Mostrando resultados por autor "Joe Vasicek" en Todas las categorías

Shipwrecked on a hostile shore, the only way out is to harness the power within. All Alex ever wanted was to be a sea mage like his father. But though he is gifted with magic, the wind and the waves refuse to answer his call. So when a storm arises and shipwrecks his crew on the barren shores of the Lands of Desolation, it appears that their only option is to walk out. But the Lands of Desolation are no place for lost sailors. Once the seat of a mighty sea-faring empire, the ruins of the land harbor secrets—and dangers—darker than the depths of the deepest sea. And one of the crew’s ...

Honor, love, and destiny clash in an interstellar empire that has forgotten its holiest legend: the story of Earth. He is sheikh’s sole heir, a young man raised by desert tribesmen after falling from the stars. She is the sheikh’s most beautiful daughter, promised his hand in marriage—but only if she can convince him to stay. Together, they must travel to a land where glass covers the sky and men traverse the stars as easily as tribesmen cross the desert. At the ancient temple dedicated to the memory of Earth, they hope to find the answers that will lead them home. But the call of the...

Our government's most heinous crimes are the ones we never question. In a future society where citizens pay a quarterly "body tax" by serving as mindless automatons under the watchful eye of an all-seeing police state, a young woman discovers that she's unexpectedly pregnant after completing her term of servitude. Determined to preserve her freedom and the life of her unborn child, she becomes a fugitive, risking everything to uncover the dark secrets that her government is hiding from the public.

In a world bound by algorithms and AI, the greatest liability is the human spirit. Welcome to the Algorithmocracy, a fully networked and automated society where all of your preferences are perfectly predicted, all of your choices are fully anticipated, and all of your needs and desires are met—except when they suddenly aren't.

Delight in intriguing, thought-provoking conversations about ethics, philosophy, and social issues! After Dinner Conversation is a monthly literary magazine publishing short fiction. Each issue features both established writers and up-and-coming authors who contribute fascinating philosophical insights on controversial topics like marriage equality, assisted suicide, the meaning of death, animal rights and defining your "purpose." It's time to go deep in search of truth! If you love reading imaginative short stories on hot topics that make your brain think deeply but also have you laughing ...

"Everyone secretly wants to be a slave. Those who deny it simply haven't found the right master." With those words, Tamara finds herself plunged into a dark and treacherous world where she must question everything she thought she knew in order to restore her faith in humanity. Determined to rescue her sister from brutal slavery, she must decide carefully whom she can trust, because everyone has their own agenda—and not every slave wants to be free.

Ten optimistic and forward-looking space stories that show how we journey to the stars! This is the third volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: The Scales of the Space Whale The most dangerous creatures in the universe will kill you before they know you exist! In the Beginning Paradise is not what—or where—it seems. (After Dinner Conversation, August 2020) From the Ice Incarnate They say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it. (1st place, 2009 Vera Hinckley Mayhew Contest BYU) When She Awakes To pay her ...

Ten more stories to heal the divide between man and machine. This is the sixth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: Quantum Worlds Will AI herald the death of human creativity, or its startling rebirth? Bloody Justice (by J.M. Wight) The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed… A Mother's Last Goodbye When the living and the dead collide, a single act of selflessness ripples across generations. The Princess and the Professor When a kingdom is terrorized by a dragon, only Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life stand between chaos and salvation. The ...

This is the first volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It contains: The Gettysburg Paradox The greatest battle of all time, secretly fought by time travelers. (Gallery of Curiosities, June 2018; Bards and Sages Quarterly, July 2019) Killing Mister Wilson Every time traveler wants to kill Hitler. Only one actually stopped him. (Uprising Review, September 2017; Unrealpolitik, November 2018) My Name Is For My Friends When fellowship draws the line between life and death, trust must be proven. (Mirror Dance, September 2017) Memoirs of a Snowflake The life and times of a ...

Ten brutally honest and politically incorrect stories for times such as these! This is the second volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It contains: The Paradox of Choice If post-birth abortions are legal, when does life actually begin? Payday A near future sci-fi thriller about the perils of a universal basic income. Utahraptors at Dawn When the meme wars are fought on the digital field of honor, no weapon is too ridiculous to be awesome. Sex, Life, and Love Under the Algorithms In a world bound by algorithms and AI, the greatest liability is the human spirit. Welcome to ...

When all he wanted was a cause to die for, he found one to live for instead. In a broken world where money is cursed and men care for nothing but coin, one man seeks to restore his name and sacred honor by facing the sorcerous powers that seek to enslave the world. In the heart of the forbidden desert, the ancient ruins of the city of Xulthar harbor the source of this great evil. No adventurer has ever returned from Xulthar alive. But Roderick cares little for such things. Honor means more to him than life, and freedom more than riches. He fully expects to die in the course of his quest, ...

Only those who stand united can bring peace from the chaos of war. The Outworld Confederacy has shattered—but the Gaian Empire is shattering faster. Treasonous elements in both seek to reshape the galaxy in their own image. With Isaac and Reva's telepathic abilities, only Mara is in a position to thwart the usurpers. But Reva opposes the weaponization of the collective, and Mara refuses to be open about the darkest parts of her past. Unless they can unite, the collective will shatter just as surely as the Outworlds and the Empire. In war as in peace, all things rise or fall on leadership ...

Without redemption, there is no peace. Without forgiveness, there is no redemption. Reva never asked to be the queen of an alien-human hive mind, but she never shirked from it, either. Now, she and the survivors of Star's End share a telepathic bond that allows them to think and feel as one. But unity will not come easy. Isaac fears her growing power, and Tomas fears that if the others awake from cryo, their murderous natures will drag everyone down to their level of depravity. The only path back to civilization is held by the very same pirates who want them all dead. Gulchina commands them...

When all else is lost, the bonds of war become a cause all their own. It is the Outworld's darkest hour. Gulchina's betrayal has eliminated the Outworld Confederacy's only strategic advantage in their war for independence. As the full force of the Gaian Imperial Navy bears down on them, defeat is all but inevitable. Mara Soladze fully expected to lose the war. It is not her own life that she fears for, however, but the lives of her men. As world after world falls before the Imperial onslaught, those fears may soon be realized. No commander is ever fully prepared to watch their men make the ...

War brought them together, but only hope can unite them. War has come to the Outworlds. An Imperial expeditionary force has taken the frontier systems and threatens to strike at the heart of the New Pleiades. The only thing standing in their way is a ragtag flotilla of starfarers and merchanters, their motives as varied as the stars from which they hail. Aaron Deltana can barely speak the same language as his Outworld comrades, but he isn't about to let that stop him. Though he has no military training or combat experience, he's determined to prove his valor. Besides, the Imperials have ...

Ten stories that show why the freedom of truth is worth the price of loneliness. This is the fifth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: Love and Truth at Universe End Where have all the aliens gone? Calling Scam Likely An auto warranty scam he was sure to never forget! Prison of Dreams A boy, a girl, and a starship gone mad. Blight of Empire A dying world. A decadent empire. A discovery that can save them both. The Library of Fate He rewrote his past in the library of fate. Now, his kingdom is falling. In the Wake of Zedekiah Wight (J.M. Wight) Woe unto them ...

The future of the Outworlds now lies in uncertain hands. The war for the Outworlds is on. The Imperials may have lost the first round, but they're back—and this time, a ragtag flotilla isn't going to stop them. When Aaron recieves a captain's commission in the new Outworld Confederacy, Mara is his natural choice for second in command. But Mara never expected to live past the first few battles. She only joined the resistance to avenge her father, and fears the monster she's starting to become. The only thing she has left to live for now is her friends. The Imperials aren't the only enemy ...

One last battle before the Outworlds are free. Edenia is under attack. The pirate queen Gulchina, together with all her forces, now threaten the main planet with utter destruction. Trapped on the surface, Reva knows they will stop at nothing to see her dead. Mara Soladze's frigate group is the only Outworld task force able to come to the planet's aid. But Gulchina's flagship, the Chinghis Khan, outguns all of their ships put together. Their only advantage lies in the telepathic bond of the collective and the rugged resourcefulness of the Deltana brothers. Reva is not powerless either. When ...

Tradition decrees that he must leave his homeworld forever, but destiny has other plans. From the moment Isaiah Edeni was born, the course of his life was sealed. As the firstborn son of a star wanderer, tradition decrees that he must leave his beloved homeworld aboard his father's starship, never to return. As the time for his departure draws closer, Isaiah grapples with the overwhelming weight of leaving behind all that he has ever known: the breathtaking natural beauty of his homeworld, the familiar faces he has grown up with, and his longtime childhood crush who only sees him as a ...

Is this the hill on which you want to die? That is the question on Garak-Nur's mind every time he draws his blade. A battle-hardened mountain orc, he knows when to turn from an unwinnable fight—and when to face death head-on, weapon in hand. Garak-Nur is ready to meet his fate, but the rest of his clan is not. A Witch King has risen to power in the north, enticing the mountain orcs to join his army. To preserve his clan’s freedom, Garak must lead his followers into the wilderness. But the challenges they face are great, and the lands they must cross are teeming with peril. Dwarves, ...