda galaxy. With vague promises of help against the evil Erinyie, his warships embark on a perilous journey back home. But new, unknown enemies lurk in the darkness.
Can Jon Pike overcome countless dangers and return home in time, and in one piece? Or will he arrive to find only death, desolation, and humanity finally crushed under the alien boot?

Axel Ryan is running for his life.
Pursued by bounty hunters with a price on his head, he should disappear into the stars to hide and continue his search for Stardrives. But his soulmate, Element Cruz, has resurfaced and after spending the last six months searching for her with no luck, finding her again is worth gambling his life. She’s putting her own in danger by infiltrating an illegal slave auction where the Star Keeper of Endaria is being sold; a woman with empathic abilities, worth more credits then Axel can legally gather.
It should be an easy mission. Crash the auction, save his girl, and fly off into the galaxy to live happily ever after together. But the universe has another destiny in store for Axel, one he’ll need to embrace to save them all, or die trying.

Earth desperately wants Rhon Lassting's technology. With his company Lassting Space Enterprises now soaring into space with a Moon base and a new resort called the Veronika, it is clear Rhon is someone to be reckoned with. When Darees gives Rhon the power to go Translight it transforms his ability to reach out of the galaxy. Now his vision to form a new government is quickened by America’s president declaring him a traitor. Will his people trust him to lead them into the unknowns of space?

Humans made their final stand on Mars and lost.
Now the aliens are coming. They want to occupy Earth. They want to destroy humanity. They want to kill every last one of us.
But we are legion. Seven billion humans are tough to kill. Pockets of survivors band together to fight back. It's hard to know who to trust. Human collaborates will do anything to live one more day.
The US mounts an offensive. They turn loose Lt William "Don't ever call me the Kid" Bonney and his eight headhunters to wreak havoc on the invaders. Their business is killing Licks and brother, business is good.
But the Lick Commander has a plan. More betrayal.
When Bonney and his squad raid a supply train on the orders of High Command, they rescue a prisoner with a secret. One that will change the tide of war and help the human cause win. If they can last long enough to reach it.

Each of them is fleeing something different, but they've all come to the same place. When their ship is attacked and marooned in deep space, three dozen refugees pass the time by sharing stories. Things that have happened to them, events they've witnessed, and rumours they've heard.
As time passes and despair sets in, they must rely upon each other to survive. But when the chips are down, will they all be pulling in the same direction?
Featuring stories from twenty-four brilliant writers from around the world, the All The King’s Men anthology takes a look at the lives of those on the periphery, ordinary people struggling to make sense of their lives and dreams in a galaxy torn apart by civil war.

Sergeant Jerry Harper left the military nine years ago. The four Breeds of humanity are at peace, and he's just a landscaper now. He spends his days mowing lawns and his nights playing gigs with his band. Civilian life in the Wheel of Fire galaxy is quiet and steady, and that's the way he likes it.
That steady life is interrupted when a colonel from military intelligence shows up. Jerry's old war buddy, Brandon Woods, has gone missing, and the colonel is assembling a motley group of rescuers. He wants Jerry to join the team.
Jerry owes Brandon his life, so he agrees to help. He travels to another planet and soon finds himself mired in interstellar politics. There's something psychological going on, too, a legacy of his last battle nine years ago. Finding Brandon is challenging enough by itself, but now those secrets from the past threaten to drive Jerry insane. He hopes he can grab his friend and get out without attracting too much attention, and he certainly doesn't want to risk starting another Breed war. But he's on a hostile planet now, and it won't give Brandon up without a fight.

Lance Corporal Hondo McKeever is a peacetime Marine. Humanity is involved in a limited war with the alien Klethos, where gladitorial combat decides the fate of worlds, but that doesn’t affect the common Marine or sailor. His career has been training hard but never seeing actual combat.
All of that changes when a new enemy invades the galaxy, one that threatens both humanity and Klethos.
Mankind hasn’t fought an all-out war in centuries, but they’re about to. McKeever is assigned to a special task force with the mission to find out what makes this new enemy tick, and, if possible, stop them in their tracks before humanity is eliminated like so much insignificant vermin.

Would you sacrifice your future to practice magic?
Artificers are the gilded princes of the Iron Empire. Mages are violent criminal outcasts. Devin competes to become the best artificer in the empire . . . but he's secretly a mage.
All the apprentices in the Artificer's Guild compete by building crude prototypes of powered armor for mock battles. When Devin transforms himself into a mechanical dragon to slaughter the competition, his rival Benson steps into the role of dragon slayer. But Devin's secret grows heavier as he claws his way to the top. He's started hearing eerie voices in his head: the stout words of the being he calls 'the artificer' and the oily voice of 'the mage.' How long can Devin be satisfied with fake dragon armor when the promise of true arcane power whispers in his ear?

By wing, by claw
By fire, by death
So long as dragons rule the skies, Scotland will forever be free.
After a long and bloody war, Scotland has finally won its independence. But Highland dragon Moiread MacAlasdair knows peace balances on the edge of a blade, and she will do anything to keep her homeland from falling to English control.
Even if that means escorting a powerful new ally into the otherworld itself... and defending him with her life.
Madoc of Avandos is on a critical mission to cement alliances against the British. Powerful men would kill to see him fail—but as he and his fiercely beautiful warrior fight their way through hostile lands, Madoc is faced with a difficult choice: sacrifice everything for the cause... or let himself burn for the love of a dragon.

Forcing her way into Videus’ vassalage may be the last thing Runa will ever do, but she knows she has to try. Not only are there others like her—others with powers—but they’re directly tied to her by blood. With Trae's mental stability in question, and Kani missing, Runa can only rely on herself and the aid of her brother to fulfill her destiny. If she can embrace her role as the Daughter of Five, hopefully she can set things right and free Trae from whatever madness is taking over his mind.
There’s more than meets the eye to Videus’ obsession with Runa and her bloodlines. The only problem is, unraveling the mystery could unleash catastrophe on everything she holds dear, if she’s not careful. Can Runa stop Videus once and for all—or will the fate of Pendomus be locked forever by one man’s madness?

King Arthur lives. Now, he's up against a threat that can destroy what he's built. But he must trust her, so she can kill him.
Brilliant scientist and Binary A.I. CEO Anora Myrrdin has lost her only brother. She's out for revenge and everyone is going to pay--including Arthur, her brother's final experiment and killer.
Arthur's Avallach Team is fractured and half are dead or missing, yet Arthur drives toward his vision of the future. The Paladins grow in power, ability and doubt.
Sergeant Percival 'Percy' Jones is Arthur's most loyal Paladin, but months after the destruction of Tintagel and the death of Indiana, he questions Arthur's leadership and the uneasy partnership with the shadowy group known as the Sisterhood. Percy has a future of his own in mind, and he turns to the most unlikely of mentors - Anora.
Owen LaFayette in every way is Arthur's equal and now he has Arthur's technology and powers. The Chevaliers are growing fast in numbers. Yet Owen doesn't have all that Arthur has--Caliburn and his charisma. Owen wants what Arthur has and he's going to do whatever he must to be Arthur. Anora may be the link that takes it all away.
What will Anora be - the Betrayer or the Savior of Avallach?

Halcyon is a tattoo artist with a secret. Once a respected academic, she has exiled herself to the slums of Panacea City, to avoid too many questions. After discovering an ancient language that enables her to hack human’s DNA, she has discovered she can change the future of mankind. The human race is now living in dome-covered cities that shelter its inhabitants from the Earth’s harsh atmosphere. War and global warming have all but destroyed the Earth and only a small number of humans have survived. Halcyon believes what she has discovered will change the course of history. She just needs to find the right test subject.
Misha has never met anyone like Halcyon. Out of work and fed up with life, he is dragged to a tattoo parlour where he meets the blue haired genius, and is immediately struck by her. Soon after getting his tattoo, Misha begins to notice a great change in his body, he now has super strength. How can a tattoo change him physically?
Halcyon is soon pursued by the gangs that run the city, who want to use her discoveries as addictive drugs. Knowing that Misha has super strength, Halcyon is forced to trust him and ask for help. Misha is falling in love with Halcyon, and is all too willing to help her, no matter what the cost.
Will Halcyon and Misha be able to escape the gang leaders and bring Halcyon’s discoveries to the attention of all humankind? Do they have what it takes to be heroes and save the city?

On the night before Christmas, mercenary Scullion’s ride home is ambushed halfway between the last surviving cities in America. Concerned only with getting drunk for the holiday, his attempts to abandon his fellow passengers to bandits lead him on a collision course with a barbaric community who have utterly distorted the seasonal spirit. This is one madcap night he cannot survive alone, challenging his perceptions of the meaning of Christmas.

Enter a galaxy full of snarky comebacks, inappropriate use of tentacles, and a mythical warrior girl on the edge in this fast-paced, Douglas Adams style space romp.
A life of captivity is getting to Kirian, the self-styled Destroyer of Planets. She has never actually destroyed any planets, but getting to choose your own title is one of the few perks you get when you work against your will for an evil Octopus Overlord.
In an attempt to regain her freedom, Kirian defies her tentacled boss and secretly saves Ari, the human she is supposed to kill. Can the two of them and a band of misfits join forces to thwart the Octopus Overlord? And can a revolutionary rock song from an illegal grunge band save a planet?

The scum of the galaxy are using Earth as a nuclear winter death camp. It outrages pirate captain Kohia Jekyll’s sense of justice. No one deserves to die agonizingly of radiation poisoning, especially not on the planet humanity had to evacuate seven generations ago. So Kohia intends to close the prison camp down.

Ebola, one of the most feared of the hemorrhagic diseases, begins spreading across the borders of countries in West Africa. Soon after, the disease mutates into the “Z” or Zombie Virus. Journalist Hunter Morgan uncovers a disturbing connection between Chen-Zamora Pharmaceuticals and this mutation. Further investigation reveals a web of sinister intrigue connecting the pharmaceutical company to a treatment and research camp in West Africa, U.S. government officials, the CDC and the World Health Organization. Racing against time to find a cure, Hunter and several scientists go underground in order to hide from powerful forces trying to silence them forever.