A latent psychic swears a vendetta against the aliens who invaded his home, a team of lawyers must prevent the ruin of two galaxies, and mecha mercenaries The Four Horsemen and Wardogs, Inc. both return to action in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in science fiction.

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Battle Harem #1 – Isaac Hooke

Jason was a little short on creds so he decided to get his mind scanned. It seemed like a good idea at the time: get paid to license a copy of your mind for use in one of the numerous machines that run society. What could go wrong?

Turns out, a lot.

Jason wakes up in the middle of the radioactive wasteland that was created fifty years ago when aliens destroyed half the Earth. He has no idea why he’s here, or what the hell he’s supposed to do. Worst of all, he’s no longer human: his consciousness has been installed into the AI core of a state-of-the-art war machine, a mech with enough firepower to raze a small city.

Hunted by mutated alien bioweapons, Jason travels the wasteland in an attempt to piece together what happened. Along the way he encounters a few abandoned war machines that also have no memory of their mission, machines that can’t decide whether they want to join him or kill him. It doesn’t help that in VR they all look like super hot women.

Sometimes it’s tough being a machine.

When Jason and his new companions discover what they’re truly capable of, however, everything changes. And not necessarily for the better.

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Dark Moon Arisen (The Four Horsemen Cycle: The Omega War #3) – Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey

The Omega War is in full swing. Earth has fallen to General Peepo’s army, and the surviving Human mercenaries have taken refuge at the hidden Winged Hussars’ base in New Warsaw.

On Earth, the defensive forces fight to keep the hearts and minds of their fellow Humans, but Peepo’s plans are slowly converting the people to her way of thinking, and the Mercenary Guild troops continue to root out the forces arrayed against them.

Outnumbered and on the run, the situation is bleak, but none of the Horsemen like being on the defensive. When they get intelligence that Peepo is massing resources at a secret base, they decide to launch a decisive counterattack that may open Earth up to recapture.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sato, the Hussar’s brilliant but unpredictable scientist, unwittingly reactivates a 20,000-year-old doomsday weapon with a mind of its own. If it can’t be stopped, all the Four Horsemen’s plans might become meaningless.

Forces are moving both in the shadows and in the light, but who will rise victorious? One thing is for sure…a Dark Moon has Arisen.

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The Fall of Heaven – David S. Grunwell

In the wondrous megacity of Heavensport, robots do all the work allowing its three-quarters of a billion inhabitants free to pursue their passions.

Unfortunately for Rolland Newcastle, someone’s passion is to kill him. Stripped of his wealth, technology, and connections, is this the start of a worldwide purge?

Rolland inherited his troubles from his ancestors, the legal owners of the beautiful planet of New Jerusalem. After cryrosleeping for 223 years, they found that technological advances had allowed squatters’ ships to make the journey in just 3.5 years.

Arriving 200 years later, they found an established world that didn’t want them. The Fall of Heaven was just the start.

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Forbidden Sanctuary (Star Lawyers #2) – Tom Shepherd

What terrible secrets will Tyler Matthews and his Star Lawyers discover within the Forbidden Sanctuary on the mysterious, sacred planet Adao-2?

Can the legal team from Matthews Interstellar Industries learn the truth in time to save M-double-I’s century-long quest to open Jump Gate Omega, bridge the 2.5 million light years to the Andromeda galaxy, and prevent economic ruin and war in the Milky Way?

While Tyler, J.B., Rosalie and Lucy (her shapeshifter cat) battle pirates and religious fanatics, Suzie and her holographic A.I. colleagues—former ladies of the night, re-purposed as legal assistants and starship crew– face an even deadlier foe. This unknown enemy threatens to delete all the starship Patrick Henry’s programs and terminate their existence forever.

To make matters worse, Cousin Esteban languishes in prison on Suryadivan Prime, where the former Catholic monk faces a death sentence for crimes he did not commit.

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Galactic War (The Pike Chronicles #9) – G. P. Hudson

A crumbling empire. A galactic crusade. Humanity rising to power. Hidden enemies waiting to strike.

Eight years have passed since the Builders and the Dark Ones left the galaxy. In that time, Jon Pike has scored successive victories against the Juttari. Once he drives them out of Diakan space, his forces will be poised to finally strike at the heart of the ruthless Juttari Empire.

But, an unseen power is emerging from the shadows, threatening to destroy all of Jon Pike’s progress and plunge humanity into a new galactic war. Old enemies also continue to pose a deadly threat to the Admiral. Can Jon Pike avoid disaster for himself, humanity and the galaxy?

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I Am Justice (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes #9) – Ryk Brown

A chance to gain resources…

A need to prepare a defense…

A trap about to be sprung…

An opportunity for justice…

As his sister faces a critical moment, Captain Scott must chase his friends to regions he has yet to travel.

Sometimes, you just have to take risks for those you care about. Sometimes, quite often.

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Incoming – Kevin Orr

The year is 2029, and World War III, which lasted all of 61 minutes, is history.

Nuclear combat destroyed all life on the surface of Earth, relegating mankind to a life underground.

Farrow Lind is tired of living like an insect.

He longs to join the select surface forces, the only group which ever sees daylight.

But when his squad veers off course, he finds himself entangled in the biggest conspiracy in the history of the human race.

“Don’t wanna give the story away but it doesn’t just have plots twists, the whole story is one huge plot twist.” – Amazon Reader Review

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The Long-Range War (A Learning Experience #5) – Christopher G. Nuttall 

The gloves have finally come off…

The Tokomak, the unquestioned masters of the galaxy, have dispatched a massive fleet to crush the Solar Union – and the fledgling Galactic Alliance – before the human race and its alien allies can tear the galactic order asunder. Hundreds of thousands of starships under the command of an alien tactical genius, bent on exterminating the entire human race…the darkest hour is truly at hand.

Admiral Hoshiko Stuart has a plan. The Solar Union will dispatch a fleet of its own, with the objective of smashing the alien fleet before it reaches Sol. But, as human technology clashes with alien treachery, experience and sheer numbers, it becomes clear that there can be only one victor…

…And whoever loses will lose everything.

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Metal Monsters (Quantum Mortis: Wardogs, Inc. #3) – G. D. Stark

All war is murder for profit.

Some people are just more open about it.

WARDOGS INCORPORATED is one of the largest and most professional mercenary corporations operating in the Kantillon subsector. If you need a bodyguard, an assassination team, or an armored cavalry regiment complete with air support, Wardogs Inc. can provide it for you… for a very steep price.

The Stratocracy of Sfodria has ruled over its people with a very large steel fist for centuries. The giant mechs piloted by their nobles are all but invulnerable and have long served as the aristocratic shield against Sfodria’s enemies. But recently, their indestructible knights have been falling in battle at an unprecedented rate, and no one knows why. Desperate to reverse the fortunes of war before their nation falls to their hereditary enemy, the Stratocracy turns to Wardogs Inc. to train their ineffective and long-ignored militia.

Tommy Falkland and his fellow Wardogs aren’t on the job long before they begin to realize that they may be in well over their pay grade, as they are not dealing with a conventional human threat.

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The Pride of the Damned (Cochrane’s Company #3) – Peter Grant

The shadow war started as a simple contract to defend a system against asteroid thieves. The harder Andrew Cochrane and Hawkwood Security fought, the worse things became. Now they find themselves embroiled in an interstellar war with an entire mafia!

Worse yet, the proceedings are so profitable – not to mention bloody – that they’ve attracted the attention of some of the worst criminal organizations in the galaxy. If Hawkwood is to survive, it’ll need all the wits, cunning and ingenuity it can muster – and the unwavering courage and dedication of its people.

The galaxy’s not big enough for both sides. One or the other will go to the wall.

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Rogue Pilot (Space Scout #3) – Will Macmillian Jones

Frank Eric Russell was a Captain in The Free Union’s Space Corps, until a series of unfortunate events left him disgraced, dismissed and disgruntled. Now a renegade in an outdated scoutship, he makes a living on the margins of the galaxy in any way he can.

But Frank’s past is catching up with him. The Chief Enforcer of the decaying Galactic Empire, the fearsome Colonel Starker, wants to make Frank a horrible example to the rest of the galaxy of the penalties of crossing his path. The Followers of The Mad God Zog are not pleased by the damage to their holy space station that Frank caused when he escaped from their indoctrination program in a previous novel and want their revenge; and worst of all his old boss wants him back – to carry out some more life-threatening missions for him.

As he flies his elderly Speedbird across the less reputable parts of the galaxy, Frank finds himself living in interesting times…

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Shadows of Divinity (The Enochian War #1) – Luke R. Mitchell

Enochia is compromised. The Sanctum. The Legion. The whole damn planet.

Carlisle calls them the raknoth. Red-eyed demons from Alpha knows where. He says they’re aliens. But then again, he also moves things with his freaking mind—a gift he swears lies dormant in me as well—so I’m starting to get a little unclear on what I can and can’t believe anymore. And I know what you’re thinking. A few days ago, I wouldn’t have believed me either.

Then I watched the High General of the Alpha-damned Legion sprout red eyes and tear my parents to bloody pieces.

I don’t know what the raknoth want. I don’t know how they’ve taken control of Enochia without anyone noticing. All I know is that they picked the wrong planet to screw with. Now, I have some questions. And a High General to kill.

My name is Haldin Rais, and I’m going to make them pay…

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Target: Earth (Extinction Wars #5) – Vaughn Heppner

What if you could right your greatest regret?

Creed wishes he’d never left Jennifer behind in a dark and alien dimension where Abaddon transformed her into a superhuman killer. Creed helped kill Abaddon and put Jennifer in the Curator’s care—the only one with the hope of healing her—but guilt still gnaws at Creed.

Then one day Jennifer escapes from the Curator, with the pain of her lover’s abandonment driving her. She plans to hurt Creed like he hurt her, by destroying what he has worked so hard to save—the Earth.

When Creed learns this, he breaks his oath as the Galactic Effectuator, steals an advanced stealth ship, phase suit and weapons from the Curator and races home.

Time and incredibly deadly aliens under Jennifer’s control fight Creed. He desperately needs the help of Rollo, Ella and N7 if he hopes to protect humanity and right the greatest wrong of his life by saving Jennifer from the evil Abaddon has done to her.

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