Showing results by author "Craig A. Falconer" in All Categories

I guess saving the world once wasn't enough… First it was the auroras, lighting up Europe every night. Then came the weird clouds over Africa. The tidal shifts... the failing crops... the crazy changes to animal migration... And I think all of this is just the start. I don't buy the official line that these are natural occurrences. Not anymore. Not since a whistleblower hid a coded message in my invitation for an upcoming commemoration ceremony on The Vita. Now I know the truth—that Earth is in serious danger from the side-effects of their reckless research.

Surviving in space was the easy part … I’m not alone anymore. I've made it down from the solitude of the station, all the way to an incredible underground bunker complex. Thousands of humanity’s best minds are by my side. I’m surrounded by secret cutting-edge technologies that almost defy belief. Too bad none of that is a match for what I’m up against now.

When Kurt Jacobs imagines the ultimate gadget—one capable of replacing phones, credit cards, keys and TVs—the idea consumes his every waking moment. When the Sycamore corporation buys into Kurt's creation and The Seed becomes a reality, his every dream comes true.

All eyes fall on the closing stages of a colony-defining isolation test within Terradox’s least hospitable zone—the man-made hellscape of Little Venus, where six astronauts-in-training have survived 51 weeks surrounded by an almost impossibly hostile atmosphere. But while the astronauts of tomorrow count down their final few days until freedom, the gravest threat of all might already be on the wrong side of their Isolation Kompound’s impenetrable walls....

Continuing the legacy of decades gone by, these fast-paced standalone stories offer wondrous settings, philosophical sci-fi questions, and twists that pack a punch.

Four years after Ivy "Holly" Wood's dramatic escape from Terradox, the once-hostile romosphere's new hotel and leisure development is thriving. But while adventurous guests from all corners of the Earth marvel at the awesome wonders of the Terradox Resort's artificial environment, a deadly threat looms large. When it becomes clear that an unimaginable risk offers the only hope of preventing an unimaginable disaster, responsibility for the safety of the many innocent civilians stranded on Terradox once again falls on Holly's shoulders.

"Terradox Zero: Before the Crash", an illuminating prequel story to the best-selling Terradox series, giving new insight into the journey's crew and passengers.

All throughout Moonshine Mall, shelves are empty of the year's most sought-after toy — the Sheepy McFinnigan action figure. Santa's elves are run off their feet trying to meet demand. Jolly old Saint Nick himself is even busier...so busy that a Robot Santa has to stand in at Moonshine Mall's famous grotto. Even worse, the mall's new manager, Nancy Collins, is sucking the fun out of everything. Robot Santa is the only thing keeping the kids smiling amid the Sheepy McFinnigan stock shortage, but Nancy has her own selfish reason for putting him in place.

Across oceans and ages, the same tales have persisted. The lights in the sky. The whirring sounds at night. The ships that cross the darkness and the headaches that come when they pass overhead. But for some, the feelings have intensified. Lately, it all feels...closer. EJ, a humble artist, senses that the long-foreseen arrival is imminent. Denounced as a self-promoter seeking attention and fame, he finds few listeners, but never stops trying to raise the alarm. When dusk falls, the prophecy rains down.

Every night for the past four months, I've dreamed of being chosen for the trip to Calbora. The others have grown comfortable in the safety of the station's bunks, praying their names won't be called. Not me. Every day since we got here, I've looked up and wondered. Not anymore. No one can know the real reason it matters so much, but one way or another...I'm getting on that ship.

Beyond Horizons explores classic sci-fi themes through a contemporary lens. Continuing the legacy of decades gone by, these fast-paced standalone stories offer wondrous settings, philosophical sci-fi questions, and twists that pack a punch.

Three nights in a log cabin, out here in the Scottish wilderness with no one else for miles around. Three nights in this idyllic kind of halfway house. Three nights to reflect on the incident at my own pace and draw a line under my recovery. The sights and sounds will soothe you, they said. Doctor Chambers told me to listen for the birds. The guidebook on the table promised deer and red squirrels. But no one mentioned the lights in the sky. No one mentioned the Visitors.

At long last, the dream of a functioning research colony on Terradox has become reality. Thousands of men, women, and children now call the distant romosphere home, with experts in countless fields recruited from Earth to spearhead the most ambitious research projects ever devised. All eyes fall on the closing stages of a colony-defining isolation test within Terradox’s least hospitable zone—the man-made hellscape of Little Venus, where six astronauts-in-training have survived 51 weeks surrounded by an almost impossibly hostile atmosphere.

The lucky tech reviewer who receives the first prototype quickly learns that Pamela 2.0 represents a quantum leap in consumer robotics, capable of meeting a modern homeowner's every need. Eager to please by following any order that doesn't involve physical contact with a human, there's almost nothing Pamela can't do - she takes out the trash, she washes the dishes, she feeds the dog.

When one door closes, another world opens....But it wasn't supposed to go like this. The mission was simple. I took every precaution. I had done it a thousand times before. But this time it was different. Something went wrong. And I've called for help, but no one hears. I'll admit it: I don't know how to get home. Hell, I don't even know where I am. And worst of all... wherever I am, I don't think I'm alone.

As the well-tipped tour guide at a model town within a nuclear test site in 1950s Nevada, Darren Murphy has a job to die for. His work is easy and relaxed, much like himself, drawing envy from his wide circle of friends. But one fateful day, after one particularly late night in the burgeoning city of Las Vegas, Darren makes a huge mistake. "I'll try my best to get us all out of here before the next bomb goes off..." Murphy often jokes to his rapt tour groups. Only this time, due to a slip-up no one could have foreseen, his best might not be enough.

In the high-tech paradise of Indigo Sands, perfection exists. Or so they think.... For Bianca Blane, a young but jaded online influencer, the fame she once sought now weighs heavily on her shoulders. When she receives an exclusive invitation to spend a preview week in the cutting-edge tourist resort of Indigo Sands, Bianca seizes the opportunity to disconnect from her increasingly demanding followers. Indigo Sands strikes Bianca as truly pristine - perfect in every way. But before too long, a veil is lifted. Because behind the facade, nothing is as it seems....

Gillian Reid, a promising Happy Inc. employee, excels without excitement and succeeds without pride. Like everyone else, she has always been comfortable but never truly happy. Like everyone else's, her Emotional Volatility has always been limited to stay within the bounds of a mediocre middle. Gillian Reid's life plays out like any other, until one fateful day, when her EV limiter stops working. And with her eyes truly open for the first time, Gillian Reid does not like what she sees.

There's no time like the present, but there's no place like Yester Year... When Paula Frederick gets a weekend job on Dream Rock, a former prison island that now serves as the world's largest leisure destination, she can hardly believe her luck. Dream Rock's outlandish surroundings are a welcome break from her studies. Paula's fully costumed role within the island's smallest zone, a medieval-themed amusement park called Yester Year, seems set to allow for even more immersive fun than she imagined.

When Judy Fletcher's life is at its lowest ebb, she jumps at the chance to trial a truly next-gen digital assistant. Oracle promises to change everything. By harnessing live and historical data from billions of users' messages, habits and even real-world conversations, there is almost nothing the app can't do. As Judy's life immediately changes for the better, she feels empowered like never before.