M Darusha Wehm

After a century of struggle, the terraforming of Mars was intended to bring peace and prosperity to the colonists of the Red Planet, but while the planet may be livable, humans bring their own chaosOn Mars, terraforming breakthroughs leave citizens dreaming of a transformed planet. However, when a contaminated ice asteroid puts water supplies in peril, the dream quickly shatters. Professor Zambrotta “Zammi” Kaspar is tasked to investigate a fatal crash on a remote ice asteroid, but he never expects to discover his missing sister there as an indentured worker for the Mining Guild. As the siblings reconnect and dig deeper into the mystery of the contaminated water, they both discover a personal legacy of secrets and loss over competing visions for the future of humanity. Can they unite to reveal the truth behind the water contamination before their dream of a terraformed Mars evaporates into the newly formed atmosphere?

Something is rotten in the state of cybernetics. Elsinore Robotics is on the cusp of a breakthrough-the company is poised to create the first humanoid androids powered by true artificial intelligence. Their only rival, Norwegian Technologies, lost a publicly streamed contest between their flagship model, Fortinbras, and Elsinore's HAM(let) v.1. But when the first Hamlet model is found irreparably deactivated, the apparent victim of wild malware, the field of consumer cybernetics is thrown wide open. However, Hamlet v.1's memories were not entirely lost in the accident. Hamlet v.2 swears to avenge his progenitor, but is plagued by the aftereffects of integrating Old Hamlet's backup into his own neural matrix. Beset by doubts about whether his feelings are truly his own, he worries his love for his boyfriend, Horatio, is an illusion, all the while driven by a consuming need for revenge. While he has a method, there is a madness in it, and Hamlet's actions will leave no corner of Elsinore unscathed. A beat-by-beat retelling of the Shakespeare classic, Hamlet, Prince of Robots grapples with conscience, ambition, and pain, and what it means to be, or not to be, human.

Intergalactic civilization emerges from its war-torn ruins for the first time in generations to explore the galaxy, in this stunning new anthology from the bestselling world of Twilight ImperiumA terrible war destroyed a vast empire, and left its survivors shattered and isolated. Millenia of history, technology and the ever-expanding imperial grip were lost. From the secretive Naalu, the proud Hacan, to the piratical Mentak Coalition, these factions and worlds are recovering and looking past their borders to the galaxy beyond again – but what awaits them in the vastness of space? New territory, allies, and opportunities abound, but the history that once bound them together now stands between them, and the opportunities to be found in war may be greater than in peace…

Something is rotten in the state of cybernetics. Elsinore Robotics is on the cusp of a breakthrough-the company is poised to create the first humanoid androids powered by true artificial intelligence. Their only rival, Norwegian Technologies, lost a publicly streamed contest between their flagship model, Fortinbras, and Elsinore's HAM(let) v.1. But when the first Hamlet model is found irreparably deactivated, the apparent victim of wild malware, the field of consumer cybernetics is thrown wide open. However, Hamlet v.1's memories were not entirely lost in the accident. Hamlet v.2 swears to avenge his progenitor, but is plagued by the aftereffects of integrating Old Hamlet's backup into his own neural matrix. Beset by doubts about whether his feelings are truly his own, he worries his love for his boyfriend, Horatio, is an illusion, all the while driven by a consuming need for revenge. While he has a method, there is a madness in it, and Hamlet's actions will leave no corner of Elsinore unscathed. A beat-by-beat retelling of the Shakespeare classic, Hamlet, Prince of Robots grapples with conscience, ambition, and pain, and what it means to be, or not to be, human.

Alien detectives stumble across a mystery that could tear apart their patchwork planet, the Crucible, in this riotous science fantasy novel from the smash hit game, KeyForgeWibble & Pplimz, the Crucible’s most unusual private investigators, must set off from their office in Hub City to clear the name of a former client. Along the way, their investigation broadens from a simple accusation of theft to include a missing person, a potential murder, and a highly unusual gem. Four interlinking incidents take them across the Crucible, as they attempt to solve the case. But there’s something more sinister lurking underneath: evidence of a secret society that aims to discover the power of the Architects, and forever change the nature of the Crucible itself.

Can home be a place you've never been, a place no one has ever been? The White Cloud is the most audacious experiment the human species has ever undertaken-to search for a new Earth. The ship and its crew exist for a solitary purpose-to reach a distant planet and establish a colony. However, the vast majority of people undertaking this journey will not live to see its result, nor were they part of the decision-making process to leave. A novel-in-stories, following the many generations who make the journey, The Voyage of the White Cloud asks how you can find meaning as a slave to destiny, a mere stepping-stone in history. These are the stories of the most ordinary people on a most extraordinary journey.

Two dozen tales of far away worlds, future Earths, a reality that lives beside our own. From childhood dreams that haunt adulthood to alien creatures trapped in a never-ending cycle to visions of a future among the stars, the stories in this collection span the realms of the fantastic but with a core of humanity. You'll find hope in dystopia, despair in perfection and one or two bug-eyed aliens. Includes "Fire. Escape." (shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel award for best novella, 2013) and "The Interview" - both part of the Andersson Dexter universe.

After settling into a new job, new home and new living arrangements, Andersson Dexter has finally found a comfortable life in both the physical and virtual worlds. But that sense of security is blown apart when an explosion rocks Dex's real-life Nice neighbourhood. He and his colleagues begin an investigation into a string of seemingly senseless and random vandalism attacks, that remind them all of similar attacks in the simulated world Marionette City. While at first the attacks seem more like a nuisance than a threat, Dex discovers that there are more serious - even fatal - consequences. As the trail leads Dex closer and closer to home, he is forced to confront the lengths he is willing to go for justice.

Ever wish things were different? Ivy Velasquez did, so she became someone else. In the 3D virtual world Marionette City, you can be anything you want - but everyone still knows who you are. Driven by her desire for a new life, Ivy takes her future in her hands when she makes another identity for herself. A brilliant designer, Ivy works for one of the huge multi-national firms which control the online system the world relies upon for both business and pleasure. But one day, Ivy tries to access M City as her alternate self, Reuben Cobalt, to discover that Reuben had been murdered. Since alternate identities are forbidden by the firms which control access to the nets and to M City, Ivy has nowhere to turn - until she finds Andersson Dexter. Part private eye, part vigilante and part cop, Dex sets out to uncover Reuben's killer. Since the corporations control almost every aspect of life, including law and order, justice for average people comes only at the hands of the outlaw organization to which Dex belongs. Self Made is a murder mystery set in a vision of a future that seems to lurk just over the horizon. But above all, it is a story of how people strive to control their own destinies, and how that desire affects them and the people around them in ways they could never imagine.

The future is boring. Technology has solved the world's most pressing problems, leaving people with tedious work and mundane play. Jack is a Security Officer Class 5, which sounds important, but isn't. However, her banal life as a cubicle worker by day and tinkerer by night is interrupted when she discovers that her employer's computer system has been invaded. Jack enlists the help of her only friends - her co-worker, Gilles and Adrian, an online friend she's never met - to help her track down the source of the invasion. Her investigation leads her to a shadowy group called the Red, where Jack learns that not everyone lives a life of quiet servitude. Even though she believes that the Red are responsible for a series of gruesome attacks, Jack begins to become attracted to their worldview. In her search for the people responsible for the attacks, she confronts the leaders of the group as well as her own burgeoning sense of self-awareness.

Storefronts busted, businesses destroyed, accounts frozen. No one knows who's behind the rash of vandalism in the virtual world, Marionette City, or how to protect themselves from becoming the next victim. Andersson Dexter has a new lease on life. Things are looking up for the newly independent investigator, when he picks up what seems like an ordinary case of vandalism. Soon Dex discovers that what appears to be a run of the mill case may be linked to a series of more sinister events which could jeopardize the very existence of the virtual world, Marionette City. Join Dex and the rest of The Cubicle Men team on his most complex case yet.

Andersson Dexter is a new man, still living his old life. Part vigilante, part private eye, part cop, Dex is muddling his way through his day job as a faceless customer service rep for a giant firm, while solving routine cases in his off hours. But when a gruesomely mutilated corpse is found, things heat up for Dex and the underground organization he calls the Cubicle Men. Soon, Dex finds himself racing against the clock to find a killer who seems to be determined to strike him close to home. In a grim future where people live and work in crowded, utilitarian cities but escape to an online virtual world, Act of Will explores the capacity we have to choose the directions our lives will take, and the consequences of those choices.