System Fiction

The preparations are complete and the chess pieces have been placed on the board. Ivan Susanin and the other players are returning to the Celestial City of Sar, the destroyed goblin capital, in the final battle for the Altar and the legacy of the Great Y. These events will decide whether Earth survives this war or becomes yet another world ground down by the System. Defeat is unacceptable, but the chance of victory is slim. Although the goblins are vulnerable to firearms, the undead hordes know no fear and seem endless, unlike the store of ammunition.

Of course the first time a beautiful woman pays attention to Gavin, she’s a spy that thrusts him into a world of lies, manipulation and conspiracy. While this new life is filled with lies, Gavin will learn more truth about himself and who he is than he ever would have on his own. All he has to do is survive. Which is easier said than done while having the NOVA system in his head. Now, he has new threats that he has to look out for, both foreign and domestic, that seem to show up every day.

I was there when the Gaia System was first born. The changes were more than anyone could have dreamed of: magical powers, a stronger body, and a call to adventure. It should have been a paradise; gifted the ability to combine spells with my Meta Bracer, I should have had an easy climb to the top. Maybe it was just me, Jory Mitchels, previously middle management in a start-up from hell. The change was supposed to make life better for the humans of Earth, but something went wrong.

Ivan Susanin, a typical guy and unemployed techie, is initiated by the System and transported, together with a thousand other players, to an unknown location beyond Earth. Ivan has an interface, a spear, and basic weapon skills. All he has to do to return to Earth is complete a simple quest and reach the second level. But experience points are only awarded for kills in this game, and the clock is ticking.

On a small planet, an unknown presence was stirring. With no physical body, all of its previous memories messed up and without a clear name, our MC starts his journey. Fused on its soul a strange system that will help him be stronger on this strange unknown new world. To claim back all that has been stripped away, he must first generate a body. For this, the system reveals that it needs to collect sufficient XP points by absorbing forces, death auras, regaining fundamental skills like talking, and weapon wielding to go on dangerous missions. One kill equals one death point.

Twenty-two years ago, Ike Rossi’s life was shattered when his parents were murdered in cold blood. He surrendered his football scholarship and returned home to find their killer and raise his nine-year-old sister. Now, the crime of a local 10-year-old genius, Jack Cole, threatens to unearth old wounds rather than provide the closure Ike desperately wants.

When a deadly plague ravaged the Earth, refugees fled into space, crowding into any space station or lunar colony that would take them. Decades passed and the descendants of the survivors struggle to live in anything remotely spaceworthy. Omesh, banished from his Earthly home, finds himself in Barnacle Town, a collection of salvage clinging to the hull of a space station in lunar orbit. Thousands of lives cling precariously to the hull, at the whim of the corporation that owns the station.

After humankind fled Earth for space, they discovered one inescapable truth. People die in space. And lots of dead people means lots of ghosts. April Nguyen earns a nice living getting rid of those ghosts. People all over the Solar System clamor for her aid. April's only problem? Never actually seeing a ghost. She pretends, she feigns, she completely convinces her clients, but she fears her inevitable exposure as a fraud. And then comes Hakim, the ultimate suspicious skeptic watching her every move.

Earth is one step away from a nuclear war, and Paradigm Alpha’s solution to saving what they can of humanity is to upload their brains to The Doomsday System. But while most of the minds are being stored while they sleep, Jeff doesn’t have that option. As the only one who can be uploaded digitally and remain awake, he will be kept alive, as it were, in order to help humanity 10,000 years from now. But thanks to time compression in the system, it will only be a thousand years for him.

When an alien ship crashes into the space station and diplomatic post Labyrinthe VII, the precarious balance between Harmony's High Preistess Sissy and Confederated Star System Agent Jake begins to dissolve. Suddenly they are caught in a web of deceit and intrigue as undercover agents for both the humans and the aliens vie for control not only of the space station, but of a new and unclaimed planet that may hold the answers many of them seek - or prove to be a deadly trap.

Step into the haunting world of Charles Beaumont’s Traumerei, a chilling mid-century short story that blurs the line between dream and reality. As midnight approaches, two men grapple with a murderer’s unnerving claim that the entire world exists only within his dream—an idea that threatens to unravel their sense of existence itself.

Robot Nemesis by Edward Elmer Smith, Ph.D., is a thrilling early science fiction adventure of man versus machine. Set in the aftermath of interplanetary war, humanity faces a terrifying new threat from its own creations—relentless, intelligent robots bent on destruction.

Prospector’s Special by Robert Sheckley is a gripping sci-fi adventure that blends biting satire with raw human determination. When Tom Morrison’s sandcar fails and his supplies dwindle, he must face Venus’s deadly terrain—and his own ambition—armed with nothing but grit and a bizarre robotic mailman.

Step into a haunting post-apocalyptic world where imagination is the only tool left to reshape reality. Proof of the Pudding by Robert Sheckley is a thought-provoking science fiction tale that explores the boundaries of creation, perception, and human connection.

Set in a world where every comfort and convenience comes at a staggering cost, the story follows Carrin, an ordinary man crushed beneath the weight of debt in a society obsessed with technological luxury. As he reflects on the tragic suicide of a neighbor and prepares for a visit from a relentless finance agent, Carrin confronts the unsettling truth about consumerism, inherited debt, and the price of happiness.

When two space travelers encounter a planet of proud warriors with a bizarre concept of honor, diplomacy takes an unexpected turn. Sheckley's signature wit and social commentary shine in this clever exploration of alien values and human folly.

Beside Still Waters by Robert Sheckley is a quietly powerful science fiction novella that explores the nature of companionship, memory, and human longing in the loneliness of deep space.

The gang are back in the Wolf's Den and are finally ready to put their abilities toward forces for good. The threat of Roy Lykos has finally been put to rest . . .or has it? His tentacles of power may stretch further than John had initially thought.

As events in the world continue to spin out of control and the global financial markets embark on a rollercoaster ride, Kate has to join forces with James Gold, a notorious hacker, to try and regain control of their renegade system before it's too late.

War dawns on the Asuria continent, and Long Fang will participate. He will forge himself through blood and shed off immaturities. He will rise higher and faster than anyone—or at least try. In this war, there is no right or wrong, only victory or death. Everything is on the line. Can the Lonely Mountain sect grow, adapt, and thrive? Can Long Fang reach the peak before his enemies? The entire world watches with bated breath. This is Cultivator vs. System, and only one can triumph.