C Gockel Writes

Featured Sci-fi: The Departure (G581 Book 1) by Christine D. Shuck

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Featured Sci-fi: The Departure (G581 Book 1) by Christine D. Shuck

FREE as of May 14, 2025
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Their mission was to build a second home for humanity – but who knows if humanity will survive long enough to reach it? Setting forth on a six-year journey to Gliese 581g – Zarmina’s World – Daniel Medry and a crew of fellow scientists planned to explore a brand-new world potentially ripe for colonisation – but when a man-made virus wipes out most of Earth’s population and leaves the rest infertile, their exploration mission becomes humanity’s only hope for survival.

Alone in deep space, a series of equipment malfunctions occur that might not be accidental – and as the crew struggles for survival, some suspect that one of their own intends to keep them from making planetfall. With time running out, Daniel must stop the saboteur before humanity’s last hope for survival is snuffed out in the cold, unforgiving vacuum of space.

Gliese 581: The Departure is an exhilarating sci-fi thriller. If you like dystopian future worlds, second-chance heroes, and suspenseful mysteries, then you’ll love Christine Shuck’s gripping intergalactic thrill-ride.

Featured Sci-fi: Red Thunder by John Varley

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FREE as of May 11, 2025:
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“The heart-pounding space race is on . . . in this riveting SF thriller” from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of Red Lightning and Rolling Thunder (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
 
As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida decide to take matters into their own hands. If they can quickly build their own space-worthy ship using scrap metal, appliances, and power tools, they have a chance to come from behind—thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory . . .
 
“Varley’s great strength is in his characterizations, but in Red Thunder he also shows a strong sense of place. . . . If you are willing to simply fantasize about fleeing your office cubicle and becoming a heroic space explorer, this novel will fulfill your wishes.” —The Washington Post
 
“Fast paced . . . Engaging characters.” —Rocky Mountain News
 
“Full of little gems of wit and intelligence.” —Booklist
 
“[A] fun-filled adventure. Varley matches a serious literary style with an outrageous plot, and he’s one of the few writers in the field who could make it work.” —Chronicle

Featured Sci-fi: Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler

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Featured Sci-fi: Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler

99¢ as of May 11, 2025
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“[A] stunningly well-crafted science fiction novel…” —The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly (10 out of 10)

A reclusive empath confronts his role in the war that shattered the United States.

Fifty years ago, civil war fractured the United States into a mosaic of polarized nations. Ever since, Harmony “Bibi” Cain has isolated himself: from society, from technology, from family. A powerful empath weary from the constant intrusion of others’ emotions, he’s cloistered in his rural Wisconsin retirement community where he hopes to find, if not peace, then at least a little quiet.

But when four impossible assassinations shake North America, Bibi is forced into an investigation he wants nothing to do with. The victims were killed by drones that only an empath can control—and decades ago, Bibi was part of the wartime program that created them: the program that weaponized empathy.

“[A] story written so well that, no matter how perfect, surprising, and complete the ending, readers will want to return in search of even more. It’s just that good.” —BlueInk Review in Booklist (Starred Review)

“Giesler pushes readers to think deeply about how we connect to each other…” —The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly (10 out of 10)

“A brainy near-future SF novel of exploited neurons and expanding consciousness.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Provocative, empathetic dystopian SF with a sense of narrative playfulness.” —BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly (Editor’s Pick)

“Wow. Wow wow wow…this was a captivating, entertaining, and enlightening read.” —Judge, 31st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Featured Sci-fi: Steel Guardian (Rusted Wasteland Book 1) by Cameron Coral

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Featured Sci-fi: Steel Guardian, by Cameron Coral

FREE as of May 9, 2025
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A timid robot protects an abandoned baby in a post-apocalyptic world.

The AI Uprising destroys society.

No internet, phones, or electricity. Machines turn against humans. The military SoldierBots have one function–seek and destroy.

Block is a simple CleanerBot programmed to scrub floors and serve hotel guests. Forced to leave his city, he must avoid dangerous SoldierBots and find a new hotel he can call home.

But when Block discovers a human infant, his surprise attachment to the girl compels him to protect her while traveling across the metal-infested wastelands of America to a safe haven. When he encounters Nova – a surly soldier who becomes an unlikely ally – they must tackle the biggest challenge of their lives.

Together, they face mortal danger from bands of scavengers, militaristic SoldierBots, and Combat Mechs. A cyborg Bounty Hunter will stop at nothing to find Block and the child – an infant who holds the key to humanity’s future.

If you enjoy characters with heart and page-turning adventures, then you’ll love the award-winning first book of this post-apocalyptic sci-fi series.

Featured Sci-fi: Crisis of Command by John Frater

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Featured Sci-fi: Crisis of Command by John Frater

FREE Book 1—Book 2 & 3 only 99¢ Each in US
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It’s 2079. The Sleer War is over. Earth lost.

When Lt. Simon Brooks discovered an alien A.I., he made a name for himself as an officer in the Unified Earth Fleet. And while his tech skills are next level, he has a lot to learn about running a combat squadron.

After flubbing a training exercise, Brooks is set to choosing worlds for human colonization, and he thinks he has the perfect candidate: Vega. But rumors and intelligence reports make him think there’s something there which the Sleer missed.

As Brooks and the crew of UES Gauntlet head to Vega to prove his theory, a Sleer science vessel is already working to claim the prize: an armored military base from a long-forgotten war. Acquiring it for the UEF would put humanity back in the fight to reclaim Earth…and Simon Brooks back in control of his career.

But events from neighboring empires threaten to destabilize the UEF, pitting Gauntlet’s crew against secret police, government bureaucracy, interstellar trade negotiations, and Sleer merchant guilds. In the face of encroaching chaos, does victory in battle even matter?

The next action-packed Military Sci-Fi Series from Jon Frater, author of Battle Ring Earth. Perfect for fans of Rick Partlow (Drop Trooper), Jeffery H. Haskell (Grimm’s War), and Joshua Dalzelle (Omega Force). Grab your copy today!

Featured Sci-fi: The Alternien Wars by G J Ogden

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Featured Sci-fi: The Alternien Wars by G J Ogden

FREE Book 1—Books 2 & 3 only 99¢ Each US & UK
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Humanity cast him out. Now he’s their only hope.

Master Commander Carter Rose was engineered to be the ultimate weapon—augmented strength, tactical genius, and command of the deadliest warship ever built.

After crushing the post-human Aternien Empire, his reward was exile… and a century of bitter solitude on a distant moon.

Then Major Carina Larsen finds him with news that shatters his world. The Aterniens have returned, more dangerous than ever.

The Union, soft after a hundred years of peace, has forgotten how to fight. Their weapons are relics. Their tactics, obsolete. Only Rose’s legendary battleship—the Galatine—can stand against the coming storm.

To save the Union, Rose must reunite his scattered Master Officers—augmented heroes betrayed by the very people they once swore to protect—and reclaim his ship.

But in a galaxy where post-humans are feared and hated, both the Union and the Aterniens now vie for Rose’s allegiance.

When the perfect weapon must choose a side, no one is safe.

Winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award 2023!
Forsaken Commander launches the Aternian Wars series, an explosive fusion of military sci-fi and space opera, where engineered warriors battle a reborn empire forged from ancient Egyptian myth.

Begin the saga today.