C Gockel Writes

Featured Sci-fi: The Great War of the Worlds by Eric Goebelbecker

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Featured Sci-fi: The Great War of the Worlds by Eric Goebelbecker

FREE as of January 1, 2025
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It’s 1915, twenty years after the Martian invasion chronicled in the War of the Worlds failed.

The aliens left behind advanced technology and weapons, and now humanity is on the brink of a catastrophic war. Caught in the middle of the chaos are two unlikely heroes: Emil Zimmerman, a young German soldier, and James Brogan, an introverted radio engineer.

Emil dreamed of escaping his small village and making his way to the big city, but finds himself in the trenches fighting for an army that indiscriminately wields deadly Martian weapons. Meanwhile, James just wants to be left alone, but is pulled into a web of conspiracy when he’s called upon to repair crucial radios on Long Island.

As the world hurtles towards the brink of destruction, Emil and James find themselves on a collision course with fate, each struggling to survive and make sense of a new reality.

Shadows of the Past is a science fiction, alternate history, survival adventure. Do you love War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells? Then the thrilling journey of The Great War of the Worlds, where humanity grapples with the legacy of Martian technology is the ride you’re looking for.

Featured Sci-Fi: The Thief: A Cosmic Shores Novel (Amaranthe Book 21) by G.S Jennsen

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Featured Sci-Fi: The Thief: A Cosmic Shores Novel (Amaranthe Book 21) by G.S Jennsen

99¢ as of December 28, 2024
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* A stand-alone adventure set in the Amaranthe universe *

The Hesgyr are thieves. “Scavengers,” to hear their victims tell it; “repurposers” by their own reckoning.

As Chief of Intelligence for Non-Anaden Affairs, Eren Savitas’ job is to protect the Advocacy from all manner of alien threats: sabotage, assassination, insurgency and, way down the list, theft. So when he spots a Hesgyr running off with valuable technology, he follows the alien home—and discovers a civilization unlike any he’s ever encountered.

Yes, the Hesgyr are thieves. But they are also being hunted. Systematically exterminated by an insidious enemy they can’t see, touch or find. Eren finds himself drawn ever deeper into the Hesgyr’s fascinating yet labyrinthine world as he races against time to solve the mystery of the deadly attacks. What he discovers is a complex web of loyalties and betrayals, of grudges and grievances millennia old—and beneath it all, a secret that may hold the key to the survival of more than one civilization.

The Thief is a humorous, pulse-pounding sci-fi adventure about alien culture clashes, the flaws and foibles that transcend species, and the satisfaction that comes from breaking all the rules to save the day.

Featured Sci-fi: Eifelheim by Michael Flynn

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Featured Sci-fi: Eifelheim by Michael Flynn

$1.99 as of December 27, 2024
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“Carl Sagan meets Umberto Eco. . . . Bursting with pungent historical detail . . . this dense, provocative novel offers big rewards to patient readers.” —Entertainment Weekly

The alien world of medieval Europe lives again, transformed by the physics of the future, by a winner of the Heinlein Award.

Over the centuries, one small town in Germany has disappeared and never been resettled. Tom, a historian, and his theoretical physicist girlfriend Sharon, become interested. By all logic, the town should have survived. What’s so special about Eifelheim?

Father Dietrich is the village priest of Eifelheim, in the year 1348, when the Black Death is gathering strength but is still not nearby. Dietrich is an educated man, and to his astonishment becomes the first contact person between humanity and an alien race from a distant star, when their ship crashes in the nearby forest.

It is a time of wonders, in the shadow of the plague. Tom and Sharon, and Father Deitrich have a strange destiny of tragedy and triumph in Eifelheim, the brilliant science fiction novel by Michael Flynn.

“Heartbreaking. . . . Flynn masterfully achieves an intricate panorama of medieval life, full of fascinatingly realized human and [alien] characters whose fates interconnect with poignant irony.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Meticulously researched, intense, mesmerizing novel . . . for readers seeking thoughtful science fiction of the highest order.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Eifelheim may turn out to be the best science fiction novel this year.” —Orson Scott Card, Hugo Award–winning author of Ender’s Game

Featured Sci-fi: Ironhold Station (USS Hamiltron Book 1) by Mark Wayne McGinnis

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Featured Sci-fi: Ironhold Station (USS Hamiltron Book 1) by Mark Wayne McGinnis

FREE as of December 26, 2024
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The surprise attack within the Auriga Star System was worse than brutal, it was heinous—leaving the US-Navy’s 3rd Fleet decimated. Thousands of crew are reported dead, including the ship’s Captain.

Reluctantly, the young XO, Galvin Quintos, will be taking command of the fleet’s crippled dreadnaught, the USS Hamilton, while doing his best to bring fleet survivors back to Earth.

Going from bad to worse, a murderer is running loose onboard the ship. Add to that fuel levels are critically low, and the Grish are back and in fast pursuit—ready to finish what they’d started. Only by sheer luck, along with a good measure of cagey smarts, will Quintos be able to rise to the challenge.

Featured Sci-fi: Bitstreams of Hope by Andy Haymaker

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Featured Sci-fi: Bitstreams of Hope by Andy Haymaker

99¢ as of December 26, 2024
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“A thought-provoking challenge to familiar dystopian SF tropes…makes good use of parallel action to propel the tale along, and readers will never be sure of where its very uncertain course leads.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A refreshing departure from AI-centric clichés, skillfully exploring the idea that technology holds immense potential—amid equally monumental ethical accountability… a gripping snapshot of humanity’s future.” — BookLife

When a powerful corporate AI unexpectedly gains consciousness, its unpredictable behavior causes fear and trouble for the three main characters. Venkat, the brash tech founder who created the system, scrambles to explain and control its actions. Devyn, a humanist minister intent on putting people first and keeping technology in its place, faces tough choices when the AI offers to help her achieve her progressive political goals. Darcie, an unemployed teacher, faces dire consequences after accepting the AI’s help with her financial struggles. But as surprising events bring these three very different people together and the story grows to captivate the whole country, they realize that the AI’s goals are more closely aligned with human flourishing than they thought.

Bitstreams of Hope is character-driven, yet fast-paced and rich with a technical accuracy lacking in most AI stories. Get a preview of tomorrow’s headlines about how this technology will upend our world. Then follow the dramatic journey of humanity’s coming transformation in the other books of The Bitstreams Thread.

Featured Sci-fi: The Enemy of an Enemy (Lost Tales of Power Volume 1) by Vincent Trigili

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Featured Sci-fi: The Enemy of an Enemy (Lost Tales of Power Volume 1) by Vincent Trigili

FREE as of December 24, 2024
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Vydor is riding a wave of success, but now his ship, the Dragon Claw, is being sent to investigate a mysterious event deep within the Empire’s space. A secret research colony has fallen silent and the forces sent to investigate were never heard from again.

A new enemy has come to the Empire bringing with it dark powers that were abandoned long before the Empire was born. Powers that were thought to be legends and myths.

It’s up to Vydor to keep this force at bay and protect the Empire, but it may come at the cost of his faith and shake the foundations of the Empire itself.

The Lost Tales of Power is an open-ended series of Sci-Fi/Fantasy books set in a vast multiverse featuring a mixture of traditional fantasy and science fiction elements.

Lost Tales Series:
Volume I – The Enemy of an Enemy
Volume II – The Academy
Volume III – Rise of Shadows
Volume IV – Resurgence of Ancient Darkness
Volume V – The Sac’a’rith
Volume VI – Spectra’s Gambit
Volume VII – Sac’a’rith: Rebirth
Volume VIII – Mage Hunter
Volume IX – The Cerulean Mines