C Gockel Writes

Featured Science Fiction: The Disappeared: A Retrieval Artist Novel (Retrieval Artist Series Book 1) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

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Free in US as of June 20, 2023
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Winner of the Endeavor Award

“…one of the top science fiction sagas in recent years.”—Midwest Book Reviews

Whose rules does Detective Miles Flint live by?

Humans and aliens have formed a loose government called the Earth Alliance, with treaties that guarantee humans are subject to alien laws when on alien soil. But alien laws often seem senseless, and minor violations draw outrageous punishments—from death to the loss of a first-born child.

Miles Flint grapples with three cases that have collided: a stolen space-yacht filled with dead bodies, two kidnapped human children, and a human woman on the run to avoid alien prosecution, trying to become one of the Disappeared. Flint must enforce the law—giving the children to aliens, solving the murders, and arresting the woman for running from the legal system. But how can he enforce laws that are unjust? How can he sacrifice innocents to a system he’s not sure he believes in? How can Miles Flint do the right thing in a universe where the right thing is very, very wrong?

This is Flint’s first adventure in the 15-book series, the story that turns him from a police detective in the Armstrong Dome on the Moon into a Retrieval Artist.

“Part CSI, part Blade Runner, and part hard-boiled gumshoe, [Retrieval Artist] Miles Flint would be as at home on a foggy San Francisco street in the 1940s as he is in the domed lunar colony of Armstrong City.”—The Edge Boston

“Rusch has created an entertaining blend of mystery and sf, a solid police drama that asks hard questions about what justice between cultures, and even species, really is.”—Booklist

“It feels like a popular TV series crossed with a Spielberg film-engaging.”—Locus

“The Disappeared is a very readable, very thought-provoking novel that lives up to every expectation we have of Rusch and her considerable talents. Buy and enjoy.”—Analog

Featured Science Fiction: Forsaken Commander (The Aternien Wars Book 1) by G. J. Ogden

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99¢ in USA as of June 19, 2023
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Humanity’s only hope is the commander they spurned.

Once, Master Commander Carter Rose was the Union’s secret weapon. An augmented, bio-engineered officer in command of the most powerful warship ever devised by human minds, Rose brought them victory against the post-human Aternien Empire.

Then they cast him aside.

A century later, living alone on a distant forest moon, feared and forsaken by the people he fought to save, Rose has grown bitter and resentful, while his superhuman body refuses to age.

When Major Carina Larsen seeks his help to save Earth from becoming the last frontier of humanity, Rose is reluctant to return to duty. Until Larsen reveals the real peril: the Aterniens are on the rise again, hell-bent on revenge.

And after a century of peace, the Union has forgotten how to fight.

But even if Rose can recover his marooned warship and assemble a crew, his allegiance is now a valuable commodity — and a secret weapon is only ever as dangerous as those who wield it…

Forsaken Commander is book #1 of the Aternien Wars series, an epic blend of space opera and militaristic sci-fi. Follow an elite crew of augmented officers as they fight a post-human enemy styled on the myths of ancient Egypt.

Featured Science Fiction: The Armageddon Seeds (Dekker’s Dozen Book 1) by Christopher D. Schmitz

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$4.99 in USA as of June 18, 2023
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Dekker Knight has a secret past.
Vivian “Vesuvius” Briggs has a sword and a chip on her shoulder.
Together they run a crew of sanctioned space mercenaries: the Dozen.

During an operation gone wrong, an alien spy steals a seemingly insignificant item: a benign seed found on Ganymede. A secret cult believes it has immense power, perhaps coming from the Garden of Eden itself. If it falls into enemy hands, it could wreak unspeakable evil across the galaxy.

The Dozen fight to keep their debts settled, fuel in their ship, and some equilibrance to their moral ledger. They are more than mercenaries: they are part of a family they’ve chosen—and this seed threatens to tear it apart.

Between a corrupt government, and forces in league with the notorious villain, Prognon Austicon, threats squeeze them from every side. Dekker and Austicon have a vendetta. Vivian’s family and Austicon have a history. Austicon has powerful friends and a superweapon. With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, can the Dozen swing the pendulum back?

Featured Science Fiction: Forge of Empire (The Chronicle of the Final Light Book 1) by P. R. Adams

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99¢ in USA as of June 13, 2023
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Empires are forged in fire and quenched by blood.

Avery Shetty joined the Marines to pay for his engineering degree. It meant leaving behind the woman of his dreams. Now it might mean losing his life.

When an ancient alien threat rises, Avery finds himself on the front line of a war he can’t understand, facing a relentless and merciless enemy. What had been an attempt to create a peaceful galactic union becomes a desperate gambit for survival.

This struggle could destroy more than his dreams—it could be the end of the human race.

If you’re a fan of epic tales of action, intrigue, and war, then you’ll love Forge of Empire, the first book in The Chronicle of the Final Light series.

Featured Science Fiction: The Unity Wars Complete Series by Peter Nealan

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Featured Science Fiction: The Unity Wars Complete Series by Peter Nealan

99¢ as of December 10, 2022
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Get the Unity Wars Box Set, featuring all three books in the action-packed series. 1000+ pages of aliens, war, space marines, and explosive military sci-fi action.

Centurion Scalas and his brothers ride the thundering ships toward the enemy surface. Some of the finest and most respected warriors in the galaxy.

Their code is strict: If you target the innocent…You will fall.

But the horrific foe descending from deep space isn’t like anything they’ve faced before.

Can they hope to stand against the rising new power in the galaxy?

Don’t miss this complete Military Sci-Fi adventure that will grab you from the beginning and not let go. It’s perfect for fans of Rick Partlow, Jay Allan, and Galaxy’s Edge.

Book Review: Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler

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As of December 4, 2022 $2.99 … check for current price: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon Au, Amazon DE, Nook, Apple, Kobo, and GooglePlay

Ah, the classic alien abduction for purposes of breeding trope…innocent human women abducted by hot, blue, warlike aliens whom the human women inevitably tame with the power of sexy times.

If you’re looking for that story, Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler is not it. Her aliens are not sexy–think giant sea anemone–but they do want to breed. They’re not particular when it comes to male or female.

I recently reviewed Sue Burke’s Semiosis and Interference, and praised those for having genuinely alien voices. Sue’s aliens are very alien, but Butler surpasses even her. This is one of the most disturbing series I have ever read, and I highly recommend it. 

It asks a lot of the biggest questions that sci-fi is so good at addressing. What does it mean to be human? If you sacrifice your humanity in order to survive, have humans survived at all? A great, weird, and wonderful read. I highly recommend it.

Lilith’s Brood is available at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon Au, Amazon DE, Barnes&Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and GooglePlay