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

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....

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.

When alien scientists studying a mysterious object detect unfamiliar DNA, they set to work on cloning the being responsible for the incredible technology. Now, all alone and trillions of miles from home, their fully grown human Seedling is about to be hatched....

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.

Dylan Kline, salesman extraordinaire, eyes Saturn's moons as his ultimate cosmic jackpot. As global attention turns towards the first launch of the billionaire's ambitious project, the stakes could hardly be higher. Kline's advanced rocketry has finally enabled heavy long-distance transit, opening up a new frontier of unimaginable revenue opportunities.

With huge funding behind them, ChronoTonic claims to have achieved the impossible. The corporation is pushing its new machine — a time machine — as the solution to Earth's problems. I'm just not buying it. They want to buzz forward in time, pick up a few technological advancements, and buzz back to apply them in the here and now. They say we can save lives and reduce suffering by learning the lessons of the future — today.

When a group of prize-winning high school graduates blasted off on a mission to space, their parents beamed with pride. When news of the disaster came in, a nation mourned. But nothing is truly as it seems.

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. Power like this has never existed. But amid all of the awe and optimism, there is far more going on behind the curtain than Kurt or anyone else could ever have predicted.

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....

After discovering the truth behind Sycamore, tech pioneer Kurt Jacobs rejects the corporation’s offer of a new identity and chooses to fight to expose the truth. But with an overt threat against his family hanging over him, Kurt must act without being seen.

In 10 original stories, Sycamore X explores Sycamore's augmented reality dystopia through the eyes of parents, teachers, job-hunters, Sycamore employees, unwilling celebrities, and more.

In 12 original stories, this super-sized collection picks up right where Sycamore X left off by exploring the mega corporation’s augmented reality dystopia through the eyes of a varied cast of characters, some new and some familiar.

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.

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.

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.