It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.
So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie and small press authors newly published this month, though some March books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.
Once again, we have new releases covering the whole broad spectrum of speculative fiction. This month, we have urban fantasy, epic fantasy, paranormal mysteries, science fiction mysteries, science fiction romance, space opera, military science fiction, dystopian fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, technothrillers, horror, cyborgs, space marines, alien invasions, crime-busting witches, fugitive heroes, deadly muses, the devil and his daughter and much more.
Don’t forget that Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a group blog run by Jessica Rydill and myself, which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things speculative fiction several times per week.
As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.
And now on to the books without further ado:
Inspiration is a living thing and it is hungry…
Terra Desmarais’s success as the next big artist in NYC is absolutely inevitable. Her patrons, the associates, Mr. Black, Mr. Silver, and Mr. Green, can practically taste the raw talent dripping from the enigmatic trailer park prodigy’s dollar store paints.
Up and coming pastel artist Cedric Fleck is a lucky discovery of the associates. Rescued from oblivion by Mr Green, put up in a studio by Mr. Silver and paraded around on the arm of Mr. Black should be the dream. But within the steady stream of great press and even better parties, Cedric can’t shake the sense that something is very wrong. He wants to hate Terra for her overnight success, but he’s taken by her earnest love of art.
As the artists around them crash and burn, and Cedric struggles to break free from the toxic seduction of Mr. Black, Terra is only concerned with her strange and compelling paintings. She seems to want nothing of the fame, the money, the sex or the drugs. As greed exposes the true colors of the associates, and Terra is too lost in her art to notice the danger, Cedric discovers that inspiration is a living thing, and it is hungry.
Colonel by Jonathan P. Brazee:
Ryck has proven himself as a warrior and a hero, but in times of peace, that can lead to trouble. Ryck’s temper gets the best of him, and because of that, and with a heavy heart, he resigns his commission.
As an old enemy comes a-calling, a new threat surfaces, and Ryck’s services are once again needed.
If he fails, all of humanity could be at risk.
Given a second chance to be the man that Humanity needs, Ryck answers the call, determined to make good. This new threat, however, might just be his most insurmountable yet.
The Devil’s Daughter by Rachel Ford:
Antonia guards the devil. Caelia is his daughter.
Mayor Crassus is the most corrupt man in Black Port. He’s never met a con he didn’t like, or grift he rejected. He’s mercenary, cold-blooded, and ruthless in turns.
In order to better feather his own nest, he’s promised his daughter’s hand to one of the king’s most ruthless inquisitors. Caelia, in whose veins flows the blood of a powerful matriarchal line of witches, knows it would be a fate worse than a death sentence.
Whatever it takes, she must escape.
She turns to Knight Protector Antonia Brocklehurst, her father’s bodyguard – a woman with plenty of secrets of her own.
But Antonia’s mission could save the lives of hundreds. Can she abandon it to save one woman – even if she has loved her for years?
Fiendish Delights by Helen Harper:
Yeah, I’m a treasure hunter. No, I’m not rich. Or busy. Or successful.
Not yet.
I’m doing my very best at making a living in my newfound career. I’ve got magic, a pair of brownie sidekicks and enough ambition to fill every chilly corner of Edinburgh castle.
What I don’t have is any actual treasure to hunt.
However, when a young girl asks me for help, I end up embroiled in a deeply dangerous search for an ancient magical artefact. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who wants to find it. Between fire-breathing dragons, vicious vampires and lethally powerful fiends, I’ve got my work cut out for me if I’m going to locate the treasure first.
At least this time I’ve got help. Hugo Pemberville might be as provocative as ever but he has also attached himself to my side. Sure, I’ve got a few teeny tiny problems of my own to deal with – but I’ve got everything under control.
Sort of.
Hexcess Baggage by Lily Harper Hart:
The French Quarter is quiet for a change. Christmas is just around the corner, and the off-season is allowing for some rest and relaxation for the local business owners. Ofelia Archer is basking in it…until her mother’s walking group stumbles upon a body in Jackson Square.
The White Walkers—a group Ofelia and her fiancé Zach Sully are constantly mocking—have been getting bolder and bolder in the Quarter. Their aim is to stop the crime and clean things up…even if that means pointing the finger at a homeless man Ofelia is convinced is innocent.
As things come to a head between Ofelia and her mother, a group of shadow assassins takes shape and begins a cleanse in the Quarter. They’re acting as vigilantes, but who is controlling them?
All eyes turn to the White Walkers.
Ofelia has always made it a point to let her mother live her own life. That’s no longer an option. It’s time to infiltrate the group and find out exactly what’s going on.
Ofelia isn’t going to like what she finds.
Ofelia has always taken it upon herself to care for the homeless population in New Orleans. With the White Walkers working against her efforts, the battle is afoot.
Ofelia won’t let those who need help go without it.
Marie Charlies won’t back down.
It’s mother against daughter and the fate of the French Quarter is in the balance.
Who will win?
Undead Urges by Amanda M. Lee:
Luna Thorn is a witch about town. She likes to fancy herself a loner, but the truth is, she has the weight of the world resting on her shoulders.
Gorgons are infiltrating Detroit, and they’ve set their sights on Luna. They want her. The question is: why? Luna is determined to find out. It won’t be easy.
When zombies attack the Cathedral, the building Luna and the people she cares for call home, Luna is determined to snuff out the culprit. Unfortunately for her, the only lead she has is a witch who isn’t in the mood to offer up help.
When the most powerful mage in the Midwest pops up for a visit, Luna is glad for the help. The responsibility is becoming overwhelming, though, and she’s afraid she might crack under the pressure.
As a traveler, Luna can wander through time. If only she could control her powers. It’s not as easy as she hoped, however. Instead, she keeps overshooting her mark, and the resulting chaos is not what she bargained for.
Luna wants to save the world. More than that, she wants to keep the people she loves most safe. An ancient order of monsters wants to stop her in her tracks.
It’s a fight to the finish, and when Luna delves into the history of the world she resides, she finds that some things should be left in the past. Will she have that option, though?
Luna won’t give up. Neither will the friends she’s surrounded herself with. That just might be their downfall, though.
Will she survive to find out the truth of her past? Or will she die never knowing what she was truly meant to be?
Honor of Cyborgs by Scott Moon:
Follow commands or save his renegade family… He must choose.
No one defies the Protectorate.
They’ve got relentless cyborg assassins who never quit and never fail to take out their targets.
Until one defies them by becoming a parent.
Camden 1192, and ninety-nine other killers, are assigned to locate and capture the traitor. Orders specify taking the child alive, if possible. Only, theres one problem. The traitor happens to be Camden’s sister, and the child, his nephew.
At the end of the day, everyone knows the Protectorate’s Cyborgs are only good at one thing—ending the lives of anyone daring to disobey. But it’s family… Blood versus duty.
Can one man win the most unwinnable scenario in the galaxy?
As the Second American Civil War wanes, Mary the Exoputian awaits her chance to contact the Folbulae—a highly advanced species of extraterrestrial, only to be hunted down by the dictator of the Sovereign States of America, Vladimir Booth.
With rising tides and thawing tundra, the Exoputians—a new species of human genetically created to live in Space and communicate with the Folbulae, land in the Republic of Texas following a missile strike on their space station. Mary and the other Exoputians learn of the lies their progenitor taught them, training the space-bred crew to use their novel communication to cure the planet they’d never set foot on. As Mary and the others road trip through racially segregated America, they encounter multiple attempts on their lives to follow through with their once-mission of saving the planet from the climate crisis.
Discover with Mary what’s worth saving on a planet prepared to destroy her entire species.
Content Warning: This novel is about the Second American Civil War, a race war. As such, it contains references to racism, police brutality, war, profanity, hate speech, violence, violence against minorities, racial slurs, sexual violence, drug use
Wartorn Stars by Glynn Stewart:
A mysterious enemy threatens the innocent.
A tide of silence and death sweeps the stars.
A single fleet, far from home, stands for freedom.
Under threat by a strange enemy, the alien Londu have called on old debts, leading Rear Admiral Henry Wong to bring his new Expeditionary Fleet hundreds of light-years from home to aid them.
A hard-fought victory gives his partner, Ambassador Sylvia Todorovich, time to negotiate a new alliance with their old friends. The same victory should give him answers about the strange Enigma alien attacking the Londu—but all they find are lies and more questions.
The questions give them one possible source of answers: another old ally, wrapped in mysteries of their own. An old ally no one has heard from since the Enigmas started attacking…
Fugitive Heroes by James David Victor:
When you’re being chased by the good guys and the bad guys, the only thing to do is prove you are the real hero.
Melias and crew have have the devices needed to fight the Lightbringers, but they’re also on the run from the military that they are ultimately serving. Can they stay ahead of the authorities and fight the Prime Ones at the same time? If they can’t prove themselves to be fugitive heroes, all of humanity may be doomed.
Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver:
Salvation has a price.
An enthralling murder mystery with a vividly realised future world that forces readers to grapple with hard-hitting questions regarding our relationship with Artificial Intelligence and the price we would be willing to pay, as a species, to be saved from crises of our own making. This jaw-dropping techno-thriller is perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, Neal Stephenson, Philip K Dick, Kim Stanley Robinson and RR Haywood.
It’s 2050, a decade after a heatwave that killed four hundred million across the Persian Gulf, including journalist Marcus Tully’s wife. Now he must uncover the truth: was the disaster natural? Or is the weather now a weapon of genocide?
A whistleblower pulls Tully into a murder investigation at the centre of an election battle for a global dictator, with a mandate to prevent a climate apocalypse. A former US President campaigns against the first AI politician of the position, but someone is trying to sway the outcome.
As the murder of a crucial witness derails the investigation, Tully must find the truth, convince the world to face it and make hard choices about the future of the species. But will humanity ultimately choose salvation over freedom, whatever the cost?
A dream experiment holds unforeseen consequences for a woman who relinquished love and belonging 8 years earlier. Can her dreams convince her to pursue happiness, or will they pull her away from reality?
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