I try to avoid doing this as much as possible - but it’s the holiday season, which means gift-giving. Some of you may be wondering what to get for that sci-fi/fantasy reader in your life. As it so happens, I have a few suggestions!
ONE OCTOBER NIGHT - One story every night, born from a drawing. Fantasy, science fiction, mystery, this collection has it all. Come for the night and see what you find, because it's never boring here in October.
RECALL NOTICE - (ebook only) Eddie's had a rough thirteen months. He's been cursed by a gypsy, assigned his own sister as his court appointed witch, and is up to his neck in mandated community service. When he picks up a new client, his luck finally changes — for the worse. Can this PI turned black cat navigate a world of friendly zombies, orcish goons, and bad luck by the crate to somehow save the day?
MINSTRELS IN THE GALAXY - A dozen science fiction authors spin their own yarns, inspired by the music of Jethro Tull. Belly up to the bar somewhere out among the stars. Grab yourself a drink, and settle in for some colorful tales from our minstrels in the galaxy. Stories of things that could have been, things that might have been...and of things that should have been, but never were.
TALES FROM THE WOOD - A dozen fantasy authors spin their own tales, inspired by the music of Jethro Tull. Come join us around the fire for stories of all manner of witches, wizards, dragons, and fae beings both light and dark as these bards bring you their Tales from the Wood.
2024 HIGH CALIBER AWARDS - A young traveling judge on the road with an Imperial Magus struggles to keep his own magical talent hidden while investigating a series of crimes that look to be the work of a powerful necromancer. (If you’ve been paying attention, you know that I'm working on continuing this story into a full novel for Cannon Publishing. Check out the origin and wonder what may come next…)
WYRD WEST - Out in the Wasaya territory of the Old West, myth collides with reality, and anything can be true. A missing town draws a Federal Marshal and an itinerant preacher together to confront an ancient evil that wants to consume them all - and more. Get my story and another nine from stellar authors in this volume!
ZNB PRESENTS: YEAR TWO - What would happen if the "Chosen One" was a sixty year-old widowed fisherwoman? Find out in "Harrold of the Gods", only one of the two dozen stories in this anthology!
And more! That's a sample of what you can find on my Amazon Author's page. Take a look and find something for the geek that you love, and give them a gift they can enjoy while they're curled up next to a fire this holiday season!
“Sam,” I hear you say, your voice choking with emotion, “those are wonderful books, but not quite what I’m looking for. Please, do you have any other suggestions?”
Dude. Seriously? You should know better than to ask me that.
OF COURSE I HAVE MORE SUGGESTIONS!
Let’s start off with the great folks at Raconteur Press. If you like Space Cowboys, Space Marines, Pinup Noir, Steampunk, Giant Freakin’ Robots, Alternate History, Moggies in Space, Moggie Noir, Moggie Steampunk… hmm. I don’t think they’re gotten to that last one yet. Give ‘em time. You can check out their page on Amazon to see everything, and man, it’s quite a bit, as you might guess from the brief descriptions above.
If you tend toward apocalyptic fiction and mil-sf, but are tired of the same-old-same-old, take a look at Cannon Publishing. In their Fae Wars series, Elves and their allies return from a long exile… and they are not happy. The Line series and the Irregular Scout Team series answers the question, “Hey, what happened to all those highly-trained military people during the zombie apocalypse?” Al Hagan’s Hexen series looks at what it really means when 90% of the world gets wiped out by plague, through the eyes of survivors trying to pick up the pieces. Kal Spriggs clocks in with Hell Train, the first in a series where you would wish that you were only dealing with nice, safe, virus-based zombies. Check them out at www.cannonpublishing.us
Last but not least is Three Ravens Publishing. While they’ve done their share of comedy - check out their “It Came From the Trailer Park” series, and “Space Pew-Pew” (no, really, that’s the title) the sci-fi comedy from David Badurina - they’re not above getting serious when things call for it. Whether it’s republishing Robert Silverberg classics, fiction set in the Car Wars gaming universe, a slew of topical anthologies, or wondering who deals with mythical creatures that punch through into our world, they are more than ready to be sarcastic or serious as the story calls for. Go ahead, take a look at the over 100 books they’ve got to offer.
There you go! If you can’t find something for the nerd in your life on that list… well. Tag me in a message on Substack and I swear, by Grabthar’s Hammer, I will do my best to help you find something your friend will like.
Hey, if you put this on Facebook at any point, tag me, I’ll share it all over. These are great books!