Your Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Bargains for July 25, 2024

Michael Anderson never thought he would set foot on an Earthlike world. Born on the farthest edge of the solar system, he studies planets from afar. But when his parents open a wormhole and discover signs of intelligent life on the other side, Michael is the only planetologist young enough to voyage to the alien star.

He is not alone, but Terra, his sole mission partner, is no more of an adult than he is. Soon after their arrival, she begins keeping secrets from him. But she doesn’t realize that her darkest secret is one that he already knows.

Twenty light-years away from humanity, what they discover on the alien world forces them to question their deepest beliefs about the universe—and about what it means to be human.

SciFi meets noir in this novel set in near-future California after climate collapse. When Finder is hired to locate Miraluna Rose, it seems like an easy job. Crack into corporate databases, brew up some biologics to enhance his thinking, and get the job done with the help of the Parrot, a bird/dog chimera with the finest traits of both species. He finds that a renegade corporation called ReMe is illegally breeding human/animal chimeras and selling these exotic female creatures, branded as ArcoTypes, to the wealthy and ruthless. Miraluna Rose is its finest creation, but she has other ideas. She’s holed up at a refuge for ArcoTypes, planning a future of freedom for her sisters. And they need Finder’s help. The search takes him to the sunstruck streets of Laxangeles, the canals of Seattle, the weirdly mutated vegetation of the Area, and the ArcoTypes’ desert stronghold.

Category: Science Fiction – Genetic Engineering

In a California transformed by pandemics and climate collapse, a detective battles to save humanity—and himself—from a plot to let AI take over the world.
Tech titan Thom Elliott a mission: Create a new world order ruled by Sekai, the most powerful artificial intelligence ever created. His secret weapon is Glorp, a nutritional energy drink beloved by the tech community that includes genetically engineered microbes that will make people compliant.
There’s only one thing missing from this plan: everything that makes us human. Finder is an old-school detective in a world where, thanks to plague and climate collapse, most interactions are virtual and people hide from the heat behind thick walls. Finder is a misanthrope who prefers tinkering in his biolab, but when an investigation into one of Elliott’s cronies gets him contaminated with Glorp microbes, he has no choice but to fight back

Fugitives from the dreaded Company, Ryann and her crew are forced to steal an alien relic for a double-crossing crime boss. But as enemies close in, and as the crew falls apart, the race to complete their mission becomes a battle for their lives.

Other Retailers
Apple Books | Nook | Kobo

Category: Science Fiction – Alien Invasion

When Roselyn Garcia discovered she was the Holy Grail— Yes, that one. She has to get her newly awakened godly powers under control before she destroys the world all while running from the Church, the Templars, and trying not to fall in love with Daniel Smith, the one Knight who is charged to protect her.

Category: Fantasy – Epic

A mythic retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh, son of the goddess Ninsun and the mortal Lugalbanda, is the arrogant king of the vibrant city of Uruk, a sprawling desert metropolis. To quell Gilgamesh’s oppressive behavior, the gods fashion the wild man, Enkidu, to be a companion to the king and to calm his errant ways. The two form an inseparable bond, embark on a wild misadventure, and commit a series of blunders that offend the very gods who created Enkidu. What happens next sends Gilgamesh on an epic journey to find his ancestor, Utnapishtim the Faraway, to learn his story of survival and unlock the secrets of immortality. Along the way, he encounters out of the world creatures in out of the world places and learns a lesson he will not soon forget.

Category: Fantasy – Epic

It’s real. Jenny has proven it to herself.
There is another world, underlying ours, where non-physical beings dwell. She’s been there, and it harbors the secrets of her mysterious past.
Imagine staring at a photograph and suddenly being transported back to the place and time it was taken. That’s Jenny McLane’s new reality. In this mysterious realm she calls The Fray, she’s like a phantom, unseen and unheard by those around her.
However, Jenny’s newfound ability is fraught with peril. In The Fray, dangerous entities lurk, eager to feed on her energy. Real ghosts linger there, unable or unwilling to move on. Despite the risks, Jenny is determined to use her ability to uncover the truth about her parents. Her mother died the day she was born, and her father vanished shortly thereafter. She longs to understand them, even if it means braving the dangers of The Fray.

Category: Dark Fantasy