A woman like no other who longs for acceptance. A precision killer inspired by the dream of his captain. The last member of a murdered race, fighting to avenge his people against the overwhelming might of the Guild...and the dark powers behind it.The Sublime Brotherhood of Steersmen holds the Middle Stratum in its iron grip. Jaren Peregrine, last of the Gen, raids across the fringe spheres beside Nakvin-a pilot whose relationship with her captain transcends the professional, apprentice steersman Deim, and laconic mercenary Teg Cross.Hunted by the ruthless Master Malachi, Jaren and his crew reluctantly join an occult conspiracy to break the Guild's monopoly with an experimental ship. But when its maiden voyage goes awry, the Exodus flies farther off course than its crew could have imagined.Lost in a forgotten netherworld, Nakvin, Jaren, and their crew face mutinous officers, hellish riddles, and a stowaway necromancer whose mask hides more than his face. They turn to an exiled priest who discovers a secret incubating within the Exodus-an enigmatic evil with a startling connection to Nakvin.When Jaren strikes a fiendish bargain, his bond with Nakvin is tested, Teg's identity is imperiled, and Deim's sanity is shaken. Only the Words of Creation offer hope of escape, but finding them means racing a demon lord to the mythical Place where old gods die and new gods emerge-whether for good or ill as yet unknown...

Brian Niemeier's highly praised debut novel Nethereal introduced a captivating, mysterious world. Book 2 of the Soul Cycle unveils its secrets.Twenty years after the old world ended in fire, Xander Sykes travels the deserts of a drastically changed Mithgar. His fascination with the world he never knew-along with his strange abilities-divides him from his clan. But otherworldly forces interrupt his exile.Pursued by enemies from above and beneath the world, Xander bands together with an ambassador from hell, his heavenly bodyguard, and a reformed guildsman seeking to right his order's wrongs.The search for answers leads to a vast, decaying city haunted by a presence as tormented as it is deadly. Xander finds a survivor who may give purpose to his nameless longing-if he can help her escape the terror that stalks them both.

Campbell Award finalist Brian Niemeier's highly acclaimed Soul Cycle speeds toward its climax in the thrilling sequel to Dragon Award winner Souldancer, The Secret Kings.The god of the Void is free. Aided by a Night Gen fleet, Shaiel's fanatical Lawbringers spread his Will throughout the Middle Stratum and beyond.Teg Cross, whose mercenary career took him to hell and back, finds the old world replaced by a new order on the brink of total war. A fateful meeting with a friend from his past sets him on a crusade to defy Shaiel's rule.Meanwhile, Nakvin strives to muster a last-ditch resistance in Avalon. But can worldly kings and queens stand against divine wrath?

Fifteen of the best Indie authors. Fifteen extraordinary stories. One bestselling universe.It's the Twenty-Second Century. The galaxy has opened up to humanity as a hyperactive beehive of stargates and new technologies, and we suddenly find ourselves in a vast playground of different races, environments, and cultures. There's just one catch: we are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain, and there's only one way for humanity to move up-by becoming mercenaries.In every mercenary's life, though, there comes a time when things go wrong and even the best laid plans go awry. When they do, though, the best mercs fall back and work out new plans, and you can bet on one thing-hope is not their strategy. Whether you're a kid looking to get off your planet, or an unarmed merc facing an overwhelming force, or even the sole survivor of a pirate attack, there's always an edge-and it's up to the merc to find and exploit it!Edited by bestselling authors and universe creators Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey, "Hope is Not a Strategy" includes all-new stories in the Four Horsemen universe by some of the bestselling Indie authors currently in the business. These authors take on various aspects of the universe, giving you additional insight into a galaxy that isn't at war¿but definitely isn't at peace. There's only one thing for sure in the 4HU-anything's possible¿for a fistful of credits!

It's not over. Genius or madman? Monster or Savior? Arthur Wake is missing in action. His fragile HALO alliance shatters under the Coalition's counterattack. Desperate to recoup their losses, the Coalition turns to a pilot with a grudge against HALO. Brutal false flag attacks soon jeopardize Hainan Island's hard-won independence. Sullia Zend uses the fray on Earth as cover for her secret agenda. But can even the Sentinel manage a ruthless lawman, her own estranged sister, and a HALO defector on the eve of a cataclysmic reckoning eons in the making? If you like mech fiction and military thrillers, you'll love Combat Frame XSeed: CY 40 Second Coming!

Dragon Award winner Brian Niemeier's groundbreaking Soul Cycle reaches its startling conclusion in The Ophian Rising, the highly anticipated sequel to The Secret Kings.The Zadokim healed the cosmos from the ravages of the Cataclysm, and the survivors made them kings. Now the Ophians, a ruthless insurgent movement, wage a vicious uprising against their immortal rulers' two hundred year reign.Xander and Astlin have transformed the desert world of Tharis into the hub of a flourishing trade empire. Their Nesshin subjects spread a new faith promising true freedom in another universe. But when Astlin seeks forbidden knowledge to resurrect her long-dead family, sinister forces exact a terrible price from those she loves.With the Ophian threat engulfing the spheres and a primeval terror rising from its prison, Astlin must turn to a shiftless gambler, the outlaw squire of a fallen knight, and a mismatched pair of smugglers to escape the ghosts of her past and save all souls from eternal death. But can mortals succeed where even gods have failed?

The future is over. Civilization on Earth has collapsed. Oligarchs have established a new order in manmade space colonies at the Earth-Moon LaGrange points. A group of powerful colonies form the Systems Overterrestrial Coalition to re-civilize the earth, but grounders view the colonists as hostile meddlers. The Coalition counters the rising violence with giant manned robots called combat frames. The independent L3 colonies denounce the war on Earth. In response, Coalition Security Director Sanzen takes L3 leader Josef Friedlander's wife and daughter hostage. Amid the tense standoff, Friedlander's son Sieg launches an unsanctioned rescue mission to L1's Byzantium colony.

Sci Phi is an online science fiction and philosophy magazine. In each issue you will find stories that explore questions of life, the universe and everything and articles that delve into the deep philosophical waters of science fiction universes. This month we have, Flash Fiction When Things Go Wobbly by Gregg Chamberlain - A story of giant ants and unexpected results Last Stand by E.J. Shumak - Another giant bug story, but this time a tale of loss and hope for the future Fiction Idle Hands are the Devil's Worship by Mark Andrew Edwards - A fun lesson in why curiosity isn't always a good thing Strange Matter by Brian Niemeier - What would do if the world kept ending and you were the only one who knew it? Pathways by Liam Hogan - Life takes different paths, are we sure we are on the right one? A Quadrillion Occupied Planets by Marc Anthony - What is the price of peace and is it worth paying? Detritus by Jason Kimble - How do you live when your world gets shaken to its core? An Alternative Ending by Saligrama K. Aithal - A look at another world and their differing customs Articles Philosophical Reflections on The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special by David Kyle Johnson - The title pretty much nails the content A Deeper Rabbit Hole: Reconsidering the Philosophy of the Matrix Trilogy by Joseph Moore - Our first essay written in response to an earlier essay, and an interesting read The Tyrants Headache by Eric Schwitzgebel - An interesting exploration of Functionalism and you will need to read it to find out what "anesthesia by genocide" is Khan as Nietzschean Ubermensch and as Moral Actor in "Space Seed" by Patrick S. Baker - More Star Trek, this time looking at Khan and Nietzsche Our serial, Beyond the Mist by Ben Zwycky continues in this issue as well, with Chapters 4 & 5. Finally we have a review of the Atopia Chronicle by Peter Sean Bradley.