Shakedowners

To boldly go where no losers have gone before... Some starship captains explore strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilisations. Some lead missions of discovery through wormholes to the other side of the galaxy. Then there's Captain Iridius B. Franklin, someone who spent too long seeking out strange new bars and new alien cocktails. After graduating bottom of his class at Space Command Academy Iridius Franklin hasn't had the glamorous career he envisioned, instead he hauls cargo ships full of mining waste, alien land whale dung, and artificially intelligent toy dogs across the stars. Iridius does have talent though - he is exceptionally good at breaking starships. So, when not hauling freight, he is captain of a shakedown crew, a skeleton crew used to test newly constructed ships for faults before the real crew takes over. While on a routine shakedown mission aboard the FSC Gallaway, soon to be pride of the Federation Fleet, Earth is attacked by an unknown alien life-form. With the galaxy in chaos, Captain Iridius B. Franklin finds himself, unqualified, understaffed and completely unprepared, in command of the most advanced starship in the galaxy. Now, he just needs to not break it. Perfect for fans of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Red Dwarf and Space Team. If you've ever wondered what would happen if Star Trek was forced to rely on the dregs of the fleet, pick up SHAKEDOWNERS now.

Captain Iridius B. Franklin accidentally destroyed the planet Earth, but then he totally on purpose saved the galaxy so you know, you win some, you lose some. Fresh in command of the advanced stealth ship the FSC Deus Ex, Iridius and his crew of misfits are sent on a reconnaissance mission to observe a suspected weapons development program being undertaken by the Federation's long-time enemy, the Planetary Alliance. When they discover the Alliance has created an incredible weapon - a bomb capable of manipulating time - Captain Franklin must stop them from releasing it and changing the outcome of a war that happened a hundred years ago. But to infiltrate the station where the weapon is hidden Iridius is forced to go undercover as one of the galaxy's biggest stars, the secretive DJ Chromium. Completely out of his depth, as usual, Captain Iridius Franklin must stop a literal ticking timebomb, hide from the real DJ Chromium, avoid a deadly team of assassins and maybe learn to spin some tunes. Plus, in the deepest darkness of space an existential threat unlike any other grows ever closer.

Stranded in the desert, the last of mankind is kept safe by a large border fence ... Until the fence falls. Squid is a young orphan living under the oppressive rule of his uncle in the outskirts of the Territory. Lynn is a headstrong girl with an influential father who has spent her entire life within the walled city of Alice. When the border fence is breached, the Territory is invaded by the largest horde of undead ghouls seen in two hundred years. Squid is soon conscripted into the Diggers-the armed forces of the Territory. And after Lynn finds herself at odds with the Territory's powerful church, she too escapes to join the Diggers. Together Squid and Lynn form an unlikely friendship as they march to battle against the ghouls. Their journey will take them further than they ever imagined, leading them closer to discovering secrets about themselves, their world, and a conspiracy that may spell the end of the Territory as they know it.

First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera—The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia. Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium. Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world. When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince. How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.

#1 in the Saxon mystery series. Introducing L.A.-based private eye Saxon. A transplanted Easterner trying to make it as an actor, Saxon stays solvent (and sane) between roles by running an investigating agency. When someone takes a potshot at famous pulp detective writer Buck Weldon, Saxon agrees to help—especially after meeting Weldon’s tall blonde daughter. Turns out, the writer’s enemy list is longer than some of his novels and is headed by his agent, his publisher, and one of the biggest producers in Hollywood. Baffling leads involve a major cocaine dealer and a professor specializing in private eye literature. Saxon’s investigation takes him from Westwood to Palm Springs and back to the San Fernando Valley before its violent culmination in a backwater Mexican village on the Baja peninsula.

The remarkable World War II story of PC 1264's crew of fifty African-American enlisted men as recounted by the ship's captain.

The Earth has been sold to aliens. What could possibly go wrong? It's the Year 2024. Drowning in debt following the pandemic and facing ruin, the world's leaders have taken the only logical decision. They've sold the planet. When Toby, a penniless student, and his two new flatmates find out one morning on TV, they're surprised to find the Earth's new alien owners are staggeringly cute and bring the promise of a debt-free future. They're just getting ready to celebrate along with the rest of the world, when a chance encounter with a mysterious professor reveals the truth. And there's a glitch: the Earth is about to be destroyed. With only 24 hours to avert the apocalypse, Toby's flatmates - one paranoid, one gorgeous - drag him on an intergalactic adventure. Battling interplanetary bankers and pursued by pitiless assassins, the gang find that a deadly virus becomes their only chance of salvation. Fresh, fun and fast-paced, How to Buy a Planet is the unforgettable tale of three students on an impossible quest to beat the system. If you're a fan of Douglas Adams, Grant Naylor, or Terry Pratchett, this is the must-read sci-fi novel of 2020.

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