Showing results by author "Joe Vasicek" in All Categories

Only he can unlock the power—if they don’t overpower him first. After dropping out of the King’s Fleet, Samuel didn’t think he would amount to much. Though he possesses the gift of magic, he will lose it if he ever cuts his hair, giving him a disheveled appearance that makes him a social outcast. But when an ancient and secretive cult comes after him, he learns that his particular kind of magic sets him apart. An ancient lost artifact known as the tidecaller’s amulet is the key to unlocking a great evil, and Samuel is one of only a few people who can use it—or destroy it. As the...

A captain in debt, a princess in peril, and a fate that neither can foresee. All Jason ever wanted was to sail the Azure Sea as a merchant ship's captain. But money problems have him up to his eyeballs in debt, and if he doesn't return to port with the gold, his dreams will be dashed forever. So when the princess of a far-off kingdom is kidnapped by pirates en route to her wedding, Jason merrily takes up the chase, staking his future on the reward for her safe return. Yet the competition for the princess proves fierce, and Jason soon learns that there are far more powerful forces behind her...

Not long from now, in our own Milky Way… The name's Sam Kletchka. Perhaps you've heard of me: captain of the Star Runner, military contractor for Earthfleet, and interstellar privateer. But before all that, I was a hired gun, freelancing across the galaxy one gunslinging job at a time. This, my friends, is how I went from being stranded in the armpit of the galaxy to becoming the luckiest human being in the universe. Not that it was easy, of course. I've looked death in the face so often, he's practically an old buddy of mine. But when all your worst enemies are immortal, that's a buddy ...

Those who will not work to build the new world will burn the old one. In a post-apocalyptic world where humanity teeters on the edge of extinction, one lone scout for a snowbound tribe stumbles upon a pristine dome preserving the last remnants of civilization. Frozen in perfect stasis, the survivors await the birth of the new world. But the watchers have all fled, leaving one young woman behind to keep the lonely vigil. If she leaves, the survivors will be lost—unless one of their own will take upon himself the responsibility. Unfortunately, there are only two kinds of people in the world...

My name is Jane Kletchka, and I'm here to set the record straight. Jane Kletchka here. By now, I'm sure you've heard how my dear husband Sam saved the Gorinal star cluster and stopped the Immortals from throwing the galaxy into chaos. Unfortunately, he didn't thwart their plans; he only accelerated them. As the galaxy fell into chaos, Earthfleet commissioned us to find out what was happening before Earth became the next planet to fall. Little did we know, it wasn't just the Immortals we had to contend with, but an enemy from beyond the Milky Way. I never expected to be out there on my own. ...

Where were you on the day the Earth disappeared? So there I was, on an awkward first date with my secret crush, when the colonies went into revolt. They nuked the moon and hijacked half of Earthfleet—and that was just the opening salvo. Then I learned that my date was one of the terrorists (or patriots, depending on your political beliefs), and I had to make a choice: join her, or spend the next few days stuffed in an EVA suit locker. I chose the former, and that's the only reason I'm still here. The name's Rex Carter. On the day the Earth disappeared, the civil war had just broken out, ...

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...

The ultimate voyage of discovery ends with the truth about yourself. Michael Anderson never thought he would set foot on an Earthlike world. Born on the farthest edge of the solar system, he studies planets from afar. But when his parents open a wormhole and discover signs of intelligent life on the other side, Michael is the only planetologist young enough to voyage to the alien star. He is not alone, but Terra, his sole mission partner, is no more of an adult than he is. Soon after their arrival, she begins keeping secrets from him. But she doesn't realize that her darkest secret is one ...

"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.

Fate has brought them across time and space, but war will drive them farther. For countless ages, Reva Starchild has slept in perfect cryostasis. Frozen in secret to escape a catastrophic death, she awakens only to find herself the sole survivor of a people whom history never remembered. Light-years from her homeworld, among a culture she finds both perverse and obscene, she must somehow build a new life for herself where misplacing her trust could be fatal. With nowhere safe to run, she finds refuge on a small starship with a mysterious young man who seems to be fleeing something as well. ...

He wanders the stars in search of a home. Instead, he got a girl without one. When Jeremiah arrived at Megiddo Station, all he wanted was to make some trades and resupply his starship. He never thought he'd come away with a wife. Before he knows it, he's back on his ship, alone with his accidental bride. Since neither of them speak the same language, he has no way to tell her that there's been a terrible mistake. And because of the deadly famine ravaging her home, there's no going back. She's entirely at his mercy, and that terrifies him more than anything. Jeremiah isn't ready to take ...

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 ...

She gave up everything to keep her daughter safe. But she cannot do it alone. When Elara fled to the wilderness to raise her magically gifted daughter, she thought she had turned her back on the civilized world forever. With famine and pestilence plaguing the land, the most she dares to hope for is a lonely life on her homestead, protecting her daughter from the evil men who want to exploit her gifts. But Elara knows that they cannot hide forever. She also knows that when the evil men find them, she'll need help to protect her daughter from them. So when a grizzled and world-weary veteran ...

In a galaxy ravaged by war, a young man must decide how far he’ll go—and what he’s willing to become—to save his sister. James never imagined that when his older brother and sister departed on planetside leave, it would be the last he’d ever see them. But as soon as they’re gone, a ruthless Hameji battle fleet invades their peaceful star system, transforming it into a war zone. Fleeing with his father on board the family starship, James can only watch in horror as the verdant planet below is reduced to molten slag. On the way home, James learns the devastating truth: his sister ...

They called him a lone wolf. Now, he has to lead them across the stars. Five years have passed since the Hameji conquered James McCoy's homeworld. The yoke of occupation has grown unbearable, and unless he can help his people throw it off, everything that he fought for will be destroyed. Light-years away, in the heart of the Good Hope Nebula, there is a place where they can start over. But the dangers are many, and the way is unclear. Only a strong leader can take them there. James once gave all that he had to save the ones he loved. To do so again, he must become the leader that his people...

They wander the stars in search of a home. Finding it will change them forever. The Outworlds: an endless frontier of uncharted systems and unexplored planets. A vast, unsettled stretch of space where generations can pass without outside contact. Torn from their homes by failure and famine, drawn to the stars by fortune and faith, a band of unlikely friends must navigate a universe of pirates, empires, and pioneers as they strive to build a future on the Outworld frontier. Star Wanderers is the first book in the Outworld Trilogy, an epic far-future space opera. If you love authors like ...

The only hope for the last free stars now lies on the path of blood and glory. The princess of Shinihon could not have picked a worse time to run away. The largest Hameji battle fleet ever gathered threatens to overrun the last of the free stars. To make matters worse, a rogue assassin from an unknown faction has killed the high admiral of the Federation. Without clear leadership, the war may be lost before she can be found. But Danica Nova and her band of Tajji mercenaries are no strangers to lost causes. They've fought the Hameji before, and they'll fight them again—not for honor, or ...

They say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it. When Michael Anderson woke from cryo at a distant alien star, he had no idea how isolated he would feel—no idea, that is, until his sole mission partner nearly dies in the thawing process. Twenty light-years from the nearest human being, without anyone else to help him, Michael must act quickly to save her life. A 3,000 word excerpt from Genesis Earth. Won first place in the 2009 Mayhew short story contest at Brigham Young University.

To boldly go where no Earthfleet Academy Xenolinguistics major has gone before. Jane Carter never thought she'd be the first human in the galaxy to be sold at an alien slave auction. As a xenolinguics major, she always wanted to explore new frontiers, but not like this. As the bid price rockets to staggering heights, it becomes increasingly clear that only one man can rescue her: the one who sold her out. Thankfully, there are alternatives to being rescued.

The world that ended with a whimper is about to be reborn with a bang. In a near-future United States on the brink of total collapse, Mia Thompson leads her teenage nephew and grief-stricken step-daughter on a treacherous journey westward across a depopulated Midwest. Siphoning gas from ambandoned cars and hunting for game along the way, Mia is forced to confront the harsh reality: that she doesn’t have the strength to ensure their broken family will survive. And then, they encounter the bandits.