Sean Monaghan

Author Information
Sean Monaghan's Latest Book

Newest Release

  • Bibliography:
    253 Books
  • First Book:
    October 2011
  • Latest Book:
    October 2025
  • Author Rating:
  • Share:

Book List in Order: 253 titles

  • Deadstick

    Hank's scorching across the California sky in a race to save his son. With the afterburners overheating, Sally Jean is tearing apart around him. At 55,000 feet. A dieselpunk story by Sean Monaghan, author of Pan Am 617 Heavy. Includes bonus story "Ho...

  • Lake Ryder Island Swim

    Tim's team has a chance to take back the Lake Ryder Cup, after years of being beaten by Jennington. Strange things are brewing in the lake, though, putting more than just winning the race in jeopardy....

  • Suitcase Nuke

    The Sopphoreo monastery is a haven for Gerry. He's put his combative past behind him and his life has a new direction. But when a spy infiltrates the grounds with monks from a visiting faction, Gerry is forced to take matters further....

  • Vaporize Marineris

  • Lizard Brain and other stories

    Flashpacks are collections of five flash fiction stories. In Lizard Brain and other stories, there's a hospital theme to these supernatural pieces. The five stories here are, "Akio Draws Manga", "Finding Keys", "Fledgling", "Airhead" and "Liz...

  • Canyon Rim

  • Habitat

    Seve Brigham finally lands his dream - a cadetship to work on Habitat, a huge orbiting station. But when he get there the station is a mess, unfinished and behind schedule. Then there's the voice in his head, and the thieves trying to steal the whole...

  • Stone Goddess

    Top Mars researcher Ben James loves getting out into the field. Under the stars. Into the dust and stone. But today something's amiss. Something's out there. Calling to him. Something he's got to find. Even if it means breaking every protocol. A shor...

  • To a Pile of Ashes

    The planet Maram is a frozen waste, with only the equator coming close to balmy Antarctic conditions. A group of researchers are investigating an alien ruin when their ski plane is trashed by a native bear. The researchers are forced to find shelt...



  • Zombie-Eyed Girl and other stories

    Flashpacks are collections of five flash fiction stories. In Zombie-Eyed Girls and other stories, there's a zombie thread through all these pieces. The five stories here are, "Heading for Boise", "To Hold Her One Last Time", & q...

  • I Just Had to Come Down Here Once

  • The Tunnel

    Kelly Barton takes her first off-world research posting to Mapinkura, a pristine planet slated for colonization and development. Unknown to the researchers, development has already begun. And they've just discovered evidence of alien civilization. If...

  • Imaginary Maid Forgets She is Late for a Banquet

    Bianca's had about enough of Paulette, the school bully. But when she calls up magic to help out, both girls are in for more than they bargained for. Much more. A magic-fantasy short story from the author of "Akio Draws Manga"...

  • Tanglethorn Tales

    Two short stories by Sean Monaghan. New lodgings for Bernie Wishman seem to be perfect, even if others in the boarding house seem a little odd. Lila Penchan seems the most normal, even seductive, though Bernie wonders if she's the oddest of them a...

  • Xuento and other stories

    Five short science fiction stories byWriters of the Future finalist Sean MonaghanThe cargo ship Xuento runs into trouble.Big trouble. The crew might get off safely,if they can convince the owner not to riskeverything trying to save the cargo.Includes...

  • Pipe Dive

    A Daron story. Pieter thought divorcing Mel would have been the end of it. Now he's trapped in an artificial cavern deep in the structure. With Mel. And there's no way to get back. A short story by Sean Monaghan, author of The Tunnel and Rotations...

  • Skinny Joe

    A Daron story. Skinny Joe's on a deadline. And he can't wait to get home to see Paula. But when he triggers something in the depths of the structure, it looks like he'll be lucky to get out alive. A short story by Sean Monaghan, author of The Tunnel ...

  • Rotations

    Daniel just wanted to leave it all behind. The tests, the experiments. But now someone's kidnapped his sister and neice, and the only way he'll get them out, is if he rotates through worlds to find them. The thing he swore he'd never do again....

  • Back from Vermont

    Larry's building a grand scale railway on the sidewalk right out in front of the house. And all along the street. Lisa's furious, but the neighbors all want to ride.A short story by Sean Monaghan, author of "Sarah's Ghost". Includes bonus stories "No...



  • Jacob's Naked Aquarium and other stories

    Flashpack number three. Seyma's got bad news for Jacob, but he surprises her with his magical aquarium. How can she break up with him now?Flash fiction by Sean Monaghan, author of "Fledgling". Includes four more magical flash fic...

  • A Visit to the Theatre

    Nikki's got a an urgent telex for an easy bounty. Niemann's in town. All she's got to do is find him. The trouble is, Niemann wants to be found.A dieselpunk story by Sean Monaghan, author of Deadstick and Rotations.Includes bonus flash fiction story,...

  • Ganglion Trains

    Lett's got a delivery to make. Stolen paintings. The cops are on his trail and he's throttling his train up through the artificial synapse network. The tubes are narrowing and the train's coming to pieces around him. Still, he might make it. Ganglion...

  • The Wreck of the Emerald Sky

    Light years from Earth, the liner The Emerald Sky is trapped in a Barris Space rift. No one's ever seen anything like it. Derel Larson's the go-to guy for Barris anomalies, but he's on compassionate leave. The only way he's going to rescue the pas...

  • Her Crystal Husband

    Anita's a prisoner on the patrol ship Nelson. She needs to get back to the Persephone and stop her husband's experiments before the disruptions destroy him, the Nelson and everything else in radius. If she's lucky one of the crew is going to start...

  • Fog

  • The Librarian and the Return of the Nightingale

    The librarian's dead. It looks like the murderer is a space traveler who's accidently returned to the moon after 60,000 years. Saskia's been training to be the new librarian, but she was never trained for this. A science fiction novelette from the au...

  • The Painting that Became a Portal

    What if a landscape painting could transport you right to the very spot? Jan Mulligan's about to find out, when her crazy neighbor gets himself stuck in Morocco. A science fiction story by Sean Monaghan, author of "Her Crystal Husband".<...

  • Climbing Blind

    Melissa's visit to Caspar II on a regular survey should have jump-started her career. When a strange energy fluctuation shuts down all the expedition's equipment-including her artificial eyes-she's got to feel her way, literally, out of the situation...

  • Extraction Plan

    Sean Monaghan's Hidden Dome series, begun with the novel The Tunnel, spans a huge universe with many stories. Extraction Plan is one of the side stories, a novelette following Geri Harrigan, determined stowaway, in a bold attempt to wrench her husban...



  • Point Interruption

    A survey expedition to Caspar II should have been a simple, easy payday for Adrienne and her team: fly in, grab some samples, get on home. But when someone in her team finds and ancient structure, and people start dying, it becomes anything but easy....

  • Don't Switch It On

    Debney just wanted to make a quick treasure run to collect some alien tech, make a quick profit and get home to Melissa. When one of his crew activates a field, it looks like none of them are getting home at all. A Barris Space universe side-story by...

  • To Take a Breath

    Claire Benjamin's got three minutes to live. If she can get the busted hatch on the crippled ship to open she might get a few more minutes and time to think out her next move. A science fiction adventure story from Sean Monaghan, author of Climbing B...

  • Balance

    From right here on Earth to deep space, from action to literary, Sean Monaghan presents a varied balance of science fiction stories. Includes the stories "Her Crystal Husband," "The Painting that Became a Portal," "The Librarian and the Return of the...

  • High Wire

    High wire artist Gerry Lathan's meeting up with his estranged teenage son for the first time in years, wondering if it will be the last time ever. Gerry's about to learn there's a whole more more to his boy than he'd ever expected. A science fiction ...

  • Burying Closterval

    Jeff Cougan picks himself up out of the snow and dusts down his clothes.The start of a very bad afternoon.Far from Earth, with a big payday on the horizon, Jeff needs to get back to the installation. Fast.Set everything right.Will he be able to fix t...

  • This Is the Perfect Way to Wake

    Allan McFarlane used to be halfway famous, his paintings selling for hundreds of thousands, his name celebrated, his time in demand. Times change. Broke and broken, he paints generic pictures for cafes and teaches night school classes. When he takes ...

  • Wake Vortex

    As captain of a Barris space ship, the last thing Sally King expects is a man overboard emergency. But when some zealous researchers stuff a man in a suit out through a hatch, the whole ship might be compromised. Sally's going to have to push the Blu...

  • Defensive Position

    Adelle Finde is working on the best alien archaeological site ever. She doesn't need the distraction of a needy ex-boyfriend messaging her constantly. Then she finds out Rob's on his way. And the site is revealing dangerous details that means everyon...

  • Traditional Proposal

    Gail knows Danny's going to propose. She's not sure. With the death of her parents and a scholarship opportunity, she feels more like escaping. For a time anyway. The last thing she expects if for him to escape with her. Into orbit. A Redcord Macro-N...



  • The Juniper

    The Juniper's a trusty old ship. But Braden Collins quickly realizes she's not up to a raid on the Olla's giant vessel. Especially when he and Mikey get get trapped on board the alien ship. An Olla story by Sean Monaghan, author of "Walking G...

  • The Shipbreakers

    Amy's dream trip to Gandani is about to be shattered by Ray's obsessions. Above a world littered with the wrecks of thousands of spaceship, Ray's about to turn into the very person she feared. A science fiction novelette by the author of The Wreck of...

  • Eltanin Hoop Anomaly Rescue

    Patrick’s daughter has disappeared on a deep space research mission. Now he’s trying to get her back from the site. But with the tech altering time, he hardly knows what he’s racing against. A Barris Space story from the author of The Wreck of ...

  • Stacey7

    Getting mugged on the way to the upgrade hall puts a big slowdown on Stacey's day. All she wanted was to get her upgrade and go home for dinner. Too bad the mugger's got underworld connections. A science fiction story by Sean Monaghan, author of &...

  • Still Air

    Ben Easton's bringing his new son and girlfriend halfway around the world to meet his father and his father's new girlfriend. Naturally Ben's half-crazed mother is going to crash the party. A New Zealand literary story by Sean Monaghan, author of...

  • Time Plus

    Meeting her twin is the last thing Bettina expects. After years working in the accelerated time labs and farms the differences between them are more than just physical. But somehow there's still a sense of kinship. A science fiction story by Sean Mon...

  • The Impact Viewers

    Excursions around the galaxy for paying customers to watch asteroid impacts is Jeb Curtis's bread and butter. Paying customers have been in short supply lately. So when a researcher walks in offering enough cash to keep the creditors away, Jeb doesn'...

  • A Robbery at Jupiter

    Tony Shuster was the best squeeze man in the business. He could get into any ship without the crew knowing he'd even been nearby. Right now, Tony just wants to to enjoy a quiet vacation, but Val, his old boss, has got other ideas. And it's not jus...

  • Black Denim Lit #2

    Black Denim Lit is a monthly journal of fiction available on the web and on all eReaders for free through BlackDenimLit.com. This month Christopher T. Garry brings together sixty pages of bold, intriguing new fiction from Ted Morrissey, Sean Monaghan...

  • Balance II

    From near future to distant, from the far reaches of space to home on Earth, Jim Baen Memorial Grand Prize winner, and Writers of the Future finalist Sean Monaghan presents his second balanced collection of unusual science fiction stories. This book-...



  • Gravity Interference

    Timothy Monte's come out to Dewent to for a simple audit. Rules had been broken. He had no idea the local researchers were panicking over an alien signal. And that they were expecting him to go and take a look. An Expansion Space story by Sean Monagh...

  • Extradition Chit

    Mason Reid's running transport on Dewent, helping Jean and Abe go visit Abe's grandparents. Gareth and Lesley Coites are not who they seem though. The situation slips quickly out of Mason's hands. An Expansion Space story by Sean Monaghan, author of ...

  • Incident on Oleander

    Ken Creason only wants to get the best samples. The plant chemistry on Oleander is like a treasure trove. Too bad he's picked the wrong plant, in the wrong place. The little Oleands aren't going to give him a second chance. Ken just hopes his own...

  • The Sound of Hooves in the Living Room

  • Diplomatic Solution

    Jill Berlac's stuck trying to avoid all out war between Ceres and everyone else-from Earth to Mars to Ganymede-over who owns the contract with the Olla. The aliens' deep space vessel is almost complete. Too bad Jill's just an aide to the ambassado...

  • Spindlebot

    When her ship's shot down on a recon trip over Oxong, Eva Harris is stuck. No communication and no survival equipment. The guys who fired the shot are closing in. Eva's only hope is the little helper spindlebot. But it's already rushed away on a m...

  • To Stare Again, Across the Water

    Sandi thought her time wrangling and negotiating with the visiting aliens was long over and done. But then someone-maybe the Olla themselves-vaporizes the bases on Callisto. The situation demands fast-thinking and subtle talk. Sandi might be way o...

  • Entangled

    Jared Dehl's trapped in a web of moments, lurching from one to the next. Never sure he's any closer to figuring out if the woman, Mary, really is his wife. Or who Cindy is, and why she's tracking his every move. A science fiction novelette from th...

  • Under His Feet

    Pablo Ellis has snuck away to take the ferry, planning to visit Kaylee's father. Dr Guti?rrez's procedure might just save Pablo's legs. The trouble is Kaylee found out and she's going to do everything she can to stop him. A science fiction story f...

  • Balance III

    From brain implants to voracious plants, from local neighborhoods to distant stars, Sean Monaghan presents his third balanced collection of unusual science fiction stories. This book-length collection includes the stories "Entangled," "Spindlebot," "...

  • Memory Book

    When the huge seaplane arrives at her tiny village, Candace knows why they've come. Dodging the royal guard, she'll do anything to protect the memory book. A dieselpunk adventure story by Sean Monaghan, author of "Deadstick"....

  • The Deluge

    After corporate attempts to destroy Mapinkura's hidden alien dome, Kelly Barton knows she and her team have got to move fast to get their research done before Sampang comes back in force. With her team injured, the incessant rain which threatens to i...

  • Finding Linda

    Danny's taken off from prison. Escaped. If he doesn't want to head back, he's going to have to find Linda. Because Linda's the only one who knows he's innocent. Too bad no one knows where she is. A sci-fi action story by from the author of Entangled....

  • Ice Fracture

    Ron Wilder's Gulfstream Flames out over a remote Norwegian lake. He's got a prisoner on board and his routine flight just turned into the worst day of his life. Sheriff Jonas Gessen can only hope to pick up the pieces. If he can keep everyone alive...

  • Mother Daughter Exhibition

    Ellie misses her Mom. It's bad enough living in the Mars dome, but her Dad's driving her nuts now. Ellie just wants to paint. When she steals his car, she has a nagging sense that things aren't going to go well. A science fiction story by the auth...

  • Pyramid 98

  • Aerobrake

    Claire makes a good living in her tiny orbital ship, repairing busted and broken-down satellites. When she gets a distress call, the last thing she expects is for it to be from her son. David shouldn't even be piloting, let alone flying solo. To m...

  • Stone 382

    Keith's in charge of Stone 382, an alien relic that's a waypoint to the stars. Stuck with Jimmy in the dilapidated, pokey, glued-on station, Keith just wants to get home to see Sue. But when the alien builders arrive, everything's going to change....

  • Advance Party

    Delle Ellison's running a distant planetary expedition. The last thing she needs is investigator Trevor Arton poking his nose in. Especially after they've lost probes. When they all get trapped on the surface, it looks like they're going to have to w...

  • The Room

    Deaths haunt Kate's dreams. Always different, but always her niece and nephew. Troubled, she's struggling to paint. With an exhibition coming up, her boyfriend Tim suggests getting away on an artist's retreat. But the dreams become deeper and deeper....

  • Blind Date

    Alan's got a blind date. Sandy seems quirky and intriguing, if a bit offhand. She's rich and well-traveled. It turns out she's the inventor of Phractlgram, a popular web app. Alan's smitten. Too bad Phractlgram turns out to be something very differen...

  • Arrival at Sapphire

    When the Blue Horizon arrives at Sapphire, the last thing Theresa and Stan expect is to find people already there. The ship's been traveling sublight for over fifteen hundred years and things are falling apart. Too bad they can't make contact the peo...

  • The Arrival

    Worn, battered and bruised from years as a cop, Cole Wright wants a moment of peace.But the Spokane locals have other plans for his vacation sabbatical.And Wright just has to stick his nose in, whether wanted or not....

  • Kernel

    Genn's having trouble lining his thoughts up. He remembers Janice and Jade, but not why he's on board this ship. The medics have given him a kernel device to help his transition, but Genn knows there's something else they're not telling him. A scienc...

  • A Picture Window View of Jupiter

    When Alli Peters abandons her safe Earth-bound job for an internship at Jupiter, her boss thinks she's mad. Alli wants to travel, she wants adventure and she wants to see the giant vessel the aliens are building. But after a few days out among the...

  • Steel Wagons

    When a university prank to steal a railway wagon almost goes terribly wrong, David doesn't know if his friendship with Ryan will survive. The pair have always been competitive. Sports, art, girls, craziness. But this time David wonders if they've gon...

  • Track Carlo

    Petra never wanted to come to Callisto. The whole idea of Carlo robbing from the Olla was crazy. But the need the money. And it's a lot of money. Now Carlo's gone missing and Petra's got to do whatever it takes to track him down. The sixth story in T...

  • A Nice Dance

    Starship Quito rides through dimple space with a zombie at the helm. When an attack on the ship throws the zombie off course, Cam and Jessie will have to risk an external to the helm to save the ship. But dimple space doesn't take kindly to the livin...

  • Blood Relation

    Sally's wondering if her brother Bevan will decide whether to donate a kidney. She doesn't know if she wants it or not. An asteroid belt station running on limited resources is no place for a kid to have kidney problems. The dialysis machine is clapp...

  • Arlchip Burnout

    Flis Kupe only wants to quit her life enduring the horrors of the interstellar war. She's even willing to burn out her embedded arlchip. The device pumps her miliary talents to the absolute limit. At a cost. Ready to return to a simple life, a crypti...

  • How to Weigh a Mountain

    Asteroid mining is a tough business. Gil's got a busted-up foot and a deadline to meet. Now he's stuck on Jalaya's surface. The ice-covered rock is unforgiving and unrelenting. Add to that a bunch of aggressive, hacking prospectors after his claim an...

  • The Secret Hallways

    With the horrors of war behind him, Doral has finally settled into a peaceful life raising his daughter Lissette. When armed mean invade his tranquil home, Doral's going to have to use all his wiles to save her. Even if it means resorting to the very...

  • Unbalanced

    From future commentary on NASCAR racing to animated characters crossing into the real world, from the self-conscious to the unconscious, Jim Baen Memorial Grand Prize winner, and Writers of the Future Finalist Sean Monaghan presents a collection of q...

  • The Whalefall

    Gemma's father has gone missing, somewhere out on Stinngaser's wide, deep oceans. She knows he's always careful, but maybe this time his findings have angered the wrong people. Even though she's terrified of the water, she's going to find him. Whatev...

  • Let's Go Find Karl

    Melinda doesn't know where Karl's gone. All she's got is a snippet of his brain, and the ever evasive Damon to help her. A science fiction story from the author of Walking Gear, and originally published in The Colored Lens....

  • Walking Gear

    When Den tracks down his sister Jenni in a squalid Ridgecrest condo, it looks like she's in worse shape than ever. Den's risking his career to help her out. And she doesn't even want what he's offering: a chance at a new life, and a new leg into the ...

  • Water Robot

    Brit and Stan's idyllic beach life seems perfect. When Brit finds a deepwater robot cadaver washing up in the surf, everything starts blowing apart. The robot activates. The oil people arrive. Brit loses track of Stan. She can only hope to salvage so...

  • Thousand Mile Void

    When the new ship arriving on the rogue habitat turns out to be full of aliens, Mike and Sana-Ke have got their work cut out. Especially because the town's on the move, trying to cross an impossible thousand mile wide void. Space opera from the autho...

  • Assassin of Dark, Hunter of Light

    Haz Dugan is the best gun caddy around.Aboard the abandoned habitat orbiting Uranus, Haz is caddying for Kate Kukielko. Kate's chasing down slurps. But when the slurps start fighting back, the pair are in for the battle of their lives.For their lives...

  • Ganymede Bead Raid

    Claudia Clovitz needs one last job and then she's out of the game. Stealing information from the moons of Jupiter has lost its appeal.All she needs to do is grab the data beads, and get out. On a high drop from over Ganymede city, she's going to have...

  • Got a Run For You

    Bill Lett is the best ganglion network driver around. Too bad his train needs some serious maintenance. Just when a big job has come his way. Big enough to pay off all his debts. If he can just get the train into the network. A Ganglion Trains story,...

  • Colin's Arm

    With an alien outbreak spreading, everything is shut down. Sims and Melanie have no idea if they can make it to their son Colin. Flights are canceled, freeways are blocked.If they can reach him, they don't even know what they'll find. The outbreak is...

  • Big Sur

    When the foundering oversized launch dumps Emily Jade into the pounding surf on the Big Sur coast, it's just the start of her predicament. Outwitted by her bounty, she's trapped as his goons hunt her down. She'll have exploit every ounce of reserve t...

  • DMN9

    When Vanessa and Darryl find the missing bubblerun-translight probe DMN9, it looks like their lucky day. Too bad the probe's got ideas of its own. A sci-fi action short story from the author of The Olla Series....

  • Veronica's Treatment

    With the Norwegian Cartel on her tail, Pam's desperate to find Veronica. With the secret tech in Veronica's head, the cartel will stop at nothing. Nor will their competitors. Pam's in a desperate global race to track her vanished daughter before it's...

  • Arms Wide

    What does a respectable father do when his teenage daughter keeps stealing cars? How does a librarian deal with a stalker? Can an offbeat student rescue his friend when she doesn't even know she's in danger? A collection of fifteen stories from prize...

  • Dormant Watcher

    On a new world, Tony Retallick's desperately searching for his missing wife. His own symbiont is withdrawn and confused. He's worried hers has died and she's lost and confused. His search drags him into the local underworld. Retallick might have to m...

  • The Courier

    Hap Thorne's skills run from high-level investigations to low-level courier jobs. Even shady courier jobs. At least those ones pay. Today he's got a package collection in the worst part of town. No questions asked. But when the "package" turns out to...

  • The Eye

    Kelly Barton barely survived two attempts to destroy her team's work on Mapinkura's alien artifact. Now she's starting from scratch.Struggling to fathom the secrets of the dome, Kelly discovers it's far more active than anyone believed. A mysterious ...

  • Gretel

    The colony ship Gretel is speeding for the stars. She's supposed to be two light years away. But she's not. The ship's appeared in Saturn's orbit. One distress call, then silence. With his brother aboard Gretel, Karl Nathan's got no choice but to bre...

  • The Cly

    Tony Brock saved humanity once. But in the mess, he lost his relationship with his daughter. Now the Cly pose a new threat. A threat that might destroy the Earth itself. And the aliens won't negotiate. So Brock's back in the thick of it. Chasing them...

  • Athena Setting

    Jess Candell loves the orbital runs between Jupiter's moons. Even if Athena isn't quite the right ship for the job. In the Jovian system, when things go wrong, they go wrong fast. And bad. When it happens to Athena, she's heading for a fiery plunge i...

  • Celeste Without Gravity

    Brian's strange affliction slows everything in life. But he can make exquisite rings. When the quirky and beautiful Celeste floats into his life, Brian discovers there might be ways to beat his problem. If he can keep up. In a world of normal people,...

  • Listen, You!

    When Gerry takes a job to bring Laurie in, Bulljerk tells him to think it over. After all, ex-girlfriends make for tricky bounty runs. In a world overloaded with stimulation sometimes a guy just has to go after the girl. Listen, You! is one of fiftee...

  • The Last Great Time House of Muldemar Ridge

    When Cailie arrives at the ancient time house, she knows that shutting it down won't be easy. But when the occupants begin twisting her boss in knots, and timelines start crossing, Cailie's got to make some fast decisions, and even break some rules. ...

  • Taken by Surprise

    Louise Steadwell loves taking care of her nephew and niece, when her sister Jaime needs a break. Louise's quiet backwater hometown makes the perfect place for some time out. But when Louise witnesses a car plunging into the Machon River, the quiet ba...

  • Canal Days

    Flis Kupe and Grae Sinder, former interstellar soldiers, make a great investigative team. When they're not running for their lives. Caught in a mystery that could bring down multi-planetary companies, Flis and Grae must dodge pirates and cops to find...

  • Night Operations

    Jimra Jeffs' blood contains secrets. Flis knows that finding the AWOL soldier should be easy money for a skilled investigator. But Jimra knows how to hide. In the depths of a Karnish night, Flis and her offsider Grae face the challenge of bringing th...

  • Guest House Izarra

    On a picturesque backwater, the Guest House Izarra makes the perfect getaway from the city hubbub and river pirates. Even if someone is siphoning off the cashflow. A simple investigation job for Flis and Grae. Couldn't be better. But when pirates arr...

  • The Molenstraat Music Festival

    Sparsely populated Kaylee lies a long way from most human-occupied planets. Retired musician Clancy Jonah likes the peace and quiet in his corner of the world. So when brilliantly-gifted cellist Eleanor Birchall arrives with a dubious proposal Clancy...

  • Asteroid Jumpers

    Captain Arlon Stoddard'a ageing ship the Luminou closes in on one of the Crespin system's asteroids. Hunting for fugitives in a protected dome. But what Arlon and his crew find will stretch their resources to the very breaking point. Fugitives become...

  • The City Builders

    Desra Parker loves investigating strange planets. But when missiles shoot her ship down over Mackelle, Desra and her crew find themselves in a desperate race for survival. Battling the elements and relentless building-sized robots, Desra needs to unr...

  • Cathedrals

    Years in the making, the remarkable spawning of Cathedrals, Shilinka Switalla's planet covering artwork draws crowds from around the populated galaxy. As ships gather to witness the extraordinary spectacle, things might not go as planned. In a race t...

  • Mars Cycler Artist in Residence, 2071

    Monica loves art. She also loves space travel. She makes a good living from her art, choosing the practical career path. When a residency aboard the Mars cycler the Ruskin comes up, Monica applies, barely expecting to have a shot against all the othe...

  • Persephone Quest

    The deep space battleship Persephone Quest crashed on Paulding's surface centuries back. The history books closed long ago. Leaving behind a monument and nothing much else. When people start asking the wrong questions, Flis and Grae find themselves t...

  • The Umbrellas of Tokyo

    Tokyo can be a strange place to live. Especially if you're from another country. The sprawling city is a whole extraordinary world in itself. Felicity loves living there. And she loves to sing. She sings for crowds in the clubs of Tokyo. She thrives ...

  • Ice Hunters

    When explorations take her expedition too deep into planet Ardecelle's frozen wastes, Bea Calder must do everything she can to save the team. Racing against the clock to pull off a rescue, Captain Arlon Stoddard needs someone with expertise to have a...

  • Improvising at Branson Six

    Once the go-to guy for the most dangerous rescues, Tony Mirenne lives in self-imposed exile. All because of that one last rescue that went worse than badly. But now the crew of Branson Six needs his help. If he can put his demons behind him. A prize-...

  • The Magistrate, Astrid and the Assassins

    Lincoln Cordell, Magistrate, wants a peaceful, slow trip to his next destination. Not much to ask, really. Of course the exuberant, vivacious Astrid might throw that plan into disarray. If Cordell can even figure out Astrid's ultimate intentions. A q...

  • Touches Electricity

    Damian feels a tingling surge of electricity. But is it going to help him figure out what's going on with Carina? A quirky tale of friendship, mystery and angst, with just a dash of electricity on the loose. From the author of "Turns to Water" and "W...

  • Unicorn Beluga Play Madison Square Garden

    Max Deacon, music producer extraordinaire, works with any band with a good idea. Inspiration is more important than the money. Though the money's good. But with Unicorn Beluga playing their hits Max might just be out of his depth. Way out. A sci-fi s...

  • Glass Bay

    When Sebastien's uncle visits Bernie's Rest, it seems like a simple sending off. Turns out to be a sending off in more ways than one. Jade might just be able to help Sebastien find the truth. If she can keep them alive long enough.A...

  • The Horned Moon

    The colony ship crashed on Wister years ago. Desperate survivors face failing crops, disease and infighting. One thing might save them. If someone's crazy enough to try. A deep space adventure story from the author of Gretel....

  • Cat Leaps

    Time operative Ari once again finds herself caught at the mercy of a ruthless journalist. At the edge of a jungle, in a rebel-destroyed harvester. Nasty. Spurious journalists just about wrecked her career before. Then again, Ari's Margay, Pix, always...

  • Raven Rising

    Light years from home, Starship Raven went down in a plunging blazing wreck. Crack investigator Angelie Gunnarson and her team love this kind of impossible mystery. But the Raven might have more secrets than even Angelie can handle. An action-packed ...

  • L-Own

    Aidan Brooke knows the dangers of the cyberdrug L-Own. Too bad Beth doesn't. Now Aidan's in a race against time to stop her hurting herself. Or someone else. A short story sci-fi thriller from the author of "Crimson Birds of Small Miracles" and "Cat ...

  • The Map Maker of Morgenfeld

    Cole Palmer lives an idyllic, quiet life in a small village, trying to put his life together after Liddy disappeared. He sketches and does odd jobs for neighbors, and misses her. A murder in distant, sprawling Morgenfeld changes everything. And not f...

  • Hanging Vines

    In a bizarre enclosed world, Alex Nightman flees Iddleston's thugs and mechanicals. All over a misunderstanding. Caught between the endless ceiling and the world's wide ocean, Nightman needs his wits and every trick he can muster to stay out of reach...

  • The Moons of Dickens IV

    Natalie Simon, expert researcher, brilliant scientist, and painter, knows she's socially awkward. Sometimes she confronts that head-on. Sometimes she runs.The research station on Maylie, orbiting Dickens IV seems like the perfect place to flee remind...

  • Crimson Birds of Small Miracles

    Bringing his daughters Jessie and Matilda to the stunningly beautiful crimson birds exhibition on Ariosto just about broke CJ Penn’s finances.But the girls need opportunities like this. Desperately. Jessie especially. With her medical condition, op...

  • Here

    New York City. 1891. A woman has been found viciously murdered on the top floor of a decrepit Lower East Side hotel. The signs indicate that the murder might have been perpetrated by none other than London's infamous Whitechapel killer, Jack the Ripp...

  • Overrun

    From the icy roof of the science lab building, Mette Gilbert wonders about her reasons for coming to Fordholm. Certainly not for the cold. The stark beauty invigorates her. But the institute seems barren and lifeless. After the way t...

  • Dr Somm's Guide to Lost and Unusual Electrical Devices

    When Braxton Glenn turns his back, Christine grabs an appliance. Thousands of electrical pieces fill Braxton's Phoenix store. From toasters to clocks to toy robots. They shine and gleam on the shelves. But Braxton hides the good stuff. And sometimes ...

  • The Seventeen Films of Hiroko Matsuoka

    Hiroko loves making retinal films. The depth and beauty of the immersive worlds brings joy to her fans. Sometimes even catharsis.But her output may not satisfy her mentor Majime. The scholarship's demands tax even Hiroko's skills.And when foundation ...

  • Ship Tracers

    Finding killers hiding among the crevices and crags of cold dead asteroids challenges Captain Arlon Stoddard's crew in whole new ways.Far out in the Corrin system, the asteroid Nankong has thousands of hiding places. Locating the culprits will take a...

  • Techtach Thief

    Cassie Bridgeman's hover reservoir clings to the edge of Kanthrell Tower. Sixty-nine levels up. The tower's security force hate thieves, but then, Cassie needs to settle some old scores. In a world of haves and have-nots, Cassie, with her faithful me...

  • Blue Defender

    Fifty light years from Earth, Matti-Jay Menthony encounters a dragon in space. A myth? A robot? What? She knows she must be dreaming. But the dragon proves all too real. Matti-Jay's scientific mission means everything to her. She never expected it to...

  • Ten Gravity Tower

    Famous photographer Claire Mond travels from world to world as Josephine MacGregor. A simple assumed identity to avoid undue attention. Mostly the strategy works.Claire flies to Brayden to photograph her sister's wedding. A simple job. With a brillia...

  • Tombs Under Vaile

    The giant stone block of Vaile Max prison stands on the Karnish plains. Impregnable and escape-proof. Prisoner Cole Dugald waits, release imminent. He wants no trouble. But when authorities demand help from investigator Flis Kupe, trouble looms. For ...

  • Dreamhaul and other stories

    Stories by the award-winning author of "Crimson Birds of Small Miracles".Cal dives into dreams. A unique skill that brings rewards. And demands. And when a particularly demanding customer shows up, she catches Cal by surprise.Dreamhaul is just one of...

  • Kodalee

    Jack loves his boat, Kodalee. His passion. Idyllic time aboard her makes him feel alive. Keeping her afloat keeps him occupied.But what if the business of feeling alive takes you away from the really important things?A literary story with a heart fro...

  • Defragging Carla

    Living the prospector's life on an underpopulated planet, Gaz Young makes a fair living. His AI Carla keeps him amused. But he still craves human company.The desert world gives up her secrets reluctantly.When an unexpected visitor drops by, Gaz jumps...

  • Here Be Dragons

    A month after Michelle invited Aidan to leave, she went and died.Aidan and Xander make the best of things after Michelle's death. Not an easy thing for a father a son with a particular view of the world.But perhaps Xander has a thing or two to teach ...

  • Eastern Foray

    A day learning to fly the giant Alman-Kruder aircraft over the canal lands gives investigator Flis Kupe the chance to unwind after some tough assignments. At least until someone fires a smart missile at her.Kind of changes her day. A whole lot.And as...

  • Ventiforms

    The windy, parched planet Zepheirre discourages visitors. Actively.Tailé Aronsen's mission to find her son strikes problems from the moment she arrives in orbit.But the extraordinary Ventiform sculptures might reveal more than they hide.If Tailé ca...

  • Red Alliance

    After the wreck of The Donner on the planet Ludelle Matti-Jay and the others face desperation every day. Surviving relies on their wits and good luck.When an emergency threatens their camp, Matti-Jay must fight with every resource at her command. Oth...

  • Gold Embers

    Marooned on planet Ludelle, Matti-Jay and the survivors of the Donner struggle every single day. Threats hang over them nonstop.When a giant craft appears over the forest, it looks like it might hold the key to their escape.Or maybe things just got a...

  • The Stairs at Cronnenwood

    The vast city of Morgenfeld spreads across the land, an endless array of buildings jammed one against the next.Investigator Gail Deurgans takes on a new and challenging case. Way out of her usual territory.Mapmaker Cole Palmer and his staff work hard...

  • Event on Algoria Three

    On a steely platform hovering high above the swamps of Algoria Three, Matti-Jay enjoys the cool crisp air and the sense of freedom. But something speeding at her and the crew puts things in desperate jeopardy. Faced with tough choices,  Matti-Ja...

  • Life Span

    Cody Albine watches as her elegant and well-organized presentation collapses. Right in front of her last chance at getting corporate funding for the project of a lifetime. Her absolute passion.But hope lies with her friends. It might take compromise,...

  • Deuterium Shine

    When Liv Driscoll's grandmother―the woman who raised her―dies, Liv's life changes forever.Suddenly, Liv finds herself embroiled in a dangerous race to unlock the many secrets her grandmother―a brilliant scientist―hid away.Torn...

  • Mem, and Cyborg

    Mem's hidden cabin shudders in yet another artificial storm. If she survives this one, she might just figure out how to find Clete.Unless his kidnappers find her first.A sci fi short story with a heart, from the author of One Hundred...

  • Landslide Country

    Ange Campbell sits in the over-cooled air in the bus's quiet interior. Parked in a mountain pass surrounded by banks of snow. The younger passengers dart around the overlook, oblivious to danger.Landslide Country.One six stories from the crisp imagin...

  • Chasing 'Oumuamua

    Rick comes across as odd. Especially with his ideas about chasing down interstellar visitors. But no matter what, Meredith loves him. Family works like that. Even when the most bizarre ideas become almost terrifying.Chasing 'Oumuamua, joins four othe...

  • Good Ship Hartford

    Galaxy explorers, Matti-Jay Menthony and the crew of the Blue Defender deal with all kinds of unusual events. Discovering a drifting vessel, they make preparations to investigate.But things change fast.And what they find might just change everyt...

  • Pirates

    Captain Bethanie Morello loves her ship and crew. When they encounter a mysterious vessel, their day takes a bad turn. A very bad turn. Elsewhere, Matti-Jay and Dub head out, exploring the universe, never expecting to deal with pirates. Looks li...

  • One Degree Below Freezing

    Clay Fairlow sits on the freezing park bench watching his daughter glide across the ice. An amazing skater, she twirls and leaps. But frozen lakes hide treacherous secrets. One Degree Below Freezing. One of five stories from the vivid imagination of ...

  • Hunting Shellot

    Cody Wexland polices the galaxy, tracking down smugglers, pirates and brigands. Tough work. Even tougher breaking in a new team at the same time. The young group lacks experience, but they more than make that up in sheer enthusiasm and intelligence.G...

  • The Film Adjuster

    Cale loves the movies. Soda. Popcorn. Almost a ritual.Action, drama, romance, arthouse. He has eclectic tastes. Very eclectic.When he encounters Nicole, though, things change. Drastically.It might take everything in him to keep a handle on reality.A ...

  • The Great Wall of Endemo

    Visiting distant planet Endemo, with its mysterious huge alien wall, Matti-Jay and the crew of the Blue Defender expect some quiet sightseeing. But with hidden secrets, the wall, and the locals seem impenetrable. Matti-Jay struggles, racing to unrave...

  • Tritium Blaze

    Piloting the Echo Star around Jupiter enlivens Live Dricoll's senses in surprising ways. Gigantic and swirling, the planet reminds her of old conversations with her late grandmother.But strange forces lurk, putting more on the line than just her gran...

  • Desert Creepers

    Captain Arlon Stoddard, hero of the spaceways, tackles anything thrown his way. Even simple mysteries on backwater planets, like Souoria.Meanwhile, Emme Jonette, vagabond, opportunist, thief, roves Souoria's scorching desert hunting down mythical Zey...

  • Raphael Marooned

    The wrecking of Raphael Cruz's vessel, The Willalou, on Planet Eduardine throws all his plans into disarray. With a trusty AI, Raphael plunges into a desperate race to survive Eduardine's baking desert. Limited supplies, a broken ship and no way to c...

  • The Chimneys in Atterton

    As Head Mapmaker of Morgenfeld, Cole Palmer deals with everything from politics to cartography to simply finding his way through the maze of the endless city.When dead factories start belching smoke from ancient chimneys, and people show up dead, Col...

  • Core Runners

    A missing ship. A distressed mother. A planet of mysteryThe disappearance of the Astro Astoria challenges the capabilities of Captain Arlon Stoddard and his crew in new and desperate ways.Finding the ship, and the familes aboard takes every resource ...

  • Blast Crater on Endemo

    Filled with exotic wonderful sights, Endemo ranks as one of the most mysterious worlds in all of Ao space. With some time off after the challenging events at the Great Wall, Matti-Jay and her crew pay a visit to the stunning ancient crater in the nor...

  • Underworld Climbers

    In a dank bar, fifteen stories underground in planet Claredel's complex buried networks, Captain Arlon Stoddard finds himself facing a mountain-sized man.Bulging with muscle enhancements, and eyes laser-locked on Arlon, all bets are off. Arlon a...

  • In Custody

    Out of place in the city, one of few humans among millions of aliens, Jaine Mar desperately searches for her brother.They have got him somewhere in the crystalline towers.To find him, she needs help. Maybe from an unexpected source.One of five slight...

  • The Fall

    July 1892. Detective Sergeant Robert Falconer of the New York City Police Department's Central Detective Bureau is back--tasked with finding out if well-known anarchist leader, Emma Goldman, is involved in a recent anarchist attempt to murder a steel...

  • Lydia's Mollusk

    A shell with brilliant striations. Golds and whites and purples. Perfectly in its setting on the calm, warm beach.Beautiful, intriguing.Beguiling, even.Lydia hardly expects the creature be dangerous.But then, looks can decieve.A complex tale of myste...

  • The Ergs

    Essaline loves exploring the old hidden relics out on the erg. Tolesse has many secrets. A history dating back to the earliest times when humans first inhabited the planet.But do humans belong?A twisted tale of hidden destiny and people who will stop...

  • Mars Cycler Artist in Residence, 2017

  • A Cultural Exchange

    Arriving in the deep alien forests of Corrul, Tim Maxter and his crew hardly expect instant hostility from the locals.Sixty light years from Earth to find someone pounding on the spaceship's door. Welcome to a planet filled with surprises.Surprises t...

  • Dangerous Machines

    Gina Parker explores the underground alien tubes. The mystery of their existence draws her.Deeper and deeper.But the tubes hold more than mysteries.And Gina might just find more than the answers she so desperately seeks....

  • Load Bearing Member

    Coral Daimeer lugs her wrench around the deep space vessel the Derlater. Sensors tell her what to fix. Coral fixes it. Coral's intuition makes her great at her job. Mostly. A story that explores the question of what can a single crew member...

  • Dark Fields

    South Dakota. Sunset. One dark day in July, Brad crashes his busted light plane in a dusty cornfield. Not great for his weekend plans.Not great for anything.Passing by, Cole Wright stops to lend a hand.Which might just plunge them both into some...

  • Cami, Metta and The Cube

    Cami Gretton, courier, entreprenuer and getaway artist, trusts too easily. When the simple job of delivering a hypergrid Testa Cube turns sour, Cami finds herself tangled in a double cross. Or a triple cross. Hard to tell.Could even be worse.Cami nee...

  • Fubrelli's Ghost

    Jupiter's huge frozen moon Callisto suits Claire. Suits her perfectly. Its rugged, barren landscape entrances her as she works with the station crew to fathom the icy secrets.But when a ghost shows up, Claire and the crew face secrets that go far bey...

  • The Chule

    Setting up a quiet, simple colony on planet Barchime should be idyllic.Eliza, Della and the others have high ideals. Sparsely populated, the gorgeous planet offers everything they need. But when something riles up some local wildlife, the s...

  • Measured Aggression

    The sign at the edge of townannounces it asCooperville, Pop 3516.Small town. Big problems. Passing through, Cole Wright just wants a meal and to get back on the road. Always happy to have a nice meal. Always happy to avoid problems.Som...

  • Schedule Interruption

    On his way toward Spokane, Cole Wright rides a rickety old bus. Local service. Regular schedule. Few passengers. Small town to small town. Heartland people.Wright plans to pick up the long distance service when the bus reaches the freeway.Plans, thou...

  • Island Hoppers

    Captain Arlon Stoddard and his tireless crew patrol the spaceways. Arriving on Melle, a planet covered in vast oceans, hundreds of archipelagoes and entirely lacking continents, the crew know they have their work cut out for them. With conf...

  • Lucy Yesterday

    Lucy Yesterday understands the subtleties of time in ways that leave James baffled. Orders of magnitude beyond his understanding.She needs his skills though, and he enjoys the role of sidekick.This trip, however might just tip them into an abyss more...

  • Barrens

    A beautiful piece of engineering, interstellar ship, elegia fortune should function perfectly. When the vessel falls out of warp, lila sansom and the crew find themselves with more problems than they can count.Including an impossible planet in t...

  • The Forest Doesn't Care

    Charlie and Suze just want a quiet, relaxing hike through Crater Top park. A beautiful, tranquil and hidden in the mountains.Helping out with the park's trails, Cole Wright enjoys the change. The chance to do something different.No one expects troubl...

  • Hide Away

    Cole Wright sits in a sparkling bright Route 66 themed diner in a small Montana town. Kind of town you could walk side to side in five minutes and leave behind. In the mountains nearby, Joe Bridger consults his phone.Any moment and he will get t...

  • Problem Landing

    Toughing out life on Mars, Ciananti Burrows finds herself constantly repairing failing equipment and pushing research aside. But when new arrivals declare an issue with their landing vessel, all those learned repair skills might come in handy.They mi...

  • Jackpot Kingdom

    The city of Turneith. Right at the edge of the ancient canal lands. Beautiful. Teeming. Dangerous.Survival goes to those with the sharpest wits.When an illegal gambling operation turns deadly, investigators Flis and Grae find themselves caught in a w...

  • The Handler

    The mugging happens so fast that Marc barely has time to react. For Marc and Sonia, a trip to Spokane means visiting family, a little shopping and some eating out. Not having someone accost them in the street. When Cole Wright happens by, t...

  • Sail Man

    Alice Briggs has a plan. Send a deep space probe farther out than any before.She knows how to do it, but faces blocks at every turn.When she meets Tink and Caroline—the sail builders—they make her big ideas seem small.In a good way.A stor...

  • Slow Burn

    Slate Wheels, North Dakota. The edge of winter. A flat landscape dusted with snow.Bound with rough rope, Brett Wilcox struggles to get free. One little mistake put him here.Not even his fault.Not really. Cole Wright heads for Spokane. A simple t...

  • Mist Drifters

    Captain Arlon Stoddard and his tireless crew patrol the spaceways. Unexplained deaths on the planet Hanshirr stretch the local investigators to their limits. Arlon and the crew find themselves in a race to save lives. With virtually no clues.Bec...

  • One Little Broken Leg

    Sally loves hiking. She knows her way around and knows all the pitfalls and problems. She uses the best equipment. Caught by surprise, she injures her leg while out alone, forcing her to dig for new strength. To improvise.  When Cole W...

  • Scorpion Bait

    Jerome Miller lies in scorching, gritty sand, staring up out of the rugged ditch. Bleeding and broken. The start of a very bad day, for him. Cole Wright hitches into the town of Gollick, Arizona. Somewhere between Tuscon and Yuma. Looking for a good ...

  • Ortanide Steppers

    A Captain Arlon Stoddard Novelette Ortanide. A planet with a unique geography, a rich history and a strange political system.A political system that defies Captain Arlon Stoddard and his crew.Restrained in a dank cell by the very people he came ...

  • Sea Skimmers

    Experienced Captain Ulliana Alvis loves skimming above the forty-five hundred kilometer stretch of the Tegh Sea. Her vessel the Mourave carries fifty passengers in safety and comfort. The calm of the water always reassures and moves her at once.But s...

  • Cardinals

    Lieutenant Ione Anders of the Spokane Police Department stares at a blade jutting from one of the tires on her new issue vehicle.Looks like the start of another one of those days.A day that proves full of surprises.A Cole Wright story with a differen...

  • Cold Highway

    A trip north of the border takes Cole Wright into the heart of snowbound Canada. Friendly people, vast distances, tough vehicles, isolation.When a breakdown looms, Wright finds himself caught in the white, compacted landscape. A road thirty feet wide...

  • Papa Paulie's Grill

    On the frontier, Papa Paulie serves up the best clippercrab you can imagine. Vat grown, succulent and absolutely illegal.Always a good place for friends, to settle deals and for a good old fashioned feed.When Liall shows up to meet Jaslyn for the dea...

  • A Steep Climb

    Hitching a ride, Cole Wright finds himself listening to tall tales. He meets some remarkable people on the road. When the driver suggests a detour to a beautiful overlook, they find more than they expect. People dressed and ready for a ball.&nbs...

  • Zero Kills

    Looking over the matted, sodden carpet in a rundown house in suburban Flagstaff, Jenn Fraser knows her old friend Ed is in trouble. Big trouble.Across town, Cole Wright relaxes after a day of exhausting work. Happy to be occupied. Happy to be living ...

  • Designated Driver

    On the Moon, Sam's workaday job as a lunar rover driver takes its toll. Most days he just plain feels taken for granted.Of course, some days can be different.Some days things go wrong. Days like that, you want someone like Sam behind the wheel....

  • Little Voices

    On Io's icy surface, under the glare of Jupiter, Kerrison works on freeing up a sample tube. the research must go on. His hefty armored suit makes him pretty comfortable, even if his job as a technician holds a pretty low status. And when h...

  • Tweezers

    Exploring the alien rock pools on Kombya, a gorgeous, ocean-dominated planet, the little robot Tweezers patiently uncovers new snippets of data. The researchers encourage him. Tweezers performs with meticulous enthusiasm.So what makes him wonder abou...

  • Everything is Ash

    Flying a stolen deep space flitter, Jodie Ifilda, bounty hunter, sets down in the dense forests of remote, uninhabited planet Comstairs.Exactly the kind of place where her bounty would chose to hide out.But Comstairs hides other secrets. Secrets that...

  • Liquid Machine

    An easy minder job, watching a dignitary's child, should be a simple payday for Flis Kupe and Grae Sinder. Sometimes their little investigations business needs the peace and quiet. Sometimes it needs the money. But when the job turns sour, Flis ...

  • What Do You Say Gus?

    Waiting to make the drop, Gus knows that everything hangs in the balnce. Better not screw this up. Relaxing on a park bench in a quiet town, Cole Wright watches a nervous guy with a briefcase sitting not too far away. Out of place. Out of his de...

  • No Lack of Courage

    The first Cole Wright collection A surprise in a country field. A strange and dangerous encounter in a state park. An unexpected stop while traveling on a bus. Moments of conflict, moments of desperation, moments of tenderness. Includes eig...

  • Dead Ringers

    On his last day alive, Gus Caleb sits alone in a bar. Quiet place. No problems. Until problems show up.Called to the Colston Ring, an alien artifact thousands of years old and inhabited by generations of human colonists, Captain Arlon Stoddard and hi...

  • On The Ice

    On a frozen planet, a tourist flitter wreck lies on the jumble of ice like a dead insect.People inside. Maybe still alive.Lex and Sabrine fly rescue missions. Best in the business. Galactic tourists need the security of knowing help is on hand.But th...

  • Aelonee

    Planet Shepherdess.Simple. Surprising. Deceptive. Cara Silmar's lifelong obsession researching the indigenous culture of Aelonee's people, the Saesse, leads her deeper and deeper into a world she still barely understands.A new arrival and an old...

  • Indistinct Garbled Static

    Cassie hears patterns. Sees patterns. Everywhere. Perhaps too many patterns.But that makes her one of the best interstellar signal analysts around.When the AI interpreter starts throwing extra data her way, Cassie might have more patterns than even s...

  • Not Above The Law

    Startled by an odd noise outside her farmhouse squat, Ruby goes to check it out. What she sees, thows her for a spin. Visiting Ambrose, a backwater town, Cole Wright enjoys the quiet pace of life. But the events outside of Ruby's farmhouse ...

  • Stillness

    A quiet Spokane diner. A tasty meal. A relaxing break.All Cole Wright wants. But at another table someone watches him.Intent. Focused. Maybe even a little agitated. None of Wright's business. Until trouble arrives. A story that as...

  • The Blaze of Pollux

    Ice cream on a space liner headed for disaster. A hike with a difference.  Strange animals on the loose. Odd solutions to trash overload. A scam artist lost in space.Immerse yourself in another collection of offbeat science fiction stories from ...

  • Depleted Aquifer

    Della Engle stares over broken slabs of land. The remains of a small farm. Something chewed up the ground.Something big. Something unworldly.Asked to compile a set of drone photographs, the unexpected mess stops Della cold.If only there was some sign...

  • Eagle Condor Cross

    Delivery artist Usla Miles loves stretching her new grafted wings. She flies high and fast. Pursuers stand no chance.Usla's job consists of making deliveries. Genetic datasets. Vital work in a desperate world.Some imagine that they know better. Imagi...

  • Single Branch With Blossom

    Grandpa Jim's old farm cottage lies empty and cold. Paint faded and chipped and cracked.Mel arrives not knowing the state of the place. Or the state of her feelings. Grandpa Jim always seemed mysterious, even distant.Even more distant now.A shor...

  • Pushinka

    Psyche says i should write all this down to get it out.Better for meBetter for amanda Bruised and battered, Duncan Kohl brings his daughter to the planet selangor, even as he struggles with his own mental wellbeing. What they find will surp...

  • Rorqual Saitu

    When Kumi Saitu's difficult mission to wrest vital data from Hundstein's criminal network almost kills her, she faces a critical decision.The maelstrom of danger and intrigue draws in Kumi's old friends, Flis and Grae.Facing an ancient harvester and ...

  • Sparrow, Kobresia

    Deep space vessel Sparrow looks out over the star system and runs her database checks.She checks again. No error.The databases recognise the Sun and Earth and the other celestial bodies in her home system.Sparrow's journey took her across the galaxy ...

  • Tramp Steamers

    Captain Arlon Stoddard and his tireless crew patrol the spaceways.Planet Ulshene's unique trading culture takes some getting used to. Steamers ply the skies, skimming over the endless prairie.Barl Brennan rates his skills as a crewman. But without a ...

  • Crossing Culthem Gorge

    In a forgotton land of magic and mystery, Robert Kingsheller finds himself accused of spying. On the run, he hides among the scraggy juniper and sage on a narrow rock platform. Right above the churning waters of Culthem Gorge.With his pursuers closin...

  • Crossing Bonestrike Gorge

    In a forgotton land of magic and mystery, Robert Kingsheller finds himself accused of spying. On the run, he hides among the scraggy juniper and sage on a narrow rock platform. Right above the churning waters of Bonestrike Gorge.With his pursuers clo...

  • Hard Ground

    Picked over by birds and coyotes, the body on the riverbank looks days old.When Cole Wright rolls into Pointer, Montana, he figures a few days of quiet before heading on. Maybe Canada. Maybe over the mountains and on through Idaho.Turns out, Pointer ...

  • Much Too Familiar

    Cole Wright finds too many evenings in his tiny cul-de-sac apartment shattered by rumbling engines and squealing tires.His neighbors miss their sleep.Cole needs to do something about it.Unless someone else does something about it first.A Cole Wright ...

  • Report on Accelerated Coastal Erosion

    Casey works hard on developing the resources to protect rapidly-eroding coastlines.As the dunes degrade, she knows the urgency of figuring out solutions.But not everyone agrees with her approach.When strangers show up at her grandfather's house, they...

  • Cradle Robbers

    Royd Melgrave slams himself into an emergency vacuum suit as klaxons blast around him. The refinery station seems doomed.When Authority investigators Captain Arlon Stoddard and his crew arrive, the refinery wreck follows an erratic orbit and little e...

  • Everything Has Cupboards

    Learning her way around the office at her new job, Milly discovers a locked cupboard door. Well that just fascinates Milly. As a child she explored everything, and that desire stayed with her.Sometimes her curiosity creates problems. Mostly, though i...

  • Lake Summerfield Incident

    Visiting the Lomax Jetty on Lake Summerfield, private investigator Carey Mallick looks for clues. A missing teenager. Distraught parents.Exactly Carey's specialty.But when the police step in, Carey risks jeopardizing the investigation. And her career...

  • Waxing Xebec

    When pirates kidnap boat builder Clemens DuToit he expects ransom demands. But the ruthless crew insist on something else. Something unique. Something different. Racing in, investigators Flis and Grae discover the issues run deep. History reveal...

  • Well Done With Hitchhikers

    Isaac loves his Chevy Impala. Loves crisscrossing the country behind the wheel. Sometimes he picks up a hitchhiker. Sometimes he just makes his delivery.When he stops for a man named Dale Xerxes, Isaac just wants the company. But Xerxes proves more u...

  • Everyday Moon Landings

    Tobias's room smells of him.But Tobias is gone. What can a father do when he loses his child?Finding the courage to finally enter Tobias's room, Peter Treuer faces things he might rather not know.In the process, though, he might find some truths are ...

  • Evolution Awakening

    Max, a young teen on the verge of adulthood and a mental breakdown, finds himself at a crossroads when his past catches up with him and his future promises more hardship and distress. This collision forces him to his breaking point. In his lowest mom...

  • Martian Job Offer

    In a dingy Martian dive bar, Ed Linklater waits for Hamish Plintch, who might just have a job for Ed. And Ed Could use the work. But when Plintch fails to show, Ed must dig deep into his own resources to figure out what happened. Becau...

  • Shards of Tempered Glass

    Ed Linklater discovers cracked glass on one of the deep space vessel Cumberland's tender craft. The  damage jeopardizes the entire mission.Light years from Earth, Ed and crew must figure out a solution. With limited resources and no way to conta...

  • Spindle Shatters

    Preparing for the deep space mission on the interstellar ship Cumberland Ed Linklater and the crew run through batteries of trials and drills.A grueling schedule.When trouble with the training centrifuge proves almost catastrophic, Ed must face alter...

  • Choppy Waters

    As a black wave slams into Ed and Michelle's sleek cutter in the icy North Atlantic, another wave rears behind. The relentless, sudden storm seems bent on tearing the little boat apart.A training jaunt gone wrong.Preparing for their deep space missio...

  • Designation One Eight Nine

    Training for the Dashell mission, Ed Linklater traipses through the deep Californian forests.Alone. Lost. Locator busted.Days from anywhere.Getting home safely looks like a distant hope.But when a strange encounter leaves him startled, Ed needs every...

  • The Perilous Woods

    Fifteen-year-old Adam Turner awakes to a violent attack by vengeful Western Delaware warriors on his family's quiet homestead on the Pennsylvania frontier. He somehow escapes but knows nothing of the fate of his loved ones. Befriending a former slave...

  • Landing Protocols

    Intrepid and inadvertent adventurer Ed Linklater flies training runs regularly, preparing for bigger, more dangerous missions.But sometimes the training runs bring dangers of their own.In a tiny skiff, flying from a station above the moon and heading...

  • Sigrid's Eagle

    Calinda's sister Sigrid vanished in the jagged reaches of the Spikehill Mountains. Jutting, thready, dangerous peaks.Calinda needs to know why. Needs to know what drew Sigrid into such danger.Their father would disapprove. But then, Calinda knows a c...

  • Margin Dwellers

    Mel Oaster loves her twilight room haven. Right at the edges of sunlight on tidally-locked, sun-blasted Planet Talmenica. Half-frozen, half-baked.People like Mel inhabit the margins between light and shadow. They live unique and peaceful lives.But wh...

  • Peruser

    Cole Wright always enjoys a quiet moment in a small town library as he travels from place to place. Free, welcoming, and quiet. And cheap used books for sale.As he peruses through the battered but readable volumes, a ruckus shatters the the Wilden Pu...

  • Mangled Gravity

    Always on the lookout for an investment opportunity, Angela Neuman agrees to meet Lee, her real estate agent, at the Pendleton Building in Rosenfeld. But the building needs more than just a little polish.With her great sales skills, Lee convinces Ang...

  • Daisy And Maisie, External Hull Maintenance Experts

    Chuck Grimshaw works hard in the gruelling environment orbiting Mars. Long days fixing broken equipment, on a worn out ship, in a stinky spacesuit.His two robot helpers, Daisy and Maisie, make things bearable. Never short of a wry observation or a co...

  • Else

    Elise watches a girl thieving a bracelet from a spinner display, right near a store's entry. And Elise finds herself weighing up whether to turn the girl in.After all, Elise's days of thievery are far behind her.But when the whole situation changes f...

  • Yesterday's Ziggurat

    Decades after the diaspora, the vast canal lands of Karnth still support struggling farms.When a sinkhole chews up Dallas Saldon's soil-tuner, and almost takes him too, he knows he needs to rethink his plans. Tough and resilient, Dallas faces challen...

  • The Wintermas Paintings

    Pickpocket Jason Trone flees with the spoils of his plunder. Trinkets and baubles. Hardly worth the effort. Hardly worth the risk.Small time.A speck in the endless corridors of the Morgenfeld's vast city sprawl,But when he gets an offer for the big t...

  • The Bergeron Sculptures

    Jason Trone, former thief, finds himself in a clandestine meeting with his sister Clara and the enigmatic Greyfriar Bergeron, in a surprising location.The extensive galleries of the Nollingwood Museum of Art and Antiquities, filled with displays of a...

  • The Ingersal Ballet

    The city of Morgenfeld's ancient, endless corridors, staircases and byways hide dark secrets in deep, dank and gloomy corners.When investigator Jason Trone trips over a body in the back of the Ingersal Theatre, rather than solving the crime, he and h...

  • Concentration

    • / Literary
    • Buy

    Aaron loses concentration when Casey aims the car for the clifftop. But concentration is the new thing. Does he like her? Does she like him? A literary story that asks the hard questions, from the author of Landslide Country and Back from Vermont....

  • Fabulous Skies

    • / Science Fiction
    • Buy

    Jenelle lives for storms. The elemental and the destructive. With her flotilla of flybots, she studies and researches the biggest storms. Right out in the wild.But perhaps existing out in the wild takes more than she knows.A story that asks the quest...

  • Trapped

    • / Fantasy
    • Buy Buy

    Straightforward days can go bad real fast.Searching for survivors on planet Ludelle, Matti-Jay finds herself meeting unexpected locals. Locals who might just have other ideas about exploring.Matti-Jay and Dub find themselves in a desperate battle for...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Sean Monaghan has published 253 books.

The next book by Sean Monaghan, The Ingersal Ballet, will be published in October 2025.

The first book by Sean Monaghan, Deadstick, was published in October 2011.

No. Sean Monaghan does not write books in series.
Top Authors in Nautical
No ads, please...

$20 / year

FictionDB Premium Membership

Subscribe